《God's Trials》 Chapter 1 The Before - Prologue: Daichi (Part 1) Chapter 1 The Before - Prologue: Daichi (Part 1) All current chapters @ www.9tribulations.com Comment For New Readers: I''ve made some corrections to my first chapter since I began. I also want possible readers to know that it is not "necessary" to read the "Prologue" chapters. They contain a lot of hints towards a lot of what will happen in the future of the story but for new readers, it won''t be all too important at first. Therefore, it''s entirely possible to begin by reading Chapter 5, which is technically the beginning of the actual story and not background. Lastly, I want to note: A prologue can be described as an introductory scene, preceding the first "act" of a story. The prologue in my story is background, it is premise and setting to what once was, in the story that follows. If you enjoy the story and at some point want to circle back to the prologue, it''ll probably seem more interesting then. ----------------------------------------- I never remember my dreams. In fact, I can¡¯t remember one dream I¡¯ve ever had. Sometimes when I wake up, I wonder whether it¡¯s normal not to dream. I forget almost as soon as I think it though. It feels too hard to stay interested in just about anything. As I wake up and open my still sleepy eyes, I look up at my ceiling. Speckled and white, like most. It¡¯s the same thing I see everyday when I wake up. It¡¯s just about as interesting as anything else that I see or that happens in my life. I open my -Status- Window.
-Status-
Name: Daichi Seishin
Class: None
Level: 5
Race: Human ??? ???
Title(s): None
Divine Protection: None Attribute(s): None
Health: 100/100
Mana: Sealed
Strength: 8 Dexterity: 8
Vitality: 8 Endurance: 24
Intelligence: 40 Wisdom: 40
Magical Aptitude: ??? Luck: 1/100
Skill(s):
None
Ability:
None
Inheritance:
None
My status window appeared right before my eyes, not too far and not too close. My Status window has barely changed since I unlocked it. All humans unlock their status window when they turn 12. Of course it¡¯s possible to strengthen yourself, your stats (which are a representation of your abilities) without seeing or knowing what¡¯s on your status window, but the window quantifies it. It is one of the oldest forms of magic in existence. Every human has it, and my father has theorized that all sentient beings have a status window ability, after all, it¡¯s a magic that is enforced by nature, by the very laws of the universe (or so we assume). That¡¯s why it doesn¡¯t cost any mana to activate and deactivate the spell. It¡¯s because the spell is powered by nature (probably). I might not work out but I jog. It allows me to do something productive while trying not to think. My dad won¡¯t let me train so I can¡¯t get much stronger. He won¡¯t let me, never has. Luckily he lets me read. He encourages me to learn. Although, I think his main purpose has been focused on teaching me right and wrong. I find it ironic considering he¡¯s not particularly moral, and yet it¡¯s been one of the things he¡¯s focused on me the most. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯ve been so cold towards him for the past few years and honestly I can¡¯t even remember why anymore. No, that''s a lie. I know why, I try to forget every so often but I can''t. I¡¯m 5¡¯8, not tall, but not short. I¡¯m of average build, leaning a bit towards the skinny end, but it suits me. I have black hair that curls up at the ends and I never bother to cut it until it¡¯s long enough that it goes past my eyebrows and curls enough to bother my eyes. Like now, like routine, I¡¯ll need a hair cut soon. Perpetual bed hair no matter what I do, so I never bother too much. Besides, it doesn¡¯t look bad me, it just makes me look like I don¡¯t care. My eyes are dark brown with flecks of amber near my irises. I¡¯m well aware of what I look like, I spend a good amount of my time on introspection. I¡¯ve long since come to believe that only by getting to know who you are can you understand others. Even as I think think these thoughts I wave my status window away. I am not strong, but it doesn¡¯t matter. In this world, the strong are rare and weak are everywhere. Even at a mere Level 5. I am not much weaker than most people my age, in fact most people my age even the ones that work at it aren¡¯t really much stronger. Sometimes I wonder how the window quantifies our levels when the stats and levels don¡¯t seem to match up before level 10. There have been some books written on this, because it¡¯s so widely commented on, one of those unexplained phenomenons that make something reliable less so. After all if the purpose or the use of the status window is to quantify our strengths, then naturally people would find it strange to trust the windows when not only do we not know how our strength is being quantified but how our levels are being gauged before level 10. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Although the research on this has been limited of course. Keeping the information on your status window secret is widespread practice. No one wants to just give away all of the knowledge that essentially makes up who they are. At least that¡¯s how people see it anyways. With my looks I don¡¯t come off as weak. I am not particularly handsome, but I know that when I look at someone, when I really look at them, my eyes capture them and as I look right through them they always look away first. I think I learned it when I was a child¡­ But no one feels comfortable being stared at with an expression they can¡¯t figure out. It¡¯s unsettling to most people. Nothing ever changes here. I¡¯m not allowed to make anything change, no one is, no one wants too. Everyone is so damn happy. I don¡¯t understand why everyone thinks happiness is such an amazing thing. I¡¯ve always thought being content means being bored. Everyone is so happy¡­ and I don¡¯t understand why. How can they be so happy day in and day out without having nothing to excite them is what I always wonder. Perhaps what I¡¯m actually wondering is how they can truly believe they¡¯re happy if they¡¯ve never had loss, or pain. All of them are happy, or think they are¡­ But I think they are just content. Content and unwilling to risk losing their peaceful lives and experience pain for something more. The knowledge that my tomorrow is going to be no worse and no better than today leaves me feeling empty. That¡¯s how I start my day. Feeling emptiness because of my discontent. Discontent for no other reason than because I think about why I should be content and reason that it¡¯s just not enough. Even as I am stuck wondering these things (that I¡¯ve thought before and that I know i¡¯ll think again) I hear my dad calling me from downstairs. He always wakes up early. He¡¯s a philosopher and he spends most of his time wandering about aimlessly. Always claiming that ¡°Only by being aimless and you see purpose where others thought there was none¡± I think it¡¯s just bullshit. He¡¯s pretty worthless, but I have to admit, every so often he says something interesting, thinks something interesting. I suppose when you spend all of your time thinking about things that would ordinarily not matter to most people, eventually you stop thinking what everyone else does and start thinking something different even original. My mom died at childbirth, I think that was one of the reasons he fell apart, became a shell of himself and stopped bothering with trying to achieve and settled for trying to understand. In my limited experience, which has mainly come from watching him¡­ I¡¯ve come to the conclusion that aiming to understand (while admirable) is ultimately meaningless without the desire to achieve. Knowledge without application is just knowledge waiting to be forgotten and lost. My mother must have meant a lot to him. I sometimes wish I had that, I wish for a lot of things sometimes, only as much as a passing thought though. I spend a lot of my time wishing for things, just because I want things to change, I want things to be different, I don¡¯t even care how, I just want¡­ Purpose? Hah¡­ That makes me feel pathetic. I feel pathetic when I start to realize how similar I am to my dad and how I¡¯m really no different. I complain in my mind to myself constantly¡­ Yet I¡¯ve never done anything about it. *sigh* My dad doesn¡¯t talk too much about the world as it used to be, but we still learn enough in school and I love reading. Reading allows me to learn and I love to know more, I love to learn the things that other people refuse to tell me. The world used to be very violent. There were unexplored and uncleared dungeons. People struggled to get stronger, Monsters lived in packs and close enough to towns and cities that people feared for their lives. The Adventurer¡¯s Guild used to be one of the most prominent powers in the world. Almost everyone was a member, and almost everyone struggled to some extent to get stronger, not because of ambition but need. The Church had power on par with all of the kingdoms. People prayed to different Gods for their blessings. War between the Kingdoms wasn¡¯t uncommon, in fact it happened (from what I¡¯ve gathered) cyclically. Every 20 or so years one Kingdom would trigger some sort of event with another and war would soon breakout. The history books write about the many reasons why these wars happened, because of the animosity between the people, because some Duke or King was assassinated, because the Church willed the people to move