《Stacking My Abilities》 Chapter 1 - Fogged Up (1) Jeff Norman stared out of his window. It''s a world of fog out there. He could barely see the trees across the street. Anything beyond that was not visible. It''s been like this for 11 days now. ''And the end is no where in sight...'' Jeff sighed. There''s an eerie silence outside. A few days ago, there were still gunshots and angry shouts out there. But now... nothing. Electricity had been out for a week now. The same for phone signals. The only good news: this was mid-July. It''s still warm during the night. "Well Lord Rammus, if the fog doesn''t go away in a week, we''ll just have to take a chance. And venture into the unknown." Jeff continued to stare out of his window. Jeff''s pet turtle raised its head and took a look at Jeff. Then it went back to napping. "Let''s just hope that this ends soon... And our lives can return to normal." "Dry instant noodles and cold canned food ain''t the best. But it''ll have to do..." Jeff bitterly chuckled. "It''ll have to do... Yeah..." The room was overtaken by silence again. *Rumble* *Rumble* A bunch of people had entered the apartment hallway outside. BAM! BAM! BAM! Violent pounding on the doors broke the silence. Jeff Norman froze up a little. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this one. Passing by his kitchen, Jeff grabbed a kitchen knife. Not the best weapon for self-defense, but there weren''t many options here. BAM! BAM! BAM! Someone was knocking on Jeff''s door now. "FBI! Open up!" BAM! BAM! BAM! Jeff softly walked up to his door. Taking a look through the peephole... It was a group of big dudes out there, either half-naked or wearing a tank-top. All of them had a ck-droplet tattoo on their foreheads. Nope. Didn''t look like the FBI to Jeff. Not at all. PAM! A dude rammed into the door. The door quickly becamerger in Jeff''s sight. By reflex, Jeff flinched. Feeling a dull pain on his face, hearing a sharp ringing noise, the shaking world quickly dimmed, until it was totally ck. Feeling a falling sensation, the sharp ringing noise distanced away... ... ... *Plop* (Water Droplet Sound) Jeff''s fingers wiggled. Scratching the ground a little... Felt like his fingers were brushing against cool summer grass. Feeling that his senses had returned a little, Jeff opened his eyes. Looking up, he could see light filtering through the crown of a tree. Surprisingly, Jeff felt no pain or difort on his head. Sitting up, Jeff looked around. No idea where the light wasing from. But it''s still bright as day here. *Plop* A droplet of dew fell off of a tree branch, diving into a small pond nearby. A metallic-looking tree with silver leaves and bronze branches. A grass field about the size of a basketball field. A small pond. And a set of stone table and chairs. Looking away, there''s the endless void out there. Apparently, this was an ind floating in the void? ''Is this afterlife?'' Jeff gulped. ''No...'' ''No. This can''t be...'' ''You have to be joking right?'' ''No.'' ''I died by ''a-door-to-the-face''? No. What a joke. Haha. Very funny.'' ''I have to be dreaming...'' Jeff chuckled and stood up. ''Alright. How do I get out of here.'' Jeff walked up to the edge of this ind. Looking down, it''s a ck void down there as well. An endless emptiness... Jeff had no idea how long he stared at the void, or how long he''d mindlessly walked around. Taking a seat on a stone chair, Jeff stared forward with nk eyes. ''So... I might have just died...'' This was a tough pill to swallow. ''What a joke...'' ''My entire life was a joke... not even a funny one...'' Jeff slumped. ''...'' ''So... What happens now? Am I stuck here for eternity now?'' Jeff had no idea how long he''d sit there. Time just slipped by... Nothing seemed to matter anymore... Out of nowhere, a dude in a mage''s robe popped into existence. That mage had his back turned against Jeff. By the looks of it, that mage didn''t realize Jeff''s presence. Humming a familiar tune, that guy started stretching with a staff in his hand. "Hey. Uh." Jeff stood up. That mage flinched and froze up, as if Jeff had jump-scared him. "Uh... Hello there." Jeff continued. That mage turned around. Seeing Jeff''s face, the mage widened his eyes. Seeing the mage''s face, Jeff widened his eyes as well. "Uh... Huh..." "Hey..." Jeff pointed at the mage and then back at himself. "Yes..." The mage slowly nodded. Apparently, that dude looked like Jeff''s twin. Except Jeff didn''t have a twin brother... "Uh huh..." Jeff slowly nodded as well. Before the two knew it, their nods were in sync. Memories suddenly shed by in Jeff''s mind. Viewing these memories in first-person perspective, it''s as if he''d experienced these times himself. The first twenty years were identical to Jeff''s own experience. Born in a middle ss family. Living an average life... Heading towards Berrystone city for college... Bing a senior year student in general science... Being clueless of what to do after graduation... Heading into a supermarket... Noticing an ice cream sale... 1 dor for 5 boxes! Though, looking at the packaging, their target customers were little girls... As a poor college student, without second thoughts, Jeff decided to sacrifice his personal ego for a filled stomach. Getting a raised brow from the cashierdy... "It''s for my little sister..." "Uemm-Hmmm. Suurrreee..." Going back home with a bad taste in his mouth... Having a bite at the strawberry-vored pink ice cream... Getting a brain freeze... From this point onwards, the memories started to be different. Mage Jeff suddenly found himself standing on a bustling street. Beast Folks. Humans. Elves. Dwarves. Halflings. Fairies... Wearing armors, cloaks, robes, medieval tunics, and flower petals... Yep. This was a fantasy world. In the beginning, Mage Jeff thought he''d won the jackpot! Transmigration from Earth! By the looks of it, he was going to be a protagonist with OverPowered powers! And so, the mage Jeff naively thought. It didn''t take long for reality to settle in. He was just a penniless weak human, with no overpowered aid... For three whole years, Mage Jeff worked day jobs and saved money, hoping to be strong enough to be an adventurer. Now, with his savings, Mage Jeff bought two basic skill books and a mage''s outfit, looking forward to start his adventures soon. Taking some time to digest this information, Jeff slowly nodded. Thinking back, that strawberry ice cream was a little suspicious after all. Shortly after getting a brain freeze, the fog appeared... Mage Jeff facepalmed. "So you are me... And I am you... In different worlds..." "Yes..." Jeff squinted and nodded. "By the looks of it, yes..." A pause of silence. "Eating that ice cream was a bad idea..." Mage Jeff sighed. "I agree..." Suddenly, a blue translucent screen popped up in Jeff''s sight. [ Existing character detected... ] [ Error! Unable to detect character information... ] [ Re-digitalizing character... ] [ Updating character information... ] Chapter 2 - Fogged Up (2) [ Attributes ] Character Name: Jeff Norman Mana Level: Supernatural - Early 1.5% Mental (psychic) Level: Supernatural - Early 2.1% Physique Level: Common - Late 80% [ Abilities ] * Haste (Common) Effect: Speeds up character''s reaction speed and movement speed. Cost: Stamina and mana in ordance to skill activation time. * Mana Shield (Common) Effect: Forms a mana shield. (Shield size and strength depends on character''s mana input and mental energy input). Cost: Mana energy and Mental energy [ Quests ] None ... Physical energy: The raw muscle power of the body. Mana energy: The mysterious power flowing in the ether. Mental / psychic energy: The reality altering power of the mind. ording to Mage Jeff''s memories, in the fantasy world, these attributes could be ssified into 3 levels: Common Level. What an untrainedmoner would be capable of doing. (Commoner in fantasy world standards) Supernatural Level. Those who can wield supernatural powers. Most adventurers have mastered some form of supernatural abilities. Sage Level. Those who have ascended from the realm of humans. Able to fly. Able to wipe out a city with a single attack. Practically ''gods'' in the eyes ofmoners. Just like in video games, the higher the level, the harder it''s to level up. At least that''s what Mage Jeff had heard in bars. "Wait. So you have all my stats and all my abilities as well..." Mage Jeff looked over Jeff''s shoulders. "Looks like so..." Jeff nodded. Mage Jeff wore aplicated expression on his face. Jeff nodded in understanding. After all, this mage worked hard for 3 years for these stats. Now, Jeff just got a copy for free. "Ah. You know what. You are me, and I am you." Mage Jeff shrugged. "It''s not like you are a different person or something." "Hey, I won''t take these for free man. Your world is basically an entertainment desert. I''ll find some fantasy books, and you''ll make a fortune selling those." Jeff offered. Mage Jeff raised his brows and nodded. "Wow. That IS smart." "Yes." Jeff nodded as well. "We can always find ways to help each other." Mage Jeff added. "It''s like... Helping ourselves.... Literally." "Yes..." Jeff slowly nodded. "Say. How do I get out." "I have some business to settle." Feeling the raw power in his body, Jeff squinted. Jeff could only hope that it''s not toote. His turtle, Lord Rammus was still out there after all. Also, losing consciousness, being defenseless in front of thugs was not the most ideal scenario. "Those weird dudes huh..." Mage Jeff nodded in thought. "Looks like meremon-tiers to me. Ah. You can squash them with a pinky. Nothing to worry about. Well. Enjoy the hunt." "But for now, we are stuck here until we wake up." "So before we leave, let''s do something exciting, shall we..." Mage Jeff widely smiled. With a snap of fingers, a checkers board appeared on the stone table. Jeff: ... "I''m so d you are here. I''ve been ying against myself." Mage Jeff excitedly sat down. Stretching a little, the dude seemed to be so hyped for this. ''Stop. Please. You sound kind of pathetic right now...'' Jeff slowly nodded and sat down as well. ''Guess I''ll just have to wait it out now...'' "I wanted to introduce checkers to my co-workers. But they are not interested in learning the rules. All they do is work, eat, sleep alone, or sleep... not alone.'' "I''m so done with this." Mage Jeff made his move. "Finally! Someone normal who can understand me!" ''Well... I''m you... Kind of.'' Jeff sighed. ''Can''t me this guy for bing like this though...'' Taking a review at Mage Jeff''s memories, Jeff shivered a little. Being stuck at a foreign ce knowing no one around. People looked at him as if he''s an alien. He was simple clueless of the culture there. Sleeping on construction sites cause he had no money for rent. Asking restaurants if there''s leftover food... Yikes... It''s been... tough. To say the least. ''Well... You''ve made it out now. Finally a starter adventurer. Congrattions.'' Jeff smiled a little. ... ... [ WARNING! You are very low on health points... ] [ Converting food energy into health points... ] [ WARNING! You are very low on health points... ] [ Converting food energy into health points... ] ... [ WARNING! Low Food Energy! ] [ Eat food and rest to regenerate health points... ] "Huuuhhh..." Jeff gasped. Waking up with a start, Jeff opened his eyes. Feeling the hard ground, Jeff grunted a little. Apparently, he''d been throw into his entrance closet like a bag of garbage. Jeff was expecting a headache. However, he was feeling fine. Just hungry. Really, really hungry. Looking in front of him, there was his character interface. Under attributes, there was something new. [ Heavily Injured: You have been injured. Your alertness and energy regeneration is reduced. Eat food and rest to recover health ] [ Gravely Starving: Food energy is extremely low in your body. Your alertness, thought rity, and physical strength is reduced. Consume food to remove this status ] ''Gee. Wow. Who could have guessed that eating food eases starvation. I sure didn''t know that Sherlock.'' ''Close Character Interface.'' Jeffmanded in his mind. It''s as if he''d done this thousands of times before. Looking around... He''s back to this grey and dark world. Dim sunlight shined into this room from his windows. His unhinged door wasying on the ground. Litter everywhere. It''s silent around again. "Lord Rammus. You still here?" Silence... Standing up, walking back to his studio room, Jeff''s heart sank. His mattress was torn apart. All the drawers open. His stuff scattered everywhere. It''s the same in his kitchen. A mess. All the cabs were open. All of his food was stolen. The utensils were scattered on the ground. Jeff looked around. Nothing here was fit to be a weapon. What could he use, a fork? a spoon? Maybe a butter knife? Inside his washroom, all of his personal hygiene stuff was gone. Didn''t even leave a sheet of toilet paper behind. Most importantly, no trace of Jeff''s pet turtle could be seen! ''Oh. Tss... Those sons of bitches thought I was dead, didn''t they!'' Jeff clenched his fists. ''In fact, if my body did not be digitalized, I should be dead right now.'' Jeff felt rage roaring inside him. "You guys took all my food, all my stuff... my pet turtle... and almost my life..." Jeff murmured. Letting out a chuckle, Jeff shook his head. "I''ll certainly remember this day." Jeff''s stomach growled. Feeling a sharp pain in his stomach, Jeff curled up a little like a shrimp. "But first, I''ll need to eat something and survive." Looking around, Jeff still couldn''t see a fit tool of self-defense. A vacuum cleaner? Broom stick? Cheese grater maybe? Jeff doubted that those could help. Jeff took a deep breath. Walking up to the sink, Jeff drank some cold water. He felt even more hungry now. ''I need to leave this ce. And find some food...'' Chapter 3 - Fogged Up (3) Walking past his door frame, Jeff set foot into the apartment hallway. Without electricity, none of the lights here were turned on. Not even the emergency lights. Probably ran out of power a few days ago. Walking down the hallway, Jeff took a look at his neighbors'' ce. Everyone''s doors were busted open, providing some light into this hallway. Inside, just like Jeff''s ce, there was litter everywhere. "Hello. Anyone still here?" No response... Only silence... ''Looks like I''m the only guy left huh...'' Feeling his hunger intensifying, Jeff hesitated by his neighbor''s door. ''There''s a grocery store and a produce store down the street...'' ''Those guys can only take so much in one go.'' ''I''ll try my luck there first.'' Jeff turned to the stairway. The air inside was murky and dusty as usual. Good thing there were windows here, providing some light. Walking down the staircase, entering the ground floor, passing through some more ransacked unites, opening the front door of this building... Jeff felt a breeze of fresh air brushing against his face. For a moment, Jeff felt a little dizzy. This still felt a little surreal to him. Just eleven days ago, everything was fine and dandy. Now, looking down the fogged up streets, Jeff felt like he''s the only guy left in this world. ''Naturally, that''s not true...'' ''But seriously, where is everyone?'' Jeff tiredly trudged down the front staircases. There was a smallwn at the front entrance. There also happened to be a row of rocks separating the pathway from thewn. ''Say... Grass is edible right...'' Jeff stood there for a moment. Looking around, the rocks seemed rather delicious too. ''What am I thinking...'' Jeff gulped and shook those thoughts out of his mind. Picking up a fist-sized rock... It''s not the best tool for self-defense, but there weren''t many options here. Holding that rock, Jeff felt a bit safer. Not any less hungry though. Standing still, Jeff felt that his stomach had twitched a little. "Hoof..." Jeff paced his breath. ''Me in the fantasy world made it through... I''m not going to give up easily here either...'' Walking down the street, passing an empty intersection, Jeff reached his destination. Looking at the broken door and ss shards on the ground, Jeff''s heart sank. Looks like he''s a littlete to the scavenger party. ''There could still be something left in there...'' Jeff walked towards the entrance. Something inside let out a menacing growl. Halting himself, Jeff could see two glinting eyes inside that beaten up grocery store. ''Ah shit.'' Jeff held his breath. He felt like an invisible hand was grasping onto his heart. A wolf-like creature slowly stepped out of that shadow enshrouded store. Size of a wolf. Got the looks of a coyote. Except its fur had a silver luster. Jeff was not an animal expert. He had no idea what this thing was. Nevertheless, this thing looked a little too dangerous for him to handle. Nope. Not messing with this one. Jeff opened up his hands to make himself look bigger. Looking at this beast, Jeff slowly backed off. Seeing Jeff''s reaction, that oversized coyote lowered itself and growled. Taking a step forward, it opened its lips and showed off its fangs. "Alright. Chill. I''m leaving." Jeff took a few steps backwards. "Look. I don''t want to mess with you. And trust me, you wouldn''t want to mess with me." Jeff lightly waved his rock. Like a sh of silver light, that coyote suddenly appeared in front of Jeff. Up close, Jeff could see the saliva dripping off its fangs, and feel the warmth of this thing''s breath. Jeff''s mind nked out under this death threat. ''Shield!'' By reflex, Jeffmanded in his mind. It''s as if he''d gone over this scenario in training before. Bam! That coyote froze in space for an instance. It''s as if it had mmed into an invisible wall. A small ripple travelled down from its head to its tail. Like he''d gone through this hundreds of times before, Jeff thrusted his invisible shield forward. It''s a strange sensation. It''s as if that invisible shield was an extension from his body. Without much resistance, that coyote was sent flying back. Like a blob of silver light, that beast crashed into the store''s wall, chipping off some cement. Taking a deep breath in, Jeff felt that he could breathe again. Looking back, with that beast''s canine teeth inches away from his face, Jeff felt like he was being strangled by a pair of invisible hands. Feeling the adrenaline rushing down his veins, Jeff felt as if he''s heart was pounding like a jackhammer. ''I almost died... Again!'' ''What''s happening to this fogged up world!'' Jeff panted for breath. ''Shit! SHIIITT!'' Jeff stood there panting with widened eyes. The world never seemed this clear before. ''That''s it. Fine! That''s it!'' Jeff felt like he''d lost it. He literally felt a string snapping in his brain. ''Never had a fight in my life. But fine!'' That coyote shook its head a little and stood up. Fixating its gaze at Jeff, the beast shook the dirt off its silver fur. Feeling the hunger in his stomach, Jeff locked gaze with this oversized coyote. There was only one thought left in his mind: ''Is this thing edible...'' ''Haste!'' Jeff dashed toward his target. Throwing his emotions out of his mind, Jeff let his fighting instincts take over. Without hesitation, that coyote pounced at Jeff''s neck. However, with [Haste] activated, this beast''s movement was like a 0.10x speed video in Jeff''s view. Clenching onto his rock, focussing at this coyote, the rest of the world didn''t seem to exist anymore. Using all the strength in his body, Jeff swung a wide arc with that rock. m! Jeff smashed his rock into that oversized coyote''s face. Leaning out of the way, Jeff dodged this ramming beast. That coyote crashed onto the sidewalk like a crashing motorcycle. Sliding forward, it mmed into a sign pole. With a ng sound, that pole bent and crashed onto the road. Yet, this coyote beast shrugged off the hit like it''s nothing. This thing was trying to get up again. ''Oh, what the shitting whoppers. You have to be joking.'' Jeff squinted at this result. ''This thing can''t be a normal animal.'' Looking down, his rock broke into pieces already. Nevertheless, looking closely at that coyote, a stream of grey mist seemed to be leaking from its cheek. Jeff threw away his rock and walked up to the injured beast. ''Sorry. But it''s a battle for survival.'' ''It''s either you, or me.'' Looking at the injured beast, Jeff gulped. His mouth started salivating for some reason. Without further hesitation or mercy, Jeff pressed down the beast''s neck with one hand. Yep. It''s fur totally felt metallic. ''Shield!'' Jeff enveloped his other hand with an invisible mana shield. m! Jeffnded one more punch onto the coyote''s head. m! m! m! Poof... The coyote''s head exploded into a burst of grey mist. Along with its head, its body started to steam off into a grey mist as well. ''Huh... I''m not even surprised anymore...'' ''Say... Can I...'' Staring at the grey mist, Jeff gulped. A transparent screen popped up into Jeff''s view. Chapter 4 - Fogged Up (4) [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Iplete) ] [ Quest Description: A new energy signature has been detected. Stay within (10) meters of the source of energy signature for (3) seconds... ] [ Quest Reward: In ordance with the recording energy signature ] [ Now recording energy signature... ] The screen shed again before Jeff finished reading. ... [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Complete!) ] [ You Have Gained: ] [ Passive Ability - Beast Instincts (Common) / Toggled Off ] [ Ability Description: Your sense for 1. gazes on you 2. undetected danger 3. enemy threat level have been heightened after toggling on this ability ] [ Cost: N/A ] [ Passive Ability - Canine Nose (Common) / Toggled Off ] [ Ability Description: Your sense for smell is heightened after toggling on this ability ] [ Cost: N/A ] [ Physique Level: Common - Late 80% => Supernatural - Early 5.0% ] [ Thank you for contributing this data to the system. Please seek out more unique energy signatures. The system wishes you a great day ] The quest window closed. Another status window popped open. [WARNING! Depleted Food Energy!] [ Heavily Injured: You have been injured. Your alertness, thought rity, and energy regeneration is reduced. Eat food and rest to recover health. ] [ DANGER! Dying of Starvation: Your consciousness and physical strength is fleeting. ] [ You will lose consciousness in: 18 Min and 40 Sec ] ''Huh.'' Jeff turned his gaze back to the ground. That coyote had totally evaporated away now. On the ground, there was only a ck stone and a handful of silver bristles. These bristles looked like silver needles. About 15 to 20 of them. Jeff didn''t understand what these drops were. But they didn''t look edible... Tiredly standing up, Jeff could feel the adrenaline wearing off. His arms felt powerless and swollen, throbbing like pumps. Jeff looked around the silent fogged up streets. ''I need... food. Fast.'' However... Looking at the ransacked grocery store, Jeff doubted that he could find anything in there. ''Maybe... Canine Nose. Toggle on.'' Taking a deep breath in through his nose... Jeff gulped. There''s a nice barbeque smell in the air. Following that trace of smell in the air, without thinking much, Jeff hurried towards a direction. 3 blocks away? 5 blocks away? Jeff''s mind wasn''t exactly turned on. Turning around a street corner, following that smell, a blurry figure came into sight. That person was carefully moving down the streets. "Hey. Uh." Jeff held up a hand. Without hesitation, that figure dashed away from Jeff. ''Haste.'' In an instance, Jeff ran past that person and stopped in the way. That figure stopped as well. Without hesitation, that person kneeled onto the ground. "B-b-b-Boss! please spare me!" It''s a girl''s voice. Taking a closer look, it''s girl in a oversized red hoodie and jeans. "Y-Y-You can have all my stuff!" The girl carefully ced her backpack onto the ground. Then she put her hands into her hoodie, and pulled out an giant egg. This girl looked like she was having a panic attack. Jeff: ??? Holding the giant egg above her head, as if making an offering, the girl continued: "I-I-I, this is all I have." The girl was sweating and panting like she''d lost it. Jeff raised his brows. ''Wait... What?'' ''Did I transmigrate to a foreign world as well?'' "Hey. Eerhm. *Gulp* Rx... Chill." There was a nice burger scent in the air, mixed with a faint scent of fresh oranges. "I''m not a medieval king. There is no need to kneel before me " "Th-Thank you?" The girl slowly got up, carefully examining Jeff''s expression. The girl was about the same height as Jeff. She had the looks of a cute neighborhood girl. Nervously smiling, she lightly nodded at Jeff. "Say. You go to Berrystone college too." Jeff pointed at the girl''s hoodie. "Y-Yes." Standing in this savory scent, starving to the point of losing consciousness, Jeff felt like he was starting to lose his sanity. ''Good. That was a nice conversation. Now, I''ll just get right to it.'' "Erhm... This is awkward to ask. But do you happened to have anything to eat?" Jeff gulped. "Yeah... Yes..." The girl nervously put down her giant egg, and pulled out a food container from her backpack. Taking over the container... Opening the foils... Jeff''s mind nked out. The smell of toasted buns, caramelized shallots, and a steaming hot meat patty intermixed with each other. Taking a big bite. Crunch. That''s the sound of the toasted buns and fresh lettuce snapping apart at the first bite. Juicy. The juices from the beef patty, tomatoes, and lettuce mixing into a wondrous melody. Like a tidal wave, the vours flooded Jeff''s taste buds, awakening Jeff''s hibernating sense of taste. In an instance, the soft insides of the buns melted, releasing a warm and rich taste of wheat to the party. Chewing a bit, the dense milky vor from the melted cheese exploded in Jeff''s mouth. The beef bits joyously bounced around like children running around in a jungle gym. Fragrance of wheat. Sweetness from fresh lettuce. The tangy sourness of the tomatoes. The smokiness shallots. The wholesomeness and satisfaction of a juicy burger. Jeff felt like there was a party of vors in his mouth. Second bite. Third bite... ''It''s good to be alive...'' Jeff opened his eyes. This foggy world just got a bit brighter. Life felt... pretty good. The world was great. The future was bright. Everything felt nice. Then a thought popped up in Jeff''s mind. He felt like a high school bully, taking away other children''s lunches. All of a sudden, Jeff felt a little bad... a little guilty. ''Feels bad to feel bad man...'' So Jeff decided to do something about it... ''Out you go.'' Jeff threw that guilty feeling out of his head. "Erhm..." Jeff took a peek at the girl. "I can pay for this... If you take... credit..." "No. It''s fine. Just do me a favor. What had just happened didn''t reeeaaally happen right? Right? Haha..." The girl nervouslyughed. By the looks of it, she''s not too proud of how she reacted. "I saw nothing." Jeff replied with a firm nod. "Good... Good... So... How''s the food?" The girl dodged Jeff''s gaze. "The most delicious thing I''ve tasted in my life." Jeff returned a serious nod. "Good... Good..." The girl was still nodding. Looks like she''s still ranting in her mind. "Yes. Good. Good indeed. Let''s flip over that page. Erhm. This is a little awkward to ask. But do you have anything else to eat?" ''Like oranges maybe?'' Jeff added in his mind. He was still hungry. A burger was nowhere near enough. The girl picked up her giant egg. "You wanna eat this... raw?" The girl then quickly added: "I mean, we can go back to camp and I can cook this for you." Jeff took a good look at that giant egg. This thing was at least a foot long. Jeff had no idea what type of egg this was. But once again, Jeff felt like he knew nothing about this world anymore. ''No wonder this girl doesn''t feel an urgency for food... I mean, look at the size of this thing...'' ''Wait. Where was I. What''s up with that faint orange smell then... Wait...'' Realizing a possibility, the edge of Jeff''s mouth twitched a little. "Erhm. Anyways. Sorry if I left a bad first impression." Jeff cleared his throat. "But don''t worry. I''m not a good guy." The girl: "?!" "I mean. Not a bad guy. Having a little fooda here." Jeff chuckled. On his mental notes, Jeff remembered this one on those thugs. Stole everything he had. Stole his pet turtle. Almost stole his life. And now, staining his record, by forcing him to take a girl''s lunch... Kind of... Anyways, this won''t be a moment Jeff would be proud of. "Erhm. Jeff Norman. Senior year (4th year) student at Berrystone college, studying general science." Jeff extended a hand. "Alice. Sophomore (2nd year) Kinesiology student." The girl lightly shook Jeff''s hand. "Also. Yeah... I can tell by now. You are not one of those crazies." Alice lightly giggled and swirled her finger by her head. "By crazies... You mean..." Jeff squinted. Chapter 5 - Fogged Up (5) "Ah. You know. Inmates who broke out of jail. Hooligans. Thugs. Cultists trying to sacrifice everyone to their gods. Psychopaths. Can we..." Alice pointed in a direction. She seemed to be in a hurry. "Yeah. Sure." Jeff nodded. "Did you happen to meet any thugs with a ck-droplet tattoo on their foreheads?" "Not exactly..." Alice''s eyes glinted a little in thought. "If you happened to see them, please let me know." "Yep. I''ll remember that. Say... Jeff... You sound like you have some beef with the thugs..." "If I''m not clear about that, yes. That is in fact correct." Jeff nodded in affirmation. Hearing this reply, Alice''s confidence seemed to have returned. "Very well, we stand onmon grounds then." "Jeff?" "I''m listening." "Ever since the mist descended, the criminals in this world have been more rampant than ever. Civilian need heroes more than ever!" "Yes...?" Jeff squinted. "I, Alice Finley, second inmand of KMR organization, would like to introduce our organization to you. We are a modern day superhero group. We are devoted to protecting everyday civilians and fighting crime. Themunity needs you. Will you, a person with awaken abilities uphold your civil duties, and join us! Together, we-" "Hold on a second, can you tell me what KMR stands for?" "Knights and Maho-Shoujo of the Round table." (Maho-Shoujo: Japanese Magical Girl) "Uh huh..." Jeff raised his brows and heavily nodded, as if giving sarcastic encouragement. "You are an anime fan, aren''t you." "I happened to be the vice-president of the anime club." Alice stood a little taller. "I see..." Jeff took in a deep breath. "Before I join this KMR organization of yours, I''d like to learn about the trade a bit more..." PAUSE: in reality, Jeff was not going to join this KMR thing... He just wanted information about this world. "Alright, what do you want to know." "You said people are awakening abilities?" Jeff asked. "Yep. From my observations, I''ve seen generally three types of abilities. Physical strengthening, like me. Espers with psychic abilities. And mages who can use the monster drops. But in the KMR Organization, we call mages Maho-Shoujo!" "Uh huh... And how do mages use the monster drops?" Jeff asked. "Oh. Just inject mana into the artifact. I''ve been trying to be a maho-shoujo myself. But it''s not really working out..." "Uh huh... Yes..." Jeff nodded and took out the ck stone. "Wait. Wait. Hold on." Jeff looked at the girl in confusion. "Those are mana stones. Basically single-use mana batteries. These are not artifacts." "Ookay." Jeff raised his brows. "Good to know then." Taking out the silver bristles, Jeff took a look at the girl. Alice gave Jeff an encouraging nod. "Alright, let''s give it a try." Holding a bristle in between two fingers, Jeff closed his eyes. Remembering the training he''d done in the fantasy world, feeling that mysterious energy circting in his body, Jeff grasped onto that feeling. Pulling a strand of mana out of his body, Jeff carefully injected this energy into the silver bristle. Gradually, the bristle started to vibrate and shake, as if it''s eager to leave Jeff''s grasp. Injecting a bit more mana... That bristle instantly popped out of Jeff''s fingers. Like a ray of silver light, that bristle sank into a tree. Bam! The projectile exploded like a firecracker, leaving a bowl-sized opening on the tree. Alice''s smile gradually widened seeing this. "So you are a maho-" "No. I know what that term means." "But there''s an anime featuring male-" "No. No I''m not." Jeff looked at Alice with serious face. Jeff was not interested in adding more stained history to his life. Not today. Alice''s cheeks puffed up. "Can''t even take a joke..." The girl murmured. "Anyways, moving onto the next question, you mentioned going back to camp. Is that where everyone is?" "Noooo? Not exactly..." Alice shot a questioning look at Jeff, as if Jeff had been living under a rock. Clearly, she''s still dissatisfied with Jeff''s response to her offer. "To stay safe against the lunatics and the monsters, people have gathered inrge public facilities, like recreational centers, town halls, shopping malls... You weren''t notified were you." "Erhm... Not really..." Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. What could Jeff say. This was an unfortunate drawback of staying safe inside? "Erhm. So. What''s up with this camp you were talking about." "We are heading to a sanctuary in downtown. Heard the army is there, so it''s probably safer. Got to take chances sometimes, you know." Alice flicked a brow at Jeff. The ground rumbled a little. Having turned on [Beast Instincts], Jeff could clearly sense a gaze on him. Looking into that direction, Jeff could only see the fog though. "Ah crud." Alice murmured. "We''ve got to run..." Without looking back, Alice started sprinting with an egg in her arms. The ground rumbling intensified. "You know what''sing?" Jeff caught up. Looking at the trees brushing by, Jeff took an estimate of their speed. At least 10 Miles per hour. Basically running at the speed of bikes. "Yeah... It''s a mid-tier Mist Monster." By the looks of her face, Alice clearly didn''t want to talk about it in details. Jeff looked at Alice''s giant egg. "Well... You got to take chances sometimes." Alice dodged Jeff''s gaze. Hon-Honk! Hoooon-Hon-Honk! ''Oh. It''s actually a goose egg.'' Jeff raised his brows. The ground started to rumble like there is a mild earthquake. Looking back, it''s a giant goose chasing them. The thing was huge like a truck. Its feathers seemed to have mutated somehow, emitting a fish-scale glow. This thing pped its wings as it ran down the street, as if it''s trying to fly. Carelessly pping its wings around, the trees on the sidewalks snapped down like toothpicks. "Oh. You''ve got to be kidding." Seeing this monster entering visible range, Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. "Yep. That''s what the mist does to monsters." Alice looked down at her egg with a longing gaze. "Look. I''ll drop the egg, and we''ll run in separate directions." "The goose will most likely chase me." "Sorry to get you into this. It wasn''t this fast before." Alice looked at Jeff with a bitter smile. "Looks like the monsters get stronger over time." Chapter 6 - Fogged Up (6) "Or, we can fight it." Jeff took out three silver bristles. Alice shook her head, as if saying ''don''t bother''. "Hey. Got to take your chances sometimes right?" Jeff injected mana into the bristles in between his fingers. In an instance, three silver rays shot towards that approaching goose. Like bullets hitting a tank, the bristles bounced off. Bam! The bristles exploded like fire crackers on the ground. ''Huh...'' Jeff squinted at the result. A short moment after being hit, the goose looked down at itself. Processing what had just happened... Realizing that it''s actually not injured... Hooonnnk! The goose angrily honked. Or at least that''s how Jeff understood it. He didn''t actually speak geese. Nevertheless, the truck-sized goose sped up. Looked like it''s determined to run over the little humans in front of it. "Just go! We can''t even harm it! I''ll lead it to the houses!" Alice shouted at Jeff. The girl looked like she had tears in her eyes. "Give me a second to think." Jeff knitted his brows a little. ording to his [Beast Instincts], this goose monster didn''t feel strong at all. This thing felt more like prey to him. ''A predator being chased by its prey huh...'' Jeff chuckled. ''What a weird feeling.'' "We. You. I... Ugh..." Alice seemed rather frustrated. "Just go! You don''t need to be in this with me!" Looking back, the goose was just 20 feet (~ 6 meters) away now. ''Can''t damage it with mana projectiles... How about brute force then?'' ''Haste!'' Everything around Jeff instantly slowed down. Alice was saying something to him, but it''s too blurred out. Looking back, the goose was also moving in slow motion. Walking to a car parked by the street, Jeffnded a solid kick onto its front passenger door. Under his supernatural level strength, that car slid right into the middle of the street. Going back to the road, Jeff kicked the car like a ser ball, sending the battered car rolling down the street. m! Before the goose could react, its legs collided with this iing vehicle. Tripping over that car, the monster flew into the air, and crashed onto the ground. Looking at the monster sliding towards them, Alice almost dropped her egg. The girl looked at Jeff in disbelief. Fully understanding the situation, her gaze changed. She looked at Jeff as if Jeff was the actual monster here. "Hey. Got to take your chances sometimes." Jeff smiled and nodded. Without further hesitation, Jeff walked up to the monster. Taking a deep breath that reeked of gasoline and engine oil, Jeff cracked his knuckles. ''Sorry... But peace was never an option.'' ''Shield.'' Jeff enveloped his fist with an invisible shield. Shielded punch! ... Looking at the evaporating monster, holding her giant egg, Alice stood there in silence. This girl needed a moment to ept the situation. By the looks of it, this monster had been bothering her for a while now. Jeff also waited by the evaporating goose. Nodding in thought, Jeff analyzed hisst battle. ''Since I''m much faster, there was actually no danger in the battle.'' ''I could alwaysnd my hits on that monster. But that thing could never hit me with its slow-motion movement speed.'' ''If I wanted to run, this thing would never be able to catch up to me.'' ''If this goose monster wanted to flee, it''s simply not happening.'' ''In other words, my [Beast Instincts] ability gave me the right information.'' ''But what if something faster than me appears. What if I''m the guy in slow-motion in battle...'' Realizing this, Jeff suddenly felt a sense of urgency... A transparent blue screen broke off Jeff''s train of thoughts. [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Iplete) ] [ Quest Description: A new energy signature has been detected! Stay within (25) meters of the source of energy signature for (5) seconds... ] [ Quest Reward: In ordance with the recording energy signature ] [ Now recording energy signature... ] Jeff actually managed to read over the entire quest this time. ... [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Complete!) ] [ You Have Gained: ] [ Passive Ability - Blessing of Wind (Common) / Toggled Off ] [ Ability Description: After toggling on this ability, You Gain: ] [ 1. 45% resistance tomon-tier wind-elemental attacks ] [ 2. Wind has 50% less resistance to your movement ] [ 3. 1.5% quicker movement speed ] [ Cost: N/A ] [ Ability - Aura Vision (Common) / Toggled Off ] [ Ability Description: Energies and auras are visible to you after toggling on this ability ] [ Cost: Corresponding Mana ] [ Physique Level: Supernatural - Early 5.0% => Supernatural - Early 15.0% ] [ Loading Update... ] [ Update is expected toplete in: 20 seconds... ] [ Thank you for contributing this data to the system. Please seek out more unique energy signatures. The system wishes you a great day ] Quickly reading over his newly gained abilities, Jeff lightly nodded. ''Looks like the fastest way to get stronger is by hunting new monsters.'' ''In order to stay safe in this world... I will need strength to protect myself.'' ''Close interface.'' Looking down, that monster had totally evaporated into grey mist now. On the ground, there was a dead normal-looking goose and a glinting round shield. The round shield was made out of the scale-like feathers. "You eat what you kill right?" Alice tilted her head. "Looks like we''ll have some wild vors for dinner." Jeff lightly knitted his brows. Even without [Canine Nose], something smelled off in the air. So Jeff grabbed a stick and poked the dead goose. Slime dripped off its body. "Tsss... Unless it''s been dead for days." Alice quickly changed her mind. "I second that." Now that this killer monster was dead, Alice seemed way more rxed, like weights had been lifted off her shoulders. Picking up the shield, the two continued to move forward. Chapter 7 - Fogged Up (7) The rest of the journey was rather smooth. With his newly gained ability [Aura Vision], Jeff saw a lot of people hiding in buildings, but no monsters. Walking onto a bridge, this ce was congested with empty cars. Broken ss everywhere. By the looks of it, the looters paid this ce a visit as well. "So. Jeff. How about it." "Tsshh..." "We have free food and bean bags." Alice flicked her brows as she talked. "Yeah..." "We''ll be the biggest superhero organization one day. Trust me. We are determined in this path. In face of evil, we''ll never back down! We''ll fight to thest man! This is our resolve, and our path of superheroes!" Jeff stared at Alice and slowly nodded. Avoiding Jeff''s gaze, the girl''s ears flushed red. "Hey. Whatever happened back there." "Never happened." Jeff nodded. "Alright. I know our organization''s name isn''t the best. But we are willing to change that. Just for you." Jeff felt a little bad for rejecting now. "Yeah... Thanks for the offer... But I still think I''ll say no to this one." Just a little bad though. "Still got some business to solve first. But after that." Jeff pointed at the girl, then back at himself. "I''ll think about it." "So the camp is..." "Just across the bridge." Alice sighed. She looked a little tired. "Nice. Nice." Jeff looked around. He felt a gaze. However, even with aura vision turned on, he couldn''t detect the source of danger. ''Huh. Weird. Maybe those guys have some sort of detection abilities as well?'' Jeff quickly threw that idea out of his mind. The camp was empty. At the base of the bridge, right in the middle of the highway, there was a group of tents scattered there. Fits about 30 - 50 people. This group had set up a barricade with abandoned cars as well. Campfires here and there. Gas stoves set up and abandoned. Walking up closer, Jeff could see backpacks on the ground. Looked like these guys had left in a hurry. However, no signs of battle or destruction around here. Seeing this, Alice just stood there in shock. Widening her eyes, the girl didn''t know what to say, or do. Squinting his eyes, Jeff looked around with [Aura Vision]. Still nothing. ''Weird...'' "Let''s take a look. Maybe your friends left you a note." Jeff pointed to that camp with his chin. They were already here now, in the open, not hiding. Also, in the camp, Jeff couldn''t sense anything dangerous inside. His [Aura Vision] picked up nothing big either. Could only see little rodents eating abandoned food. Alice numbly nodded, as if she still couldn''t ept the situation. "Rx. I''m sure they are fine. On a positive note, maybe they are chasing a nice item or something." Alice nodded in reply. Entering the campground, Alice hurried off. Jeff casually walked around. Smelled like they were enjoying barbeque, right here, just moments ago. There''s leftover food everywhere. Looking around, a glinting light caught Jeff''s gaze. That seemed to be an energy source. Casually walking over there, Jeff found a single-edged daggerying on the ground. About 6 inches long. Unsheathed. A cold and sharp looking de sitting on a bronze hilt. With [Aura Detection] active, Jeff could see this dagger glinting with a dim white light. Rather strange for an item to be honest. ''Huh...'' Picking up the dagger, Jeff suddenly felt a chill down his spine. Danger! ''Haste.'' Jeff darted forward. Poof. A crossbow bolt sank into the asphalt ground at where Jeff was standing. Poof. Poof. Poof. A stream of bolts continued to chase Jeff. Even with [Haste] turned on, these arrows were still rather fast. Without further hesitation, Jeff held his newly gained round shield above his head. nk! nk! Jeff''s arm felt a little numb. The bolts left two deep dents onto the shield. Those hits might have broke a critical structure in Jeff''s shield. The shield on Jeff''s arm started to evaporate into a grey mist. Nevertheless, the shower of bolts stopped. Hearing the faint whistling sound of something dropping down, Jeff dashed out this abandoned camp. Thump! Looking back, a human figure had dropped onto the highway. The asphalt ground dented and cracked like an eggshell. This guy was hiding on top of the bridge struts the entire time! Jeff could swear that he had looked up there as well. Double checks. Triple checks even. Yet, Jeff couldn''t detect this guy even with his abilities activated. "Hey. Are you ok?" Alice ran out the campground. "Yeah... So far so good." Jeff squinted. If his [Beast Instincts] ability was correct, this... thing, was dangerous. Way more dangerous than anything he''d fought so far. Jeff''s heart pounded. ''Based off my instincts, if I fight this thing, it''s a 95 to 5 win chance. 95 for this thing. 5 for me.'' ''But if I only wanted to flee. With my supernatural tier physique, and [Haste], I am 99% sure that I can make it out just fine.'' "Go. Run. I''ll distract it." Jeff slowly backed off from that monster. Leaving his back to this dangerous threat might not be the best idea. Alice hesitantly looked at Jeff. "Trust me." Jeff stared at the rising human figure. The fog was obstructing his view. But with [Aura Vision], Jeff could still see this thing as a glowing figure. Alice bitterly chuckled. "I''ll just hold you down if I stayed..." Before Jeff could reply, the girl continued. "I trust you Jeff. You are the fastest man I know." "Thanks?" Jeff tilted his head. Thatpliment didn''t sound very right. "Stay safe. Don''t die." Leaving that, Alice jumped off this highway bridge. Taking a look, they were only about 5 meters above ground. There were industrial factories down there. Good for taking cover. This girl seemed rather experienced in running away from monsters. Turning his gaze back to the road, that monster was walking towards him now. Chapter 8 - Fogged Up (8) It kind of looked like a beastman in the fantasy world. A wolf head on a man''s body. Except, this monster was at least three meters tall. Wearing a set of thick sturdy armor. Holding a metal staff? Scepter? Two-handed mace? "Oh. So werewolves exist now." Taking out three bristled, Jeff raised his brows and nodded. ''You know what, at this point, I''m not even surprised anymore.'' "Werewolf? I am no werewolf human." The werewolf... not a werewolf spoke in a grumbling tone. "I am Cinihilipilifii!" (Blurry-sounding name.) "Uh huh..." Jeff nodded. ''I''m not gonna repeat that.'' "I am a soldier of Hades. Reborn by the mist. We, the mist race, are the new rulers of this world!" "Ooook." Jeff raised his hands. "Alright... yooouuu. I think we can talk about this." "Talk?" The wolfman chuckled. "You humans are so arrogant. Don''t you understand. Your petty era is over. It is our time now!" The wolfman pounded his mace onto the road. "The only value you have left, is to be good prey for our hunt!" The wolfman leaned forward and growled. "Huh." Jeff nodded, and pushed his fist forward. Three silver rays shot towards that wolfman. Yet, moving like a blur, that wolfman caught the bristles with its hand. Pam! Those bristles exploded in that wolfman''s hand. But this monster was not injured. Without hesitation, Jeff jumped back, making distance. "What human. You think I''m a monster mob. That you can just attract my attention?" The wolfman heartilyughed. "Now. That''s enough time for running. Let the hunt begin!" Without hesitation, that wolfman jumped off the bridge. Seeing this, Jeff''s expression fell gloomy. Clearly, this thing was just messing with them, treating this as some sort of game. Jeff clenched his fists. He felt a tide of powerless engulfing him. Just like when those thugs broke into his home... ''Only if I was stronger...'' Shaking those negative emotions out of his head, Jeff gritted his teeth and ran up to the edge of the bridge. ''If I didn''t hide for 11 days... If I took a chance... Would I still be this weak!'' ''In this world, even if you are not seeking out trouble, trouble will find you!'' ''No more running away! No more hiding!'' Jeff jumped down the bridge. ''In this world, you can''t hide forever! I have to at least take a chance! At least give a try! I''m not doing something that I''ll regret! Not today! I''ll at least put up a fight!'' Running forward, Jeff could see a blurry glowing human figure. It''s Alice. She was only about a block away. That wolfman hopped around the roofs and container tops, still ying around. ''Haste!'' With this ability turned on, in Jeff''s view, that wolfman was moving at 0.5x speed now. ''I''m much faster with Haste. But my stamina won''tst forever...'' Jeff grasped onto his newly gained dagger. ''Can I actually deal any significant damage on this thing?'' Pam! That wolfman jumped down, stopping Alice in her path. "Where are you going little girl?" "B-Boss. I-I..." Alice stumbled back. Sweating and panting, this girl looked like she was about to lose it. Jumping down a freight container, Jeff had caught up. ''I just need to halt it for a moment.'' Jeff injected his mana into this de. Unlike the bristles, this de felt like its insatiable (impossible to satisfy its appetite). "Your little friend came because of you. How adorable." Wearing a wide sadistic smile, the wolfman raised its mace. ''Buy me a few seconds. Please!'' After injecting half of his mana into this de, Jeff finally felt a small vibration. Only a small vibration though. However, there''s no time left! Without further hesitation, Jeff threw his dagger at that wolfman. "Run to the river!" Jeff''s dagger shot out of Jeff''s hand. A white light shed in Jeff''s view. That towering monster froze in ce. With closed eyes, Alice held her head below her arms. Jeff panted for breath. The wolfman slowly turned its gaze to its chest. There was a fist-sized hole prating its armor and its chest. There was the sound of water hitting the ground now. The air started to stench of a strong chemical smell. Apparently, Jeff''s dagger had blown a hole through a chemical tank as well... Maybe more than that. "Huh..." The wolfman grumbled in confusion and disbelief. nk. Its mace dropped to the ground. Grey mist steamed out of that hole in its chest. "I..." The wolfman tried to hold the mist in with its hands. Yet, the mist simply streamed through of its fingers. Letting out onest sigh, this monster began to evaporate into a grey mist. Alice looked up at that monster all dumbfounded. Then she turned her gaze at Jeff, still dumbfounded. ''Uh huh...'' Jeff slowly nodded. ''Wait, I can do that?'' ''So that''s all it took?'' ''Tsk. Equipment gap. Easy.'' ''Alright... Good to know... Good to know...'' [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Iplete) ] [ Quest Description: A new energy signature has been detected. Stay within (25) meters of the source of energy signature for (180) seconds... ] [ Quest Reward: In ordance with the recording energy signature ] [ Now recording energy signature... ] A familiar quest screen... ... [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Complete!) ] [ You Have Gained: ] [ Ability - Stealth (Supernatural) / Toggled Off ] [ Ability Description: After toggling on this ability, Detection Abilities below Supernatural-Late tier will not be able to detect your presence. ] [ Cost: Corresponding Mana Cost ] [ Passive Ability - Warrior''s Physique (Supernatural) / Toggled Off ] [ Ability Description: +20% Strength, +10% Maximum Health, +15% Stamina Regeneration ] [ (When character surpasses supernatural tier physique, this ability effect is reduced) ] [ Cost: N/A ] [ Physique Level: Supernatural - Early 15.0% => Supernatural - Early 35.0% ] [ Mana Level: Supernatural - Early 1.5% => Supernatural - Early 21.5% ] [ Psychological Level: Supernatural - Early 2.1% => Supernatural - Early 22.1% ] [ Loading Update... ] [ Update is expected toplete in: 11 Hours 40 Mins 22 Sec... ] [ Thank you for contributing this data to the system. Please seek out more unique energy signatures. The system wishes you a great day ] "Jeff..." Alice''s face looked rather pale. "I''m listening." "My friends... The KMR..." The girl seemed to be having a panic attack again. "Hey. Rx... I''m still here for you..." Jeff gave the girl a firm hug. "We''ll find them..." Hugging the girl, feeling the girl''s throbbing heart, Jeff looked around in this fog. Broken containers. Abandoned factories. A pungent chemical smell. Silence in the air. ''What''s happening to this world?!'' "Everything will be alright..." Jeff mumbled to Alice. "Everything will be fine..." Chapter 9 - Sanctuary (1) It''s been 12 days since the fog appeared. By the looks of it, the fog just might be here to stay. All of a sudden, this city became a ghost town. The dense fog made this world grey and gloomy. Silent streets... All the streetlights were turned off. Abandoned luxury cars. Empty malls. No lights in the business skyscrapers. Sure, this still looked like a familiar world. But it just felt like there''s nobody left here. Even if it''s downtown, there''s barely anyone around. If Jeff didn''t have detection abilities, he won''t notice these hiding fes either. Mist monsters were a thing now. People were awakening supernatural abilities. Jeff knew well that the old days were over. Law enforcement was a concept of the past now. It''s everyman for himself now... Walking down the familiar roads, this city felt like a dangerous jungle made out of steel and concrete. People must never let down their guards... In this city, lethal threats were roaming. "Got it!" Alice jumped down a tree with four eggs in her hands. "Yep. Watch out." Jeff threw out his dagger. With a sh of white light, the dagger disappeared in a blink. Thump... A dying bird monster crashed into the ground. Jeff extended his hand. His dagger flew right back to his palm. Took a little practice, but Jeff has got it now. Jeff and Alice stood by the dead monster, The two watched it evaporate into grey mist. "Ummuu... I find this satisfying to watch for some reason. Is this weird?" Alice tiredly tilted her head. The girl still seemed a little down. "Yep. It''s like opening a treasure chest for me. I wonder what we get this time." Jeff agreed. In a moment, the monster had totally evaporated into grey mist. The drops were a dead chicken and a handful of feathers. Jeff poked the dead chicken with a stick. "Looks still fresh to me." "Fried chicken and toast for lunch?" "Sounds good! I''ll take a look in the restaurants here." Jeff turned on [Aura Vision]. It''s clear to Jeff now. The standards of peaceful times didn''t apply here anymore. In these days, everyone had to be scavengers to survive. Pulling open a campingntern, Jeff walked into a random battered restaurant. People could only carry so much with them. With crashed cars blocking the roads here and there, it''s almost impossible to carry much around. As a result, there''s always something if you searched for it. Which raised the question: why did those thugs break into people''s homes? The answer was clear. Either they did it for fun, or, their prioritized target weren''t food and supplies... Either way, Jeff felt a little sick realizing this. ''Sons of bitches. I''ll get your asses someday...'' In a moment, Jeff returned with a bottle of can oil, a bag of flour, and some unknown seasonings. During this time, Alice had already set up a gas stove in the middle of the street. Well. It''s not like there''s anyone driving around anymore. A momentter... Casually walking around, breathing in the fragrance of hot fried chicken, Jeff gulped. Looking around, his work was pretty much done now... And the chicken pieces should be cooled enough now... Also, Alice was still busy with the toasts... Jeff sneaked a deep-fried chicken leg onto his te. Taking a small test bite... The thin and crispy batter crunched into bits upon his first bite. Like the breaking of a shell, warm and fragrant chicken juice flooded into Jeff''s mouth. Oh. Hot. Jeff puffed out a breath. Felt like there was a volcanic explosion on his taste palettes. Jeff tasted that touch of paprika. Getting a sensation of tingly and numb. Taking another small bite. Jeff smiled at the freshness and tenderness of the meat. Chewing a mouth-full of chicken leg, Jeff felt a surge of excitement for some reason. "Jeff. What are you doing?" "Erhm. Taking a test bite." "Really now..." Alice stared at the chicken bone in Jeff''s hand. "It''s good." Jeff looked down at the bone in his hand as well. Alice''s cheeks puffed up. "Yep." Jeff got up. "I''ll go look for uh, stuff, while you finish cooking." ... ... Pulling on two foldable red wagons, the duo approached the heart of this city. Yeah... Red wagons. It''s not the best. But it''ll have to do... It''ll have to do... As the two got closer to the sanctuary, they could see a blinking beacon light some distance away now. However, due to the fog, it''s almost impossible to estimate the distance by sight. Looking around, Jeff could see much more people around these blocks now. As the two continued forward, the streets started to be packed. Tents were set up on the sidewalks. Overflowing public garbage bins. Litter on the ground. The air reeked of garbage and urine. Groups of people sat idly on the curbs. It''s like they were lost of what to do now. Behind these guys, big dudes sat by their building entrances. Smoking on cigarettes, these guys had guns sitting on theirps. These tough-looking dudes didn''t look inviting at all... Some hooligans shot nces at Jeff''s cargo. However, seeing the silver bristles in between Jeff''s fingers, they just left the couple alone. Knitting his brows, Jeff felt like he''d walked into the slums. A group of children ran by. Well, these little fes still looked cheerful. ... Walking a few blocks down the street, Jeff could now hear the loud chatter of a crowd. "Selling drops for food!" "Batteries! Selling batteries for mana stones here!" Looked like there was a festival down the streets ahead. This street was bustling with business. Merchants were repetitively shouting their products out. Customers shouted to bargain with the sellers. Some people handed out flyers to the passing crowd. Oh? There was also two guys grabbing onto each other. Oop. Never mind. They were fighting now... Ignoring these two, Jeff looked at the products on the stands and mats... Jeff felt like he''d just walked into the townsquare of a MMORPG world. Weapons. Shields. Armor. Potions. Weird looking gems. Turning on [Aura Vision]... Hmm... Not a surprise. Most were fakes. There were also vendors selling everyday items. Clothing. Food ingredients. Cooked food. It''s just a mess in there... A dude in clunky armor walked over. "The sanctuary has a role for you!" The dude pointed at Jeff and handed over a flyer. Chapter 10 - Sanctuary (2) "Woah! Are those real? They look dangerous!" The dudeplimented Jeff''s bristles. "The sanctuary also has a role for you!" The dude handed Alice a flyer as well. Leaving a bright smile, that dude walked away. Holding the flyer in her hands, Alice stood by the market entrance with a hesitating gaze. Jeff didn''t know what to say. He just stood there at Alice''s side. While waiting, Jeff took a look at the flyer. [ Great Pay! Great Perks! Great Benefits! ] Then it''s a list of roles the sanctuary was hiring for. Janitors. Cooks. Administration. Researches. Gardeners. Scavengers. Hunters. Escorts... Escorts?! Also Ice makers? Light-bulbs? Fertilizers? By each role, there was a short description as well. Oh. Escorts provided protection for scavenging teams. Of course. Naturally. Obviously. It''s not escorts meant something else right? Right? Right. "Erhm." Jeff cleared his throat. ''For detailed job duties information, go to the hiring center?'' ''Alright then?'' ... Some momentter... "Well. We made it." Alice chuckled. She didn''t look exactly happy though. The girl hesitated to take her step forward. "Hey. Maybe your friends are in there waiting for you. There is only one way to find out." Alice took a deep breath. She looked like she had tears in her eyes. "Yep. Let''s go." ... "Pray! For the world is about to end!" Some dude waved around his flyers. "I have money! I''m buying it for 10 times the market price!" Some wealthy-looking dude waved around his dor bills. "Do I look stupid to you! I don''t want your paper. Go buy from someone else." A vendor impatiently waved his hand, as if trying to swat away a fly. Jeff observed the market as he headed further down this street. ''Everyone wants mana stones here. But nobody knew how much a mana stone is worth?'' Jeff raised his brows. It''s just pure chaos and gut-feeling arbitrary prices here. One guy offered 10 pounds of flour for a mana stone. Another dude down the street offered a ton of flour for a mana stone. "Hiiiaaahhh!" A shriek red off right behind Jeff. This voice singlehandedly overpowered all the noises in this bustling street. "Alice!" It''s a blond in a white T-shirt. The girl rammed right into Alice''s arms. ''Well... This girl seems energetic.'' Then that girl broke into tears. ''And emotional...'' Jeff nodded. "Sophie... I''m so d you are okay." Alice genuinely smiled. Looked like she was cherishing this moment. Sensing a gaze, Jeff looked in that direction. It''s a girl wearing a pair of square-framed ssed. Her hair faded from blue to purple. She wore a T-shirt about an unknown anime. Her ck backpack hang onto one of her shoulders. This girl just stared Jeff with a cold face. If this was an anime, maybe this girl could be described as a cold beauty? But no. Face to face, Jeff could sense a dense weeboo aura from this girl. After giving her energetic friend a hug, Alice turned to hug this nerdy girl. Over Alice''s shoulder, this nerdy girl continued to stare at Jeff with a suspicious gaze. "I can sense a malicious vibe from you..." This nerdy girl squinted her eyes. "What horrific schemes are you plotting towards Alice?" Jeff: ??? "Don''t say that." Alice finished her hug. "If it weren''t for Jeff, I wouldn''t have made it here." "Sorry. Lillian here is a chuuni." Alice apologetically smiled. (Chuuni: also known as youth delusion syndrome. Someone who believes that they live in a fantasy world, with magic... and monsters... and...) ''And that exins everything.'' Jeff nodded. "Anyways. This is Lillian. Themander and founder of the KMR organization. Lillian. Jeff. Jeff. Sophie." "Hiii~" Sophie waved. Jeff smiled and nodded in reply. Lillian coldly stared at Jeff. Jeff: ... ''You know what. Understandable.'' "How''s everyone else?" Alice asked. "Good... Good..." Lillian replied to Alice. "Very well, young blood." Lillian turned to Jeff. "Since you''ve heroically saved our second-inmand, I suppose I should gave you a chance at our trial of eptance. Even though I don''t like your vibe." "Oh no no no." Jeff shook his head. "But you said you would join." Alice looked at Jeff in shock. "After settling my unfinished business... I''ll think about it." Jeff repeated his reply. But realistically speaking, Jeff was not going to join this ''Knights and Moho-Shoujo'' Organization. Not interested in babysitting them. That would waste his time. Not interested in bringing these guys to his monster hunts either. That would put these guys into danger. "So I have a job to do first. And if you see dudes with-" "ck droplet tattoos on their foreheads," Alice took over. "I will tell you. Gosh. You''ve said this for fifteen times already." "Yeah... That." Jeff nodded. Seeing that Alice had found her friends, Jeff felt genuinely happy for the girl. But then again, he felt like he was about to lose something. Weird. ''Well. That''s a missionpleted...'' "Yep..." Alice nodded. "..." "..." "I guess I should try my chances at the mercenary test now." Jeff pointed back with his thumb. "And umm. right." Jeff gestured at Alice''s friends. "Congrattions." "Yep. Thanks." Alice stared at the ground. Her ears flushed red. "So see you around sometimes." Jeff took a step back. "Wait." Alice quickly walked up to Jeff. She gave Jeff a hug as well. Feeling a kiss on his cheek, Jeff blinked a few times. "Come visit sometimes alright." Alice whispered by Jeff''s ears. "I will." Jeff smiled. Realistically speaking, yes. Yes. Jeff would do that. Lillian''s loud forced cough reminded the two that there''s still people around. Well... the surrounding was pretty loud as well. "My revenge won''t take long." Leaving a wink and a wave, Jeff headed towards the hiring spot. Walking down the bustling street, Jeff opened and balled his hands a few times. ''I''m still a little weak in this world... If I want safety and security, I''ll need to stack my abilities more...'' ''I wonder if the sanctuary has cleared out those thugs already...'' ''If not, I don''t mind having a go at revenge myself.'' ''Either way, I''ll need to confirm this information.'' Chapter 11 - Sanctuary (3) "The local government does not owe you, or your family anything." "It''s up to you toe up with a game n. Sink or swim, it''s your choice." "In trying times like this, the strong will survive and the weak will perish." "You are all well capable of providing for yourselves. Grow up, grow a pair, and step up." "A message from the emergency government of Berrystone City. Erhm." The dude on the stage cleared his throat. "I will proceed to repeat this message." "Oh fuck you! There are fucking murderous monsters out there! You want us to fight those with our bare hands?!" "Fuck You! You hear me?! FUUUCK You!" Someone in the crowd shouted. "What the fuck did we pay our tax for then!" "Let us into the nuclear bunker!" "Where is the army!" "When are you guys going to clear out the monsters out there!" Heading towards the sanctuary hiring station, this was what Jeff walked into. There was a dude standing on a stage, repeating the same message into a megaphone. A dozen unarmed bodyguards stood behind that dude. Below the small stage was a crowd of 200 to 300 angry protestors. All of them were shouting at once. It''s just a mess. It''s impossible for Jeff to hear what they were saying clearly. Behind the stage, there was a newly-erected ten-feet wall. There were also barbed wires on the walls. Behind the stage, there was a closed gate. Looking past the wall, Jeff could see warm yellow lights prating the dense fog. ''So the buildings inside have electricity...'' Jeff looked around. At this rate, he was not getting in anytime soon. Someone passed a note to the dude on the stage. "Erhm. Look. The nuclear fallout bunker will not be open unless there is a nuclear fallout. Alright." The dude spoke in a t voice. "You all can protest here all day long, but there will be no handouts." "There''s free food and shelter in the city for grabs. It will be more productive if you go and search for food, instead of ranting here, alright?" "SCREW You!" Someone in the crowd shouted really loudly. "Well." The speaker shrugged. "I''m just here to read the message. You can swear at me all day, but I don''t call the shots around here." "Anyways, if you want to be a contractor, it''s to your right." The dude gestured for a direction. "And now, I shall proceed to repeat the message from the emergency government of Berrystone City." ''Uh huh...'' Jeff nodded and left. Following the wall, Jeff walked down the street. There were also some buildings connected to the wall. The doors of those buildings were barred shut though. For some strange reason, this reminded Jeff of a famous medieval real-time-strategy game. ''Using buildings as walls huh...'' In some time, Jeff reached a three stories recreation center. Well, this ce looked somewhat lively. There was even a small line-up going on. In a moment, it was Jeff''s turn. Walking up the stairs, Jeff nodded at the smoking doorman. "Applying to be a contractor?" The doorman puffed out a ring of smoke. "Yeah." "What role?" "Hunter." The doorman raised a brow at Jeff. "In the gym at underground level 2." "Thanks..." Jeff raised his brows at the doorman as well. ''What''s up with that look.'' Walking into this building, Jeff looked around. This ce was lit up. All the lights were functioning as usual. Looking to the right, through the sses, there was an orientation inside that empty pool. In the middle of the hall, papers were stuck onto whiteboards by mas. Taking a closer look... Yep, it''s the detailed role descriptions. Some people had gathered up by the whiteboards. Some people in suits lined up outside meeting rooms. Some people still fanatically flipped through textbooks, as if they were doingst minute preparations for a final exam. Only small chatters and flipping of papers could be heard here. Jeff could feel the nervousness in the air. ''Huh... Is there an interview for hunters...'' For an instance, Jeff felt a little nervous too. Without further hesitation, Jeff walked down the stairs. Two levels underground... After pulling open the unlocked door, Jeff squinted a little at the light. The rows of fluorescent lights lit up this ce real well. Apparently, this entire level was a gym. And then, Jeff understood why the doorman gave him that look. There were around twenty people waiting here already. Five of them were holdingpound bows or recurve bows. These guys formed a small group. The other fes were carrying their firearms. Old school double barrels. Semi-automatic rifles. Hunting rifles... Those guys formed another group. Jeff looked at the dagger by his waist. Looking at the size of these guys... Looking at his own arms... Looking at their camouged outfits and backpacks... Looking at his hoodie... Apparently, everyone here looked like veteran soldiers or experienced hunters... Jeff felt a little out of ce. "Son. You look like you walked into the wrong party." A dude holding a shotgun let out a coarseugh. Some big dudesughed as well. Some snickered and went back to their own conversations. "This ce ain''t for scouts boy. The scavengers entrance test is at the ground level pool." It''s a dude holding a bow this time. The dude spoke like his advice was for Jeff''s own good. ''Huh...'' Jeff raised a brow. ''Aura Vision.'' ''Beast Instincts.'' Looking around, feeling the feedbacks, Jeff lightly nodded. What could he say. Jeff could only describe these guys with five words: ''So weak, yet so confident.'' Heck. Even Alice had a brighter glow than these guys. (Aura Vision: The brighter the glow, the stronger that being is likely to be.) "Yeah... Thanks. But this is the right ce for me." Jeff pulled a number from the ticket dispenser. [258] "Well. Don''t say we didn''t warn ya." The archer shrugged and shook his head. Leaving Jeff with a yful smile, the dude went back to his conversation. Seeing that nobody here was inviting, Jeff walked around the gym by himself. Finding a spot, leaning against a mirror, Jeff waited by himself. Jeff didn''t n to hold back. He had a simple belief. ''The resources I get depends on the power and promise I show.'' ''There will be challenges. But I''m not afraid.'' During this wait time, some more fes walked in. Some walked out. Some stayed. Time slipped by. Gradually, the number of people in this gym reached about 50. The loud chatter died down. The people here were gathering up at an empty space now. Jeff followed the crowd. Forming a wide and sparse arc, they surrounded a dude who looked like a model. Waxed hair. Wearing a crisp dress shirt. Holding a clipboard and a briefcase. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Broadsword. A-rank hunter. I will be your examiner today." "First of all, thank you for choosing the sanctuary anding here." "Now. Let''s get right into it, shall we." "To some of you''s dismay, there is no written exams." Broadsword looked at Jeff. Laughter broke out in this room. Chapter 12 - Sanctuary (4) Looking at Jeff with a raised brow, Broadsword continued. "Before we start the exam, allow me to briefly exin how the sanctuary''s expedition team works." "Scouts locate and estimate the threat levels of monsters." "Hunters are responsible for eliminating monsters in foreign areas." "Scavengers enter the cleared out areas and look for valuable assets." "Escorts protect the scavenger teams against potential threats." "True. Hunters have the best pay here. But we also have the most dangerous job. You''ll be involved with fighting a lot of monster, dangerous maniacs, and loose criminals." Hearing this, Jeff lightly smiled in anticipation. "Every expedition, you''ll be putting your life on the line." "There is a high bar for battle prowess if you want to be a hunter. We are not sending anyone to their deaths here." The dudes in this room started to take yful nces at Jeff. "Sounds good to me." Jeff nodded. "I like this one." Some random dudeughed. "You''ve got heart boy!" Another round ofughs. Jeff squinted and nodded. ''Alright. I see how it is. Keepughing.'' "Hmm... Very well. Alright then." Broadsword nodded. "In this case, I''ll get you guys to sign this liability form. Anything happens during this exam is on you." For a moment, only the sound of writing and flipping papers could be heard here. "Alright. I''m sure you all have read the exam description." Broadsword collected the forms. "No written exams. No ability testing. This is abat role. We''ll have you spar with each other." "Based on what I see, I''ll give you a rank." "As written on the forms you are holding, the perks, mission ess, and pay you get corresponds with your rank." "Any questions?" "Can we use firearms in this assessment?" Broadsword did not even look surprised anymore. "If you can make ammo or get monsters to drop ammo for you, sure." "How many rounds do we go through?" "Until a final winner is decided. Or, when I get a good feel of what you are capable of." "Alright. Anymore questions?" Broadsword looked around. "In this case, you know what they say, earlye early have-a-go. Let''s see. Do we have a number 225 here?" A big dude walked forward. "225 right here." It''s a mid-aged dude wearing a leather jacket and jeans. "Alright. You may choose your opponent." The dude pointed at Jeff. "A man. Seriously?" "Come on!" The crowd started to jeer and rant. Some shook their heads in disappointment. Some startedughing. "Hey. I deserve this one foring early alright. I''ve waited 4 hours here for this." The big dude shrugged at the crowd. "Looks like I get to save some stamina." "Alright." Jeff shrugged and casually walked into the empty space. "I see how it is. So I''m the easy prey here." "Let''s give these guys some more space." Broadsword walked away with his clipboard. "Gentlemen. Let me remind you, this is only a friendly spar." "If things get out of hand, based on my judgement, I will jump in and stop you." "Whenever you are ready, you may begin." "Hoho..." The big dude pointed his chin at Jeff and chuckled. "Looks like I''ll have to hold back on you." "Look at you and your skinny bones." "I might break you even at 10% of my strength." "Try it." Jeff shrugged with his arms crossed. "Ooohhhh~" The crowd cheered Jeff on? Kind of? "You asked for it." The dude smirked. Without hesitation, the big fe threw a side kick at Jeff''s shoulder. The speed of that strike made a whistling sound in the air. This was certainly not 10% strength. If Jeff was a normal untrained college student, he''d definitely get hit by that. Without doubt, he''d get a broken arm from that blow. Maybe even a dislocated rib bone. However, Jeff was at supernatural-tier physique now. Thismon-tier attack was moving at snail-pace in Jeff''s view, even without [Haste] activated. ''Trying to use me as a human dummy huh. To show off your strength.'' Jeff squinted. Bam! That strike connected with Jeff''s shoulder. Yet, Jeff wasn''t knocked over. He didn''t even waver at the blow. "Oooff. Tsss..." The big fe''s face reddened. Wearing a pained expression, that guy clenched his fists. Looked like he''d just hurt himself. The room fell silent. Retracting his leg, the dude took in a deep breath. "What. The. Shit..." The big dude growled. "What the heck are you wearing!" Before Jeff made his response, that big dudended a punch onto Jeff''s cheek. Jeff rotated his neck a little. "Yeah. I felt something." That big dude stared at his fist in disbelief. Looked like he was questioning the meaning of his existence. "You... have to be joking right?" Someone gulped. "God. What are we fighting against..." "Is he still human? Can we do that check first." Most people here looked at Jeff in disbelief. Others seemed to have gotten excited, anticipating their turn with Jeff with a smile. "How about this then!" That big dude gritted his teeth and jumped at Jeff, trying for a tackle. "Not today." Jeff''s gaze turned cold. He wasn''t overly fond of being hugged by men. Copying this dude''s previous strike, Jeff returned a side kick. In an instance, Jeff''s opponent was sent flying towards the wall. BAM! The dude hit the wall and fell onto the floor. Jeff retracted his leg. Holding his arm, that dude''s face paled and started to sweat in pain. Dead silence in the room... "Notughing anymore huh." Jeff turned to the crowd with raised brows. "Good..." Broadsword nodded. "What should we call you." "Jeff." "Alright... Jeff." Broadsword nodded. "One second." "Sir, the medical room is on the second floor." Broadsword apathetically looked at Jeff''s opponent. That big fe was still holding his arm in pain. "Did I pass?" The dude panted. "Sorry. Not this time." The dude took a look at Jeff, then nodded at Broadsword. Without more words, he left this gym. "Okay. Now, Jeff. You may select your opponent." "To be honest. Let''s cut this short. Whoever wants to challenge me here, you can alle at me at once." Jeff looked around. Chapter 13 - Sanctuary (5) "Tsch." An archer scoffed. "Don''t get too cocky boy. I can defeat you in an instance." "We''ll see about that." Jeff nodded with a rxed expression. "Tsch. Remember this. The moment you make eye contact with an esper, it''s already over." Jeff felt an invisible finger poking his forehead. Without hesitation, that archer shot an arrow at Jeff''s knee. "Nope." Jeff caught that arrow. ''Ok. This is getting annoying.'' Jeff knitted his brows. He could still feel that poking finger. ''Shield!'' Jeff smacked that finger away with his mana shield. "Hiiiaaahhh!" The archer shrieked and squatted down. Holding tightly onto his own head, that guy seemed to be going through a serious headache. "Tssss... Ahhh..." The archer sucked in air in pain. Looked like he needed a moment to recover. Jeff: ?! ''Wait... Huh. So that''s what happens? Well. That wasn''t intentional.'' "Hmph. If those attacks are too slow to you, how about this." A dude in camouged gears pulled out three feathers. Then he froze in ce. Feeling the cold de resting by his neck, the dude gulped. "Mana projectiles... I don''t know. Maybe." Jeff pulled back his dagger. "But you sure won''t have a chance to fire them." "You''ve got to be kidding right." Someone chuckled in disbelief. "I have to be dreaming..." These guys couldn''t even catch a trace of Jeff''s movements. In their view, Jeff had instantly appeared by that mage. ''Aannnd I didn''t even activate any abilities...'' Walking back to that open space, Jeff raised his brows and looked around, waiting for new challengers. "How''s this fair!" Someone shouted in disbelief, gesturing at Jeff. "Why does an untrained civilian get to awaken this level of power." "Ohhhh. This world is bullcrap!" Someone ranted, as if questioning what they''d done with their time. "This guy doesn''t even have his sidekick''s form right!" "You found some way to strengthen yourself didn''t you!" "Yeah! Don''t lie to us. We''ve seen through you." "Let out your little secret, or." A gunman stepped forward. "Or what." Jeff squinted. "Or..." The gunman gulped. Grasping onto his rifle, he still felt insecure. Sure, Jeff wasn''t faster than bullets. But he was sure faster than the people aiming and firing those bullets. "Maybe I can pay you... For that information... If you don''t mind..." "Or..." It''s another guy speaking. "We can work for you." ''Nope. Not happening.'' Jeff shook his head at the offer. These guys would only drag him down in battle. This offer reminded Jeff of Alice and that wolfman. ''Still not strong enough huh...'' Jeff balled his fist, and then unclenched his fists. ''Still can''t ensure the safety of the people around me...'' Returning his mind to the present moment... Thinking of what to reply... "Hmm..." Jeff thought for a moment. The crowd waited in silence. "It''s really not a secret." Jeff shrugged. "You can only count on yourself if you want to get stronger." (Yourself in other worlds is still yourself. <= No logic ws here) "To be honest, if I didn''t awaken this level of power, I''d be dead right now." The eyes of some fes glinted. It''s as if they had understood something. Theint mood in this room quickly died down. People''s view towards Jeff changed. Empathy. Approval. Respect. Gratitude for Jeff''s generosity. "If you want to get stronger, you can only fight for it, if you know what I mean." (At least killing new monsters made Jeff stronger for sure.) Nods here and there. Jeff''s approval rating just skyrocketed. This was exactly what these guys wanted to hear. Work. Train. Payoff. "I mean. That''s all I''ve got to share. I don''t know how the world works either." Looking around, everyone here was in thought now. Their itch for battle had cooled down. Well. Good. Apparently there''s no masochists here. "Looks like I''m out of opponents." Jeff turned to Broadsword. "How''s my performance?" "Looks like we''ve got another S-rank here." Broadsword nodded with a smile. "But a friendly heads-up." Broadsword flicked a card to Jeff. "There are plenty of maniacs and monsters in the sanctuary. I would keep my head low if I were you. Even being an S rank." "Thanks." Jeff took a look at the card. A red letter ''S'' at the front. Turning it over, on the back, there was an empty slot for signature, a ck maic strip, and a card number. "As an S-rank, you start off with 100 Sanctuary Credits in your card." Broadsword offered Jeff a brochure. He extended his other hand for a shake. "Wee to the sanctuary." "My honor to join." Jeff took over the procedure and shook this examiner''s hand. Without further hesitation, Jeff left for the door. Hearing Jeff''s rank, the crowd here rxed a bit. Their confidence quickly returned. Hey. Being crushed by a top-notch hunter, there''s no shame in that right? Standing a little taller, these guys exchanged encouraging and affirmative nods. Broadsword looked around. "Very good... Let''s continue then, shall we?" ... Patting the brochure against his hand, Jeff walked up the stairway. Returning to the ground level lobby, a small group approached Jeff. Young and old, ranging from 14 years old teenagers to 65 years old retirees. All sorts of outfits, ranging from sales business suits to T-shirts and shorts. If someone randomly pulled out twenty people from a busy mall, this was what that person would get. "Hey man. Looks like you are a newly joined hunter." It''s a skinny college student wearing a Berrystone College shirt. Wearing an awkward smile, this guy looked a little ufortable talking to strangers. Walking up to Jeff, this guy pointed at Jeff''s brochure. "Hey. Yeah. Just joined." Jeff replied. "Nice. Congrats. I''m Silverhand by the way. Uh. B-rank hunter. Current leader of the Starlight Hunter''s Squad." The guy offered a handshake. "I''m... Jeff." Jeff shook the dude''s hand. "Do people go with codenames here?" Jeff knitted his brows. "Yeah... It''s a trend here now." Silverhand nodded in thought. Remembering his memorized lines, Silverhand continued. "So Jack." "It''s Jeff." "Right. Sorry. Jeff." Silverhand took in a deep breath. The dude looked like he wanted to sit in a corner for a while. "Erhm." This guy took in a deep breath and put on a smile again. "So Jeff. You may not know this, because you are new here. But there are many Hunter Squads that has formed in the sanctuary now." "And uh. Those groups are not exactly friendly to newbies. They''ll bully you out of the good missions that pop up." Chapter 14 - Sanctuary (6) "So as new joiners, we can only take the missions that nobody wants. So if newbies like us want a say in here, we''ve got to stick together." "Ohhh... So you are inviting me to join your group." Jeff nodded. "Yes. Yes. Exactly. I know we are just a new group starting out, but we are growing." Silverhand seemed to have found his pace. "At this pace, we''ll definitely grow into a top-notch squad someday. And as someone who joined us early, you''ll definitely be management one day." With [Aura Vision] and [Beast Instinct] activated, Jeff took a quick scan at this group. "So how about it?" "Tsss... Yeah." Jeff forced a smile. "I prefer to work by myself." Jeff slipped out his card from his brochure. ''At least I can flee whenever I want... Without leaving anyone behind...'' ''Only if I were stronger... Maybe I can punch my way through any threat...'' Jeff sighed in his mind. "Oh." Silverhand stared at Jeff''s card in awe for a moment. "S-rank... No wonder you are confident." The dude pursed his lips. His talking speed quickened. "But there are many S-ranks in the sanctuary." "So you can''t just scare off those groups with a rank." "The gap between S-ranks are considerable as well. If you have seen them fight, you would know. Those top-tier S-ranks are more like monsters than humans." "If we don''t stick together, there is no way..." The dude tried to sound as convincing as possible. Though, he didn''t look convinced at his own words either. Jeff patted the squad leader''s shoulder. "Thanks for the offer. And thanks for the information. But how do you know if I''m not one of those monsters?" Silverhand: ''...'' Leaving a sigh, Jeff left for the door. ''Feels bad to reject a sincere offer... But it must feel worse to be weak and powerless...'' Jeff felt a little sorry for those guys. ''However, it''s not like I''m a hero who can solve everyone''s problem either...'' ''My time is limited. If I ck off, when troublees, I might not be able to fend it off.'' Almost dying to the thug break-in... Feeling powerless against that wolfman... Patting the brochure against his palm, Jeff heard towards the exit. This fogged up world was cold and unforgiving. ''This is why I need to start hunting and get stronger...'' ''I never want to feel that powerlessness and hopelessness again.'' Sliding his card through a card reader, the exit door became unlocked. Pushing that door open, Jeff finally set foot onto the sanctuary. The sanctuary was not a big ce. Only got nine blocks in here. ''3 by 3... Like a side of a Rubik''s cube... What am I thinking...'' Jeff shook this weird thought out of his mind. In the center block, there was a five-stories town hall and a small park. On its top dome, there was a beacon light circling around. Surrounding the town hall block were residential blocks. In which... Jeff''s card was also a suite key. Reading the brochure, Jeff nodded. As a S-rank hunter, standing at the apex of personal power, Jeff had very little restrictions here. Got to pay 25 credits for rent every month. Do at least one mission per month. Respond to the S-rank missions. And that''s Jeff''s job. More importantly... Information! Monster location and danger level. Location of criminal dens. Rare resources for grabs. There''s a group of people working to provide the most updated information. And that information was free to Jeff''s ess now. Following the map in his hands, Jeff walked down a staircase. Pushing open the door, a warm breeze smelling like alcohol escaped this ce. Loud chattering, cheers, andughter could be heard. Apparently, this was Hunter Central, the ce where hunters sign up for missions. At the front reception, there was a stack of electronic tablets sitting on the table. There was a group of fes waiting there. Looks like they were waiting in line to get in. The receptionistdy was just minding her own business. She looked busy. Looking past the reception, there was the bartender''s station across the room. In between, there were seats and tables. This ce could easily fit a hundred people. And this ce was absolutely packed. Business was good here. Turning on [Aura Vision] and [Beast Instincts], Jeff scanned around. A rare few felt Jeff''s gaze and checked on Jeff. But they quickly lost interest as if this was normal around here. Most people didn''t even notice. Getting a general feel on the people''s threat level here, Jeff nodded. Jeff walked up to the reception and grabbed a tablet. He needed a tablet for mission selection. "Woah. Buddy." A hooligan-looking dude grabbed Jeff''s tablet and put it back. "You new here?" Jeff raised a brow at the dude. "Look man. Just because you got in, it doesn''t mean you can just take missions. If you want some thrill, I can introduce you to some squads. I''m sure you''ll like the experience there." "And if I refuse?" Jeff let out a sigh in his mind. Unfortunately, as a newbie, there''s always people trying to take advantage of you. So the best way to deal with these greedy folks? Jeff''s answer: p them awake. ''Or in more alpha terms. I''ll need to establish my dominance here.'' "Oh. Looks like we''ve got a tough guy here." The hooligan nodded. "You sure you want to say no to me?" The dude looked around. "Do you know who you are refusing?" "Do you know who I am? I''m Infernol. Top-tier B-rank hunter. Half a step into A rank." "Look at my buddies here. All B-ranks." "Think about what you are doing-" "Nah. I''ll pass on this one." Jeff grabbed a tablet. Jeff felt a lot of gazes on him now. "Hmph. Alright tough guy." The hooligan chuckled. "As a senior hunter, looks like I''ll have to show you the rules around here." With a snap in the air, Infernal threw a punch at Jeff''s head. But in the next instance, the dude was sent flying back into the wall. "Ohhh~!" "Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!" The crowd here got excited! "You go get their bitch asses newbie!" "Yeah! Get them! Kick their ass!" Hearing the crowd''s cheer, Infernal tilted his head and stared at Jeff with kill-intent, "You''ve just dug your grave." "Just you guys?" Jeff looked around at the hooligans surrounding him. "That''s some big words." With thatmand, the hooligans started their attacks. ''Alright. Haste.'' The world slowed down in Jeff''s view. Turning around, apparently, there was someone trying to jump kick the back of his head. Straight punch. Sweeping kick. Low kicks. Working together, these guys sealed off Jeff''s dodging room. ''But why would I need to dodge?'' Jeff grabbed onto the jump-kicking guy''s ankle. Using this guy as a stick, Jeff smacked around. One smack! Two smack! Three smack! Toss. Jeff threw this guy towards Infernal. Like a blur, these guys initiated their attack. In the next instance, these guys were knocked onto the ground. "YES!!" "WOOOOOHHH!" This guy seemed REALLY drunk. Some people lifted their drinks. Alcoholic beverages rained down. Others took a nce at Jeff, then quickly turned away their gazes. "Any more objections." Jeff picked up a tablet. "No? Alright." The receptionistdy stood up. She was about a head shorter than Jeff. Wearing a tight ck waitress shirt. Curly blond hair flowed down her shoulders. Her hair looked a little like a wig though... Wearing a nk expression, the mid-ageddy stared at Jeff with a nk gaze. It''s kind of creepy to be honest. Jeff squinted his eyes. This girl wants to have a go as well? Feeling her energy level. It''s weird. Low energy reading, but a faint and fleeting lethal threat... "Are you interested. In bing a. Sanctuary Security Agent?" The receptionistdy spoke in a weird tone. Jeff blinked a few times. Standing up with a serious and menacing expression. For a job offer? ''Ok... Didn''t see this oneing. But alright?'' "Sanctuary Security Agent?" Jeff asked. Never heard of that position before. "Yes. This job. Has better pay and benefits. Than hunters." "A more. Secure. Work environment." "Interested?" "Let me guess. No going out the sanctuary either." The receptionist paused in thought... "No." "Hmm... I''ll pass on this one. Thanks for the offer though." The receptionistdy slowly put on a smile. "No problem. Enjoy your stay." Leaving a polite nod, Jeff grabbed a tablet and walked towards the bar table. The receptionistdy''s smile slowly faded away as she sat down. Looking down, she seemed busy with work again. Chapter 15 - The Mission Machine (1) 3 months have passed... After a heat wave, the weather in mid-October quickly cooled off. The world was still fogged up though. Looked like the fog was here to stay. Jeff had been busy with monster hunting during this time. He''d lost count on the number of monsters he''d in. 150? 200? Onlypleted 52 Unique Missions though. Killing monsters of the same type won''t trigger a mission. Yet, despite Jeff''s efforts, there wasn''t any less of them. In fact, over time, the monsters had been growing in numbers and strength. Sitting by the bar table, taking a sip of ice-cold whiskey, Jeff flipped through his tablet. Lots of hunting missions were up. But there were no new monster variants spotted. Oh. More people had joined the Sanctuary by the way. The huntermunity here had been growing quickly as usual. More people meant more spar requests for Jeff. What could Jeff say. There''s always ambitious newbies eager to make a name for themselves. And the best way to do that? Simple. Defeat an S-rank head-on in public. Lots of fresh blood. Lots of new S-ranks. Yet, Jeff still hadn''t met a ''Monster'' or ''Maniac''. S-rank. A-rank. B-rank. To be honest, they were about the same. None of them could stand a single serious blow anyways. Buuut. BUT. Jeff still got his hair. Also, there''s still monsters Jeff couldn''t beat with a single punch. (^ One Punch Reference. In case it''s not clear... Yep...) Swirling the whisky in his cup, Jeff sighed. ''Looks like I''m still not strong enough.'' As an S-rank, Jeff had built up a good sum of Sanctuary Credits. Mission rewards from the sanctuary. Personal hires attracted by his fame. Selling lots of equipment... Children-sized armor. Women''s armor. Overweight and clunky equipment. Footwear that weren''t his size. A big scythe? Scythe... Seriously. Who the heck knows how to use a scythe in battle? Isn''t that a gardening tool? Monster drops were simply lottery draws, most likely a miss than a hit. ''In fact.'' Jeff took a look at his credit in his ount. [ 258, 905.87 SC ] A single Sanctuary Credit had the same value as a Franklin of the old days... (Franklin = $100 USD Bill) ''I just might be the richest hunter around... But what''s the point!'' Jeff downed his drink. "Another please." Jeff nodded at the bartender. Other than making donations from time to time, and paying his small rent, there weren''t any other uses for these credits. Jeff made big offers to info brokers. They all made big promises. Yet, all of them failed to deliver. Are those thugs still alive? Are they still breaking into people''s homes? Jeff couldn''t be certain. Jeff just knew that he wanted Lord Rammus, his pet turtle back. Also, kick those thugs'' asses along the way. Feeling that someone had taken a seat beside him, Jeff looked to his right. It''s a young man and a teenage girl. Based on their looks, they were probably siblings. The young fe looked like a college student who''d never hit the gym. Thin-framed sses. White dress shirt. in jeans. A small beer belly. Wearing a polite smile, this dude looked like an intellectual overall. The teenage girl behind this guy was dressed like it''s still summer. White tank-top. Ragged jeans shorts. Her hair faded from a blond to neon-green. Chewing on gum, she looked around this bar with her chin up. She looked a little impatient and haughty. "Looks like you are not so weed here." The girl smirked and looked to Jeff''s left. There were two empty seats. Before these two came, Jeff had two empty seats by his right as well. A rather umon sight in this congested bar. "Well. I see it as respect." Jeff shrugged. "I do appreciate some personal space." "Got to admit, you''ve earned that respect. You are the Mission Machine after all. The only hunter with 100% Mission Sess rate." The dude raised his hand. "Lager of the day please." Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. Whoever came up that title, Jeff wouldn''t mind giving that person a nice tight hug... around that person''s neck... with his hands... ''Sons of bitches of bitches of bitches. Making up names for me without my permission.'' Jeff waved his fist in his mind. ''Am I a cold-blooded monster-ying machine to you?! Am I?!'' ''Go suck a bag of chips!'' ''What''s wrong with Jeff, the S-Rank Hunter?'' Jeff sighed in his mind. ''... People don''t like it. What can you do... What can you do...'' "Pina Cda." The girl took out her phone. "Wait. Are you even 14?" Jeff raised his brows. The teenage girl replied with her middle finger. Jeff turned to the dude. "Sorry about that. But Everly is 16 now." The dude apologetically nodded. "And you brought her to a bar.'' Jeff looked at the dude with an ''are you serious'' expression. "Then let her have an alcoholic drink." "Yeah. Eh. What can you do about it." The dude shrugged. "By the way. I''m Liam Evanstein." "Uh huh..." Jeff nodded. ''... Ok?'' "Well, who am I toin." Jeff sighed in defeat. "So are you here to challenge me to a fight, or do you have actual business for me." "Straightforward as usual I see." Liam Evanstein pushed up his sses. "We need you to distract a S-rank monster for us." "For at least 15 minutes." "S-rank?" Jeff raised a brow. "Well Mr. Mission Machine." "It''s Jeff." "... Well... Jeff. The ssification by threat level is a little outdated now. Turns out, the size of the monster doesn''t always have a direct corrtion to its threat. ss 1 ss 2. Who knows what that means. Let me give some examples." Liam seemed to get excited with this topic. "Just cut to the conclusion please." "... S-rank hunters are capable of holding their ground against an S-rank monster. The characteristics of S-rank monsters: Human level intelligence. Able to talk. Significantly stronger than A-rank monsters. It''s like these things are on a whole different level." Jeff tapped the bar table in thought. "And what do you have to offer." "A glow-tier dagger." Liam ced an elegant dagger onto the bar table. Double-edged de. Only about 4 inches long. A ck luster. It looked like coated steel. This thing barely reflected any light. Its handle looked translucent, like fogged up ss. "Glow-tier?" Jeff asked. Turning on [Aura Vision], Jeff took another look at this dagger. It was steadily emitting a warm creamy-white glow. "Yep. No-Glow. Glint. Glow. If you could detect energy, that''s what you''d observe." "The stronger the glow, the higher-tier the equipment. Which meant more mana in-take capacity. Stronger and sturdier material. Stronger effects. There''s an overall gap between each tier." "So far, the highest-tier equipment we know is glow-tier. So this could be the strongest dagger in the world." "Also, we heard that you are looking for some information?" Liam Evanstein looked at Jeff with a confident smile. "I''m listening." "We might have a clue. I can bring you there to take a look. This information and this glow-tier dagger. Is that enough?" "Let''s go then." Jeff squinted. Thinking of those thugs, Jeff subtly tightened his fist then let go. ''I''m back, assholes!'' --- Sanctuary Ranks and System Attribute Levels --- E - A Rank: Common Tiers (Common in fantasy world standards) S-Rank: Supernatural-Early Tier SS-Rank: Supernatural-Mid Tier It takes many D-ranks to stand against a C-rank. It takes many C-ranks to hold off against a B-rank Many B-ranks are needed against an A-rank Only an S-rank can fight off another S-rank Many S-ranks are needed for SS-rank threat Chapter 16 - The Mission Machine (2) About 15 Miles away from the sanctuary... At a cul-de-sac of a residential area... (Cul-de-sac: Basically a dead-end small-roundabout of a street) Jeff looked around at this battleground. The houses here were in ruins now. Broken wooden nks, dry wall chunks, concrete blocks were scattered everywhere on the ground. Cracks and dents on the asphalt road... It''s as if something had exploded there. Trees snapped broken. Cars flipped over onto thewns. The air here reeked of burnt tires. More importantly, there were 2D ck strips sitting in mid-air. Some were the size of a finger. Some were the size of a ruler. Looking into those stripes, it was pitch ck inside, void of anything visible. Looking at the flow of the dust in the air... These void rifts were slowly sucking in air like a vacuum. Looking at this scene, Jeff raised his brows. ''You know what. I''m not even surprised at this point.'' ''Even if a tentacle god revived, or capitalist aliens invaded, or something... Nothing can surprise me anymore. Nothing.'' Jeff slowly nodded. "A group of thugs had assaulted one of our scavenger teams yesterday." Liam walked around. "And those thugs somewhat fit your description." "Somewhat?" Jeff turned his gaze to Liam. "Wellll... They didn''t have ck-droplet tattoos on their foreheads. You know Avatar?" "Which avatar?" "The air bending one." "Ok. Yes?" "Like Avatar''s body markings... But thinner, ck in color, and chaotic, simr to roots." Liam made hand gestures. It didn''t help much. "I know you''ve got beef with those thugs. But I would be careful if I were you. Apparently, upon their death, those thugs would self-detonate into... these." Liam pointed at a void rift. "But not these closing-up mild ones." "Thanks for the information." Jeff nodded in thought. "In this case, looks like the sanctuary will be hitting back soon..." "... Yes." Liam nodded. "Now that you have seen this. Should we..." Everly''s bubblegum bubble popped. "Wait Liam. Before that, since we are already here, shouldn''t we test if this guy is the real deal?" "I mean. Can we reeeaaally trust this guy with the mission." Everly stared at Jeff with a questioning gaze. "I sure won''t give my back to this random dude." Everly turned to her brother. "If this guy gets his ass kicked by that monster, we''ll be in some reeaal deep shit. We''d be totally fuu-aahhh-ked." Everly sang in high pitch. "Excuse me. Language?" Jeff looked at the girl. "How old are you. 90? Lecturing me onnguage as if you don''t curse. Fucking double-standard hypocrite." Jeff raised his brows and took a deep breath. ''I''m NOT losing my temper to a teenage girl. Nope. Not happening. Not today.'' "Alright. First of all, you guys didn''t mention that you''d be near the battleground." Jeff raised a finger. "Secondly-" "What. Did I step on your tail old man? Did I just call you out? Why can''t we be near the battleground. Why? What are you hiding?" Jeff: ??? "Alright. Where''s your team. Let''s see them." Everly pped and looked around. "What are you talking about?" Jeff looked at Everly, then at Liam. He was genuinely confused on this one. "Oh?" Everly put on a smile, as if she had seen through Jeff. "Let me give you some examples." "45 days ago. The Shadows (Hunter Squad), led by an S-rank, failed to eliminate an S-rank monster. 1 S-rank and 8 A-ranks, together, had to flee from that monster. But you, a single person, managed to eliminate it." "18 days ago, you imed yet another solo elimination of a S-rank monster." "You think we''ll just buy into your bull crap? Pleeeaaase." The girl shook her head. "An invincible lone hero." The girl gestured like she was drawing an invisible rainbow. "The strongest hunter. 100% sess rate. Ohhhh~ You can count on me. I''m here to save the day. Nice pitch. Golden brand. But simply too fake. You know what I mean." The girl looked at Jeff, as if she was giving Jeff good advice. "So let''s be honest here and now. Let me see your team. I promise I''ll keep this a secret. If you guys pass my evaluation, we''ll move on with the mission. And you get the dagger." "If not, you still got this information for free. Fair?" Jeff: ... This was Jeff''s first time being in this situation. "So you guys are looking for a fight as well." Jeff sighed. "Well, you are the clients. And I do want that dagger. So I guess I''ll have to prove myself." "But let me be clear. I don''t do escort missions. Once you step onto the battleground, you are on your own." "Tsch. Trying to scare me off huh? Is this where you are going?" Everly smirked. Jeff sighed. "Alright. Try me." Jeff wiggled his fingers at himself. "Alright." Everly raised her hands. In an instance, a small pink pistol popped into her hands. BAM! The gunshot echoed throughout this neighborhood. Everly widened her eyes at Jeff in disbelief. Pulling on her own hair, she seemed to be freaking out. Jeff just got shot. Sure. S-ranks were strong. But they were still made of flesh and bone! Getting shot still meant injury or even death! "Why didn''t you dodge!" The girl panicked like she got into trouble. "I thought you could dodge that!" "Rx Everly. Rx. I can heal him." Putting on a calming smile, Liam walked up to Jeff. "Don''t worry. You''ll be ok." "Thanks. But I am actually fine." Jeff pulled on his shirt and looked through the bullet hole. "Huh. Left a red spot..." Jeff rubbed that area. The red spot disappeared as well. The Evansteins widened their eyes, as if their worldview had been shuttered. "But if that''s all you are capable of, I''d highly rmend that you stay behind, and stay away from battle." "S-rank battles is no joke. I-" "Yeah? I''m not done yet!" Hearing Jeff''s rmendation, Everly chuckled in anger. "Try this!" Everly''s pink pistol suddenly disappeared. In an instance, an AR-15 (semi-automatic rifle) popped into her arms. Even after turning on [Haste], Jeff still couldn''t catch how Everly''s pistol disappeared, or how her AR-15 appeared. The rifle just popped into existence. [ Unique Quest: Spacetime Disturbance Data Collection (Iplete) ] [ Quest Description: A (Supernatural-Early) tier spacetime disturbance has been detected. Stay within (20) meters of the source of energy signature for (5) seconds... ] [ Quest Reward: Inventory Slot * 1 ] [ Now recording spacetime disturbance data... ] Chapter 17 - The Mission Machine (3) [ Unique Quest: Spacetime Disturbance Data Collection (Completed) ] [ You Have Gained: ] [ Inventory Slot * 1 ] [ Thank you for contributing this data to the system. Please seek out higher-tier Spacetime Disturbance Data. The system wishes you a great day ] "Are you going to dodge?" Everly asked with a serious face. "Nope." Jeff shook his head. ''Shield.'' An invisible door-shield formed inches before Jeff. PAAaamm! ''Hmm... That''s pretty loud.'' Seeing this result, Everly leaned back and slowly nodded, as if she''s still in disbelief. "Alright then." A series of gunshots echoed through the neighborhood. Shells sprinkled onto the ground. In a brief moment, Everly had unloaded a magazine. Jeff stood there perfectly unharmed. "Well... If that''s the best you can do, I can literally stand here all day." Jeff turned to Liam. "Are you going to jump in as well?" Liam shook his head. "I mainly do support work. Like detection and healing." The rifle in Everly''s hand suddenly disappeared. "How about this!" Everly pulled the linchpin off a grenade. "Everly. No!" Liam held up a hand. "Try this!" Everly chucked the grenade at Jeff. Jeff caught the grenade like a baseball. "You forgot to pull the lever. Let me do that for you." Shielding himself in ayer of mana, Jeff held the grenade by his head. "Fucking maniac!" Without hesitation, Everly summoned a kite shield. Liam hid behind his little sister. At the same time... [Defensive Stance] toggled on... [Living Fortress] toggled on... [Runic Barrier] activated... [Stone Skin] toggled on... [Steel Hide] toggled on... ... ... In an instant, Jeff''s stack of abilities were all toggled on. Like a lightbulb being switched on, Jeff started to radiate with a warm golden glow. Bb-TOOoom! The ground rumbled with the explosion. The asphalt road under Jeff cracked and crumbled. The shockwave brushed up a cloud of dust and debris into the air. The violent torrent smacked onto Everly''s shield, knocking her over. Crawling up, taking a look, Everly panted in disbelief. "Are you FUCKING! INSANE!" Everly screamed. Standing in the center of the cratered road, Jeff shook his head a little. The ringing noise quickly died down. ''Wow. That''s loud.'' Jeff shrugged. Even with a supernatural-mid tier physique, Jeff still felt some pain in his eardrums. ''However... Looks like I''m a little over-cautious. Just the shield was sufficient. Didn''t need to toggle on any ability...'' "Sorry. What did you say?" Jeff asked. "I saaaiiiid. Are YOOOUUU." Everly breathed in. By the looks of it, she was preparing to scream. "My sister asked if you are insane." "No. Not really. I know how hard grenades hit. Seen them in action. And I''ve got 3 months to figure out my limit." Jeff shrugged. Also got [Beast Sense] to detect danger. [Threat Detection] to measure potential threat level of items, including sitting explosives. A list of stacking abilities that deflected over 95% of physical damage intake. Supernatural-tier [Regenerative Genes], and a few miraculous health potions dropped from monsters, in case of unexpected injury... Everything was under control. But Jeff was not going to tell anyone this. "By the way, just a heads-up, physical-type S-rank monsters punch harder than this. I would rank this level of explosive power a solid A-rank. Maybe A+, if that''s a thing. But the power is just not concentrated and focussed. So Yeah. Still got some way to go for a S-rank." "So. Got anything else?" Jeff asked Everly. "You asked for it." Everly squinted and popped a throwing knife into existence. The edge of Jeff''s mouth twitched a little. From [Aura Vision], Jeff knew that this was a glint-tier weapon. ''So this girl sees me as a weapon testing dummy now?'' "Alright, that''s enough." Jeff patted Everly''s shoulder. Everly slowly turned her head. In her view, Jeff had just disappeared then re-appeared beside her. The girl looked at Jeff as if she''d seen a ghost or something. "That''s not scientific at all." "Yep. I know." Jeff nodded in agreement. "So. Satisfied with the demo?" "Yes. Very." Liam took over. Everly was still looking at Jeff with a confused gaze. This girl still needed a moment to digest what she''d just experienced. "Now, we''ll need to grab onest guy for the job." Liam rubbed his hands. Looked like he''s more confident than ever now. ... "Hey. Liam meh man! Long time no see!" "Everly. Am I happy to see you!" "You must be the Mission Machine! I''ve heard about you! It''s so good to meet you in person. I''m Barry of Westbrook." "Just Jeff is fine." Jeff shook the dude''s hand. Yep. This was thest guy needed for the job. After a detour, Jeff''s group had arrived a walled off Condominium district. This guy was waiting by the front gates. At the first nce, based off sheer prejudice and pure gut feeling, Jeff felt that this guy was either a banker or a real estate broker. This guy was in his mid-thirties, but he was still kept in shape. Half a head taller than Jeff. Got half of his hair left. Wearing a pleasant smile for business. Golden watch. ck sweater over blue dress shirt. Dress pants and handcrafted leather shoes. Holding a marble tablet like an electronic tablet. Just by looking at this guy, Jeff could smell the scent of dor bills for some reason. Weird. Without further dy, the group headed towards their destination. "So Liam. How''s business been." Barry kept the conversation going. "Good... Good..." Liam looked like he wasn''t interested in talking. Everly walked with her hands behind her back. The girl was plugged in with headphones, still chewing on bubblegum. She looked like she wanted some time by herself. Jeff sneaked a peak at Barry''s marble tablet. It''s nk. However, this was a glow-tier artifact for sure. "Good. Really?" Barry raised a brow at Liam''s response. "I heard that the Sanctuary is hiring a lot people. Let me guess, your department must be bloating up. You know how it is at the Sanctuary. Bureaucrats." Barry shook his head in disdain. Liam forced out a smile. "Look Barry, I know where you going with this. But I''m happy with what I''ve got right now." "Well. You know how things run in the Sanctuary. You got no connections over there. But if youe to Westbrook, you''ve got me. And I think I''ve got a say here." Barry shrugged. He looked like he wasn''t offended by Liam''s rejection at all. "Westbrook is always open to you." "Thanks..." Liam nodded. "So Jeff." Barry turned his gaze over. "You are interested in my tablet?" ---------------------- Inventory Slot: * A 2 meters by 2 meters by 2 meters cubic space. * Able to stack 99 of the same items into a single slot, if it fits. (If you put a mix of fresh apples and rotting apples inside, and you summon from this slot, it''ll be a randomly selected apple) * Physical contact is required to store an item. * Storemand => pops an item out of existence. * Summon => pops an item into existence Chapter 18 - The Mission Machine (4) Jeff: ?! "Hey. Rx. It''s OK." Barry handed his tablet over. "Here. Take a look." Jeff blinked a few times. Raising a brow, Jeff put his hand onto Barry''s tablet. "Yeah. Go ahead." Jeff took this glow-tier artifact out of the dude''s hands... without any resistance. What could Jeff say. This guy sure had a big heart. Taking a look, it''s still nk. "Based off my experience, only the worthy can see the words presented by this tablet." "This is why I don''t worry about other people taking this from me." "So Jeff. What do you see?" Barry chuckled. "Ohhh?" Jeff nodded. His expression turned serious. "I think I see something." Barry''s smile gradually faded away. Realizing his falling smile, Barry tried to maintain his smile. Putting on a serious expression, Jeff cleared his throat. "Sprinkle your steaks LIBERALLY with salt and pepper, on BOTH sides. " "Then preheat your pan on MEDIUM. And then, brush half a spoon of oil." "I''m just joking." Jeff smiled and returned the tablet. "Hahaaaa..." Taking back his tablet, Barry pointed at Jeff. "You got me good there." "But you know how I got this tablet?" "I''m listening." "Found it on the ground." Jeff raised a brow at the dude. "The sanctuary didn''t spill any beans to you hunters eh?" Barry leaned over. "What." Barry shrugged at Liam. "It''s not like I signed a confidentiality agreement with the sanctuary." Liam: ... "No Liam. We are much more... chill and fun here. We even got free coffee and bean bags." Barry winked at Jeff. Jeff: ... ''Dude... You are trying too hard...'' "You y PUBG?" Barry turned to Jeff. "Uhh... I know about it." "It''s the same for items. Just harder to find." Barry whispered like it''s a secret. Even though there''s literally no one else around. "Unlike the sanctuary, we are a much more knitmunity. Like a big family." Barry continued. "As the treasurer and finance director, I have a say there." "So Jeff, if youe over, I can guarantee you a toon leader position to start with. You''ll have 100 soldiers under yourmand." Jeff: ... ''Huh. Another job offer out the blue...'' "No need to give me a reply right now. Just so you know, the offer is always open to you." "And we are also flexible with the details. I''m the finance director after all. You know our ce. So I''m here whenever you want to talk." "Alright. Thanks..." Jeff nodded. "So. Everly." "Fuck off." "Alright." "So Liam. Wanna go fishing sometimes?" ... Somehow, miraculously, Barry kept the conversation going for an hour straight. Standing by the entrance of an abandoned mall, the group of four gathered around. "Alright. I''ll go over the n onest time." Liam looked around with a serious expression. Seeing a round of nods, Liam continued. "Based on intel from the scouts, the boss we are facing is an psychic type monster." "Boss size: about the size of a human. Description: Looks like a female vampire. Physical capabilities: C-Level movement speed and strength. Can be injured by firearms. High regeneration rates. Psychic abilities: mind control by sound. Wearing ear plugs can significantly reduce its effect. Equipment in possession: None detected. Spells: Likely no spell capabilities." "So Jeff." "I''m listening." "Your objective is to hold off this monster for 15 minutes, maximum. If things are smooth, we''ll be done with our retrieval task in 3 minutes. You do not need to eliminate this boss. You do not need to provide protection for us." "Understood." Jeff nodded. "Barry." Liam turned his gaze. "Yesss sir." "Just to confirm onest time. 7 meters high. Estimated 5 meters deep. 5 meters radius. You sure you can shrink it." "Not a problem." "Under 3 minutes." "For sure." "I will be providing detection information. Are we all clear? Good. Let''s move out." One by one, Liam handed out orange foam earplugs. Taking a deep breath, pulling open a campingntern, Liam stepped past the broken doorway. Turning on shlights. Turning on headmps. This group ventured into this mall. Looking around, Jeff raised his brows. To be honest, this abandoned mall felt a little creepy. Got two floors above ground level. Looking up, Jeff could see the ss ceilings. But in this fogged up weather, there''s barely any light entering this mall. Shuttered sses scattered on the floor. The air smelled a little stiff and stinky. The sound of footsteps echoed in this empty location. Some rodents got scared by the light and scooted away. "Barry. We got iing." Liam looked in one direction. "Yep. I''ve got it boss." The marble tablet in Barry''s hand started to brighten up with a milky-white glow. Glowing runic characters suddenly pouring out of that tablet, forming a stream of light. In a second, the ground beneath had been covered by ayer of milky-white light. Flying sounds could be heard now. Looking ahead, Jeff could see a swarm of creatures quickly approaching. Finally, a dome made of light erected from the ground, surrounding the squad. Jeff caught a spark by his peripheral vision. Everly was equipped with a methrower now. By the looks of it, this girl was literally carrying an arsenal with her. Looking back, Jeff could see that it''s a swarm of bats. "Eat shit!" Wearing an ecstatic smile, the girl pulled the trigger. A swirling pir of mes rammed into that swarm of bats. But most of the bats just mmed right into the dome of light. Jeff looked at the stream of bats outside. This group was in the heart of the swarm now. Non-stop knocking sound could be heard now. This ce started to smell like charred chicken. Looking down, the ground was peppered with knocked-over bats. "WooHOOOO!" Everly waved the pir of mes around in the air. In a moment, this space was cleared up. That swarm of bat was leaving, and noting back. Everly turned the mes to the bat covered ground. Going around 360 degrees, she poured mes onto these small creatures. Everly seemed to enjoy this job. "Hey. Better safe than sorry." Jeff looked at Liam and Barry with a raised brow, as if asking ''Are you getting what am I getting?'' Better safe than sorry? Really? More like she just wanted to burn more stuff. Barry responded with a shake of head, as if replying ''Yeah, I know, but I''m not going toment on it.'' Liam shrugged, as if saying ''Yeah... But what can you do about it.'' Jeff: ... ... ... Further into the mall, in the darkness of the atrium, a pair of red glowing eyes opened up. ("Atrium: arge open-air or skylight covered space surrounded by a building" - Wikipedia.) (Atrium: Basically arge open space in a building, where one can see the ceiling from the bottom floor. Usually got elevators there. Yeah...) Chapter 19 - The Mission Machine (5) Walking down the mall aisle, looking into the shops from time to time, the trip was rather smooth. In a quick moment, the group had reached the atrium. Holding the campingntern above his head, Liam took a good scan around. Apparently, there was a giant tree growing here. Its crown reached up to the ss ceilings, blocking out the light from the outside. Its branches wereden with unknown fruits. Knitting his brows, Liam examined around. "The S-rank monster should be here..." "Or maybe she knew we areing, and she escaped." Everly''s voice echoed in this space. Jeff raised his brows. This detection man was not so professional after all. "Up there." Jeff pointed upwards. Following Jeff''s finger, beams of light converged in that direction. On the second floor, there was a girl sitting on the ss q-railing. The girl wore a ck dress and a ribbon headband. Wearing a cute smile, the girl''s crossed legs dangled in air. "Hello~" The girl giggled and waved. The bell bracelet on her wrist made crisp tinkle sounds. "How are you?" Jeff felt that his heart had skipped a beat. This girl was pretty like an angel. Jeff''s heart suddenly pounded as if he had a crush on this girl. He suddenly felt a strong desire to make this girl happy. He had to protect this girl from any possibility of danger. This was his love! ''I''m in love now... My ass!'' ''Innnntereeeesting though.'' ''Adamant Will. Toggle on!'' Jeff''s thoughts instantly cleared up. His blood quickly cooled down. Like a switch turned on, Jeff was a cold-blooded monster-yer again. However, looking around... Barry had dropped his tablet onto the ground. This mid-aged dude drooled with a perverted smile. Chuckling like an ape, this guy made grabbing gestures with his hands. Liam was breathing in heavily through his nose. Pulling open his cor, this guy gulped. Everly had a nose bleed. Staring up, this girl''s gaze brightened up. Jeff: ... Taking out his earplugs, Jeff threw them onto the ground. These were useless! Looking at his mesmerized teammates, Jeff''s cheek twitched. "So how am I supposed to break their hallucination again? No idea..." "Aw... You don''t like me?" The girl up there seemed to be genuinely disappointed. "Well... No." Jeff took out his glint-tier dagger. "You are not my type." Injecting mana into it, the dagger started to emit a blinking glow. "But don''t worry. It''ll be over in blink." Jeff squint. You know what they say: ''If you can''t solve the problem, just solve the person bringing up the problem.'' "Help! Someone! Protect me!" The girl pretended to whimper. "Me! Me! Me!" Everly popped out an AR-15 into existence. The rifle''s roar echoed in this atrium. Ra-Ta-Ta-Ta! In a quick moment, Everly had unloaded an entire magazine. That vampire girl looked down at her body in disbelief. "Didn''t see this oneing, did ya bitch!" Everly cracked up withughter. The vampire girl tried to cover the bullet holes. But mist was still steaming out the holes in her body. Losing bnce, the girl leaned forward. Thump! Like a ragdoll, the vampire girl crashed onto the ground floor. Her body started to evaporate into mist. "No... No! No!" Barry balled into tears. "My love! This can''t be." The crying fe stumbled forward. Liam pulled on Barry''s shirt and yanked this crying dude back. Grabbing onto Barry''s cor, Liam made sturdy ps on Barry''s face. Left. Right. Left. Right. Pa! Pa! Pa! Pa! Jeff raised a brow. For some reason, Jeff got a feeling that Liam was enjoying this. "A-huh-huuuuhhhh..." Barry gasped as if he was waking up with a start. "Where am I. What''s going on." ''Oh. I''ll remember this method.'' Jeff nodded at what he saw. "Well. That was easy." Everly put her hands behind her neck. Jeff raised a brow at the girl. "What''s up with that look on your face? Of course we had more protection than just ear buds. We are not poor like someone." Everly smirked. "Excuse me?" Barry looked offended. "What. It''s true. Can''t face reality old man?" "I-" "..." Barry sighed and slumped, as if he''d just lost his purpose in life. "Mind wiping your nosebleed first?" Jeff asked. "Tsch..." Everly popped a tank-top into existence. She wiped her nose with that. "This is what top-notch acting looks like." Everly added. "Uemmm-Huuhhh... Surrrreee." Jeff nodded. ''Wow. That felt nice!'' "I had it all under control." Everly squinted. "I mean. We didn''t even need you." "Yeah... I''m not so sure about that." Jeff pped. "Now that you''ve all recovered..." Jeff turned to the evaporating vampire. "How long are you going to y dead for?" Chapter 20 - The Mission Machine (6) That vampire exploded into a cloud of mist. Jeff received some questioning gazes. "I would set up that dome if I were you." Jeff nodded at Barry. "Do it." Liammanded. "Lo-" Jeff hurled his dagger at Everly. Like a ray of light, that dagger brushed by Everly head. "-ok out." Behind Everly, that vampire was standing only ten feet away. Looking at the hole in her chest, the vampire''s malicious smile widened. "Children don''t y nice these days..." "You kids want to get more... physical?" The vampire girl walked towards the group. Like a sh, Jeff appeared in front of that vampire girl. Holding nothing back, Jeffnded a punch on the girl''s head. Yet, at the same time, a palm strike hadnded onto Jeff''s chest as well. Only now, a popping sound in the air could be heard. That vampire girl''s head exploded like a watermelon... a watermelon that''s made out of mist. Like a cannonball, Jeff shot through the second floor, and then crashed through a ss window of a shop. Pulling random clothing articles off himself, stepping through the shuttered ss, Jeff walked to the railings of the second floor. "Well. Fes. Looks like we have trouble." Barry had erected his dome of light now. Liam looked at Barry with a concerned look. "Don''t worry man. Even S-ranks can''t leave a dent on this baby." Barry knocked on his dome. It sounded like he was knocking on ss. Some distance down the hall, mist quickly gathered up. Like a beating heart, that cloud of mist condensed. Having [Aura Vision] turned on, Jeff could see right through that cloud of mist. A glowing girl figure converged. With every second passed, that figure was glowing brighter. "So. What''s the n now?" Jeff asked. "Do you guys have holy water or UV bullets or something?" Barry weakly suggested. Everyone looked at Barry speechlessly. "What. I''m just trying to be helpful here." Liam thought for a quick moment. "First of all, we can''t even be certain that what we are facing is a vampire." Liam shot those words out like a machinegun. "Also. It''s a mist monster... not a real vampire." "Anyways." Liam looked at that cloud of mist. He could see the outlines of that vampire... ''maybe a vampire'' girl now. BAM! A girl''s small fist mmed onto that dome of light, leaving a growing crack. The three inside flinched at this surprising attack. Staring at the vampire girl, these fes looked like they were shell shocked. "You guys don''t want to y?" The vampire girl put on a pouting face. That cloud of mist down the hall dispersed. Jeff raised his brows. His detection had been deceived this time. That cloud was just a decoy. "They don''t want to y. I do." Jeff shot his dagger at the S-rank monster... S-rank? Definitely at least SS-rank actually. Side stepping and leaning sideways, that vampire girl dodged the ray of light. Waving her hand, her bell bracelet made crisp tinkle sounds. However, Jeff didn''t turn [Adamant Will] off. This attack was useless. Not losing any speed, Jeff ran up to the girl with a punch. The girl lowered her body and leaned to the side, easily dodging this attack. "Try this!" The girl swept at Jeff. Her hand grew in size and turned into ws. Like a snap, Jeff started to emit a golden glow. Scrrreeech! The girl''s ws cut through Jeff''s barrier and clothing. Grinding against Jeff''s body, the ws sounded like it was grinding on metal. Front Kick! The girl shot towards a pir like a ser ball. St! Upon impact, that girl exploded into a cloud of mist again. Looking around, Jeff fixated his gaze upstairs. Hiding inside an appliances shop, there was a cocoon of mist. It barely got a glow. Clearly, there''s some stealth magic applied. Squatting down a little, Jeff jumped towards second floor. While in air, Jeff took out three bristles off his waist. Throwing them out, the bristles instantly turned into three bronze rays. Without any resistance, the rays punched three holes into that cocoon. Yet, in the next instance, the holes on that cocoon closed up. Crashing through the ss q-railingings, Jeff darted at that cocoon. ''Shield!'' Enveloping his hand with a shield made of mana and psychic energy, Jeff threw a punch at that cocoon, leaving an explosive boom in the air. BAM! That cocoon exploded into mist. "Is that it?" Barry asked with a hopeful tone. "Not yet." Liam looked around with a concerned face. This dude panted as if his mind was running on light speed. "Well Liam. Looks like your intel missed the mark by a lot." Jeff looked around. One cocoon down. Twenty cocoons up. They looked identical in energy readings. "Yes Jeff. You are right." Liam nodded in thought. "S-rank physique." "Stronger than S-rank actually." Liam took a look at Barry. "S-rank psychic capabilities. Instant revival capabilities. I''m afraid we are facing an SS-rank monster. We''ll need multiple S-rank hunters to hold this thing back." "Mission change. Jeff, escort us out, and the dagger is still yours." "A... You guys are leaving?" Looking in that direction, a pair of hands had pierced out the cocoon. Making a paper ripping sound, that cocoon was torn open. "Without my permission?" The girl stepped out that shop. Looking down at the dome of light, she licked her lips. "Yeah. You think you can hold us back?" Barry looked up at the girl. "You think we don''t know anything about you." Barry smiled with confidence. "Oh? I''m listening." The girlzily leaned against the q-railing. She looked to be in the mood to y around. "Based on what I''ve observed, you are immune to physical attacks!" ''...'' ''...'' Well. We''ve got a Sherlock in the house. Jeff also happened, by chance, to have noticed this by now. That''s why he did a little test. Looking at the girl with [Aura Vision], Jeff''s eyes glinted in thought. ''Looks like I''m onto something...'' As Jeff analyzed the situation... "However!" Barry continued. "That''s because your body is made out of mist!" Yes... Barry pointed up with confidence. "But your main body is your bracelet!" "If we destroy your bracelet, it''ll be over for you!" A pause of silence. Barry looked at Liam. Liam shook his head. Barry then looked at Jeff. Jeff lightly shook his head as well, making a ''No'' gesture with his mouth. If that''s the case, they would be able to tell through detection. "You can try." Extending her arm over the q-railing, the girl giggled. Her bracelets made crisp bell sounds. Chapter 21 - The Mission Machine (7) "Your main body is the tree here!" "Wanna make another guess?" The girl seemed to enjoy this game. "Your main body is hidden in the mall somewhere, and that''s your weak spot!" Barry looked like he was starting to lose confidence. "Maybe there''s a core inside you, and if we crush that core, it''ll be game over for you!" The girl just looked down with a smile. "Maybe you have a limited number of revivals? Per day? Maybe? Per... Hour? Minute? No?" "Hmm... No darling. Let me tell you a little secret." The girl smiled. "I do have restrictions with my revivals. Which is I can''t revive outside this mall." "But inside this mall, I can always revive to my prime conditions, indefinitely." "It''s my domain here..." The girlzily stretched. "But you do remind me... How long can you keep that dome up for?" The girl tilted her head. She then turned to Jeff. "And how long can you stay in that... lightbulb mode for?" Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. ''Lightbulb... Mode.'' Nevertheless, this girl did have a point. The answer was 5 minutes, then Jeff would start to feel hungry. Staying in this mode for 10 minutes, Jeff would faint out of starvation. "So thank you for pointing that out honey..." The girl leaned onto the q-railing again. "I have all the patience in the world." "I can''t stop your glowing buddy from leaving. Unless you all can escape here within 3 seconds, your buddy is not bringing you out either." "Either..." "er..." Those words echoed in this atrium. This space fell silent. Liam was still fanatically thinking. However, Jeff could see some despair on the faces of the trio now. "Hey Jeff." Barry looked up at Jeff with a forced smile. "Can''t you like, hug her and stop her from moving around?" "She''d self-detonate into a mist." "Also, she''s just messing with you. She can respawn anywhere again in a second." "So the escort mission?" Liam bitterly chuckled. "Sorry. I don''t do escort missions." "Well." Liam sighed. "This is a SS-rank monster after all. And the intel that lead us to this lethal condition is on me. Can you at least-" "Or it could be on me." The girl giggled. Understanding what this girl was saying, the trio in that dome all looked up. Widening their eyes in the realization, they looked at this girl as if she''s demon. This was a trap all along... "No. You misunderstood me." Jeff casually leaned onto the q-railing with one arm. Grabbing onto a glint-tier feather... Using his body, Jeff obstructed the girl''s view on this projectile. Jeff felt a little torn in his mind. After all, this was the only glint-tier projectile he''s got. And it''s a consumable. Also... Will it work? Jeff couldn''t be certain. 50-50 based on his observations. It''s a gamble alright. "A glow-tier dagger is enough pay for S-rank elimination." "But it ain''t enough for a SS-rank. Got to up the price for this one." "How much." Liam''s expression eased. "A glow-tier double-handed weapon. 3 glint-tier projectiles. 1rge red pot. And I''ll eliminate this SS-rank for you. Which will certainly buy you 15 minutes of time." "Deal." Liam nodded without thought. Jeff turned his gaze to the girl. The vampire girl opened up her arms. "You can be as rough as you want. By the way, a friendly heads up, I can see it. It''s glowing." "I know." Jeff squatted down a little. In the next instant, Jeff shot through the court like a cannon ball. Totally missing the girl, Jeff crashed into a wall with his shoulders. Getting back to his feet, Jeff darted towards his target. The vampire just stood there, ready to take the hit. Fixating his gaze on the girl, holding the feather in his hand, Jeff threw a punch. Knocking up a torrent of air, Jeff''s hand stopped right in front of the girl''s head. The torrent sted this girl''s hair into the air. Mana energy and Psychic energy flooded into Jeff''s feather. In an instance, the feather bursted with blinding rainbow colored light. Jeff could feel a strong pull on that feather. It''s trying its best to break free from Jeff''s hand. Starting to shake violently now. However, Jeff just refused to let go. "Yo-!" The girl widened her eyes. She wasn''t expecting this to happen! Without hesitation, she exploded into a mist! Toote! BOOOoom! The ground rumbled. The entire building seemed to shake for a moment. A wild torrent sted out the atrium. One after another, all the sses in sight shuttered into fragments. In a blink, arge cement debris bounced off the ground, and hurled towards Barry''s dome. BAM! That concrete block broke into smaller pieces upon impact. With a rumbling pounding sound, a section of the second floor had copsed onto the first floor, knocking up a storm of dust. ss shards rained down, breaking into bits and pieces upon impact with the floor. Falling in air, a shriek suddenly exploded into Jeff''s mind. It''s painful to hear like nails scratching a chalkboard. Jeff''s vision cked out for a moment. Thump! Jeff hit the ground floor. After bouncing up and rolling down the floor, sliding a few meters, Jeff finally came to a halt. Feeling a little disorientated, Jeff shook his head a little. A cloud of dust fell of his hair. Stumbling to get up, Jeff took a look at his arm. His feather-holding arm was covered in a digital-red now. Nevertheless, thanks to [Regenerative Genes], it''s quickly returning to normal at a visible pace. A screen popped into Jeff''s view. [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Iplete) ] [ Quest Description: A new energy signature has been detected. Stay within (150) meters of the source of energy signature for (480) Seconds... ] [ Quest Reward: In ordance with the recording energy signature ] [ Now recording energy signature... ] "Hmm... Well. That''s was easy." Jeff patted the dirt off himself. "Goood. All ording to n." "Alright. That''s enough." Jeff turned off his abilities. Like turning off a light, Jeff stopped glowing. Chapter 22 - The Mission Machine (8) Looking around with [Aura Vision], Jeff fixated his gaze in a direction. Walking into a clothing store, jumping over manikins, identally knocking over a few shelves, Jeff arrived his destination - a small pile of clothing, wood, broken stic pieces, and other garbage. Brushing a bra out the way, Jeff picked up a bracelet. The bells attached made crisp tinkle sounds. A glint-tier drop. Looking around, Jeff couldn''t spot any other visible drops. They may exist, but it''ll be a lot of digging work to find them... Or, just to find out no other drops exist in the end. Having retrieved this loot, Jeff headed back towards the atrium. Even without [Haste] on, Jeff returned to the atrium in seconds. Looking at the trio inside the dome, they were all holding their breath, awaiting for the victor return, and awaiting their fate to be sealed. Seeing Jeff, they sighed in relief. "What the fuck was that!" Everly asked. She seemed... a little excited? As if she wanted to try herself? "A mana projectile overloaded with mana and psychic energy." Jeff replied. "To the point of detonation." (Kind of like a balloon popping if you blow too much air into it.) "So we are good now?" Barry asked hesitantly. The dude had a mixed expression. A little tired. And a little constipated? "Cause I can''t keep this up for much longer." "Yeah. We are good now." Jeff showed the trio his bell drop. "Phew..." Barry sat onto the floor. The dome slowly dimmed. The glowing liquid on the floor started to evaporate away. "So did you blow up her energy core." Barry asked. "There was no... energy core." Jeff hesitantly replied. He hated to break it to Barry, but it''s the truth. "Don''t worry man. I''m not going to cry over being wrong." Barry seemed interested in hearing more. "Well... How do I describe the situation..." Jeff thought for a moment. "It''s more like a psychic life form. Basically a ghost with telekenesis capabilities." "But if she needed physical strength, she would need to build herself a body with the mist first." "Based on my experience, you can only fend off psychic energy with psychic energy." Everly raised her brows like she''s not impressed. "Can''t you just make a ball of psychic energy and fuck her up with that?" "If I could have done that, I would have done that." Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. Unfortunately, Mage Jeff of the fantasy world was still dirt poor. Both Jeffs would like to cast fancy spells. But spell tomes weren''t cheap. And Mage Jeff still wanted to be cautious, and train a bit more... So. Yeah. At the moment, Jeff could only direct streams of mana energy, or psychic energy, out of his body, kind of like piss, yes. And fill up an equipment with that energy. Then activate it... Or overload it into detonation... "Well Jeff. You''ve kept your words." Liam tossed the glow-tier dagger over. "I''ll give you the rest at the Sanctuary." "Sounds good to me." Jeff tapped the sheathed dagger onto his palm. His job was pretty much done here. Another missionpleted. Looked like Barry still needed a moment of resting. Walking up to the tree, Jeff pressed his hand onto the bark. "What is this thing?" Jeff asked. After all of that, this fruit tree only lost a few leaves. No branches snapped off. No fruits fell off. "Top-Secret." Liam replied with a mysterious smile. "If you want to know, you''ll have to be a sanctuary security agent first." Jeff: ... This job offer again... "Are you a sanctuary security agent?" "Research specialist." "Oh." Jeff looked up the tree in thought. ''We might have visitors...'' A momentter... [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Complete!) ] [ You Have Gained: ] [ Passive Ability - Charm (Supernatural) / Toggled Off ] [ Ability Description: +80% Charisma ] [ Cost: N/A ] [ Ability - Telekenesis (Supernatural) ] [ Ability Description: Movement of matter by thought ] [ Cost: Corresponding Psychic Energy Cost ] [ Physique Level: Supernatural - Mid 95.2% => Supernatural - Late 10.2% ] [ Mana Level: Supernatural - Mid 35.5% => Supernatural - Mid 65.5% ] [ Psychological Level: Supernatural - Mid 22.1% => Supernatural - Mid 72.1% ] [ Loading Update... ] [ Update is expected toplete in: 15 Days 20 Hours 15 Mins 01 Sec... ] [ Thank you for contributing this data to the system. Please seek out more unique energy signatures. The system wishes you a great day ] A momentter, Barry stood up with his tablet. Glowing runic letters flowed down from Barry''s tablet. Spilling onto the ground, the pool of runic letters crept up this fruit tree. Another part of it had seeped down into the ground. Time slowly slipped by... One minute... Two minutes... Five minutester, the entire tree was finally fully enveloped by sparse runic characters. "Shrink!" Barry shouted. Chapter 23 - The Mission Machine (9) At thatmand, the tree shrunk like a deting balloon. Jeff looked at the empty marble tablet with a raised brow. This thing was more versatile than expected. A screen suddenly popped into Jeff''s view. [ Unique Quest: Spacetime Disturbance Data Collection (Iplete) ] [ Quest Description: A (Supernatural-Mid) tier spacetime disturbance has been detected. Stay within (50) meters of the source of energy signature for (150) seconds... ] [ Quest Reward: Inventory Slot * 24 ] [ Now recording spacetime disturbance data... ] In a moment, that tree had shrunk to the size of a finger. Looking at this, Everly squatted down and scooped it up. "Freeze!" A squad of dudes jumped down from the ceiling. There were around 20 of them. Thump! Thump! Thump! These guys dropped to the ground-level floor. They had surrounded Jeff''s group. Tall or short, regardless of their body-size, they had the same outfits: Full-body knight armors. A ck cloak. No helmet. Got a ck steel mask instead. Got potions and projectiles clipped by their waist. Their weapons varied though. Swords and shield. Bow and arrows. Staffs and Tomes. Unlike the loosely organized hunter squads, these guys looked much better equipped, and much better coordinated. Led by a S-rank squad leader, the rest of the members were A-rank. This force alone was on-par with the biggest hunter groups in the sanctuary. Naturally, the sanctuary didn''t have many elite squads like this. Only got 3. Jeff raised a brow. He did recognize these guys, seen them around before. Hunters were contractors of the Sanctuary. These guys were the formal employees. Even though they worked under the same organization, Jeff never got involved with these guys'' business before. (Other than turning down a job offer from these guys. Reason: too many restrictions.) This was why Jeff got confused. They were in the same faction right? What''s up with this hostile look? A dude walked forward. Looking closely, there were red-stripes on this guy''s mask. This was probably a squad leader or something. "Thispound is under the control of the Sanctuary Task Force." "Miss. Hand that over." "Yeah?" Everly smirked. "Tell As that he can eat my ass." The tree in Everly''s hands popped out of existence. The squad leader sighed. "Well. I asked nicely." Stepping forward, this guy was ready to get things done by force. "Liam Evanstein. Chief researcher of the Sanctuary." Liam held up his card. Unlike Jeff''s hunter card, Liam''s card looked more like a driver''s license. "This retrieve mission is ordered directly by the Keyholder." "I can bring you directly to the keyholder if you wish." (Keyholder = boss of the sanctuary) The squad leader shook his head. "If you are a specialist, why are you not under the protection of sanctuary security agents?" Liam: ... Jeff: ... Clearly, Liam didn''t want some people to know in particr. Who''s that someone? Let''s just say those guys might be close by. Reeaaal close by. ''Liam doesn''t even trust the sanctuary security agents huh...'' Jeff sighed in his mind. ''The Sanctuary''s management is not so united I see...'' "You are all under arrest." The squad leader raised a hand. His squad raised their weapons. "You can all make further exnations tomander As." "Oh?" Jeff raised his brows. "So you are getting me involved as well." "I know you. Mission Machine." The squad leader turned to Jeff. "If you were at your prime, I would sell you a favour and leave." "However, how much energy do you have left?" "How many injuries are you carrying on you?" "Please do not make futile resistance and follow us tomander As." "Heh." Jeff chuckled. Flicking his hand forward, a ray of light brushed by the squad leader''s head. The elite squad froze in ce. A slit appeared on the squad leader''s mask. A small stream of blood started to ooze out. Opening a hand, Jeff''s dagger flew back into his palm. "Just because I don''t want to mess with you guys." Jeff looked at squad leader dead in the eye. "It doesn''t mean I can''t whoop your ass. Got it?" "Are you nning to betray the sanctuary?" The squad leader solemnly asked. "I''m just a contractor, so I never pledged loyalty to the sanctuary in the first ce." Jeff shrugged. "If I wanted, I could join any other survivor bases, at any time." Barry''s eyes lit up. "Also, you think you can just mess with me? And I''ll just suck it up?" "Hold on." Liam raised his chin up. "And since when could a squad leader like you represent the sanctuary?" A pause of silence... "Arrest them." ''Still boiled down to fighting in the end.'' Jeff sighed. Looking around, the squad surrounding them got into battle stance. Their weapons started to charge up with mana. Unsheathing his sword, the squad leader bolted towards Jeff. "Charge!" "Bad call." Jeff shook his head and stepped forward... ... Walking back to the sanctuary... "You sure it''s fine to leave them like that?" Barry asked. "Absolutely." Liam replied with a bright smile. "Without their equipment?" Jeff added. "Aaabsolutely." Liam replied confidently. "I''m sure the Keyholder will be on our side." Yep. Those guys couldn''t put up a fight. One shot, one fe was knocked out. The challenging part for Jeff was holding back his strength. Had to be precise. Enough for a knock out, but not enough to severely injure, or kill them. And then, Liam insisted on taking loot from this battle... After all, Everly could pop a lot of stuff away. No need to worry about carry capacity when this girl was around. Yes. It''s all on the Evansteins. Jeff was too weakened to stop this duo. As can find Liam if he wanted an exnation. What? Those credits? It''s just a tip. And only a tip. No underhanded dealings here. Erhm... So yeah... That left those guys with only their underwear... Well. What could the weakened Jeff say? *Whisper voice: "Good Job!"* Chapter 24 - The Golden Plate (1) One month and a half had passed just like that. After that incident, Commander As (of Sanctuary Task Forces) justid low. Jeff was expecting trouble, but none came. Other than bing friends with Liam and... maybe Everly, also getting to see the Keyholder a few times, life basically returned to normal. Before knowing it, it was already Christmas Eve. Holding Alice''s hand, Jeff walked down the afternoon streets. Even though it''s snowing and freezing cold, the atmosphere here was still warm and lively. Looking into a bar, people inside cheered and celebrated. On the streets, children ran around, throwing snowballs at each other. "Die S-rank monster! Die to me, Sword of Wind!" "No! I, Sabertooth, will save the day!" "Ah! You guys are too strong!" A running child got hit by a snowball. "Sabertooth, you are just an A-rank. I, Sword of Wind, am an S-rank! You have to follow mymand!" "No. Sabertooth is stronger-" Looks like there was a hunter civil war brewing. "Speak no more! I, the Mission Machine, the strongest hunter, will save the day!" Hearing this, Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. "Nooooo. Sabertooth is stronger!" "Nooooo. Sword of Wind is the strongest!" A free-for-all snowball fight started. Meanwhile... Some parents were building snowmen with their toddlers. Some couples were holding hands, enjoying this time. Groups of friends carried bags of alcohol down the street. Also, looking through the fog, this street was decorated in Christmas lights now, adding some color to this grey and misty world. Yep, in the past 5 months or so, the electricity covered area had expended. For now, it''s about 8 blocks within the vicinity of the Sanctuary. And this area was rapidly growing, now that construction team had some experience... What could Jeff say. Humans didn''t have the strength of bears, or the speed of cheetahs, or the innate abilities of mist monsters. But heck, humans adjusted fast to environment changes. After the fog catastrophe hit, people in this city just got back up and fought back. Now that 5 months had passed, people here seemed to be used to this new normal now. "Hi. Mission Machine. Can we take a picture with you?" It''s a couple shyly approaching. "Yep. Sure." Jeff nodded with a smile. Alice took over their phone. She''s not even bothered by this anymore. Smile at the phone. *Snap* *Snap* Yep. Jeff had a fan base now... even though he''s not even a public figure. Since there were no hunter brochures, most people just knew Jeff''s title - ''The Mission Machine''. Not that many actually knew what Jeff looked like. Nevertheless, as time went by, Jeff was getting more and more recognition on the streets now. "Out of the way!" "Make a path!" The crowd quickly parted to the side. Alice returned the phone to the couple. "Thank you~" The two sweetly smiled at Jeff. "Not a problem." Jeff smiled back. Following the crowd, Jeff and Alice moved to the sidewalk as well. "What''s going on?" Someone asked in concern. "I don''t know." "Is the sanctuary in war with another base? Are we attacking them by surprise, without dering war?" "You are fucking nuts man." "Yeah. It''s hard enough to survive against monsters already." Alice looked at Jeff in concern. "I''ve got no internal info." Jeff shrugged. ... ... The sound of footsteps gradually got louder. Turning on [Aura Vision], looking through the fog, Jeff squinted. There''s a lot of S-rank energy signatures there alright. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* In a quick moment, Jeff didn''t need his [Aura Vision] to see what''s going on anymore. Leading the group was a dude in his 30s. Wearing a set of golden armor, holding ance in one hand, his helmet in the other. This guy had a towering physique. Around 7 feet tall. Wearing a solemn expression. Looking forward with focus and determination, this guy looked like a general, leading his troops to battle. This was Commander As, head of the Sanctuary Task Forces. Some distance behind As, there was a group of 7 people in colored armor. Tall and short. Female armor and male armors. This was the Sanctuary Task Force''s most elite squad - The Smite Squad. Each member here was an S-rank. These guys reminded Jeff of a famous kid''s show. 7 members. 7 colors of the rainbow. (No Pink) (^ Power Rangers Reference, in case... Yeah.) After these guys walked by, 20-men squads in ck armor entered view. There were 3 of these squads. Looking closely, one could notice the red markings on the squad leaders'' helmets. S-rank leaders. A-rank members. After the task force members had walked by, the low rumbling sounds of engines could be heard. It was a stream of armored jeeps and armored trucks, leaving a trail of gasoline scent in the air. This force was unrivaled in the Berrystone city. This force could singlehandedly crush the Sanctuary huntersbined (if Jeff was not present). "Mr. As! Mr. As! Is this a military march?" Someone asked. "No." A deep and sturdy voice answered. To everyone''s surprise, a Smite member in blue armor had actually answered. These guys were known to be supercilious after all. (Supercilious: behaving or looking as though one thinks one is superior to others.) "What are you heading out for?" Someone else asked. "Diplomatic Meetings." The crowd quickly got loud. "Sir! Sir! Why are you bringing your entire task force out?" "Who will protect the Sanctuary when you are out?" "Can you tell us what''s in the trucks?" The crowd stirred up. The chatter quickly got louder. "Show of force. Sanctuary Internal Security. Christmas gifts for friends." With enhanced physique, even though this dude didn''t shout, his voice could still be heard by everyone here. That task force member didn''t repeat the questions, but the people here knew exactly which question he was answering. In a quick moment, the task force had distanced off. The crowd moved back to the roads. Some people chased after the task force, asking more questions. Alice looked at Jeff. "You heard what he said." Jeff shrugged. "I really don''t have any internal info on this one." Walking back home, the streets returned to the normal holiday atmosphere. Except now, the people here had a new story to share around. Listening to the chatters,ughter, and that squeaky sound of stepping on snow, the two reached their destination. Chapter 25 - The Golden Plate (2) It''s a two-stories mixed-purpose building. A small restaurant at the ground floor, and residence on the second floor. Red-brick walls. ss walls at entrance. Inside, this ce was decorated with a clean and modern feel. Looking up, there were some neon-light signs. [Alice''s House of Wonders] [Bistro Food] [Sorry, We are Closed] So yes... Turned out, sanctuary credits were pretty useful... As long it''s not for buying top-notch equipments or hard-to-get information. Jeff had the money. Alice had the skills. With a firm handshake, the two came up with this business. Unlocking the ss door, a gust of warm air fled out. The couple shook the snow off their jackets and scooted inside. The tables and chairs were stacked by the walls. There was a long table sitting in the middle of this space now. In one corner, a Christmas tree was all decorated and blinking with lights. Decorations on the wall. A couch by the side. A shelf of board games. Alice hurriedly took off her jacket, boots, and thick winter pants. With those on, it''s getting way too warm in here. Jeff threw his jacket onto the couch. Switching to slippers, Jeff flicked his brows at Alice. "So. Wanna see the second part of the magic trick?" "Sure. Let''s see it." Alice watched Jeff''s hands closely. Walking up to the Christmas tree, Jeff pped. A wrapped gift box popped into existence. Jeff put that under the Christmas tree. Standing up, Jeff rolled up his sleeves. "Nothing in my hands." "Hmmm..." Alice grabbed onto Jeff''s wrists. "Do it again." The girl slyly smiled. "Alright~" A gift box popped into Jeff''s hands. "Whhhaattt." Alice widened her eyes in confusion. "How!" Alice looked up at the ceiling. There was nothing there. Knitting her brows, tilting her head, this girl seemed to be genuinely confused. "Again?" "Not today." The girl pointed two fingers at her eyes, then pointed at Jeff. "I''m watching you. I''ll figure out your trick some day." The girl hurried off to the kitchen. Looked like she still had more preparation to do for the party tonight. In a quick moment, Jeff had all the presents nicely stacked. Walking into the kitchen, Jeff leaned onto a fridge. "Sooo... Chef Finley... You don''t want to be a maho-shoujo anymore?" Alice rolled her eyes as she dumped flour into arge metal bowl. "Well. You see, Miiister Norman. Battle is not really for me. So I figured that changing directions might be a better idea." Alice picked up a chicken egg and sighed. "Before this mist thing came, I wanted to be a gym owner." "But now..." Alice looked at Jeff. "Bing a restaurant owner is not so bad either." Tap. Crack. The raw egg fell into the metal bowl. "So you still haven''t found the gangs?" Alice asked while working. "Now that we are alone, wanna talk about it?" "Yeah..." Jeff shrugged. "After that strike on the sanctuary''s scavenger team, these guys just disappeared." "Usually, we hunters deal with these situations." "But this time, there''s no missions, no information... As if someone." Jeff squinted and pointed up. "Is trying to cover it up." Ding~ Alice opened the oven. The scent of freshly made pie became denser in the air. Smelled delicious. Jeff gulped a little. Even though he''d just had some street food, Jeff felt like he still had room in his stomach. "You are baking something? Want me to help?" Jeff offered. Alice stared at Jeff with an alerted gaze. "I can help with taste tests." Alice''s cheeks puffed up. "No." "You sure about that?" Jeff looked at Alice with a confident gaze. Jeff poured himself a cup of water and took a sip. "Looks like this water is no good." Jeff squinted and shook his head. With a raised brow, Alice snapped Jeff''s cup out of his hand. "It''s dry... And just nd..." Jeff shook his head in disappointment. "Look, it''s not even hot!" Alice took a sip as well. "Mr. Norman. You got anything else to say?" "I think it might be still raw..." "Get out of my kitchen." "Yes chef. Sorry chef." ... Sitting on couch, Jeff stared at his phone with a serious face. Aiming a bit, Jeff let go. A red bird shot out of the big sling. There''s no wifi, no signals. But hey, Jeff still got downloaded games on his phone. Time slipped by, until... Ding Dong~ Someone had opened the door and walked in. "Hi Jeff~" It''s a high pitched girl''s voice. The girl waved at Jeff as if she''s super hyped. "Hey Sophie. What''s up." Jeff stood up. "You can leave your coat on that couch." Jeff pointed at the couch by the door. "And feel free to choose your slippers." Beside Sophie, there''s a girl staring at Jeff with a cold face. Her blue-purple dyed hair was wearing off. This nerdy girl pushed up her sses, as if she''d solved a criminal case. Yep. It''s Lillian. "I knew you were up to no good. Your scheme may have worked on Alice for now..." Lillian''s voice gradually got louder. "But we, the KMR organization, will certainly break your evil spell, and free Alice from your control! You can count on it!" "Oh ho?" Jeff covered an eye and chuckled. "Looks like you''ve seen right through me. I ept your futile challenge, magister of the fifthw!" "Humph. Don''t underestimate our resolve!" Lillian walked past Jeff. "Never give up on my friends, that''s my path of maho-shoujo!" "I''ll be waiting..." Jeff put on a malicious smile. Turning to Sophie, Jeff pointed back with his thumb. "Anyways. Wee to the party. Feel free with the snacks on the table. The drinks are behind the counter. We got board games on the shelf over there." "Thanks Jeff." Sophie smiled. Then she let out a high-pitched excited scream. Extending her arms, she ran towards the kitchen. Boooiiin... This girl gave Alice a big bear hug. Almost looked like she was trying to wrestle with Alice. Alice then gave Lillian a hug. But that nerdy girl just stood there like a tree. "Jeff, help me take the food out." "Can I take a test bite." "No." "Just a small bite?" "No." "Please?" "Hmmm... No." Chapter 26 - The Golden Plate (3) After Lillian and Sophie''s entrance, groups of people streamed in one after another. 8 couples. 3 girls by themselves. And a teenager... Some people yed board games at the long table. Some formed smaller groups, holding drinks, chatting. By the looks of it, Jeff was not the only new guy to this group. Walking around, Jeff greeted and chatted with his guests. Making a drink behind the counter, Jeff looked up. It''s that teenager. Apparently, he was the little brother of a KMR member. His name - Alex. With supernatural tier psychic abilities, Jeff had no trouble remembering everyone''s names here. "Wait. Are you the Mission Machine?" The teenager hesitantly asked. It''s as if he had wanted to confirm this information this entire time. "It''s Jeff. But yeah, Mission Machine is my codename." "Woah!" The teenager''s eyes brightened up. "Can I take a picture with you? I''m your biggest fan." "Sure thing." Jeff lifted his cup. *Snap* *Snap* The teenager took two selfies with Jeff. "Mission Machine, sir, can you enter your lightbulb mode? Please? I heard it''s super cool. Can you blind monsters with it? Like a sh grenade?" Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. ''Lightbulb mode... Well... That didn''t age well.'' "Erhm." Jeff cleared his throat. "It''s actually Simultaneous Activation of Fending Energies mode." "In short..." Jeff squinted. "It''s SAFE mode." Like turning a light on, Jeff started to emit a warm golden glow. "Remember it." "Cooooool..." *Snap* *Snap* "Hey Mister Jeff. I''m hosting a new year''s party... And all of my friends are your fans too. Can youe to my party? Can youe, please? please? please?" Jeff: ... ''Is this how fan boys act?'' "Sorry. But I''m afraid I''m busy..." "But it''s new years! How can you be busy when it''s new years." Alex seemed really disappointed. "It''s good times children won''t understand" Jeff put on a mysterious smile and winked. Mixing his drink a bit, Jeff was ready to leave. "After new years, can I be your sidekick then?" Jeff raised his brows. ''This kid needs to cool down a bit...'' "Look kid." Jeff put on a serious face. "I''m just a cold-blooded monster-killing machine. Alright? Not a superhero." "That''s even more cool!" Jeff: ... "Hmm... I like your attitude. You can be my wingman when you hit S-rank." "Yes!" The kid fist-pumped. But in reality, this kid was not gonna hitting S-rank. He only had a D-rank energy level. Unless something drastic happens (like near-death experiences), he was going to be stuck in D-rank. By the looks of it, there''s simply no training guides or meditation guides in this world. Can''t rank up through training here. But Jeff was not going share this insider information. "Mister Jeff. Mister Jeff. Can I train with you? I think I''m pretty talented and strong. I''ve got potential." The kid pleaded. Tingling~ Tingling~ Alice was tapping a spoon onto her ss of wine. Looking at Jeff''s direction, the girl subtly flicked her brows a few times. "Alright guys. Looks like you are enjoying the party. But let''s break from your small bubbles for a moment." "Let''s gather up, and do something fun together." "But before that. A quick toast to our friendship." Alice lifted up her ss of wine. "To everyone here. I wish you health, wealth, and fortune in the uing year!" "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Cheers!" "Cheers!" "Wuuuuuuhuuuuu~" *Gulp* *Gulp* *Gulp* "Jeff,e here and do your magical trick." "You''ve got it." Jeff walked into the circle of people. p. 5 feet of big Jenga blocks popped into existence. "Woah!" "Cool!" "Now make it disappear!" "You''ve got it." p. "Woah!" "How did you do that!" A girl brushed her hand through air, at where the blocks used to be. "Now make it reappear!" It''s a dude with reddened face. p. Poke. A block moved. "Woah!" ... ... 2 AM... Sitting on their couch, Jeff held Alice in his arm. Their leaning heads touched together. The radio yed Christmas music in the background. This girl smelled like fresh oranges. In the kitchen, floating tes washed by themselves. Telekinesis sure made Jeff''s life convenient. "Wanna open the gifts before we go to sleep?" Jeff popped a gift box into existence. "It''s already Christmas." "Sure." Alice took over the box. Seeing the size of this box, feeling its weight, the girl threw a suspicious look at Jeff. "... You didn''t get me a set of cookware for Christmas right?" Jeff''s smile froze. "Huh." Alice pulled open the ribbon. Flipping the box open... Pam! stic confetti shot up into air. Golden light shot out of the box. Twominated tickets gradually floated out of the box. Alice''s eyes widened. The girl held her breath. "Are those..." The girl looked at Jeff in disbelief. "Yep." Jeff nodded. These were Food Tour + Cook Off Competition tickets. "B-B-But" Alice''s voice became high-pitched. "I heard it''s reserved for top-notch chefs and food critics. And And And. We-" "Yep." Jeff nodded again. "But it turns out, if you throw credits at Berrystone''s Association of Dining Services, they''re pretty flexible about it." "And the final price for winning thepetition is a golden te trophy, as well as the handwritten draft of the 1st edition of Chef''s Encyclopedia. I thought you might have wanted it." (Chef''s Encyclopedia: Finished collecting the information. Still in the organizing and sorting phase. Not published yet. Before publication, this draft will give the winner a hugepetitive edge in the dining business) "Jeff?" "This is Jeff speaking." "I love you." "Love you too." Jeff snapped his fingers. The lights in this room slowly dimmed. Chapter 27 - The Golden Plate (4) The next day. 10:25 AM. Christmas morning. There was barely anyone on the streets. The snowfall eased a little overnight, but it''s still going nonstop alright. Jeff checked the doors onest time... Yep. Locked. Shaking a little in the cold, puffing out a misty cloud from her breath, Alice seemed really excited about this trip. Jeff checked his inventories onest time. Yep. All of their luggage was in there. A few minutes passed by... The rumbling of engines could be heard. Looking in that direction, two beams of headlights could be seen now. A tour bus came into sight. Apparently, they have attached a snow plow onto the bus, somehow. Emitting a red lustre, the plow seemed be made of an unknown material. Looks like people were getting creative with the materials brought by the mist. Came right on time at 10:30 AM. Well... There''s barely traffic nowadays anyways. The bus stopped right in front of the couple. The doors popped open. A dude in a thick jacket jumped out of the bus. That guy was all covered up, like this was the arctic or something. Jeff could barely see the dude''s face. "Alright fes. Let''s get your luggage sorted out." "We are fine." Jeff showed his backpack. The dude lightly waved his finger at Jeff. "I see. nning to buy as you go. Very smart." "Alright." The dude patted the bus doors. Tssss... The doors opened up again. Another gust of warm air escaped. "Don''t be shy. Come on in then." Getting onto the bus, the dude took his jacket off. It''s a dude in his 30s or 40s. Wearing a toque, hoodie, and sweatpants. This guy was dressed forfort. Giving off a chill and rxed vibe, this guy seemed like the goofball in a group of friends. Now that the three got on, the bus started moving again. However, in this weather condition, this bus was moving at 20 miles an hour at best. Looking inside, there was around 30 people inside already. "I''m Jimmy Cummington. Senior executive of the Berrystone''s Association of Dining Services. For this trip, I''ll be your tour guide." The dude extended a hand. "Jeff Norman." Jeff shook the dude''s hand. "Alice." Alice smiled and nodded. "Alright... Jeff and Alice. Let me get you your package..." Jimmy gestured for the two to take a seat at the front. Then he turned to the stic bin on his seat. "Jeff... And Alice..." "Ah. Found them." Jimmy handed over two small cloth bags. "Your ID badges and detailed tour information are in your bags. This will sure be a wicked vacation." The dude seemed to be rather hyped. "Well. I sure look forward to it." Jeff smiled. "I''d really appreciate some time off, and just rx." "Tough year eh?" Jimmy powerlessly shrugged. "Yeah... Almost got killed a few times. But hey, it''s all in the past now. Hopefully next year will be better." Jeff shrugged. "I know right." Jimmy nodded like he was totally in agreement. "With this fog thing... Nobody knows when it''ll end. Everyone''s been hit hard. But the dining industry had been hit especially hard." "It''s a struggle alright. Everyone is struggling. That''s why we''ve got to try our very best. Which is why we designed this top grade vacation." Jeff pointed two fingers at his temple. "And I give you guys salute for this," Jeff directed his fingers towards the tour guide. "Hey. Our pleasure. Let me give you a pro tip about vacations." "If you stay focussed and present, and let those happy moments seep into you, you''ll have a much better time. Good times sure fly by if you don''t catch them." Jimmy offered another handshake. "Well. Thanks for the tip." "Yep. Feel free to choose your seat. We don''t have assigned seating here." Sitting at the front, there was a group of 8 armed escorts. All wearing ck. They seemed to be a group. Going down the aisle, looking around, the people here looked ratherpetitive. All in business formal outfits. Everyone of them had a bulging backpack, or arge case, as if they were carrying their chef''s uniform with them. Taking a quick look, these guys looked like they were in their 30s to their 50s. Jeff received some gazes, checking him out, as if he was their opponent. But they quickly lost interest. At the back of the bus, there was a group of mid-aged fes, along with two guys who looked like they''ve retired. They were all chatting andughing though. These were the critics. Jeff looked at himself, and then at Alice. Meeting Alice''s gaze, Jeff nodded. Apparently Alice had the same feel - ''Crud. Did I enter the wrong party?'' Early 20s. Casual outfit. On a bus with formally dressed mid-aged fes. Hmmm... Well. Derp. Finding a row, Jeff and Alice took a seat. Opening the cloth bag, there was an ID badge on anyard, a 100-page ingredients guide on mist produce, a handbook onpetition rules, and a booklet on tour information. Basically, they were going to travel to 7rge-sized settlements in 18 days. 3 settlements at the outskirt of Berrystone city. Then, they''d move North through therge towns. Finally, they''d reach Town of Skihaven on day 7. Competition ends. Enjoy the stay for 4 days. Then the return trip. The chefs would cook with local fresh ingredients. The judges would give them points for their dishes. And yes. nts that don''t absorb sunlight, but absorb the mist instead, exists now. Yes. Crazy world. Jeff turned over his ID. [ Jeff Norman ] [ Judge ] Alice widened her eyes. "You are not my assistant?" The girl whispered. "There are no assistants." Jeff whispered back. "B-B-But." "It''s OK." Jeff winked. "It''s not rigged if you''ve paid the price." Alice: ... ... After a brief lunch, this tour bus finally picked up all the participants. They were finally ready to get out of Berrystone. Fortunately for this group, the big settlements had cleared out the roads recently for outer-city explorations. Got to know if it''s sunshine and breeze out there, you know. (The answer was no. The fog was not lighter on the other side.) Anyhow, the dining association could enjoy this perk. They couldn''t afford this astronomical expense in the first ce. Making onest stop, everyone on this bus sank into a panic (Excluding Jeff, Alice, and the tour guide). The reason. Simple. The escorts in ck got off the bus. And only two hunters got on. "What? You only hired 2 people for protection!" "We paid you so much for the tickets!" "Are you kidding! Bring me back!" At the front, Jimmy, the tour guide raised his hands. "Wait. Let me finish." Chapter 28 - The Golden Plate (5) "This gentleman here." Jimmy gestured towards a dude wearing a red leather jacket. That jacket looked like a monster drop. This dude had a sheathed dagger by his waist. Potions of all colors were tied to his belt. Big bottles or small vials, these potions were wrapped inside thick foams (for apples). Standing tall with his arms crossed, wearing a cold and distant expression, this guy looked like serious business. "This is Red Fang. He holds power equivalent to a C-rank hunter in sanctuary standards." The concerned crowd became quieter. "And this." Jimmy pointed at the other escort behind him. "This is Spellbreaker." That escort was wearing a leather armor and a ck cloak. He had a sword and a round shield on his back. By his waist, there were metal containers strapped on. "Also a C-rank." "So don''t worry. They are not D-ranks. I''d like to live a few more years too." Jimmy chuckled. Some people became rxed. Some people were still concerned. Some looked indecisive, hesitating to call off the trip or not. "For those of you who are not familiar with the sanctuary''s ranking system." Tour guide Jimmy continued. "Only 10% of the poption have what it takes to be a hunter. In other words, D-rank hunters sit at the top 10% in battle prowess. Average folks like you and me, we are just E-ranks." "Now C-ranks. They are in the top 3% already." "These guys can kill a small mist beast by themselves." "A single gentlemen here can fend off against a mid-sized beast by himself." "Since the big settlements clear outrge-sized beasts frequently, we are guaranteed a safe trip." "Look. I am here with you guys. If I think it''s dangerous and risky, why would I be here?" "Good? We are all set then. Let''s enjoy the vacation." Jimmy pped and smiled. ... Turned out, the tour guide was not wrong. The two escorts got onto the bus''s top after their introduction. The tourists here even got to witness the escorts in action. A stone wolf appeared in the way. But after a sh of light, a hole appeared in the stone wolf''s body. The tourists here couldn''t catch what had happened, but the mood got much lighter after this incident. The bus driver put on some rock music. A smooth drive. Some passengers took a nap. Some read books. Just like that, it was dinner time. At arge-sized settlement. Inside a well-furnished restaurant. ''This is bad... This is really really bad.'' Jeff looked around with a sweaty smile. ''What. The heck. Were those old two guys talking about.'' Sitting at a long dining table with the other judges, all 40 chefs were looking at him now. "Well judge Norman. What''s your feedback for chef Russo''s dish." "Erhm. I mean." Jeff rested his chin on his hand, pretending to be in thought. ''I have no idea what I''ve just ate. But it tasted holy macaroons amazing.'' "It''s good. It leaves a really nice sensation and after taste." Jeff paused in thought for a moment, and then started rephrasing thements of the previous two judges (The parts Jeff could understand). "Ok. I''ll start off with the ting. A very artistic presentation..." Some whispering started in the crowd. "Do you know this guy?" "No clue." "Never heard of him before..." Jeff took a sip of water. "Now the taste." In the crowd: "Did he just..." "Repeated what he heard." "Hmm..." Ignoring the questioning gazes, Jeff paused in thought for a moment. "But it''s a little too hot for me. A solid 7.5." Jeff confidently nodded. Jeff closed his eyes and rxed a little. Felt like he''d just pulled off an improptu speech. ''This is not a vacation! This is torment! 38 more dishes? Please. Get me out!'' ... "Well judge Norman. What''s your feedback for chef Alice Finley''s dish." "10 out of 10. I taste perfection." Alice smiled like she''s proud of herself. A few judges put on polite smiles. A few judges closed their eyes, leaving noments. The other chefs: ... By now, it''s clear to them. Alice was a newbie. And Jeff was an imposter. One of them had a loaded pocket, or a strong background, or something. But what could they do? Customers were kings and queens nowadays. ... Just like that, 3 tedious days flew by. With practice came perfection. Jeff felt pretty good about rephrasing what he''d heard now. Though... The chefs and the judges remained their polite distance from this young couple. Turned out, a single judge couldn''t sway the results. But nevertheless, Alice seemed to be having an amazing time. "Alright chefs. We have arrived the Humming Creek Ranch." "Here, you will be hunting and collecting your fresh ingredients." Jimmy seemed pumped and excited about this. "Iceshrooms. Frost mint. Snowberries. Frost-furred rabbits. Just to name a few." "You might also encounter some old school prizes. Such as deer, and elks, and moose." "The Humming Creek settlement regrly clears out the mist beasts, but please stay within 10 miles of this settlement." "Also, our escorts will be roaming around. They might lend a hand if you need help." Jimmy winked and rubbed his fingers together. "The morning is yours. Enjoy the hunt!" The chefs rushed to the storage of the bus. Crossbows. Recurve bows. Hunting rifles. Well... These guys seemed ready... and informed. In a moment, these guys hurried off. Looked like they didn''t want to waste a second. Still verypetitive, yes. "Well." Jeff squatted and lifted Alice into his arms. Alice widened her eyes in surprise. "What are you doing?" "Taking you to the hunt." Jeff squatted a little. In a blink, leaving a burst of wind behind, the couple was gone. Just like this, 3 more days flew by. Jeff looked down at his stomach. It had visibly inted a little. On this bus, the tourists here were enjoying their time,pletely oblivious that this bus went off the highway. At the front seat, looking into the mist, Jimmy the tour guide let out a sigh. Chapter 29 - The Golden Plate (6) Skk-rrrrrrr! The bus slid forward to a screeching halt. "What''s going on?" "Did we arrive?" The tourists looked out their windows. They were still in the middle of a forest, sitting in the middle of downhill roads. *Pop Pop* *Rustling Sound* "Sorry. We''ve encountered some troubles ahead." Jimmy''s voice popped up from the bus speakers. The crowd stood up and tried to look ahead. There were 3rge blocks of snow ahead. Can''t be certain what''s under the snow. "Our escorts will proceed to remove these roadblocks by force. Even if it''s boulders, these guys will be done in minutes. We''ll moving again shortly. If you''d like to get some fresh air, or let go of something that you''ve been holding, this is the time to go for it." About half of the tourists chose to stay behind. Others grabbed their jackets and headed out of the bus. Jeff squinting his eyes. Throwing a questioning gaze at the tour guide, Jeff got off the bus as well. Breathing in the frosty fresh air, Jeff stretched a little. Some stayed near the bus. Some were heading off to roadside bushes. Bbtttooomm! The ground shook a little. Looking behind the bus, a part of the hill had slid down onto the road! Looking back to the road ahead, three dudes had jumped off the roadblocks. The two guys at the back wore furry grey cloaks. Both had a short sword sheathed by their waist. The massive guy at the front was half-naked, showing off his sturdy upper body. Dropping his broadsword onto the snow-covered ground, this towering dude looked around with a menacing smile. "Sorry buddy. But this road is closed for the day." The tourists looked each other in panic. Red Fang and Spellbreaker jumped off the tour bus. "This bus is under our protection." Red Fang took a step forward. "My friend, are you sure you want to mess with Berrystone city." Spellbreaker took out three bristles. "Oh. You guys are from Berrystone." The half-naked warrior raised his chin. "Which settlements?" "Red Fang from New Pond." "Spellbreaker of Higher Magic Securities, North Berrystone." "Tworge-size settlements I see." The half-naked warrior nodded. "Very well. You two may leave." The crowd stirred up in fear. They quickly turned to the escorts with hopeful and pleading gazes. The eyes of the two escorts brightened up. Their fear didn''te true. This guy actually knew about the Berrystone settlements. In this case, it''s possible to talk out of this situation! "We can''t leave our customers behind." Red Fang''s gaze turned cold. "Are you looking down on us?" Spellbreaker chuckled in rage. "You think you can beat us for certain?" The crowd''s gaze on these two changed from hopeful to grateful. By the looks of it, these escorts could expect some good reviews after this trip. "Hmmm..." The half-naked warrior thought in hesitation. "If we start the fight, no matter the result, you will be dering war against 2rge-size settlements at once. You will be hunted by multiple A-ranks, or even a S-rank. Are you certain you want to do this." The half-naked warrior slowly nodded. "You do have a good point." The two escort subtly smiled. Best victory for them was a battle-less victory. No chance of bleeding, still getting paid. The half-naked dude snickered. "But if none of you make it out alive, there will be no trouble for us at all." "Monsters... Another group of bandits... You guys had an ident, and crashed into a bus over there." The warrior pointed at a heap of snow. "How will they know it''s us." The warrior widely smiled. "Yes! I like thatst one." Leaving a trail of red light, Red Fang appeared behind that half-naked warrior. Stab! Blood dripped onto the ground. Red Fang''s dagger had pierced through that warrior''s hand! The dagger vibrated a little, but it could not be pressed forward any further. Three silver rays shot towards that warrior. Without stopping, Spellbreaker held up his shield and charged. Yet... Pa! Halfway in flight, those three rays hit an invisible wall and exploded. Apparently, the psychic-type bandit and the mana-type bandit had performed a synchronized spell. The result was simr to Jeff''s [Mana Shield]. A ray of yellow light shot back at Spellbreaker. It''s shooting at the ground below Spellbreaker! Why would anyone aim for Spellbreaker''s shield? Yet, like being attracted to a ma, that ray bent midair and mmed onto Spellbreaker''s shield. Boom! Spellbreaker was sent flying back. Looking at the other side of the battleground... That towering warrior''s hand was pressing against the handle of Red Fang''s dagger. Wearing a bloodthirsty smile, that warrior snapped his hand shut. Without trouble, the warrior''srge hand had clenched onto the dagger handle and Red Fang''s hand. Like lifting a chicken by its neck, the warrior lifted up Red Fang. Red Fang''s struggling punches and kicks couldn''t even leave a scratch on this warrior. Using his other hand, that towering warrior snapped Red Fang''s potion belt away. m! Red Fang was thrown onto the ground face-down. After the hit, the poor fe bounced up a little. That warrior kicked Red Fang like a ser ball. Rolling on the ground, Red Fang was sent back to the scared tourist group. Spellbreaker panted and got up again. POM! Snow exploded into the air. That towering warrior dashed through this distance in an instance. Moving like a blur to the crowd, that warrior appeared before Spellbreaker. Looking down at Spellbreaker with a snicker, that warrior mmed down his broadsword. BAM! That broadsword collided with Spellbreaker''s shield. The tremendous force instantly sent Spellbreaker kneeling onto ground on one knee. "You have a nice shield." ''...'' Spellbreaker stubbornly looked up. He was too tired and too injured to say anything. "But a trash owner." PUuumm... That warriornded a firm kick into Spellbreaker''s stomach. Another man down... Seeing this result, Jeff sighed. Sure. It''s 2 C-ranks vs. 3 C-ranks. But Jeff expected the two escorts to have an easy win. Training resources advantage. Potion advantage. Equipment advantage. Come on! These guys were backed byrge-sized settlements! At least put up a fight, show that they were not easy prey, and convince the bandits to back off. "Got you!" Jimmy suddenly shot towards that warrior from the side. He was travelling from the warrior''s blind spot! In his hand, there was a small machete knife. Catching everyone by surprise, Jimmy sliced at that warrior''s throat. Jeff raised a brow in surprise as well. E-rank. C-rank. A-rank. They were about the same. Jeff couldn''t tell the difference unless he looked carefully. ''However...'' Jeff sighed in his mind. "Gah!" Jimmy''s bloodlust smile suddenly turned a tormented groan. His swiping strike paused for an instance. A gush of blood sprayed onto the snow. Chapter 30 - The Golden Plate (7) The warrior had leaned away a little in that instance. Jimmy''s machete had chopped into his shoulder. "Tsch." The warrior pulled out the machete from his shoulder. Walking up to Jimmy, the warrior mmed his head against the tour guide''s head. Jimmy copsed onto the ground. Just like that, this sneaky tour guide was knocked out. 3 C-ranks vs. 3 C-ranks. Berrystone: 0; The bandits: 3. And the three bandits were still healthy. To the tourists, they could barely catch what had happened. All of this happened too fast! Now, the scent of blood was in the air. Seeing this result, some tourists started panting. Looked like they were having a panic attack. Some started weeping in denial. Some were sweating in this cold weather, sneakily stepping back. Jeff sighed. Walking to the roadside, Jeff picked up a stick. "Now." The warrior''s gaze brushed through the scared tourists. "I will need everyone on that bus to get out." "Actually. I''ll show some respect to the elderly. Anyone over 50 can stay in that bus. It is cold here after all." "Men squat on my right." "Ladies on my left." "I will count to 20." "Oh? We still have a fighter." The warrior''s gaze turned to Jeff. Snapping little branches off the main branch, Jeff sighed. ''You know I don''t do escort missions. I guess I''ll have to do my first escort mission here, for free.'' ''Also, by the looks of it, breaking through under death threat still varies from person to person. Depends on how much unexploited potential that person has left. Maybe. Is there a way to build up potential though?'' Dropping the branch bits onto the ground, thinking of something totally unrted, Jeff walked out of the tourist group. "Yeah! We can''t just give up!" "We outnumber them! We''ll kick their ass!" [ Flight | Fight ] A switch seemed to have turned. "Take my bristles." Spellbreaker uttered out those words while panting. "And. Someone. Take my shield and sword." "Take my dagger." Red Fang stared at Jeff. "Use mana weapons against these guys?" Jeff chuckled and shook his head. "They still have a long way to go." "That''s some big words." The half-naked warrior swung his broadsword at Jeff. Pa! Yet, Jeff''s wooden stick made impact first. The warrior''s head turned to the side. A red mark was visible on his cheek. His eyes rolled up. Stumbling backwards, this guy copsed onto the ground. Three rays of light shot towards Jeff. At the same time, Jeff felt a tickling sensation on his forehead. If Jeff was a C-rank, he''d lose consciousness for an instance. And those bristles would end his life. However... Those three rays suddenly changed courses near Jeff. Piercing into the ground or trees nearby. The air in front of Jeff exploded into a gust, offering the bandits a hint of Jeff had done. Yep. Jeff deflected those projectiles with his stick. Boom! Clusters of wood, snow, and mud rained down. ''Shield.'' Jeff mmed forward. "Hiiiiaaaaahh!" Wearing a pained face, the psychic-type bandit squatted down while holding his head. "What the f~" Thest bandit stumbled back. Without hesitation, he drew out his dagger with one hand, and another three bristles in the other hand. "Alright, nighty night." Jeff suddenly appeared by the dude. p. The dude fainted and copsed onto the snowy ground. The crowd fell silent. "Forcing your protection target into saving your asses." Looking at the two escorts, Jeff shook his head in utter disappointment. Grabbing a red potion from the big guy, Jeff tossed it at Red Fang. Then he threw another red pot at Spellbreaker. "This is not the time to be frugal. Drink up." Potion drops sold for astronomical prices for a reason. In minutes, these two had totally recovered. Leaving these two to their jobs, the two escorts quickly finished their investigation. The tourists had gathered up outside the bus now. Surrounding Jeff, they seemed to have elected Jeff as their temporary leader... Without asking for Jeff''s opinion... "We have trouble." Red Fang came back. "These guys are only scouts. We need to retreat out of this bandit territory ASAP." "We can''t do that." Spellbreaker disagreed. "It won''t take long for the other bandits to notice what has happened. We weren''t stealthy and quiet either." "We can only drive 20 miles per hour." Spellbreaker continued. "But even us C-ranks can ran faster than that. They will track us down, attack us by surprise, and then tire us out like a pack of wolves. I say we bring the fight to them! With the element of surprise, we still stand a chance." "Take the fight to them? Can you even locate them?" "At least this way, we still stand a chance!" Red Fang shut up and looked at Jeff. Spellbreaker turned his gaze as well. Everyone had their eyes on Jeff now. "I work alone. Even if it''s volunteer work." Looking in one direction, Jeff sighed. "Are you mad? It''s an entire camp of bandits!" "Their scouts are C-ranks. There''s definitely high-ranking fighters in there." "Just because you are a B-rank, maybe A-rank, it doesn''t make you invincible! We are counting on you as our trump card!" The two escorts started toin. The tourists quickly followed. Jeff sighed and pointed to his ID. "Jeff Norman. Rings a bell to anyone?" Silence... Jeff looked around. They just looked at Jeff with clueless eyes. "No?" Jeff sighed. "I also go by the name... the Mission Machine, of the sanctuary..." "You are the Mission Machine? We are saved!" "No wonder you are that strong!" "Oh! You are the mission machine! I''m a huge fan of yours. Can I take a photo with you?" Some chefs and judges didn''t know Jeff''s title either. However, looking at the celebrating atmosphere, they became rxed as well. The dissatisfied andining gazes from the two escorts disappeared. The gap between them was too big. They couldn''t even feel jealous or irritated by Jeff''s arrogant... no. CONFIDENT demeanor anymore. If your friend made $14 hourly, and you made $12 for the same job, you might feel jealous. But if your friend is a CEO making 8 digits, and you make $12 an hour... How the heck did you guys be friends in the first ce?! Their gazes quickly turned into awe and respect. Then a deep shame, as if their boss had caught them messing up red-handed. "You guys cane and watch. However, you know my motto. No escort missions. I won''t be protecting you guys." Jeff scanned the perimeters onest time. "No monsters around. But if they do appear." Jeff tossed a scroll to Alice. "That should take care of it." Leaving these words behind, Jeff walked up the hill, quickly disappearing into the mist. Chapter 31 - The Golden Plate (8) Up the hill, there was a small fortress made from logs. 3 walls. Got a cliff as the fourth wall at the back. [Eagle Sight] [Aura Vision] [Threat Detection] [Beast Instinct] ... ... Jeff''s vision zoomed once... twice... He could clearly see glowing human figure inside that fortress now. "Just a B-rank huh..." In this short period of time, moving like a blur to the watchmen, Jeff had already reached the front gates. Rising his foot, Jeff kicked onto those gates. Bam! The gates blew right open. "Intruder!" The watchmen finally shouted out their alert. Looking inside, the bandits were just doing everyday activities. Inside the fortress, some bandits were rxing. Drinking alcohol. ying cards,. Eating snacks. In the open court, six of them were training forbat. It was a 3 vs 3 match. There was about 30 of them in total. The bandits in the court froze in shock for a moment. But in a snap, they had understood the situation. Holding their training weapons, they charged at Jeff. Yet, they were sent back into the air at an even faster speed. "Freeze!" A bandit stumbled through a door and stepped into this open court. A girl was held hostage before this bandit. Hazel colored hair. She had a pretty face. Her shirt was half torn-open, revealing her shoulder and half her bra. The bandit held the girl by her jaw. That dude also pressed a de against the girl''s neck, leaving a thin trail of blood oozing down. The girl trembled in fear and cold. "Freeeeze... Freeze?" Jeff chuckled. "Look. I''m just a volunteer who''s not getting paid, and forced into this situation." Jeff took a step forward. "So I think I''ll go with the Russian method." "Alright. Alright. I yield." The bandit let go of the girl. That girl stumbled forward. Quickly gaining bnce, she ran towards Jeff as if she was trying to flee from that bandit. A trail of metallic reflections was drawn into the air. Jeff stopped the girl''s de with two fingers. "Impossible..." The girl widened her eyes. "Well. Your energy level sold you off." Jeff shrugged. "And there is no other hostages around." Yep. This girl was the only B-rank in the house. Others were C-ranks and mostly D-ranks. "Who are you?!" The girl tried to yank her dagger out of Jeff''s fingers. To her disbelief, she failed. "I am," Jeff squinted. "Jeff." Twisting his fingers, that de snapped in half. The girl let go of her broken dagger and jumped back. While still in air, the girl threw a cloud of pink dust at Jeff. Itnded! Seeing this result, the girl snickered with a victorious smile. Yet, a de shot right through the pink cloud. It stabbed right into her shoulder. The pink cloud quickly settled. Jeff had been coated with ayer of pink dust now. He kind of looked like a sugar-coated donut. Holding the de in her shoulder, the girl chuckled. "Good. Very good. Looks like we have a strong one here." The girl licked her lips. "Do you feel the tingling burning sensation now?" "If you kneel down and swear allegiance to me, maybe I''ll-" "Nope. Not at all." Jeff looked around. "I kind of happened to have poison immunity." "And your poison never got to me." The mana in Jeff''s mana shield exploded. The mana surrounding Jeff exploded into a torrent. Standing there with a stick resting on his shoulder, Jeff was crisp clean again. "How?!" The girl widened her eyes in disbelief. It''s as if her worldview had been shuttered. Some bandits held up their weapons with shaking hands, panting for breath in fear, ready for a final charge. Others turned around and fled already. "Alright. That''s enough." With an open palm, Jeff raised a hand as if he was lifting a te. There''s no fun in this. It''s more of a chore than a fight. Yep. Jeff got bored. As Jeff raised his hand, streams of snow slowly flowed into the air, forming blobs. Jeff made a grasping gesture. Those blobs of snow instantly tightened up. Jeff pointed forward. A series of popping in the air could be heard. Some bandits were hiding indoors. Some took cover behind crates. Yet, in a blink, snow-like ice balls had allnded on their targets. *Thump* *Thump* *Thump* Knocked out bandits started hitting the snowy ground. What could Jeff say. Telekinesis sure made his life convenient. Extending his hand at a pile of snow. Jeff made a sweeping motion. That pile of snow slid out of the way, revealing hidden metal doors. Jeff pointed his hand at that metal door and yanked. That metal door instantly popped out of its frames. "Well. You are all safe and free now." Jeff looked past the door. A group of people stared at Jeff with clueless eyes. By the looks of it, the sound of battle had gathered these curious folks to the door. Jeff''s words took a moment to sink in. Some broke into tears. "Thank you for saving us." Some whimpered. "YEEESSS!" Some shouted and threw punches into the air. Some ran out, greedily breathing in fresh air. Like an endless stream, people started to leave that entrance. Some children came up to John, holding food in their cupped hands. Purplish berries that resembled strawberries. Kinda. Some hairy and grey vegetable leaves. Some arm-sized mushrooms. ''So this is a ck food mine.'' Jeff smiled at the children and shook his head. Finally, everyone had gotten out. Looking at the fainted bandits on the ground, the eyes of those poor survivors became bloodshot. "These guys are cold-blooded murderers!" "They killed my mom!" "Please sentence them to death!" "Kill them!" "Hey." Jeff raised his hands and shrugged. "You guys are the ones who have beef with these bandits. You guys don''t need to consult with me on what to do." "Also." Jeff pped loudly. "The battle is over. You guys cane in now." Red Fang jumped into the court. Wearing a humbled expression, this guy threw two fainted bandit scouts onto the ground. After witnessing Jeff in battle, this dude''s gaze became even more reverent, even hot. Jeff: ''... Ok...?'' ''So I got yet another fan boy?'' Jeff looked down the hill with [Aura Vision]. Yep. Spellbreaker decided to stay behind, just in case. Jimmy, the tour guide dragged that half-naked warrior by his ankle. With a heave, Jimmy threw that warrior into this court as well. "Looks like we are safe now. Thank you so much for removing the bandit threat for us." "Uh huh... Now that''s over..." Jeff''s expression towards Jimmy turned cold. "Why?" Chapter 32 - The Golden Plate (9) Jimmy looked at Jeff with clueless and innocent eyes. "What do you mean?" Jeff chuckled and shook his head. "You hired those two escorts in the name of tourist protection. And then you lead us to this spot. You knew well that there was bandits here. And you knew well that the bandits won''t back off in the face of 2 C-ranks. Even if they are fromrge-size settlements." "However, you hid this information from Red Fang and Spellbreaker." "If they kill the bandits. Great. people here are saved." "If the escorts are killed, and the tourists down there, who happened to have some reputation back in town, get kidnapped, the survivor bases will send out elite rescue squads, which will eliminate the bandits." "So. Why didn''t you just hire high-rank adventurers? That''s my question. 2 B-ranks would do the job." Jimmy sighed in defeat and bitterlyughed. "I can''t afford it." Jeff raised his brows. "You can afford all these fancy stuff in the tour, but you can''t afford 2 B-ranks." Jimmy powerlessly shrugged. "You think I can afford the expenses for this tour? I''m just a tour guide who got to design the trip." Jeff nodded and threw a silver gauntlet at Jimmy. "Put it on." Without any resistance, Jimmy followed the order. Zzzzzz... A mechanical tightening sound. The stic-looking gem blinked red a few times. "I feel sorry for you and your friends." "But I feel more sorry for the innocent lives you put in danger." "If I weren''t here, what do you think would have happened. Did those chefs and critics deserve what they''d get." "So Jimmy Cummington. After this trip is over, you will report to the sanctuary''s court." Hearing this, the crowd stirred up. "What?!" "No! You can''t do this!" "Who gave you rights to do this!" "You are not a judge." "You are saying what he did is wrong?" "Yeah! Unlock him!" "You have awoken strong powers. You are all high up there. What do you know about us people in the dirt!" Jeff raised his brows and nodded. There was no sign of stopping though. Jeff stomped the ground. The ground rumbled a little like an Earthquake. A crack formed on the ground. "First question. Who gave me the right to do this?" Silence... "Me." "If you want to contest my decision by force, I stand right here." "Second question. Do I think what he did is wrong. Uhhh... Maybe." Jeff shrugged. "In fact, if I were in his shoes, I''m probably not even smart enough toe up with that n." "As a C-rank, you managed to escape from those bandits. Then you crossed over a hundred miles of fogged up territories. Territories that had monsters roaming around. Maybe by yourself... After returning to Berrystone, you devised a rescue n, which ultimately worked in the end." "That''s respectable." "But you have to pay for what you did." Jeff looked at the tour guide. "Hmm..." Jimmy looked at the ground and chuckled at himself. "Yeah... Tsk... Yeah..." Jimmy looked at Jeff with a smile. It''s as if this dude had found inner peace. Even though he was being tracked and confined, this guy seemed more free now. "I take full responsibility of what I did." Jimmy nodded. "And... I am sorry." "I''ll go to the sanctuary and serve my time." "Well." Jeff nodded. "Let''s go then. We are heading back to the tourist group." "Wait." It''s a girl about the same age as Jimmy. Jeff halted and looked back. "Can you give us a clue on how long Jimmy will be serving?" "Plotting to harm a S-rank hunter." Jeff squinted and nodded. "Most likely he''ll be sentenced for life." Silence... "But." Jeff sighed. "I forgive you. Even though you son of a bitch, ruined my vacation, and forced me to do my very first rescue mission, for free." "And you did save..." Jeff looked over the group. Using [Aura vision], Jeff did a quick count. "84 people." "I''ll write a letter for you. I think the sanctuary justice will go easy on you." Jeff winked. "If your tourists all forgive you on what you did, you''ll probably be set free right away. But what do I know. I''m not a justice." "So." Jeff looked at the group. "Where do you guys want to go? Stay here over winter? Go somewhere else? Or-" *Just indistinguishable mumbles* Everyone spoke at once. "Allllright." Jeff raised his brows and slowly nodded. "Since I''ve helped you guys out this far, I may as well hire a group of escorts for you guys." (On Jeff''s own expenses) Jeff reached into his pocket. There was a flip phone there. "And help you guys topletion." ... Tourist town of Skihaven. A town with the poption of around 20,000 (data prior to the fog catastrophe.) During winter time, nights sure arrived early. The natural light was already dimming at 5 PM. Tour guide Jimmy had been held captive. The final prize had been taken by a mysterious S-rank as escort fee. Thepetitive atmosphere here just died off... In the town of skihaven. Skihaven Resort. Sitting in a bright dining room, Jeff enjoyed his New Year''s Eve dinner with Alice. Just like in Berrystone city, electricity was a luxury product here as well, only avable at the heart of the town. Ring~ Ring~ Jeff took out a flip phone. Alice ced her spoon back onto her te. "You have signal? Is this another sanctuary insider secret of yours?" Jeff sucked in some air. He didn''t like where this conversation was going. "It''s a phone... But not a real cell phone." "Sorry honey. One second." Jeff flipped open his phone. "Jeff, where are you?" This was Liam speaking. "Uhhh... Bro. I''m on vacation." "We have an emergency. We need you toe back immediately." "Really? Seriously? Now?!" "Jeff." It''s an older and calming voice now. This was the Keyholder speaking. Listening to the call, Jeff''s rxed expression gradually turned serious. "I''ll be ready when you are." Staring at his phone for a moment, Jeff sighed. "Well, looks like vacation is over." "Yep." Alice chirped. "It''s been really fun though." Jeff sighed with a smile. Opening the balcony window, Jeff extended his hand. Grabbing onto Alice''s small soft hand, Jeff hopped onto the railings. With another hop, this couple was standing on the snowy rooftop now. Jeff''s flip phone shot a string of light into the sky. Looking around, the mist started to circle them. In a moment, the mist started to swirl like a cyclone. Alice looked at Jeff with a concerned look. "Is this safe?" Jeff held Alice in his arms. "Don''t worry. I had full clearance on this project. And I created this myself." Alice''s cheeks puffed up. "Jeff." "It''s Jeff speaking." "How many more secrets." "Uh..." A pir of light shot down from the sky, engulfing the couple. Chapter 33 - Lord Of The Mist (1) 5 minutes prior to the call... New Year''s Eve at the Sanctuary... The holiday lights were still blinking on the night streets. On the snowy roads, children and teenagers prepared their arsenal of fireworks. In warm homes, families and friends gathered up awaiting the midnight countdown. Young fes gathered up in bars and pubs, some with their dates, some trying to find a new year''s date. Outside, the smell of hot bakery mixed with the fresh cold air. Even though Christmas had passed for days now, the festive atmosphere was still there. Inside a house that''s blocks away from the Sanctuary... This ce was brightened up by campingnterns. The electricity covered area was expanding. In a few months, the residents here would get electricity as well. In the living room, a group of teenagers were ying some sort of card game. "Yeah... My parents have been dragging me out on out-of-town trips. You guys know that the roads out there are open now right?" It''s a teenage girl speaking. "Coooool~" "So are you guys doing merchant work?" "Well... Yeah. Basically." "How much do you guys make?" Someone asked. The room fell quiet. A little insensitive, but the group all seemed curious. "Ah. Only about 200 sanctuary credits per round trip." "Wooow!" "Big bucks!" "Yep. Drinks on me next time we go out." The teenage girl sat a little taller. "So Sam. What have you been up to?" The teenage girl asked. "Me? Look at this." A teenager showed his phone around, allowing everyone in that group to see his screen. "I''ve been epted as a Sanctuary Security Combatant. Once New Years is over, my training will begin." "Oh..." "Nice. Nice." "Good luck man." The teenager: ... "So Alex..." Alex, Jeff''s fan boy faintly smiled. It''s as if he''d been waiting for this moment. "Guys. Check this out." The boy showed around his phone. "Who''s that?" "The Mission Machine." "Reaaally now." The teenagers threw questioning gazes at Alex. "Yep. He even showed me his lightbulb mode." Alex flipped to the next photo. "Woooaaah!" "He said he saw great potential in me. After some training, I''ll be his sidekick!" The group stirred up. Some girls looked at Alex with glistening eyes. Alex also caught some envious and jealous gazes from his friends. "Can you get his signature for me?" "Alex! We are best friends right?" "Calm down. Everybody calm down" Alex raised his hands. "One at a time." "Sam. Do you want anything?" ... ... A ring siren sound suddenly pierced the peaceful night. It sounded like an air attack warning in second world war. Hearing this, Alex and his friends looked at each other, uncertain of what to do. On the outside, people on the streets froze in ce as well. The happy chattering quickly died down. "What''s going on?" "Is this a joke?" Someone nervously chuckled in fear. Some people stood still in confusion. Some headed towards the sanctuary already. Some hurriedly grabbed their emergency backpack. Others hurriedly packed a backpack. "Don''t tell me this is a drill." "Yeah. A drill on New Year''s Eve is not cool." "I sure hope it''s a drill. Better than-" "This is not a drill! I repeat. This is not a drill!" A loud voice red out from the sanctuary. The speakers on streetmps. The family radios. Megaphones from the jeeps running down the streets. They all yed the same message. In the vicinity of the sanctuary, this message could be heard everywhere. "This is not a drill! I repeat. This is not a drill!" "Residents of the sanctuary. Evacuate to the city hall immediately!" "I repeat. Residents of the sanctuary..." Soldiers in grey armors started to appear on the streets. People started to stream out of the their residences. The nearly empty streets quickly became congested. Being pushed around in the crowd, a child lost grasp of her mother''s hand. "Mama..." "Mama!" The girl started weeping. But the crowd did not stop moving. Being pushed forward, the girl had to move along with the crowd. "Alright." A soldier picked up this girl and put the girl onto his shoulder te. "We''ll find yoh mama." Moving out of the stream of people, the soldier stood his post. "Stay calm, and carry on!" Taking a look from the above, the crowd was quickly gathering up outside the sanctuary walls. Streams of people passed through the sanctuary gates, heading towards the city hall. At the same time, inside that five-stories city hall building... Clunk! Waiting outside an elevator, three knights put on their helmets. p... They strapped their equipment belts tighter. Their armors were painted blue, red, and orange. These were the internal security squadron leaders. "Looks like we''ve got visitors boys." "Can''t rest even on New Year''s Eve. Give me a break." "Hey. Save your frustration to the monsters. There''s plenty for you to y tonight." Ding~ The elevator door opened. Looking inside, the squadron leaders awkwardly stood still, uncertain of whether to enter or not. Everly was in her underwear. In the corner of the elevator, there was a pile of clothing. "What. You are all fucking virgins?" Everly slid herself into an one-piece leather jumpsuit. "Never seen a girl change before? Come on. Chop chop." "Look at you bastards and your fancy showoff real metal helmets. While I get this." Wearing a disgusted face, Everly flipped her hand at her suit. "And a fishbowl." Everly put on her helmet. Her helmet looked like an astronaut''s helmet, with arge ss visor at the front. "Erhm." The squadron leaders stepped inside. Everly was right, they were running low on time as well. Tschh... The elevator doors closed. The elevator fell silent. Ding~ The elevator doors opened. A stream of people passed through the front hall, entering underground bunkers. The three knights headed out. Chewing on bubble gum, Everly tapped her clearance card at the card reader. Putting on an impatient face, the girl repetitively tapped an elevator button. [ -2 ] At the same time, outside the city hall, knight squads moved into their positions. These guys were organized. They moved precisely like a machine. Everyone knew what they were doing. It''s like they had done this many times before. Looking beyond the squads, further into the front lines... Chapter 34 - Lord Of The Mist (2) Soldiers in modern military outfit rushed onto the sanctuary walls. Aiming outside, running the lever-action, they waited for orders in silence. Here and there, heavy machine guns were being set up. Forklifts brought crates of ammunition into ce. Behind the walls, soldiers rushed onto watch towers. On the ground, squads of security agents in grey armor stood in block formations. "Alright boys!" A squadron leader in red armor pounded his chest armor. "Let''s show those monsters what we are made of!" "Oorah!" "Oorah!" "Oorah!" Inside arge tent behind the gates, people hustled around. In the middle of this tent, there was a digital map, showing the current information of deployment information. A dude wearing a ck overcoat stood there, staring at the map. About 50 to 60 years old. A toque on his head. Even in this time of emergency, this man gave off a sense of calmness. The time pressure seemed like a breeze to him. One could not read any emotions off this man''s expressions. Yet, his gaze was certainly focussed and determined. This was the keyholder of the Sanctuary, the man in charge of assigning critical positions and clearances, the boss of the biggest settlement in Berrystone city. "As said he will return within 20 minutes. He said there is no need for teleportation in such a short distance." Liam turned to the keyholder, still holding his phone by his head. The Keyholder continued to stare at the digital map in thought and calction. "Tell him we need him back right now." Liam repeated keyholder''s message. A quick momentter... Liam turned to the Keyholder again. "As refused and hung up." Hearing this, the Keyholder did not show any expressions. This old fe thought for a moment. "Call Jeff." A few miles away from the Sanctuary, in amercial area... A three-meters tall figure walked down the empty streets. It''s a humanoid figure with round eyes like a bull''s eyes. In this dim foggy world, its eyes left a trail of fiery red glow Wearing an expressionless face, this monster moved forward at an even pace. Silver-colored Roman-style breasttes and tassets. Brazen skinned body. A warhammer strapped to its back. Before its chest, a long beard drifted in the wind. Four smaller monsters followed this warrior: A good-looking girl in a snakeskin robe. Wearing light makeup and an alluring smile, she looked like an escort. Erhm. That type of escort. A handsome dude in a white robe, holding a fan made of feathers. Putting on a stone-cold expression, staring forward with a cold gaze, this guy walked forward with an elegant posture. This silent dude looked like he had no desires in this world. Then there was an ape carrying a machete on its shoulder. Finally, it''s a dude with a lion-like face. His fluffy blond hair flowed down his shoulders, looking like a mane. Half-naked top body, showing his defined muscles. Leather pants. Carrying a single-edged de by his waist. Oh also. Staying a few steps behind this group of monsters, there was someone hidden under a ck cloak. Only a few blocks behind this group, a wave of monsters followed. Large monsters. Medium-sized monsters. Small-sized monsters. They all chaotically mixed up together. Looking at the biggest fes, there was house-sized crabs, dumb-looking giants, and centipedes that spanned for streets. A size below these guys: truck-sized geese, tank-sized scorpions, van-sized raptors... Smaller monsters surrounded theserger monsters, like sand surrounding pebbles. Coyotes with the size of wolves. Lion-sized lizards. Meter-tall spiders. Human-sized frogs. All of them had mutated in some sense, gaining ayer of bone-ting or bristles. Moving like a wave, this swarm of monsters headed to the Sanctuary. Clearly, they weren''t aware of traffic rules. Crashing through any structures in their way, pushing forward like a demolition team, this wave quickly left a wastnd behind. Broken electricity poles. Pirs of water shooting up from fire hydrants. Heaps of copsed buildings. As this group moved forward, a human figure came into view. "Sorry. The road ahead is. Closed." It''s a woman speaking in a weird tone. She wore a tight ck waitress shirt. Curly blond hair running down her shoulders. Thisdy stood in the middle of the road, staring nkly forward. "Human. Bow before your new lord." Lion-face shouted. The group of monsters continued moving forward. "Sorry. But the road ahead is. Closed." "Boss. Can I crush her?" The ape asked. The monster lord at the front looked behind the group. "You wanted to see if we are worthy. Very well." The monster lord looked at that cloaked figure. "Sorry. But the road-" That receptionistdy suddenly disappeared. Moving at S-rank speed, the girl threw a punch at the monster lord''s face. Snap! In an instance, that monster lord had turned back. Its glowing eyes left a trail of red light in the air. With a rxed gaze, the monster lord held onto the receptionistdy''s forearm! Tightening his grasp, the warrior easily crashed the receptionist''s arm. Tssp! Electric sparks exploded out that broken arm. "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." The receptionist''s voice became high-pitched. Without hesitation, that monster lord hurled the receptionist into the air. DOMMM... A low vibration sound... Flying in air, that receptionist imploded into a 6-feet long ck rift. Looking into it, one could get a creepy otherworldly feeling from the rift. A violent gust started to blow into that rift. That rift was sucking in air like a vacuum. Except this vacuum cleaner was way oversized. And it''s not just vacuuming dirt. Electricity poles bent towards that rift. Wires popped off, dangling in the air. At the same time, the vacuum pulled on the group of monsters as well. That handsome fe in a white-robe let out a humph. The wind surrounding the monsters instantly became timid and peaceful. A meter outside, it''s still like being hit by a tornado though. That rift engulfed garbage and debris like an insatiable ck hole. A car gradually slid in that direction. Quickly picking up speed, it lifted off into the air. Slowly swirling around, that car got engulfed by that rift. This group could simply take a detour. Just walk around that rift. However, the monster lord''s pride won''t allow it. This was a challenge from the sanctuary. A taunt! Anything in front of them had to be crushed! No going around obstacles! No walking away! (Also, it''s good to find a solution to this, before getting hit harder with the same type of problem. And the lord would look real bad for dodging this challenge. But this monster lord was not going to exin this to anyone.) In fact, it''s not just the monster lord who''s up for the challenge. The girl wearing a snakeskin robe stepped forward. She lightly tapped her foot onto the ground. It''s as if she''s tapping the surface of a pond. A watery ripple expanded out on ground. Small droplets of water excreted out of the ground, quickly turning into small spurts. Water droplets flew into the air. Gradually, these droplets converged and streamed into that void rift. But the water level was still rising. In a moment, it was already at ankle level. Chapter 35 - Lord Of The Mist (3) The girl lightly pointed a finger at that rift. The water on the ground quickly converged into a towering python. Letting out a silent roar, that python opened its jaws and bit at the rift. That rift looked like a tiny bug in the face of that water python. Snap! The water python snapped its jaws. In a blink, that water python froze into an ice sculpture. The void rift was contained. The gust stopped. Peace had returned to the streets. The girl looked at her coworkers with an alluring smile. Pop! Looking back, cracks were running down that ice python now. Leaving a ss breaking sound, that ice python shuttered into pieces. In the next instance, the ice shards stopped falling. Floating back into the air, the stream of ice shards shot into that rift. Letting out a humph, the girl seemed flustered by the result. "Tsk." Leaving a disdainful smirk, Lion-face stepped forward. Rising its foot, this monster stomped onto the ground. Cracks quickly spanned out under its feet. The monster stabbed its fingers into asphalt ground. With a heavy inhale and a heave, lion-face lifted up a house-sized block of ground, leaving a deep pit behind. "Haaarrrrrhh!" Lion-face threw that giant dirt block at the rift. That block flew right through the rift. Crashing onto the ground, that house-sized block of soil copsed into loam and rocks. Seeing this result, lion-face awkwardly froze in ce. Still facing the rift, the towering monster lord looked sideways at the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure didn''t say anything. Nevertheless, it''s clear now. He''s hesitating. Could the Sanctuary really be defeated? They couldn''t even solve the problem created by a mere bot. The monster lord took a deep breath. Blowing forward, a ck mist left his mouth. The rift absorbed the ck mist. However, the surrounding wind quickly died off. The rift was still there. But their way was clear now. "Your answer. Human." The monster lord spoke with a rumbling voice. The ground started to shake. With each second passed, the Earthquake quickly intensified. "I only wish that our terms will be kept." The cloaked figure kneeled onto one knee. "You will be my right hand." Having no expressions on his face, the warrior looked down at the cloaked figure. "And your family will be the nobles of the new era." "Lord Trample. Your servant is at your service." "Ohmm..." The monster lord turned away. Walking up arge debris, Lord Trample grabbed his warhammer. "Forward!" The monster lord pointed his warhammer in the direction of the sanctuary. The swarm of monster parted themselves around their lord. Without slowing down, they charged towards the Sanctuary. At the same time... City hall of Berrystone city... Ground floor. Entrance hall. It''s packed like a can of sardines in here. Loud chatter filled this hall. People had to shout to get their messages across. Some people squeezed around, looking for someone. Families gathered up in little groups. "Sorry. The underground bunkers are full. You will have to wait at the halls here." A security agent in grey armor repeatedly shouted. "Stay calm! Everything will be fine! Sorry. The underground bunkers are full..." Outside the city hall. It''s just as packed. "Sorry. The city hall is full. We will need you to stay calm and stay where you are!" Just across the street, hunter groups gathered up, forming onest line of defense. "I sure hope we get holiday pay for this." A hunter lit up a cigarette. "Yeah? I sure hope we won''t be needed in battle." Another hunter checked his equipment. A subtle tremor could be felt on the ground now. In one direction, it sounded like there''s a cavalry charge. The hunters looked towards the walls in concern. At the wall... Pam! A line of res shot out the walls in unison. Drawing out arcs in the air, theynded a street away, providing some extra vision. One after another, lights in the watch towers flipped on. Beams of light shot into the foggy veil of the night. Down the street, the row of streetmp lights snapped off one after another. Holiday lights was being engulfed by the tide of darkness. The ground started to shake. The silhouettes of massive creatures could be seen now. Below, the smaller monsters quickly approached like a tide. "Open fire!" "Fire in the hole!" Streams of bullets rained into the charging monsters. Then, the deafening sound of bazookas echoed through the city. Fiery explosions blossomed in that swarm. One after another, thoserge-sized monsters started to copse onto the ground. That charging tide of monsters slowed down a little. The loud sounds scared them. Some tumbled down. Some tried to flee, only to run into another monster. Some tripped and fell. It''s a stampede out there. More monsters died to trampling than to bullets. Nevertheless, the wave of monsters was still pushing forward. It''s approaching... Getting closer! Looking ahead, rows of buildings across the street tumbled down. It''s like they were grass being mowed down. As the buildings crumbled down, res on the buildings dropped to the ground. "Hold your ground soldiers." The keyholder stood above the front gates. "I stand by your side!" Liam stood by the keyholder. Pressing onto his temple with two fingers, Liam spread the keyholder''s message. 20 meters... 10 meters... The soldiers could see the monsters clearly now. 5 meters... 3 meters... There''s still too many of them! These things were closing in the gap! The smaller monsters sprung into the air. Looking from the side, these monsters looked like a shower of artillery shells. "AArrrrhhh!" Pulling on triggers with bloodshot eyes, the soldiers readied for impact. Bam! Bam! Bam! Yet, those monsters stopped in mid-air. They had crashed into an invisible wall! A shower of collisions... With the monsters pressed against it, the film was visible now. The swarm of monsters started to crawl up that film. They looked like flies crawling on windows. They couldn''t get in, but bullets could pass through. One after another, the monsters dropped onto the ground, evaporating into a mist. "Security Agents!" The keyholder ordered. In this loud battleground, even a calm man like the keyholder had to shout. Liam Evanstein nodded and pressed his finger against his temple. Chapter 36 - Lord Of The Mist (4) Agents in grey armor jumped onto the walls. Standing apart from each other, these guys looked rather sparse inparison to the soldiers. "Mana missiles!" The keyholdermanded. In unison, these agents swung their hands forward. Rays of lights shot out of the dome. Before, the sanctuary looked like a turtle. Now, this was a porcupine with its quills up. Firing at an angle, those rays shot through the monsters like a ofser. BOOoom! Explosions plowed the ground. That was thest straw. The monsters in the distant slowed down. The sparse surviving monsters nearby fled. Like receiving a signal, the swarm of monsters started fleeing in all directions. "Yes!" Soldiers stood up shouting, hugging, fist-pumping the air. Outside the dome, one after another, the dead monsters evaporated into mist, leaving drops peppering the ground. "Hold your ground soldiers. We are just getting started." The keyholder''s message ran through the defense lines. Some blocks away... The group of 5 elite monsters faced with the approaching monsters. "No... Deserters!" The ape''s machete started to glow red. "Go back!" The ape made arge swing with his machete, sting out an arc of mes. Boom! Fiery explosions brightened up the night streets. The mes formed a wall, blocking the fleeing monsters'' path. The dude in white cloak waved his feather-fan. A sudden breeze blew towards the fleeing monsters. The wind quickly building up in strength. "Enough." Lord Tramplemanded. "The children have already seeded in their duties." "Let them leave." Lord Trample walked into the wave of monsters. "Now, I go alone." "We will fight by your side." The monsters bowed. "Follow your orders. Stay here." At thismand, these elite followers kneeled onto one knee. It''s as if invisible weights had been added to their shoulders. On the sanctuary walls, the soldiers aimed outside. A freezing breeze brushed by. But on the outside, it''s silent now. Beams of lights from the watch towers scanned the battleground. The ground glistened with items. After a moment of waiting, finally, red re lights reflected off a figure. Moving at an even pace, that figure stepped through the wastnds. The searchlights from some watchtowers converged at that figure. Lord Trample could be seen clearly now. This ce was like a stage, and Lord Trample was under the converging spotlights now. Other searchlights continued to scan the battleground. "Is that our target?" Standing on a watch tower, a soldier snickered. "Just one? Watch this. My darling here can knock right through 3.5 inches of steel te." BAM! With a loud rambling sound, a bazooka missile shot towards that figure. Lord Trample extended a hand. That missile crashed into its palm. BOOOooom! A fiery explosion! A pir of grey smoke, dust, and debris rose up into the air. The shockwave brushed against the Sanctuary''s dome. Lord Trample stepped out of the smoke unharmed. "Wow. That''s really something." The bazooka man raised his brows and nodded. In the next instance, streams of lights, bullets, and bazooka missiles converged at that target. Btttooom! An earth shaking explosion! The shockwave brought up a ring of dirt into the air. Asphalt blocks and dirt rained down. With his arms crossed, Lord Trample walked out that fiery explosion unharmed. "My dagger!" "My sword!" Some agents stumbled back in shock. They had lost their most-trusted weapon, yet this monster was still unharmed. Seeing this result, people stopped firing. Walking up to the invisible barrier, Lord Trample stopped and looked around. "Greeting humans." Lord Trample''s rumbling voice echoed down the walls. "I am Lord Trample. Themander of the mist monsters." "As you humans like to say, new year, new beginning. Your era is now over. It is time to wee a new era. Mother Earth has made her choice. She chose us, the mistborn! We shall be the new rulers of this! You have but two choices humans. To bow to the inevitable, and step out of my way. Or, to be crashed along the way. Nobody can stop the destined fate. Just as none of you can leave a scratch on me. We do not have to be enemies, humans..." While Lord Trample made his speech, the keyholder shot a nce at Liam. Liam pressed his temples. ''Everly, how long.'' "Stop rushing my like a fucking ve! Alright?!" Behind the front gates, Everly popped a glowing block into existence. In front of her, a team rushed to assemble something. "I''ve heard that this is the strongest settlement. I am disappointed. Lord of the humans, bow to me, and I will spare your life." Standing above the front gates, the keyholder locked his gaze with Lord Trample. After a quick moment of thought, the keyholder nodded. "If we be your vassals, what is the cost?" "Wise choice, lord of the humans. My mercy is only reserved for the meek. Look at what you violent humans have done to my children. Everyone human soldier here must pay the price, with their lives." The keyholder took a nce at Liam. Liam nodded back. The keyholder sighed and raised a hand. The sound of engine humming gradually got louder. The front gates started to open up. Seeing this, the towering monster nodded in approval. Before the gates fully opened, a blinding light could be seen through the doors. "Ohhmm..." Lord Trample could see a cannon pointing at him. A bursting light brightening up the night. A beam of energy sted out that cannon. Before Lord Trample could react, that beam of energy had already smashed into its chest. "Hhhaaaah!" Lord Trample pressed forward into the beam. Yet, this towering monster was still quickly sliding back, plowing out two trails on the ground. The beam of energy pushed against Lord Trample like a fire hose. The chest armor on Lord Trample quickly brightened up. In a blink, it became blindingly bright. Yet, Lord Trample was like a sink. It''s as if he could absorb as much energy as he wanted. It''s as if his body was indestructible, impratable. Streams of energy sprayed off Lord Trample''s armor. The chaotic sprays cut the ground like aser, leaving trails of molten ground. Snap! Cracks grew on Lord Trample''s breasttes. "Ooohhmmm!" Lord Trample leaned forward against the energy beam. His armor crumbled into dust. Glowing cracks started to run down the monster''s body as well. The warrior''s brazen skin reddened up. "OOoooooowuuuu!" Lord trample finally stopped sliding back. Pushing against the beam, he made one step forward. One step! Two steps! Three steps! Wearing a crazed smile, Lord Trample picked up speed. Yet, in the next moment, the energy beam thinned out and disappeared. Lord Trample took a quick step forward. "That''s it?" Lord Trample panted with a snicker. "Ignite!" The keyholdermanded. Chapter 37 - Lord Of The Mist (5) Bbtttooommm... The st waves hurled blocks of asphalts and building debris into the air. A metal streetmp shot towards the Sanctuary like a helicopter''s rotor des. Bam! It collided into the invisible dome and rebounded into the air. The ground rumbled. Down the streets, a cloud of grey vapour rose 40 meters into the air. The soldiers on the wall waited in silence for the result. Beams of searchlight pointed in that direction. Some murmured quietly in prayer. Some stared in that direction with clenched fists. It took a moment for the cloud to clear up. "Nooo..." Through the clearing up cloud, people could see a figure inside now. Standing inside that knee-deep hole, with his arms crossed, Lord Trample grumbled. "Good try, humans." The monster took a step forward. The ground below him glistened. Under that heat, some sand in the soil had instantly turned into particles of ss. "You have forced me into my, as you humans like to say, final form." The monster stepped out of that hole. Looking closely, Lord Trample had grown to 5 meters tall now. Nose of a bull. Horns on its head. Hooves instead of feet. A long beard before its chest. This was a minotaur. Streams of mist was converging into its body. Gradually, the cracks on its body closed up. A new silver-colored armor started to appeared. "Impossible!" "Can we really harm it?" "We couldn''t kill it before... Now, it''s bigger." "God. What is this thing!" Panic spread through the front lines like a gue. As if this was thest straw, this oue broke the soldiers'' morale. Some tried to point their weapons at the monster. Yet, they couldn''t. What''s the point. It''s futile anyways. "Everyone, retreat to the second line of defense." Keyholdermanded. Liam tapped his temple and nodded. Receiving that order, without hesitation, the soldiers dropped their equipment and jumped off the wall. In this instance, the sanctuary''smand system copsed. Follow orders? Who''s giving orders? It''s futile anyways... In a moment, the walls were emptied out. Only stacks of firearms and crates of ammunitions were left. Some soldiers ran towards the city hall. Others ran towards the exit on the other side. The horde of monsters had already left. Maybe the only chance to live is by leaving this ce. Some gritted their teeth and clenched their jaws. Regret filled their eyes. What if they trained harder. What if they pushed themselves harder to the limit. No. Against that thing... Nothing would have worked... Was there still hope in Berrystone? "I''ve offered peace humans." "But you have chosen death." Walking up to the invisible dome, Lord Tremple knocked on it. Sounded like ss. Punch! Lord Trample''s fist pierced through that dome. Like a bubble popping, the dome sted into falling shards. As those shard fell down, they quickly disintegrated into glowing pixels. "Ohhhmmm..." The Lord of the mist tackled at the front gates. BAM! The metal gates hurled down the streets. "Oh? You are not running?" A squad of 20 knights was standing in Lord Trample''s way. Some in grey. Most in colored armor. "You are not passing us!" An agent readied his halbard towards the monster. ''Not until the keyholder is safe...'' "We will protect our home!" "We''ll stop you, right here, right now!" "So be it." Wearing an expressionless face, Lord Trample stepped forward. The knights looked like children to the monster. Their heights weren''t even up to the minotaur''s waist. A-rank energy levels. Mostly B-rank energy levels. These guys were mere maggots in the eyes of Lord Trample. Only the purple armor at the front was something. An S-rank. The knights squad prepared their weapons. Their armors and weapons started to emit various colors of glows. "Commander Magni. Of all people, you should be the one following the keyholder''smand." "They''ll need you more at the second line of defense." Standing at the front of the group, a dude in a purple armor chuckled. "Everyone here can leave. But I can''t. My duty calls." "Well fes. Just wanted you to know, I''m proud of you..." Leaving a bitter smile, Magni charged at the towering monster. "Charge!" The group of knights dashed in. Lord Trample breathed out a ck mist. It''s faster than it appears. Before the knights noticed, they''d already charged into that mist. However, no matter! They were determined to pass through this mist! "Watch out!" Magni jumped back. Like a cannonball, this fe shot back out of the ck cloud. The ck cloud was quickly clearing up. Magni looked down at his armor. He was only in that mist for an instance. Yet, his armor and his spear was already starting to dissolve. And this was not stopping. They were still dissolving! Jumping back, Magni pulled a strap. The back of his armor popped open. Throwing his spear away, stepping back out of his armor, Magni''s heart sank. The ck mist was gone. The same for anything inside that mist. The ground sank an inch deeper. Magni panted at the result in disbelief. "No... No!" "Daniel... Sophia... No..." Thump... Thump... The towering monster approached at an even pace. The monster''s shadow gradually covered Magni. Looking at Trample with bloodshot eyes, Magni clenched his teeth. The man seemed to have lost it. The air surrounding this warrior expanded and contracted like a heart. His energy level steadily became denser. "You''ll pay for this!" Magni left an explosion of air. Moving at a speed barely visible to S-ranks, Magni dashed in an arc path. Bam! The ground under Magni exploded. He shot towards the monster from the side. "Die!" Magni threw a punch at the monster''s head. Bam! Magni was swatted down like a fly. The knight shot right through a condo building and into the ground. Lord Trample huffed like defeating an SS-rank was nothing to him. Walking down the empty streets, in this well-lit area, Lord Trample could see the city hall up the hill now. On the road to that 5 stories building, another line of knights had been set up. Some high-ranking hunters were in this group as well. However, these hunters didn''t have the determined gazes of the knights. Their eyes glinted, quickly ncing around. Theses hunters looked like they were looking for ways out. Behind this line of defense, up the hill, fear and despair filled the air. Some wanted to ran. However, they couldn''t make up their mind. What if it''s a horde of monsters out there? Also, it''s packed like a can of sardines up here. Can''t really get out even if they wanted to. "Humans. My offer still holds. But my patience is limited. Now, Lord of the humans, make your choice." "Your soldiers shall pay for what they''ve done to my children, by death. And the rest shall live." "Or. I shall continue my attack, and none of you shall live." "Choose." Hearing these words, the gazes of the crowd turned to the soldiers. Down the hill, the soldiers and knights heavily panted. They clenched their fists. Some looked around with widened eyes. They were struggling to make a decision. "Choose? We choose your death." A solemn voice sounded down the streets. A warrior in golden armor walked up the hill. Behind him, it''s the smite squad made up of 7 S-ranks. As had returned! Chapter 38 - Greed (1) "YEESS!" "As is back!" "The Smite team is here too!" "We are saved!" Looking at the approaching warriors, the crowd threw their hats and toques into the air. Some bursted into tears of joy already. The soldiers rxed a little and tiredly smiled. It''s the Smite team after all. Made up of 7 S-ranks. This was the topbat power of Berrystone. This was the trump card of the sanctuary! This monster was unstoppable to A-ranks and B-ranks. But now, their S-ranks had returned! Not the self-proimed or borderline-level S-rank hunters. No. These