against some unknown evil. I think I take up after my father in this regard too. I think a lot of it seems too¡­ Straightforward, as if these accounts of the past; in their effort to speak of the past evils of man, are still trying to barely scratch the surface. I think there¡¯s more to it than that. After all if there weren¡¯t, why would these people keep making the same mistakes? Not even the mistakes of their grandfathers or more but their own fathers? Over 1004 years ago peace began to reign throughout my world. Of course it¡¯s written that is wasn¡¯t as simple as that, peace didn¡¯t come over night and nor was it was simple as the Gods saying so and it being done. Apparently it was at that moment that the Gods chose to stop paying attention to us, they just up and left I guess? No one knows and even know the controversy still continues over what happened to the Gods. The Church has barely any influence over the people, I can¡¯t imagine what it used to be like based on what the books say. It¡¯s just so unimportant like everything else now. Even the Adventurer¡¯s Guild that used to matter doesn¡¯t anymore. Soon after the Gods made their announcement of peace. The levels of the Dungeons dropped. Heroes and warriors and adventurers noticed it quickly and flocked to make their mark on the world, to claim quests and complete dungeons only to realize that once a dungeon was cleared, the monsters would be gone. Monsters no longer randomly spawned into the world anymore. No one knew where they came from before and the major running theory used to be that they were created through Mana by the world. That theory was clearly proven wrong. Mana still exists, it¡¯s weaker, but it still exists, we still have mages, magicians and wizards but no longer are their jobs what they used to be. They make inventions and make the world even easier for the masses. As if everything wasn¡¯t easy enough as it is. Monsters still exist of course, some can still breed, but with their numbers dwindling and seemingly nothing in comparison to ours. They closed themselves off from the world. Rare magical beasts disappeared altogether. The world became ours, it became peaceful. Chapter 2 The Before - Prologue: Daichi (2) Prologue: Daichi (Part 2 of 2) ¡°Daichi! Are you coming down!?¡± Oh, I think I got caught up thinking about, well, I guess nothing. So another day begins. I¡¯m 17 and I have school. Monotonous and mundane. I brush my teeth, clean myself up, but on my uniform, which is black pants and, a dress shirt and the school tie and rush downstairs before the old man takes off. ¡°What is it dad? You¡¯re normally less enthusiastic in the mornings¡± I ask him wondering if there¡¯s a reason for him yelling. ¡°Yes well, I have something to talk to you about. Okay well, I¡¯ve decided to go on a trip with some of my old friends from college. It seems that one of them wants to talk to me about working as a professor at his university¡± my dad mentions as he tries to hide the pride in his voice. I gaze at him a little surprised, ¡°Hey wow! That¡¯s good to hear! You can pay the house bill this month after all! Maybe!¡± My dad brushes off my comment as if it was nothing ¡°Eh¡­ Responsibility is important Dai. I thought I taught you better than to mock your elders and to make light of a man¡¯s responsibilities¡± ¡°Ah. I was kidding. I was trying to joke around with you dad.¡± I look at him from the corner of my eyes and I can tell that despite the calm words¡­ He¡¯s being reserved. He¡¯s always reserved around me¡­ As if he¡¯s never been comfortable in my presence. ¡°Oh. Well then, good job, you got me! Haha! You jokester! So yes, I¡¯ll be gone for the next 3 days, I¡¯m going to travel to the Capital over via the portal in the city in the next city over, I should be back in 3 days so I expect you to remember everything I¡¯ve taught you. Everything Daichi.¡± even as he says the words he¡¯s all but basically out of the door not really giving me a chance to do anything but agree. Throwing out my best ¡®good boy smile¡¯ I wave at him (not that he¡¯s looking back) and tell him what I figure he wants to hear ¡°Jeeze, of course I¡¯ll remember. Be nice to others, do what you would do for someone else and generally stick to myself if I don¡¯t need to get involved¡± ¡°Okay! Good! I¡¯ll be off then, have a good day at school and remember everything!¡± he waves one of his hands at me dismissively as he closes the door behind me without looking. Responsible but aloof. I would imagine you would need to take a resume, or look professional or something, but the old man just walks out the door like it¡¯s a regular ol¡¯ Tuesday. Ugh. I wondered whether this would be the last time I would ever see him. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.Don¡¯t get me wrong, It¡¯s not like I have some sort of ominous feeling that¡¯s left me wondering something particularly life changing and important. I¡¯ always think that every time I see him leave. It¡¯s normal to me for some reason. I grab a few granola bars and head off to school. I¡¯m half way there when I decide that I¡¯m going to change my routine. If everything and everyday is boring, then I¡¯m going to change that myself. I¡¯ll do something interesting today. I can¡¯t imagine what that¡¯ll be but I¡¯ll give it a try hah. Although it doesn¡¯t take me long to realize there just isn¡¯t much to do in our town and since I don¡¯t really have any friends it¡¯s not like I can just ask someone to do something with me. So instead of going to school I head off to the largest (albeit only) library in out town. Which is also pretty much next to the school. We have less than 9000 people living here in our town and we¡¯re on the outskirts of a city. In fact we¡¯re on the outskirts of everything near the mountains. If it weren¡¯t for ¡°The Portals¡± which allow us to just go anywhere else where another ¡°friendly¡± (they¡¯re all friendly) portal is. There¡¯s only in every capital city in all 7 Kingdoms and a few in other major cities. They¡¯ were created years ago by some of the strongest magic casters when Mana was stronger in the atmosphere. Our town which is considered a city solely because it has an Adventurer¡¯s that is still in service has moderate resources. We live away from others but we have more freedom, we are surrounded by nature and most people love having the best of both worlds. They live in the country but have access to the city. I don¡¯t feel the same way. I figure if I at least lived somewhere else I¡¯d have a better opportunity to see something interesting happen, but I guess that¡¯s unlikely either way so it doesn¡¯t much matter to me. I used to enjoy going to the town¡¯s library. Until I read most of the history books, and what I was mostly allowed to read. Unfortunately every library is on lock down and everyone has limited access. Access is limited to general public use, and then the guild rank cards. You can access knowledge based on your rank in the adventurer¡¯s guild. All the libraries (all the ones older than 600 years old) have this magical restriction. They were built that way. As peace settled the newer libraries were built without these magical restrictions, but as such, the knowledge in these libraries is also severely limited so it may as well be the same thing. I wanted to join the adventurer¡¯s guild even though I thought leveling up would be extremely hard considering the limited opportunities but my dad wouldn¡¯t let me. Tch. ¡°Well it is what it is, maybe I¡¯ll find a hidden book somewhere though!¡± I yell in frustration and determination! My own words were the last things I heard before everything around me went dark. Chapter 3 The Before - Prologue: The Gods (1) Chapter 3 The Before - Prologue: The Gods (1) I am God. Not a God, I am God. This is what I wanted. This is what I worked for, waited for, killed for. I gave up everything, including my soul and let myself be whittled away until I had nothing left except a sole desire. That desire allowed me to be recreated, reshaped and I began my quest. My goal on attaining power and domain over everything in existence. A little while ago, I achieved my life¡¯s purpose. I attained more than a god-hood, I reached the peak of the Gods and became the one known as God. The highest form of god, no longer named, no longer limited to abilities, skills, this realm, or even tethered to any existence or need. I¡¯m so bored. I thought I would find happiness after everything I went through, after living the life I had and then finding a purpose to attain strength. I lied to myself. I knew I couldn¡¯t be happy. I knew I took the wrong path, I knew what I did wasn¡¯t going to lead me to ¡°happiness¡±. I can¡¯t happy, I never had that emotion to begin with. I never expected I¡¯d reach my goal though. I reached for the top of the top, the highest peak that gods can¡¯t even see and that mortals don¡¯t even know about, and I got here. Now I¡¯m set adrift and am purposeless and feel daunted by the realization that I back to where I started. I can¡¯t even remember when I reached this realm. I think I stopped existing or caring and just became, I think I forgot my own self-awareness and now, I know there¡¯s nothing more. I¡¯ve been thinking about this for a while now, or maybe I haven¡¯t. It¡¯s hard to tell. I think I have. I think¡­ I¡¯m going to stir things up. I am God. Not a God, I am God. I am God, and I will erase this everything and make it new, make it different, make it interesting. [tr][tr]
Hear me gods.