were the elite S-ranks. "Kick that thing''s ass!" "Yeaaahhh!" "Beat the shit out of it!" People started to vent out their emotions. "Ohhhmmm... Looks like more antagonists have entered the scene." Lord Trample turned around. "Just before my victory..." The monster lord examined As and his team. "Ohmm... You do look like a final boss." Without saying anything back, maintaining his solemn expression, As waved his hand forward. Instantly, a ray of red light shot towards that minotaur. At the same time, behind that monster, rays of various colors shot towards this target! A burst of blinding light! Btttoom! Upon impact, the vtile mana inside those projectiles detonated one after another. The ground shook a little. The air torrent shuttered the sses of those condos nearby. Moving down the street, this torrent brushed through the knights. Like a visible tide of air, this current crashed into the crowd up the hill. Under this intense wind, hats flew into the air. The crowd was pushed back like the grass under a helicopter. Looking down the street, ss shards was starting to rain down now. A grey cloud rose up at where Lord Trample was standing. Without hesitation, a girl in orange armor stepped forward. She pointed her scepter into that st cloud. From that green gem sitting at the top of her scepter, an invisible ray of psychic energy shot into that grey cloud. Simultaneously, five smite members disappeared from the group. In the next instance, they had surrounded the st cloud. In unison, they threw metal chains into that cloud. The girl in orange let out a slight moan in pain. Clenching her teeth, leaning against her scepter, the girl curled up. However, she hadpleted her task sessfully. It only took half a second for Lord Trample to recover from her attack. But in this half a second, this monster was just a sitting duck! And that was enough. The moment Lord Trample regained his rity in thought, he was already tied up in chains. Two chains wrapped around its arm like snakes. Two chains around its ankles. A chain around its neck. Before the st cloud cleared up, with obstructed vision, the monster could only see glinting lights ahead. The chains on its limbs were pulling down hard. These knights were trying to bring Lord Trample to the ground! They failed. But at the same time, Lord Trample could not dodging the arrows either. He was pinned to that spot! Pooh! Pooh! Pooh! Arrows pierced the armor of this monster. Electricity sparks. Spurts of acid. A rancid spell of poisons. "Hhaaarrrhhh!" Lord Trample pulled against the chains. In rage, this minotaur managed to take a step forward. One step. Two steps. The warrior pulled the knights forward. Walking out the settling st cloud, Lord Trample saw a brightening up light. It quickly became blinding to watch. It''s thence in As'' hand! Turned out, all of these attacks were mere set-ups for theirmander! Their purpose: Ensure that their target won''t be able to dodge this attack. The edge of As'' mouth lifted up a little. But this warrior quickly hid his confident smile. st off! A rumbling sound echoed through the sanctuary. Another torrent violently tore through thisnd. To As'' knowledge, there were only 7 glow-tier weapons in the sanctuary. Most of which weremunal, owned by the sanctuary, not an individual. In the hands of the capable, any single one of these topnotch weapons could unleash tactical level powers. If used correctly, any one of them could seal the oue of a battle. Even his fellowmander,mander Magni didn''t own a glow-tier. Thisnce was his trump card. His ultimate skill! A move that could instantly shred even SS-rank monsters into pieces! A shot that could only be fueled by SS-rank tier mana! [Wrath]! Today, its might shall be shown to the world! The rumbling quieted down. The blinding light quickly dimmed. That attack had knocked the minotaur five or six steps down the street. Thence pierced the monster''s armor. Its entire de had sank into the monster''s chest. Grabbing onto thatnce, staring at As with thoserge bull eyes, Lord Trample huffed through its nose. Mist was streaming out of that wound now. Lord Trample had been injured. "Yes!" The soldiers cheered at this result. "Go As!" "You did it!" "Yes! It''s not invisible!" "We can grind it down!" "Keep on doing that!" Seeing this result, As tried to gulp, but his mouth was try. Thismander felt a chill running up his spine. That was his strongest shot... Yet... Only a minor injury? The gaze of thismander wavered. Did he even stand a chance... Was there any hope of winning? "Hhhhaaaarrrggh!" Lord Trample yanked thence out of his chest. A spurt of mist came out with thence tip. The chains were still pulling on it. But no matter how hard the knights pulled, Lord Trample remained unshakable. Turning its hand, it grabbed onto a chain and yanked. "Abort!" The hunters quickly let go. Whoosh! p! Lord Trample used that chain like a whip. BAM! A solid hitnded on a smite member. That poor fe was knocked into a condo building nearby. "Lance!" As gritted his teeth. The archer in purple handed thismander a newnce. But it''s only glint-tier this time. Without further hesitation, As charged at that towering monster. "Back at you!" Lord Trample took aim at As. Leaving a snap in the air, thatnce shot forward like a missile. As could barely catch this projectile''s movement path. Out of instinct and prediction, As flicked up. "Hyah!" A heavy lift. As managed to deflect that missile! Sess! Maybe he did stand a chance! Chapter 39 - Greed (2) A leg popped into As'' view. Bam! The crowd couldn''t catch the movements of this battle, but they could see the results. To the crowd''s disbelief, As flew down the street like a cannonball, quickly disappearing in their sight. The smite team couldn''t believe this result either. p! p! p! p! The smite members flew into condo buildings. Their mind nked out in shock for an instance. And Lord Trample caught this opportunity. "Now. Archer..." Lord Trample looked down the street. The girl in orange armor was still recovering. There was only a lone archer in purple who had battle capability now. The archer nced past Lord Trample for an instance. It''s the denizens of the sanctuary there... However... Without further hesitation, he grabbed the girl in orange and jumped back, making distance, or fleeing. Lord Trample turned back to the city hall. "And you again..." Yep. Another receptionistdy had appeared. Once again, she stood in Lord Trample''s way. "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." The crowd stirred up. People were pressing their way out. Taking a look, it''s a dozen receptionistdies with identical looks. "Oohhhmm..." Lord Trample crossed his arms in thought. Then this monster looked up. Looking at the dome of this five-stories city hall, the air up there started to swirl, quickly building up to a cyclone. Suddenly, At the eye of the cyclone, a pir of light shot down from the sky. The cyclone exploded into a gust of air, knocking some snow down that dome. "Oop. Careful." Jeff held Alice tighter in his arm. Looking around, he was at the top of the city hall now. Looking below him, it''s a myriad of people, all packed up into this block. These guys were all looking up at him. Some were pointing at him. They seemed to have recognized Jeff. Others just stared at him with clueless gazes. Who the heck is this guy? Most were just scared. Does that monster''s promises still stand? Should they run away now? To where? Down the street, some knights and hunters gathered up. And further down the street, a five-meters tall monster was looking at him. Walking at an even pace, it was moving up the streets. Jeff''s time was limited, but not that urgent. That monster was still some distance away. With a few hops, Liam jumped up onto the dome. "Hope I''m not toote to the party." Jeff fixated his gaze at that towering monster. If his guess was correct, this was his opponent. "Not at all." Liam shrugged. "You didn''t even need to save anyone at thest second." "And here''s the better part. We didn''t even need to exin our Mutually Guaranteed Destruction n to mister Lord Trample over there." "The best part. We didn''t even need to EXECUTE our Mutually Guaranteed Destruction n." Liam didn''t hold down his voice. Clearly, his message wasn''t entirely directed towards Jeff. "Uh huh..." Jeff slowly nodded. "We seriously need to talk about thister." Inside his mind, Jeff ranted a little. ''Bluff or serious. Either way, we had a crazy n like that? Howe I wasn''t informed?'' Ignoring Jeff''s dissatisfied reactions, Liam nodded and tapped his temple. Liam''s voice popped up inside Jeff''s mind. ''Here is what we know about this monster...'' In Jeff''s mind, Jeff viewed the entire battle from Liam''s perspective. As the scenes moved forward, Liam narrated the situation and his analysis. Yep. This was yet another convenient innate abilities of Liam. In a second, the information overview was all done. There''s a limit to how fast people could speak. But there''s no limit to how fast a person could think. Liam could send the info quickly. Jeff could digest the info quickly. "Alright sweetheart. Your man has to go to work now." Jeff nodded at what he''d heard. Alice rolled her eyes. "Stay safe." The girl jumped off the top of the dome. With a push forward, Jeff jumped off as well. Drawing a wide arc in the air, Jeffnded on the streets. Seeing that someone was fearlessly confronting that monster, the crowd stirred up. "It''s the Mission Machine. He can do it!" "But what can one man do? Even As lost in one blow." "You think he''s stronger than the entire Smite team?" "Does anyone know what''s going on outside?! Please! Anyone!" "No. I believe in him. Mission Machine is our strongest hunter. A man with 100% sess rate. He won''t let us down this time either!" "Go Jeff! Enter your Lightbulb mode! And kick his motherfishing ass!" Yep. This was Everly shouting. "Yeah! Show that thing what we are made of!" "Don''t let us down!" "If you win, I''ll be your fan for my entire life!" "Please! You have to win!" Hearing these loud encouragements, Jeff paced his breathing. The knights in front of Jeff parted to the side. Opening a path for Jeff, these guys didn''t say anything. They just stared at Jeff with trusting gazes and knocked a beat on their armor. Walking up to that tower warrior, Jeff quickly observed his opponent up and down. "Ohhmm... So YOU are the final boss." Lord Trample grabbed his warhammer from his back. "I take my words back. This might be the strongest human settlement after all." Jeff locked gazes with this monster. This was the strongest being he''d ever met. About the same physical strength and mana level as him... Also, looked like it''s capable of detecting enemy threat level as well. Jeff''s detection abilities were all reporting the same results: This thing was dangerous. Capable of posing lethal threats. Certainly a worthy opponent. ''Our attributes are about the same...'' ''But I can stack abilities!'' Jeff squinted and lowered his body. "Alright. Let''s take it outside." Jeff shot towards that monster like a cannonball. While in air, like turning on a light bulb, Jeff suddenly emitted a golden glow. Extending a hand, a staff instantly popped into existence. Whack! Chapter 40 - Greed (3) Fighting at supernatural-peak physique level, the world was an entirely different ce. Everything looked like they were frozen in air. As Jeff shot towards that minotaur, the snow below Jeff sted into the air. Yet, it''s as if these snow were moving in slow motion. Gradually, the snow came to a freezing halt in the air. It''s a world confined to touch and sight. No smells and no sound. Moving through the air felt like breaking through a solid all the time. And this was after activating his wind-type abilities! Without abilities on... Jeff didn''t want to feel that level of air resistance again. In a blink, Jeff flew through this standstill world. The minotaur''s reaction was fast. In this standstill world, it could still move at an average speed. It managed to move its warhammer handle into Jeff''s strike path. Jeff''s small staff collided into that giant handle. A sessful block. However, the handle of that warhammer still mmed into the minotaur''s chest. That''s not all. The force from that strike carried over into the minotaur''s body. In an instance, that monster was knocked into the air like a baseball. The returning force sent Jeff back onto the ground. Squatting a little, Jeff shot into the air, following that Minotaur''s projectile path. In the eyes of the crowd, the two simply left a boom sound and a wild torrent. Then the two disappeared. Seeing this result, the sanctuary fell silent. Some cupped their hands together and murmured prayers. Some clenched their fists, unreconciled with the situation. Unable to determine your own life or death... It''s a tough reality to sink in. However... In the town hall building, standing at the fifth floor balcony, the keyholder turned to Liam. "Initiate the Evacuation protocols." No matter how dire the situation may be... Don''t stop fighting... ... Inside a small park, drinking from a freezing cold pond, a deer-like mist monster suddenly froze in ce. Its ears wiggled a little. The deer suddenly looked up. A figure had flew by right above its head. Crack! Lord Trample''s back collided with a tree. A dump of snow fell onto this monster. Landing on two hooves, sliding back, this monster plowed two trials onto the frozen grass field. Sliding some distance down the grass field, the monster gradually came to a halt. Three rays shot down from the sky. But this monster didn''t bother with it. The rays smashed into its chest and exploded. Whoosh! The minotaur held his warhammer horizontally above its head. Clunk! A staff mmed down. The minotaur sessfully blocked the attack, but it also fell onto the snowy ground on one knee. The monster gritted its teeth and looked down at Jeff. "That''s all you''ve got?" Yep. Even though the minotaur kneeled on one knee, Jeff''s height was still lower than the minotaur''s chest. Jeff jumped back. Based on Liam''s information, and his confirmation, most of his abilities were useless in this battle. Low mana cost abilities won''t leave a scratch on this thing. Mana projectiles were basically useless. Couldn''t even be used to knock this thing off bnce. Also, at his level, potions were practically useless now. The potion effects were too mild to do anything. Most equipments were useless to Jeff as well. This was why Jeff didn''t wear armor. Why would he wear something that''s more fragile and softer than his body? Jeff quickly observed this monster''s status. The energy in the fog was still pouring into this monster''s body. No end in sight. Having supernatural-peaked psychic level, Jeff processed these information in an instance. He had to go all out. He was the one under time pressure. This monster would only grow stronger over time. Jeff poured his mana into his staff. The tip of his staff started to glow with a green light. Like popping out a spring knife, a scythe de popped into existence. Yep. It''s a de entirely made of green mana energy. In this foggy park at night, this de was the only light source here. Under its glow, everything in this area became covered in a coat of green radiance. Sure. This de could melt through metal like aser cutter. But who the heck, in modern day society, knows how to properly use a freaken scythe? As a weapon! Yeah... This was the glint-tier scythe Jeff submitted to the sanctuary for credit. Then Liam returned this thing to Jeff. It''s the payment Jeff had asked for: a two-handed glow-tier weapon. How did Jeff know it''s the same scythe? The snath was literally the same! (Snath: the handle of a scythe) Nevertheless, Jeff still epted this payment in the end though. Jeff shook the scythe. The energy de exploded into glowing pixels. The cluster of pixels converged to the tip of the staff. Nobody knew how to use a scythe. But plenty of people knew how to use a spear! Leaving a boom sound, Jeff dashed towards that monster. ''With stacked abilities, I am much stronger, and much faster.'' ''Unlike its armored upper body, its lower body doesn''t have much defenses.'' Jeff leaned forward in his dash. Lord Trample''s warhammer whistled by above his head. ''I can go for its legs! And kill its mobility!'' ''After it''s fallen to the ground, unable to turn around, the game would be over!'' Jeff swept his spear at the Lord Trample''s hooves. DOOoommmm... Lord Trample stomped the ground. The ground violently shook upon impact. A st wave of mana originated from its hooves, exploding into a shockwave. Jeff pierced right through that wall of expanding air. However, his speed dropped in that collision. The st wave continued to brush through the grass field. It shook the trees down the park. A pair of hooves entered Jeff''s view. Bam! Jeff blocked that front kick with his spear. Even though he looked like a child to that towering monster, Jeff was only knocked three steps back. With [Living Fortress] toggled on, Jeff was not going anywhere. (Unless he wanted to.) ''Well. There''s a reason why he''s called Lord Trample.'' Without hesitation, catching this minotaur''s opening, Jeff shot towards this monster. Chapter 41 - * Going Premium Notice: Only Got 400 s * You think I''m in perfect control? You think I can end this book at exactly 400 chapters? Ha! You just got click-baited! Erhm. Sorry! *Bow* It''s actually 350 to 450 chapters. 5 volumes. 70 - 90 chapters / volume. So yeah, short story. Going premium at 40 chapters feels legit. If you think this story is ''Eh, good enough,'' please stick around. I''ll get better at it with more practice! You get 4 free passes a day (2 All-passes, 2 genre passes). I only post 1 chapter a day. So you can totally read this + something else for free. If you''ve got some spare pocket change, please consider supporting this story with ~ 5 cents a day. Whatever you feelfortable with. Most importantly, thanks for staying with me! And thank you for your support! Hope you guys will stick around! Enjoy! Chapter 42 - Greed (4) Drawing a wide arc, Jeff swung his spear at that minotaur''s head. BAM! The minotaur blocked the attack. But it''s knocked out of bnce as well. Yet, twisting its body into a weird angle, this monster managed to jab its horns at Jeff in retaliation. Still in air, Jeff couldn''t dodge this one. Clung! Focusing his gaze, holding his spears in front of him, Jeff narrowly blocked this attack. Jeff was knocked down to the ground. Jumping sideways, Jeff adjusted his orientation in air. Reaching a tree, Jeff squatted onto the tree trunk. Shooting himself out, the tree behind him exploded into wooden pieces. Like a ray of light, Jeff shot towards that minotaur from the side. Stab! Jeff''s spear sank into that minotaur''s armor like a knife cutting into pudding. BAM! The tip of Jeff''s spear exploded! Before the minotaur could regain its posture, it''s knocked out of bnce again! That st left a pit in its armor and its chest. Mist was gushing out that wound now. That st wave knocked Jeff back as well. Quickly regaining bnce, Jeff slid on the ground. Squatting down, Jeff shot towards that minotaur again. Behind him, the mud and grass exploded into the air. Stab! The minotaur tried to grab Jeff''s spear. ''Not happening!'' Jeff turned the stab into flick. BAM! Jeffnded a strike onto the monster''s ribs. That minotaur was sent into the air. Flying across the grass field, that monster crashed into the trees. However, the moment Jeffnded that strike, he received a punch to his head too. Like a cannonball, Jeff was shot into the ground. "Ok. I felt something." Jeff got up. His forehead turned into a digital-red. That patch of red quickly shrunk though. Squatting down a little, Jeff dashed towards that flying minotaur. ''If we exchange blows like this, I will definitely win in the end!'' Well. That''s the simple truth. Jeff was the one with higher attributes and better equipment. Just as the results showed, he dealt more damage. Jeff had higher defenses. A punch to the face? Jeff could shrug it off. Higher speed. Jeff had the initiative here. That towering minotaur could only stand there and try to respond to Jeff. If that minotaur initiated the attack, Jeff could easily dodge its strike, and return a more devastating blow. Clearly, the mist lord knew this as well. Since it''s working out, Jeff didn''t feel a need to change his strategy. Dashing on the ground, Jeff quickly approached that minotaur. Adjusting his angle, Jeff dashed in again. m! That minotaur was thrown back. Leaving a trail of light in the air, Jeff quickly followed. Like a giant boulder rolling forward, the two crashed through the trees. Moving at supernatural speeds, the two exchanged 5 or 6 blows in a second. Knocking over a streetmp, stepping onto the asphalt streets, the two had cut through that small park! This epicenter of destruction continued to move forward! Crashing through blocks of houses and apartments, the two left a trail of debris. Like an unstoppable plow truck, the two rampaged through the city. In a quick 2 minutes, the two had covered 18 miles. They had sted through the residential areas! Now, they''ve reached the river side! Looking through the hole in the factory walls, Jeff locked his gaze with that minotaur inside. Blow after blow, that minotaur''s armor had crumbled into a grey mist. Dents and wounds covered its brazen body. Head. Neck. Chest. Legs. There wasn''t a part that''s uninjured. It''s a wonder how this thing was still alive. Grey mist steamed out the wounds. It''s as if the minotaur was standing in a cloud of mist. Yet, this thing seemed like it had infinite stamina. At the same time, Jeff was still glowing and well. However, something was not right. Jeff panted a little. He felt hungry and tired. With each blownded, his hands and forearms felt more and more numb. His attacks were just as fast. But there''s less and less damage dealt. It''s as if he''s getting weaker. "Ooohhmmm... Human..." The minotaur got back up from the pile of debris under him. "Have you heard of the work-hardening process on metals before?" "No." Jeff squinted. Nevertheless, Jeff knew what this minotaur was talking about. It''s not that his attacks were getting weaker. It''s the minotaur''s body getting harder and tougher! By the looks of it, this minotaur had an ability that stacked with each hit received. "But how long will youst?" Jeff took a deep breath. It''s time to grit his teeth and pull this through. Like a ray of light, Jeff shot towards that minotaur. Bam! That minotaur crashed through the factory walls. Like a pebble, it skipped on the river surface. Like a ray of light, Jeff shot through that hole on the wall as well. Moving at this speed, the water felt like solidnd. That minotaur got a hold of itself. Stomping onto the water, it charged towards Jeff. m! That minotaur flew across the river. Bring up an explosion of snow, grass, and sand, it crashed into the river banks. Stomping against the water surface, Jeff shot through the river as well. While in air, Jeff opened up his free hand. A stic tube popped into existence. It''s a high-energy nutrition paste, packaged like a yogurt tube. Yep. On top of stacking abilities, Jeff also liked to stack supplies. Jeff quickly ripped it open and took a quick sip. *Gulp* *Gulp* *Gulp* Yum yum. A blueberry vour. Jeff certainly wouldn''t want to touch anything pink, or strawberry-vored, or pink AND strawberry-voured food again. The snow on the river bank settled. That minotaur was lying on the ground now. It''s warhammerid on the sand some distance away. Taking a deep breath, Jeff walked towards that towering monster. Looks like the results were settled. Nobody liked to stay in that standstill world unless they had to. Jeff felt that his entire body was throbbing and weak. The soreness and muscle ache was starting to settle in now. Nevertheless, Jeff had won this battle of raw strength and stamina. Readying his spear, Jeff was ready to deal the finishing blow. "My lord!" "We are here!" An arc of mes shot towards Jeff. Jeff ignored that attack. He knew his priorities. Chapter 43 - Greed (5) The spear in Jeff''s hand brightened up with a green glow. Like a ray of light, Jeff shot towards that minotaur. Like a petal rising above water, a rainbow-colored scale suddenly surfaced from the minotaur''s chest. In an instance, a beauty in a snakeskin robe appeared in Jeff''s way. Without slowing down, Jeff''s spear pierced that girl and stabbed into the minotaur''s body. Boom! That arc of mes made impact with the three. The river bank behind the two monsters exploded under the st. Sand, dry grass, and pebbles started to rain down. Under this st, the minotaur and the girl were hurled onto the highway above. Before the mes dissipated, a ray of light shot out the mes, heading into the sky. Up there, an ape held a machete over its head, chopping down at Jeff. Seeing that ray of light, this monster rotated its machete like a fan. Holding its machete in front of its body like a shield, this monster tried to block Jeff''s attack. Then it lifelessly copsed onto the sand. Mist steamed from the hole in its stomach. Way too slow. [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Iplete) ] ''Not now. Close interface.'' "Nooo! Ahhh!" The lion-face monster shot towards Jeff. Its hand had turned into a paw. Jeff swept his spear. The lion-face monster''s head flew into the air. Extending an open palm, Jeff''s glint-tier dagger returned to his hand. [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Iplete) ] ''Close interface.'' Turning around, Jeff walked up the river bank. Looking up, a handsome fe in a white robe was standing 50 meters above ground. The dude waved his feather-fan at Jeff. A small twister formed before Jeff. A ray of light shot right through that twister. Maybe it''s because of the wind, or maybe it''s a bit too far, that flying dude dodged Jeff''s attack. Nevertheless, the twister bursted into a gust. Jeff passed through the slowing winds. During this time, on the highway roads... The girl wasying on the minotaur''sp. Her headid on the minotaur''s hand. "My love... For the kingdom of the Mist-born..." The girl murmured. Her gaze was fleeting away. Her body was evaporating into grey mist. "You will be there with me darling. Together." The minotaur closed his eyes. "Leave your dreams to me." "I will carry our dreams forward, and make it happen. Together." The grey mist evaporating from the girl formed a stream. Gradually, the streams of mist entered the minotaur''s wounds. Two more streams of mist flowed up from the river bank. Absorbing these streams of mist, at a visible rate, the minotaur puffed up like a balloon. Ring~ Ring~ Jeff tiredly set his foot onto this highway. "Hey Jeff." Liam''s voice sounded out the phone. "Yoh. Tsup Liam. In case you didn''t know. I''m kind of busy here." Jeff took in deep breaths. If there''s a bed, Jeff felt like he could fall asleep in an instance here. "I hope I''m not toote, but don''t kill any other monsters before you kill that minotaur." On the other side, Liam talked into the phone with a constipated face. "Why?" That minotaur exploded into a cloud of mist in front of Jeff. Seeing this result, Jeff''s expression became serious. It looked like the minotaur had just died. But there''s no system notification. That minotaur was still alive! "So you did kill more." "Yes. 3 monsters. Felt like SS-ranks to me." "..." Jeff threw his dagger into that cloud. His dagger shot right through. ''Ahh... This shit again.'' Except this time, Jeff doubted that a glint-tier projectile could do anything. Nevertheless, Jeff still took out a glint-tier dart. Holding this in his hand, Jeff poured his psychic energy and mana energy into it. Unfortunately, Jeff did not have any high-level psychic abilities in his arsenal. This was his only method to deal with psychic life forms. At this moment, Jeff really wished that he had a psychic-type teammate. Clearly, this minotaur was in a vulnerable state. But Jeff doubted that he could do anything significant. Liam became silent over the phone. Only the sound of typing could be heard. "Why do you ask?" Jeff asked while charging his dart. "I did some further analysis. In short, based on our readings, that monster is capable of absorbing mist from dead monsters." "Through this process, it gets stronger." "By absorbing thousands of mist-monsters, it grew from 3 meters to 5 meters." In the sanctuary, Liam sighed in regret. Looking back, after igniting the energy from their Starcore cannon, that minotaur should have been injured. Between ignition and the cloud clearing up, they had a good window of opportunity to kill it. At least a 50-50 chance. Yet, this chance onlysted seconds. And they were not bold and daring enough to take it. "Either way, I''ve added those three monsters to the equation." "And it doesn''t look good for you. Jeff." "Can you report the weather status for me?" Jeff asked. PAUSE: Jeff was not actually asking about the weather though. "Will start raining in 2 minutes." Liam replied. "I''ll get back to you." Jeff shot his dart into that cloud. BOOOM! A torrent sted out that cloud. The mist cloud puffed up. Then it quickly contracted and exploded. As the wave of mist brushed through him, Jeff suddenly felt an intense heat wave. The grey mist obstructing Jeff''s view quickly dissipated. The snow on the ground melted into streams of water. That minotaur was 7-meters tall now. It''s like a 3 stories building. That minotaur could hold Jeff like a barbie doll. Now, its brazen skin was starting to emit a faint red glow. Its horns were glowing like molten metal. The water under this monster boiled into white fumes. Extending its hand, its warhammer flew back into its palm. DOOooomm... The minotaur tapped the highway road with its hammer. The ting on that hammer fell off, revealing the molten metal within. In a blink, that warhammer grew in size as well. Now, it matched the size of that minotaur. At this instance, this monster was stepping into a whole new realm! A realm beyond SSS-rank! Jeff: ... Staring at the little human, the minotaur huffed from its nose. "How ironic." Jeff sighed. "The lord of the mistborns plotted to massacre his denizens, for his own power growth, and seeded." "Ooohhhmmm..." The minotaur''s rumbling voice got louder. The world vibrated a little under this monster lord''s voice. "There is no need to hide it now. Either way, thank you human, for helping me do what I wish to do, but can''t do." The handsome fe up there looked at this mist lord with a cold gaze. Without further words, it flew away. "Looks like you''ve just lost yourst follower." Jeff took in a deep breath. After eating, his body was quickly recovering now. His strength, focus, and stamina was alling back. (Yeah. This is what happens when you''ve got stacked abilities. Totally normal. Please do not report.) Looking at the minotaur with detection abilities, Jeff felt like he could chat with this thing all day. This thing was still getting stronger, but barely, to the point that it won''t make a difference. Looked like the video game growthw applied to this monster as well. Higher level. Harder and slower growth. At the same time, being out ofbat, Jeff was quickly recovering his missing health, mana, stamina, and focus. Chapter 44 - Greed (6) "Ohhhmmm... Human. You should know. In this world, only personal might matters. With this power, I can always get more followers!" "This city is now my! My power is unstoppable! My will is noww! Those who defy my orders shall perish!" "You know my vision now, human." "Humans and mist monsters can coexist." "Kneel before me, bring strong mist-monsters to me, and I shall grant you riches and stature just below me." "I know you have detection abilities. And I trust that you will make a wise choice." "Choose." Jeff squinted at that towering monster. Based on his detection results, this was not something he could beat. Sure, he had stacked abilities. But this thing had thousands, if not tens of thousands of monsters, and three SS-ranks, plus his original strength stacked together! Quantitative change brought forth a qualitative change in nature! Lord Trample had gained a trace of sage-tier like powers! Just by standing here, the air here was starting to be dense and thick. The air felt like it''s bing a gel. Jeff felt like there were invisible hands pressing down on his shoulders, like invisible weights strapped onto his body. Jeff sighed. "To be honest, I should probably agree to your generous offer." "Ohhmm... Kneel then." The minotaur nodded. "Then if there''s a chance, I''ll grow stronger and rebel. That would seem like the wiser choice." "Ohhhmm?" The minotaur''s pitch of voice raised. "But once you kneel down." A ray of light shot towards that minotaur. At the same time, Jeff shot away from this monster. "It''s tough to stand up again with a broken spine." That minotaur grabbed onto that light. It''s Jeff''s glint-tier dagger. The minotaur tightened its grasp. Crack... Crack... Snap! The minotaur let go. Bits and pieces fell to the ground. Seeing this result, Jeff''s heart sank. Sure, it was just his testing attack. However, the minotaur''s response was still rather unexpected. He was at least expecting to get his dagger back. It''s been his main weapon for 5 months now... ever since the beginning. Leaving a trail of red light, the minotaur shot towards Jeff. In a blink, it had caught up. Jeff stomped the road. Like an arrow, he shot backwards at an even quicker speed. A trail of red light in the air. m! The minotaur''s warhammer sank into the asphalt road. Under the impact, the road exploded like it''s been hit by an artillery shell. Asphalt blocks and wet dirt were sted into the air. Moving by some prediction, Jeff held his spear in front of him. BAM! A tremendous force pressed onto Jeff''s spear. Jeff had blocked a kick. But it''s too heavy! Jeff''s spear handle pressed into his chest. Like a ragdoll, Jeff was sent down the road. Bouncing up from the road, Jeff crashed through the traffic barriers, and flew down the river bank. [Runic Skin (in activation)] Some impact energy converted into mana. [Regenerative Genes (in activation)] Mana was quickly converted into health [Battle Fervor (in activation)] Jeff was still gaining an overall boost in attributes over time in battle ... ... Except for those close-calls in his early days, Jeff rarely faced uphill battles. But this was not Jeff''s first rodeo. His sense for battle had not rusted over the days. While still in air, Jeff exploded into a ck cloud. [Shroud]: A skill with low mana cost. Basically dyes the fog in the air ck. Notplicated, but very useful sometimes. The quickly expanding cloud obstructed the minotaur''s vision. There could be potential dangers lying on the other side. But the minotaur charged into that cloud anyways. The monster''s vision cleared up. That little human had crashed into the river bank, knocking up a cloud of sand. Without hesitation, that minotaur shot towards Jeff. m! It smashed its warhammer down. Poof! Jeff exploded into a cloud of mist. BAM! Jeff''s spear had stabbed into the back of this monster. In the next instance, the green spear tip exploded. The towering monster turned around. The wound on its back quickly healed up. There were two Jeff''s in his view now. Both had digital-red covered arms, and a bar of red marks on their chests. However, these red covered areas were quickly shrinking. What could Jeff say. [Telekenesis] sure made his life easier. Mimicking the vampire girl''s ability (back at the mall) took some effort. But it worked out. "Oohhmmm..." The minotaur huffed. The monster looked a little confused. Yeah... This was normal for digitalized bodies. Jeff''s fighting capabilities was only affected by his energy left, negative statuses, and debuffs applied by his opponent''s abilities. Not affected by injuries... Clearly, this minotaur didn''t have debuff applying abilities. So technically, Jeff could fight at his prime until his health reached critical levels. (Again. This is totally normal. Please do not report.) The minotaur shook his confusion out of his head. Stepping forward, wielding its warhammer, it smashed down at Jeff. Both Jeffs exploded into a cloud of mist. Behind the minotaur, Jeff suddenly appeared. Without hesitation, Jeff shot towards this giant monster. In air, his camouge gradually wore off. This [Stealth] ability gained from the wolfman sure was helpful. (Day 12) Lord Trample had detection abilities. But clearly, it wasn''t supernaturalte tier. Like a ray of light, pointing his spear forward, Jeff shot towards that minotaur. Looking from a far, Jeff looked like a toy figure jumping into a human. PAM! Jeff was punched into the river bank. Like a smallet crashing down, the sand surrounding Jeff exploded, forming a crater. "Oohhmm... Human." The minotaur walked towards Jeff. "I''ve read some of your literature." "Are you going to get a power spike now? Maybe second form? Final Form?" The monster seemed to be in a good mood. "Well..." Jeff struggled to stand up again. His entire body was covered in a digital-red now. "If you want to go by the tropes, this is your time to shine. The stage is yours. You can talk about your goals, ns, or dreams... The minotaur shook his head. "That is what the viins do. But in this mist world, we are the protagonists!" "Game over, hero of the past..." The minotaur raised his warhammer. m! Like a ray of light, Jeff shot past the minotaur''s legs. The minotaur stomped the ground. A st wave formed. Jeff felt like he was frozen in air for an instance. Stomp! Jeff flung his spear at the huge approaching hoof. BAM! An explosion of torrent. Under the hit, Jeff skipped down the beach. "Why are you still resisting. You know your death is inevitable. Do you really want a slow and excruciating death." The minotaur walked up to Jeff. "Yeah... Yeah..." Jeff tiredly stood up again. Patches of red everywhere. Those patches were still shrinking. But the healing had slowed down. Sure, Jeff looked like he was severely injured, but he still had some way to go. At least he wasn''t fainting from starvation yet. "To be honest." Jeff panted. "I was expecting you to say things like: ''Human, your resistance is futile.'', or something along those lines." "Is it not?" The minotaur seemed to be running out of patience. "No. Not really." Jeff prepared his spear. "I''ve held you here." "It''s been 2 minutes. And my reinforcement is raining down." Chapter 45 - Greed (7) Thump... Thump... Thump... One after another, human figures jumped down from the sky. It''s rather dark now. At this fogged up beach at night, Jeff and Lord Trample were the only light sources. Lord Trample emitted a dim red light. Under his presence, the snow around him melted and boiled into white fumes. Some distance away, Jeff was glowing with a golden light. Yet, it simply wasn''t bright enough here. Those guys only appeared as ck silhouettes. Jeff could only see glowing human figures with [Aura Vision]. There were 5 of them. Jeff could recognize two of the energy signatures. All of them were SS-ranks. These guys quickly closed in on the minotaur. The minotaur set his warhammer onto the ground. With his arms crossed, this monster looked like a final boss, awaiting its challengers. ''Looks like I''ve got teammates this time. A first. But this feeling ain''t bad.'' Jeff smiled. Looking up, there''s an airship full of people. Mostly S-ranks. Looks like those guys chose to stay behind. Wise choice. This was a battle out of their calibers. "Hey." It''s a girl''s voice. "I''m Oracle from East Berrystone." "Telepathy from Picone. Tsup dudes." This was a young fe. "Gardener from Thickford. Heeerre to help." This was a cheerful mid-aged fe? Couldn''t see. Couldn''t tell for sure. "Here." As tossed an orb at Jeff. About the size of a fishbowl. Emitting a creamy-white glow. Jeff caught that orb. Holding this orb in his hands, Jeff slightly closed his eyes infort. Originating from this orb, streams of warm and gentle energy flowed into his body. The pain and soreness in his body quickly eased. The difort was now reced with a fuzzy and tingly feeling. On the outside, the digital-red patches on Jeff''s body quickly shrunk. This was one of the seven glow-tier items in the sanctuary''s possession. It only had one effect: health regeneration. This artifact could heal anyone from the brink-of-death to full health in 1000 seconds (16 Minutes 40 seconds). Basically recovers 0.1% of total health per second. "Our S-ranks injected most of their mana into this. Use it thriftily." As talked with in solemn tone. "Thanks." Jeff nodded. "Hey Jeff. Looks like you got beaten up too." It''s Magni speaking. He was holding a glow-tier recurve bow in his hands now. "Is this, say, another ability of yours? Make you glow when you get injured?" "Well... Yeah. Basically." Jeff nodded. PAUSE: No. No it''s not actually. But Magni didn''t need to know that. "You wanna retreat and regenerate for a moment?" Magni offered. "Or you want to stay in the game. I mean, all the top dogs of Berrystone are here for this one." "Ooohhh~ It''s gonna be a goooood one." Magni chuckled. Sounded like he''s gritting his teeth at the same time. Jeff couldn''t see Magni''s face. But Jeff could definitely feel the hatred and bloodlust from this angry fe. "Oohhhmm... Are you ready now, humans?" The minotaur looked around. "How convenient..." "If you were scattered around in this city, and you yed hide and seek with me, that would give me a headache." The minotaur picked up its warhammer. "Looks like I''ve got fewer trips to make." "Bow before me! And I shall grant you stature just below me!" A ray of light shot towards the towering minotaur. As hurled out hisnce. "We humans shall never be ves!" Another faster ray of light followed. With a casual wave, Lord Trample swatted Jeff''s no-glow tier dagger into the air. With his open hand, the minotaur caught As'' glint-tiernce. Tightening his grasp, As''nce snapped in half. As tightened his fists seeing this result. The edge of Jeff''s mouth twitched a little. "Futile! Numbers mean nothing!" "Well." Jeff shrugged. "I wouldn''t say it''s futile. If you know human games, you''d know there''s chanting bars for casting spells. Yeah. I think we''ve caught your attention. And you are still looking at me. So." Telepathy cupped his hands before his chest. That ruby-like gem on his ne shot out an invisible ray. "Disturbance." In an instance, that ray shot into the minotaur''s head. Like turning off a switch, that minotaur lost focus in his eyes. Looked like the minotaur didn''t have that high of a psychic level. "Misfortune." Oracle threw a burning talisman at the minotaur. That talisman inked onto its target like a tattoo. "Weight. Disorientation. Drowsiness. Fatigue. Weakness. Draining willpower." One after another, that Oracle girl threw paper talismans at the towering monster. At the same time, the ground under that minotaur sted with a purple radiance. Thorny vines flooded out of the ground. The moment these vines wrapped onto the minotaur''s body, they bursted into mes. But more and more were justing. "This one is for my team! Haaarrggh!" Magni pulled back his bow. An arrow made of golden energy formed. Yet, even at SS-rank strength, this task looked like a struggle. "You will PAY!" As''nce bursted into a blinding light once more. Except this time, aiming at a still target, with nothing obstructing his sight, As went for the head! This time, that minotaur won''t be able to grab hisnce mid-air! "Reap." Telepathy shot a needle made of condensed psychic energy at that monster. Didn''t matter how strong that monster was, or what mana grade that monster had, if it''s psychic level was not at SSS-rank, it''s going down with this one. Oracle threw out arger paper talisman. That paper quickly burnt up. Its mes converged into a ming sword. The ground under that minotaur softened up. At the same time, the vines pulled down at that monster. "Enough!" A swinging warhammer met all of those attacks. Btttooomm... A st of fiery explosion sent out a st wave! In an instance, every SS-rank here got knocked up into the air. Like being hit by a truck, everyone here crashed into the sand or river water. That minotaur was standing in a sea of mes now. The sand around it. The water near the shore. Everything was set ame. "Enough mortals! Don''t you see! I''ve be a demi-god!" That minotaur pounded its chest. "I wanted to take you in as my servants." The minotaur''s rumbling voice raised in volume. Looking around with a raging gaze, this minotaur stomped the ground. "Ohhmm..." "OHHHMMM..." "OHM!" The minotaur puffed out of its nose. Something seemed to have snapped in his mind. "You bring mist mist mist animals to MEEE. MEEE let you live! Live life!" "Yet! You humans just won''t STOP! STOP!" The minotaur roared. "You imbeciles! Why can''t you see?! Think humans! Think! You never had a chance!" "Enough... I''ve had enough. Prepare... to die." The minotaur readied its warhammer. "Yep." Jeff stood up. Sand slipped off of him. "You are right." Looking at that minotaur with sleepy eyes, Jeff took a step forward. "That''s enough." "No... Uggh... Jeff." As spat out some blood. "We must fight on!" As gritted his teeth and struggled to get up as well. The minotaur locked its gaze at As. Stepping forward, Jeff hurled air at the giant minotaur. "Oohhmmm...?" Sensing this, the minotaur turned to Jeff. Seeing Jeff''s ''attack'', the minotaur widely smiled. Not in humour though. But in cold kill-intent. "Still putting up a fight... even after losing rity in thought." "I''ll start with you. " The minotaur tried to lift up his warhammer, but couldn''t. A dense grey mist was obstructing its vision now. Looking down, there was a watermelon-sized hole in its chest now. Originating from that hole, ck stripes started to crawl out on its body. Anti-healing effect activated... Corrupting curse effect activated... Yep. Jeff still had onest dagger in his arsenal. That glow-tier dagger Jeff got from Liam. [Night''s Edge]: Gradually enters a camouged state when being charged. Remains invisible in flight. After being hit, the target won''t feel anything. No pain. No numbness. No fatigue. As a result, the target usually receives a clueless death. Silent and deadly. A perfect weapon for assassins. After a lengthy battle, and some time for regeneration, Jeff had about 40% of his mana left. In this situation, it''s all or nothing. Jeff went all-in, and put almost everything he had left into this dagger. Yet, even after absorbing all that high-quality mana, this dagger barely vibrated in response. This weapon still had more potential. The drawbacks: At least SS-rank mana was needed to fire it. S-ranks could make it go invisible. In the hands of anyone below S-rank, this was just a sharp and sturdy dagger. Chapter 46 - Greed (8) But being SSS-rank, Jeff could do better than that. Jeff could activate the dagger''s wounding effects. The other drawback: A really long charging time. And during this charge time, Jeff couldn''t do anything else. Can''t dodge. Can''t block. If Jeff took this out and charged it, that minotaur could detect the initial mana disturbance. The monster could see this de going invisible. During that time, Jeff was just a sitting duck. Pulling this one out might not be a great idea. However, Jeff had teammates this time. Good teammates who didn''t idiotically call Jeff out. They even attracted that monster''s attention to cover up for Jeff. So the conditions were met. Jeff sessfully charged this weapon without being disrupted. And hey. The results weren''t disappointing. "When did you obtain a glow-tier?" As seemed rather surprised, and somewhat concerned? "Well. Everyone has got to have a trump card right?" Jeff shrugged. In reality, Jeff had two glow-tiers. But As didn''t need to know that. "How..." The minotaur kneeled onto one knee. Like a deting balloon, it started to shrink in size. The mes around it dwindled off. The temperature quickly dropped to a freezing cold again. Jeff extended his hand. A dagger flew back into his palm. Double-edged ck de. Only about 4 inches long. A ssy handle. "Oohhmm... You humans and your tricks..." The minotaur''s voice wavered. Seemed like this monster couldn''t ept defeat like this. "To fall like this... Oohhhmm..." "Humans... Before I go, I have a bargain to make." "In this world, Mistborns are capable of growing without limit." "But you humans, the rulers of the old days, are limited by the potential in your bodies." "At your level, you should be able to sense it..." "You should know... By yourself, you won''t break through again... You''ve reached your limit." "So I offer you this. Lord of the humans." The minotaur fixed its gaze onto Jeff. "My warhammer." "With it, you shall grow without bound. The secret of infinite growth lies within." "But I have a condition. May my legacy continue. With my weapon." The minotaur was human-sized now. It''s hammer had shrunk with it. "Do not. Erase my mark. In this world..." Lord Trample started to evaporate into a mist. "Here. In this world... I... Existed..." The minotaur sighed. A breeze brushed by, wiping out that minotaur''sst trace of existence. A screen popped up in Jeff''s view. [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Iplete) ] [ Quest Description: A new energy signature has been detected. Stay within (4500) meters of the source of energy signature for _24 Minutes and 57_ Seconds... ] [ Quest Reward: In ordance with the recording energy signature ] [ Now recording energy signature... ] ''Well Lord Trample. I can''t exactly agree with your ss ceiling statement.'' Jeff thought. He wasn''t going to tell anyone this of course. "Rest in peace." Jeff sighed. Surrounding this warhammer, the atmosphere here changed. Everyone here had their gazes on Jeff now. And they weren''t exactly friendly. After all. This warhammer did look like a nice drop. And Jeff was the strongest here... How did they know Jeff was the strongest? These guys weren''t blind. They still remembered that hole in Lord Trample''s chest. Jeff''s mana-level was at an entire level above them. Without doubt, Jeff was the only SSS-rank here. Noting these gazes, Jeff quickly ran a detection through that hammer. A mere hammer could remove its owner''s rank barriers? Without limitations? Sounded like a scam. Nevertheless, this hammer was certainly getting stronger. Probably would get stronger with each monster kill. Thus, in turn, the wielder would appear to be getting stronger as well. "Look." Jeff scanned his gaze around. "We saw one Lord Trample today. We will most likely see many Lord Tramples in the future." "This time, we got lucky. This monster wasn''t very... bright, when ites to learning in battle." Well, it''s a minotaur. It liked to ram through problems head-on. This wasn''t a monster that liked to think, or do analysis work. "In some sense, we got lucky. But next time, what if it''s a smarter King Trample, or Emperor Trample, or Deity Trample." Everyone nodded in unison at Jeff''s words. The threat was obvious to everyone here. "So, instead of taking this, and being stronger myself, alone." "I''d rather have everyone here, collectively, learn the secrets of breaking through rank barriers." "So I propose this. Let''s leave the warhammer here. And our settlements can send researchers to this site, and figure things out." The gazes on Jeff quickly changed. From alert, hostile, or concerned to pure respect. Looking back, putting themselves into Jeff''s shoes, these guys doubted that they could resist the temptation. They knew that Lord Trample could be lying. But they still wanted to take the chance. What if someone else took over this item. What if the effects were true? And that wielder became unrivaled in this city? What if that person became hostile? Could they leave their lives and fates to a stranger''s hand? What if they were that someone with this item? What if this item could make them unrivaled in power? "Mission Machine of the Sanctuary, you sure are a confident man." Oracle chuckled. "You are not afraid of us catching up to your level?" "Well. Without you guys, I couldn''t have beaten that monster. In times like these, we have to stick together." Stick together... The atmosphere here changed again. Those two words sure stroke a chord. The tension in the air totally faded. For some strange reason, Jeff felt like he''d been elected as this group''s leader. This was the second time now, without his opinions considered... "Well. Mission Machine, are you willing to do a blood oath. Do you swear, that you won''t take this warhammer anywhere by force?" Oracle asked. She still seemed a little cautious towards Jeff. "I''ll swear if you guys swear." "I, Jasmine Lee, of East Berrystone, shall not take this warhammer anywhere by force." A droplet of blood flew out Oracle''s index finger. "I, James Williams of Picone..." Telepathy pointed a finger forward as well. "I, Connor Lopez of Thickford..." "I, Dn Hameson of the Sanctuary..." This was Magni speaking. Jeff shrugged. "I, Jeff Norman of the Sanctuary..." One after another, the top dogs of Berrystone swore that oath. The blood blobs quickly merged together above the warhammer. Everyone looked at As now. "I do not make promises I cannot keep." As walked away into the fog. ''...'' ''...'' "Well, I''ll leave the situation to you guys now." Jeff waved his hand. "I''m sure with this many SS-ranks," Jeff pointed up. "And S-ranks, things won''t get out of control." "Where are you going now?" Magni asked. The dude sounded like he really wanted Jeff to stay, so he could leave. "Well. I still got a New Year''s Eve date to continue... Someone single like you won''t understand." With a wave of hand, Jeff left. Magni: ... --- [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Complete!) ] [ You Have Gained: ] [ Passive Ability - Mist Breathing Technique / Toggled Off ] [ Ability Description: With every breath you take in this fogged up world, your mana level grows ] [ Cost: N/A ] [Passive Ability - Furnace Body / Toggled Off] [ Ability Description: Your cells constantly burn up mana, increasing your physique over time] [ Cost: Corresponding Mana Energy Cost ] [ Physique Level: Supernatural - Late 99.8% => Sage - Early 0.5% ] [ Mana Level: Supernatural - Late 95.5% => Sage - Early 0.1% ] [ Psychological Level: Supernatural - Late 96.8% => Sage - Early 0.2% ] [ Loading Update... ] [ Update is expected toplete in: 87 Days 23 Hours 48 Mins 54 Sec... ] [ Thank you for contributing this data to the system. Please seek out more unique energy signatures. The system wishes you a great day ] Chapter 47 - Vengeance (1) Early February... A month flew by since the monster invasion. Apparently, that monsters army had gathered up outside of Berrystone. Like a dagger, they went right for the sanctuary. In their march, they left a long trail behind. 5 blocks wide. Tens of miles long. It''s like a tornado had passed by, leaving a path of debris and ruins. This was certainly a tragedy. But thankfully, the sanctuary suffered barely any casualties. Jeff attended the funeral of the security agents squad. Then, life was back to normal. People who lost their homes relocated. There were plenty of empty buildings in this area anyways. Alice went back to running her restaurant. Jeff went back to hunting down monsters. Ever since reaching Sage-tier, Jeff''s attribute growth had slowed down. Just like normal MMORPG games, higher levels meant harder level-ups, especially in the case of killing low-level monsters. Nowadays, even S-rank monsters could only contribute 0.2% to 0.3% to Jeff''s attribute growth. But hey, Jeff was notining. He could still gain new abilities for ying new monsters. However, if Jeff wanted another power spike, he''d need to y another high-rank monster, like Lord Trample. Holding a big ck umbre over his head, Jeff walked down this path of ruins. Little puddles and ponds had formed on this broken road. Streams of muddy rain water flowed down the street. In this silent foggy world, only the sound of raindrops and wet footsteps could be heard. Looking to the side, there were heaps of cement blocks and rusting steel rebar. Further out, there was only the fog. Also, perhaps some visitors. Jeff fixed his crisp business suit a little. Jeff preferredfort and casual. However, the sanctuary insisted on giving him this work uniform. ''Public image'' they said. B b. He''s the face of the sanctuary now. A trump card hunter. B b. Also a pay raise. Royalty fees. Equipment perks. Higher security clearance... What could Jeff say. He did look pretty good in this outfit after all. And at his level, the weather condition didn''t really bother him anymore. Jeff huffed out a cloud of breath. "Still making up your mind?" "My patience is limited." Jeff''s voice echoed down the ruins. One after another, fes in battlesuits jumped out the debris. There were 7 of them. All S-ranks. As expected, it''s the sanctuary smite squad. There was an update on their outfits. Just a month ago, these guys were wearing medieval styled knight armors. Now, they were in futuristic-looking battlesuits. Kept the same colors as their old armors. Thickened tes of armor. Helmets withrge visors at the front. These guys surrounded Jeff with crossed arms. Jeff looked around with a raised brow. He could sense some hostility from these fes. "Jeff Norman..." It''s a girl holding a scepter. "I''m Jeff Norman. What''s up." Jeff nodded. "Are you done considering? To be honest, it''s not a hard choice. I don''t get why it''s taking so long for you." It''s a tough-looking dude speaking. "You guys are serious." Jeff raised his brows. "Hand over your glow-tier dagger. Or we will have to grab it from you." A smaller dude put on a menacing smile. "A tactical-level weapon cannot be in the hands of a mere hunter." Another dude raised his chin at Jeff. Standing on a pile of debris, the dude looked down at Jeff. "The potential risks and dangers attached are too high." "Huh." Jeff sighed. "Wait. Are you discriminating against my career?" These guys chuckled maliciously. One after another, they began to slowly draw out their weapons. This was to build mental pressure on Jeff? Maybe? Jeff couldn''t be certain. What could Jeff say... ''So weak. Yet so arrogant.'' Well. Arrogance. This was the general vibe given off by the entire Sanctuary task force. Being top-notch S-ranks, in terms of battle prowess, these guys sat at the top 0.001% of the poption. As a result, these guys were even more arrogant than normal task force members. Sure, they got into the most elitebat force in Berrystone. And sure, it''s ok to be proud of themselves for this. And sure... Uh. Maybe sure. In this foggy no men''snd, it''s ok to bully low-rank hunters, maybe. Somewhat... ''Just because I''m a hunter, they think I''m weaker? Or inferior?'' Jeff cracked his neck. "Let me guess, you guys have never seen me fight seriously before..." The Smite squad froze in surprise for an instance. "You want to fight us?" Someone chuckled. "Just because he is an SS-rank, this man thinks he stands a chance." Another dudeughed. "Wait." Jeff shook his head with a smile. "You think I''m just an ol'' normal hunter? So you can just push me around, and I won''t fight back? Seriously now." "Do you understand the consequences Norman." The girl squinted. "Know your ce hunter." "Are you sure you want to be an enemy of the sanctuary." "Alright. I''m done wasting time here. It''s clear to me now. You guys know nothing. And clearly, it''s not As sending you people here." Jeff sighed. "You know why? Because your boss knows the people he can mess with, and those who he cannot." "That''s some big words." One after another, these guys drew out their weapons. "... Right." Jeff closed his umbre. At the same time, Jeff stopped restraining his mana. In an instance, the air surrounding Jeff felt thick and dense like a gel. The falling rain droplets came to a halt, bing frozen in ce. "How..." "Impossible..." Gritting their teeth, these guys tried to move. Yet, it''s as if there were tremendous weights pressed onto them now. Yep. Half-way into sage-tier, as Jeff''s mana interfered freely with the environment, this was the result. Above here, the rain kept on falling. However, at about 10 meters up in air, the droplets slowed and came to a halt. Looking around, they were inside of a water dome now. Staring at Jeff in disbelief, some smite members still wanted to point their weapons forward. Yet, they quickly gave up in the end. It''s not that they had lost their strength. No. They had lost the courage to do this. Fighting against the temptation to kneel was already a struggle. They couldn''t. Just. Couldn''t. "What gave you people a sense that you could win? That you stood a chance? Your new armors?" Jeff looked around with a cold expression. "You! Arrrgghh..." One guy kneeled down. "Now. If I bring this matter to the keyholder, who do you think the keyholder will side with?" "Weakness was never the primary roadblock to survival. Arrogance is." Jeff tapped the ground with his umbre. A st wave bursted out from Jeff. It''s like a silent artillery shell explosion. The mud and debris under Jeff was blown into the air. In an instance, the ground near Jeff became dry. The standstill rain droplets shot away like bullets, evaporating into the air. The smite squad shot into the surrounding debris like cannonballs. The water dome exploded, making a ssh noise as the water fell onto the ground. Jeff opened his umbre. *Patta...* *Patta...* After a brief moment, rain was falling down again. [Mana Pulse]. An ability created by Jeff himself. Great for clearing out the small minions. However, this was basically useless against high-tier enemies. As expected, one after another, the Smite members got up. They were drenched in mud now. Only lightly injured. But they had lost the will for battle. Standing still in the rain, these guys looked like they were shell shocked. "I know As is not behind this. But you are his subordinates. Tell him, I need a satisfying answer." Ignoring these guys, Jeff walked forward into the fog. Chapter 48 - Vengeance (2) Streams of water flowed down the small ss overhang. Hitting the ground, the streams made sshing sounds against the cement ground. Jeff tapped his umbre against the floor. A shower of water droplets fell to the ground. The door was shoved open. Two drunk-looking fes walked out. "Whatcha lo- Oh. Hey, Mr. Mission Machine." A fe quickly put on a polite smile. "Uh. Wee back sir." The other guy froze up. "Uh. Have a good day. Sir." "Yep." Jeff smiled and nodded back. "You too." "Uh. Thank you sir." Leaving that, the two quickly got out of Jeff''s way. Like kids facing their principal, the two nervously hurried off. Looking at this, Jeff lightly shook his head. In theory, they were equals as hunters. But in reality, after the New Year''s incident, everyone saw Jeff as the boss of the hunters now. Once again, this result was unelected... Without asking for Jeff''s opinion... What could Jeff say? ''Eh. What can you do about it.'' Fixing his business suit a little, Jeff headed down the stairs. Pulling open the door, it''s a familiar warm breeze that smelled like alcohol. Loud chattering, cheers, andughter as usual. At the front desk, the receptionistdy was minding her own business. Jeff picked up a tablet. No hooligans around anymore. Signing in... Target eliminated, check. Another missionpleted. ''Nice.'' Looking at his 100% mission sess rate, Jeff faintly smiled. Putting down the tablet, Jeff was ready to leave. "Yoh. Jeff. Not staying for a bite?" Jeff looked in that direction. It was Liam holding a mug of beer at him. "I''d prefer to get my food at home. But I guess I could use a drink." Jeff shrugged. Looked like there was business. Grabbing ager of the day, walking to an exit, tapping a locked door open, Jeff and Liam entered a stairwell. "You feeling alright man?" Liam''s voice echoed. "Ah. Yeah. The Smite team paid me a visit." Jeff replied. Tapping the second-floor door open, the two entered a conference room. This room was brightly lit up with fluorescent lights. Arge oval table in the middle. Sits about 20 people. Got a table for drinks and snacks by the wall. There was nobody else inside though. At the corner of this room, there was also a purple-colored armor. It''s an old-styled Smite team armor. "They paid you a visit? What for?" A smile gradually appeared on Liam''s face. "Apparently, they wanted to take my glow-tier dagger." Jeff raised his brows. "I seriously can''t understand what these guys are thinking." Taking a seat, Jeff lightly shook his head. "And you gave it to them?" Liam asked. "No. What? Why would I do that?" Jeff looked at Liam with a raised brow. "But I did give them a wakeup call." "Oooof..." Liam replied with a big smile. "You just made their day even worse. I thought you were the nice S-rank." Hearing this, Jeff shrugged. "Or maybe the other S-ranks are just assholes." "Well. Looks like thest operation of the Smite Squad is a fail." Liam sipped on his beer. He looked rather pleased at the smite members'' misfortune. A totally normal reaction to be honest. Other than As and the Smite Squad, nobody else liked the Smite Squad, not even the task force members. However, what''s this st mission'' supposed to mean? Jeff looked at Liam with a questioning gaze. Liam''s expression gradually turned serious. This young fe grabbed a briefcase off a chair. Putting this briefcase onto the table, Liam pulled out a stack of documents. "Unfortunately, a high-status member of the sanctuary made a critical mistake." Liam squinted with a faint smile. "I need to keep my promise, so I cannot tell you who this person is." "However, you can figure it out yourself." Liam pushed over the inch-thick documents. Jeff flipped over these papers in seconds. On the outside, it may seem like Jeff was just flipping over pages. But in reality... Umm... He only flipped over the not-so-important pages. Nevertheless, Jeff still got a good grasp of the situation. As had been colluding with a group of thugs. And those thugs probably happened to be the group that robbed Jeff. Jeff''s gaze turned cold. His smile faded away. Taking a deep breath, Jeff stared at Liam. "You guys knew all along?" "Yes and no." Liam lightly shook his head. "Those guys disguised themselves as a group of mercenaries. They are supposed to be an outer branch of the Sanctuary Task Force." "However, upon recent internal investigations, we discovered that these guys are actually a cultist criminal organization... with some rather disturbing and ambitious ns. Their dirty business crossed our line." Liam exined. Jeff raised a brow at Liam. He wasn''t sure if he could believe Liam''s words. Really now. They''d just found out. Totally oblivious before. Really... ''Also...'' Jeff rolled his eyes in his mind. ''Those priorities... If these guys aren''t so ambitious, are you going to fucking keep this a secret from me forever?'' ''Fucking politicians.'' Jeff ranted in his mind. ''Oh. We are sorry, but it''s for the greater good they say.'' ''Sanctuary officials work for the sanctuary. So sanctuary first, they say.'' Jeff''s gaze towards Liam becameplicated. "Erhm..." Liam ignored Jeff''s dissatisfied expression. "As you have read." Liam continued. "We saw them as tools. But they saw us as wealthy idiots. They have infiltrated us. And more importantly, they''ve gotten into the task force now." Liam tapped on the oval table. In this instance, this intellectual-type dude emitted a serious killing intent. Jeff looked at Liam with a surprised gaze. ''Never seen him like this before...'' "Even though we''ve caught them early, this is still a serious situation Jeff. Using our resources, they have grown in size. Now, these guys pose a lethal security threat to the Sanctuary." "In terms of destruction potential, their threat level is even higher than Lord Trample." "Uh huh... Now you need me." Putting on a long face, Jeff stared at Liam. "Look Jeff. You wanted revenge right? This is your chance." "And As?" Jeff asked. Hearing this reply, Liam faintly smiled. "Well, to the public, this is the story." "The New Year''s incident was a warning bell to the sanctuary. As a result, we''ll need to restructure our force deployment." "Some... unfit task force members will not appear in the new teams." "There will be 7 smite squads led by those 7 S-ranks. They will be under themand ofmander Magni." "And yes. Magni will take over the sanctuary task forces." "And As." Liam looked like he wanted tough out loud. "He is the new head of the Sanctuary Security Agents. Which is at the same level as his prior position." "Hmm..." Jeff nodded. Hearing the news of this punishment, Jeff''s dissatisfaction vented out a bit. Yep. Punishment. Or rather, a heavy demotion. Even though the positions were at the same level, the power held in these two roles were night-and-day. Head of the Sanctuary Security Agents. Sounded fancy. But who''s the actual person in charge of the sanctuary defenses? Yep. The Keyholder. In other words, now, As was just a strong security guard confined to sanctuary territories 24/7. Nobody would say it. But everyone knew that this was the case. After this incident, As would stay in this role for a long long time. Whereas Magni... As long as hepleted the sanctuary missions, he was free to do whatever he pleased. Dozens of elite squads were under his personalmand. And Jeff. He still could do whatever he wanted. No restrictions. No responsibilities. Especially no loads of office work. But after that incident, he did get a hidden boost though. Pay raise. Royalty fees. Equipment perks. Also, Jeff kind of became the head of all the hunters. Good stuff... Jeff thought for a moment. "Alright. Let''s hear your n." Chapter 49 - Vengeance (3) Liam took out another thin stack of papers. "Here is what we know." Jeff flipped them through. Mission location. Detailed maps. Buildingyouts. Guard deployments. Mission Targets... Apparently, these thugs were living in high-end mansions now. Branded as mercenary HQ of course. ''With the aid of As, no wonder I couldn''t hear anything about them...'' "These guys will hold a sacrificial ritual in three days. At that time, these thugs will be gathered into the location shown to you." Liamid out a city map onto the table. The location was at the outskirt of this city. It''s a long way to travel to get there. "Alright..." Jeff nodded. "Magni will ensure that none of them will escape. Jeff. The most critical part will be left to you." "I''m listening." "If you wear that armor over there, you will be invited into thepound with no problem." "Ok?" "Once inside, you must achieve three objectives. There will be severe consequences if you fail." Liam''s expression turned dead serious. "One. You have to locate their void crystals storage." Liam showed Jeff a picture. It''s a purplish-ck hexagonal prism. By the prism was a tape ruler. This thing was about the size of a palm. "Based on our readings, they should be located around this location." Liam pointed at a red circle. It looked like a cliff area. "If these thugs detonate those crystals, there will be unforeseeable consequences. In theory, this detonation might be enough to destroy Berrystone city entirely." "The other two objectives can fail. Not this one." "Find these crystals. Disarm them. Secure them." Jeff nodded. "No problem." "Your second objective. Eliminate the gang leader." Liam showed Jeff a picture of a dude. Dilbert M. Reed. It''s a stout person in a business suit. He looked like an average mid-aged white-cor worker. "Using our resources, this guy has reached SS-rank. If he escapes, this group may quickly rekindle." "However, after this strike, they will be hostile towards the sanctuary. They may start a Guerri warfare with us, targeting our scavenger groups." "If we cannot fully eliminate this threat this time, we may suffer great causalities in the near future." "Right." Jeff nodded. Well. Shouldn''t be THAT hard right? It''s not like these guys could stop Jeff. If Jeff sees the dude, the mission would be over. "Also. Third objective. We''ll need you to rescue our investigation agent. She should be held captive with the other kidnapped individuals. The thugs may hold these people as hostages. If this happens... We will be put into a very tough spot, if you know what I mean." "Ok..." Jeff suddenly had a bad feeling about this one. "Now, here is the tough part." "Uh huh..." "There are two challenges to your mission." "One. All three objectives must bepleted at once." "Otherwise, the thugs would be alerted. Your other two objectives would fail. This entire operation would result in a terrible loss to the sanctuary." Jeff: ... "Two. Upon death, these thugs would self-implode into a six-feet long void rift. And the process is not subtle..." "So assassinate my way intopletion is no-go." Jeff slowly nodded his head. "Yes." Liam nodded in affirmation. "And we can only send in one guy..." Jeff asked to be sure. "Their turf, their rules." "Huh..." Jeff squinted in thought. Sure, after entering that standstill world, Jeff was fast. But time was not actually frozen. Jeff couldn''t even break the sound barrier yet. As a result, at SS-rank, the gang boss could certainly react to Jeff with no problem. Also, detonating something wouldn''t take much time. Starting a massacre on the hostages wouldn''t take much time. Entering a secret escape path as an SS-rank wouldn''t take much time. "There is no room for error." Jeff nodded. "We need a perfect performance." Liam nodded. "To be honest, if these guys didn''t cross the line, we wouldn''t want to risk this operation either." "Now, before these terrorists realize that they are exposed, we need to eliminate this threat, cleanly." "So." Liam pushed a ne to Jeff. This item looked like an average ne holding a pearl. Yet, with detection, Jeff knew that this was a glow-tier item. "I''ll lend to you." Liam looked at Jeff in the eyes. "Just for this mission." Liam emphasized. "My only glow-tier." "What does it do?" Jeff raised a brow. "Psychic energy amplification." Jeff tried on the ne. Injecting some mana into it, Jeff suddenly felt rity in his mind. Before, his telekinesis had a range limit of 100 meters. Beyond that, it''s just hard to control. Now, Jeff felt like he could control anything within 5 kilometers with ease. Jeff thought about this mission for a moment. Difficult, but not impossible... Ensure their locations. Silently close in distance without being detected. Strike. "How about it? We think you are the most suitable for the job. But if you turn down the offer-" "I''ll take it." Jeff nodded. "It''s time to settle some business." "Good. We''ll leave it to you. You are the man with 100% sess rate after all." Liam extended a hand. "And I''ll keep that record going." Jeff shook Liam''s hand. "Good." "Say. Can I keep-" "No." Liam''s cheek twitched. Without this item, how was he supposed to coordinate things in critical times... "But let''s suppose that I identally had an oopsie during the mission. And I identally lost your ne." Liam: "... Glint-tier. Same type. Don''t push it." "Deal." Jeff smiled. He wasn''t expecting to actually get anything in the first ce anyways. Hey. Free bonus item. Why not. Walking up to the corner, Jeff patted the armor. In an instance, it popped away. "You got yet another ability?" Liam asked like he''s not even surprised anymore. "Well. Yeah." Jeff nodded. "You can only rely on yourself nowadays." PAUSE: In reality, this was not an ability. But Liam didn''t need to know that. Tapping the stack of documents against his palm, Jeff nodded in thought. It''s going to be a tough one. However, Jeff suddenly felt a sense of relief. After months of searching and waiting, he was finally going to see results. "Good. Good." Jeff pointed at Liam with this roll of papers. "I''ll see you in three days." Chapter 50 - Vengeance (4) There wasn''t any business in [Alice''s House of Wonders] at 3 PM. Actually. This restaurant didn''t have much business at any time. It''s not losing money. But it''s not gaining much either. Either way, Alice was happy to keep this ce open. Pulling the ss door open, Jeff cheerfully ced his umbre into the umbre rack. His wish was finallying true! In Jeff''s view, this fogged up world brightened up a little. Everything seemed nicer now! Life was good! At this moment, Jeff felt a little energetic. ''Ohhh... It''s going to be a good one!'' Hearing the front door opening, a waitress girl behind the counter looked up. "Hey Jeff. You are back." The waitress put down her phone. "Hey Cindy." Jeff nodded with a big smile. "Should I get Alice for you?" The waitress stood up. "No. Not today." Jeff cheerfully took a seat. "I''ll be the customer this time." Jeff was not hungry. But he still had room for some snacks. Cindy''s cheek twitched a little. "Alright sir. What would you like." "Can I get uh. A cheeseburger and small fries. And orange juice with ice please." Cindy: "..." They didn''t serve that. Jeff was clearly trolling. Ingredients of the old days were getting more and more rare nowadays. Mist foods were taking over as the staple foods now. "I''ll get the chef." "Yes please." A quick momentter, Alice came out with a te in her hand. Wearing a chef''s uniform, with her hair tied into a bun, Alice looked crisp and clean. Walking forward with confidence, the girl emitted an aura of professionalism. To a stranger, this young girl probably looked like a head chef who owned a restaurant chain. "Hello Mr. Norman, it''s good to see you again." Pretending to be a serious professional, Alice put the dish onto Jeff''s table. "It''s good to be back." Jeff flicked his brows. The waitress girl: ... She looked like she really wanted to leave for some reason. "We have for you, Freezing mes Egg." Alice lifted the stainless-steel food cover. On the te, there was a decoration made out of branches. Small feathers were scattered here and there. It looked like a bird''s nest. At the center, there was a ss egg holder. Inside, there was a chicken egg with the top of its shell removed. By the looks of it, this shell was filled with cream. On top, it''s decorated with honey and kes of chives. "Eat it quick." "Ok..." Jeff stabbed his spoon into this egg. Pulling out, liquid yolk mixed with the cream on his spoon. Having a careful test bite. Nom... Tss... Hot. The egg yolk was actually hot. Hot egg yolk mixed with the cold cream. It''s a sensation like sitting by the hearth in winter. Or, jumping into a cold pool under the zing summer sun. Then, the vors settled in. The sweetness of honey, the zesty taste of lemon, the light and fluffiness of the cream. Felt like a lively spring breeze. The saltiness of sea salt, the biting earthiness of ck pepper, the savory after taste of the chives. For some reason, Jeff felt a strange feeling of wholesomeness and satisfaction. Jeff scraped thest tiny bits into his spoon. Nom... "That''s it?" Jeff asked. Even for an appetizer, the portion felt small. "Well. How is it?" Alice asked in anticipation. "The embodiment of perfection." Alice seemed to be rather ttered by thispliment. "Wait one second." Alice picked up the te and went back to her kitchen. "Alright." Jeff sat a little taller. Wearing a smile, Jeff anticipated his main course. Alice quickly came back with a te in her hand. Pulling the cover open... It''s another egg. Jeff: ... This time, it looked like a raw egg yolk sitting on cooked egg white. "I present to you, Alice''s wonder egg." "Huh..." Jeff poked the egg yolk with his spoon. It jiggled around. "Yep. Just break the yolk. And mix it. Have a try." "Uhh. Alright?" Jeff stabbed his spoon into the yolk. It bursted. The yellow liquid flowed out. Mixing it with the egg white. Not egg white. It''s a thick and smooth cream. Taking a bite. Jeff widened his eyes. This yolk is not a yolk! The fruity vors of oranges and peaches exploded in Jeff''s mouth. The tingly sourness of lemon. The sweetness of cream. A rich taste and thick texture of the yogurt. In a moment, all of these vor mixed together into a sweet delight. "Wow." Jeff raised his brows. Alice looked rather proud of her work. "I saw this recipe online before. Now I''ve got time, I finally get to try it out. How is it?" "It''s definitely surprising." Jeff quickly finished this snack. "And delicious." "Gooood. The next time you try it, it''ll be a different vor." Alice winked. "So two appetizers today. What''s the entre? Is that also a surprise?" "Well Mr. Norman, we''ll need you to pay for the appetizers first." "Alright. How much." Jeff confidently leaned back. Yep. He was pretty rich now. "20,000 credits." "Heeeh..." Jeff almost coughed. Converting to old day money, that''s 2 million USD for 2 eggs. "Seriously?" Jeff looked at Alice with raised brows. "Seriously." Alice nodded, trying her best to keep up with her serious face. "Old-day ingredients aren''t cheap nowadays you know. And you have eaten my newest off-the-menu dishes." "Well, Mr. Norman, perhaps you should have asked for the price first. If you can''t pay by credit, then you''ll have to pay through services." Alice lifted Jeff''s tie with her hand. The two locked gazes. This room felt like it was heating up. Behind the counter, the waitress stared at the door with a dead and nk gaze. This girl looked like she was questioning why she was still here. Grabbing onto Jeff''s tie, Alice pulled this helpless customer into her domains. 3 dayster... It''s still foggy and dark as usual. Standing at the front door of [Alice''s House of Wonders], Jeff fixed his crisp suit a little. The air was fresh and cold as usual. The light rain brought up an earthy smell into the air. The morning folks greeted Jeff as they passed by. Jeff smiled and nodded in return. Popping his umbre open, Jeff walked into the crowded street. Checking his inventories onest time, Jeff strode off into one direction. Mission Start! Chapter 51 - Vengeance (5) Standing at the foot of the designated hill, Jeff took in a deep breath. After months of waiting, this was it. It was pouring now. Bean-sized freezing-cold raindrops barraged Jeff''s purple armor. Upon impact, the raindrops bounced off into spurts of smaller water droplets. A rainstorm on top of a dense fog. The visibility here was rather low. It''s not brighter than night time really. A sh of lightening cracked through the sky. The cold light briefly showed the asphalt road up the hill. PAM... The sound of thunder rumbled through the skies. [Threat Detection] [Beast Instinct] [Eagle Sight] [Aura Vision] ... ... Jeff''s vision zoomed up the hill. With his stack of detection abilities, the environment couldn''t obstruct his sight anymore. This road was the only path for going up. Streams of rainwater flowed down the street gutters. Up the hill, there were 5 mansions. Arge modern mansion at the hilltop. Four on the hillsides. Small gardens. Large buildings. These mansions looked like small shopping centers. Now that those cultist thugs had moved in, they had built a wall surrounding this area. Carefully scanning around, Jeff''s expression turned serious. 1 SS-rank as expected. This could only be Dilbert Reed, the gang leader. Also, 3 S-ranks were scattered around. Not much a problem. Jeff could one-shot these guys before they could react. There were also 200 energy signatures. All of them were at least B-ranks. To be honest, this was rather absurd. After all, looking at a city-wide scale, B-ranks weren''t all thatmon. These guys were at the top 0.1% of the poption already. One in a thousand. What were the odds of all 200 thugs to hit this level? At the moment, these thugs were mainly scattered around the walls, watch towers, and inside the mansions. ''Nevertheless, still small minions. A single mana burst can take care of all of them.'' Jeff focussed his gaze in another direction. There was apact gathering of low-energy signatures. About 50 people. These were the captives kept underground. Jeff remembered that location in his mind. ''Good. Let the operation begin.'' Jeff walked up the road. In a brief moment, Jeff reached the walls. There was a guard post by the front gates. Looking down the barbed-wire walls, there were cameras set up everywhere. A ray of light shot towards Jeff. In a blink, a dagger had stabbed into the road before Jeff. Ignoring the dagger, Jeff walked forward. Up the hill, a skinny dude exited the outpost. Looking down at Jeff with an examining look, the dude threw his cigarette butt onto the wet road. Not minding the weather at all, this guy stepped into the rain. In an instance, the rain had drenched this guy''s shirt and jeans. The thug opened his hand. His dagger flew back to his hand. This guy was one of the three S-ranks. Now that Jeff was close enough, Jeff could take a better look at this dude. The thug''s appearance... It''s like... someone had poured purplish-ck paint onto this guy''s head. Now, half of his head was covered in purplish-ck paint. The paint continued to stream down this man''s face, down to his neck. The swollen purplish-ck parts seemed to throb like a heart. The normal parts on this guy''s body looked pale and withered. In general, this guy gave off an otherworldly feeling. He looked more like an alien than a human now. Out of sheer prejudice and instincts, Jeff felt hostile towards this guy. This was just a mere S-rank. Yet, Jeff could sense a fleeting lethal threat from this thug. Nevertheless, Jeff continued to move forward. "Sanctuary''s Smite member?" The skinny dude chuckled with a smirk. "If I kill you, right here, As won''t say a thing." The skinny dude stared at Jeff with kill-intent. "Same to you." Jeff pointed his chin at this dude. "Dilbert Reed won''t wage war against the sanctuary over you." Sensing the kill-intent in Jeff''s gaze, this thug widely smiled. "Hmm..." The thug growled. "We are the same type of people I see. Wee to our den." This S-rank thug got out of Jeff''s way. The dude''s attitude became a little more inviting. Just a little though. Ignoring this dude, without stopping, Jeff walked past the gates. Walking in the middle of this twone road, Jeff took a brief scan... Trees were nted by the roadsides. Arge wet grass field covered this hill. Some distance away, there were empty garden patches. Not much human activity at all. Only the sound of rain and distant dog barks could be heard. As expected, these guys only had one line of defense. After passing the front gates, other than a few sparse patrols, these guys barely had any security. A few secondster, two big dudes caught up to Jeff. Two A-ranks. Both of them were half-naked. Both of them had purplish-ck streams running down their faces. Both looked like aliens visiting Earth. These guys gave off a familiar feeling to Jeff. Before, they had a ck-droplet tattoo on their heads. Now, it''s streams. ''There is a minor difference. But I''m 99% certain that these are the sons of bitches I''m looking for.'' Realizing this, Jeff''s gaze gradually turned cold. ''Just a few months ago, you guys took everything from me. Almost taking my life as well.'' ''Before, I couldn''t fight back.'' ''Now. I''m back.'' "Tsk. Follow us human. Don''t do anything funky." A dude looked down at Jeff with a despising gaze, simr to the gaze of tourists looking at apes. It''s as if this guy believed that he''s a superior species or something. "Yeah. This is our turf. You better not catch our suspicion." The other guy menacingly smiled. "Wait. Humans?" Jeff asked. The two shot suspicious gazes at Jeff. In an instance, these two lowered their bodies, ready to jump away from Jeff. They opened their mouths, ready to shout. Yet, too slow. Tingling~ A crisp bell tinkle sounded out of nowhere. In an instance, the gazes of these two changed. From suspicion, alert, and hostility, to reverence and awe. Pa! The two took a knee onto the wet asphalt road. (Take a knee: to go down on one knee / kneeling on one knee) "My lord! Your loyal servants are at your service!" The two stared at the ground, not daring to look at Jeff. It''s as if that irreverent action would be an unforgivable offense. Their voices trembled a little. Their bodies shivered in sheer ecstasy. It''s their utmost honor to serve Jeff! "Stand up. Walk with me." Jeff casually popped the bell bracelet out of existence. It didn''t look fitting on men... Yep. This was the drop he''d received from the vampire girl. A glint-tier. Only enough to temporarily mind-control A-ranks and lower. Nevertheless, it''s rather convenient in this situation. "We are so honored!" The two patted the dirt off their knees and carefully followed Jeff. These two still kept their gazes on the ground, not daring to look at Jeff. "First question. What''s up with that purplish-ck thing on your heads?" "My lord, it''s the Seed of the Void." A dude replied. Both of them looked rather proud? "With this seed, we have sessfully ascended to the void race!" "Yes. Yes!" The other guy quickly nodded. "Most humans are fragile E-ranks. But the weakest void race are C-ranks." "Yes! Exactly!" The first guy fanatically nodded like a fervent cultist. Why did Liam call these guys cultists? Jeff knew the answers now. "This is evolution on steroids!" "Also, every member of the void is immortal!" "Yes! After death in this world, we will be taken to the void. We shall be reborn in the void!" "One day." The two spoke in unison. "We, the pioneers, shall return as rulers of this world!" "Ok...?" Jeff squinted. "So the void is promising a bright future for you after death?" "No sir! We don''t wait after death to reap our contributions!" "We are given generous paybacks immediately!" "Ok?" Jeff squinted. "And what can you get from the void?" "Anything sire! Anything!" The fervent thug looked at Jeff with an ecstatic smile. "As long as you have enough contribution points!" "The void gives generously!" The other thug with a beaming gaze. "You just need to give a little, and you shall receive a lot!" "Uh huh..." Jeff slowly nodded. "And how do you earn these contribution points?" "The void takes anything!" "Even dirt and shit!" Chapter 52 - Vengeance (6) "But the portal onlysts so long..." A dude sighed. "Yes. We have so little time..." The other guy shook his head in sadness. "We must be efficient!" The first dude suddenly became pumped again. "Yes! We must be fast. And smart!" "High energy items are the best!" "Like nuclear warheads!" Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. ''Don''t tell me...'' "But we don''t have any of that..." "Monster drops work great as well!" "But there is so little..." "We can submit live beings!" "Yes! We get a lot of points for submitting live beings to the void. There, these beings will be immortals! There, they will also ascend to the void race!" "We are doing a good thing." "We are doing a GREAT thing!" Hearing this, Jeff felt a chill running up his spine. "One day, everyone will be one of us!" "And that day won''t be long off!" "Submit a city to the void, and we will be invincible in this world!" "Submit this to the void, and we will be a deity in this universe!" The two started to chuckle in ecstasy. A bell tinkle sounded. The two quickly cooled down. Their fervor was directed to Jeff now. It''s as if Jeff was their purpose of living. "Is there any way to reverse this void race process?" "No sire. There is not." "Sire. Why would anyone want to return to an inferior, fragile, mortal, human being?" The two looked genuinely confused by the question. "Is there any way to get people out of the void?" Jeff knitted his brows. "Yes sire! We can wee the void lords into this world! By opening a stable portal!" "But we need more crystals for that. Much more crystals." "Yes yes. Much much more crystals. But we are making progress." Hearing this, Jeff stopped walking. The two followers halted behind Jeff as well. The three stood still in the middle of the road in rain. By now, based off sheer prejudice and gut feelings, Jeff felt that this void thing sounded like a scam. To be honest, this plot seemed a little familiar. Except this time, it''s not a game. This time, it''s a real life situation. No saves. No restarts. No walkthroughs. ''I''ll need to go all out. I can''t give these guys any windows of opportunity.'' Jeff''s gaze became determined. ''At least not around Berrystone... I don''t want to be the guy who drops the ball.'' ''Looks like I can''t ck off for a while now... But, at least this way, I won''t leave any regrets...'' ''Sure, it''s tedious patrolling work. I''ll face a lot of small guys who can''t leave a scratch on me. If they exist at all. Sure, I won''t get to test if I have plot armor.'' ''But to be honest, I''m not interested in finding out.'' Jeff squinted. ''Sure. I''m the strongest here. But I''m not exactly invincible either.'' If a void lord arrived through a portal, and that void lord had game-like powers... The oue might be between fucked, and totally utterly fucked. So. Nope. Not taking the chances. Not happening on this turf. Before, Jeff just wanted personal revenge. However, now... Jeff took in a deep breath. ''No room for error this time.'' For all those innocent people whom these thugs have harmed... For all those people whom these thugs pose a threat on... These guys weren''t just thugs anymore. They were traitors of humanity! This threat had to be eliminated! Jeff walked forward again. A crisp bell sound... The thugs'' gazes became nk. Those two started to robotically follow Jeff again. ... ... Gradually, their consciousness had returned. They blinked a few times. However, they couldn''t remember anything fishy. The two thugs looked at Jeff with suspicion. "Don''t let me catch anything funny on you." One guy menacingly smiled. "I''m watching you." The other growled. Down the road, two Jeffs stared at each other. This was yet another one of Jeff''s abilities. [Mist Clones] Clones? Kind of. Not really. These clones were just empty shells with stored energy. Got no stacked abilities and no ess to Jeff''s storage space. Jeff needed to multi-task and control them like drones. Nevertheless, with a psychic level that''s half-way into sage-tier, and Liam''s ne, this was not a tough task. "Hey." One Jeff nodded at the other Jeff. "Yoh." "Good luck man." "Same to you. And me. What the heck am I doing..." Leaving this, the two Jeffs parted ways. Leaving a small pop in the air, the two disappeared in a blur. In seconds, these two reached their positions. Without being detected, Jeff did a detour. He easily reached the backside cliff of the hilltop mansion. On the cliff, there was an undisguised vault entrance. It''s one of thoserge circr vault doors. About 3 meters in radius. It looked rather sturdy. Inside, there were unusual high-energy signatures. At the same time, following a small pebble path, the other Jeff reached the entrance of a wine cer. Apparently, the captives were held in there. "Wh-!" Dogs started to breath in, readying to bark. A bell tinkle. The patrolling thugs kneeled on one knee. The dogsid onto the ground. "Follow me." "Sir! Yes sir!" The patrolling thugs stood up wearing ecstatic smiles. Around the same time, the Jeff in purple armor reached the hilltop mansion. ''Looks like I''m thest guy entering position... Let''s get this party started!'' The front ss doors slid open. Dry hot air blew into Jeff like a hairdryer. "If boss doesn''t like you, you are a goner, you hear me?" "A... Are you too scared to talk? Am I being too scary to you?" The two thugs walked into the hall. Passing through this brightly lit front hall, this group left three watery trials of footprints. Passing through a door, this group had arrived the indoor pool at the back. Some thugs were swimming. Others were enjoying barbeque or having a drink. All of these guys had some sort of purplish-ck ''seeds.'' Sitting on a beach chair, Dilbert Reed was in furry pink pajamas. Apparently, this gang boss was sunbathing under a sunlightmp. This guy''s entire head was swollen in purplish-ck now. Pulling down his shades a little, the gang boss looked at Jeff. "A Smite member? What a rare guest. Kakaka. Would you like a drink my friend." Jeff took off his helmet. Target in sight! It''s action time! ... Looking at the circr vault entrance, Jeff lowered himself. ''Well. Only one way to find out who''s harder.'' In an instance, Jeff emitted a golden glow. Leaving a trail of golden light in the air, Jeff smashed into that gate. Like a bullet punching through a sheet of metal, Jeff shot right through that gate. ''Yeah. Me.'' Jeff looked around. This ce was about the size of a tennis court. Smaller than expected. Wooden boxes and crates were messily stacked against the walls. Also, in a corner, there was a pile of mana weapons and projectiles. At the center, there were 4 thugs here. 1 S-rank. 3 A-ranks. Sitting around a table, they were ying poker. As usual, these guys had the purplish-ck markings as well. The A-ranks were frozen in space like wax statues. The S-rank was moving in slow-motion, at snail-pace. Ignoring these guys, Jeff fixated his gaze in one direction. He knew his objectives. Walking over, Jeff opened a wooden box. Inside, it''s void crystals stacked on thick foam sheets. 20 in a box. There were 10 boxes of them. Without hesitation, Jeff pressed his palm onto a box. That box instantly popped out of existence. [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Iplete) ] ''Close interface.'' That S-rank had finally turned his gaze to Jeff now. This big dude was slowly getting up. Too slow. Jeff popped all the void crystals into his storage. Since he was already here, Jeff went to the other crates as well. One after another, Jeff popped them into his storage space. No idea what''s inside. Jeff decided to find outter. ''Objective secured. Now.'' Jeff turned to the thugs. Jeff raised his hand at them. The weapons on these guys unsheathed by themselves. Jeff flicked a finger. The weapons pointed at their owners. Jeff pointed up. Those weapons shot through their owners, bringing out spurts of purplish-ck blood. Well. Telekinesis sure made Jeff''s life easier. Being halfway into sage-tier, even S-ranks couldn''t put up a fight anymore. SSS-ranks, S-ranks, A-ranks, E-ranks. They were about the same to be honest. Remaining in this standstill world, fixing up his suit a little, Jeff walked out that opening in the vault door. Looking back, like a zipper being opened in space, void rifts opened up behind those dead thugs. Like a vacuum, the rifts sucked those thugs in. A strong wind quickly formed, blowing into those rifts. Poker chips and cards streamed into those rifts. The table and chairs started to slid in that direction as well. The fluorescent light on the ceiling exploded into sparks. The electric sparks and the light-tube shards flew into the rifts like a cloud. A strong wind pulled on Jeff towards the vault opening. Yet, even without his wind resistance abilities, this level of force was not enough to move Jeff. Looking through the void rift, Jeff clenched his fists. ''Wha- What''s happening...'' Jeff had seen healed-up rifts up-close. But this was his first encounter with a ''live'' rift. --- [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Complete!) ] [ You Have Gained: ] [ Passive Ability - Void Energy Absorption (Common) / Toggled Off ] [ Ability Description: You can now absorb Void Energy for Mana Level growth. All negative side effects are removed during the conversion ] [ Cost: N/A ] [ Thank you for contributing this data to the system. The system wishes you a great day ] Chapter 53 - Vengeance (7) Jeff felt that his entire body was bing numb. Couldn''t move. Like a hidden hand was grabbing onto his heart. Couldn''t breathe. Like he was being strangled by an invisible force. On the other side of the rift, there were malicious gazes watching him. They were strong. Too strong. Like deities. Can''t win... Can''t fight... Powerlessness... Despair... Doom... Jeff''s detection abilities were going insane! This threat level was off the charts! Under these gazes, Jeff felt like he was sinking into eternal darkness. Cold. Numbness. Nothingness. Jeff had never felt so insignificant, so weak before. It''s just gazes! Yet, those gazes felt like mountains pressing down onto his mind and soul. Jeff closed his eyes. Taking in a deep breath, Jeff toggled off all of his abilities. Jeff couldn''t sense those gazes anymore. The pressure instantly disappeared. ''I''m still too weak huh... Still got a long way to go...'' Standing in the gust, Jeff kept his eyes closed. Opening and closing his hands, Jeff couldn''t get the trembling to stop. Jeff suddenly felt rather exhausted. Powerless. Purposeless. Jeff tiredly shook his head. ''There is no hurry. I can take my time. Everything will be fine. I can still grow. I''m not done yet...'' Jeff paced his breathing. ''If I keep on growing, I can reach that level some day. Some day...'' ''So what the FUCK is wrong with this world!'' Jeff tilted his head. "ShhIIITT!" Jeff shouted. ''Ok. I feel a bit better now.'' ''Erhm. Back to work.'' ... ... On the other side of this hill. At a tunnel entrance. A moment ago... "Hey! What are you guys-" A bell tinkle sound... The two guards kneeled onto the ground. Passing by these two, Jeff walked into a short tunnel. About a dozen thugs and dogs were following him now. BAM! Kicking the door open, A musty smell escaped this room. Ting-a-ling~ Jeff popped his bell bracelet out of existence. Taking a look inside, there was a small light bulb hanging from a wooden beam, providing some dim orange light. Empty racks here and there. This seemed to be a wine cer. Inside this small space, there were about 50 people inside. Some were sitting on the concrete ground. Some were leaning by the wall. There was simply no space for lying down. These guys looked like they were either cold, wet, sick, or starving. Not in the best conditions. Hearing the noise, people turned their gazes to the entrance. "Gah!" "God please no!" "I''m not ready to leave." Someone balled into tears. "How will my little sister survive by herself?!" Others just turned to Jeff with a nk expression. It''s as if they had given up on hope. "Watch out!" A girl shouted. Wearing a id shirt and jeans. She looked like a cowgirl. "There is an A-rank." The girl pointed in one direction. "Yep." Jeff nodded. "Actually there are five." "Come out." Jeff looked up at the ceiling. At a corner, a dude suddenly appeared out of thin air. Four other thugs jumped down from the rocky ceiling. "At your service my lord!" They collectively kneeled onto one knee. The girl widened her eyes at this scene. "Get out." "Yes my lord!" The five A-ranks hurried out. Hearing Jeff''smand, the girl seemed a little confused. Squinting her eyes, the girl took a closer look at Jeff. "Wait... You are the mission machine!" Recognizing Jeff, the girl rxed. Walking up to Jeff, her eyes brightened up. "It''s such an honor to work with you sir." "Yes. I''ll need you all to standby for a moment. We''ll get you guys out as soon as possible." "We are saved?" "You are from the sanctuary?" "I knew we can count on you!" After this point, people just talked and shouted at once Jeff had no idea what these guys were saying, so he just put on an reassuring smile. "Agent Roadrunner reporting for duty sir!" The girl stood a little taller. Jeff nodded in reply. "Thank you for your service." "Did youe alone sir? We have to secure the void crystals. No matter the cost." Cooling off a little, the girl''s expression became serious. "Yep. My main body ispleting that objective." The girl: ??? "Sir. You must ensure that those void crystals do not enter any void rifts. Sir? SIR?!" Jeff''s gaze became nk. (On the other side, Jeff felt the void''s gaze for the first time.) "Hey! Why are you guys here?" A thug shouted outside. "What''s going on?" "Mr. Mission Machine!" The girl put on a sweaty smile. "This is not a good time for jokes." Those thugs were swarming in now. Ting-ling~ Those thugs collectively kneeled onto one knee again. "Sorry." Jeff apologetically nodded. "For now, we just need to stay here, and wait." ... ... At the hilltop mansion... A moment ago... At the indoor pool. Jeff took off his helmet. "It''s you..." Dilbert Reed sat up from his beach chair. "The mission machine..." "It''s..." Jeff squinted. ''Jeff... Forget it.'' "Yes. It''s me. The mission machine." Jeff nodded. "Kakaka. Excuse me. I wasn''t expecting the strongest hunter to be working under As. So. Mr. Mission Machine. What goods have you brought us today?" "Goods..." Jeff chuckled. "Does a kill order count?" Hearing this, the thugs slowly circled Jeff. They were drawing out their weapons now. Firearms. Mana projectiles. Mana weapons. "Impossible." Dilbert Reed stood up. "As wouldn''t issue such orders. Who sent you here?" "You know the rules." Jeff shook his head. "I have to keep the identity of my clients a secret. But. I can give you a hint." "Well. Let''s just say that it''s a Keyholder who wishes to remain anonymous." The gang boss lit up a cigar. "Looks like we can''t talk about this one then." "Oh no." Jeff shrugged. "We can still talk. Maybe some of you here still recognizes me." The thugs: ??? They looked genuinely confused. "Nope." "No clue." "Never seen you before." Jeff raised his brows. "You guys broke into my home!" "You took everything from me!" Jeff chuckled in disbelief and anger. The thugs carelessly shrugged. "Pfftt... Kakaka." The gang boss bursted intoughter. The thugs heartilyughed with their boss. "So-Sorry man. It''s a routine job for us now." One thug shook his head. "We can''t remember every sucker''s face we see." Another thug wiped the tear off his cheek. "Alright. Fine." Jeff nodded. "Hand over Lord Rammus" "What?" "My pet turtle. About this big. Green shell. Hand him over, and we can still talk about this." Jeff looked at the gang boss with a serious face. "Kakaka... Mister Mission Machine, you are a funny man." Dilbert pointed at Jeff with a flicking finger. Jeff took in a deep breath. He was starting to feel really ticked off. "Huh." Jeff stared at the gang boss and slowly nodded. "I''m notughing. Am I? AM I?" "You are serious." Dilbert looked actually surprised. "Well. I had my turtle for 5 years, and I''d like him back." Jeff nodded seriously. "Hand him over, and we can still talk." PAUSE: In reality, no. There would be no talks after getting his turtle back. "This man thinks he''s John Wick or something." Dilbert pointed at Jeff with a smirk. "You''ll need to go into the void to find your turtle." ''Looks like I''m not getting my turtle back... Begin operation!'' Jeff squinted. "Open fire!" Looking at the thugs with cold killing intent, Jeff raised his hand. However, in the next instance, Jeff''s gaze became nk. (Yep. Void''s gaze. That''s why you shouldn''t talk too long...) Ta-Ta-Ta-Ta! Bullets bounced off Jeff''s purple armor. In the next instance, rays of lights barraged onto Jeff. Without any resistance, those rays prated Jeff''s body. The gang boss stomped the ground. The ground below Jeff suddenly brightened up with a red light. Bbbttooomm! A fiery explosion! The ground shook a little. Concrete bits started to rain down. Clunk... A burnt breastte hit the ground. Bouncing up and rolling a little, it came to a halt. Chapter 54 - Vengeance (8) "Do you still want your turtle back now?" The gang boss pointed at the burnt breastte. "Kakakaka." The gang bursted intoughter. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, the strongest hunter!" A gang bowed and gestured at the breastte. "Kakakaka!" "Let''s throw this armor into the void." Another thug suggested. "He can search for his turtle in his afterlife. Ah gah-gah-gah-gah." The volume ofughter rose up. Bam! A hole was sted out of the wall. Theughter stopped. Jeff fixed his business suit a little as he walked through that hole. Even though he was in the rain for a while, his suit was still perfectly dry. What could Jeff say? Telekinesis sure made his life convenient. "Wow. All that. Just to destroy an outdated armor. Bravo." Jeff looked around with kill-intent. The thugs raised their weapons again. *Ting-ling* *Ting-a-ling* Wearing ecstatic expressions, those thugs turned their weapons towards their boss. "Command." The gang boss raised his chin. The eyes of those thugs instantly became unfocussed. Robotically, these guys pointed their weapons towards Jeff again. "I''m the man in charge here." The gang boss smirked. Jeff raised his hand. *Snap* In the standstill world, one could see a sphere of mana expanding from Jeff''s fingers. Like an unstoppable curtain, anything in its way crumbled and snapped. The gang boss lowered his body and crossed his arms before his head. Yet, this guy was blown back as well. Like being hit by a naval shell, this hilltop mansion exploded into pieces. In an instance, this hilltop became ttened. One after another, void rifts opened up in the air, sucking in rain water. Building debris started to fall down along with the rain. A ck object shot towards Jeff. Leaving a blur in the air, it cut through the debris and raindrops in its path. Leaning sideways, Jeff easily dodged that thing. Extending a hand, Jeff easily caught the handle of that projectile. It''s a odd-looking ck sword. Holding onto its handle, Jeff suddenly felt a burning sensation creeping up his arm. There''s an invasive energy trying to convert Jeff''s arm by force. Yet, in the next moment, Jeff''s arm digested this energy and turned it into mana. ''So this is the void energy huh? Too bad I''m immune.'' ''Also, my mana capacity increased a little?'' Just a little though. More importantly, at this moment, Jeff suddenly sensed a connection with the void rifts. ''Finish the fight first...'' In a blink, Jeff suddenly appeared before the gang boss. sh! The gang boss was cut into two. Without hesitation, Jeff jumped back. Yet, the two halves of this gang boss bursted into mist. In an instance, the two mist clouds merged into one. The gang boss was fine again. "Tsk." The gang boss smirked. "You might be the strongest hunter, Mission Machine." "But I! I have totally ascended into the void race!" "I cannot be in by a mere human like you!" "If you join the void race, you can also obtain this power. I bring you in. We flip this page over. How about it." The gang boss offered. "No. I think not." Jeff shook his head. Jeff chuckled in disdain in his mind. ''Which sane person would ept this deal? Do I look stupid?'' ''If I joined, this guy could probably take over my consciousness.'' After all, this gang boss just did it to his minions a moment ago. "People are always so resistant to change." The gang boss charged at Jeff. "I thought you''d be different." sh! Jeff jumped back. The gang boss bursted into mist and quickly recovered. "I can do this all day Mission Machine! I am invincible!" "No." Jeff locked gazes with the gang boss. "No you are not." An invisible ray shot out of Jeff''s eyes. That gang boss lost focus in his eyes. Jeff tiredly sighed. Being halfway into sage-tier, Jeff''s psychic level was at a whole new level. By shooting out a burst of psychic energy, Jeff easily erased the gang boss''s consciousness. However, there is a heavy cost to this ability as well. For this to work, Jeff''s psychic level had to be overwhelmingly stronger. Also, the mental energy cost is simply too expensive. Just not a great ability overall. No. In fact. Jeff would consider this ability to be terrible. Absolutely shit. However... that''s all he had... Well. Hey. A month ago, he didn''t even have this avable. Making progress... Getting better... The gang boss'' heart rate gradually dropped to zero. A 4-meters long rift opened up. The gang boss leaned back and fell into that rift. Grass, mud, and rain was streaming into that rift as well. The wind tried to pull Jeff towards that rift. A futile effort. Feeling his connection with the ck sword, Jeff stood there with his eyes closed for a moment. ''Close.'' Jeff pointed the sword at thatrge rift. Like a vacuum being turned off, that void rift stopped sucking in air. However, it''s still there. ''Huh.'' Jeff looked at the void rifts in the air. They were gradually losing strength over time. Looking down the hill, Magni was closing in the now. Gradually and steadily, they were shrinking the search circle. There''s some resistance. But it''s negligible. Looking into the sky, Jeff raised a brow. Passing through the heavy rainfall, a flying canoe came into view. Thump! Thump! Thump! One after another, four figures jumped down. With a ssh, theynded onto this muddy ground. It''s one dude and three girls. The dude was in histe twenties. Well groomed. Well-built body. Wearing a ssy white dress shirt. Golden-and-white striped tie. Leather gloves. Dress pants. Wearing a charismatic smile. Holding an average-looking wooden staff in his hand. Based off the first impression, and his pure prejudice, Jeff didn''t like this guy. Behind the dude, there were three girls in their 20s. One girl was wearing a scarlet robe, holding a ss orb in her hands. The other girl wore leather armor. She had a short sword by her waist. Thest girl was in a pilot''s uniform. Just like Jeff, raindrops just bounced off these guys. They were also covered in some sort of invisible force fields. "Alright man. I''ll need you to drop your sword." The dude brightly smiled at Jeff. Jeff raised his brows at this request. Yep, Jeff knew for certain now. He didn''t like this guy. Also, this A-rank sure had some guts to make that request. "Oh? Are you here to avenge your boss?" Jeff asked. "Or are you the hidden boss?" "Boss?" The dude chuckled and shook his head. "No bro." "Well naturally." The dude gestured a hand at Jeff. "A new wild mage like you wouldn''t know us." The dude stood a little taller. "We are the Anas family. We have been fighting the void since the age of Shamans." The dude looked rather proud of his ancestry. "I am Daylor Anas." "And you want my loot." Jeff looked up at the floating canoe. It''s somewhere between a glint-tier and a glow-tier. There were streams of runic characters flowing around on that canoe. This seemed like advanced magic. Looking at the dude''s wooden stick... It looked normal. But this stick gave off an ancient feel. Also, it had a much brighter glow than glow-tiers. Based off what he saw, Jeff found this guy''s words to be rather believable. Secret ancient families exist now. Why not. Why the fuck not. What next? Horny alien goddesses? Tentacle deities of the old days? Whatever... ''I''m not even surprised anymore...'' Jeff sighed in his mind. "Yes. I''ll need to retrieve that sword you are holding. Untrained mages like you can''t possibly resist the corruption of the void energy." The dude pointed at Jeff''s sword with his wooden staff. "Really now." Jeff raised a brow. Checking his newly gained passive ability. Nope. Corrosion or corruption thing, not happening. He''s kind of immune to that now. "I think I''ll pass." Jeff nodded. Chapter 55 - Vengeance (9) Jeff didn''t like this guy. But they were still in the same faction. Jeff was not that interested in beating up his allies. "Alright." The dude shrugged. "The corrupting energy is already at work I see. Well. Fine. You can say no. But I''ll just have to use some force, and it may hurt a little." "Go darling!" "Remember to be gentle honey!" "It''s the Mission Machine. Don''t harm him too badly. We wouldn''t want to dere war with sanctuary." "Don''t worry my loves." The dude winked at the girls. "Wait." Jeff leaned back with knitted brows. "You have 3 girlfriends?" "Well. Obviously." "Dude. It''s the 21st century. You can''t do that." Jeff looked at the dude with a ''are you serious'' face. "Exactly bro. It''s the 21st century! It''s their freedom and rights to fall in love with me. And I love all three of them with my whole heart. I can''t just dump two of them and hurt their feelings right? It''s an impossible decision for me!" The dude shrugged with open hands. "Do you hear what you are saying? You sound like a scumbag..." With a wide smile, the dude flicked his brows at Jeff. "What. You are jealous?" "Noooo..." Jeff firmly shook his head. "Why would I. I mean, I''m happy with my girlfriend. No s. Singr." "Suuuurrree." The dude smirked. Jeff: ... The dude: ... "So..." Jeff nodded with squinting eyes. "Who bes the wife, and who''s the mistress. Like, how do you guys determine that." "Nothing wrong with 3 wives." "Huh..." "It''s always been like this in my family." The dude shrugged. "Alright. Enough talking. I can pass some more experience to youter." "Now. I''ll have to retrieve that from you." The staff in Daylor Anas'' hand suddenly bursted out a blinding light. In an instance, ayer of light covered Daylor''s body like an armor. His energy signature surged from A-rank to S-rank! Like a blur, the dude dashed towards Jeff. Smash! The dude''s staff smacked into the ground. Bam! Mud, cement, and wooden pieces exploded into the air. A pothole appeared on the cement floor. Jumping back, Jeff examined the wooden staff in his hand. "Waiittt..." The dude looked at the staff in Jeff''s hand. Then he looked his empty hands. He also lost that cover of light now. "Hoooold on." The dude looked at Jeff in disbelief. "This is not right." "Uh huh. Yep." Jeff nodded. The stick in his hand was trying to fly back to the dude. It''s like there was an invisible hand tugging on the stick or something. With a swipe, Jeff erased the psychic connection between the two. Daylor''s face reddened up. "I would give it back if I were you. You wouldn''t want to mess with my family." "Hmm... Maybe." Jeff nodded. "But first, I don''t think that''s how you are supposed to use this." Jeff inserted his mana into this staff. The staff still looked like an ordinary wooden stick. Jeff tapped the staff forward, hitting the air in front of him. Bonk. Daylor Anas'' eyes rolled up. Leaning forward, the dude fell to the wet ground. "Alright. You guys are free now." Jeff nodded at the girls. The girls looked shocked for a moment. Then, they looked... not happy? A little angry even... "What?" "What have you done?" "Give Daylor''s staff back!" The girls rushed to the unconscious dude. Flocking around, they checked up on Daylor. Jeff raised his hands. "Don''t worry. He''s knocked out for good. He can''t threaten you guys now." "Do you guys have anything to tell me?" Jeff squinted. Just to check up on Daylor''s identity. You know. Can''t just believe a stranger''s words. "What? What makes you think that?" "Come on. Are you stupid?" "If Daylor is hurt. I will. I WILL!" The girl in leather armor pointed at Jeff with her short sword. She was tearing up now. "I totally will you know what. Yeah! I''ll get you. I''ll get you somehow..." Jeff raised his brows. He didn''t feel threatened at all. These girls were just D-ranks. Maybe B-ranks. Jeff couldn''t really tell. The difference wasn''t that big to him. "So you guys are serious..." Jeff slowly nodded with squinting eyes. "And not forced into this. You guys are ok with this guy... being this way?" Jeff felt that his worldview had been refreshed. "Well. Daylor is good looking. And a Chad. And strong." One girl blushed. "And he did save my life. And he gave us a safe home." The other girl blushed with a blessed smile. "To be honest, my life is even better in this fog world. Daylor is really rich... And hot." The third girl brushed Daylor''s hair. "You are the weirdo alright? At your level, why wouldn''t you have mistresses?" "What. Are you scared of your girlfriend?" The mage girl smirked. Her ss orb was glowing now. Finally charged, it''s emitting a healing light now. "What? why would I be scared? It''s respect." Jeff shook his head. "Anyways, I''ll leave you guys to that." Holding onto this wooden staff, Jeff felt like he was gradually building a connection with this item. Based off feelings and instinct, Jeff inserted more mana into this staff. Pointing at a void rift, the tip of the staff suddenly radiated with a warm creamy light. Under this light, that rift quickly closed up. Jeff had a feeling that this staff was happy? His bond with this item had strengthened? Weird. Injecting more mana into this staff, Jeff pointed at the rifts in the sky. One after another, they closed up as well. Jeff suddenly felt a tug on this staff. It''s trying to smash into Jeff''s ck sword. ''Alright. That''s enough.'' Jeff popped both items into his storage space. Jeff didn''t know if Daylor was against the void. But this staff was certainly hostile against the void. Jeff looked at the girls... At which he received: an intense re. A despising pitiful gaze. A menacing squint. "So..." Jeff nodded. "Are you going to give us Daylor''s staff now." "Why did you hit him so hard." "If Daylor bes dumb, I''ll get you..." "Uh huh... Yeeesss. Anyways." Jeff nodded. He didn''t want to argue with angry women. "If this guy''s family wants to find me, I''ll be in the sanctuary." Looking down the hill, Magni was cleaning up the job now. Looking around with detection skills... No void race left. Nice. "My shift is over now. So if you have questions, you can ask the guy down there. Magni can answer your questions." Leaving that message, Jeff lowered his body. With a burst, Jeff disappeared. Chapter 56 - Hunters Council (1) ''Is there something you regret in life? Something that makes you wish: ''Only if I could start over again, and fix it.'''' ''I do. If I took a different path, maybe I wouldn''t have lost Lord Rammus.'' ''Pink ice cream was a bad idea after all...'' Holding a fishbowl in one hand, an umbre in the other, Jeff walked down the street. "Hey! Mister Mission Machine! Can I take a photo with you?" "Sure thing!" Jeff faked a smile. *Snap Snap* ''But without it, I wouldn''t get this respect. I''ll probably be that loser college graduate struggling to find a job. And end up working as a cashier... Can''t pay my student debt.'' ''So maybe things aren''t all that bad for me.'' ''...'' ''Are there people you''d like to meet again in life? And make them go: ''Dang. You are doing so well now!'''' ''I... Maybe not. Especially not that cashierdy.'' ''You ate pink ice creams for little girls... Now you this well off? Does your girl know about this?'' ''Oh hell nah.'' ''Man, I feel pathetic...'' ''I miss my turtle...'' In a moment, Jeff had reached Alice''s Bistro. Pushing open the front door, Jeff lightly shook his head. Ever since experiencing the void''s gaze, Jeff had been in a low mood. "Hey. Mission Machine, are you alright sir?" A guest looked at Jeff with a concerned look. Jeff''s wondering mind returned to the present moment. "Yeah." Jeff apologetically nodded at the guests. "Sorry. Had a bad day at work. And my old pet died. But I''m feeling alright now." "Hope you feel better sir." A mid-ageddy looked at Jeff with an empathetic gaze. A round of mumbling encouragements and some encouraging nods. Some people looked at Jeff with a raised brow though. They looked rather surprised. The mission machine had feelings? Before, the mission machine was this high-up undefeatable hunter. A powerful being to be revered. Now, Jeff seemed more like... just another human to them. Without knowing it, their gazes changed from a distant reverence to a closer approval. Hearing these wishes, Jeff nodded at the guests. "Thanks guys. Bon app¨¦tit." Leaving for the kitchen, Jeff lightly sighed. Apparently, he''d just be a new chatter topic. "Hey Jeff." Alice''s head popped out of the kitchen entrance. "Are you alright?" "Yeah." Jeff held up his fishbowl. "I even got a new pet." Inside the fishbowl, a goldfish swam around. "What''s the name?" "Her name is Nami. Princess Nami. One day, she''s gonna grow up, and be a mermaid." Jeff nodded in certainty. "Cool~" Alice squatted towards the fishbowl. Widening her eyes, the girl took a better look. "She looks lonely though." Alice faintly smiled. "I''ll buy a goldfish too." "Oh?" "I''ll name him Fizz." Jeff: ... Wait... This girl knows? Jeff pointed at Alice with squinting eyes. "Have been a master since season 1." Alice stood a little taller. "If the game still exists, I can easily carry you, you know." "What a coincidence." Jeff confidently flicked his brows. "I''ve been a master since season 1 as well." (^ League of Legends reference. Master rank didn''t exist in season 1 by the way. So yep.) "Erhm. Don''t you need to." Jeff pointed into the kitchen. "Nope. Lunch service is all done. Wanna do letter reading?" Alice offered. "Sure." "Wait a second. Let me change." ... A momentter... Second floor, in the home office room, Jeff took off his suit. Sitting behind his desk, Jeff took a look at a notification letter. Hunters Council meeting in 2 days at 3 PM. Yep. There''s a Hunter''s Council now. Without much effort, or any effort actually, Jeff became the president of this council. This kind of made Jeff the boss of the hunters. Initially, the other S-rank hunters didn''t ept this oue. They believed that Jeff was too... chill, orx for the role. (Lax: not sufficiently strict, severe, or careful) Sure. They didn''t like Jeff. But they absolutely hated each other! So by general rtivity, these S-ranks absolutely loved Jeff! Turned out, Jeff was the only guy with sufficient strength and reputation for this role. Apparently, by having just borderline decency and manners, and not being an asshole, Jeff became the most popr S-rank. He was ''the nice'' S-rank now. Crazy world. *Tap* Alice entered the room. White shirt. Tight ck dress. Metal lensless sses. Her hair was tied into a ponytail. The girl was dressed like a secretary now. Alice carefully ced a cup onto Jeff''s desk. "Your coffee, Mr. Norman." It looked and smelled like coffee. But this wasn''t real coffee. It''s made of a mixture of mist foods. The result: a taste 99% simr to the real drink. Yeah... Alice was getting really good at this. "Thank you secretary Finley. What mail do I have today." "Sir. You have a thick stack of mail as usual." Wearing a serious expression, Alice pushed up her sses. Walking over to a files cab, she took out a stack of letters. "I will report the letters of the highest importance first." "I''m listening." Jeff leaned back. "The Randolph Financial Group has offered you a consultant position. They are willing to pay 1,000 credits per month." "Randolph?" Jeff raised a brow. "Yes sir. It''s formed by a group of 5 S-ranks who left their settlements. They have gathered up their forces, and joined up into this new organization." "This organization is currently the biggest mercenary group in Berrystone." "They provide escort services, research consulting, investments, logistics, body guarding, and a various number of services." "Ok. And what do I have to do?" Jeff asked. "Do not deny this title in public." "Oh? They just want to use my name." Jeff tapped his desk. "Yes sir. Basically." Alice nodded. ''So they are concerned about possible retaliation from their old settlements? Seeking my protection? 1,000 credits a month as protection fee?'' Jeff paused in thought for a moment. "Tell them, make it 5,000 credits a month. I can offer conflict mediation when troublees, but I will not engage in battle with any settlements." Jeff took a sip of coffee, not coffee, basically coffee... Free money. Why not. Alice quickly noted the information down. "The Berrystone Tournament will take ce in 3 Months. The hosting organization gave us 10 free tickets, and asked if you will be present to watch." "Sure." "Can they use this information as advertisement." Jeff thought for a moment. "Sure." The hosting organization would get more audience. But Jeff didn''t have anything to lose either. "If there are any starlets, would you consider taking in apprentices?" "No." "Berrystone News wants your approval for this cover." Alice leaned forward and slid the front page of a newspaper to Jeff. Jeff took a peak and gulped. Boin-Boin... "Erhm. Yeah. The cover is fine." "Ok..." Alice took a quick note. Then she went back to the files cab. Pulling the bottom drawer open, Alice tried to pull out a cloth sack. It was a little stuck. With a forced pull, the sack flew into the air. Plushhh... It hit the ground. Letters spilled out that sack. "S-Sorry boss. I-I-I''ll clean this up." Alice squatted down, quickly picking up the letters. "Hmm..." Jeff walked over and squatted down as well. Lifting the girl by her chin, Jeff squinted. "Ms. Finley, you should know, we don''t tolerate mistakes here." "S-Sorry boss. Please. I really need this job." Alice looked at Jeff with watery eyes. Jeff grumbled and pulled down his tie. "You will have to be punished for this..." The two locked gazes. This room started to heat up... Chapter 57 - Hunters Council (2) Two dayster... The weather got better. It''s still cold, foggy, and dark. It''s probably cloudy up there. But the rain had turned into a fine mist. Holding a torch, Jeff walked down the soggy beach. With each step, Jeff brought up some wet sand on his leather shoes. The sound of distant waves could be heard. It''s low tide at the moment. Looking down the beach, it''s a field of silt, sand, and little puddles. Walking in the mist, the smell of the ocean became more clear than usual. Looking ahead, there were some sparse torch lights as well. They were all gathering up to one spot. Following the torches, Jeff entered arge cove as well. Inside, there was a bonfire going. There were about 70 people in here, all holding torches. All of them were in their gears. Full-body armors. Holding weapons in their hands. Others were wearing cloaks. Got pouches for mana projectiles by their waists. A few months ago, there were still fes with firearms. But nowadays, nobody had spare ammunition anymore. Yes. This was the Hunter''s Council. For some strange reason, the hunters voted to choose this spot for council gatherings, instead of a condominium a few blocks away. They probably thought this ce was coooool~ Maybe. Jeff didn''t know. Inside, these guys were gathered up in groups or by themselves. They didn''t look exactly friendly to each other. In fact, some fes looked like they wanted to murder each other''s asses. "Mr. Machine Machine." "Sir." "President." The hunters quickly opened up a path for Jeff. These guys looked like fervent fans seeing their idol for some reason. "Hello fes." Jeff nodded and smiled. "Looks like we have a lot of business today." Some hunters exchanged menacing gazes. Yep. Business. Naturally, not all the hunters were here. Every hunter here either had beef with another hunter, or group of hunters. Quarrels among hunters were prettymon. One group brought the monster to a sliver of health. The monster fled. Another group killed that monster. How should the loot be distributed? Kill steal? No! This is a kill secure! Another scenario: two groups decided to work together. Killed the monster. Got loot. But their prior agreement couldn''t apply. For instance, there''s only one item drop. But there are two parties. And due to injuries and expenses, they couldn''t settle on a new agreement. What now? Third scenario: the mission between two groups happened to ovep. The sanctuary only offered a single portion of the reward. Neither party wanted to back down from the mission. And so on. In the fogged up streets out there, it''s been rather easy to use underhanded moves. If a group of hunters went missing, that''s basically the end of the story. As a result, it''s been a mess, yeah. So Jeff came up with the current solution. Friendly fire was strictly forbidden now. Upon confirmation, that group would lose their hunter identity and protection from the council. [ If you''ve got beef, take it to the council ] In other words, the council meeting was more like a court hearing. And Jeff was basically the judge. The situation was still messy. But over the months, Jeff could see that the hunters were bing a closer-knit group. Less fear about backstabbing hunters out there. Less fighting to the death over loot distribution. The stronger hunters couldn''t just rob their fellow hunters anymore. Just. Yeah. Better. Walking up a wooden tform, Jeff nodded at the three S-rank hunters. These three were basically the juries. Wearing casual clothing, they had been silently standing on this tform. They looked down at the other hunters with their nostrils. With their arms crossed, these guys didn''t look inviting. As Jeff walked up the tform, these guys just casually nodded at Jeff. For some strange reason, these three believed that if they fought together, they were on par with Jeff. What could Jeff say? ''S-ranks and their mysterious confidence...'' Jeff walked up to the wooden chair at the center of the tform. Taking a seat, Jeff got a strange feeling. For some reason, Jeff felt like he was a medieval king or something. "Well. Hrmm." Jeff cleared his throat. His voice echoed down this cove. "Case number one." Two groups stepped forward. One group of 5. One group of 9. They were somewhere between D-ranks and C-ranks. "Mister president. We demand a battle for settling loot distribution. Winner takes all." A representative stepped forward. "We take this offer." Someone in the opposing group nodded. "Very well." Jeff nodded. "I will prevent lethal strikes fromnding. But after I save you, you will be removed from this battle." "Upon calling forfeit, you will not be attacked anymore, but you may not re-enter this battle either." "The council does not provide medical support. You will need to treat your own wounds yourself." "The battle ends when all the members on one side are removed from battle, or have dered forfeit." "Are all the rules clear?" "Yes sir!" The 14 hunters shouted in unison. Both sides looked rather confident. "Now make some distance. You maymence battle here in 5 seconds." Yep. Being low-rank hunters, their destructive potential was very limited. They could chip off some rocks off the cove walls at best. There''s no need to worry about the cove copsing here. The groups quickly parted. Facing each other, they got into formations. Looking out the cove, Jeff squinted. Two figures came into sight. "Pause your games for a second." A solemn voice echoed down the cove. "I have an announcement to make." Slowly and steadily, two figures entered the cove. It was As and an A-rank follower. The follower was in a blue armor (squad leader style). But As... He was wearing a powered armor? With its visor up, As'' head looked rather small in this thing. 2.5 Meters tall. 2 meters wide. A jetpack at its back. No signs of any weapons attached. Bloated and clunky-looking armor tes. Some tes gave off a brass shine. Other parts gave off a stainless steel lustre. Based on its looks, Jeff slowly nodded. ''Yeah... Isn''t this supposed to be painted? Or is this just an unfinished prototype?'' With each step taken forward, As made a thump sound on the ground. The crowd stirred up. "Why is As here?" "Why now?" "Is he seeking out trouble?" "Know your ce As. This Hunter''s Council, not an internal security meeting." An S-rank hunter raised his chin. Chapter 58 - Hunters Council (3) Yep. For some mysterious reasons, these S-rank hunters had this idea in their head: ''Sure. As was an SS-rank. But if the three of us fought together, we can be on-par with As!'' No. Not at all. Jeff would be surprised if theysted 10 seconds against As. "Are you lecturing me, hunter." As looked across the cave. "So what if I am?" That S-rank smirked. Taking a step forward, looking at As with a menacing gaze, this hunter stirred up the mana in the air. The other two S-ranks followed suit. In Jeff''s view, a wave of invisible mana crashed against Altas. As was fine. But below the tform, the low-rank hunters halted their breaths. They were suffocating under this immense pressure. Some started to sweat in fear. The faces of some hunters paled. Some tried to control their shivering bodies, but failed in the end. The S-ranks hunters stood on the tform like top-tier predators. The low-rank hunters below cowered like helpless prey. Across the cove, seeing this result, a scornful gaze shed by in As'' eyes. As turned his gaze back to the three S-ranks. His gaze gradually turned cold. Unrestrained bloodlust and kill-intent overflowed from As'' eyes. "Are you seeking a fight." As solemnly asked. SS-rank mana bursted out from As'' body. With ease, As'' tide of invisible mana overpowered the three S-ranks'' collective effort. One after another, the low-rank hunters dropped to the ground. An innate fear had drowned out their reasoning. Some trembled in fear. Some balled up and closed their eyes. Some looked at Jeff for help. On the tform, those three S-ranks were better off. But standing under As'' gaze, they felt an immense pressure as well. This level of mana... It''s beyond their expectations! Multiple S-ranks were supposed to be on-par with an SS-rank! ... Right? But why... They froze in ce. Subconsciously, their gazes moved away, dodging eye contact with As. Jeff''s sigh echoed down this cove. In an instance, the atmosphere in this cave felt light again. Yet, the hunters did not get up. Their knees were still weak. The S-ranks looked at Jeff in disbelief. They were wrapped in an invisible mana film now. Their mana had been constrained with ease! As looked at Jeff with a solemn expression. He wasn''t surprised though. "As. You have a quick message right? Please go on." Jeff nodded. As took a good look at Jeff. After a pause, As turned to the three S-ranks. "As most of you know, there had been a restructuring of the sanctuary''s force deployment." "After the New Year''s incident, it''s evident that the sanctuary''s internal defenses arecking." "Since I am stronger than Magni, I will now take over as the head of internal securities." Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. Jeff would call As out... if he didn''t make an internal agreement prior to this. But now, As was still tied to the sanctuary''s public images... Jeff sighed. ''Well yed.'' "Now, I make an offer to you. As S-ranks, you are wasting your time ying small here. You can do something much more significant. Join me." As extended a hand. The S-ranks frowned at the offer. Sitting on his chair, Jeff looked down at that A-rank with raised brows. As'' trip here made sense. The high-ranking internal security agents did suffer a major loss. And most survivors followed Magni into the Sanctuary Task Force. Did any high-rank individual(s) follow As into the Sanctuary Securities? The answer was right here. Only the sound of waves could be heard now... A momentter... "I know you cannot ept a job that confines you to the sanctuary." As continued. "This is why I created a new department." "Internal Investigation Squad." "You will be monitoring the activity of the hunters, the Sanctuary Task Forces, even the elite Smite squads." "To ensure that these people are following good practices. To maintain justice and fairness in the hunting business. To-" "Tsk." A hunter smirked. "Of all people, you are the one talking justice and fairness." As stared at the hunter with a solemn face. "You think we don''t know about your record?" Another hunter looked at As with a yful smile. "Can you really keep those promises? Or will you give us another role, and keep on giving us excuses?" "Get out As." "You think we are stupid?" "Tsk. Join you? Wake up buddy. You are dreaming." As slightly raised his brows at the three S-ranks. After the clear rejections, nobody spoke here for a moment. As heavily sighed. "I seriously cannot understand you hunters." As shook his head. "What''s the best you can do as a hunter. Be like him?" As pointed at Jeff. "President of Hunters Council. Working as a conflict mediator, babysitting these low-ranks. This is the destination you want to climb for? This is the ceiling you want to reach?" "You. S-ranks, sitting at the peak of personal might. Yet, you don''t have any actual power, or any say in the sanctuary." "As hunters, you will always be the peripheral members of this city. Is this what you want?" "Staying with these weaklings. Is this really what you want?!" Some low-rank hunters clenched their fists in unreconciliation, but quickly let go. Some hid their angry faces from As. Some looked ashamed and tried to hide themselves. On the tform, the S-ranks exchanged nces and shrugged. "Yeah. We are perfectly fine with this, As." An S-rank hunter rose his chin. He looked proud to be a hunter. "I''m a top dog as a hunter." Another S-rank nodded. "I do whatever I want with my time." "Almost everyone respects and reveres us. And we are happy with this." The third S-rank raised his brows. "But once we step into the sanctuary system, what will happen?" "That''s right. There will be bull crap. Buuullll crap! And we''ll just have endure it. So no thanks. Not happening." Hearing this second round of rejections, As'' gaze turned cold. "Very well..." "As the head of the Sanctuary Securities, you three have been conscripted." "Conscription?" An S-rankughed. "You can''t do that." "We refuse. What can you do about it?" As''s breath became shortened. Agitation shed by on this dude''s face. "Refusing me? I''d be careful if I were you." As squinted. "What''s that supposed to mean?" "It''s means..." As coldly chuckled. "You better pray that your asses are clean." As growled. "And you better be careful with your hunts. Just a reminder. The Smite team leaders were my subordinates." The S-ranks tightened their fists. If As decided to y dirty, they couldn''t do much to fight back. "Is this a threat." Jeff asked. As turned to Jeff. "I thought you''d know better Jeff. We need measures to strengthen sanctuary security. Urgently." Jeff shook his head. "You mean you need to expand your personal subordinates, urgently." "Jeff Norman. Are you sure you want to get into this." "Well. You did cross a line." Jeff stood up. "And I am the president of the Hunters after all. Standing up for hunters is my job." "Well very." As faintly smiled. That smile quickly disappeared. "Since we are at the Hunters'' Council, let''s go by the hunter''s rules." "If I win, you stay out of this. If I lose, I won''t y underhanded moves on these hunters." The hunters turned their gazes towards Jeff now. Jeff raised his brows. "Deal." Chapter 59 - Hunters Council (4) Keeping some distance apart, Jeff and As walked out the cove. At their level, the repercussion of their battle could easily copse this cove. Walking past the hunters, the two walked into the fog. One after another, the hunters shakily got up. In this normal atmosphere, they quickly recovered. Looking at Jeff''s back, some hunters'' gazes became determined. By the looks of it, Jeff had became their role model. More people looked at Jeff in awe and appreciation though. Some stood a little taller. It''s as if they were proud to be a hunter. Proud to have Jeff as their boss. Some smiled in satisfaction. At this moment, in this dangerous world, they felt a sense of safety. The S-ranks looked at Jeff with a mixed expression. Jealousy. Shame. Gratitude. They still remembered on how they treated Jeff. Even though Jeff was the president, they had never seen Jeff as their boss. Yet, now, Jeff was fending for them. One after another, the S-ranks sighed. At this moment, they''d totally given up their struggle for that spot. Whether it''s because Jeff had a big heart, or this was all calcted, Jeff had subdued their loyalty. "You people look like the Mission Machine had won already." As'' follower looked around with a yful gaze. "I''d be grabbing a pen right now. Before, mister As would have given you guys avish contract." "Now..." The dude chuckled and shook his head. "Are you mocking us, A-rank." An S-rank stared at this squad leader. Under the cold stare of three S-ranks, this dude started to sweat in uneasiness. "I am an internal security squad leader." The dude gritted his teeth and forced himself to stand taller. "Attacking me is the equivalent of attacking thew enforcement of sanctuary." "Ooh?" "Suuuree..." "Hmph." The S-ranks smirked and turned their gazes away. "You-" The A-rank widened his eyes. Seeing these careless replies, the A-rank started to sweat even more. Panting a little, this guy looked like he was experiencing quiet some unrest. Down the shore... In a moment, Jeff and As had reached the shoreline. They were about 150 meters away from the beach now. Jeff looked at As with a confused gaze. ''As should know that I have reached SSS-rank.'' ''So where''s this guy''s confidenceing from? He thinks he has a certain win? Even being an SS-rank?'' Jeff scanned As up down with his detection abilities on. ''Yeah... Just SS-rank.'' ''Also. It''s almost like this guy came for a fight.'' ''All of those threats beforehand were just an excuse, a set up.'' ''His only business here is to defeat me in front of the hunters?'' Jeff raised a brow. He couldn''t be certain. "So. What gave you the confidence. Your new armor?" Jeff popped a staff into his hand. *Poof* *Tssss* As'' [Wrath]nce popped out of the armor''s waist. This weapon looked rather small in the hands of the big powered armor. "Correct." Pointing hisnce at Jeff, As'' mana exploded. His powered suit started to hum with an engine sound. The sound quickly got louder and sharper. The fog in the air was pouring into this powered suit now. Jeff squinted at this process. It''s quite simr to Lord Trample''s warhammer. Same process. But the effect here was on steroids. Glowing stripes started to appear on As'' armor. The glow quickly brightened up with color change. Red... Orange... Yellow... Cyan... Sky blue... TTOOooomm... A surging heat wave sted out of As'' powered suit. A hot wind brushed past Jeff. SSS-rank mana density reached! Around As, the water in the silt quickly vaporized. In a moment, As was standing in a cloud of steam. Back at the shore... Standing 150 meters away, with fog obstructing their view, the hunters could only see strips of glowing light. Yet, they could sense As'' mana with ease. Now, As was like a volcano about to erupt. A lethal threat that they couldn''t outrun... The faces of the S-ranks paled. Is this... the power beyond SS-rank? They couldn''t even bring up the will to fight back. Sensing this, the A-rank squad leader stood a little taller. Looking at the S-ranks, this guy opened and closed his mouth a few times. In the end, he chose to say nothing though. Back at the shoreline... As took a deep breath of pure satisfaction. "How about now, Jeff? Do you still wish to fight me? For those S-ranks who are not even working under you. Is it worth it?" "If you change your stance, everyone will understand." As rose his chin in pride. "Backing off from me, a fellow SSS-rank, there is no shame in that." As lightly shook his head. "Hmm..." Jeff smiled. ''How interesting...'' If this was before the Lord Trample fight, there''s a chance for Jeff to reconsider the situation. But now... Jeff was half a step into Sage-tier! Now, he was at a whole new level! "No. I''ll pass." Jeff casually shook his head. "You''ll regret your choice." As'' gaze turned cold. "So be it." Pooft... Four missiles popped out of As'' back. Leaving trails of white fumes in the air, the missiles shot at Jeff. Sidestepping right and left, Jeff easily dodged those projectiles. A robotic extension popped out of As'' shoulder tes. Making a high-pitched humming sound, aser beam sted out like a water hose. Leaving a red trail in the ground, thatser sliced up at Jeff. A dash sideways. Bbrroooomm... The molten trail exploded. Being hit by the st wave, Jeff was pushed a few more steps sideways. Particles of ss started to rain down. Under the reflection of the molten ground, it looked like it''s raining red pixels. A white noise started to get louder and louder. Jeff''s vision became blurry for an instance. Jeff also felt a little sleepy. But just a little. Bttooomm! Like a ray of blue light, As shot towards Jeff. The ground under As'' afterimage exploded into a shower of dry sand. In air, hisnce started to radiate a blinding light. m! An explosion of mana. From the collision, a st wave bursted out. In a blink, that st wave had reached the shore. Like being hit by a truck, the hunters at the front were knocked up into the air. One after another, they crashed into the fallen hunters on the ground. Only the three S-rank hunters were remaining standing. Yet, their expressions quickly turned bitter. The power gap was simply too big. Back at the shoreline... Standing at the center of the crater, Jeff casually grabbed onto As''nce with one hand. With his other hand, Jeff lifted his staff. Bam! As kneeled onto one knee. Jeff''s staff had chopped 2 inches into As'' shoulder armor. A burst of sparks shot right out. The glowing stripes on As'' armor started to blink. Vrrrmmm... It''s the sound of an engine dying off. "Haarrraaaahh!" As tried to push up. DOoonnmm... Jeffnded a kick onto As'' chest armor. Drawing an arc in the air, Asnded onto his back. The collision brought up some silt into the air. After sliding back some distance, As finally came to a halt. The dude tried to get up from this dead armor, but he couldn''t. "Why..." As looked at Jeff in disbelief. "How?!" As''s pupils shivered in shock and confusion. "No! Arrggh! NOO!" In As'' view, Jeff''s figure gradually ovepped with Lord Trample. Looking at As, Jeff lightly shook his head. ''Well... Someone has to cool off. And that person sure ain''t me.'' Chapter 60 - Hunters Council (5) "The powered armor is just an external aid." Walking up to As, Jeff shook his head. "I wouldn''t rely on this type of strength if I were you." "Is your strength truly yours?" As growled. In a quick moment, As had controlled himself. "Well. I earned every bit of it, through fighting, and training. I rely only on myself." Jeff nodded in certainly. "How do you exin your abilities!" As clenched his teeth. "Everly, Patient in level negative four, me, we are all category 4s. If Everly can have basically unlimited storage, and Patient can make this armor for you, why can''t I make up abilities?" Jeff asked back. As: ... (Patient is a codename) (Category 4: people who have abilities beyond the psychic, physical, and mana systems) "Alright." Standing above As, Jeff leaned forward. "Enough chatter." Now that As had cooled off, Jeff''s expression turned serious. "Listen. Just because we are hunters, it doesn''t mean we aren''t good enough to be formal employees. Got it?" "We are hunters because we prefer a free lifestyle. We don''t like 9 to 5s with a fixed pay. Got it?" Jeff looked at As dead in the eyes. "And since we are just contractors, that means we don''t have to stay here. We can leave at any time." "You can try your conscription order, or y underhanded moves. Then we will leave. All of us." "And the people of the sanctuary will side with our decisions, every single time. Got it?" "We are weed everywhere else. We are not your subordinates. And we are not wimps who are too scared to fight back. Understand?" "So curb your sense of pride, and stop looking down on us." Jeff raised his brows. "Well. You are As after all. I trust that you''ll keep your promises." "But if your subordinates y funny moves, don''t be surprised if we retaliate. You can count on my words as well." Jeff stood up straight again. Fixing his suit a little, Jeff turned to leave. "You will regret this..." As growled. "Hmmm. I''m not sure if I can agree." Leaving a casual wave, Jeff left. "Arrrrgggh!" As smashed his hand into the silt. 150 meters was not that much of a distance. In a moment, Jeff had returned to the beach. Looking at Jeff, the hunters exchanged surprised gazes. Even fighting at that level, Jeff was still unscratched. The S-ranks looked at Jeff as if Jeff was a monster. Unconsciously bowing a little, they looked at Jeff in reverence and confusion. They had the same question in mind. Defeating an SSS-rank in seconds. Did that mean that Jeff had reached a tier above SSS-rank? Did that tier even exist? Their attitude towards the other hunters have changed as well. This battle had shuttered their pride. Seeing this result, Jeff smiled a little. Things were heading in a better direction. Loud panting could be heard. Looking in that direction... It''s the security squad leader. The dude looked at Jeff with a terrified face. "As is over there." Jeff nodded at the dude. "He might need some help... in getting out of that metal suit." "Now that''s resolved." Jeff pointed at the cove with his chin. "Let''s get back to business." ... ... After this little incident, life pretty much went back to normal again. 3 PM. [Alice''s House of Wonders] There were no customers here at this hour. Sitting by a table, Jeff, Alice, Liam, and Cindy the waitress yed a card game. "So Jeff." Liam pulled a card out of Jeff''s hand. "This is Jeff speaking." Jeff smiled. Liam stared at the card in his hand for a moment. Casually shuffling his cards, the dude cleared this throat. "We are nning to redo the battle prowess rankings. SS-ranks. SSS-ranks. It''s just a pain to say. And the gap between S-ranks can be pretty big. Do you have any suggestions?" "Oh. I got ideas." Alice confidently smiled. Grabbing a card from Liam, the girl turned to Cindy. "Ok?" "How about Warrant officer, lieutenant, captain..." "So like the army?" Liam nodded in thought, considering the viability of this suggestion. "Kind of." Alice nodded. "Alsomodore, admiral, and fleet admiral." Liam looked at Alice with a raised brow in confusion. Wait... "So the straw hat pirate system." Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. "Exactly." Alice nodded. "Allllright...? Erhm. Yeah... So..." Liam nodded and looked around. Looked like this dude was searching for a new topic. "Oh. How about this! How about just a number for battle prowess?" Alice offered. "Ok. Hmm..." Liam nodded in agreement. "Yeah. That sounds pretty darn good." "Let''s use Jeff as a reference. What number would you give him?" "Over 9 000." "... The Goku anime huh..." Liam nodded. "Exactly." In the end, there were no changes done to the current ranking system. ... ... A few dayster... 