(In the lower god¡¯s domain.) ¡°God?(???) ¡°Idiot, who else would it be? Who else can directly influence nature and manipulate the mana in God¡¯s World and influence the windows directly?¡±(???) ¡°You¡¯re right. He¡¯s back. This is serious.¡±(??? ¡°It¡¯s God!¡±(???) ¡°What do you think this is about?¡±(???) ¡°It can¡¯t be good.¡±(???) ¡°Why not? Maybe he¡¯s going to share some of that almighty-ness with all of us haha¡±(???) [tr][tr]
I want to play a game. I am going release my divinity. My essence, my power, I am going to release it all. If you can stop the aftereffects, you have a chance at power, at survival. If you can¡¯t, then everything can just cease to exist.
(In the upper god¡¯s domain) ¡°Is he serious Acheron?¡±(Lucifer) If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°He¡¯s a psychopath. He must mean what he¡¯s saying. There¡¯s no question he¡¯s serious. He¡¯s going to try to kill us all.¡±(Acheron) ¡°You don¡¯t look concerned¡­¡±(Lucifer) ¡°He¡¯s not trying to kill us all. He¡¯s going to kill himself. Killing us is but an aftereffect of him ending himself. We can survive.¡± Acheron looked stoic, not a single expression shown on his face, not a single wrinkle on his forehead or in-between his eyebrows, you¡¯d think he was talking about what he plans to have for dinner. ¡°Hmm¡­ Even if we survive. We¡¯ll no longer be us. We¡¯ll be less¡­¡± Lucifer looked no different except with the inkling of mild amusement showing on the smile pulling at the edge of his lips. ¡°Hah. You know what this means. No risk and no reward. If we survive we¡¯ll be less, we¡¯ll be shadows of our former selves, but that means the power of God will be up for grabs once again. We failed last time, we were some of the few gods who knew of the possibility of reaching that realm and still we failed to some newcomer new-godhood lower being. This is our second chance. Last time it took a millennium, this time it can¡¯t. Not if he does it like this.¡± Acheron finally cracked a smile even though it didn¡¯t quite reach his eyes. ¡°Hahaha oh wow. This is ridiculous. I can¡¯t believe this is going to happen. I¡¯ll give him this. It¡¯s a first. This crazy freak is really one-upping us old timers eh¡± Lucifer smiling the same smile, they looked the same. Identically the same. After all they shared the same physical appearance. Once upon a time they were twins. They were brothers. God-brothers. They attained their lower form of divinity at the same time, at the exact same moment which was nearly impossible by the laws of the universe. They were a first, and as such nature decided to grant them a special gift. A gift of likeness, a gift of closeness. The weary of time is the greatest foe for the stronger gods. As time goes by, a god doesn¡¯t age, doesn¡¯t change, once he reaches his peak. They all stop having ambition, eventually entertaining themselves among other gods, or the mortals but even that grows tiring, loses its joy. Time is the worst enemy of the gods, but Acheron and Lucifer were given the greatest gift a god could receive by the universe. They received a closeness, a brotherhood that allowed them to maintain one another over time, and reach the realm of High Gods, Unique High Gods at that. The very peak of existence for the gods, not on par with God but as close as possible. They weren¡¯t the only ones, but they were certainly the oldest ones. Lucifer looked around one last time all the while thinking of the many things that are about to change. He lightly thought ¡°Status¡± and looked ahead of himself thinking ¡°I¡¯m going to miss this beautiful screen. Such a shame. I¡¯m really incredible¡­ Too bad I can¡¯t show this off¡­¡± Acheron took one look at the creepy grin tugging at Lucifer¡¯s lips and let out a low exasperated chuckle¡­ ¡°Checking out your status screen one last time Lucy?¡± Lucifer¡¯s eyes snapped up ¡°Don¡¯t call me that.¡± with his smile gone and an annoyed expression left, but that annoyed look lasted only a second before his eyes drifted back to his own status screen eyeing it with supreme pride. Still looking at the screen he abjectly called out ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to do the same?¡±. Acheron took one last look at the Lucifer, recognizing the pride he was so obviously wearing on his face from his own stats, the reflection of himself thinking, ¡°No. Why would I? I¡¯ve already made my peace, whatever I am right now, I¡¯ll best it in my next life.¡± Not answering his question, his left hand whipped out to the side and made a tearing noise as a slash in the fabric of reality appeared and he simply entered it. Lucifer taking one last look at his window, closed it, and followed. ¡°Time for a new adventure.¡± Chapter 4 The Before - Prologue: The Gods (2) Chapter 4 The Before - Prologue: The Gods (2) (In the lower god¡¯s domain) ¡°Has God become suicidal?!!??¡±(???) ¡°What are we going to do!?¡±(???) ¡°What can we do? If we stay we die, if we leave we die, there¡¯s nothing to do!¡±(???) ¡°I¡¯m not letting that happen! I just attained my godhood 1000 years ago! I¡¯m too young for this to happen, I¡¯ve barely had time to enjoy my power! Why don¡¯t we all put our power together and create a domain and ride it out!?¡±(???) ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s a great idea! Maybe together we can survive like that!¡±(???) ¡°Okay! I¡¯m in, let¡¯s all join together!¡±(???) ¡°STOP!¡±¡±A crack in space appeared and from the void the high gods all started to come out. The thundering voice of Ares rang out through the entire world. Ares appeared before all of the gods who¡¯d gathered in the lower realms high in the sky. His voice echoing in the ears of everyone. He stood there, in the sky all of his features indistinct but his poise undeniably regal ¡°Ares?!? The High God of Life!?¡±(Lesser God) ¡°EVERYONE! Listen to me closely! God is going to release his divinity, and once he does, that power will rip through time and space, from realm to realm and universe to universe. No matter who or what, it will all be ripped to shreds¡± Ares voice boomed once again, his statement destroying the hopes of all of the lower gods in an instant, his manner and power leaving no room for doubt or discussion. Not even a full sentence finished when Lucifer and Acheron arrived through their own rift into the lower realm, just in time to catch the show about to begin. ¡°This is hope! Listen carefully!!!!! Once he begins, we must all join together and sacrifice our godhoods together in to stop the damage that his divinity will do in but a second. Together, the godhood of every god here will be able to limit the damage.¡± Ares finished his sentence expecting the very reaction he would soon receive. ¡°Are you crazy! Without our godhoods we¡¯ll either turn mortal and die instantly in that aftermath or just simply die trying! Are you telling us all to commit suicide to stop this apocalypse just because God has decided to end his existence!?¡±(???) ¡°I WON¡¯T DO IT!¡±(???) ¡°Is there any other choice??¡±(???) If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Hundreds of lesser gods and the rest of the gods had gathered at this point. All of them together in one place at the same time, an occurrence that had rarely occurred in the entirely of time. Nearly all of them had a solemn or forlorn expression. Except a few. Except a few who had stopped caring for their own lives and even fewer who realized what this meant, what it would mean for those who survived. ¡°Let me say this. This is the only choice. Some of us will indeed die. This is inevitable. The rest without their godhoods will not die. Our divinity will be kept in tact. As for what that means¡­. The ones that survive will find out. The laws of the universe will not allow for a universe without gods. Nature will ¡ª¡ª¡±(Ares) That last sentence was never finished, The tremor struck. A void filled with nothing erupted from the center of the universe. Not this world or this realm, but from the center of creation. This was the divinity of God being forcefully ripped to shreds and being destroyed by him in a fit of madness. He did not choose to do so at the center of the universe, but rather because he was God, was that the center of the universe. As void spread in that single instant the very fabric of reality was ripped and twisted apart