5 AM in the morning. "Jeff, what are you doing in my kitchen?" Alice looked at Jeff with sleepy eyes. "Uhh..." Jeff froze to think for a second. "I''m either making milk chocte, or chocte milk. At this point, I can''t be sure..." "And what''s that?" Alice pointed at a te full of fried eggs. There had to be a dozen of them. Some were still half-raw. Some were overcooked, burnt, or broken. "Well. I was trying make sunny sides. And uhh... It took a few tries." Jeff grabbed onto another te. There were two good ones. "But hey, it worked out." Jeff brightly smiled. Alice stared at Jeff and puffed up her cheeks. "Jeff?" "This is Jeff speaking." "The eggs are cold now." "I can microwave it." Jeff flicked his brows. Alice sucked in a lung full of air. Her ears were shed red now. "So this is what you are getting me for Valentine''s day?" "And this." Jeff popped a bracelet into his hand. "Mainly this actually." It''s a silver bracelet with a golden heart attached. A bracelet jewelry? Not really. It''s more of an essory that looked like a bracelet. Kind of. This essory was kind of like Jeff''s flip phone. Not really a flip phone. Grabbing this shiny gift, Alice looked at Jeff with a raised brow. "You can call me with it." Jeff smiled and nodded. "It''s like a smart watch. You know. Connects to your phone via bluetooth. But there is no phone, and no bluetooth. And no watch... Yep." Alice''s eyes glistened hearing this. "Yep. Just press the heart to call me." "A... Thank you darling. Now if you please, please get out of my kitchen." "Yes chef. Sorry chef." Jeff hugged the girl and whispered something into her ear. Alice''s face shed red. ... A few dayster... In the living room, Jeff and Alice sat on a couch by each other. In front of them, there was a big sack of letters. "A very poetic invite for lunch..." Alice quickly read through a pink letter. Nodding for a moment, the girl threw the letter into a stic bin. "Invite for dinner..." The girl grabbed and read through another glinting letter. "Invite for an one-night stand?!" Alice looked at Jeff. "You know I won''t." Jeff met Alice''s gaze. "Yep. I know." Reading thank you letters became one of the couple''s after-dinner activities now. Though... There were some weird invitation letters mixed in... And not just from girls either... Umm... Yeah... Nevertheless, most were normal though. Reading through a letter, Jeff lightly smiled. It''s good to know that his donations were actually helping people. It''s also good to know that the hunters he''d saved were doing well now. Looking at the ceiling, Jeff took a deep breath. Ever since this world got fogged up, it''s been a struggle for most people. Even the top 3% C-ranks were small guys in this world. Now imagine the majority of E-ranks. Sure, Jeff was transitioning into sage tier. But on a grand scale, there''s actually not much Jeff could do. But at least here, in Berrystone, things were heading for the better. ''This hard time will pass eventually. Good days will be back again.'' ''There are dangers in this world.'' ''There are unfairness and injustice in this world.'' ''I''ll just have to punch my way through, one obstacle at a time.'' Chapter 61 - All In (1) About 50 meters above the ground, a pearl floated in the air. Emitting a buzz sound, that pearl started to gobble up the fog around it. In a moment, that pearl became enshrouded in a dense fog. Below that pearl, Jeff looked around. The view-obstructing fog quickly cleared up. Things looked clear and defined now. For a moment, Jeff felt a little unused to this. Standing on this destroyed road, Jeff scanned the environment around him. Before knowing it, it''s been a couple of months already. The cold rain season was over. It''s been mostly sunny nowadays. The days were getting longer and brighter as well. The wind in May was gentle and fresh. In these short months, ayer of moss had nketed those piles of building debris. In the cracks and pits of this asphalt road, grass had spurted out. To be honest, it''d be a nice day to rx. But looking at the dude in front of him, Jeff sighed. As the fog cleared up, Jeff could see the dude''s face more clearly now. Well groomed. Well-built body. Wearing a high-ss looking business suit. Also, a charismatic smile. Daylor Anas. Out of various reasons, Jeff didn''t like this dude one bit. The buzzing sound up there got louder. Ayer of red glowing fabric expanded out of that pearl. In a moment, a transparent dome made out of red light formed. Outside the dome, Jeff''s friends and acquaintances were there. Magni. Liam. Some S-ranks of the sanctuary. Oracle. Telepathy. Gardener. The three SS-ranks who''d fought by Jeff''s side against Lord Trample. Then, it''s a group of strangers. All of them looked like sessful elites in society. These were the members of the Anas family. Yep. These guys came over for a conference. For some strange reason, the Anas family was invited as well. ''Request for a friendly spar? '' Jeff crossed his arms. ''More like settling some beef first.'' Outside the dome, the other guests had lighthearted chatters. Looking at the two with yful gazes, these guys looked excited for the drama. "So you want a round two huh..." Jeff sighed. "If you give me my staff back, we won''t need a round 2." Daylor brightly smiled. "Hmmm..." Jeff squinted. "May I have my staff back?" "No." "Please?" "No." "Alright. Fine. I don''t want it back anymore." Daylor held up his hands. "Good." Jeff nodded. "Cause I''m not giving it back to you." "Alright." Daylor shrugged. "Even if you beg me to take it back, I''m not taking it back now." "Why would I... do that?" Jeff looked at Daylor with a ''bro, are you alright'' gaze. "Yeah? Even if you kneel before me, and pleeeaad, for me to take it back, I''m not taking it back." Daylor proudly stood a bit taller. "Even if you want it back, I''m not giving it back to you." "But I don''t want it back." "Ok... Good." Jeff squinted at the dude. "Because..." Jeff sighed. "Ok, this is really stupid. Is this all your business here?" "Well. I''m just making myself clear. You can keep it, because I don''t want it back anymore." "Tsshh..." Jeff was starting to feel a little ticked off. "You can see it as a marriage gift." Daylor flicked his hand at Jeff, as if saying ''you are wee.'' "Now you will marry one of my sisters, or one of my cousins." Daylor smiled at Jeff. "What?" Jeff looked at the dude as if he''s crazy. "That makes no sense." Daylor squinted and tilted his head. Pointing a finger at Jeff, this dude stared at Jeff all confused, as if he wasn''t sure if Jeff was serious or not. "Really? That makes perfect sense." Jeff raised his brows and leaned back. He wasn''t sure if this guy was trolling, or he''s just an alien. Jeff: ... Daylor:... Daylor: "so we are cool on this?" "What? No!" Jeff leaned back with knitted brows. "Ok. Alright. My bad. I thought you''d know, but clearly, as a wild mage, you don''t know." Daylor pointed his palms at Jeff. "You won my staff over me, fair and square, fine." Daylor slowly talked. "Now, we have acknowledged your strength, and you may have the honor to join the Anas family." "And how do you join my family?" Daylor twirled his hand. "Why would I want to join your family?" Jeff asked. "Why wouldn''t you- Right. Wild mage. Well, there are reasons why everybody wants to join the ancient and noble Anas family." "A beautiful wife, or gorgeous wives. Unimaginable wealth. But that''s before though. I doubt dor bills means anything now. Uh. Pills and potions that makes you stronger, or makes you live longer, and look better, and so on." "Ancestral tier artifacts." Daylor pointed up at the floating pearl. "Avish style. High-ss social stature." "Oh right. Ever since mana revitalized, there''s many more mages now." "But wild mages like you have ss ceilings. And we, the protectors of humanity since the ancient days, have many methods to help you grow beyond those barriers." "Join us, and you will see the truth of this world. How about it." Daylor brightly smiled. He looked confident about his offer. "Huh... I don''t know about me, but they seem interested." Jeff pointed out the dome. Daylor looked at the viewers. Those guys were all staring at Daylor and the Anas family now. Their gazes weren''t exactly friendly: Calctive. Curious. Examination. A glint of greed. A sh of malicious intent. "Tsch. You think we take in random small fries?" Daylor looked at the crowd with a smirk. "However, at SS-rank, as you people call it, I suppose they do have sufficient talent, so they do pass the bottom line." The S-ranks red at Daylor. "Mere S-ranks." Daylor scoffed. "Every member in the Anas family can easily reach that level in given time." "Cooool." Jeff nodded. "But I think I''m good." Daylor looked at Jeff in disbelief. "You are turning down my offer?" "Well. Yeah." Jeff nodded. "Ok. I''ll take one step back. You can marry your girlfriend as well." Jeff: ... "Hey. Nothing wrong with two wives." "Uh huh... No. I''m not marrying a random woman, and I''m not cheating on Alice." "It''s not cheating if you are open about it." Daylor flicked his brows at Jeff. Jeff: ... "Enough." A mid-aged man walked through the red barrier. "Yes father." Daylor stepped back. Chapter 62 - All In (2) "Jeff Norman. The strongest man in Berrystone. At least, that''s what most people believe." This mid-aged dude walked up to Jeff. Shooting an expressionless nce at Daylor, this dude continued to walk forward. Understanding something, Daylor left this dome. "At the moment, I must admit, I agree to this im as well." Jeff took a better look at the mid-aged dude. This guy was an older version of Daylor Anas. Just as ssy. Just as proud. Wearing a crisp formal suit. Having a thin sword tied to his waist. But unlike Daylor''s frivolous behaviour, this guy looked calm and steady. (Frivolous (of a person): carefree, not serious, lighthearted) Standing tall and strong, this guy emitted a strong aura of confidence. It''s as if he''s been in high stature for a number of years. This guy was only an S-rank. Yet, facing Jeff, a sage-tier, this guy still looked rxed. Jeff liked this guy as much as he liked Daylor Anas. (Not at all) Especially this dude''s gaze. It''s like Jeff was his subordinate, or his child, or something. Nevertheless, Jeff had to admit, in terms of looks and presentation, this guy looked more like a leader. Reliable. Trustworthy. Strong. Subconsciously, Jeff stood a little taller. ''I''m getting a better suit after this...'' "I am Tyler Finn Anas. The current head of the North American branch of the Anas family." "You have defeated Daylor in a fair battle. It is your right to take a spoil of battle from him. This is no big matter." "I do not sense any void energy on you, child. That''s why we are willing to talk to you." "We have to admit, considering that you are a wild mage, reaching SSS-rank without our aid is rather impressive." "But to the Anas family, this talent can only be considered, good." "In the past, many of our ancestors have demonstrated far greater talent than you." Taylor Anas stated this like a matter of fact. Standing a little taller, Taylor looked like he was proud of his heritage. "Your additional to our bloodline is preferred, but not necessary." "Since you have turned down our offer, we will not offer this invite to you again." Taylor squinted and humphed. "Good." Jeff nodded. Tyler Anas'' gaze turned colder. "Now that we have came to a conclusion in this matter, let''s move onto the next topic." "Even though you are not currently corrupted by the void, we cannot take any risks." "Hand over the Void Key child. This is not something you can handle." "Void key?" "That ck sword you took." "Uh huh..." Jeff slowly nodded. "I killed a den of void people." Jeff raised a brow at the mid-aged fe. "Servants of the void." Taylor Anas corrected. "Right. And what did you guys do? Just because you say some words, I''m supposed to fully believe you? How do I know you are not on the void''s side?" "You..." Taylor Anas took in a deep breath and grumbled. "Boy. Listen. If our ancestors sided with the void, you would not exist now. Do you understand?" "Our family has been protecting this against the mythical forces, for 12,500 years. And you are doubting us?!" "If you''d like, you cane pay us a visit, and see for yourself, our trophies, our glory, and our sacrifices!" Taylor Anas snapped at Jeff. "Alright... Sure." Jeff raised his brows. "And I am a 1,000 years old high elf." PAUSE: True. Jeff was mocking this guy. But in reality, Jeff was 90% certain that this guy was telling the truth. The staff from Daylor Anas was the best proof. That artifact heavily targeted against the void. But still, Jeff refused to give away his loot for free. ... Ok. Fine. In reality, Jeff just didn''t like these guys'' attitude. They were treating him like an inferior being. And that ticked Jeff off. "I''m a superior guardian. Therefore, the void key is safe and secure in my hands." Jeff looked down at Tyler Anas. Two can y this game. Tyler Anas closed his eyes and sighed. "Your greed will cause your down fall. You may be the strongest being in this city, but in the face of the Anas family, you are nothing." "Child. Let today be a lesson to you." "The glory of the protector families shall not be stained!" Tyler Anas withdrew his thin sword. The body of that sword emitted a crimson color. Regarding what that sword was made of... Jeff couldn''t tell. Wood? Metal? Rock? It could be any of them. At the same time, it didn''t look like any of them. Jeff had never seen anything alike before. Without further hesitation, Taylor Anas jumped back, making some distance from Jeff. Jeff took a look around him. Three A-ranks jumped into this dome. They grabbed a sword in one hand, and a white-jade block in the other. These guys got into the dome without any resistance. People just watched this uing battle with anticipation. Entertained looks. Casual chatting. Some even started to take bets! And this included Jeff''s buddies! Most people were curious of the Anas'' capabilities. After all, these guys did spew out some big words. Some SS-ranks looked at Jeff though. Before, they had only seen Jeff throw out his glow-tier dagger. And that was it. They were curious of what SSS-rank power looked like. Sure. It''s a 4 vs. 1. But nobody expected Jeff to lose. Waiting for these guys to get into position, Jeff looked up. One radiant-tier artifact up there. Four radiant-tier swords. Jeff took a look at his radiant-tier staff. These guys were filthy rich... One after another, the jade blocks in these guys'' hands bursted with light. One after another, these guys'' mana levels elevated to S-ranks. Those jade blocks quickly disintegrated into a handful of dust. The next moment, those four swords started glowing. In front of Jeff, Tyler Anas held a crimson thin sword. Based on instincts, Jeff felt that this thing was dangerous. Even in the hands of an S-rank, it''s still enough to injure him. By his left, it''s a cyan broad sword. Behind him, it''s a magenta thorn sword. By his right, it''s a purple curved sword. These swordsmen smiled in excitement. They were eager to defend their family''s honor! Chapter 63 - All In (3) Surrounding Jeff, those four floating swords vibrated with a low hum. In a blink, those swords'' frequencies became synchronized. Four strings of light appeared in between those swords, forming a square. On the ground, a circle formation appeared, inscribing that square. Having the circr formation as foundation, smallerplex formations formed. Runic characters started to blink here and there. This formation waspleted in a blink. But in the eyes of a sage-tier, this process was still progressing in slow-motion. If Jeff wanted, Jeff could have easily left this formation before itspletion. But it''s just not necessary. Jeff didn''t feel much threat here. To an SSS-rank, this may be a dangerous situation. But, Jeff was not SSS-rank anymore. The floating cyan broadsword sliced at air. In an instance, chaotic wind currents formed within this formation. Those randomly appearing and disappearing currents did not look that menacing. Yet, sensing closely into the currents, there were sharp wind des mixed inside. Pebbles and soil grains were brought up into the wind. In a moment, they sped up to the speed of bullets. Looking at the mana density... This formation could wipe out any number of A-ranks instantly. S-ranks mightst a few seconds before being grinded down to particles. Yet, there was an invisible barrier covering Jeff. An inch surrounding Jeff was a different world. Here, it''s untouched and normal. It''s as if that wind storm did not exist. Simultaneously, the magenta thorn sword waved in air. The ground rumbled a bit. The mana in the air quickly converged into this formation. Fire element. Earth element. Water element. Wind element. The elements conflicted with each other. Yet, at the same time, the elements cooperated with each other. Spurts of fire. Streams of water. The rumbling of the ground. The mixing of the wind. The elements were locked into a cycle of creation and destruction. Jeff couldn''t understand the chemistry behind this. Nevertheless, Jeff instantly felt some pressure pressing down. It''s like this world wanted to hold him down and bury him. There''s no way for an SS-rank to hold against this pressure. It''d take an SSS-rank''s best efforts. As soon as this chaotic world formed, the purple curved sword waved around. The ground under Jeff softened into a swamp. From this chaotic world, various creatures were born. ming ants, towering mud giant, a living puddle that looked like a slime. Also non-living objects: flying swords, daggers, needles. Creatures big and tiny. In coboration, they shot towards Jeff. Jeff snapped his fingers. [Mana Burst] An invisible dome expanded out from Jeff. Splut! Like being hit by a truck, those creatures got blown into the air. In the air, these creatures quickly disintegrated. A sh of red light! Jeff tilted his head. A digital-red slit appeared by his cheek. [ Anti-healing effect in action: Your healing has been slowed! ] [ Curse effect in action: This wound will expand over time! ] [ Bleed effect in action: As long as this wound exists, you will lose _0.001%_ of your maximum health per minute ] In a second, these attacks took ce one after another. "Hmm..." Leaning sideways, Jeff dodged that red light again. "Interesting." Here, only that crimson thin sword posed a threat to him. Area of Effect damage. Binding effect. Terrain changing effect. Single-target execution. This swords formation wasn''tcking anything. Yet, in the end, it''s only S-ranks fueling these artifacts. Take a sidestep, Jeff easily dodged that crimson sword again. Now that Jeff was a bit more serious, this de was simply too slow. On the outside, the audience became silent. The pride of the Anas family wasn''t backed up by nothing after all. If it''s them, all of them together, being trapped inside that formation. How long would theyst? 5 seconds? 10 seconds? Inside the formation, Jeff dodged the crimson light a few more times. ''Anything else?'' Jeff knitted his brows. ''Or they think they can wear me out?'' ''Please. I wouldn''t even consider this as after dinner exercise.'' "So there is nothing new." Jeff closed his eyes. Casually taking a sidestep, Jeff dodged that crimson sword again. "Are you looking down at us!" The wielder of the magenta sword growled. The wind speed quickened. More monsters started to spawn. Jeff felt a bit more weight. Just a tiny bit though. Jeff stopped holding in his mana. Like pressing the pause button, everything inside that formation froze in ce. At this instance, the four sword wielders suddenly felt a tremendous force pressing down at them. It''s like there were mountains crashing down on them. Crack! One after another, cracks on the red dome expanded out. Inside, all those monsters, all those elemental effects, and all the wind des came to a halt. Like piles of ashes, these attacks disintegrated into the air. Jeff opened his eyes. A blue light overflowed from his eyes. His entire body emitted a dim blue glow as well. No. Jeff did not turn his stack of abilities on. This was his full-on sage-tier mode. When Jeff turned on his stack of abilities, he emitted a warm golden glow. When Jeff entered this mode, there were visual effects as well. Quite unfortunate. Jeff didn''t like giving his status info to his enemies in battle. But eh. What can you do about it. Jeff looked around. Under his gaze, the swordsmen could no longer remain standing. One after another, they kneeled onto one knee. Yet, the four swords were still floating in air. There was a dome of red light separating the crowd from the battle. Yet, outside the dome, the crowd still felt a tremendous pressure. "Is this... the full power of SSS-rank?" Gardener watched in awe and anticipation. "Y-You have be joking right?" An S-rank sat onto the ground. "As expected of the strongest man in Berrystone..." "Is he a deity now?" Some looked rather concerned. Some people''s eyes glinted in calction and plotting. Knowing that Berrystone was under Jeff''s protection, some became more rxed. Inside that dome, Tyler Anas looked at Jeff in disbelief and regret. "I knew it! You have epted the aid from the void didn''t you!" "Why would I do that?" Jeff looked at the slumping dude. Like being pressed down by an invisible force, Taylor bowed a little. Clenching his teeth, looking at Jeff''s feet with a re, Taylor Anas growled. "You are saying you reached ancestral tier by yourself?" The four floating swords brightened up in unison. It''s like the swords had been enraged by this battle oue. Or they simply were not ready to give up. At this moment, they sted out all the energy they had. In an instance, Jeff''s view changed. He was standing on a dirt path in a forest now. Chapter 64 - All In (4) Days and nights quickly cycled. In the warm spring breeze, colorful flowers blossomed in the forest. A gust of cold wind... Patta... Patta... The sparse raindrops ramped up into a rainstorm. Pita-pata. Pita-pata. Rain mercilessly barraged onto the flowers. In the curtain of rain, flowers showered onto the ground. Gradually, the world brightened up again. The heavy clouds up there thinned out again. The weather quickly warmed up. it''s summer time now. In a moment, it was zing hot. Like a snap, tree leaves started to brown and fall to the ground. A cool wind pushed out the burning air. It''s autumn now. The tree leaves on the ground quickly withered and rotted. Gradually, a thin frost nketed over the leaves. Snowfall begun. No matter how Jeff moved around, he''d be teleported back to the path in a blink. It''s like he was trapped in the concept of time itself. Slowly but steadily, Jeff felt the force of aging grinding him down. One extra second at a time... Almost ignorable to be honest. This spell was fancy... But fragile. Jeff snapped his fingers. His view instantly changed. He was back to reality now. That cyan broad sword had stabbed into the ground. It''s like that sword had ran out of energy. Unable to continue floating in air, it fell into the ground. Yet, Jeff could sense an aura of death from that sword. Standing on the ground, Jeff felt that his life force was being drained out. However, the effect was so little that it basically didn''t matter. Looking at that purple curved sword... An invisible dome was expanding out from that sword now. Inside that dome, there was nothing. No air. No particles. Nothing. Just a vacuum. Anything that came into contact with that dome just disappeared. However, that dome was tiny. The expansion was also excruciatingly slow. Jeff looked in front of himself. That crimson thin sword was shooting at him now. However... Jeff walked out of its path. Extending a hand, Jeff grabbed onto its handle. Jeff felt a destructive force running up his hand. But, it''s too weak to do anything. Suddenly, Jeff felt a force cutting right through his mana barrier. His barrier was just foam in front of this force! It''s quick! But not dangerous. That force grabbed onto Jeff''s shirt and suit. Before Jeff could do anything... ZZzzzp! That invisible hand tore Jeff''s clothing off. pping in air, Jeff''s clothing flew away from him. Turning around, Jeff could see the assant now. It''s an S-rank outside the dome. That guy was frozen in air. The dude was pointing a wooden staff at Jeff. Another radiant-tier artifact! The dude was useless. It''s the staff doing all the work! As a sage-tier, Jeff could grab his broken clothing back. But even as a sage-tier, Jeff couldn''t just magically repair his outfit. Jeff: ... Clunk! Clunk! Having spent all of their energy, the two swords fell onto the ground, bringing up two puffs of fine dirt. Inside the dome, the four swordsmen had copsed onto the ground in fatigue. On the ground, there were only fine particles of dirt now. The ground level had sank five inches from this battle. Gradually, the swordsmen''s energy level returned back to A-rank. ''No. They are weaker now. There are side effects after all...'' Jeff then looked down at his upper body. No lean muscles. Just an one-pack. Yeah... attribute improvements did not include cosmetic effects. Now that this battle was settled, Jeff exited his sage mode. "Really now... All of that, just to do this? Is this some form of humiliation?" Jeff turned to Tyler Anas. "Ha! I knew- Whhhhat!" The mid-aged dude looked at Jeff in disbelief. "You reached ancestral tier without the aid from the void, or the blessing of a god?! You are a natural ancestral being?" "Impossible!" At this sight, Tyler Anas dropped all of his elite manners. Dropping his jaw, this guy shook his head in disbelief. "What?! A wild mage. Whhhaaat?!" Tyler gasped in sheer confusion. "Noooo. No!" Tyler Anas looked at Jeff with an intense stare. "Who ARE you." Jeff casually popped a grey T-shirt into existence. You know. Habit of stacking supplies. "Since you asked..." Jeff raised his chin. "Some people call me the mission machine." "But I." Jeff squinted and pointed at himself with his thumb. "Am Jeff Norman." "No. Who ARE you!" "Jeff Norman." Jeff leaned back in confusion. ''Am I supposed to be someone else?'' "Ok. Reincarnation? Descendent of a great one? Bloodline reawakening. Maybe you found your ancestor''s inheritance?" Tyler Anas held up a hand. "You don''t have to tell me. But since our ancestors fought together, could you at least give me a name?" "For the honor of your family, you wouldn''t hide this right?" "Say your heritage in pride and honor!" Tyler Anas looked at Jeff in anticipation. Jeff looked at the dude in confusion. "... Norman?" Tyler Anas: ... Jeff: ... "Am I supposed to know?" "Of course you are supposed to know!" Tyler looked at Jeff in suspicion. The dude''s gaze glinted a little. Tyler Anas opened his mouth and raised his brows. He seemed to have realized a possibility. His expression became uncertain. Jeff could be genuinely confused. Or Jeff could be hiding something... But what was Jeff hiding? Tyler Anas squinted in thought. His mind was running at light speed for a moment. Then Tyler Anas'' expression became nk. He had reached a conclusion: No idea. Back to square one. "Very well Mr. Norman. We admit defeat for this battle. Looks like we won''t be able to confine that Void Key in your hands." "Correct." "But I do have to warn you, the void energy is very dangerous. Sometimes, when you take a wrong step forward, there is no going back." "Yes I know." "If you have time, maybe we can have a chat about it." This mid-aged dude sighed in defeat. "Maybe we could even bargain a deal." Tyler Anas chuckled like this was a joke. "You couldn''t have offered me this earlier?" Tyler Anas'' expression froze. "All you wanted was an exchange?!" "Well yeah. I''m not going to give away my loot for free." Jeff leaned back. ''Isn''t this obvious?'' Jeff ranted in his mind. "Just because you asked me for it, I''m supposed to give it to you?" "Of c- Huueehhh..." The mid-aged dude slumped and sighed. "But.... Huuehh..." "You are a fool... And I am an idiot." This mid-aged dude murmured. His gaze wondered as if his worldview had shuttered. Jeff: ... ''Am I the alien? Or is this guy an alien?'' The dome of red light retracted into that floating pearl. Plop. The pearl made a tiny crater in the dust. Chapter 65 - All In (5) The top dogs of Berrystone walked down the broken streets. In their small circles, people loudly chattered with each other. This might attract mist monsters? Heyheyhey... The mist monsters should be concerned about this trap then. The Anas family was still proud and uninviting. Sure. They had just lost to Jeff. But they still demonstrated an overwhelming battle prowess. Nobody took the Anas family lightly anymore. The jealous and calctive gazes were gone now. There was only acknowledgement and reverence left. Before that battle, who''d believe that an A-rank could pose a threat to an SS-rank? But now, nobody knew anymore. Who knew what artifacts the Anas could pull out of their as- arsenal. Maybe this battle was in the Anas family''s calctions as well. Maybe they wanted a show of force from the very start. Maybe not. At least Jeff took these guys seriously now. ''True. I won that fight without much effort.'' Jeff casually walked by himself. ''But that''s only because these guys were mere S-ranks. Those artifacts were only charged up with S-rank mana.'' ''They couldn''t bring out even 0.001% of those swords'' potential.'' Jeff squinted in thought. ''I''ve reached sage tier now. But I can only bring out 2 - 3% of the potential in my staff.'' ''To bring out 100% of my staff''s powers... Maybe sagete tier is required.'' ''Thosest attacks... It''s almost like they are on a whole new level... I still don''t have a clue on how those attacks worked...'' ''If these guys were SSS-rank...'' Jeff felt a sense for urgency again. ''They could certainly bring out some effects sessfully.'' Normally, even if it''s hundreds SSS-ranks, Jeff wouldn''t even bat an eye. But if it''s 4 SSS-ranks with those set of swords? Oh boy... If it''s another sage-tier wielding those swords... Jeff might actually face a lethal threat. ''Still not strong enough huh...'' Jeff sighed in his mind. ''Looks like I''ve got to stack my abilities more...'' Jeff''s expression turned serious. "Tsup bro. Got a moment?" Daylor Anas caught up to Jeff''s side. Beside Daylor, there was a girl in her 20s. She was in a chiffon dress that faded from ck to purple. Wearing a haughty look, she examined Jeff up and down. Nodding a little, she appeared... satisfied with what she saw. Just satisfied, as in a borderline pass. This girl looked like she''d been pampered her entire life. In a moment, the three fell behind the main group. "Alright Jeff. We''ll take one step back in the deal. You can take one of my sister, or cousin, as your mistress." The girl looked at Daylor in disbelief. Jeff knitted his brows. "I thought we were over on this topic." Jeff was expecting a bargain on his ck sword, not an arranged marriage... The girl looked at Jeff with a questioning stare. She looked at Jeff as if Jeff was insane or something. "Well. You know. Magical families tend to care about bloodlines. Erhm. I''ll take one more step back. Marry one of your child into our family, and we''ll open our storage to you. How about it. I know you probably don''t need much external aid anymore. But there''s people around you who needs it right?" "Bro..." Jeff stared at Daylor. "This is North America. It''s the 21st century already. We don''t do arranged marriage anymore. At least, like, 99% of us don''t." "Alright. Don''t stop your child from marrying into our family." "Alright...?" Jeff slowly nodded. "I''m cool with this." "Deal?" Daylor extended a hand. "Deal." Jeff shook this dude''s hand. "Seriously." The girl looked at Jeff. "Unbelievable." She looked offended for some reason. "Are you mocking us? You should know who we are, and you still chose a lowly nobody. Over us?" The girl shook her head in disdain at Jeff. "Sorry. And you are?" "Karline Anas. Daughter of Tyler Anas." "Ok?" Jeff raised a brow. This girl looked nothing like her brother. "And your position is?" "An ancient nobility." "Oookay... I was asking for what you do. Like your role in your family. But Ok..." "What?" The girl looked even more confused. "Like, what are you in charge of? Like, what''s your responsibility." Jeff asked. He wanted to know if this girl was in charge of anything. Was she important in his dealings with the Anas family? "What?" The girl looked at Jeff like Jeff was an alien. "So do you do anything in your day?" "Why would I need to do anything?" "Uh Huh..." Jeff slowly nodded. Turning to Daylor... The dude gave Jeff the same expression. "Why would Karline need a position?" ''Alright. This conversation is not going anywhere.'' Jeff cleared his throat. "Good. I''m d that we could reach an agreement. I''ll catch you guyster." Jeff picked up the pace. In a blink, Jeff had quickly disappeared into the fog. "Such ignorance and stupidity..." The girl mumbled. "Well. He is a strange man." Daylor nodded in agreement. ... A momentter... In the sanctuary, city hall, 4th floor conference room... The strongest beings in this city sat around arge round table. In the SS-rank: Magni, As, Gardener, Telepathy, Oracle. From the sanctuary: Liam, Jeff. From the Anas family: Tyler Anas. There were only 8 people in this room. But everyone here were big figures in this city. The keyholder was missing for some reason. Seeing this, the three SS-rank guests put on displeased looks. "I apologize." Liam caught those guys'' change of expressions. "But our keyholder is getting old. He is currently in medical care at the moment." Those three guests nodded at Liam in understanding. Their expressions softened. "Very well. Now that everyone is here." Tyler Anas stood up. "I will exin why I initiated this meeting." People looked at Liam. Liam nodded in affirmation. "I believe Mr. Anas will give everyone here a reasonable exnation." Tyler Anas took in a deep breath. "We wouldn''t normally get wild mages involved in this. It''s rather embarrassing to be honest." "But the situation is getting out of our control. And we need your help." "The servants of the void are plotting something big. If they seed, we may lose Berrystone city." "Really?" As leaned back against his chair. "The sanctuary had just cleaned out a den recently." Tyler Anas'' face fell. This family head took a cold nce at As. "Do not question our expertise in this matter. We have dealt with the void for 12,500 years now." "Detect and eliminate the servants of void. Close void rifts. That is our primary purpose of existence." "Their activity in Berrystone have ramped up. I believe..." Tyler Anas'' expression became serious. "They are going all-in." "Now before that," Tyler Anas turned to Jeff. "We will need to confine the Void Key first." "Alright. What do you have to offer?" Jeff asked. "What do you want?" "What do you guys have?" Tyler: ... Jeff: ... "Any 10 items from our storage." Tyler offered. This family head easily guessed Jeff''s next question. Without stopping, Tyler added: "Tablets that generate personal training guides. Able to smoothly bring an E-rank to SSS-rank without ss ceilings. Though, the training may be a few years, or a couple of decades." "Potions that extends people''s lifespan by 10 years. 5 maximum usage per person." "Protective artifacts that can block out S-rank attacks for 99 minutes straight." "All the items are about this level. How about it." "Deal." Jeff nodded. There wasn''t much research value left in the void key anyways. Jeff''s staff covered the same functions, and did a better job. Also, Jeff had absorbed most of the key''s void energy already. To Jeff, honestly, the key was just a piece of garbage now. Jeff extended a hand above the round table. A ck sword popped into thin air. Clung! It dropped onto the table. Seeing this, Tyler Anas froze up for an instance. Wearing a frozen smile, this dude stopped breathing for a moment. Chapter 66 - All In (6) "You- You... Hooii..." Tyler Anas sighed. Looked like he had given up. Tyler Anas held up a hand. A silver ring on his finger started to brighten up. A grain-sized particle popped out. In a blink, that particle expanded into arge metal block. Tyler Anas then popped out a pair of scaly gloves. Snap. Tyler Anas shoved his hands into the gloves. Those gloves expanded liketex gloves. Taking in a deep breath, this family head''s gaze became focussed and determined. The dude carefully grabbed onto the big ck sword. Bring this sword above the metal block, Tyler slowly stabbed downwards. Bringing out a ripple, that sword gradually submerged into the block. It''s as if that block was a liquid or something. With shivering hands and a sweating forehead, Tyler As continued this process. A momentter, that ck sword finally became fully-emerged. Tyler sighed in relief. Letting out a smile, squinting his eyes, this guy looked like he''d just arrived heaven. "Good. That was easier than expected." Tyler looked around with a big smile. Grabbing onto the metal block, this guy put it into the corner of this room. "Very well." Tyler''s walking became more lively. "Now, I will exin what we are dealing with. Void-" Sensing something, Tyler Anas looked out the window. Jeff looked in that direction as well. He sensed a ripple in space. Yep. This was a sub-ability Jeff had gained from his staff. Sensing an energy signature, Jeff turned back to the round table. This energy signature was not even stealthy. Everyone here noticed. ck mist quickly rose from the table, converging into somewhat a human figure. The dude still looked like a cluster of ck mist though. His energy reading... C-rank? B-rank? Maybe E-rank? Jeff couldn''t be certain. Too weak to tell the difference. "Greetings, people of my old species." The dude looked around. Jeff raised his brows. "Fan of Bloodline Ninjas huh." "Yeah man." The mist dude pointed at Jeff. "Thank you. Someone here gets my tribute." "Anyways, I have a message for you people." "Some of you may have noticed already, but it''s toote for you!" "Our rituals have already began!" "In an instance, our leaders will gain power beyond SSS-rank! They will be living deities on Earth!" "Join us now! For the void gives generously! Immortality! Overwhelming strength! Limitless riches! True freedom! No more living in fear! No more sickness! Anything you wish for, you can get it from the void!" "You know the void is the future! Anyone in the path of destiny will be crashed!" "We want nothing from you! Join us, gain strength, keep your authorities!" Unfortunately, nobody in this room looked interested. "You only say what we''ll receive." Tyler scoffed. "But never once, did you mention what the cost is." "Sounds like a scam to me." Jeff nodded in agreement. The others in this room looked at this messenger in disdain. "To receive anything from the void, you have to be either oblivious, stupid, or a in maniac." Tyler Anas snickered. "The void gives you anything you want with a low cost. Few man can resist their greed, and stop before it''s toote. At one point, you will gain unrivaled powers. Men may not be able to stop you. But this world can do just that." "After you die, the void takes back everything it gave to you, and it owns you." Tyler exined to the fes in this room. "You''ll lose your chance of reincarnation, and remain the void''s tool for eternity." "That''s the real cost." "An immortal tool though. With endless possibility and growth ahead of us. It''s anyone''s game to be a deity. Just might take a long time." The messenger shrugged. "Enough! He''s just distracting us. He''s buying time for their rituals." Tyler''s gaze turned cold. "We need to act quickly." "Alright. Cool. War it is." The mist messenger carelessly shrugged. "But I am invincible and unkible in this world. So don''t bother. Adios." The mist messenger started to sink into the table. An invisible ray shot out of Telepathy''s forehead. With ease, that attackednded into the mist dude. "Impossible... I am-" The void messenger quickly disintegrated into thin air. Jeff expected a void rift to open up. But there wasn''t one. "They have already started. If they seed, they could potentially gain five ancestral tiers." Hearing this, Jeff squinted. ''Five sage-tiers at once huh...'' ''With my stacked abilities, and my radiant-tier staff, I should be able to win easily.'' ''But only if these five-sage tiers have nothing though... No abilities. No equipments. No special buffs.'' ''Yeah... I''m not interested in taking risks. Not today.'' "There is no way they can hide disturbances of this level." Tyler Anas ced a te-like device onto the table. Five arrow-shaped holograms popped out. After spinning around a little, they pointed into five different directions. "We need to act fast. Five locations. Each SS-ranks here can take care of one, yes?" "I think I''ll stay behind." Magni subtly looked at As. "As reserve reinforcement." Some questioning gazes were thrown at As and Magni. "In this case, I''ll take care of one myself." Tyler Anas quickly continued. "Jeff, by handing over the Void Key, you have proven yourself to be trustworthy. You can take care of one spot." "The five of us will destroy their ritual altars as quickly as possible. Members of the Anas family will be in your aid. We''ll help you locate the rituals. We will help you close the void rifts." "The S-ranks and A-ranks can follow behind. They are needed for eliminating the servants of the void." "Any questions? Good. We are short on time, let''s move out." Receiving some nods, Tyler Anas headed out the door. "Wait. Your block." Jeff pointed at the metal block at the corner. "I cannot ce it into my ring now. I''ll have to leave it here. This building is secure right?" Tyler Anas looked at Jeff. "Tss... Yeah..." Jeff took a nce at As. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you." The three SS-rank guests looked at Jeff with a questioning gaze. Then, they turned the questioning gaze to As. Something was fishy here. "I know you want to stay vignt." Tyler Anas turned his gaze to As. "But there is no void scent on this man. He is trustworthy." Liam cleared his throat. "There is a lot of civilians in the sanctuary. That''s our main concern." "We don''t want to bring the fight to here. It could lead to severe coteral casualties. Maybe you can hide the block at your ce? You guys are the professionals right?" "Very well. This is no critical matter. You will need 3 SS-ranks to open the safe by force." "Once the Void Key is confined, we can be certain that it''s a goner. Now. We have little time to waste. Let''s move out." ... ... [Alice''s House of Wonders] "Hi. You are looking for me?" Alice asked with a confused look. Karline Anas looked at Alice with an examining gaze. Just a cute neighborhood girl. Nothing extraordinary. "Hmm." Wearing a smirk, Karline squinted down at Alice. Pa! Karline tried to p Alice''s face. However, in an instance, a blue barrier covered Alice. Alice widened her eyes at Karline in surprise. Why? [ Hostile Action Detected ] A hand made out of blue glowing energy extended out of Alice''s bracelet. Pa! A firm pnded onto Karline''s face. With her head turned to her shoulder, Karline widened her eyes in sheer disbelief, confusion, and a quickly rising rage. "You-" Karline turned to Alice with a pointing finger. [ Hostile Threat Detected ] Pa! Karline''s head turned to her other shoulder. Karline stood still and widened her eyes. "Hiiiii-Aaarrrgghhh." Feeling the burning sensation on her cheeks, Karline was about to lose it. "You!" [ Removing Hostile Threat ] The front door snapped open. Karline flew out the door. "Hey. Alice?" Jeff''s voice sounded out Alice''s bracelet. "Yes Jeff?" "You alright?" "Yeah... I''m fine... This bracelet..." With a glowing smile, Alice looked at the bracelet on her wrist. She seemed to be emerged in satisfaction. "Uh. We can talk about itter. I''ll need you for a favor. Can you grab my mana stones from the storage." Hearing this message, Alice widened her eyes. This girl''s breathing became short. She was starting to panic. Taking in a deep breath, Alice turned to Cindy the waitress. "We are shutting down for the day. Don''t worry, you are still getting paid." Leaving that, Alice rushed out the back door. Chapter 67 - Decoys (1) The weather was nice and foggy as usual. A great day for activities such as frisbee, football, and perhaps a sacrificial ritual? It should be cloudless up there. Good brightness. Good visibility. The two void leaders felt as good as the weather itself. In sight, there''s a bright andfortable future. After today, nothing will be in their way anymore. About 30 miles away from the sanctuary, the two stood by the entrance of a subway station. Both S-ranks had a purplish-ck tattoo covering their head. The bigger fe only had a single shoulder te strapped on, revealing his muscr upper body. Standing tall and proud, holding a ive in one hand, this guy looked like a strong warrior. (ive: single-ded pole-arm) The smaller fe was only as tall as the void warrior''s belly button. Wearing a ck cloak, swirling a dagger at his fingertips, this guy looked like an assassin. Down the street, the sound of gunshots started to intensify. From time to time, there were shes of lights, followed by explosion sounds. "Looks like the big guys of this city finally noticed small fes like us huh." The void assassin satirically chuckled. The void warrior: ... "Tsk tsk. 5 S-ranks, 25 A-ranks, trying to break our lines. That''s a lot of big shots here. Perhaps we should even feel honored." The void assassin smirked. "Before, we should be." The void warrior grumbled. "But now, we hold the same power." The void warrior let out a menacing smile. "No. We are even stronger. After today-" The two looked up. Six pieces of papers were swirling down. There could be more up in the fog. Those papers quickly brightened up with a golden glow. In a blink, eight warriors formed out of the golden lights. Thump! Thump! Thump! The golden warriors dropped onto the ground, forming a circle around the 2 void leaders. All of them were about 2.5 meters tall. Golden armor. Golden skin. Empty hands. These guys looked like emotionless robots. "Tsch. Jumping right to us?" The void warrior looked around. Casually lifting up his ive, this guy put on a confident smile. "No cheating allowed here." The void assassin caught his swirling dagger and lowered his body. The golden warriors closed in onto their targets. "Scram!" The void warrior made a heavy swing. This strike went for three golden warriors at once! "Don''t blink." The void assassin let out a crazed smile. In the next instance, he disappeared. Clunk! A golden warrior easily caught that ive handle into its hand. PUNCH! The void warrior widened his eyes. An expanding golden fist reflected off his pupils. PAM! Like a puppet, the void warrior flew down the streets. Flying in air, spewing out a mouth full of purple blood, this warrior looked at the golden figures in disbelief. Crashing onto the road, this guy lost consciousness. A void rift split up, taking this warrior into the void. At the same time, in the other direction... A golden warrior firmly kicked into the air. Yet, in the next moment, an agilely moving ck mist bumped right into this kick! BAM! That void assassin was kicked down the sidewalk. After skipping and rolling down a block, the void assassin finally came to a halt. Struggling to get up, the void assassin looked down at his chest in disbelief. Coughing out some purple blood, this guy kneeled onto the ground. "How... I was... No... Why are we... Still... So weak..." The void assassin sighed out in bitter unreconciliation. Closing his eyes, losing his bnce, this guy fell backwards. (Unreconciliation: unable to ept / settle with the situation ) A void rift appeared behind this assassin, taking this guy in. Yet, before this void rift fully expanded out, it was covered in beam of creamy white light. Sitting inside that beam, this rift quickly closed up. By the subway entrance, a canoe slowly lowered down from the air. "For the void!" A horde of void servants charged out the station entrance. About 20 of them. Mostly B-ranks. Some A-ranks. Like a swarm, they charged at two of the golden warriors. Leaving a blur in the air, these guys were knocked back down the stairway. One after another, void rifts opened up. But in the next instance, a beam of white creamy light would shine onto the rifts. In seconds, these little guys were cleared out. A quick momentster, those rifts closed up as well. Making a knock sound, the canoended. By the canoe, a golden warrior kneeled onto the ground. Extending a hand, this warrior waited. Standing at the front of the canoe, Oracle looked around. This girl wore a white dress. Her long hair flowed down her back. Being surrounded by golden warriors, slightly raising her chin, this girl emitted a confident and elegant aura like a queen. Grabbing onto the golden warrior''s hand, Oracle stepped out the canoe. A dude in a low-key yet luxurious suit followed. There was a ss orb floating above this guy''s head. In his hands, there was a te-like item. Above the te, there was a 3D hologram arrow. This guy was only an A-rank. Yet, facing Oracle, this guy still remained rxed and confident. By the looks of it, this guy saw Oracle as his peer. Oracle took a look at the arrow. Following its direction, walking up to the subway entrance, this girl threw another paper talisman down the stairway. Dropping in air, that paper talisman bursted into mes. Falling down, the mes quickly grew in size. Like a creature popping out of an egg, a ming snake popped out of the mes. Slithering down the stairway, the finger-sized snake grew into a 2 meters tall python. The wide stairway quickly heated up. ck smoke puffed out this entrance. In a moment, the ming python had travelled down the stairway, leaving a charred ground and molten railings behind. Oracle took a despising look at the Anas family member. The dude returned a haughty nod. Without saying anything, the two walked down this hot stairway. In this dark environment, the orb above the dude''s head started to emit a warm glow. The distant gunshots and explosions mixed with the echoing footstep sounds here. The two reached the train tforms. Looking around... The dark underground tform was empty now. me lights could be seen down the left tunnel. That ming python was chasing its prey. Looking at the te, the arrow was pointing right now. The two jumped down to the train railway. Looking down the tunnel, yep, there was a ck altar down there. However, there was nobody around. Without further hesitation, Oracle threw a paper talisman at that altar. A ming sword shot down into the tunnel. Btttommm! The ground shook a little. Dust and concrete bits fell down. Oracle widened her eyes. This was not right! BOOM! The ground shook even more violently. Pptttoom! The train tunnels copsed down. The two turned to the stairway entrance. In their sight, that entrance tumbled down. Chapter 68 - Decoys (2) Tyler Anas looked down from his canoe. Down there, through the fog, a silhouette of a cruise ship could be seen. Tyler checked his te-like apparatus... Yep. The arrow was pointing directly at this cruise ship. Down there, those guys on the ship were entangled in some trouble. They were only about 15 miles into the ocean. Yet, these guys had already lost their power system. Taking a closer look, this cruise ship was battered now. Even at the moment, rays of lights and streams of bullets were pouring down the decks. Yet, the mist monsters seemed endless. More and more monsters plopped out of the waters, trying to jump onto the cruise ship''s deck. "Naive." Tyler Anas scoffed. By the looks of it, even without his ''helping hand'', this cruise ship won''tst another 20 minutes. "But I''ll put you out of your misery." Tyler Anas drew out his crimson thin sword. Standing tall and straight, Tyler Anas held this sword in front of him. Gradually, his sword started to brighten up with a red glow. "En Garde!" Tyler Anas shouted. Without further dy, this family head raised his sword. A clean chop! A red arc of red energy shot out the crimson sword. Travelling down in air, this arc quickly grew in size. In a blink, it was already as wide as the cruise ship itself! A clean cut! The crimson arc cut through the ship and continued into the ocean waters. Hearing a loud metallic groan, that ship slowly deformed into a wide V-shape. In this process, the metal structures pressed and dragged onto each other. Btttoooom! A fiery explosion bursted out the middle of this ship! As the fiery cloud fumed up, the environment brightened up a little. In an instance, the middle of this cruise ship was brought into the air. For an instance, it formed a wide A-shape. Under the st wave, the surface of the ocean was pressed down into a wide arc. In the air, a wild torrent brushed past that floating canoe. Sitting inside a white sphere, that canoe didn''t even waver at this st wave. With a deep metallic groan, the smoking cruise ship mmed against the ocean surface. Tyler took a look at his te. The arrow was gone now. Mission aplished. Nodding at this result, Tyler turned to a family member behind him. "Are we heading back sir?" That family member carefully asked. "What do you think." Tyler looked at the dude with half-closed eyes. "Yes sir!" The family member bowed at this order. Pooof! A geyser of water shot up 20 meters into the air. A loud whale song could be heard now. Looking into the fog, a silhoutte of arge bird could be seen as well. "Oh?" Tyler Anas prepared his sword again. ... Around the same time... Telepathy and an Anas family member stood by a mine entrance. Behind them, there was a trail of fainted dudes. Telepathy looked at the arrow. Then he pointed into the dark mine. "We going in there?" This young fe asked. Wearing a casual hoodie, jeans, and sneakers, this guy looked like he was here for vacation. "Yes." The Anas family member pushed up his golden framed sses. "Nah man. You crazy. You craaaazy." Telepathy chuckled. The dude: ... "You are serious." "We must stop the ritual at all cost." "Mhm... You know what. I''ll just." This young fe sat onto the ground. The ruby-like gem on his ne started to brighten up. The Anas family member knitted his brows. Looking down at Telepathy, this dude smirked. "If you do not have the courage to enter this mine, I will go by myself." "One sec." A ray of red light shot out of Telepathy''s ruby crystal. "We are running out of time." The Anas dude grumbled in frustration. "Shh." "You have one minute at most." "Okay bro." A few seconds passed in silence. Btttooom! A fiery explosion sted out the mine entrance. Emitting a loud rumbling sound, the entrance copsed. "What have you done!" The Anas family member widened his eyes. "Mission aplished." Telepathy knitted his brows. Standing up with a serious face, Telepathy walked back to the canoe. "Aight. Let''s head back to the sanctuary. I got a bad feel about this one." That Anas family member looked down at his te. That arrow did disappear after all. Wearing a dissatisfied expression, this guy followed Telepathy. ... "Rx partner." Gardener''s cheerful voice echoed down the rainwater sewers. "You lost too many games or something?" The Anas family member: "..." There wasn''t much rainfall in May. As a result, the sewers here were pretty dry. Nevertheless, the air was still stale. The Anas family member took a dissatisfied nce at the energetic mid-aged fe. Just like the other Anas members, this guy was also in a suit. A ss orb floated above this guy''s head. He was also holding a te-like apparatus. The arrow pointed out the direction. Unlike the other fes in his family, this guy had a mask on. Wearing a gloomy expression, this young man clearly did not enjoy the stinky environment here. Behind the two, there was a group of 30 people. 4 S-ranks leading a group of A-ranks. A squad from the Berrystone coalition force. At their levels, they travelled quickly in this convoluted underground system. About 30 miles an hour. Yet, they had been down here for 10 minutes already. No enemies detected. "So. Are we winning?" "Just follow me." The youngster knitted his brows. Pressing his mask against his face, this guy slowly took a breath. "Young fes these days." Gardener chuckled and shook his head. Bam! A spark popped up inches away from Gardener''s body. A bullet had shot into an invisible barrier! Like a signal, bullets showered down from the sewer tunnels. Yet, there was a barrier in front of Gardener, blocking out everything out with ease. Against S-ranks, bullets were simply not that useful anymore. "Geez! Almost gave this old man a heart attack!" Gardener threw out a handful of seeds down the sewer waterway. Purple lights started to blink in these murky waters. One after another, purple vines popped out of the water surface. In a moment, they grew into the size of streetmps. Like a swarm of pythons, these vines slithered down the sewer tunnels. "Let''s get''em boys!" Gardener led the charge with a shovel in hand. ... At the other side of this city, standing at the front of a flying canoe, Jeff knitted his brows in thought. Chapter 69 - Decoys (3) A row behind Jeff, Daylor Anas sat on a canoe seat. This guy was wearing a serious expression now. This entire way, Daylor only intensely stared at his te apparatus. Over time, that arrow''s color changed. From a light grey, to a charcoal ck. Now, within the ck, there was a dark purple brewing. Below the canoe, the coalition force ran down the empty roads. 3 S-ranks and 20 A-ranks. Only the top dogs of Berrystone city were here. Travelling at 50 miles / hour, these guys weren''t even sweating. In Jeff''s opinion, these guys weren''t really needed. However, he wasn''t going to stop these guys from getting merit points and loot either. Well, someone had to deal with the small guys right? Flying past a residential area of houses, they had reached an uptownmercial area. There were high-rise apartments and shops on the streets now. Gunshots broke the silence of this city. Looking down, streams of bullets were spraying at Jeff''s canoe. Yet, an invisible barrier easily blocked out these bullets. "We have 12 minutes to break through their defenses." Daylor Anas looked at Jeff with a determined gaze. Jeff scanned around with his stack of detection abilities. About 200 enemies were in sight. Most of them were B-ranks. About 10 A-ranks. 2 S-ranks. However, these guys were stocked with mana projectiles and mana stones. Also, these guys had the higher grounds secured. They even set up barricades and bunkers in the roads. In other words, these guys were the ones with superior firepower. If nothing went wrong... Buy 12 minutes? They could buy 12 days with ease! "Can your canoe stand against RPG missiles?" Jeff asked. "Yes. But our main focus is stopping their ritual." "Oh." Jeff nodded. "Give me 12 seconds." Without further hesitation, Jeff took a step to the side. Leaning forward, Jeff dropped down from this canoe. Thump! Jeff dropped down to the ground. He was right in front of the coalition force''s way now. Facing the shower of bullets and rays of light, none of these guys were bothered. They were the elites of the elites after all. A bullet shot towards Jeff. Yet, it deflected right off an invisible barrier. "Sir." The 30-men toon stopped confused. "Is there new orders?" "At yourmand." Jeff nodded at these guys. "Let me give you some aid." Jeff readied a punch. His fist started to emit a creamy white glow. BAM! A wild torrent pushed the coalition back. In front of them, dirt and soil was sted 20 meters into the air. The buildings on this street were knocked down under the shock wave. In a moment, the wind died down. Looking forward, these guys widened their eyes. The asphalt road disappeared, leaving only the soil and pebbles beneath. It''s as if this road had been raked by a giant plow. All the barricades and bunkers in the way were gone now. Ahead of the coalition force, void rifts opened up here and there. At this instance, the world became quiet again. It''s as if a ceasefire had been signed. Only a low wind sound was getting louder and louder. Wearing a poker face, Jeff subtly looked around at the coteral damage. ''Ok. That was unintended. But Ok.'' Looking at the enemy energy signatures... Well. These void servants seemed to have lost their morale. Some were starting to flee already. Others took cover, trying to hide themselves. That''s good news right? ''Hmm... Just this?'' Jeff pointed his staff forward. In a blink, those void rifts closed up. Jeff closed his eyes and sensed for the spacial vibrations... ''Over there...'' Jeff looked in one direction. Tapping his staff at air, Jeff disappeared. With a pop, Jeff appeared by the parkade gates of an eleven-stories apartment. ''This is basically doing a level 1 quest with a level 99 character huh.'' Jeff raised a hand and flicked a finger. Bam! A truck-sized opening sted open on those gates. Walking into the parking lot, Jeff sensed around a little. Stomp! A hole appeared on the ground. Jeff dropped down a floor. An altar was in sight now. There were some surprised thugs down here as well. 1 S-rank, 5 A-ranks. A rather elite force. "Die intruder!" "For the void!" ''Uh huh. No.'' Jeff raised his hand. Snap! [Mana Burst]! A st wave exploded out from Jeff. In an instance, nearby pirs crumbled into pieces and dust. Nearby cars were thrown into the air. That ck altar cracked and tumbled into pieces. One after another, these thugs imploded into void rifts. Being a sage-tier, S-ranks were just small minions to Jeff now. No matter how many S-ranks were present, one snap was all it took. ''So this is a decoy after all.'' Jeff casually looked up. Bbtttoom! Under fiery explosions, pirs of this basement were sted into pieces. The ground shook violently. The ceiling waved around. Looking from the outside, there were simultaneous explosions everywhere inside that building. In an instance, the weight of this 11 stories building tumbled down onto Jeff. ... Tens of miles away... Inside the sanctuary. City Hall. Negative First Floor... Most of this machine shop was empty. Down the dark aisles, there were various models. Powered armors. Battle suits. Motorbikes. Cars. Some werepleted. Some only had a frame. By the elevator, under a brightmp, As painted the inside of his powered armor. "You are still following me." As grumbled. "You know why." Standing some distance behind As, Magni crossed his arms. Behind Magni, there were 5 smite team members. Now, they were under themand of Magni. Looking at the back of their old boss, these guys all wore serious expressions. Alerted gazes. Hands by the handle of their weapons. "I would stay put if I were you." Magni looked around. As sighed and powerlessly waved around his hand. Magni squinted in alert. Yet, in the next moment, this guy''s gaze became nk. The girl in orange battlesuit lifted her scepter. Moving like a blur, As appeared in front of Magni. Grabbing Magni by his neck, As lifted Magni off the ground with one hand. Turning around, As threw Magni towards his open armor. Clunk! Magni mmed into that powered armor. Tssssss... The armor slid shut. Pa! The smite members all kneeled onto one knee. As grumbled as he walked towards his armor. Flipping open a shoulder te, As grabbed onto an exposed wire. With a yank, that wire snapped into half, letting out a burst of sparks. "Powered armor? More like powered prison." As scoffed. "Rise and follow." As headed towards the elevator. Rising a hand, As made a few hand signs. "I don''t know which of you is on my side." As walked forward without looking back. "It doesn''t matter to me. But, your decision will mean everything to you." Ding~ The elevator doors opened. As stepped inside without looking back. The archer in purple and the swordsman in blue followed. Leaving no more words, this group left. Ding~ A quick momentter, the other elevator arrived as well. The girl in orange and another smite member in green left as well. ... ... "Uhh... Anyone out there?" Magni knocked on the armor. Thest smite member in red stood there with an expressionless face. "No? I guess I''ll just have to break out by force." Bam! BOOONNGGG~~ That powered armor sounded like arge bell. Other than this effect, that armor waspletely unharmed. Chapter 70 - Decoys (4) City Hall. 5th floor. Ding~ The elevator doors opened. Walking out the elevator, Wearing a serious expression, As made a simple hand sign. Responding with a nod, the two Smite member waited by the elevator doors. As walked down this silent hallway. This floor was smaller than the other floors. There were only 3 office rooms here. Passing through open doors, As arrived a receptionist room. "The keyholder has been waiting for you." A mid-aged receptionistdy looked up at As. Hearing this, As'' brows furrowed. Pausing to think for an instance, As walked past the receptionist counter. Pushing open a thick office door, As entered the keyholder''s office. This ce was well-lit as usual. A sideboard and a coffee machine in a corner. Rows of bookshelves by the walls. Family photos of the keyholder here and there. Chairs and a game table. Across this room, there was arge wooden desk, and naturally, a boss chair. Entering this room, As could only see the back of that chair. Behind that chair, a puff of smoke floated up. At the moment, the keyholder was staring out of his window. Yet, in this fogged up weather condition, nothing much could be seen. "As, you are here." The keyholder spoke in a calming voice and turned around. Looking at the towering fe with a peaceful gaze, the keyholder smoked on his cigar. In a couple of months, this old fe had shrunk a size. His white dress shirt and dress pants looked oversized now. Even in the warm weather of May, this guy still wore a toque. It''s as if he''s cold. "When?" As asked with a serious expression. "When did I realize your n?" The keyholder puffed out a ring of smoke and smiled. "As... If you didn''t want to expose your ties with those thugs, nobody can find out. I have at least this much faith in you." "All of that set up, just so you can push an all-in for today." The keyholder looked at As with a smiling gaze. As was attempting to seize his power. Yet, this old keyholder didn''t look bothered at all. In fact, he looked a little proud? Hearing this response, As'' pupils shrunk. "Why didn''t you stop me?" The keyholder sighed. "The future is in the hands of the young." As looked down at the old man with an intense gaze. "So you decided to let us y it out." "I suppose you can understand it this way..." The keyholder puffed on his cigar. "Tell me As, during your time inside the sanctuary, what have you seen?" "A bloated bureaucracy. A convoluted and blurry system. Entangled responsibilities, powers, and interests. All of this is eptable." "However, there is nothing getting done. Small problems are getting solved slowly. Major problems remain untouched." "The sanctuary needs one deciding voice. This city needs a strong leader." As replied with a solemn voice. "Yes As." The keyholder tiredly sighed. "I can only help you so far." "You''ve grown up, As." "... And you have grown old..." As'' gaze becameplicated. "Uncle Samson." "... I suppose so." The keyholder sighed. "I suppose so. But must it be the void? You do understand, the consequences will be severe." "Yes." As firmly replied. "We must be prepared before the next major crisis hits." "This is a sacrifice I will have to take." "We have sessfully fended off Lord Trample back at New Years." "But what if a stronger monster appears? What if Jeff is on a vacation again, or out hunting. You know how he is. It''s impossible to confine him to the sanctuary. This man won''t relinquish his freedoms without a fight." "As." The keyholder tiredly shook his head. "Jeff owes us nothing. He helped us more than we paid him back. If you ask him nicely, he will be on your side. You can''t treat everyone as your subordinate or your property." "No keyholder. No." As'' gaze turned cold. "Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures. A resident of the sanctuary must obey orders of the sanctuary." "For the sanctuary, I''ve taken this dangerous path. The burden of sacrifice should not be only weighed onto the honorable." "Can we trust Jeff? Can we really rely on Jeff? A man who is unwilling to make sacrifices for this settlement. A man who refuses to swear allegiance to this settlement? Can we?" "Fine. Let''s supposed we can. But putting the livelihood of 20,000 residents on a single man is simply madness!" "We need countermeasures!" "What if one day, Jeff woke up, and decided that his life was too boring, and he wants to be the viin. Maybe he decided to collude with the monsters for fun. Do we just stand here, and wait for our demise?" "Through near-death experiences, and relentless training, I''ve pushed myself from C-rank to SS-rank." "But now, I''ve hit a ss ceiling! Training won''t build any more potential in me now. We need another path forward!" "To fend off the mist monsters, we need the help from the void!" "For this settlement, and for its residents, I am willing to sacrifice my life! We can''t just sit around!" Hearing this, the keyholder sighed. The two locked gazes. The keyholder''s gaze was a mixture of acknowledgement, satisfaction, and a longing worry. As'' gaze was steeled and determined. The keyholder sighed and lightly shook his head. Seeing this, As clenched his fists. "Well As. The sanctuary is yours. The future is in your hands." The keyholder pulled out an envelope from his under-desk drawer. "This is the code for upgrading your status to keyholder." The keyholder took off his toque. This old man had no hair left now. After sliding the envelope to the edge of this desk, the keyholder leaned back. Sticking a hand into his shirt, the keyholder grabbed onto something. Seeing this, As widened his eyes. Realizing what the keyholder was doing, As'' breath became short. This towering dude clenched his fists, then let go. At this moment, As looked rather indecisive. "Stay calm. Stay focussed. Stay vignt." The keyholder twisted and pulled onto something. A few electric sparks flied out the old dude''s shirt. The keyholder let out onest exhale. It''s as if this old man had finally found relief. Leaning forward, the keyholder''s chin pressed against his own neck. Life quickly fleeted from this old fe''s body. Yet, looking closely, one could see a smile on the keyholder''s face. Chapter 71 - Decoys (5) Standing before the Keyholder''s desk, As closed his eyes for a moment. The edge of As'' mouth quivered a little. "Sir. I won''t let you down." As said with a hoarse voice. After taking a deep breath, As grabbed onto the envelope. Without further hesitation, As left this room. Walking out, there was an electronic tablet on the receptionist counter now. "A gift for you, from the Keyholder." The mid-ageddy looked down with half-closed eyes. As picked up the tablet. Leaving a nod, As walked towards the door. Passing by the receptionist, As took a nce at this receptionist. Kill-intent shed by in his eyes. This receptionist knew too much. As did not intend to keep her in this position either. Realizing something, As'' kill-intent disappeared. "Know your ce." "Yes Mr. Keyholder." The receptionist replied with a sullen voice. "I will be your witness." "Good." As nodded. That was the answer he needed. If this receptionist was still alive, he could prove that he had a smooth and peaceful transition of power. If both the receptionist and the Keyholder were dead, at the same time, right after his visit, who''d believe that this power transition was legitimate? Leaving the door, As murmured. "Did you ount for this as well... Uncle Samson..." "Not that it would matter much in the end though..." Standing by the elevator, As typed his 40 characters code into his tablet. Without any trouble, his status changed from [Head of Internal Security] to [Keyholder]. Without further hesitation, As froze everyone else''s clearance. Remembering something, As gave his smite members'' clearance back. "A revolution has began." As stepped into the elevator. ... Ding~ The elevator doors opened at the ground level. "Good day sir." "Mister As." The people outside quickly made a path for As. Ignoring these guys, As passed through this crowd. The smite member in blue scanned through the crowd. Looking back at the elevator, this guy knitted his brows. ... About a block away from the city halls, there was a walled off warehouse. This warehouse was at the interior of the sanctuary grounds. Yet, this ce was still heavily guarded. On one end of the wall, the streets were bustling with activity. On the other side, patrol groups walked around with dogs. In the attic of the warehouse, sniper teams were on the lookout 24/7. Standing by the front gates, As'' group waited for a moment. During this wait time, As quickly sent outmands on his tablet. As the keyholder, all the sanctuary forces were under hismand now. The guard in the guard post raised questioning brows seeing this. However, recognizing As and the Smite team leaders, this guy didn''t say anything. A momentter, a figure under a ck cloak joined As'' group. Seeing this, the security guard knitted his brows. Under the alerted gaze from the security guard, As'' group walked up to the guard post. As tapped his clearance card at the card reader. As expected, the light changed from red to green. Yet, the metal gates did not slide open. As turned to the security guard. "Open the gates." "Sir. Everyone entering thispound must have clearance." The security guard stood tall and formally answered. "Are you saying no to us." The smite member in blue stared at the security guard with a menacing gaze. As a mere D-rank, this security guard instantly felt an immense pressure. "Sir. Rules are rules." The security guard clenched his teeth. "My words are the rules now." As solemnly dered. "I will have to report this situation to the keyholder sir." "Check your system. The keyholder is standing right in front of you." The smite member in blue smirked. "What?" The security looked at hisputer. "How?" "Open the gates." As knitted his brows in impatience. "You-" "Enough guard. You are dismissed from duty." As shot a nce at the smite member. Like a blur, that smite member in blue chopped onto the security guard''s neck. At the same time, As tapped onto the guard booth''s card reader. As expected, it turned green. Entering the booth, As pressed the gate button himself. The front metal gates slid right open. As was only one courtyard from his destination now. However, squads of soldiers were streaming into this court now. About 80 of them. Mostly C-ranks, led by 2 B-ranks. Shakily pointing their weapons at As, these guys looked determined to stop As. "Is this how you face your keyholder, soliders." As walked past the gates. "Everyone''s. Clearance. Is frozen. At the moment." A receptionistdy walked out of the group. "Patient." As nodded. "Are you sure you want to stand in my way?" "You. Cannot be. Trusted." "And if I insist on entering the storage?" "I will be. Stopping. You. By force." The receptionistdy replied. One after another, receptionistdies jumped into this court. "Very well. You are now an enemy of the sanctuary." As continued to walk forward. "Sorry. Sorry. Sorry." The receptionistdies chanted in unison as they closed in. "Using the void''s power against me." As scoffed and extended a hand at the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure ced ck sack into As'' hand. Looking at the receptionistdies threatening to self-destruct, As opened this sack. In an instance, those receptionistdies froze up. In unison, they started to shake uncontrobly. Electric sparks spurted out of their bodies. Poof! Poof! One after another, pen-sized ck crystals shot out of their bodies. Forming a stream in air, those crystals flew into As'' sack. Thump! Thump... The metallic bodies copsed onto the ground. "You-" The soldiers stepped back in shock. "Who do you serve soldiers." As looked at these scared people. Clunk. Someone dropped their gun onto the ground. Like a signal being made, these guys dropped their weapons. Without further hesitation, they made a path for As. "Hmmm..." As'' cold gaze quickly brushed through these guys. Without further hesitation, As'' group headed towards the warehouse. Entering this building, looking around, a smile shed by on As'' face. Inside, there were crates full of mana stones, mana projectiles, and high quality mana weapons. Perfect tributes to the void... ... A few moments ago... City Hall. Floor Negative Two. Research Director''s Office. Looking at his two visitors, Liam nodded. "One second." Liam turned back to his desktopputer. "Take your time." The girl in orange battlesuit nodded. Her scepter faintly brightened up. The other guy in green battlesuit quietly reached for his sword. ... About 18 miles away from the sanctuary... After a quick ride, Alice turned off her motorcycle. She had reached an abandoned factory. However, there was still engine sounds around. Alice looked behind her. Faint headlights could be seen. Chapter 72 - Unfolding (1) Inside Liam''s office... "The keyholder has demanded my presence you say." Liam slid out a drawer. Tap. Tap. Liam knocked up some papers. Then he put that stack of documents into his open drawer. "That is-" Without warning, the girl pointed her scepter at Liam. An invisible ray shot forward! In a blink, that ray had travelled through this short distance. Itnded into Liam''s head! Vrrreeemmm... Everything in this office quivered a little. Liam looked up. The air surrounding Liam swirled around like hot fume. At this instance, this nerdy fe emitted an aura like a dignified king. His SS-rank mental pressure freely interacted with the environment. Under this pressure, the two smite members became surprised and dumbfounded. A white light blinked in Liam''s eyes. The eyes of the girl in orange became unfocussed. Clung! Liam lifted up a dagger, blocking out a sword strike. The locked des quivered a little, making metal shing sounds. "You-" The dude in green battlesuit still looked shocked, even a little terrified. Bam! Liamnded a firm punch onto this dude''s face. Thump. Thump. The two smite team members copsed onto the ground. "Seriously... I''m just a harmless researcher..." Liam grumbled as he stood up. "Why am I forced into a fight." Fixing hisb coat a little, Liam pushed up his sses. "Looks like we''ve got trouble..." Walking out of his office, Liam walked down the corridor. This floor was much more lively and well-lit. ss panels separated out theboratory sections. Looking into theboratories, researchers worked on various nts, serums, and mana circuit designs. "Mister Evanstein." "Sir." Some researchers stepped to the side. Wearing a concerned expression, Liam nodded at these guys. Turning here and there, Liam finally reached the elevator. Tapping his card onto the card reader... BOOOOP! "Warning! Warning!" A robotic voice sounded out the speakers. "Unauthorized personnel spotted!" "Shit." Liam grumbled. He did not look surprised though. "What''s going on?" "Is there trouble?" Researchers and guards rushed out of their stations. "Mr. Evanstein. What do we do?" Researchers gathered up to Liam. Other guards started to patrol around already. "It''s me." Liam looked around at his subordinates. "Go back to your stations." Liam took out his phone. Some listened to Liam''s orders and went back. Others stayed here, ready to help their boss. Opening an app, Liam tapped around, the rm quickly went away. "Never thought that I''d have to use this one day..." Tapping around a bit more, the elevator doors opened up. Yet, it was an empty shaft inside. Liam waited for a moment. After nodding at his phone, Liam threw two metallic disks into this empty space. Those disks fell into the dark shaft. Yet, the next moment, as if being attracted by a ma, those two disks flew upwards. The elevator doors closed. The researchers looked around in confusion. BOOM! A muffled explosion could be heard. A periodic metallic screeching sound followed. The sound got louder, than quickly dwindled. Something was falling down the elevator shaft! PUuuuM! "Bar the elevator entrance. We need to halt the enemies out." Liam looked around. Hearing this, the researchers started to panic. "We just need to stall enough time for our elite squads to return. Not a hard task. Correct?" Liam looked around. "Duchard, I''ll leave the emergency exits to you." A dude nodded and left with his team. "Murray, I''ll leave the venttions to you." "Barrette, bar the elevator entrance." "Smith, this floor''s guard is under yourmand." After leaving thesemands, Liam headed for the emergency exits. "Sir. Where are you going?" "Stopping As before it''s toote." Liam looked around at his worried subordinates. "As?" "Oh. It''s As." The crowd didn''t look worried anymore. "So he did start a coup huh." "Doesn''t sound like a surprise to me." Shaking his head, Liam walked past this crowd. Unlike his subordinates, Liam didn''t feel optimistic about this one at all. Holding his phone by his head, Liam took a deep breath. "Please pick up..." ... ... At the other side of Berrystone... Standing inside this standstill world, Jeff looked up. The falling debris were frozen in the air now. The explosion mes were slowly expanding in air. ''Hmm...'' Jeff knitted his brows. ''Trying to trap me? Are there follow-up moves hidden in the debris?'' ''Sage mode!'' In an instance, the air surrounding Jeff vibrated a little. It''s as if there was an immense pressure pressing onto this space. A blue light gradually overflowed from Jeff''s eyes. Holding up a hand, Jeff snapped his fingers. ... On the outside, blocks away from this building, the coalition force was still trying to break through the enemy lines. In the chaotic battleground, a loud snap sound travelled down the streets. The next moment, an immense pressure pressed down onto both sides. For a moment, the fighting stopped. At the inner defense lines, the void servants turned their gazes to the copsing building. Like a pile of dust, the eleven-stories building disintegrated. Like a pile of feathers, the dust slowly fell down. A breeze appeared, brushing that pile of dust into the distance. Behind the settling veil of the dust cloud, a pair of glowing lights could be seen. "A-Aehhh..." Hiding behind a car, a void servant curled up on the ground like a shrimp. "You''ve got to be kidding..." Someone tried to run away, but shakily copsed onto the ground. It''s an innate fear inscribed into the genes. At Jeff''s presence, these guys simply had no more strength left to move. Just by standing there, Jeff had basically disarmed all of these guys. A void servant gritted his teeth, and made eye contact with Jeff. Thump! That dude fainted and copsed onto the ground. Down the streets, a few blocks away... "Shit!" A hunter quickly regained his focus. Under this invisible pressure, that hunter gritted his teeth and chopped his sword at his opponent. It''s as if he was moving inside a gel. The hunter''s movement became excruciatingly slow. Nevertheless, the void fighter''s movement had been slowed as well. Chop! That hunter mmed his glowing sword into his enemy''s gauntlet. Without much resistance, the hunter''s sword sank into that gauntlet, bring out a spurt of purplish-ck blood. That void fighter''s eyes became bloodshot. Something snapped. At this instance, this guy became unaffected from Jeff''s presence. "For the void!" That void fighternded a kick into the hunter''s chest, sending that hunter rolling down the streets. This situation reurred everywhere on this battlefield. At this instance, the tide of battle turned. However... ''Well. That''s unintended.'' Jeff exited his sage mode. The pressure from his presence quickly faded away. Looking down the streets, Jeff nodded with a concerned expression. ''Looks like I can leave the situation to the coalition force. They can clean up this battle in minutes. '' ''I''d better head back to the sanctuary... Something is not right...'' "For the void!" Without looking at these fearless enemies, Jeff tapped his staff onto the ground. PAM! These guys were sted into the air by an invisible st wave. Void rifts quickly engulfed these guys. In the next instance, those rifts closed up. ''Still trying to hold me to this ce?'' Jeff knitted his brows. ''Luring everyone out... Their target is the sanctuary?'' ''However, the sanctuary is not left defenceless...'' Jeff tidied up his suit a little. ''Other settlements? A hidden location? Where...'' Looking at the direction of the sanctuary, Jeff was ready to walk off. (Yes. Walk off. Once again, sage mode was needed for sage-tier powers, such as flight.) Zap! A glowing formation instantly formed below Jeff. Jeff looked around. He was trapped inside a pentagon-shaped prism now. The walls looked like red-tinted ss, but glowing. Looking closely, one could see runic characters blinking in the walls. Looking up, it''s a dome at the top. This was a ratherrge formation. At the corners of this pentagon prism, there were five guys standing in glowing circles. They were about 50 meters apart from each other. Beyond these five junctions, the walls extended out. Looking down from above, one could see a pentagram formation inside arge circle. Forming an external red dome, there''s no way for Jeff to receive any external aid now. The energy signatures of these five void servants quickly elevated. B-ranks... A-ranks... An explosive burst of mana! S-rank reached! Their energy continued to expand and became denser! SS-rank reached! In a blink, their energy ranks had jumped 4 levels! Chapter 73 - Unfolding (2) The purplish-ck markings on their heads quickly covered their entire bodies. Like inting balloons, their bodies grew uncontrobly in size. One after another, they reached 3 meters tall. During this process, their bodies quickly lost the human proportions. ?? These guys looked more like bloated, oundish, purplish-ck apes now. One after another, they pulled out tiny empty syringes out of their arms. Taking a closer look... their levels did not look stable. Jeff wouldn''t be surprised if these guys self-detonated in the next moment. In this chaotic battleground, there''s simply no way for Jeff to care about 5 B-ranks. Also, this formation appeared instantly. There''s simply no time to react. Clung! Red light rippled in front of a void fighter. A camouged dagger quickly unveiled itself. Leaving a blur, it flew back into Jeff''s palm. Apparently, the circr formation below this guy provided some form of protection. ''There is a follow-up after all.'' Jeff knitted his brows. ''That was a peak-level SSS-rank attack, with a trace of sage-tier properties. Yet, even that couldn''t its defenses huh...'' Jeff sighed in his head. ''Looks like I''ve outgrown yet another piece of equipment.'' Seeing that Jeff''s attack was futile, these guys smiled in relief. Taking confident strides, these guys quickly closed in. The circr formations below them followed. The formation shrunk in size. The walls quickly thickened. In a second, these void apes were only 5 meters apart from each other. ''So you can easily fend off SSS-rank attacks... How about sage-tier attacks?'' Jeff squinted. Taking in a deep breath, Jeff was ready to enter sage-tier again. ''This is the exact reason why I prefer to work alone...'' Ring~ Ring~ Jeff: ... ''Wow. Great timing...'' Jeff took out his flip phone. "Yoh, Liam, what''s up?" "Hey Jeff, we need you back at the sanctuary." ''It is the sanctuary after all huh...'' Jeff nodded with a serious expression. "I''ll be back soon, but I doubt that you''ll be getting any other reinforcements." "What do you mean?" Liam asked with a quick voice. "Mr. Norman, I wouldn''t worry about your friends." One void ape widely smiled. It''s as if his... its...? It''s as if their victory had been secured already! "You are the only SSS-rank in Berrystone after all. So we do have to give you some special treatment." "You won''t be leaving here any time soon." "We are sacrificing the rest of our lifespans for you after all!" "These will be the best 2 hours of our lives! For the void!" "For the void!" Wearing a crazed expression, these guys shouted in unison. "Ok... then." Jeff slowly nodded and put his phone on speakers. Since these guys wanted to spill some beans... "What are you guys nning to do in these 2 hours?" Jeff asked. "Sire As will submit the sanctuary''s massive storage to the void! That will be enough for him to reach the realm beyond SSS-rank! He will be a living deity on Earth!" One void ape shouted in an ecstatic voice. "Yes! Yes!" The other void apes fanatically nodded in agreement. "Once Sire As conquers this city, he will summon us back from the void! Death means nothing to us! For the void!" "For the void!" "Oh. It''s As." Jeff nodded. ''Everyone is out of the Sanctuary. That leaves As a window of opportunity.'' ''Due to his past record, we won''t trust him with an altar destruction mission.'' ''As the head of internal security, he''d be expected to stay inside the sanctuary anyways. Which gives him the perfect opportunity to get what he had wanted.'' ''However... We are watching him. It shouldn''t be easy for As though...'' "Kukaka!" One void ape chuckled in pride. "Even in the case of us failing, we also have a backup n!" "Yes yes! We always have a backup n!" "So don''t bother Norman!" "Even if you get past us, it''s already toote!" "Our team should have already captured your little girlfriend now." "Don''t me us for ying dirty!" "It''s for the greater good!" "For the void!" "For the void!" "Hmm... Good." Jeff nodded and looked around. "Very good..." Kill-intent leaked from Jeff''s eyes. "Well. How stupid of me." Jeff flipped close his phone and put it into his pocket. "Wow. Gee. I sure never saw this oneing. I guess I have to make a tough decision now. Save the damsel in distress, or save the sanctuary. Wow. What, do I do?" Jeff chuckled in anger. "Actually, no. We are nning to convert your girlfriend to the void race, so you''d be willing for the conversion as well." "Alright. Yeah." Jeff smirked. "That''s a viable plot too. Gee. You sure got me good here." ''Alright... That''s enough info.'' Jeff nodded in his mind. "Good. So give up, and stay here." These guys nodded in victory. "You can try to break through our formation." "But it will be futile!" "Everything is ording to Sire As'' ns!" "Heh..." Jeff scoffed. "Looks like we are kind of simr." "I like to stack backup ns myself as well." Jeff took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "You still want to fight?" "Even hearing our n?" "Even knowing you have no chance?" "What''s so bad with joining the void!" These guys looked genuinely confused. "Anyways, thanks for the intel." Jeff opened his eyes. For the first time, Jeff became serious. At this moment, Jeff held nothing back. Blue light overflowed from Jeff''s eyes. The air surrounding Jeff became dense and frozen like a solid. Crack! The ground below Jeff cracked and sank. The cracks quickly expended out. Asphalt debris, soil, and pebbles floated into the air. The red transparent walls surrounding Jeff trembled. "Impossible!" "Is this really what SSS-rank looks like?" The void apes widened their eyes. Wearing a serious expression, Jeff raised his hand. ''Try this sage-tier attack, you as*Bloop*s!'' "We can do it!" "Hold!" Pressing their palms onto the ground, these guys poured their energy into this dome. Yet, at the same time, cracks quickly expanded on these guys'' bodies. They were burning their short lifespan in doing this! Snap! "Hiiiaaah!" These guys braced for impact. PUuumm... The red dome expanded out a little. Its walls shattered like broken ss. For an instance, these fragments were still intact with each other. Ppptttoooom! The dome exploded like a house-sized bomb! A mushroom cloud rose up 50 meters high! The ground violently trembled under this tremendous force! Looking from above, a ring of dirt and debris rapidly expanded out from that mushroom cloud. The height of this st wave had to be at least 10 meters high. After travelling down a few blocks, this ring of shockwave gradually slowed and settled. In an instance, about 25 blocks in this uptown area had been leveled! Facing this stwave head on, those SS-rank void apes had been instantly vaporized. Jeff looked around at this wastnd. Fortunately, his attack was mainly absorbed by that dome. The coteral damage outside was not that bad. The enemies near that apartment building had been wiped out, leaving some void rifts in the air. A few streets down, the coalition force suffered some injuries as well. Some severely injured A-ranks. Most of them only had light wounds. All the S-ranks were fine though. They took this coteral hit with ease. No more enemies could be seen now. This st had cleared out all the low-ranking void servants. One after another, Jeff''s temporary subordinates shakily got up. Looking at the ground, these guys didn''t dare to meet Jeff''s gaze. ''This is the exact reason why I prefer to work alone...'' Jeff sighed in his mind. ''Feels bad man... But it had to be done...'' Looking around, Jeff turned to Daylor. Holding a palm forward, a crate popped into existence and dropped to the ground. "Here is some red pots. I leave the rest to you." "Y-Yes." Daylor nodded while staring at the ground. Leaving a nod, Jeff squatted down a little. With a jump, Jeff flew into the fog. A moment after Jeff flew away, these guys still looked shell shocked. "So this is the strongest man in Berrystone." Someone chuckled in disbelief. "Is this... still in the range of man?" Someone panted like he''d been traumatized. "You have to be joking right?" "Help..." An A-rank whimpered. ... Flying towards the sanctuary, Jeff pulled out his phone. Chapter 74 - Unfolding (3) "Hey Alice. Is everything still alright?" Alice looked down at her silver bracelet. Jeff''s concerned voice could be heard from this essory item. ?? "Ummuu..." Alice whimpered as she looked around. Many months had passed. Alice never expected to be back here again. It''s the same abandoned riverside factories. It''s the same fogged up warm weather. Yet, she was alone this time. This time, Alice knew exactly where she ranked in terms of battle prowess. D-rank. In other words, any B-rank could beat 100 of herbined. Yet, by the looks of it, there were many A-ranks sent here to hunt her down. Hearing the nearing motor sounds, Alice panted for breath. The girl''s eyes started to water up. At this moment, she looked rather helpless. "Alice? You there?" "Y-Yes. I-I-I..." Alice carefully moved through the empty front court. Step by step, she headed towards the factory''srge overhead door. It''s been only a few months. Yet, grass had already grown to 4 feet tall through the cracked cement ground. "Just to confirm, you have arrived the storage?" "Y-Yes?" Alice finally reached the door. Looking up, there was a camera looking down at her now. "Good. I have a present for you. It should be warming up right now." Jeff''s voice sounded a little relieved. "O-Ok?" Alice sounded like she was about to cry. Looking back to the other side of the front court, a trail of jeeps had just passed through the front gates. GrrrrhMmmmm... Under a loud mechanical groan, the overhead door gradually lifted. Inside that factory, passing through an empty entrance area, the silhouettes of various mechanical equipments could be seen. Pssss... A loud piston sound. The dusty floor at the empty entrance area slid open. Inside this circr shaft, one after another, lights popped on. Under the reflection of these lights, a robotic head was lifted up from this shaft. Then its body, legs, feet... Alice looked up at this mech. It had to be at least 5 meters high. The girl was only as tall as this thing''s knees. The mech was built like arge human. Got human-like hands and legs, as well as human proportions. Smooth armor tes painted a magenta color. Its cockpit sat at its chest area. Arge gem stone on its forehead, looking like a crown. A round shield in one hand. A rocketuncher tube in the other. At this moment,rge cables were connected to this mech''s back. As'' armor had a rugged industrial feel to it, prioritizing functionality over everything. Inparison, this mech looked much more aesthetically pleasing. In some sense, it looked more like an artsy toy than a topnotch weapon. Looking up at this big boy, Alice walked past the overhead door. "Happy early anniversary." Jeff spoke with a calming voice. Pam! This mech''s eyes started to emit a soft white light. The stripes on this armor started to glow. Raising its head up, this mech scanned around. Taking two steps forward, the cables on this thing popped off and retracted down the shaft. Clun... The Mech took a knee in front of Alice. Its cockpit entrance popped open. Alice widened her eyes at this gift. "F-For me?" The girl''s shoulders dropped a little. It''s as if her sense of security had returned to her. Wearing a smile, Alice seemed to really appreciate this gift, even without knowing what this mech was capable of. Well, got to admit, this mech did look rather pretty, and big, and sturdy. "Yep. I thought we could go out and hunt sometimes. Might be fun. But you know... Things happen." Jeff sighed. "Yep..." Alice nodded. "Where are you Jeff? Is everything fine with you?" Alice sounded concerned again. A pause of silence... "I''m heading back to the sanctuary right now. There is potentially trouble." Jeff''s voice sounded serious again. "But if you need me... Tell me. I''ll be there." Hearing this, Alice smiled like her life wasplete or something. Yet, loud engine sounds broke the couple''s conversation. Clunk! A jeep knocked over Alice''s motorcycle. Forming an arc, the jeeps stopped by the factory entrance. One after another, the headlights shut off. Fes in sanctuary armor quickly jumped out of their vehicles. 8 Jeeps. 33 fes. 3 S-rank squad leaders in colored armor. 30 A-rank squad members in grey armor. Locking their gazes onto Alice, these guys carelessly barged into this factory. To be honest, at this moment, these guys looked more like aggressive gangs than a military unit. However, as they got closer, they finally saw Alice clearly. In an instance, the arrogant aura surrounding these guys disappeared. Stopping one after another, they became rather hesitant and awkward. Putting on smiles, they tried to look polite and pleasing. "However, I doubt you''ll need me though." Jeff continued talking. "You can fight at S-rank for an hour in this thing. Most S-ranks can onlyst 5 minutes max. Also, this mech, it can soak up around 50 S-rank hits before breaking. You should be able to gravely injure an S-rank with a single blow." "Also, in case you are still having trouble, you can go into SS-rank mode for 5 minutes." "There''s about 1,000 rounds of mana projectiles to clear out the small guys. A methrower in case it''s a swarm type enemy. Anyways, there''s a range of toys good for specific scenarios." "So if As just sent normal task force teams for you, you should be able to whoop their asses." Alice looked at those task force members with a polite smile. Those fes awkwardly stood at the entrance. They looked rather uncertain of what to do next now. "Oh also. If that still does not work out. And the enemies are not from the sanctuary." Jeff continued. "You can always threaten them with guaranteed mutual destruction. There is a nuclear warhead buried 10 meters beneath you." "W-Wh-WHAT?!" Alice bent down a little. She looked like she was weak at her knees. The task force fes: ?!!!! "Yeah. You know. Nukes. BOOooom. Makes mushroom clouds." "Where did you get a nuke?!" Alice rose her voice. "Well. I was flying around, and I happened to detect a missile silo. And nobody was inside. So you know." "JEFF! S-S-So y-y-you just brought a nuke BACK?!" Alice''s voice became higher pitched. She sounded like she''s on the verge of a scream. Those task force fes fanatically nodded. By the looks of it, they firmly agreed with Alice. "Alice? Alice. Listen to me. Free nuke. Free. Who can turn down a free nuke?" "A-Are y-you going to d-detonate it?" Alice panted. The girl looked down at the ground with widened eyes. She was about to lose it. "You think I''m a rocket scientist? I don''t know how to detonate a nuke. It''s not like you can just hit it really hard, and it explodes... right?" Alice: ... "Erhm." A squad leader coughed. "Wait... Who''s there?" "It''s the task force squads." Alice replied "Ooooookay... Alice?" "Yes?" "Is this on speakers?" "M-Maybe." "And they are here to bring you back to the sanctuary?" Alice looked at the task force squads. The task force members looked at their squad leaders. The squad leaders looked at each other. "I think so?" Alice replied in uncertainty. "Ok. Alright. So you guys can hear me." "Y-Yes sir." Those guys became tense and stood taller. "Good. Listen up." Jeff started to speak slowly and clearly. "If you touch my girl, I will find you, your family, and your family''s family. Two can y this game. You hear me?" "S-Sorry sir." A squad leader jumped in. The squad leaders exchanged eye contacts. Then they nodded at each other. "Actually, on second thought, we''ll back out on this one." One squad leader firmly nodded as he said this. Hearing this decision, these fes slowly backed out of the factory. "Good." "Sorry to bother you." A squad leader apologetically nodded at Alice. "No problem." Jeff replied. "You have a good day sir." Another squad leader bowed. "You have a good day as well." Jeff quickly replied. Leaving a nod, these guys all streamed out the factory. Jumping into their jeeps, leaving no hesitation, they drove off. In a moment, the motor sounds distanced off. "Your man has some influence here eh?" Jeff chuckled over the bracelet. "Jeff..." Alice kneeled onto the ground and slumped. She still looked a little startled. "This is Jeff speaking." "I hate you..." Alice whimpered like she was about to cry. "I love you too..." A moment of silence... "So is this robot expensive?" Alice looked up at the mech. Her breathing paced a little. "Is it expensive..." Jeff paused in thought for a moment. "I don''t think anyone else in Berrystone can afford it." "I provided basically all the materials. And I happened to have a friend who knows how to build mechs. A friend who doesn''t take external orders... So yeah... But don''t worry about it, those materials are useless to me now anyways." "Ok, I''m almost there." "Oh boy. Ok. If you need me... Give me a call." Jeff''s voice turned into a serious grumble. At the same time... The stream of jeeps headed down the empty foggy road. Suddenly, a human figure appeared in their headlights. Chapter 75 - Unfolding (4) HOOOOONNNNKKK!!! A squad leader pressed his fist into the car horn. ?? Yet, that cloaked figure stood unwavered on the road. "FU*BOP* you!" That squad leader stepped onto the gas pedal. Vrrrmmm! The jeep shot forward towards that figure. Like a blur, that cloaked figure lifted up a wand. Pointing forward at the approaching jeep, the cloaked figure flicked his wand at air. PAM! It''s as if that jeep had received an invisible uppercut blow. In an instance, the jeep was knocked into the air. In air, that jeep slowly rotated forward. In the slow-motion world, through the windshield, the squad leader stared at the mage with kill-intent. The mage stared back with a yful smirk. A sh of light! Bop! A dagger had stopped an inch before the tip of the mage''s wand. m! The A-rank soldiers had finally realized the situation. One after another, these guys jumped out of the flying jeep. Screee... The stream of jeeps diverged to the sides. Soldiers quickly jumped out the sliding jeeps. In a blink, these guys had already surrounded that cloaked mage. With their weapons drawn, these guys were ready to fight onmand. PAM! Down the road, that flying jeep crashed onto the ground and slid into the fog. Being up close, the task force squads could finally take a better look at this daring enemy. In this dark and foggy environment, it''s impossible to see the face of this cloaked figure. Only two glowing amber-colored pupils could be seen. This mage''s arm had a purplish-ck color. It looked withered. The mage''s wand looked like a ck rod, made of an unknown material. In general, this mage gave off a dangerous and otherworldly feeling. The mage tapped his wand forward. That floating dagger dropped down. Pa! The mage caught the falling dagger with his other hand. This arm looked like a normal human arm. "Well gentlemen. What could I say." The mage said with a hoarse deep voice. "It''s an honor to have the attention of you big shots?" "Trust me. You''ll regret receiving our attention." One squad leader menacingly smiled. "People still dare to assault sanctuary squads these days?" "Looks like we''ll have to work our rusty bones a little." "You better have a real convincing message for us." "Make yourst message count." The task force members chuckled. The weapons in these guys'' hands started to brighten up. The mage sighed. Standing in the middle of 3 elite squads, this guy still looked rather rxed. "In a two million poption city, there is only about 80 S-ranks. That puts you at the top 0.004% of the poption." "Being squad leaders, you should be elites even among S-ranks." "Tsk." The squad leaders smirked. "So you regret standing in our way now?" "So yourst words arepliments for us?" "Do you really think we''ll let you off this easy?" In unison, the soldiers lifted their hands. In an instance, dozens of rays of lights shot towards that mage. In the crossfire of the mana projectiles, the cloaked figure moved like a blur, leaving afterimages as he moved. Stepping front and back, leaning from time to time, it''s as if this guy was doing yoga. BOOM! The mana projectiles exploded. The trail of light these projectiles drew out in the air quickly disappeared. "Compliment?" The mage scoffed. That barrage of attack couldn''t even leave a scratch on this guy. Seeing this result, the expressions on these task force members quickly turned serious. "No no no. I am expressing my disappointment. To think elites like you would flee against a D-rank this easily." The mage raised his chin and looked around. "If you had done your jobs properly, I wouldn''t even have to appear." "You should know your duties, soldiers. Where is the girl?" The mage tapped his wand against his palm. "It''s none of your business." A squad leader took in a deep breath. Squatting down a little, this guy looked like he was ready to fight seriously now. "We will report to the keyholder on this matter." Another squad leader stared at the mage in alert. "Hmm..." The cloaked mage nodded. "I''m afraid I can''t let you do that. Sire As won''t ept failure." "As sent you?" Hearing this, the squad leaders scoffed. "He''s not themander now, is he?" One squad leader smirked. "He still thinks he can boss us around?" "Now get out of our way." The mage looked around at the hostile task force squads. "Will you go back andplete your mission, or no?" "Eliminate him." In unison, the squads dashed into this mage. Leading the charge, the three squad leaders shed their weapons at this mage. "Tsk." The mage tapped his wand in air. Btttooommm! It''s as if the mage self-detonated. A blinding light sted through this fogged up streets. An immense fire storm flooded down the streets. In an instance, the entire road had been covered by ayer of mes. In just one attack, this ce had been turned into an infernal. Here, red and orange mes brightened up this grey and foggy world. The smell of burnt wood and tar quickly filled up the air. Standing in the middle of the road, only a mage in a ck cloak could be seen now. "Utterly useless..." The mage grumbled. Pam! Drawing up a torrent down this burning street, that mage quickly disappeared into the fog. A few miles down the street... Alice sat in the cockpit of the mech. There were noplicated controls in here actually. Sitting on a leather seat, Alice put a tiara onto her head. The girl leaned back and closed her eyes. [Checking Identity...] [ess Granted...] [Establishing Neurolink...] The cockpit entrance closed up. The magenta-colored mech raised its head and looked around. Standing up, the mech opened and closed its hand a few times. "Oh?" Alice''s magnified whisper echoed in the factory. "Hiiiaa?! Oh. Phew. It''s me." Alice''s nervous voice sounded out the mech. The mech waved its shield around a few times. Then it aimed its rocketuncher around, making poses. "Well, this is easier than expected." Alice murmured. "Neat." "I also get a short sword...sers..." The mech stood by the factory entrance for a moment. Making loud thump sounds, the mech walked out the factory. Yet, it stopped in therge front courtyard. "Should I leave? Or stay..." Alice''s mumbling voice sounded out the mech. Sensing something, the mech looked in one direction. Thump! Thump! Thump! Without further hesitation, this mech carefully walked backwards towards the factory entrance. This attempt to be silent and sneaky failed. This 5-meters tall mech was still loud. Leaving a pop in the air, a cloaked figure appeared before Alice''s mech. "Hmm... Hidden inside a metal shell I see..." The mage mumbled. "Ms. Finley... If you do not mind, perhaps we could have a face-to-face chat." Chapter 76 - Unfolding (5) "T-They sent y-you, an SS-rank, f-for me?" The mech took a step back. "Seriously?" Alice''s voice became higher-pitched in disbelief. ?? "Hmm... Yes. We thought you''d cooperate with the sanctuary squads. Since they are allied forces to you. They are there to escort you back, not to fight you." The mage took one step forward. The giant mech took one more step back. "However." The mage sighed. "The results are quite unfortunate. So I am here." "Why me?!" "Hmmm... Well Ms. Finley. You see, only 20% of what you do matters decisively. So it would only make sense to put 80% of work into the 20% that matters." "What''s most decisive factor in this operation?" "Jeff Norman." The mage examined Alice''s mech with his glowing amber-colored pupils. "Now. If you do not mind, Ms. Finley, please step out of the mech." Alice: "..." "I have to admit Ms. Finley, the mech you are piloting is a masterpiece. Technology had always been limited by materials and energy sources. With the introduction of mist materials, we have progressed so much!" "Now! Imagine what we could aplish with void materials!" "Under my eyes of analysis, gifted by the void, this little toy of yours have no secrets!" The mage pointed his wand at the giant mech. "Now Ms. Finley. If I do this by force, you may get hurt. That is a scenario neither of us want to see." Inside the mech, Alice panted heavily. The girl clenched onto the seat''s armrests. Her legs shook a little in nervousness. Thump! The mech took onest step backwards. "No..." Alice''s panting voices sounded out the mech. "Are you certain about this decision Ms. Finley." "..." Inside the mech, Alice clenched her teeth. The girl''s face reddened up. Her heart throbbed like a drum. In an instance, the glowing stripes on this mech became blindingly bright. In a blink, the color of their glow changed. Yellow... Cyan... Blue... Violet... Boom! A burst of mana exploded from this mech. Broken blocks of cement, dirt, patches of grass were flung into the air. SS-rank reached! "I don''t want to fight..." "But I don''t want to drag everyone down more!" The mech pointed its rocketuncher at the mage. The opening of this tube brightened up! Rays of light shot out of this weapon like an endless stream. In a second, hundreds of mana projectiles shot towards the cloaked mage. ! Pop! ! Boom! As if hitting an invisible barrier, these mana projectiles exploded. Pressing against this stream of exploding mana projectiles, the void mage walked forward. "Am I a small fry to you, Ms. Finley!" This mage sounded real ticked off. BAM! The streams of mana projectiles pierced right through the mage. Yet, the next moment, the mage disappeared. It''s an afterimage! In a blink, that cloaked mage suddenly appeared in front of Alice''s mech. "HWwuuaaa?!" Alice squeaked in surprise. The mech leaned sideways. But it was toote! Its size was simply too big. It''s almost impossible for the mage to miss. Pointing up, the mage''s wand quickly brightened up with a purplish glow. Tap! Bttooomm! A purplish me blossomed on the Mech''s head. Under this explosion, the mech shot into the factory. BAM! Flying across this factory, the mech crashed through the walls on the other side. "Hmm..." Leaving a blur, the void mage shot towards the opening on the wall. Zap! Inside the factory, rays ofser beams cut towards that mage. A swarm of robotic spiders dropped down from the ceiling. The air inside this factory also started to reek of a chemical smell. Yet, in a blink, the mage had already left. These attacks only hit the mage''s afterimage. "Oh geez. Oh geez." The Mech stood up from the muddy shores. Behind it was the river already. Surrounding the mech, small patches of purplish mes burnt on the wet sand. The ground under these mes quickly sank. It''s as if the ground was being corroded away. "I lost 15% health?! Oh. Uh. Oh no!" Alice panted. "Focus Alice. Focus." The world in Alice''s view quickly slowed down. The debris falling off the Mech gradually slowed down, until it was frozen in ce. All the sound in this world became low-pitched, until nothing could be heard anymore. Yet, at this moment, the void mage came into view. The Mech did a screaming motion at the void mage. The next moment, the eyes of this mech brightened up. Two rays of blue light sted towards that mage. These two rays of light pierced right through that mage. No. It''s just the mage''s afterimage. This attack missed! The beams shot right into the factory. The inside of this building quickly brightened up. The ground rumbled a little. Under a rising fiery cloud, the entire factory was blown into pieces. A wall of st wave brushed against Alice''s Mech. Yet, this level of force couldn''t even waver Alice''s Mech. Travelling in air, the debris gradually came to a halt. The world became standstill again. The Mech looked around for its enemy. Looking from above... The mage moved to stay in the Mech''s blind spot. The detection pattern of this Mech was way too predictable. The void mage raised his wand at the Mech. The wand quickly brightened up with a red glow. BAM! The Mech''s back exploded into mes. Under this surprising hit, the mech stumbled forward. Fanatically looking around, no enemies were in sight though. Poof! Poof! Poof! Finger sized missiles shout out of the Mech. Raising a hand, fire spewed out of the mech''s wrist. Yet, no hits... At the same time, the mech started fidgeting. It''s as if the mech was trying to pull out 20 weapons all at once. Yet, under this confusion, it couldn''t pull out anything. [Override...] [Pilot is having trouble locking onto the enemy...] [Deploying detection probes...] The Mech''s shoulder tes opened up. Plop! Plop! Plop! Marble-sized orbs were shot out into the air. In a blink, this area was covered with floating orbs. The Mech flinched as if it got jump-scared. BAM! Another explosion of mes on the back of the Mech''s knee. Losing its bnce, the mech dropped to the ground on one knee. [Shield Level: 65%...] Sensing something, the mech turned around and raised its shield. BAM! A sessful block. Turning around quickly, that mage was finally in view again. That mage froze up in surprise for a moment. The eyes on Alice''s mech brightened up! Zap! Two blue rays shot towards the surprised mage. Like a ragdoll being hit by two fire hoses, the mage was knocked into the sandy beach. BOoom! A cloud of sand rose up under this explosion. Under the st wave, that mage rolled down the beach like a broken ragdoll. In air, that guy spit out a mouthful of purplish-ck blood. The dude''s cloak was quickly burning away, revealing a skinny body underneath. Without hesitation, Alice''s Mech aimed a hand at the injured mage. At this moment, the mech brightened up like a star! This mech poured energy into its palm without holding back. Like an inting balloon, a sphere of golden energy expanded before its palm! Open Fire! A beam of golden energy shot towards that injured mage. Leaving a trail of molten ground, that beam shot forward into the mist. The light on this mech quickly dimmed again. Gradually dropping its palm down, the mech seemed to rx a little. Pop! The void mage suddenly appeared in front of Alice''s Mech. Wearing a mocking smirk, the mage pointed his wand at Alice''s Mech. This Mech just wasted its ultimate attack. Baited out with ease. Almost too easy... There was nothing threatening left. Chapter 77 - Unfolding (6) m! The mech swatted its shield at this mage. ?? With a hop, that mage jumped above the shield. With a stomp on the shield, that mage leaped towards the mech. In air, the mage''s wand brightened up with a purplish glow. Thrusting his wand forward like a dagger, the mage stabbed the dagger at the mech''s head. Boom! A fiery explosion. The mech was sent flying towards the river. Like a skipping rock, this burning mech bounced off the river surface. Wearing a smirk, the void mage shot towards Alice. Running on the water surface like the ground, that mage quickly closed in the distance. While travelling, the mage''s wand liquefied and sank into the mage''s hand. His withered arm quickly puffed up in size. Stomp! The mage suddenly appeared above the giant mech. Punch! The mech shot into the water like a cannonball. In Alice''s view, the bright river surface quickly distanced away. An enormous force was dragging her down into the dark and cold depth. "Jeff? Jeff!" This burning Mech struggled around in the water. Even under water, the purplish mes continued to burn. BAM! Another hit! The mech sank lower into the waters. Holding its shield up, the mech curled up. [Alert!] [Alert!] [Shield: 15%...] [Pilot Assistance Program Activating...] The curled up mech opened up again. At this moment, the presence of this mech totally changed! Even being battered up, even with lower energy, it still presented a whole new level of threat! In an instance, the mech transformed from a cowering newbie, to a cold and calcting warrior. Turning around, raising its shield, the mech blocked out a punch with ease. [Enemy Analysis Completed...] Being knocked back, the mech kept its gaze onto its enemy. [Energy source switched to Backup Mana Block A...] Pop! An explosion of mana. The water around the mech churned. The sticky purplish mes on this mech shot into the water. Seeing this result, the mage''s careless expression became serious, and a little flustered? In this dark waters, like a torpedo, that mage shot towards Alice''s mech. Yet, travelling halfway forward, the mage quickly slowed down. Looking closely, he was entangled in something now. A made out of thin metal chains gradually exited its camouged mode. The mage widened his eyes. He was genuienly surprised this time. WHEN?! In this dark world, the mech raised its hand at the mage. Like a noontime sun, the mech became blindingly bright with a golden light. Pouring energy into its hand without holding back, an sphere of golden energy appeared before the mech''s palm. Under this death threat, the cloaked mage widened his eyes and clenched his teeth. Without further doubt, the dude stabbed a syringe into his arm. Open fire! A beam of golden light sted towards that entangled mage. The water in the beam''s path instantly vaporized, leaving a trail of cloudy bubbles. Across the river, a blinding light shed! The waters churned and trembled. Looking from above... On the other side of the river bank, a fiery cloud shot up from the ground. Mud, water, and silt sted into the air. At this instance, under this st, the waters near that location receded. As the dirty waters fell down, water gradually filled that 35 meters radius crater... [Energy source switched to Backup Mana Block B...] Under water, the dimming mech brightened up again. Leaving a trail of bubbles, the mech quickly ascended. Bring out a pir of water, the mech broke through the river surface. Standing in the muddy rainfall, the void mage looked at the Mech in frustration. "Ugh." The dude''srge arm popped off. As the arm fell, it bursted into purplish mes. Before it hit the water surface, it had already been cremated. "This upgrade was reserved for you, Ms. Finley!" The mage grumbled. "Now look at what you''ve forced me to do! AHHHH!" A new arm quickly grew out of the mage''s shoulder. The dude''s hair quickly grew in length. In a moment, it was already at waist-length. As if being molded by an invisible force, the dude''s body quickly became taller and slender. The dude''s face became feminine. A droplet-shaped tattoo appeared on his forehead. His withered skin became smooth and tender. In a blink, the transformation was alreadypleted. The dude looked like a t beauty now. Overall, the dude gave off a sense of otherworldly beauty. Lethal yet alluring. The dude clenched his fist. PAM! An explosion of mana... The air surrounding the dude became dense like a liquid. "Now Ms. Finley..." The mage maliciously smiled. [Hostile Energy Level: SSS-rank!] [Likelihood of Escape: negligible...] [Final Backup Protocol Initiating...] Pop! The gem on the mech''s head cracked and shuttered. From the broken gem, a glowing energy flowed out, covering this mech. In a blink, this blob of energy had already reached 50 meters tall. Seeing this, the mage widened his eyes and held his breath. This was just a trace of sage-tier mana. Yet, this was not something an SSS-rank could stand against. Inside the glowing energy, Jeff''s upper body appeared as an apparition. Inside Jeff''s body, the mech was covered and protected. (Apparition: a ghost or ghostlike image of a person.) Jeff''s apparition turned his cold gaze towards the frozen mage. Raising a finger, Jeff pressed down at this tiny enemy. Under this pressure, the mage simply didn''t have the strength to move. It''s as if this space itself had been locked up. In the mage''s view, Jeff''s finger quickly expanded in size. "To think I lost to a rich man''s toy..." The mage bitterly sighed in unreconciliation. "Jeff Norman..." With a press and smear, the world was silent and peaceful again. In the breeze, Jeff''s apparition faded away. The mech rose its head at Jeff''s image. In the cockpit, Alice wore a blessed smile. ... ... [ The sanctuary storage ] 15 minutes prior to Jeff''s return... As''s cold gaze brushed through the scared workers. "Pile the materials at the shipping zone." "What materials do you need sir?" "Everything." As took a nce at the guy asking this question. "Yes sir!" Avoiding As'' gaze, that guy nodded. "Hmm..." As looked down at his electronic tablet. Using keyholder clearance, As punched inmands. "I''ve removed all restrictions in this building. You three, grab the crates out of the ck zone." "But only the keyholder is-" "Follow your orders." "... Yes sir." As turned his gaze towards the cloaked figure. That cloaked dude ced a ck disk onto the ground. Like streams of ink, ck stripes extended out of that disk. "The altar will be ready in 10 minutes Sire." As nodded at this reply. With a light hop, As jumped 7 meters into air, easily arriving the upper tform. Looking out the window, squads were streaming in now. Some were already setting up defenses. In a moment, this ce would be the most densely protected location in Berrystone. All ording to n... Chapter 78 - My Stacked Abilities! (1) Standing on the raised tform, As looked down at a metal block with raised brows. If he''s not mistaken, this block contained Jeff''s big ck sword. ?? As turned his gaze to the two cloaked figures kneeling before him. "They weren''t in a hurry. Sire." One cloaked figure lowered his head further. "In fact, they were rxed and unrmed. They never expected an attack inside the sanctuary." "Is that so..." As knitted his brows in consideration. "You may go back to patrolling now. Your contribution will not be forgotten." "As youmand sire!" The two cloaked figures fervently shouted. The next moment, these guys exploded into ck clouds. One after another, these two flew out an open window. As stood there for a moment, carefully considering the likelihoods and possibilities. Nodding at his decision, As took out a purplish-ck pill. Without second thoughts, As gulped it down. Standing there with closed eyes, a purplish-ck droplet tattoo formed on As'' forehead. Gradually, that droplet tattoo expanded and broke! Like a living slime, the purplish-ck streams encircled As'' head. Over time, the streams expanded into a band, gradually forming a purplish-ck crown. "Hmmm..." As took a deep breath. Focussing his gaze onto the metal block, As raised a hand. PAM! A firm punch! Torrent exploded out from the collision. Under this impact, that metal block shot right through the raised tform. Like a cannonball, the metal block shot right into the cement ground. In an instance, the ground cracked like an egg shell, forming a small pit. The ground shook a little. The workers had to stand still for a moment. "Continue your work." As jumped down. Under thismand, the workers returned to piling up container blocks. As turned his gaze to the container block. As expected, under his SSS-rank attack, this container begun to break. Cracks had expanded out on the metal block now. However, the cracks were slowly merging up. This container was healing itself! However... m! m! m! Leaving afterimages, As'' fists barraged this container. Pa! The container exploded into pieces. Extending out a hand, As firmly grasped onto the big void key. "Sire... The altar is ready..." The cloaked mage bowed. At the front loading area, a convoluted formation had formed. Gradually, the ground underneath the formation begun to lift up. First it''s a ck square base... Within the base, a smaller square tform raised up. In a moment, a small pyramid structure formed. Nineyers. Nine meters high. Got a t tform at the top. One after another, the torches at the top tform lit up. Under the purplish mes, the atmosphere in this storage instantly changed. The workers widened their eyes at the altar. It''s a strange otherworldly feeling. Cold. Dangerous. Lethal. This altar''s presence alone posed an immense pressure onto these workers. Some dropped to the ground. They tried to get up, but simply had no strength to do so. Some stronger ones fled from the storage without turning back. They didn''t understand why they were doing this. But an innate fear was driving them to do so. As ignored these guys. Grabbing the big ck sword in his hand, wearing a solemn expression, As walked towards that altar. By the foot of the altar, wooden crates of various sizes piled up like a small hill. At the front, smaller electronic metal crates formed a small pile. Almost all the high-value items of the sanctuary was gathered here now. Passing by these hills, the edge of As'' lips lifted a little. But the next instance, As'' face went back to being expressionless. Passing by the cloaked figure, As stepped up the stairway. As he walked up, the torches by the stairway lit up with purplish mes. In a quick moment, As had reached the top of the altar. Taking a deep breath, As hesitated a little. He unsheathed a purplish-ck dagger from his waist. Naturally, As couldn''t reply his sess on the sanctuary''s mistakes. He had prepared a void key himself. As took a look at his small dagger in one hand. Then he looked at his big ck sword in his other hand. Small dagger? Or big ck sword? Small dagger... Or big ck sword... Making a final decision, As sheathed his dagger. "Hoooo... Huh...." As steeled his gaze. Raising the big ck sword above his head, As hesitated again. As turned to the cloaked figure down the altar. That dude down there seemed a little excited? "Do I need to show respect?" As asked with a stern voice. "No sire. You are the customer here. Based on the points you own, the void will try its best to meet your demands." That cloaked figure bowed. "Is there anything else I need to be aware of?" "You are inplete control sire. The void is at your service." "Hmm..." As grumbled. "So be it." Turning back to the tform, As chopped down his sword at air. Like a zipper being unzipped, a small rift opened up in the air. The ck sword crumbled and dissipated into dust, fading away in the air. As: ?! The cloaked figure: ... "What is going on?" As asked in a demanding tone. "The void key ran out of energy sire." "Is that so..." As grumbled. Without hesitation, As pulled out his dagger. "Stop!" As turned back to the cloaked figure. This towering fe stared down at the cloaked figure with an intense gaze. "One altar, one void key sire. Two void keys would only interfere with each other, causing the portal to copse. And the ritual will fail." "Hmmm..." As grumbled. "Is that so!" "Sire, please expand and stabilize the portal with void crystals." As raised a hand. Forming a stream, those metallic crates floated up the altar. In a moment, they had formed a small pile. As tapped his card onto a crate. Recognizing the keyholder''s presence, these crates unlocked in unison. As opened up a crate. It contained void crystals. However, it''s half-empty. "Jeff Norman..." As grumbled. Nevertheless, without further thoughts, As still threw a crystal into the rift. The void rift expanded out a little. The ck slit expanded out a little, bing more of a circr portal. As froze for a moment. "If you see an interface, that is your ount interface sire." "Hmm..." Seeing this result, As started to feed the portal with void crystals. One after another, the void crystals were thrown back into the void. Gradually, the portal size expanded. Fist-sized... te-sized... Backpack-sized... Drawer-sized... As threw another crystal into the void. At this rate, the portal would be big enough for crates in no time. However, nothing happened this time. As turned to the cloaked figure. The cloaked figure: "... That was a fake sire." "Patient!!" As growled in frustration. "You rats! You leeches!" As panted in anger. "I will make you pay!" "Huhhh!" As lifted up a metallic container and shoved it into the portal. Toooommm... A low vibration expanded out the rift. In an instance, the portal became table-sized. As threw another metallic crate into the portal. Toommm... The portal became window-sized. As raised a hand. The hill of crates down the altar floated up into the air. As shed forward with two fingers at the portal. Clearly, he was running out of patience. Forming a stream, these crates flowed into the portal. These were the precious materials and loots the sanctuary had collected over months. Now, they became As'' personal points. Like a quickening drum beat, low vibrations burst out the portal. "It is done..." As smiled in victory. Chapter 79 - My Stacked Abilities! (2) Three minutes ago... Under As''mand,batants of various groups had gathered here now. Internal security. Sanctuary''s external task forces. Elite squads. Hunters... ?? There were about 500 of them packed in this small courtyard. It''s rather chaotic in there. No clear chain ofmand. Nobody knew what to do. Some were on the verge of a spar already. It''s just as chaotic at the gates though. "What are we doing here sir?" "Who''s our enemies?" "Shouldn''t we set up defenses outside?" "There''s no defense set up at the city hall? Are we just going to abandon it?" "Which areas are we responsible sir?" Dozens of team leaders had surrounded the two smite members. Wearing a knitted brow, the archer in purple battlesuit turned to his teammate. The swordsman in blue shook his head and shrugged. These two were just as clueless. "Alright, enough!" The archer shouted. "Hunters form the first line outside the walls." "Internal security cover the walls." "The elite squads will be thest line of defense." "Tsk." An S-rank hunter scoffed. "And who are you to makemands?" "Yeah! You still haven''t answered our questions!" "Where is the keyholder?" "Say, do you know why we are here?" A hunter guildmaster turned to an internal security squad leader. "No idea, but the pay is good." The squad leader shrugged. "Follow yourmand!" The archer in purple menacingly looked around. "Yeah? Or what?" "You!" Sensing something, the angry fes at the gate turned to one direction. Two figures were approaching them. It''s Liam in hisb coat. Wearing thin-framed sses, having a small beer belly, this guy looked rather harmless. Yet, seeing Liam here, the faces of the two smite members drastically changed. Wearing alerted and serious expressions, these two slowly moved their hands to their weapons. Beside Liam was a powered armor with glowing stripes. Pss... The visor opened up, revealing Magni''s face. "They are starting a coup. Arrest them!" The archer in purple readied his bow. Hearing thismand, the team leaders stirred up. "We are starting a coup?" Magni smirked. "Us?! You mean As." "As themander of the sanctuary task force, Imand you to return to your posts." The team leaders hesitantly looked at each other, hoping someone would take the lead. The fes inside the courtyard noticed the situation here as well. Gradually, they gathered up by the gates. "Yeah? Sure. You guys have fun, I''m out of this." An S-rank hunter shrugged. "Alright fes, let''s call it a day." Without further hesitation, this hunter led his group out of this ce. "Are you defying the keyholder''s orders?" "So what if I am?" That S-rank hunter looked back. "The sanctuary will see you as our enemies. We will not hesitate to use force." The swordsman in blue battlesuit threatened. "And when our president demands an answer, how will you exin?" That hunter smirked. "You-" The swordsman in blue clenched his teeth. "Let them go." The archer in purple sighed. As the hunters streamed out of this courtyard, some task force members and internal security began to follow as well. The team leaders nodded at each other. Without further thoughts, these guys headed out in unison. "Even you people trust them? The keyholder needs you the most right now!" The archer shouted in disbelief. "Will you flee from your duties, and let the sanctuary down?! When the sanctuary needs you the most?" Hearing this, some team leaders began to hesitate. "The keyholder is not here! It''s As inside!" Someone shouted. The crowd turned their gazes to the source of this voice. The dude was only a D-rank, the lowest ranking member here. However, that guy was in storage guard uniform. Seeing this result, the team leaders turned alerted gazes towards the two smite members. "It''s As!" "We didn''t see the keyholder here!" One after another, shouting over each other, the storage guards tried to exin the situation. Leaving a sigh, the two smite members jumped back towards the storage. Tttoooommm... A low vibration expanded out from that storage. At this moment, everyone here shared the same feelings. It''s an unexinable otherworldly feeling, triggering an innate fear. Some weakerbatants gulped and stepped back in panic. Other higher-rankingbatants clenched their teeth. Within the fear, there''s also an innate calling. A calling to do something. A calling for battle! It''s up to them to save this world! Tttooomm... "Stop them!" Magni shouted. His visor snapped shut. Leaving a boom in the air, Magni charged towards that storage. "Charge!" "For our home!" "For the sanctuary!" "Arrrggghhh!" Like a tidal wave, Somebatants followed Magni into the charge. Some weaker soldiers ran off in the other direction. Yet, battle instantly broke out within the charge. Crashing into each other, the wave slowed and became chaotic. "Why?!" A hunter held onto his bloodstained arm. "In this world, you''ll never know if it''s tomorrow or deathing next." A fellow hunter answered. "If you want to survive, you will need power!" Down the battlefield... A task force member backstabbed his teammate. "Sorry. But without the void, I''d be dead right now!" An internal security knight tackled that assant down. Clunk! Using his recurve bow, the archer in purple blocked out a sword strike from his past teammate. "For the good of the sanctuary, please die!" The archer put on a fervent smile. "You are insane! You *Bloop*ing lied to me! I never signed up to join the void!" The swordsman red at his old buddy. At this instance, the hidden void servants jumped out in unison. Wearing ecstatic smiles, these guys fought like they didn''t mind dying. "To protect what you care about, this is the sacrifice you''ll have to take!" "I choose this path, so my children don''t have to take this path!" BAM! Magni crashed through the storage''s overhead doors, leaving a hole behind. "As!" Stepping through that hole, wearing a hopeful expression, Liam pushed up his sses. "Oh ho?" Standing on the ck altar, As looked down at the two intruders. "You guys are toote." As smiled yfully in victory. Liam and Magni took a quick look around. Seeing this result, their hearts sank. All the crates were gone now. There''s only arrays of empty shelves left here. Up the altar, the void portal before As quickly shrunk. A purplish-ck particle shot out of the closing portal. In a blink, it shot into As'' purplish-ck crown like a bullet. As could have dodged it. But he didn''t. This was exactly what he''d asked for. Poof! A ck ring shot out of the portal. As caught it with ease. However... As turned to the cloaked figure with a raised brow. "It''s new customer benefits sire. Since you spent a lot of points on your first transaction, you can expect this ring to be a powerful item." "Is that so-" Turning around, As pushed his palm down the altar. It''s like hitting a pause button. Magni became frozen in air. Nevertheless, the ster on Magni''s shoulder continued to brighten up. "Tsk. SSS-rank." As scoffed and squeezed his hand. Bbbttooom! A fiery explosion engulfed Magni. Like a pile of scrap metal, Magni shot into the cement ground. "A neat toy." As turned his yful gaze towards Liam now. Streams of purplish-ck materials extended out of As'' crown. Gradually, this material formed a floating purplish-ck halo behind As'' head. The halo looked like it''s made of an unique material. Not wood, not metal, not ceramic, not stic... Strange. In every sense, the halo looked like it didn''t belong in this world. "Bye bye Liam." As maliciously smiled. Liam was drenched in sweat now. The dude panted like his mind was running at ten thousand miles a second. "Hmm..." As smiled with half-closed eyes. He seemed to be really enjoying this moment. As took in a deep breath. "My moment to shine..." PAM! Under a snappy explosion, this storage bursted into pieces. Two figures shot out of the storage. A cloud of ck mist soon flew out as well. At this instance, the fighting in the courtyard stopped. Most people looked into that direction in sheer shock and disbelief. The void servants rxed and put on victorious smiles. Inside the expanding debris, a blob of golden energy gradually expanded out. In a moment, the golden energy condensed into a towering 20-meters figure. Behind that figure, a throne chair quickly formed. The giant As sat onto his seat. As emitted a light like warm sunlight. Wearing a kind smile, As tried to look benign. Yet, his presence was still too much pressure for the people below. One after another, willingly or unwillingly, the people here kneeled onto the ground. "From this day on, I, As, will be the ruler of Berrystone!" As'' rumbling voice traveled down the sanctuary. Chapter 80 - [Bonus ]My Stacked Abilities! (3) Looking up at As'' giant glowing figure, the expressions on some people changed. Some in the crowd lost their will to fight. ?? Perhaps this was for the better... At least... Having As on their side felt safe... Some in the crowd looked up at As in awe and reverence. Can''t fight... Can''t win... Others were still struggling to stand up. They weren''t interested in joining the void. They weren''t ready to give up yet. Not without a fight. "I know some of you saw me as your enemies. Some of you were nuisances to me." As scanned through the crowd. For an instance, As'' gaze paused on Liam, Magni, and that swordsman in blue battlesuit. "However, I forgive you. Today will be a fresh start." "After you join the void, we will be one family." "After you join the void, I will never need to doubt your loyalty again." "After you join the void, we will create unprecedented glory together!" "Together, we can all grow without limits!" "Those who work hard for the sanctuary, those little guys who''d never had a voice, those who had been silently devoting themselves to the sanctuary, without expectations for return..." "You will not be forgotten! I, As, will reward you generously!" "From today onwards, there will be abundance!" Hearing this, the fear in the crowd quickly faded away. Awe. Reverence. Hot-blooded. Looking forward to a better life. At this moment, As had gained the approval from the top-tierbatants of the sanctuary. Sensing something, As looked into one direction with a faint smile. The whistling sound in the air quickly got louder. The crowd turned their gazes to that direction as well. A blue ray of light shot through the fogged up skies. In a blink, it was above the sanctuary storage now. It instantly stopped in air, revealing a figure inside. Jeff looked at As with aplicated expression. "You have actually made it this far..." As looked at Jeff with a victorious smile. "As expected of Jeff Norman. You have reached this realm as well..." Seeing Jeff''s entrance, the crowd stirred up. Two people of the sanctuary have reached the realm above SSS-rank? Some people looked rather proud, proud to be a denizen of the sanctuary. After today, who can stand in the sanctuary''s way? A few people looked rather concerned though. These two didn''t look exactly friendly towards each other... "You lied to us As..." Jeff squinted at As. "It wasn''t your negligence. You had deeper ties with the void this entire time..." Jeff''s sighed in disappointment. "Correct Norman." As''s cheerful voice echoed down the sanctuary. "You people easily believed what you wanted to believe. And considering the sanctuary''s public image, and how understaffed we are... Heyhey... Hahaha!" "It''s my win!" The giant As extended an inviting hand at Jeff. "Join me Norman. You will be my right hand man. I know you are not interested in management. But whatever you want, I am capable of giving it to you." As'' voice rumbled like a deity''smand. "Uh huh..." Jeff squinted and nodded. His grasp onto his wooden staff tightened a little. At the same time... [Threat Detection Toggled On] [Beast Instinct Toggled On] [Aura Vision Toggled On] ... ... "In the face of unprecedented threats, will we choose to be weak, fragile, and hope to survive based off the mercy of our enemies?" As continued his speech at Jeff. "In times like this, do you really want to start an internal war!" "Or, we can choose to make this sanctuary stronger,rger, more powerful!" "So you epted the void''s help?" Jeff asked. "Jeff, you should know, in times like this, the sanctuary''s military strength is the only thing that matters! By any means, we must achieve that goal! We must be ready before the next disaster strikes!" "You are jumping out of the cold pan and into the fire As." Jeff shook his head. "The void is a bigger threat than the mist." Jeff''s wooden staff vibrated a little. Just a little though. Looking at As'' size, Jeff decided to charge his staff for a bit longer. "We could discuss in detail on this topic." As'' giant glowing figure nodded. "Very well. So we agree that the sanctuary''s strength is the highest priority, if not the only core priority." "Next, we shall centralize wealth and power. Under our leadership, the sanctuary will be more powerful than ever!" As eximed with a wide smile. This guy was swimming in his vision of the future. Jeff raised his brows. ''After reaching sage-tier, this *bloop*er is not even trying to hide it anymore huh...'' Hearing this, the crowd''s fervent expressions cooled off a little. This didn''t sound very right. "So you are trying to convince us to sacrifice our freedoms and wealth." Jeff asked. "Individualism and extended liberties are dangerous Norman. In trying times like this, it will only have negative effects on the sanctuary. Too much wasted efforts. Too much wasted resources." "For now, we need unity, brotherhood, and new rules for this new world!" As continued with his speech. "Our biggest enemies are the big corporations! They horde materials and don''t use them for anything! These are the leeches of our economic structure!" "Our biggest enemies are the bureaucrats in charge of the sanctuary! They take your residence fees. But what have they done for you!" "Under my rule, I will make things better for you!" Hearing these ims and ns, As gained some support again. Not much though... Jeff squinted and slowly nodded. "... Do you hear what you are saying? That sounds a lot like fascism." "It''s not fascism... It''s temporary martialw." "Uh huh... Suuurreee." Jeff nodded. ''Yeah. Go ahead. Keep bullshitting.'' "So no concentration camps?" Jeff added. "... Maybe a few." As just lost all of his supporters. "But no more than five." As quickly added. This didn''t help. At this moment, people remembered As'' past records. Well. As certainly wasn''t the nicest guy around. More like an as*Bloop* to be honest. Some people''s faces paled. They could already see As'' tyrannying. The eyes of some glinted. They were ready to leave the sanctuary. "I don''t think the people will like that very much." Jeff raised his brows. "That''s what the concentration camps are for." As replied as if that''s the obvious answer. "Yeah... I can''t watch that happen here." Jeff shook his head. "I thought you would join me." As sighed in disappointment. "Well. Someone has to stand up for the little guys. I can''t just let you rob the people in the name of the sanctuary." "Hmm... Is that so?" As smirked. Jeff raised his brows. ''Not even going to keep bullshitting?'' "You will fight me? Here? Do you seek to destroy the sanctuary?" As looked down at Jeff in victory. "You are holding these guys as your hostage?" Jeff asked. "What if I am..." As leaned back with a scornful smile. The crowd stirred up. They looked up at Jeff and As in terror. If these two deity-like beings fought here... Could theyst a second? People quickly turned to Jeff with pleading gazes. "Well, saw iting." Jeff mmed his staff at air. As if being hit by an invisible strike, As'' giant glowing figure was knocked back. The space around this guy rippled like water surface. In an instance, this giant glowing figure popped out of existence. Jeff tapped his staff forward. In an instance, Jeff had disappeared as well. With the departure of the two sage-tiers, the invisible pressure on the people here suddenly disappeared. A cluster of sighs in relief could be heard. Before they knew it, the people here were already drenched in sweat. Then, one after another, the crowd looked at the void servants. "Hey." As'' supporters gathered up in a small group. "As is invincible in this world now." "Yeah. Sire As will return in no time!" Another guy proudly warned with confidence. "Is that so..." Wearing malicious smiles, the crowd closed in. Chapter 81 - My Stacked Abilities! (4) About 20 to 30 miles away from the shore... A giant glowing figure popped into existence. ?? As took a look around. He was about 50 meters in air now. Only fog could be seen around. Below, it''s the endless ocean tides. "Oh?" As turned his gaze. Before him, Jeff had suddenly appeared. "You''ve got to hit harder than that." As chuckled. His giant golden figure gradually dissipated away. There wasn''t an audience here anyways. In a moment, As'' body came into view. Wearing a purplish-ck crown, having a halo floating behind him, the dude''s eyes overflowed with a purple light. His surroundings was clearly dimmer than the environment. It''s as if this guy was a ck hole engulfing light. Wearing a confident smile, As looked at Jeff with a raised chin. "Jeff Norman... Myst obstacle..." About half a street away, Jeff stood in air as well. In sage mode, he was emitting a faint blue glow. Blue light overflowed from his eyes. Under the two''s unreserved presence, the ocean winds quickly disappeared. Below, the ocean tides gradually ttened. In a moment, the ocean surface gradually curved downwards. Looking at As, Jeff smiled a little in relief as well. He''d sessfully brought As away from the sanctuary. With this sess, half of the battle was won. Sure, As had the same attributes as him. However... Jeff tightened his grasp onto his staff. He had a radiant-tier weapon. What did As have? Jeff could stack pages of abilities. What did As have? Yet, for some mysterious reason, As thought that he was on the same level as Jeff now? Weird. ''Everything is under control now...'' Jeff took in a deep breath. "I never liked you." Jeff sighed. "But I never wanted to see you as my enemy either." "You don''t have to." As raised his brows. "Take your girlfriend and your friends. Leave this city. I won''t stop you." "So you can sacrifice this city to the void, get stronger, be unstoppable?" Jeff chuckled at this offer. "Then what. This region? This world?" "Say. As. Of all the people, you should know the consequences of epting the void''s gift." As raised his brows in disdain. "You mean bing the void''s eternal ve after death?" "Well. Yes." Jeff nodded. "The consequences onlye after death." As chuckled. "So just don''t die. I am currently immortal anyways. Age means nothing to me." "Uh huh..." Jeff slowly nodded. ''Still trying to pursue me to join?'' "Well Jeff. Nobody can n for afterlife. I only n for this lifetime. You only live once after all." Jeff raised his brows. ''Did he just yolo me? He totally just yolo''d me. Seriously?'' Leaving a smile, As shot into one direction. Jeff tapped his staff in air. In an instance, Jeff appeared in As'' way. Without hesitation, Jeff swung his staff at As'' head. BOOM! Jeff''s staff shed with As'' blocking arm. Under this collision, the air around the two quickly expanded out into a wild torrent. For a moment, a vacuum had formed. Along with the air, the dense fog was shoved away as well. For an instance, within 100 meters of these two''s vicinity, the fog had cleared up. For once, the view had been clear. Below, a shockwave quickly expanded out above the water surface. Under this st, tides quickly built up to 20 meters tall. BAM! Under the atmosphere pressure, the air crashed back into this vacuum. "Hmm..." As smiled. This towering dude suddenly exploded into a cloud of ck mist. The ck mist brushed through Jeff and condensed back to As. Without hesitation, this guy continued to fly back to the sanctuary. ''Troublesome...'' Jeff''s expression turned serious. The game here was rigged. As only needed to return to the sanctuary. If he aplished this objective, Jeff would be heavily restrained. As had nothing to lose. However, Jeff had people who''d cared about in the sanctuary. As never needed to defeat Jeff in battle. However, Jeff had to defeat As. A draw was not an option. As knew Jeff''s staff''s ability now. The same trick won''t work again. As won''t give Jeff charging time again. Realizing As'' objective, Jeff''s gaze turned cold. A trace of kill-intent shed by. Can''t hold back... Tapping his staff in air, Jeff appeared in As'' path again. Wearing a smile, As threw a punch at Jeff. This warrior couldn''t be surprised by the same trick again. BOOM! Jeff grabbed onto As'' wrist. Spurts of water were sted into the air. By mere collisions, the two brought catastrophic destruction to the environment. Locking gazes with As, Jeff''s eyes bursted with light. In an instance, a stream of psychic energy had sted out of Jeff''s eyes. Yet, this psychic energy failed to punch into As'' head. Vrrrrreeeemmm... It''s as if countless invisible des had exploded out from these two. The water droplets in the air instantly vaporized. BAM! As punched Jeff off. "I can do this all day Jeff." As carelessly smiled. "With my current body, I will never tire! But how long will youst Jeff? How long can you halt me for?" "Really now." Jeff tiredly looked at As. "You can try me." As smiled in victory. The dude seemed to be enjoying this moment. "It is my win this time." "Huh. That''s not very fair." Jeff took in a deep breath. His psychic energy was quickly regenerating. His mental rity quickly returned. "It is what it is." As'' smile widened. Even now, As looked rather rxed. Leaving a shrug, As headed to the sanctuary again. With a tap of his staff, Jeff appeared in the way. Leaving a series of shes, the two drew a destructive path above the ocean. Gradually and steadily, As was closing in distance from the sanctuary. Jeff was the one under pressure here. BAM! Clenching onto As'' wrist, Jeff sighed. "If you return to human, we can still figure something out As." "Neither of us want to see the sanctuary in ruins. I don''t want to kill you As." "Kill me? Kill me?!" As leaned back and heartilyughed. "Are you saying you can kill me anytime you wanted?" "So be it." Jeff exploded with a blinding golden light. BAM! Jeffnded a firm punch onto As'' face. PLUSH! As shot into the ocean like a meteor, bringing out an explosion of ocean water into the air. At this moment, Jeff''s attributes became overwhelmingly higher. [Beast Instincts] toggled on... This was the first ability Jeff had gained. A reward from the oversized coyote Jeff had in. Thinking back at his first fight, Jeff couldn''t help but to chuckle in his mind. So many rookie mistakes were made in that fight. He''d grown so much since then... [Blessing of Wind] toggled on... An ability gained from that giant goose. If that goose wasn''t chasing down Alice, perhaps Jeff wouldn''t have met Alice... [Warrior''s Physique] toggled on... An ability Jeff had gained from that wolfman. This was his first time facing an S-rank monster. This was the monster that changed Jeff''s mentality. No more running away from threats. Eliminate them! [Telekinesis] That vampire girl''s trump card ability. A versatile ability that could be used by itself to clear out small minions. Or, it could be a buffer ability that strengthened Jeff''s attacks. [Mist Breathing Technique]... [Furnace Body]... These were the rewards from Lord Trample the minotaur. Thanks to these abilities, Jeff could grow even when he couldn''t find unique monsters. [Living Fortress] toggled on... [Runic Barrier] activated... [Unbreakable] toggled on... [Energy Drain] activated... [Regenerative Genes] toggled on... [Assassin''s Instincts] toggled on... [Execution] activated... [Cursed Aura] activated... [ze] activated... ''Before knowing it, I have already umted this many abilities huh...'' Jeff looked down with aplicated look. 5% might not be much by itself. But 5% stacked 50 times bes a 11.5x multiplier. For most attributes, Jeff had more than 50 abilities stacked. And most abilities gave him more than 5% enhancement. (% effects reduced after entering sage-tier. But most still gave more than 5 %) About a 20 times boost in strength... 18 times boost in reflex speed... Only 12 times faster movement speed... Mana capacity. Mana density. Defenses. Damage reduction. Regenerative speed. Mental strength... At this moment, all of Jeff''s attributes flipped 10 folds at least. The cost: Jeff could only be in this mode for 10 minutes. But that''ll enough. With Aura vision, Jeff could see As'' glowing figure under the ocean. Jeff raised a palm at As. A sphere of golden energy quickly inted before Jeff''s palm. ''For the sanctuary. For this world. Rest in peace, As...'' Chapter 82 - My Stacked Abilities! (5) The orb before Jeff''s palm instantly inted to basketball-size. At this moment, a mana density of sage-level mid-tier had been reached! ?? This was not an attack a sage-level early-tier like As could take. In an instance, a thick beam of golden energy sted into the ocean. Upon contact, the water around the beam instantly vaporized into clouds of white fume. Travelling like a beam of light, this beam had instantly engulfed As. There was simply too little time to react! [Energy Beam] Jeff''s new ability. Nothing fancy. But this beam of pure unprocessed energy was deadly enough by itself. Sensing the results, Jeff raised his brows. His energy beam had just disappeared all of a sudden. PAM! As shot out of the ocean surface, bring out a pir of water. "JEFF NORMAN!!" Floating above the ocean surface, As looked at Jeff with a grudging gaze. "I''ll remember. The shame you''ve. Brought to me today." As panted. This towering fe''s size had deted like a balloon. He looked like a skinny teenager now. Plop... Plop... Purplish-ck blood dripped off the dude. These ink-like droplets quickly diffused in the ocean. Jeff tapped his staff forward. In an instant, Jeff appeared before As. A purple light blinked around As. Whoosh! Jeff swung his staff forward. An arc of st wave traveled down the ocean surface, gradually bringing up a wall of tide. Jeff looked upwards. As had suddenly appeared up there now. His ring emitted a purple glow. The dude''s figure quickly inted again. 