and everything every ceased to be the way it was. Even as reality was being swallowed by the void, god¡¯s are immortal and while even the absolute void being created in place of the universe would be enough to end them, their divinity (essence) and godhoods (containers) were part of nature, part of the universe in a fundamental way. The moment the tremor¡¯s void erupted through space every single god understood their chances of serval has become nonexistent. Ares was right. There was only one way for some of them to survive, to risk everything they all had and fix the universe with their godhoods. Not one of them held back, and in instant they all relinquished their godhoods, their power, their form, the culmination of their lives. Still. What the gods had done was paramount to trying to sweep a vase full of water and flowers that has fallen onto the floor back into a container. The result was a universe that was stitched back together. Everything in creation dead and undead would now drastically change. This was the beginning of something completely new, and for some, very-very interesting. Chapter 5 The Beginning: Waking up to a new world (Part 1) Chapter 5 The Beginning: Waking up to a new world (Part 1) All chapters posted first @9tribulations.com ----------------------------------------------------------------- Before everything went dark and dizzying, I remember wondering whether I was about to die. The last thing I remember was walking down central street and taking a short cut through an alley, and then nothing. Everything just went dark. Dark? It¡¯s still dark. I call for my status window and nothing happens. I try calling it out a few times and as I realize nothing is happening I start to feel a twinge of anxiety. This is new. My status window has never been unavailable¡­ I didn¡¯t even know that was possible. I can¡¯t move but I don¡¯t feel hurt, I just¡­ Can¡¯t feel my body. This feels so surreal. I can¡¯t move but I¡¯m definitely awake. Except I can¡¯t tell if my eyes are open. I feel apart from my body. Separate as if it doesn¡¯t exist. This is definitely new. (Lesser God Realm) At this moment. The universe, every universe, every star, sun, world, realm was ripped apart. Torn then erased. For one moment, everything was gone and not gone, in the universe and somehow somewhere else, somewhere out of existence. One moment before everything was pieced back together. The god¡¯s all joined together in the less god realm as the focal point for existence to be recreated, but not recreated, stitched back together but not the same way. Stitched back together but not in the all in the same place. All godhoods of the gods used as material to heal and stitch the universe back in place. One moment where everything was and wasn¡¯t. One moment that stretched on for an eternity for a few but was never even noticed for most. (Terra) I hear something. I hear something! I hear screaming¡­ Is that me? All I hear is screaming, all I heard for a few minutes was my own screaming. The personification of my pain given voice by a part of me that seemed apart from me. After minutes of voicing my pain. Of feeling uncontrollable pain and relief washing over me in waves I finally felt myself again. Despite the pain, I felt relief because the pain itself signified that I was still alive. Weirdly enough I¡¯m surprisingly calm about all of this. Take away the screaming and the anxiety (which I¡¯m keeping down pretty well), and this would be pretty darn impressive. I move my one good arm with everything I have. I can¡¯t even feel my left arm. I can¡¯t stay like this, I can move now so I need to do something. I open my eyes but the dark seems different (which is a weird thing). Darker yet brighter. It takes me a second to realize it feels darker because it¡¯s no longer so early in the morning. It¡¯s more like it¡¯s early at night. Did I pass out for this long? Daichitilt his head a bit, before realizing three soul shuddering things. 1.) There in the middle of the sky are three moons staring at one another in unison. From his perspective forming the shape of a pyramid. ¡°Since when are there 3 moons?¡± he took the time to wonder. 2.) Everything in the sky was much brighter. The stars are shinning as if they werecloser than before. In fact Daucgu couldn¡¯t recognize any of the constellations and even when he foundone he knew, it felt like they were in the wrong place. The sky felt wrong. 3.) When he finally managed to tear his eyes away from the sky, he finished tilting hishead to the side to finally realize there was nothing around him. Only rubble. This morning when I woke up I was in the middle of my home town, now I¡¯m surrounded by nothing.His mind begun swirling with possibilities as to what could have happened. Even more so, considering the stars were all wrong and everything around him was different. "Perhaps I¡¯m no longer home¡­ Could this be one of those stories where I¡¯ve been transported to another world?" he wondered. Daichi pushed all of these possibilities aside as he began trying to calm his mind. His entire body was filled with pain, but a numb pain that felt more like a dull ache by this point. Ugh. This is terrible. Still, regardless of what happened. I¡¯m still alive and I¡¯m all about focusing on the positive. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. He tred to call out for his
-Status-
Name: Daichi Seishin
Class: None
Level: 5
Race: None Status: Touched by Chaos
Title(s): None
Divine Protection: None Attribute(s): None
Health: 1/100
Mana: 1
Strength: 8 Dexterity: 8
Vitality: 8 Endurance: 24
Intelligence: 40 Wisdom: 40
Magical Aptitude: 1 Luck: 100/100
Skill(s):
None
Ability:
None
Inheritance:
None
He immediately felt relief wash over him as he gazed as his status window. Seeing one of the constants in his life made him feel more secure if only for a moment. That relief turned to shock almost as soon as he took a look at the actual window as his eyes grew wide. The numbers he was seeing were mind boggling. "I don¡¯t know what I should even be focusing on. The fact that apparently luck had a cap, that my magical aptitude is so low (disappointing) or that I¡¯m an inch away from death!" he thought to himself, his shock not dissipating in the least. "I¡¯m hurt but how could I possibly be that hurt!? I can¡¯t even tell what¡¯s wrong with me!" After a brief moment of panic, Daichi began taking an actual look at that abnormal status. "That has something to do with my mana. My mana is suddenly unsealed but worthless and somehow abnormal¡­ I think if I were anyone else I¡¯d be feeling overwhelmed... Yeah. I''ve got that going for me." "If I¡¯m this hurt how am I not dead? Why is my luck 100?" So many questions popped up one after another. Daichi couldn¡¯t even decide what to focus on first as his thoughts got away from him. Daichi ended up finding himself trying to remember what happed but much to his chagrin found everything feeling vague. "I was in an alley, when suddenly the ground I was on was the peak of a ledge overlooking the entire city much higher than everything else and suddenly but almost seemingly at the same time there was nothing there and I was just falling? None of that makes any sense." There was a hint of annoyance as he found himself unable to make sense of anything. Daichi had always relied on reason. Except his current situation defied all logical reasoning, he couldn''t tell if he was delirious as his thoughts made about as much sense as his memories. Feeling a new wave of exhaistion washing over him he continued trying to think of an answer to any one of the dozens of questions passing through his mind with no success. Even as his eyes were slowly feeling more and more heavy, he could only wonder whether closing his eyes would equate to death. "I wonder if I yell if anyone would hear me. Actually I just wonder if there¡¯s anyone left around here but me." Just as he found himself about to close his eyes and let things play out... He heard a voice in his mind, as if someone was talking to him from inside of his own head. Which he found himself thinking was an extremely discomforting sensation. This world is no longer your world. In the aftermath of the chaos that has spread and been contained reality has folded in upon itself. A wrinkle was formed. This world is not Terra and it is not Amos. Both of your worlds no longer exist alone. They have been merged into this world. This is our world. This is the divine realm of the Gods. The land masses of your worlds are here, along with parts of other things from other places. Beyond the stretch of land your world¡¯s once held lies a vast world which you are all a part of now. Those of you that have survived are the lucky ones. As such we will give you a gift. A gift of possibility. No one in this world will be limited by their race. Daichi tried to pay attention but the waves of exhaustion caused him to pass out before catching the last part. Something about a gift.... We grant you the ability to evolve, to choose, to grow. That is the good news. Now hear the rest, all of you are now in danger. If you want to survive you will need to become strong, strong enough to survive what comes next. Chapter 6 The Beginning: Waking up to a new world (Part 2) Chapter 6 The Beginning - Waking up to a new world (Part 2) Not a moment had passed before the announcement had been made when I suddenly felt a soothing feeling running down my spine, touching every bone and muscle in my body. It felt so warm and natural¡­ It¡¯s such a pleasant sensation that I don¡¯t even wonder what¡¯s happening and just embrace the feeling. Such a welcome change from the previous pain. I let myself wallow in this feeling for a few seconds before thinking about the announcement. My world is basically gone. That 100 luck may not have been wrong after all. I¡¯m finally going to get a chance to see and do something new, something exciting, something amazing. Then I stop myself from assuming so many things. I remember my current near-death situation and calm by growing excitement down. After a few minutes the feeling surrounding my body was gone, and all my numbness and pain is gone with it. I felt normal, better than normal. Excited. I moved the back of my right hand in front of my face and stretched my fingers as I reached up at the stars. Everything felt so close and within my grasp at that moment. I clenched my hand into a fist and let that feeling of excitement that felt so rare wash over me. Just as I¡¯m about to check my status I hear something. I was wallowing in this feeling for a few moments too long before I hear groans. I immediately sit up and shift my my gaze all around me. There must be other survivors! I am not alone! Just as I am about to call out to see if I can find whose around me I hear a scream. A blood chilling scream. Immediately my excitement reaches a new level. the hairs on arms stand on end and I feel goosebumps run down my back. I push that feeling back and get to my feet and look around me. Although instead of rushing to any decisions, I decide to find cover and consider my options. This could be dangerous. After that announcement, who knows what¡¯s about to happen. I can tell that in the distance the ground is no longer even. Rocks are jutting up through gaps and small peaks have formed. All around me I can already tell that all the debris within my sight is likely what¡¯s left of the town. Instead of feeling sentimental about it, I just I run as quietly as I can towards the screaming. Whoever she is, she hasn¡¯t stopped. I know I¡¯m getting closer. I can hear more than just her screams now. I can hear the gulping for air and the sound of pain and frustration in the hiccuping noises in-between each scream. I start to hear more noises¡­ There are other people! As I get to big wall that¡¯s stopped tipping over, half collapsed, I slowly peek my head around the side and take a look. I see a girl around my age sprawled out on the floor weeping and screaming. I don¡¯t understand why she¡¯s screaming so loudly. There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with her. Doesn¡¯t she realize she could be drawing attention from someone or something other than me? ¡°Quiet down Hannah!¡± (Voice) ¡°Ava¡¯s fine! She¡¯s just passed out! Listen up, you have to calm down and go look and see if you can find anybody to help, we¡¯re not really hurt but my leg is stuck and Ava is underneath me, unless we can lift up this wall, she can¡¯t get out without the wall crushing me.¡±(Voice) Even though I think the guy is trying to keep his voice down, he¡¯s not really doing a very good job. In fact the guy is being almost as loud as the girl was. Although I guess if he wasn¡¯t, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to hear him over her own wailing. If she weren¡¯t hurt and crying, she¡¯d be fairly beautiful. Her long dark red hair, pale but not sickly skin all accents her quite nicely. In fact it¡¯s almost familiar. That voice too. I think¡­ They¡¯re from my school! I think about my options for a second. I could leave them, this might be more of a hassle then it¡¯s worth. In fact with all of this noise it might not be safe to even be here anymore. On the other hand, if I help them now, it might help keep me alive in the long run, safety in numbers right? Besides, I need information and for all I know they know something I don¡¯t. Even just one detail could be helpful in this scenario. ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to help!¡± Daichi thought to himself as he¡¯d finally finished assessing the situation. Daichi walked out to the side and called out to the red head, ¡°Hey there, need a hand?¡± Daichi trying to keep his voice even but making sure it wasn¡¯t too loud. He was being very careful to keep an eye on his soundings just in case. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°One second I¡¯m at school, I¡¯m with my friends laughing (Okay not my friends, but someone¡¯s friends and I¡¯m not laughing but I¡¯m certainly enjoying the atmosphere) and everything is normal and the next second I¡¯m dealing with my sister whose starting to lose her shit and my crush is being crushed underneath me (no pun intended and not even the good way).¡± Kaden thought as he groaned from the pain coming from his leg. ¡°God damn gods. I never liked them. In fact, up until a few minutes ago I genuinely didn¡¯t believe they even existed! I don¡¯t care what the books say or what my teachers teach me, if I can¡¯t see it, if I don¡¯t have any proof then I call bullshit!¡± Kaden was pumping himself up, trying to get angry so he could ignore the discomfort of his leg. He realized that even though it hurt, he could still feel everything which was both a blessing and a curse. It meant his leg was likely fine, to some degree. But it also meant that he¡¯d have to stomach the increasing pain until his sister could figure out a way to get the weight of the ceiling off his leg before things got worse. Even as Kaden tried to get angrier to divert his attention, he only felt himself getting more deflated. He¡¯d never been a particularly angry individual. In fact, he was fairly easy going. The only things he was passionate about were girls, one in particular. Instead of getting angrier, he began to recall the beginning of the day and how he¡¯d ended up in this mess. I was having another boring and normal day. I was half-asleep in class while thinking about getting into Ava¡¯s panties. The girl is so ridiculously hot. Honestly? She¡¯s the only reason I even bother coming to class. Staring at her from across the room is literally the highlight of my day (It¡¯s only sad if I think it¡¯s sad. I have to keep repeating that to myself). My life¡¯s goal was to get her to go out with me. Also, before that, to talk to her. I do kind of have a tendency of getting ahead of myself, but it usually works out, sort of. Sigh. Even I¡¯m not so delusional to think that I¡¯ll actually land her though. She¡¯s the hottest girl in the school, in fact she¡¯s probably one of the hottest girls in the entire town considering it¡¯s not that big in the first place. Still, only 9000 people and almost half of those are women right? Then out of the other half, 1/3 are too old (probably, unless she¡¯s a gold digger, but my Ava is too sweet and innocent to a be gold digger) and 1/3 are too young (my beautiful Ava isn¡¯t into kids, she could have any man, no way she¡¯d choose some prepubescent punk with one of those girly looking angelic faces, definitely not). So yeah, my odds aren¡¯t *that* bad. I say that to myself just about every day after I¡¯m done fantasizing about our future life together. How