2 meters tall... 4 meters tall... In a blink, As'' form had changed. Before, he looked somewhat like a king. Now, this dude just looked like a purple muscr alien. Leaving a hateful gaze at Jeff, As shot upwards to the sky. Not towards the sanctuary this time. As chose to flee! ''Can''t let you do that...'' Leaving a trail of golden light in the air, Jeff shot towards As. Some distance away, one could only see two rays of light shooting up into the sky. The golden ray below quickly caught up with the purple ray above though. Sensing this, As turned around. Purplish-ck blobs quickly formed around him. As pressed his palm at Jeff. These blobs rained down like a barrage of missiles. Before hitting Jeff, these blobs self-imploded into void rifts. In an instance, a field of void rifts blocked up Jeff''s path. Without stopping, Jeff waved his staff horizontally. It''s as if there was an invisible eraser, those void rifts got erased. "This is your end As..." Jeff popped right above As. Yet, leaving a purple sh, As had disappeared! Jeff looked up. As had somehow travelled hundreds of meters instantly. Fog was obstructing Jeff''s vision. But only one glowing figure could be seen. ''Is it that ring?'' Jeff knitted his brows. Jeff took a look around to be certain. No energy signatures whatsoever. Without further hesitation, Jeff chased behind As. ''But how many times can you use that move As?'' Jeff certainly didn''t have to worry about mana within these 10 minutes... Just like this, whenever Jeff caught up, As would sh away. Poof... Poof... Jeff squinted a little at the bright sunlight. Following As, he had shot through the nket of fog. Up there, it''s the beautiful blue sky. A few thin cloud puffs here and there. A scene Jeff hadn''t seen with his own eyes for a while. The warm sunlight felt nice as well. Looking down, it''s like he was standing on a nket of cloud now. The sunlight gave the nket of fog a golden lining. The atmosphere was thinning here. High wind: hundreds of kilometers per hour. Freezing temperatures: about -50 Celsius. Nevertheless, at sage-tier, being enveloped by ayer of golden energy, Jeff felt totally fine here. Looking up, As was still ascending higher. ''Is he trying to get to space?'' Jeff knitted his brows. He suddenly had a bad feeling about this one. Jeff was fine at this height. However, Jeff wasn''t sure if he''d be fine in sub-orbit. Or worse, in space. ''Enough.'' Jeff poured his mana into his staff. With a tap, Jeff instantly disappeared. A couple of kilometers above As, Jeff suddenly popped into existence. Raising a palm at As, a sphere of golden energy inted. Unfortunately, these were about all the tricks Jeff knew. However, it''s enough. ''Let''s see how many times you can make these disappear.'' Below, wearing a seeded smile, As chopped his dagger in the air. In an instant, a void rift appeared. Jeff widened his eyes. The orb in his palm instantly ttened into a disk. ''9yers of shield!'' Golden light quickly became blindingly bright in Jeff''s view. Tss... Before Jeff could do anything else, he''d been engulfed by a wide beam of golden energy. Layer byyer, the invisible shields before Jeff shuttered and dissipated. The golden beam of energy collided with Jeff''s shield. Inside this beam, the temperature quickly heated up. It''s like being propelled by a geyser of water, Jeff was uncontrobly pushed further up. The beam of energy quickly dissipated. The surrounding quickly cooled down. Coming to a halt, Jeff panted a little. Breathing was bing difficult. It had to be like negative 100 degrees Celsius here. The wind speed was getting rather fast. However, there''s barely any air around. Even being covered inside his energy, Jeff still felt a little cold here. Looking down, Jeff could see the curvature of this clearly now. Below, this entire was covered in ayer of fog. No exceptions. Some distance underneath Jeff, As clenched his fists. The dude wasn''t panting or anything. In fact, This guy wasn''t even breathing. As looked past Jeff into space with a longing look. So close. Yet so far away. As'' gaze flickered in thought. "Looks like you are out of tricks as well." Jeff''s voice sounded right by As'' head. A psychic trick. It''s not like talking was possible here. As looked down. If he could get to the sanctuary, it''s his win. Then As looked up. If he could get into space, that would also give him a huge advantage. As a void race, he could easily survive in the void space. Jeff couldn''t. Yet, with Jeff in his way, neither options seemed viable now. He was simply too slow. As clenched his fists. His gaze gradually became determined. "My offer still stands As. Return to a human again, and we can figure something out together." PAUSE: Jeff was still hoping for the void-reversal solution. Not for As. But for those void servants who''d changed their minds. "Figure something out?" As'' voice sounded by Jeff''s head. "Figure something out?!" "I''d rather die than rotting in prison!" "Why do you think I chose the void in the first ce!" As stared at Jeff with an angry gaze. "If the old man didn''t put you as his first sessor, you think I''d choose this risky path!" As ranted like he didn''t care anymore. Jeff raised his brows. He actually didn''t know this information. ''Samson wanted me to be the keyholder?'' "Soft man like you should never be in charge of the military! Yet, you are in charge of the biggest mercenary group in this city! What a joke!" "The old man even put Liam above me in session order! Am I the only sane person here!" As flew closer to Jeff. "If you weren''t a category 4, you''d be nothing! Nobody! You hear me Norman? Nothing!" "What do you know about resource management? What do you know about leadership! What you know about city nning! Nothing! You know nothing!" "Only I, As, can bring glory to Berrystone. Only I..." As slumped in defeat as he floated up. In a moment, As had reached the same height as Jeff. "I... As..." As extended his hands forward. This guy was ready to be cuffed. "... Very well... I''ll be a fragile human again. But, at least let me be an advisor." As looked at Jeff in the eyes. A smirk appeared on As'' face. His ring suddenly burst with a purple light. Chapter 83 - My Stacked Abilities! (6) As'' ring crumbled into dust. Gradually, cracks expanded out on As'' purplish alien body. Small pieces crumbled off, dissipating into dust. ?? In a moment, cracks had covered As'' body. Pa! As'' body shuttered into pieces. Falling in air, those cement-like pieces evaporated in the air as well... It was just Jeff standing in air now, staring forward with an unfocussed gaze. ... As opened his eyes. Looking around, As found himself on a ssy in. The ground emitted a warm creamy-white glow. Above, there were clusters of little orbs that brightened up this dim space. They looked like stars in the night sky. Some distance away, there was a horizontal stream of glowing lights. It looked like the milky way gxy. This was the world inside Jeff''s mind. "To think you''d let your guard down just like that." As snickered as he flew up. "How foolish of you Norman.... Be a human again..." As scoffed. "Are you mocking me? You should know there''s no going back!" "You can''t hide forever Jeff! Fight me! I will erase your consciousness! I will take over!" As'' rumbling voice travelled down this space. "You are just wasting your talents Norman! I can put it to much better use!" "This oue is inevitable! After taking over your body, who will stop me?" "This world is a stage, and I, As, am the sole protagonist!" This space shook at As'' promation. In the distance, the glowing pixels of the milky way fluttered. In the next instance, this stream of starry light opened up like an eyelid. A beam of light bursted out as this eye opened up. Gradually, a pupil like a helix neb came into view. That beam of light brushed through this space. As held up his hand and closed his eyes under this blindingly bright beam. "I-Impossible..." As grumbled and clenched his teeth. He was trying his best to stand tall under the pressure of Jeff''s gaze. "No... Ugggghhh! No!" As'' body exploded into dust. "No..." As'' voice faded into silence... On the outside, Jeff opened his eyes and raised his brows. ''So As'' psychic level is still SS-rank?'' ''It''s just that his body has high psychic defenses?'' ''Or is my ability too trash?'' ''He dared to enter my mind space, a sage-tier''s mind space, as an SS-rank? What was he thinking?'' As'' decision still felt unreal to Jeff. Either way... Yeah... There''s some gap between the Supernatural-realm and Sage-realm. ''Wait... Just because he blocked out my psychic attack, he thought he was at the same level as me?'' The golden light surrounding Jeff dimmed away. The battle was over. As was dead. Jeff turned off his stack of abilities. He was feeling a little hungry now. Leaning back, Jeff entered free fall towards the ground. Jeff thought he''d feel some sorrow for As'' death. As wasn''t a friend... But Jeff had known this guy for months now. But no. Jeff didn''t feel any sorrow actually. ''Thinking about it... Life without As doesn''t seem all that bad... Maybe even better...'' ''Tsk. Who''d miss As anyways...'' Plop! Bringing out a spurt, Jeff fell into the nket of fog. ... Looking down at the sanctuary from the sky... Streams of people headed away from the sanctuary. At this moment, the streets became congested again. Everyone wore a worried face. Carrying luggage big and small, the residents here moved along with the streams of people. Some people were still trying to look for their friends. Some squeezed through the tight crowds. From time to time, groups of hunters hopped across the roofs the buildings. These guys were fleeing away from the sanctuary as well. Inside the buildings, some quickly packed their belongings. They''d decided to join this stream of people. After all, As'' speech did not sound very enticing... Others looked through their windows and decided to wait... In the crowd, Alice''s friends, the KMR group gathered up. "Don''t worry! The Mission Machine will win!" Jeff''s fan boy shouted. "The Mission Machine will never lose. He''ll never lose!" The boy sounded like he was trying to convince himself as well. "Of course Alex. Of course." Wearing tired expressions, these guys moved forward. Inside the sanctuary, there were very few people left now. Up in the sky, silhouettes of canoes could be seen. These settlement leaders waited in silence. Gardener, Telepathy, and Magni clenched their fists in unreconciliation with the situation. This feeling of powerlessness... Knowing that your fate is in someone else'' hands... Oracle sat at the tip of a canoe with her eyes closed. Wearing a nk expression, nobody knew what this girl was thinking. Tyler Anas repetitively wiped his sword. His message was clear. He won''t surrender to the void without a fight. Liam Evanstein looked forward with half-closed eyes. This guy sweated a little. It''s like this guy was still thinking of a way out. ... A few miles away from the sanctuary, a ray of blue light flew through the foggy sky. Noticing this obvious light source, the crowd looked up. "It''s Jeff Norman!" Someone shouted. Flying at only 50 meters above the ground, it''s not that difficult to see Jeff from the ground. Any detection ability would do the trick to be honest. "He won!" "We don''t have to leave anymore!" Someone threw their fist in the air. "Yes!" Someone cheered. More people in the crowd rxed at this result. "Norman! Norman! Norman!" Someone begun to chant. "Norman!" "Norman!" Looking down at the endless stream of people, hearing their cheers and apuse, Jeff smiled and gave them a thumbs up. At this moment, Jeff suddenly felt an epiphany. ''I''ve done something big and important huh...'' Jeff genuinely smiled. ''I''ve always seen myself as a monster ying machine. But turned out, I became a hero...'' ''Those hunting trips really paid off.'' ''Now, I''ve defended my home...'' ''We''ve fended off another threat...'' As Jeff flew down the street, the wave of cheers followed him. Gradually, people turned around and headed back to their homes. As was gone already. It''s not like Jeff was going to rob them and hold them hostage... right? Chapter 84 - My Stacked Abilities! (7) Seeing the approaching ray of blue light, Tyler Anas smiled in relief. Sheathing his sword, this family head stood up. Wearing rxed expressions, the settlement leaders stood up as well.?? "So. Is there a party going on?" That ray of light halted before the floating canoes, revealing Jeff inside. "Sure. Let''s have a party inside." Liam chuckled and shook his head. With Jeff''s return, the atmosphere surrounding the sanctuary lightened up. In a moment, the group had returned to the conference room on the 4th floor. Except this time, a certain unweed member was missing. Also, they had to serve themselves for water and coffee now. Most people were still returning here. "The East Berrystone settlement wishes to join the sanctuary. We wish to be an external branch." Oracle spoke first. People turned their gazes at the girl. Well... This was unexpected. The eyes of Telepathy and Gardener glinted as well. In a second, they''d made a decision. These guys quickly turned their gaze towards Jeff. "Thickford wishes to join the sanctuary as well." "Picone as well." "Ooookay..." Liam nodded at Jeff. Jeff: ... "Okay... So Jeff..." "Yes?" Jeff squinted. He suddenly got a bad feeling about this. "You may not know this, but the previous keyholder had prepared three sessions." "You. Me. And As... In that order." "I know it now..." Jeff nodded. "So do you ept to be the third keyholder of the sanctuary?" Liam slid an envelope to Jeff. "Uhhh... No thanks." Jeff firmly shook his head. In his mind, Jeff sighed in relief. ''Good. So this time, I''ve not been elected as the new keyholder, against my will...'' "That''s what the people would prefer. Got to admit, you have much more approval than I do." "Yeah... I''ll still say ''no thank you'' to this one." Jeff felt a little bad to turn down this sincere offer. Just a little though. "You know me. Management isn''t my thing." ''Also, my main focus is stacking my abilities at the moment...'' Jeff added in his mind. "It isn''t my either..." Liam raised his brows and sighed. Jeff: ... Liam: ... "But I guess I have no choice. I''ll probably find a sessor soon anyways. Erhm." Liam murmured. "So." Liam turned to the settlement leaders. "I ept your requests. We can discuss the detailster." Liam put on a smile. But everyone could see that Liam''s smile was forced. At the moment, Liam was not looking forward to the lengthy discussions. "For now..." Liam looked outside. "Right. The sanctuary clearly needs your directions right now. We can talkter." Oracle stood up. In a moment, it was just Liam and Jeff in this room now. "Alright Jeff." Liam looked at Jeff with aplicated gaze. "If you don''t mind, please hand over the nuke." "What nuke?" Jeff put on a smile and innocently blinked. "You can''t just ce a detonable nuclear warhead in this city?! This is madness!" Liam looked at Jeff with a serious gaze. "What if an ident happens. I know it''s unlikely. But what if the unlikely does happen!" Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. "Fine. I''ll hand it over, but it won''t be free." "Good." Liam''s expression rxed a little. "What do you want?" "I want to know how to detonate a nuclear warhead." "You''ve got more than one?!" Jeff: "... I will neither confirm nor deny this possibility." "Why?!" "Oh I don''t know." Jeff leaned back. "If aliens invaded one day, I''d be able to fly to their mothership, blow it up with a nuke, and save the world. Or maybe I can blow up an evil god with the nuke or something." "That''s farfetched Jeff." Jeff shook his head and chuckled. Remembering those terrifying gazes, Jeff clenched his fists. "The void exists now. There are deity-like beings over there, who are plotting for this world. If these deity-like beings exist, why can''t aliens exist." Liam raised his brows. "Deities..." "Yep." Jeff nodded. "If those beings manage to enter this world, we are fucked. End of story. Noebacks." Liam pointed at Jeff with a flicking finger. "I''ll get back to you on this matter." At this moment, Liam''s aura changed a little. Jeff could tell that Liam was trying to mimic the old keyholder. Not there yet. But Jeff could see a trace of the old keyholder in Liam. "So Jeff. Is there anything else I need to know?" "Yeah..." Jeff stood up and looked outside. "I might be gone for a couple of months. Maybe half a year." "Why?" Liam raised his brows. "It''s for a family visit..." Jeff''s expression became a little concerned. "Before, it wasn''t possible. But now, I think I''ve got what it takes..." "Where''s your family?" "Hamster City." "New Hamster on the east coast?" "No. Hamster in Europe." "So you are going to fly across this continent, then across the Antic." Liam asked with a ''Are you serious'' expression. "... I think so?" Liam: ... Jeff: ... "Hey. I could choose the arctic path." Jeff sighed. "It''s hard, but I have to do it. Who knows how they are doing..." "I was just talking to Mr. Anas actually... About a backup n in case you lost..." Liam sounded hesitant to say these words. "Fair enough..." Jeff nodded. "If you wait for a month or two, we will be able to teleport you to Europe." Jeff looked at Liam with a raised brow. "This the first promise of the third keyholder of the sanctuary." Liam gave Jeff a reassuring nod. "And if you fly off, you won''t get lost above the ocean? It''s fogged up out there." Liam added. "Yeah... I''ll count on you on this one." Jeff nodded. "I''ll leave it to you, Mr. Keyholder." ... ... A monthter... Berrystone suburbs... Thump! Thump! Thump! A towering cyclops walked down a highway. With each step, this monster left a deep footprint onto the asphalt ground. Behind this monster, a wave of monsters followed like a tide. "I am Lord Thunder! From this day onwards, this city shall be my!" "Die human!" The cyclops mmed its bone club down at the puny human in its way. m! Asphalt pieces exploded into the air, leaving a deep pit behind. "No. I think not." Jeff instantly appeared before this monster''s giant eye. ''Good thing I stayed...'' PUNCH! BAM! The monster exploded into a cloud of ck mist. "Lord Thunder is dead!" "Run!" "Impossible!" "Ah! Monster!" Seeing this result, the S-rank followers fled without hesitation. The wave of monsters turned around and dispersed as well. [ Unique Quest: Energy Collection (Iplete) ] ''Close interface.'' Looking at his hand, Jeff sighed. ''One punch...'' Looking at the fleeing monster, Jeff raised a hand. A sphere of golden energy inted before Jeff''s palm. "Good bye, invaders..." Chapter 85 Mid-Autumn. The sky looked more blue and more distant than usual. ?? The air was crisp and cool. Up in the cloudless skies, an eaglezily glided forward. "Cheers!" Pling~ Sitting on the back of that eagle, four drunk pixies clinked their cups together. At the clink of their cups, some liquid spilled out into the air. Blown away by the wind, the glinting fruit wine droplets sprinkled down towards the ground. Looking down, it''s a magnificent riverside city below. White brick walls. Red roof tiles. The renaissance-styled buildings spanned towards the horizons. Clean stone-paved roads. Patches of greeneries and small ponds. At the center of the city, a neossic mansion sat on a hill. (Neossic: Basically Greek temple like architecture) This was Bound city. The capital of Bound county. A vast city. The home of five million residents. It''s morning right now. But the streets were already bustling with activity. Humans. Elves. Beast folks. Dwarves. Halflings. Fairies. Pixies... Wearing medieval-styled robes, cloaks, tunics... Here, it''s a mixing pot of all intellectual species. The streets smelled of delicious street foods already. Musicians yed cheerful and lively music by the sidewalks. Bards told their epics at the restaurant patios. At the outskirt of this city, by the South gates, the za here was bing crowded as well. Rows of stands, tables, and mats on the side. Selling various street foods, clothing, potions, weaponry, books, tomes, fruits, toys, essory, musical instruments. These colorful and unorganized merchandises were dazzling to the eyes. In between the vendors, folks of all species roamed to-and-fro, making these narrow passageways rather congested. Bargaining sounds, advertising shouts, and children''s adamant purchase pleas intermixed with each other. Moving through the crowds, Jeff Norman fixed his mage''s robe a little. Looking ahead beyond this flee market, arge Greek-temple like building could be seen. Adventurer''s Hall! The headquarter of all the adventurers in this city. The location for posting or epting quests. The ce Jeff had dreamed about for three years. The starting point of a wealthy life! Fixating his gaze at this location, taking in a deep breath, Jeff put on an energetic smile. A little excited. A little anxious. ''Feels like it''s the first day of high school again.'' ''A new life. A new start! Here Ie!'' "Hooold on. Not so fast." An old man in a worn out cloak stopped in Jeff''s way. "What''s the hurry?" Being in a good mood, Jeff nodded with a polite smile. "Sorry. But I''m not interested in buying anything." The old man sighed. "I used to be a good-looking young man like you." Jeff''s smile froze. "Then I took an arrow to the knee." The old man slowly shook his head in dismay. (^ Skyrim... erhm...) "Do you want to buy some knee armor from me young man..." Jeff: "I..." For some strange reason, Jeff suddenly felt an ominous aura surrounding him. "How much." Jeff asked. A transparent screen popped up in Jeff''s view. It looked like a typical MMORPG transaction screen. [ Trade Offer ] [ You Receive: 2 * Knee Armor (Common Tier) ] [ Vendor Receives: 20 Blings ] [ Confirm ] / [ Cancel ] "I..." Looking at the picture of the two pieces of metal, Jeff hesitated. ''Common tier items are basically useless to me now...'' ''But it''s not like I can afford supernatural tier items either.'' ''If I had 1% of what I own in the mist world...'' ''What''s this...? I''m envious... of myself?'' Jeff sighed in his mind. ''I guess I''ll just buy them as superstitious good luck articles?'' ''Confirm.'' [ You''ve gained ''Knee Armor mon tier) * 2'' ] [ Would you like to equip them? ] [ Yes / No ] ''Yes.'' Instantly, Jeff felt something strapped to his knees. Looking down, there were two little bulges on his robe at his knees now. "Good choiced." The old man smiled and nodded. "No arrow to the knee will get you now." The old fe patted Jeff on the shoulders. "Thanks?" Jeff blinked a few times. "Good. Looks like you are fully equipped. You are all set for adventure now." The old man walked away and disappeared into the crowd. Jeff raised a brow at the old man''s ims. All geared up? Far from it actually. Shaking his head a little, leaving a bitter chuckle, Jeff headed towards the Adventurer''s Hall. ''I may have no fitting equipment now...'' ''But after today... I will start my journey of gearing up!'' ''Today is a changing point in my life!'' ''Today, I will earn my first bucket of gold!'' Jeff''s gaze became determined. Standing a little taller, Jeff headed towards the giant Adventurer''s Hall. Then Jeff felt a soft pull on his sleeve. Taking a look, it''s a little girl carrying a straw basket. "Mister adventurer sir. I have a question for you." The little girl put on a cute smile. "Yes?" Jeff asked. "Is it alright to try to pick up girls in dungeons?" Jeff: ??? "Of course it is!" The girl''s eyes brightened up. "I''ve got a speciality bun just for young adventurers like you! It will greatly increase your odds of picking up cute girls out there!" "A bun for gift?" Jeff raised his brows. "What else would you gift them? A pair of knee armor?" The girl smirked. "Why would I do that?" Jeff squinted. "Why would anyone do that?" "More people than you think, mister adventurer." Girl sighed. "More people than you think." "Let me tell you this." The girl''s expression turned serious. "The results for those fes were... not ideal." Jeff: "... Let''s see your offer." "As you wish." The little girl cutely smiled. [ Trade Offer ] [ You Receive: 1 * Specialty Bun (Common Tier) ] [ Vendor Receives: 50 Blings ] [ Confirm ] / [ Cancel ] Jeff took a look at the pink heart-shaped bun. Then Jeff turned his gaze towards the girl. "50 Blings for a bun." Jeff raised his brows at the girl. "You are serious." "Of course. As an adventurer, 50 Blings is nothing to you right?" The little girl tilted her head. Jeff: "... But I can buy 10 buns for 1 Bling." The little girl''s smile instantly fell into a sneer. The trade screen closed off. "You don''t even have 50 Blings?" The little girl stared at Jeff with a pitiful gaze. Chapter 86 - Something Is Off About This Fantasy World (2) "Here." A brazen coin popped into the girl''s hand. "Go buy yourself 10 buns." The girl flicked the coin towards Jeff. Ting~ Jeff flicked the flying coin back to the girl. "Tsss..." Jeff squinted a little. ''This brat... is seriously getting annoying...'' "Do I look like a beggar to you?" Jeff grumbled and prepared to walk away. However, looking around, he was surrounded by a small crowd now? Species big and small. They were all looking at Jeff with an entertained look. Some were even subtly pointing at Jeff. Some were chatting with each other. "Tsk. Tsk. Since when were adventurers this frugal?" An elf whispered. "So poor yet so hopeful." The other elf shook her head. "I bet he won''t even make it through day one. Now with that joke of an outfit on him." A dwarf chuckled. "If you choose to die early, at least enjoy yourself man!" A beastman shouted. Jeff: ... Behind Jeff, the girl giggled. "But aren''t you a beggar?" The girl asked back with a naive voice. Jeff felt a vein popping on his forehead. Tightening his fists a little, Jeff let go. Jeff looked down. He was wearing three cheap and useless equipments. Jeff felt like he''s a joke himself. However, unlike the residents born here, he''d only been here for three years. Unlike these ''established'' residents, he had inherited no wealth, no connections, and no guidance in training. Looking around at the mocking gazes, Jeff tightened his fists. "Sure. I have no money at the moment." Jeff sighed. "Sure. You can look down on me right now." Jeff chuckled at himself. "But one day." Jeff pointed at himself with his thumb. "One day, I''ll be a big shot in this city!" Jeff turned around and looked at the vendor girl. "One day. I''ll be rich enough to buy your entire stock, and feed them to beggars, and I''ll feelfortable with this purchase!" "Tsk. Sure." The girl shook her head in disappointment. "Whatever." The girl left. "Another dream chaser." Someone in the crowd chuckled. "Another guy who''d rather have money than stay alive." The watching crowd quickly dispersed. Jeff took in a few more deep breaths. ''These guys really have nothing else to do huh.'' Literally. Not a rant. These guys literally have nothing else to do in this abundant world. Got plenty of cheap food. Got the wealth built over generations. Don''t need to work much to be well off. A lot of the residents here roam around to seek thrill and entertainment. They weren''t targeting Jeff. They''d do this to anyone ''interesting''. Yet, even knowing this, Jeff still felt like there''s a fire burning in his chest. ''Just you people watch... I will certainly be wealthy... and that day won''t be far from now!'' Looking at the Adventurer''s Hall, Jeff felt more determined than ever. ''I''m just tired of being poor. It''s time to change my lifestyle!'' "That''s the spirit!" Someone patted Jeff on the shoulder. "You''ve only got one life. Don''t leave any regrets." Without stopping, that guy brushed past Jeff. "If you are hungry, go for it!" A vendor nodded at Jeff with a smile. "Go chase after your dreams." An older warrior walked by. "Good luck boy." "This is youth!" A father-son pair broke into tears and hugged each other. Hearing these encouragements from total strangers, Jeff firmly nodded and smiled. In this abundant world, there are plenty of friendly people as well. Taking in a deep breath, Jeff headed towards the Adventurer''s Hall. As someone who helps himself, and receives help from himself, Jeff Norman was confident about his journey. ''I may look like a bottom ranking adventurer. However, those who judge me by my cloths...'' Jeff confidently smiled. ''Will sure be in for a surprise!'' ... After a moment of walking, the stands and the mats came to an end. Brushing through some pedestrians, Jeff''s view finally opened up. Behind Jeff, it''s the crowed and bustling market. Ahead of Jeff, it''s a quiet and open courtyard. Across the courtyard, there''s Jeff''s destination. Adventurer''s Hall. A Greek-temple like structure with the size of a mall. Sitting on a five-stories high tform. The entire structure looked like a marble hill. Any adventurer would look small and insignificant in front of this building. After walking across the speckles court, Jeff came to a halt by the wide stairways. Some sparse adventurers were quickly jumping up the stairs. In two or three hops, they''d make it up to the top. Others were hopping down the stairs with a satisfied smile. They looked eager to start another good day. Looking up the stairs, Jeff took in a deep breath, fully enjoying the moment. ''It''s been three years already huh...'' ''I''ve finally made it here.'' Jeff fixed his robe a little. ''Open Interface.'' A transparent blue screen instantly popped up in Jeff''s view. --- Character Name: Jeff Norman [ Attributes ] Mana Level: Supernatural - Late 4.2% Mental Level: Supernatural - Late 7.4% Physique Level: Supernatural - Late 8.0% [ Abilities ] eleration Force (Supernatural) Adamant Will (Common) Adaptive Physique (Supernatural) Aegis Shield (Supernatural) Aspect of Power (Common) Aspect of Agility (Common) Assassin''s Execution (Common) ... ... Page 1 / 27 || Next Page || [ Equipment ] Head: None Upper Body: Red Mage''s Robe (Common) Lower Body: Knee Armor (Common) Weapon: Sturdy Apprentice''s Staff (Common) essories: None Total Effects Applied: + Reducing 20% damage frommon-level mid-tier attacks or lower. [ Inventory ] Metal Container * 1 || Metal Container * 1 || Empty || Empty || Empty Blings: 6, 228 [ Quests ] None --- Yep. Jeff was supernaturalte tier now! In the field of adventurers, more than 90% of these fes were early-tiers. Mid-tiers were team leaders and upper managements already. The rare fewte-tiers and peak-tiers were guild leaders. In other words, in spite of Jeff''s poor outfits, he was standing at the peak of battle prowess already! ''And if I toggle on all of my stacked abilities, my attributes could flip another 50 times. I''d probably be the strongest supernatural-tier here!'' ''Sure, I don''t have any good equipments. But I have a good stack of abilities!'' Jeff confidently smiled. ''Apex peak-tiers? With good equipment? I doubt if they could stand a single of my serious punches.'' ''I can probably fight a sage-tier now.'' Jeff started walking up the stairs, one step at a time. ''In other words, at my level, there''s little risks, if any, out there now.'' ''A little cautious. But it''s probably well worth it.'' Jeff fully enjoyed this moment. ''I received all these abilities from myself in the mist world. I should probably return the favour by buying some active skills.'' Chapter 87 - Something Is Off About This Fantasy World (3) During Jeff''s slow climb up the stairs, some adventurers hopped by. They raised a brow at Jeff. But then they chuckled and put on a nostalgic smile. Some even gave Jeff encouraging nods. ''More friendly than expected huh...'' Jeff smiled and nodded back at those guys. In Jeff''s mind, he could already see a bright future ahead of himself. ''Join a small guild. Make some friends. Enjoy adventuring together. Maybe even revealing my true capabilities and saving their asses, surprising everyone.'' ''Earn some good money. Enjoy celebrations at bars and taverns. Find a beautiful girlfriend.'' ''Buy good equipment. Buy high level spells. Buy high ss potions at auctions and use them as my hidden trump cards.'' ''This will be great.'' Feeling the warm sunshine on his back, Jeff squinted infort. As Jeff approached the top, he could already see some adventurers waiting by the front entrance. Humans. Dwarves. Elves. Beast folks. There were about a dozen of them. Jeff could tell their sses by their outfits. Warriors. Marksman. Mages. Healers. All of them were wearing high-ss looking equipment. Jeff noticed these guys. Those guys noticed Jeff as well. One guy left the circle. He came to greet Jeff. It''s a good looking fe in his mid-20s. Putting on a warm and inviting smile, this guy gave off an easy-going and friendly aura. Long curly blond hair. An expensive-looking green cloak emitting a subtle glow. A well tuned body. This guy seemed like the id back, fun to be around'' guy in a friends circle. "Morning brother. You are new here?" The dude greeted Jeff with open arms. It''s as if this guy had been anticipating Jeff''s arrival. "Yeah man." Jeff put on a smile as well. ''Is this a party invite?'' Jeff felt a tingle in his heart. ''I just got invited by showing up?'' Things felt smoother than expected. It almost felt like it''s too easy. ''I got invited... even wearing this?'' "Clearly. You are not here to post a quest." The dude gestured at Jeff''s outfit. "You must be here to be an adventurer!" Jeff nodded. "Yeah. Well. Today seems like a good day." "That''s the spirit! Wee to the adventurer''s family." The dude extended a hand. "I''m One-Bolt, a squad leader of the Steelfury guild." "The Mission Machine." Jeff shook the dude''s hand. "Based on that title, I can already tell that you are a hard worker." One-Bolt nodded in recognition. "You are wearing those cheap equipment right now. But with that attitude, I''m sure you''ll be a big shot one day." "Oh. Thank you." Jeff raised his brows. "And you know what. I think you are exactly what my squad needs." One-Bolt smiled. "At Steelfury, we are a tight-knit group, like a big family. Here, we go out for adventurers together. y some monsters. Campfire meals. Earn some nice blings." "But of course, you''ll have plenty of time for yourself. We have flexible work hours. You have the freedom in creative ss choices and skill choices. Your future is in your own hands. There will be plenty room for growth for hard working adventurers like you." "Oh." Jeff squinted and nodded. Flexible work hours... Room for growth... Family like organization... For some reason, these terms sounded a little familiar... A little too familiar. Something was off about this adventurer guild. "How bout it." One-Bolt popped a clipboard into existence. On that clipboard was a contract and a pen. Jeff: ... Nodding a little, Jeff hesitantly took over the clipboard. "Internship?" Jeff quickly scanned through the contract. "Naturally." One-Bolt nodded. "I started out as an intern myself." One-Bolt stood a little taller. "Beginners like you shouldn''t worry too much about ie. It''s the personal growth that matters." "By joining Steelfury." One-Bolt pointed at the crossing swords logo on his cloak. "You''ll gain a lot of resources you wouldn''t have ess to as a lone wolf. Also, by working as a team, adventures out there be much safer." "In three years, if you work hard, I''m sure you''ll be a squad leader like me." "And if you really perform well, we have thick bonuses for interns in Blings." "Blings, power, status. They will all naturallye to you in time. The question is, are you willing to work hard for them." One-Bolt looked at Jeff with a trusting gaze. Jeff looked at One-Bolt with squinting eyes back. Well... This was not the starting point Jeff had been anticipating. Internship for three years? That meant three years of free work right? This... didn''t feel very fantasy. Not fantasy at all! Looking at the contract, Jeff felt like his enthusiasm was cooling down. "There is no hurry. You can have a thorough read over the contract. For people like us who have no background, no spell scrolls inherited, no Blings for equipment, this is a necessary process." "Once you be stronger, things will get much better for you." One-Bolt gave Jeff an understanding nod. "Once all of your attributes reach supernatural-tier, you''ll have many more opportunities open up." ''Wait.'' Jeff blinked a few times. ''This guy thinks I''m stillmon tier? Is it because of my outfit...'' "Excuse me for a second." One-Bolt looked past Jeff. "Woah. Hold on. What''s the hurry." The dude opened his arms as if he''d met an old friend. Jeff took a look in direction as well. It''s a girl covered in an oversized ck cloak. The girl wore a ck cloth mask as well. Only her eyes could seen. "Not interested." The girl spoke with a clear and melodious voice. Like ark''s song, her voice had a youthful and lively feeling to it. Stepping to the side, she tried to walk past One-Bolt. One-Bolt side-stepped to block the girl''s path. "Woah. I''m not trying to sell you anything." "Give me one minute. I''m sure you''ll be interested in joining Steelfury. We are one of the biggest guilds at Bound after all." One-Bolt popped a clipboard into existence. "Get out of my way." The girl demanded. "Hey. Give senior adventurers some respect alright?" One-Bolt''s smile gradually faded away. "As a starting adventurer, you sure you want to go out there by yourself?" One-Bolt''s tone became menacing. "There are plenty of newbie adventurers disappearing each year after all." Hearing these threatening remarks, Jeff''s brows knitted. There''s a shuttering sound in his mind. That''s the sound of Jeff''s broken anticipation and dreams. Taking a look at One-Bolt... Taking a look at the contract... Jeff''s gaze becameplicated. ''Fantasy adventures... Friendship... Fun and exciting... Those only exist in fictional stories after all...'' Jeff sighed in his mind. By the looks of it, this was a contract for freebour after all. This situation... did not feel very fantasy at all. Feeling a gaze, Jeff looked up and met the eyes of the cloaked girl. Most of her face was covered. But Jeff could sense that... this girl was smiling? Chapter 88 - Something Is Off About This Fantasy World (4) The girl turned back to One-Bolt. "Flexible hours?" "Of course." One-Bolt''s smile started to return. "You mean we''ll have to work nights and weekends." The girl scoffed. One-Bolt''s smile fell again. "Great perks? You mean we''ll have no coverage ns." Looking at One-Bolt''s menacing gaze, the girl continued anyways. "Freedom of skill choices? You mean we won''t train you. You''ll need to figure out everything by yourself. Family group? More like we''ll have to attend a bunch of events under peer pressure. Plenty of growth? You mean we won''t be paid well. Oh. You are offering me an intern position. We won''t be paid at all." "By the end of the three years, you can pull out any excuse and refuse to give us a formal position. So no." The girl pulled out a wand. "I''m not interested in being a cannon fodder, or porter, or whatever, for free for three years. Now, get out of my way." "You-" One-Bold squinted. "Yeah... I''m not interested either." Jeff handed back the clipboard to One-Bolt. In this world, contracts were binding to the character. In other words, it''s impossible to escape the penalties. The penalties for breaking the contracts would directly apply to the character, no matter where the character was. Contracts, oaths, quests... These were serious business in this world. "You two." One-Bolt grumbled. "You think any guild is interested in bringing out newbies to the field?" One-Bolt turned to Jeff. The girl nodded at Jeff. Without further hesitation, she jumped up the stairs and headed towards the entrance. "You-" One-Bolt looked at the girl. But it''s already toote. "I think I''ll be fine by myself." Jeff held the clipboard before One-Bolt. "Looks like someone is having a bad day!" Up the stairs, a wolfman recruiter joked around. "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Looks like Steelfury ain''t so attractive anymore!" An elf looked at One-Bolt with a mocking gaze. "Do you need a little help buddy? Hahahaha!" A human recruiter heartilyughed. Feeling the mocking gazes from the recruiter group, One-Bolt''s face fell even more gloomy. "Are you ying me newbie." One-Bolt red at Jeff. "Are you sure you want to mess with us, the Steelfury." At this moment, Jeff could only be d that he came here atte-tier. Being cautious paid off after all. ''If I''m an early-tier, I''d probably be pressured to signing 3 years of my life away.'' ''But now... Looks things are not as I expected.'' ''Just like the mist world, I''ll have to work alone again.'' "Sign the contract, and we can forget about this unpleasant history." One-Bolt continued. "I''ll pass." Jeff replied with a cold face as well. "You sure you want to mess with us, the Steelfury." One-Bolt grabbed Jeff''s shoulder. Gradually, the dude tightened his grip. This mid-tier''s grip felt like a message at most. "Steelfury." Jeff scoffed. "Wow I''m concerned." Pluk. Jeff threw the clipboard by One-Bolt''s feet. One-Bolt already took the gloves off. Jeff didn''t mind ying along. "Are you looking down at us, newbie!" One-Bolt looked at Jeff with kill-intent. "Newbie..." Jeff chuckled. Pa! Jeff grabbed One-Bolt''s wrist. Just like One-Bolt, Jeff started to tighten his grasp as well. "You!" Feeling Jeff''s strength, One-Bolt''s face paled. "Aren''t you a mage?" One-Bolt looked at Jeff in disbelief. "Sure I am." Jeff raised his brows. Disregarding the chat, Jeff continued to steadily tighten his grip. "Alright. Alright. I yield." One-Bolt let go. Jeff let go as well. Taking onest look at One-Bolt, Jeff headed up the stairs. With a single hop, Jeff reached the front entrance tform. "You better watch out." One-Bolt looked up at Jeff with a cold face. "There''s plenty of lethal threats out there." "Do I look concerned?" Jeff turned around and looked down at One-Bolt. Meeting the dude''s malicious gaze, Jeff let out a chuckle. ''Steelfury huh. It''s not like I know nothing about you. A mid-sized guild with only e-tier at best. Wow I''m so concerned.'' Jeff scoffed in his mind. ''I''ll be waiting then...'' Jeff headed into the Adventurer''s Hall. ''Hope you guys canst a minute.'' ... ''Oh.'' Jeff took a look around. This ce was not the ''pub + quest board + quest window''yout Jeff had expected. No. This ce was more like a bank. Beautiful and bright crystal lights. A clean and spacious area with a calming forest smell. The sound of flipping through papers and writing in the quiet background. A waiting zone on the right side. A row of counters on the left. Further in, it''s a bunch of office rooms. There is barely anyone in here. Taking a look at the signs, Jeff walked towards the registration counter. The cloaked girl had just finished registering. "Thanks." The girl nodded as she walked past Jeff. Jeff: "No problem?" "Hey." The girl called Jeff. "Yes?" Jeff turned around. "It''s better to grab a few friends and form a newbie group. There''s plenty of easy and safe beginner jobs out there. Grow from there." "Thanks." Jeff nodded. Leaving a distant nod, the girl walked off. ''Why would she thank me?'' Blinking a few times, Jeff reached the registration counter. The receptionist was a mid-aged dude. A mid-aged dude... He was currently eating a sandwich for breakfast. "Hey. Newbie. Show some respect for this retired adventurer will ya. What''s up with that disappointed gaze? Youngsters these days... " The receptionist dude grumbled. "Do I need to show you how to fill out that 101A form?" "Uh... I''m fine." Jeff blinked a few times. On the counter, there was a stack of slips and a pen. Without needing further instructions, Jeff filled the slip. [ Name: Jeff Norman ] [ ss: Mage ] [ Alias: The Mission Machine ] [ Guild: None ] And that''s it! While chewing, the dude snapped the slip out of Jeff''s hand. Putting the slip on the counter, the dude took a look. Holding his sandwich in one hand, a green magic formation appeared in the dude''s other hand. Under the light of the green formation, the slip emitted a green glow as well. "Good. None of the names are taken. I can register that as a ''700''." The dude nodded. "That''ll be five thousand Blings for registration fee." "Five thousand... That''s kind of expensive no?" Jeff chuckled. Jeff knew about this cost beforehand. But it still felt really expensive. Jeff clenched fists a little. A pained look shed by on Jeff''s face. ''I''m poor again...'' "Uh huh... Yeah. Sure..." The dude nodded. A transparent transaction screen popped up in Jeff''s view. "8,800 Blings?" Jeff widened his eyes. "Shouldn''t it be 5,000?!" Chapter 89 - Something Is Off About This Fantasy World (5) "3,000 for literacy training." The dude looked at Jeff with an impatient gaze. "5,000 for administration fees and customer insurance in case you mess up. You got the Blings?" "... I can read and write." Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. "Alright. Don''tin and regret itter then." The dude shrugged. "You won''t have the beginner''s discount anymore." The screen before Jeff refreshed. [ Trade Offer ] [ You Receive: 1 * Adventurer''s Tag || 1 * Adventurer''s Card ] [ Vendor Receives: 5,500 Blings ] [ Confirm ] / [ Cancel ] ''Con-Confirm...'' "Tss..." Looking at his remaining savings of 728 Blings, Jeff felt that his heart had stopped a beat. "Alright. You are 01-074-15845. Here''s your card. Keep it well." The dudezily put a card and a dog tag onto the counter. "10% taxes... That''s quite a lot in big purchases huh..." Jeff grabbed his identification items. "Tsk." The dude licked his teeth. "Yeah. Sure. For a poor wretch like you, it''s a lot, I guess." Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. "Yeah? By this tomorrow, I''m gonna be a rich rich man." "Moonshine Fruit Collection quest?" The dudezily asked. "Yeah." "At the backyard." "Th-Thanks." Jeff nodded. "Sure." The dude shrugged. Then he was back to eating his sandwich and reading his newspaper. Slowly nodding, Jeff left this counter. ''Something is definitely off with this fantasy world.'' Lightly shaking his head, Jeff shook those thoughts out of his head. ''Nevertheless, first quest, here Ie!'' Of course Jeff didn''t just join the adventurer''s guild on a whim. It''s a serious career choice after all! This was not just a random day either. Today, Moonshine fruits be ripe! For today only, there''s arge quest event for all adventurers. It''s time to head out the city and collect the abundant number of Moonshine fruits! This event had a high safety rating, even towards early-tiers! Considering how much fruits were out there, it''s almost impossible to have a full harvest. Almost half of the fruits would fall and rot. So there''s always a shortage onbour. Low risk. Lowpetition. High rewards. Quests couldn''t get much better than this. ''If things run smoothly, I should be able to collect about 300 Moonshine fruits." Jeff smiled as he walked towards the backyard. ''The prices range from 35.7 per fruit to 90.0 per fruit.'' ''Let''s say I get a bad region, and it''s all lower quality fruits there, I should still be able to earn 12 000 Blings in just one event. I''ll be filthy rich by this time tomorrow!'' Jeffughed in his mind. ''Finally! My first bucket of gold!'' Jeff smiled as he quickly walked past the hall. ''Tsk. Noice.'' What could one buy with 12 000 Blings in this world? Answer: 120 000 buns. Erhm. Why would anyone buy that many buns. 12 000 Blings. That''s enough for the down payment for an average apartment suite. Or, it''s enough for a good supernatural equipment (Down payment as well of course). 12 000 Blings. Jeff could livevishly for a couple of months with this money. And this was easy money earned over only one day. Even though Jeff''s anticipation for adventurers had been broken, Jeff was still looking forward to the today''s work. ''This is just a start.'' Jeff''s gaze became hopeful. ''If Iplete quests at a high frequency,pleting a set of supernatural equipment, and buying active skills is only months away!'' Crossing the hall of offices, Jeff had finally reached the back exit. Crossing the open backdoors, Jeff had reached the backyard. Walking outside, Jeff squinted a little at the brightness. The air was cool and fresh. Feeling the soft breeze brushing against his face, Jeff took in a deep breath. It''s quitefortable actually. Looking around this backyard, it''s more like a garden here to be honest. Flower patches. Fountains. Well maintained bushes. Pebble-paved roads. Paintings on tall walls. Unlike the indoors of the Adventurer''s Hall, it''s much more crowded out here. By the exit, four people were brushing glue onto the wall there. Also, over there, about fifty adventurers were gathered on the grass field. Beastmen. Elves. Humans. Dwarves... Tall or short, some by themselves, some chatting in groups, they were all waiting for the set up there. Some noticed Jeff''s arrival. But they just went back to chatting or waiting. Others ignored Jeff''s presence all together. That cloaked girl noticed Jeff as well. However, standing by herself, she didn''t look interested in having a chat. Walking towards the gathering, Jeff briefly sensed around. There were only elite adventurers here. A few peak-tiers. Most werete-tiers. The mid-tiers here were close tote-tiers as well. Nevertheless, despite their differences in appearances, species, and sses, all of them had high-level equipments. Standing in clusters here, it''s almost like a light show. Armors, melee weapons, pendants, rings, nes. These metallic articles freely reflected off the sunlight. Even the cloaks and the staffs emitted subtle yet colorful glows by themselves. Jeff looked down at his in outfit. For some reason, Jeff felt like he''d arrived the wrong gathering. Remembering something, Jeff took a look at the cloaked girl again. On the surface of her cloak, golden runic circuits could be seen. Before her chest, an amber pendant emitted a soft yet eye-catching glow. ''Well. Guess I''m the odd one out huh...'' Jeff ticked his tongue. Looking around while waiting, Jeff noticed something else. Some of the adventurers here had logos on their outfits. Others, like Jeff himself, had nothing printed on their outfits. ''Around 10 lone wolves around here I see.'' Over time, more adventurers streamed in by themselves or in groups. Taking a quick sense, those guys were mid-tiers as well. After some time of waiting, the four workers lifted up a roll of paper off the ground. That roll had to be at least 2 meters (6 feet) tall! Together, they rolled the wallpaper onto the wall. Wallpaper? Not wallpaper. It''s a map! Gradually, the full map could be seen. It''s a long horizontal map having Bound city at the center. Taking a closer look, there were boxed off areas on the map along the river. Each boxed off area had a number and a color assigned to it. Havingpleted this task, the four workers raised a hand at the map. After a moment of silent chanting, one after another, four yellow magic circles formed before their hands. With a push, those magic formations sank into the map. Chapter 90 - Something Is Off About This Fantasy World (6) Jeff took a look at the map again. His view instantly changed. The map looked like it''s a 3D animation now! The river looked like it''s flowing. The hills and the mountains looked like they were extruding out of the map. Focussing his gaze at a boxed section, various stats instantly popped up into Jeff''s view: [ Collection Section: 8403 ] [ Estimated Yield: 21 000 ] [ Overall Fruit Quality: Low ] [ Estimated Median Price: 41.02 / Moonshine Fruit ] [ Spots Capacity: 100 ] [ Current Number of Spots Avable: 100 ] [ Fare Price: 300 Blings ] [ Arrival Time: 3 hours ] [ Risk Level: Low ( + Expend For Details ) ] ... ... Jeff quickly browsed through the sections. By the looks of it, the section''s color corresponded with the section''s fruit quality. The rare few dark greens were the best. About a tenth were forest green. These were high quality zones. Lawn green (Above Average)... Mint green (Moderate)... Grey (Low Quality / Low Quantity)... As the color faded, the quality declined. Naturally, the worse the quality, the more of them on the map. In fact, about half of the sections on this map were grey. Looking at the hundreds of sections, Jeff felt some difficulty in making a decision. ''If I go with dark green, I''d be able to make the most profit. However, there might be somepetition between big guilds. Do I want to get involved? Is it worth it?'' ''Or should I choose the closest forest-green? It''ll be a fast trip.'' ''Moreover... How do I select my section?'' Jeff looked at the four workers. ''Do I talk to those guys?'' ''Nah. I''ve got time. It''s not like the section matters that much.'' Jeff took in a deep breath and enjoyed the sunshine. ''I''ll just copy what these guys do.'' About a minute or two passed... Jeff waited for someone to take action. However, these elite adventurers only chatted and bargained with each other. It looked like these guys weren''t in a hurry either. Nevertheless... Looking at their expressions, these guys weren''t exactly friendly towards each other either. Sensing something, Jeff looked in one direction. The cloaked girl walked out of the sparse crowd. Clearly, she''d made a decision. Focusing her gaze onto one spot, she headed for the map. "Oi, where did this newbiee from?" A lion-man warrior bellowed. "Any human want to show this human girl the rules?" A dwarf axmen grumpily looked around. The cloaked girl looked back at the crowd with knitted brows. "I''ve made my choice. Why should I wait for you?" Without further hesitations, the girl continued to move towards the map. "Are you looking down on us? Who do you think you are to choose first?" "The big guilds haven''t even chosen yet. Do you think you have better standings than the major guilds?" Leaving a trail behind, someone shot out of the crowd. In a blink, that guy had stopped before the cloaked girl''s path. Taking a closer look, it''s towering warrior wearing sleeveless armor, exposing his muscr arms. Without doubt, this guy''s arms were thicker than Jeff''s legs. Looking down at the cloaked girl with an intense re, this guy looked like a predator looking down at its prey. The cloaked girl was only as tall as this guy''s chest. In the face of this giant warrior, the cloaked girl looked like a child inparison. "Red Warden. Guildmaster of the Crimson Force Guild." The dude put on a wild smile. Seeing this guy''s appearance, the crowd quickly quieted down. "He''d be interested in this matter? Who''d have thought." Someone looked at the cloaked girl with a yful smile. "How unlucky of that newbie. I bet she''d be hospitalized for 3 months if she doesn''t die." Someone murmured. "Tsk. Facing a peak-tier warrior on her first day. How unfortunate." "You want to have a fight here?" The cloaked girl withdrew her wooden wand. "Inside of the adventurer''s hall?" "A fight? A fight?!" Red Warden heartilyughed. "Look at her. This newbie thinks she can put up a fight." Red Warden looked around. "Ahahaha!" Some of the crowdughed along. Others faked augh as well. "Let me help you remember the rules around here." Wearing a crazed face, Red Warden thrusted forward a palm strike. It''s fast! Before anyone could react, the hit had alreadynded! Like a ragdoll, the girl shot back into the crowd. Yet, looking closely, this girl had been enveloped by an amber colored bubble. Looking at the approaching girl, Jeff sighed. Without doubt, he''d been targeted as well. There''s plenty of space among the groups of adventurers. What''s the odd of this girl heading in his direction by ident? ''Looks like these adventurers aren''t so friendly to newbies after all...'' Jeff sighed in his mind. ''Warrior''s physique!'' ''Living Fortress!'' At Jeff''smand, the two abilities were instantly toggled on. A dim golden light blinked on Jeff''s body twice. Yet, standing under the sunlight, it''s impossible to see those light effects. Extending out a hand, Jeff caught the approaching girl by her back. The moment Jeff''s hand made contact with this flying girl, Jeff felt an immense force travelling down his hand into his body. However, with ''living fortress'' toggled on, Jeff was not going anywhere. This warrior''s strength was not bad. But that''s all. Not bad. No more than that. It''s like doing an one-handed bench press. The girl came to a gradual halt by Jeff''s side. Like a film of light, the amber colored bubble flowed back into the girl''s pendant. Jeff looked around. The yful smiles on these elite adventurers froze. Clearly, these guys were expecting Jeff to be sent flying out as well. This reminded Jeff of bowling for some reason. The girl was the bowling ball. And Jeff was the pin. Except, Jeff, the bowling pin, table flipped and refused to y along. So instead, the pin caught the hurling ball. Even after being caught, the girl still looked shocked. Clearly, she didn''t expect to be actually attacked. The girl looked at Jeff. Then she looked at Red Warden. She looked clueless of what to do. "You- You''ve got to be kidding." Someone gulped. "Who is this guy?" "Never seen him around before!" Sure. Red Warden wasn''t serious. Yet, that was still an attack from a peak-tier warrior! At least, most people couldn''t have caught that girl without breaking a sweat. Especially wearing that set of useless equipment. The mid-tiers here turned their gazes from Jeff. Some looked at the ground. At this moment, they knew clearly that they couldn''t mess with Jeff. Thete-tiers and the few peak-tiers looked at Jeff with a serious expression now. Newbie or not. Got equipment or not. This level of strength demanded respect. Staring at Jeff, Red Warden''s careless smile faded away. "Good. Looks like you have the right to be here boy. Move out of my way now." "Are you telling me of what to do." Jeff looked at Red Warden dead in the eyes. Standing a little taller, Jeff''s face fell cold. In a blink, Jeff''s aura changed. Before, to everyone here, Jeff looked like another free-willed newbie adventurer. Now, Jeff looked like a confident and dominant fighter. A fighter who''d never lost a battle! Proud and invincible! Chapter 91 - Something Is Off About This Fantasy World (7) ''Just like the mist world huh...'' Jeff sighed in his mind. ''You''ve got to show your strength to earn the respect.'' "Hmph." Red Crimson puffed out a chuckle. Leaving a trail of red light, Red Crimson shot towards Jeff. "Take this!" Red Crimson hurled a punch at Jeff face. Pa! At the impact, a torrent exploded out from the two. With a single hand, Jeff caught the towering warrior''s fist. "P-Peak tier!" Someone yelped. "Why is he wearing those rags?" "Quiet!" "Are you out of your mind? Are you trying to offend a peak-tier?" Red Crimson widened his eyes. "Aren''t you a mage?" The warrior dumbly blinked in confusion. "I am a mage." Jeff squinted. The warrior puffed out another chuckle. "Let''s see a spell then." "Don''t mind if I do." Jeff suddenly let go of the warrior''s fist. Without its blocking force, the warrior''s fist headed towards Jeff''s face. Yet, leaving a blur in the crowd''s view, Jeff had easily dodged that attack. "Hadooooouken!" Jeff threw a punch at the warrior''s face. ''Back at you!'' Raising his other arm, the warrior blocked this punch with his forearm. Tap. Tap. Tap. The warrior got knocked back three steps by the force. "You little..." Red Warden gritted his teeth. "Are you getting too old now Warden." A peak-tier elfughed. "Maybe you should retire! You are an old man by human age right? Hahaha!" "Look you! The kid isn''t even wearing proper equipment!" "Tsk. Tsk. Tsk. Who would''ve guessed. The famous Red Warden would lose to a new recruit." Hearing the mockery from his fellow guildmasters, Red Warden''s face reddened in humiliation. "You shouldn''t have put my prestige on the line boy. I''m getting serious now." "I gave you a chance. But you didn''t appreciate it. Your journey as an adventurer ends now." "Red rage!" Red Warden roared. "Boiling blood!" Red Warden''s body quickly reddened up. White fumes of sweat started to steam off the dude''s body. "Those two unique abilities!" Someone yelped. "Only the guildmaster of the Crimson Force can learn them right?" A guild member whispered in awe. "Correct." A guildmaster nced at his subordinate. "These are the trump cards of the Crimson Force. These two top-tier abilities are the fundamental base of that guild." "When stacked, these two abilities can increase Red Warden''s strength by five times!" A lone wolf added with a serious expression. "It''s over for the kid." "Only two? Why doesn''t he stack more abilities?" A guild member mumbled. "Tsk. You''ll know when you own a passive ability you poor wretch. There''s a limit to how much your body can handle." A lone wolf scoffed. Jeff put his gaze on Red Warden. However, Jeff''s focus was actually on the crowd. It''s not like Red Warden was much threat anyways. This guy clearly needed time to get used to this mode. Jeff didn''t mind giving Red Warden the adjustment time. Hearing these useful information from the crowd, Jeff''s gaze glinted a little. ''There''s still much to learn...'' "Do you have anything left to say." Red Warden lowered his body for a lunge. "No. Not exactly." Jeff squinted. Red Warden puffed out a chuckle. Leaving a trail of red light, the dude lunged towards Jeff. He''s much faster this time! Pa! Jeff had caught the dude''s fist again! Except... If people took a closer look at Jeff, they could see that Jeff was emitting a subtle golden glow now. "Impossible!" "How!" People looked at Jeff as if they''d just witnessed a miracle. Even the peak-tiers couldn''t believe what they''d saw. ''Five times increase?'' Jeff faintly smiled. ''Sorry. But my limit is fifty times!'' "Who are you!" For the first time, a trace of panic appeared on Red Warden''s face. He can''t win! Can''t even knock this little man a step back! They weren''t even close! "You can call me the mission machine." Jeff squinted. "I gave you many chances. But you didn''t appreciate them." Leaving an afterimage in the air, Jeff raised his leg. Front kick! Like a cannonball, Red Warden flew across thewn and smacked into the wall. Bouncing back down, Red Warden kneeled onto one knee. Behind him, a few cracks could be seen on the wall. If this was in the mist world, Red Warden would have sted through that wall. Yet, in this world, things were much sturdier. Seeing this result, the crowd fell silent. A peak-tier... The strongest among the adventurers... Just got defeated in one shot. If that''s the case, what tier was Jeff? Sensing the reverent gazes, Jeff raised his brows. ''In the end, it still boiled down to a fight.'' ''Establishing my dominance here, check.'' "Fighting in the Adventurer''s Hall, damaging the hall''s property, this is the equivalent of challenging the organization''s dignity." Jeff looked at that direction. It''s a young man wearing a brown cloak. "And?" Jeff knitted his brows. ''Another guy picking a fight? I just wanted to peacefully select a section. Why is this so hard.'' Seeing Jeff''s gloomy expression, the dude put on a smile and raised his hands. ''Sire. If you don''t mind, please allow me to fix the walls and thewn for you.'' ''Oh. This guy is trying to sell me a favour.'' Jeff''s expression eased. ''Well, that''s a quick turn on attitude.'' "There will be no need." A worker elegantly bowed towards Jeff. "This is a negligible situation. Sire, if you have time, I''m sure our branch president would love to have a meal with a powerful solo adventurer like you. When you are free of course." "It would be my honor." Jeff smiled and nodded. "There''s only two of these young fes. Let them have a select first." This was a good-looking young man. Standing under the shade of an umbre. Wearing a ssy set of suits. This was a high-tier vampire. "Yes yes. We don''t mind." "Only two spots. That''s insignificant business." "Young couples these days. We understand." "Have a fun trip." All the guildmasters and the lone wolves here nodded like it''s truly nothing. If these guys weren''t so hostile towards the cloaked girl before, Jeff might have believed these guys. At these regards, Jeff nodded and smiled in reply. After all, he was here to make a living, not dering war against the adventurers here. Some people here thought they were a couple? Jeff was toozy to exin. Seeing this result, without further hesitation, the girl walked up to the map. This time, there''s no one blocking her way. The girl tapped on a section. After a nod, two wooden tes appeared in her hand. "Lawn green? You don''t want a spot at dark green?" "Isn''t mine entrance 34A at that spot? You guys better beware of those kobolds hahaha!" Someone joked. Ignoring the crowd''s friendly wishes and heads-ups, the girl threw a wooden te at Jeff. "See you at the dock." Sensing the people''s quick change of attitudes, the girl knitted her brows in disgust. Without stopping, she headed out. Looking down at the wooden te in his hand, Jeff blinked a few times. ''So is this a party invite?'' Behind Jeff, the girl blinked a few times in thought as well. Seeing that Jeff had actually epted the wooden te, the girl seemed to have understood something. But she couldn''t be certain. "Ahahaha!" Red Warden got up. "Looks like I''m actually getting rusty." Red Warden walked up to Jeff. Plung! The big dude knocked on his chest armor with his fist. Wearing a serious expression, Red Warden made a thirty degrees bow. "Thanks for holding back. The Crimson Force will forever be your friend." "I''ll be d if you don''t mind my ignorance about this profession''s rules." Jeff lightly bowed as well. "A friendly spar is a good start for friendship right? Hahahaha!" Someone heartilyughed. "Mister Mission Machine, the Heroic Ascension Guild is always open to you! We''ve got great drinks. And if you need help, we are always here." A dwarf extended a hand. "You must be Stormbeard, the guildmaster of the Heroic Ascension Guild." Jeff shook the dwarf''s hand. Only now, Jeff felt like he''d been epted into this circle. At least on the surface, this was the case. One after another, Jeff had a pretentious chat with the top dogs here. These guys weed Jeff like he''s their lost siblings or something. After this, an Adventurer''s Hall worker came to greet Jeff. Still maintaining that humble and patient attitude, this guy set up a meeting with the president for Jeff. Before knowing it, almost half an hour had passed already. All the guildmasters of the big guilds had left. Now, the guildmasters of smaller guilds wereing in. Tapping the wooden te against his palm, walking through the hall of offices, Jeff smiled in thought. Things were not as he''d imagined, nor as he''d intended. But hey, it all worked out in the end. In some sense, Jeff had stepped into the elite adventurers'' circle now. There''s only a bright future ahead. Stepping outside the adventurer''s hall, looking at the dispersing flea market, Jeff smiled under the sunlight. ''My patience had paid off huh... Coming out now, atte-tier, that''s the best decision of my life!'' Chapter 92 - Setting Off (1) "Dock 9... Dock... 9..." Tapping a wooden te against his palm, Jeff walked through a crowded riverside market. To his right, there were the bustling seafood stores. Various fishes, shrimps, and crabs swam around in those ss tanks. On the balcony of some pubs, people were enjoying their beers and some snacks. On the streets, artists performed music, magic tricks, and juggling shows. In the air, the smell of grilled fish overpowered the smell of fresh fish. The sound of chatter, music, andughter filled this street. (Fresh fish should smell briny and sweet by the way. Briny as in the smell of the ocean. If it has a strong fishy smell, it''s not fresh.) Long lines of customers waited outside the stores, waiting for their turns to get in. To Jeff''s left, there was the great river. It''s about 10 miles wide. The other side of the river was only a thin line over the horizon. The warm sunlight reflected off the waves. The white sails on the returning fishing boats peppered the river surface. (Cogs: 15 to 25 meters long medieval-styled ships) Near the riverside streets, swarms of seagulls, pelicans, and geesezily swam around. These birds looked like they didn''t have a worry in their lives. Jeff felt a breeze pushing against his back. It''s as if his mage''s robe was tugging him forward. Wearing a smile, Jeff quickened his steps. Taking a look to his left, there was an opened wooden gate. Looking at therge sign above the gates... ''Dock 9... This is dock 8.'' Jeff took a nce into the dock anyways. It''s a wide wooden tform sticking into the river. By the dock, there were ships with at least 3 decks. Maybe even 4 levels counting the bottom storage ce. ''Frigates? Galleons?'' Jeff couldn''t be sure. Jeff was just a general science student (who will never get to graduate). Not a ship expert. Nevertheless, these luxurious ships looked like they were set up for parties. On the decks, there were stacked tes of foods on banquet tables. Also got tanning chairs, ss bottles of drinks sitting in ice buckets, fishing stations... By the looks of it, the passenger experience was going to be afortable one. Shaking his head, Jeff strolled forward. He was still about an hour and a half early. May as well enjoy the walk. In a moment, Jeff had finally reached his destination: Deck 9. Feeling good and rxed, stopping by the dock entrance, Jeff looked up at the sign with a smile. ''So this is where my first adventure begins.'' Jeff took a look at his wooden te again. [Dock 9 3/14]. Looking at this number, Jeff felt like he was about to embark onto something great. ''If I had a lightning bolt scar on my forehead, I might even be a protagonist.'' Jeff chuckled at this thought. This dock had 14 spots. But most of them were empty. There were 3 ships sparsely taking up the spots. Walking up to entrance 3, Jeff took a look at his ride. It''s a single sail fishing boat. About 20 meters in length. Got a raised tform at the back. The front part of the boat looked like theting or fish storage area. Nevertheless, this boat looked well-maintained and well-cleaned. On the raised tform at the back, there were 3 sets of tables and chairs. These empty tables were set up in a row. Clearly, this boat had been set up to transport people this time. Nobody was here yet. Not even the fisherman. Nevertheless, there was already a wooden gangway ramp connecting the boat and the dock. Jeff stepped onto the ramp. The wooden te ticket in his hand bursted into pixels. Seeing this, Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. This world didn''t have much technology. But there''s plenty of magic around. It''s so essible that it''s everywhere now. Even docks and fishing boats could get magic formations engraved. Jeff ticked his tongue. ''Maybe after this trip, I should get a supernatural tier equipment and get it enchanted.'' Jeff thought as he walked up the gangway ramp. Walking across the boat, Jeff took a seat at the back table. Looking up the skies... The sun was still climbing towards the straight overhead position. It''s still about an hour away from noon. ''Since I''ve got an hour to spare...'' Jeff popped a ship-bowl of 50 Takoyaki octopus balls onto the table. It''s steaming hot! The scent of a savory seafood smell quickly filled the air. Using a toothpick, Jeff poked a ball and picked it up. Some tempura scraps fell back to the bowl. A thin film of cheese stretched into strings before breaking. "Nom." Jeff breathed in some cold air and blew out. "Hot hot hot." Chewing a little, the takoyaki ball melted right away in Jeff''s mouth. Then it''s an explosion of a savory creamy taste. The crispy tempura scraps. The chewy octopus. The soft batter. These three different textures mixed harmoniously with each other. The savory sweetness of the sauce. The creaminess of the batter. The rich taste of the cheese. Oh! They put scallion in there as well! All of these tastes swirled into a delicious delight. This bowl cost 3 whole Blings. However, Jeff didn''t regret this decision in treating himself. ''Looks like I''ve made another good purchase.'' Jeff smiled. Feeling the soft breeze, looking at the wide river, enjoying this food, Jeff leaned back and took in a deep breath. Life felt good. It''s good to be alive. Things were... tsk. Noice. Hearing the thumping footsteps, Jeff turned to look in that direction. It''s a lean dude in his 20s. Bark brown skin. Curly green hair flowing down his shoulders. Got to admit, this guy had a good-looking face. But again, all half-dryads were good-looking. Putting on a friendly smile, this guy emitted a serene and peaceful aura like the forest. This guy had a banjo case strapped to his back. Green fedora hat. Green cape. Sand colored jeans. Just by looking at this guy, Jeff could tell this guy''s ss. A bard had joined the party! "Morning bro. Nice day eh?" The dude waved once at Jeff. Chapter 93 - Setting Off (2) "Hey." Jeff smiled and nodded. "Got to say, this is the perfect weather for fruit collection." "Yes! Good luck is with us today!" Making thumping noises, the bard jogged up the tform. "Mind if I take a seat?" The bard asked with a pleasant smile. "Yeah, of course, go ahead." Jeff nodded. "Tako Balls huh." The bard casually dropped his green hat onto the table. "Yep. Want some?" Jeff offered. "No thanks." The bard waved his hand. "But, you do look pretty bored right now. If you have a nice drink, I have a nice story. Or, if you have a nice story, I''ve got a nice drink. How bout it?" "How bard of you." Jeff chuckled. "Well. Got to keep the tradition going." The bard chuckled as well. Jeff blinked a few times in thought. Well... As a beginner, Jeff did need more information about this adventuring trade. Jeff had done some homework beforehand. However, that''s mostly outsider information. Only experienced insiders knew the detailed trade rules. ''Since I''m nning to work alone for now, where else could I get this information?'' ''Bards are basically info brokers right?'' Jeff made a decision in his mind. Raising a hand, Jeff popped an one-cubic-meters metal container onto the floor. Yeah... Inventory slots could only store identical items. So, if you had a bunch of random stuff to carry around, what do you do? The answer: Throw them into a container. Then pop the container into your inventory. This was the norm nowadays. As a result, the bard didn''t look surprised at all at the appearance of the container. Jeff lifted opened the lid. This container was mainly for foods and cookware. Pots. Cups. Butter. Flour. Oatmeal. Salt and pepper. Fire crystals. It''s basically a small portable kitchen here. One cubic meters doesn''t sound like it''s a lot. However, the trunk space of a mid-sized SUV was about this size. Wearing an awkward smile, Jeff hesitantly pulled out 2 bottles of rice wine. Seeing the bottles, the bard''s smile froze. "Seriously now... This is the cheapest rice wine out there right? 3 bottles for 1 bling?" The bard sounded disappointed. Jeff''s cheek twitched a little. It''s 5 bottles for 1 Bling actually. There was a sale. Well, it''s worth a try. Wearing an apologetic look, Jeff put back the rice wine. Looking at the bard with squinting eyes, Jeff ticked his tongue. Taking in a deep breath, Jeff gritted his teeth. Seeing Jeff''s constipated (indecisive) look, the bard''s eyes lit up in anticipation. "Alright. Alright." Jeff sighed. "I don''t have much of this either. Your story better be good." Jeff carefully pulled out a metal canteen. "Of course." The bard confidently nodded. Jeff took out two shot sses. Before the bard couldin about the size of these cups, Jeff opened the canteen lid. Instantly, a rich alcohol smell filled the air. It''s a strong! But there''s also a pleasant and sweet undertone to it. The bard took in a deep breath. Squinting his eyes, the bard seemed to be drunk by the smell. Squinting his eyes, steadying his hands, Jeff poured the clear oak-brown liquid into the shot sses. Watching Jeff in silence, the bard gulped. "I usually drink in sips." Jeff slowly pushed a shot ss over the table. "But today. I feel like celebrating." Jeff downed the shot in one gulp. Feeling the burning liquid slipping down his throat, Jeff slowly breathed out. The warm feeling was starting to expand around his chest now. ''When was thest time I drankvishly like this?'' Jeff felt like he''d been hit by a wave of nostalgia. ''Three years already huh...'' Seeing Jeff''s way of drinking, the bard''s eyes red up with apetitive spirit. Bringing the shot ss to his nose, the bard took in another deep breath. Without further hesitation, the dude downed the shot as well. "Ough ough." The bard coughed and patted the table. Leaning back, the bard took in a deep breath. "WOOOOOOH!" "Tsssss... Ahhh!" The bard shook his head. "Man!" After calming down, the bard looked at Jeff with an examining look now. After looking around with an alert gaze, the bard leaned closer to Jeff. "Strong drinks like this are certainly beyondmoner level. It''s at least noble level. No. Maybe even royal level." The bard whispered. The dude seemed rather excited right now. "Did you make it yourself?" The bard asked with beaming eyes. "You can make a lot of Blings by just selling this drink to nobles. I got connections if you need it." Jeff quickly waved his hands. "You are overestimating me." Jeff shook his head. "I wish I''m capable of brewing drinks like this. But no. I got this through connections as well." PAUSE: In reality, no, Jeff had no connections in this world. He brewed this ssic beverage himself. As a poor college student studying general science, and a member of the brewing club, Jeff had some experience with homemade whiskey. Prior to this, Jeff already knew that if he''d sold this drink to the nobles, he could earn a big profit. However, when nobles got involved, sage-tiers would possibly get involved as well. Before, being a weak early-tier, Jeff didn''t want to deal with sage-tiers. It''s just too risky. Jeff preferred to be cautious in this foreign world. After all, it''s not like he had wealthy or powerful connections here. Jeff could only rely on himself. Jeff wasn''t sure whose cake he''d be touching by entering this market. He wasn''t interested in finding out either. ''But now, I''m ate-tier with stacked abilities already.'' Jeff shook his head as if he''s disappointed in himself. ''I can take some risks and test the waters now. Let''s see what happens after I pull out this drink.'' One step at a time. No need to go all-in at the beginning. ''Based on the response I see, I''ll decide whether to reveal my brewing capabilities or not.'' The bard looked at Jeff up and down. Seeing Jeff''s cheap outfit, the bard nodded at Jeff''s ims. "What''s it called?" The bardfortably leaned back against his chair. "It''s call it..." Jeff squinted. "Whiskey." "Whiskey..." The bard nodded. This guy was still enjoying the drink, savoring this moment. "Erhm..." The bard cleared his throat and shook his head. He was getting in state for storytelling. Chapter 94 - Setting Off (3) "This is a story I''ve heard in the Pridel Empire of the dwarves. In case you didn''t know, that''s the empire neighboring this Cloudia Kingdom of men." The bard sat a little taller. "I don''t get to choose the story?" Jeff interrupted. "An improv request?" The bard flicked his brows. The bard appeared to be excited by this challenge. "Sure thing. If I know about it, I''ll tell you all I know about it, in an entertaining fashion of course. If I don''t know, I can make up something on the spot. It''ll be up to you to figure out if I''m telling the truth or not Fuu-ahaha!!" "How about something close. How about the dungeon area we are heading to." "Oh. Just that?" The bard did not look impressed. "There''s plenty of folklores about the underground world." "But if you want, ok then." The bard shrugged. "Here is a brief background if you didn''t know." "Well." The bard checked out Jeff''s outfit again. "Clearly, you are just starting out in this trade. Let me guess, you don''t want to invest too much right away. Just give adventuring a try for now. So you probably won''t know. Erhm." "So. ''Dungeons'', as citizens enjoying peaceful life like to call it, is not urate. Since recorded history, intelligent races like humans." The bard pointed at Jeff. "Dwarves. Gnomes. Kobolds. And various other lesser species had already been mining for ore. Night and day, the denizens of this world dug into the earth." "Small tunnels grew intorger tunnels. Resting stations grew into miners'' towns. Rich ore spots became cavities. Gradually, tunnels connected into the same underground caverns. A series of 3-dimensional undergroundworks was created unintentionally." "Over the tens of thousands of years of development, believe it or not, there''s a vast world right beneath our feet now." "Loads of ores had been brought to the surface, sustaining our flourishing lifestyle." "Yet, without realizing it, we''ve caused devastation to the original caverns down there. Invasive species spread like wildfire down there. The original biodiversity had been lost. The beauty and the wonders of the old underground world could only survive in tales now." The bard sighed. "Now. With that background out of the way, we can start the story. This is the grandeur epic of the Lord of Elementals, the story of a grassroots boy climbing to saint-tier." "Erhm. Saint-tier is the tier after sage-tier. These great beings only exist in legends nowadays." "So. This story takes ce 800 years ago. On this autumn day, at the royal capital city of the Cloudia Kingdom, the main road was congested with people. Shoulder pressed against shoulders. Feet identally stepped onto other feet. People stretched their necks to have a better view." "Wait." Jeff blinked a few times. "Aren''t you going to speak in poetry and y your banjo?" "Pleeease." The bard rolled his eyes. "That would be like, overtime for me. You want to listen to the story or not." "My bad. My bad." Jeff apologetically nodded. "Please continue." "Erhm..." The bard cleared his throat. Raising his hand, changing his expressions, the bard acted like one of the pedestrians in the story. And so the storytelling continued. ... ... Before knowing it, an hour had quickly passed. A series of loud footsteps interrupted the storytelling. Looking in that direction... It''s a group of about twenty people. Leading the group was a teenager. He''s about 15 years old. He still got pimples on his face. His hair was a mess like a bird''s nest. The chest area of this guy''s silk dress shirt remained unbuttoned. Silver dress pants. Holding a cup of slushy in his hand. The kid swayed around as he walked around. Holding his chin up, leaning back a little, it''s like this kid owned this city or something. Half a step behind this kid, there was a young man in his mid-20s. Wearing a butler outfit. Putting on a polite smile. Well groomed. This guy emitted a confident and calming aura. Behind these two was a group of adventurers. Healers. Warriors. Archers. Mages. All of them had a red horse logo on their outfits. In a quick moment, all of these guys had boarded this ship. After climbing up the tform, seeing that Jeff and the bard were still sitting, the young fe knitted his brows. "You two. Are you deaf?" The kid pointed his nostrils at Jeff''s direction. Wearing a displeased face, the bard squinted. "Oh?" Jeff looked at the kid with a yful smile. "Don''t you recognize this logo?" The brat pulled on his shirt, stretching out the logo on there. "Be d, you poor wretches!" The brat proudly smiled. "Feel lucky that you have the chance to meet me, Alonsico De Liano! The fifth son of the boss of the Precious Horse Company!" Looking at this brat''s dramatic performance with a raised brow, Jeff casually put a cmari (fried squid) ring into his mouth. The bard followed suit. "If I''m pleased by your service today, I may even consider tipping you two with things I don''t need any more. But of course, it may be trash to me, but it''ll still be greatly useful to you." The kid rubbed his ring. "Now that you know who I am, why are you two still sitting there? Do you think you are in position to sit with me?" "You. The poor wretch in mage''s robe. Hand me over your drink. You, bard, stand in a corner where you belong, and y me some music." The bratmanded with a waving hand. "Do you know this Precious Horse Company?" Jeff asked the bard. "No idea." The bard shrugged and picked up another piece of cmari. "Probably just another medium-sized adventurer-rtedpany at best." The bard dipped the cmari in the sauce. "Say. I''ve always been curious. Do you know how kids be supercilious like this?" "Probably only grew up with simps around him. So he got spoiled." Jeff shrugged. Jeff couldn''t be sure either. He studied general science, not education. "Simps?" The bard raised a brow. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!