amazing it would be, our first date, our first kiss, my proposal, the wedding night hehe¡­ Before thinking about math (to calm myself down), the occasional drop of reality seeps through. Totally destroying every inkling of an argument for why I have a chance with her. She can always leave this town. So¡­ That basically destroys the premise for my entire logical argument for having some pretty not-bad-if-not-great odds at landing her. So¡­ Yeah¡­ Oh, that and again, I¡¯ve never spoken to her. Even I know every time I tell myself I¡¯m going to do it even I don¡¯t really believe I¡¯m actually going to do it. If I had more than one friend (that one friend being my sister) I¡¯d probably be more upset about my life in general. Thankfully I don¡¯t have too many people constantly dropping reality bombs on my fantasy for the future. Besides, having only one friend and that friend being your sister is NOT sad! There¡¯s another kid in my class who has NO friends. He just loafs around acting like he¡¯d too good to bother with anyone Mr.Hot-Shot-I-get-good-grades-and-girls-still-like-me. but the idiot is too dumb to even notice or probably doesn¡¯t even care. Yeah! He¡¯s sad! I have my sister! I¡¯m cool. Yeah, totally cool¡­ Everything was normal. I was half-asleep and half-wondering what color panties Ava was wearing today, when the sky went dark and then everything went dark.¡± Next thing Kaden knew there was a silence that overwhelmed everything. Then as Kaden was looking up, he noticed the ceiling was beginning to crumble. Before even getting a chance to figure out what was going on Kaden noticed most of the people that were around him were either gone, melded into the floor like some sort weird fusion experiment gone wrong or passed out. He immediately leaped in Ava¡¯s direction while screaming at Hannah to get under her desk. He grabbed Ava and got under the teacher¡¯s desk as he pulled her underneath him while he shielded her and hoped for the best. As everything started caving in around them he thought ¡°I should be feeling scared or confused but pretty much all I can focus on was how sexy Ava smelled. I mean it¡¯s no wonder I can¡¯t pay attention in class, she¡¯s the one ruining my education! How am I supposed to focus on school work when there¡¯s a goddess in my classroom!?¡± He didn¡¯t believe that gods existed, but he believed that if they did, Ava had to look better than all of them. Kaden could only wonder with his train of thought always skewing away from the present, ¡°I bet if they did exist, one of her great great great grandmothers probably hooked up with one of these mangey gods. Then generations down the line such an amazing piece of art was born. Maybe it wouldn¡¯t be so bad to be a god after all? I mean, if I can hook up with Ava or Ava quality girls? What else could I ask for?¡± was the last thing he thought before everything went dark. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª When everything went dark and school started to cave in Hannah heard her brother yell at her to get under her desk. Although she¡¯d actually already been half way there. Hannah¡¯s first instinct was to duck for cover, ¡°Kaden is such an idiot, but he¡¯s a good person. Deep-deep down inside, he¡¯s a good person.¡± she thought while trying to shut her eyes and protect her head. Hannah had been taking care of Kaden since they were children. Her parents had passed in an accident and they had no family left. Luckily their parents had an estate that would sustain them until they could work themselves. Even so, it was Hannah who was a year older and had stepped up to take care of Kaden. The town had helped to some degree since it was a fairly close knit community. Although there was a limit to the help anyone would really give someone else when they had their own worries and priorities. Hannah had been Kaden¡¯s only family and had taken care of him like a mother would. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Thusly as things were going south really quickly, her last thought before the ceilings begun to cave in were a nice but admonishing thought of her little brother. There seemed to be no resistance as the ceilings began to simply crumble. It¡¯s was as if in the span of less than a minute, everything around them just fell apart. Hannah was so terrified that she wondered how she¡¯d managed to move and get under a desk in time. Fearing for her life and Kaden¡¯s, instead of taking action she closed her eyes and put her hands over her ears and just wished it all away. After what felt like an eternity but was only a few minutes and the ceilings had fallen or stabilized at an awkward angle. The dust was all over the place from the commotion as Hannah opened her eyes. The instant she did, she realized what she had done. She had saved herself and hadn¡¯t even bothered to try to help any of her friends. Unlike Kaden she was quite popular. Various different girls and boys vied for attention on a daily basis. She was popular but she didn¡¯t let it go to her head. She was down to earth and always tried to be friendly and helpful. She¡¯d always taken pride in being helpful to others, it made her feel better¡­ And a little superior as deep down it made her feel a little better than others as she occasionally remembered how people had been helpful to her after her parents had passed but never at their inconvenience. She¡¯d always thought it was so shallow, that people were shallow and that she should be better than that. Although as she surveyed her surroundings. Her eyes were starting to burn, her nose sniffling and eyes watering. She tried to stifle her sobs as she told herself that it was no time to have a breakdown. She tried but she could feel herself growing weak. She felt heartbroken, she¡¯d let everyone down at a moment where everyone needed her most. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m no better than any of them were¡­¡± she thought as a brief image of one of an extremely fake friend of her parents flashed in her mind. ¡°I just let everyone die. Keep it together. I didn¡¯t even try to help. There¡¯s nothing I could have done. I should have helped Chloe¡± she thought as she struggled to keep herself together. Part of herself was trying to remind her that if it wasn¡¯t for Kaden screaming at her perhaps she might not even have reacted quickly enough to get under her own desk. ¡°Kaden!¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes widened as she realized she hadn¡¯t heard Kaden¡¯s voice calling or anything after it all happened. ¡°KADEN!¡± The moment Hannah thought about Kaden she snapped back to reality. Hannah screamed his name as loud as she could but there was just too much dust all around for her to see clearly. Before she could think of what to do next the announcement rang out right in her mind. ¡°Kill and survive? Evolve? The gods haven¡¯t forgotten us?¡± the announcement wasn¡¯t even finished as a second later her whole body was seized with pain. Every single thought was turned over to the overwhelming pain that left her paralyzed. She wanted to to scream and yell but her body wouldn¡¯t move and just as soon as she thought she was going to die¡­ The pain went away¡­ Huff¡­ huff¡­ All Hannah could hear was her own breathing. She was panting and soaked in sweat and dust ¡°I know I was just in pain, but I can¡¯t feel a shred of it anymore, what was that? I need to get rid of the dust I need to know what¡¯s going on. I need to get a feel for my surroundings. I have to find Kaden.¡± Hannah realized as she screamed ¡°KADEN!!! Can you hear me!?¡± A few moments later a voice responded not too far from her ¡°Yeah¡­ I¡¯m still here, still alive. What the hell was that? Did you feel that? I felt like I was being cut apart by a million cuts!¡± Kaden said, his voice hoarse as if he was still feeling the pain from before. ¡°Oh thank god he¡¯s still alive. Eh.¡± she thought as she responded ¡°I think what you felt was different? I just felt pain, I definitely can¡¯t describe it, even if I tried. Are you okay????¡± ¡°Eh. No, yes? I mean I¡¯m still alive, so awesome. On the other hand, I can¡¯t move. Definitely trapped and my leg is stuck.¡± Kaden responded in a more even tone as he was getting himself together. ¡°Ehhhhh!? Trapped?¡± Hannah spoke the words aloud as she grasped the situation.
-Status-
Name:Hannah Guresu
Class:None
Level:7
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Lucky Survivor
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Death
Health:100/100
Mana:350
Strength:5Agility:6
Vitality:5Spirit:1
Intelligence:35Wisdom:25
Aptitude:48Ability:0/500
Skill(s):
None
Ability:
Unawakened
Inheritance:
None
¡°Ehh!¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t help but make an awkward noise as she looked at her own status screen with a gaping expression. ¡°What is happening? Death? Lucky Survivor? What are the stats? This is totally different from before, why is everything different?¡± Hannah wondered as her head spun. Turning to look in the direction she¡¯d heard Kaden¡¯s voice coming from,¡°Kaden! Check your status window NOW!¡± Hannah yelled at him. ¡°It¡¯s not really the time for that you know!¡± Kaden responded begrudgingly before doing as he was told, ¡°Ugh. Fine fine¡­ WHAT!?!¡± (Kaden¡¯s Perspective)
-Status-
Name:Kaden Guresu
Class:None
Level:8
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Unlucky Survivor
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Wind
Health:100/100
Mana:80
Strength:12Agility:21
Vitality:12Spirit:1
Intelligence:8Wisdom:1
Aptitude:31Ability:8/500
Skill(s):
None
Ability:
Unawakened
Inheritance:
None
¡°This is one ridiculous stat window. Everything is completely different. What do these values even mean? Unlucky Survivor? Uhm, I can feel Ava¡¯s breasts. What the hell is this friggin stupid window talking about?¡± Kaden wondered as he stared at his status screen equally confused as Hannah. ¡°I think the universe has gone wonky or something. Can the universe go wonky? Is that a thing?¡± Kaden called out to Hannah. ¡°No I mean, I don¡¯t know!¡± Hannah was just as frustrated at Kaden, she knew she didn¡¯t know any more than him. ¡°I keep trying to focus on the specific meanings, but a sub window won¡¯t pop up! It¡¯s like spell isn¡¯t working the same anymore! It¡¯s refusing to show more information then what¡¯s available!¡± Hannah called out in frustration. ¡°What does that even mean? Seriously though, unless you¡¯ve got some awesome giant rubble-moving-mind spell. Can you put it on the back burner for now? My leg is getting worse.¡± Kaden was trying to play it off but in reality, the pain in his leg really was getting worse. ¡°Ah! Yeah of course!¡± Hannah snapped herself out of her curiosity as she tried to figure out a plan. Meanwhile the dust was finally settling. ¡°I¡¯ll be able to look around and see if there¡¯s anyone else maybe passed out and can help¡­ What¡­? This can¡¯t be¡­ Is that¡­ Are those¡­? Eh¡­ Chloe¡­?¡± Hannah thought as a frightening sight appeared before her. Hannah was finally able to see the wreckage of her former school around her. There in the rubble, everything had collapsed in on itself with only one unblemished desk in the entire area. Only her desk was left untouched by the destruction and death. Around her, not a single person could be found. What she could see, was the blood splattered almost everywhere. The first thing she managed to focus on was a small pale hand hand, with little stars carefully polished into each individual finger nail of the four fingers still left on the hand. The small pale hand sticking out and right next to it, a head as everything seemed to be crushed with only the blood spilling out. Hair still in place in a pigtail wrapping down and over the face of the girl, the expression of her still stuck on her face. The ends of the braid just reaching the light pink lipgloss covered lips and glasses laying cracked and broken right beside those lips. Hannah started screaming. If she had the inner strength to keep herself focused up until this moment. The remains of her closest friend was the final straw pushing Hannah towards a mental breakdown that just about anyone with feelings of love and empathy would have also experienced. Overwhelmed by the sight Hannah couldn¡¯t help but scream. Chapter 7 The Beginning: Waking Up to a New World (Part 3) Chapter 7 The Beginning: Waking up to a new world (Part 3) Daichi walked over closer into what was either a room or building. The words ¡°Hey there, need a hand?¡± had barely left his mouth before he noticed what had the redhead in tears. There were pieces of people and blood everywhere. Next to the redhead was what Daichi assumed used to be a girl. One that could have been slightly cute, but it was hard to tell since he could only see her face with that look of terror forever stuck as her last expression. Finding the girl unsettling Daichi turned to look around the room instead. He shifted his eyes to see if he could find anyone else and found that there were one or two faces he more or less recognized. More or less because the faces were only more or less still faces. Some of them had missing pieces or were altogether crushed ¡°I can tell the way the redhead is freaking out that either the scene is really disturbing her or she noticed someone she used to know.¡± In reality Daichi should have known everyone here. It wasn¡¯t a particularly large school in a large town. Except he¡¯d never paid much attention to the people around him. He was never in the present and couldn¡¯t help but drift away and focus on the intangible. Not because he wasn¡¯t practical or pragmatic, a dreamer with no focus. Rather it was because Daichi had an aversion to people. ¡°Hey there, my name is Daichi, are you okay?¡± Daichi asked Hannah thinking ¡°Maybe I can just soothe her a bit by having her focus on something else, it can¡¯t be a good thing that she¡¯s¡¯ still being so loud.¡± *Sob* *Sniff* ¡°Eh¡­ Daichi? From class?¡± Hannah asked as some recognition appeared on her face ¡°Yeah, ¡®that¡¯ Daichi. Are you okay? I heard another voice, do you need help?¡± Daichi wanted to comment on the fact that he was the only one with an odd name like ¡®Daichi¡¯ in the entire town but kept it to himself. He was just glad that Hannah seemed to be calming down a bit. ¡°Eh! You survived too? Uhh yeah¡­ I¡¯m okay! Kaden! Kaden is trapped under that ceiling. It¡¯s collapsed on top of the desk, and his leg is stuck! We need to get him out!¡± Hannah was a little frantic and her comments weren¡¯t coming out as coherently as she thought they were. She pointed at the side and Daichi noticed who she was talking about. Although he couldn¡¯t make anybody out. He walked over to the only desk still in the middle of the classroom and reached his arm out to help the red head up. ¡°C¡¯mon let me help you up and we can figure out a way to help Kaden.¡± Hannah reached up and grabbed his hand as he yanked her up. He wasn¡¯t meaning to be so brisk but Daichi was on edge after all the noise she¡¯d made. He brushed himself off and pulled her forward with him as she bumped into his chest. Daichi didn¡¯t notice the slight blush on hannah¡¯s cheeks and was only focused on checking out the situation with Kaden. ¡°Eh uhh, can you let go of my hand?¡± Hannah finally managed to say while growing red like a beet. Being so close to Daichi had kind of made everything feel less frantic as she¡¯d focused on how close she was to him. She¡¯d rejected plenty of the boys who¡¯d shown an interest in her, and not one had gotten a chance with her. She was as pure as the driven snow when it came to boys, and Daichi¡¯s almost heroic arrival (in her eyes) was a welcome distraction. Not paying attention to Hannah Diachi let go and focused on Kaden¡¯s situation. He saw what she was talking about and he saw the guy under the desk and where his leg is trapped. he also saw the class idol underneath him. He heard lots of bad rumors about a stalker in class that had a thing for her but he didn¡¯t think this guy would try and take advantage and have his way with her mid-apocalypse. Daichi couldn¡¯t tell if this qualified as an apocalypse. ¡°I should probably keep an eye on him if we get him out.¡± he thought making a mental note. ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t have any magic or enough strength to lift the ceiling. I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t either?¡± Daichi asked no one in particular. ¡°Ah! No! I thought I might, but I don¡¯t. Never mind. Nothing.¡± Hannah was still a little flustered and it wasn¡¯t helping her incoherent answers. ¡°Can you guys figure something out, I think Ava is finally waking up and this is going to be a pretty awkward explanation on my part if you guys don¡¯t get me out of here quickly¡± Kaden said a little awkwardly. ¡°So he doesn¡¯t want to get caught having his way with her! Yeah, this guy is definitely suspicious.¡± Daichi thought but didn¡¯t comment. ¡°Okay, so since we can¡¯t move the entire ceiling, we¡¯ll look for some pipes and and try to just lift the entire high enough for an inch or two so you can pull your leg out.¡± Daichi told as he decided on the only course of action he could think of. ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay here and focus on keeping Kaden calm. Ava too in case she wakes up and starts freaking about what happened¡± Daichi told Hannah as he looked around the classroom trying to find something useful. ¡°Better to have her focus on Kaden then look around the bodies. I don¡¯t want her falling apart on me, plus what if Ava wakes up and starts screaming at Kaden for what he did to her? That¡¯d be worse case scenario basically.¡± Daichi thought as the annoying image of Ava screaming started playing through his mind. Daichi started walking around and start edlooking for anything useful. Unfortunately everything was distorted, torn or just useless at this point. Most of anything he could see that might useful was half-buried under a pile of wall, dirt and people. He walked around the building and started looking around, with everything falling to pieces it was hard to tell what was where. If this was his school before, it definitely didn¡¯t resemble it anymore. Even as he was walking he was looking up. The three moons were eerie, they almost seemed like they were by design. ¡°How can they orbit or stay in place like that while not distorting their own fields of gravity?¡± Daichi wondered while getting sidetracked again. He saw a half open door tilted off to the side of it¡¯s hinges and hoped for the best. He¡¯d already walked around too long and was starting to reconsider how helpful it would be to put in this much effort for strangers. Daichi pulled on the doorknob and the whole door just came off right in front of him with a loud crash. This made Daichi chastise himself for not even thinking that it might happen. He was too distracted and his mind was all over the place. ¡°I need to calm down, I¡¯m spreading myself too thin.¡± he closed my eyes for a second. Inhaled and then thought about just focusing on the one task before him and nothing else. He exhaled and opened his eyes and looked inside. It was the remnants of a cellar. At which point he was not surprised but rather a little amused. ¡°This could work¡± as he eyed a few sets of dangling pipes that used to run part of the water throughout the school. Daichi moved and tried to get to the closet pipe and tried to tug off the end of a pipe that¡¯s dangling down and realized it was not going to be so easy. He tried to put his full weight and go limp trying to pull it down before an L shaped pipe finally came down off the bracket. Huff, huff¡­ Sigh¡­ The sounds of Daichi¡¯s labored breathing could be heard quite loudly as everything else was dead silent. ¡°This should not have taken this much energy. Maybe I¡¯m just lucky that it ONLY took this much energy, or that I managed to do it at all.¡± Daichi was trying to be optimistic. Even he knew that the situation wasn¡¯t looking great and this was just the first little hurdle he was going to have to get through. He found a weaker and thinner pipe already on the floor and picked it up too. Throwing them both over his shoulders as he started walking back. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Ugh..¡± Kaden noticed a sound coming from underneath him ¡°Eh. Hey Hannah, Ava is waking up!¡± Finally regaining consciousness. Ava was a little disoriented and her head was throbbing as she noticed she couldn¡¯t see much ¡°Uh¡­ What¡¯s going on¡­?¡± ¡°Uhm. Well. I¡­ Kind of¡­¡± Kaden could only stutter as he tried to think of what to say. Luckily Hannah didn¡¯t mince words and jumped into action immediately ¡°He saved your life!¡± ¡°What?¡± Ava finally realized someone was on top of her. ¡°Look something happened, and everything went dark, everyone passed out and before we knew it everything started crumbling, it¡¯s not like it was an earthquake or something, everything just fell apart. Before you say something look at your status.¡± Hannah summarized everything hoping to keep Ava calm as Kaden heaved a sigh of relief as it shortened his part of the conversation ¡°Whew¡­ So hey¡­ I¡¯m Kaden¡± a big grin plastered all over his face as he spoke. Opening her eyes wide in surprise. ¡°What¡¯ in the name of the gods??¡± Ava was finally putting the pieces together as she regained her wits. ¡°My status is all wrong. Even the stats and types are different. Why are you on top of me¡­¡± Not even fully comprehending the changes behind her status window she immediately realized that there was a scruffy guy on top of her in a compromising position making her feel exposed. Blushing, this realization overtook all of her other feelings of confusion. ¡°He pulled you under the desk when everything crumbled, and now his leg is stuck. You can¡¯t move until we get his leg out otherwise he¡¯ll get crushed by the rubble.¡± Hannah pointed out as Kaden just agreed happy to have her speaking for him ¡°Hannah. You talk, you do everything. k?¡± Hannah rolled her eyes at her brother¡¯s cowardice ¡°Sigh¡­ Look you saw your status window, it doesn¡¯t make sense right? Ours are weird too. I can¡¯t check any of the stats and see what they mean either. Even though it¡¯s confusing it should at least prove that something serious happened. There¡¯s another guy here though, he just found us and we went to look for something to help get Kaden¡¯s leg unstuck. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll back in a second.¡± the more Hannah spoke the more made sense to Ava even if she didn¡¯t quite understand everything that had happened ¡°Okay¡­¡± Ava quieted down and stopped talking and started thinking. ¡­¡­ ¡°You think that guy ran way or something?¡± Kaden asked his sister as he genuinely wondered whether Daichi was just taken off. ¡°No! I mean, why would he? He didn¡¯t have to come out and talk to us in the first place if he wasn¡¯t trying to help.¡± Hannah answered feeling a little defensive for Daichi even if she didn¡¯t know why. ¡°Maybe he was just trying to feel us out. It¡¯s not like that loser has ever struck me as the helping-hand type.¡± Kaden pointed out. ¡°Fe-¡° The word had only begun to leave Hannah¡¯s lips as Daichi cut her off ¡°If I was doing that I would have asked for information before leaving. You should have some more faith in your fellow man you know.¡± ¡°Dude!? What are you talking about, I was just trying to distract my silly sister. Obviously you were coming back. I could tell from how resolute and manly your voice was before. You¡¯re clearly an honorable guy, and quick witted and¡± Kaden suddenly quick witted began to butter Daichi up as Daichi cut him off too ¡°Got it. I¡¯m back. I found a really thick steel pipe and a smaller one. If we try the smaller one first and jam it near the crevice where your leg is stuck, maybe we can lift the large for an inch or so and pull your leg out in that second. Even though the larger pipe might be sturdier, I think it would be much harder. Let¡¯s try this first.¡± Kaden was fairly quick witted. More or less, it was quick with his words because he didn¡¯t put much thought behind what he said. He said what was on his mind even if he buttered up the words a bit sometimes. He was generally a straight shooter. ¡°Red head, why don¡¯t you take off his shoe so it won¡¯t get in the way. Even if we can only slightly light the wall it won¡¯t be for very long.¡± Daichi made a suggestion as Hannah responded while moving around behind where was was and unwrapped the laces and pulled hi shoe off at an awkward angle ¡°Eh? Me? Okay.¡± Kaden felt her hands and the unpleasant tingle run through his leg ¡°Ugh¡­ careful jeeze.¡± while Hannah ignored him ¡°Don¡¯t be a complainer, no one likes a guy that complains.¡± Sticking the smaller pipe near the leg and getting ready to put leverage on it, Daichi called Hannah over so she could help put her weight on it as well. ¡°We¡¯ll go on three!¡± Daichi said aloud so everyone could get on the same page. ¡°Hey. When you pull your leg, I¡¯ll try and pull you closer to me at that instant to help.¡± Ava finally spoke in Daichi¡¯s presence. Daichi said nothing to address her and only continued ¡°One¡­ Two¡­ Three!!!¡± he pushed down with all of his strength trying to get it done and hoping he could manage to put all this strength in for more that a second. ¡°Ugh. It¡¯s not budging! More strength I need to put everything behind this, weight and all!.¡± Daichi thought as he began pulling down using his my lower body. He pulled with strength he didn¡¯t know he had and finally felt the rumble give just a bit. ¡°GRR NOW!¡± he screamed ¡°OUT!¡± the second he heard the voice he let go feeling physically exhausted. Feeling a little curious he called his
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:5
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:100/100
Mana:400
Strength:9Agility:8
Vitality:9Spirit:1
Intelligence:40Wisdom:40
Aptitude:71Ability:5/500
Skill(s):
None
Ability:
None
Inheritance:
Sealed
Chapter 8 The Beginning : Waking up to a new world (Part 4) Chapter 8 The Beginning: Waking up to a new world (Part 4) ¡°Eh¡­ Well I wish could say that any of this makes any sense. This is the second time I¡¯ve checked my stats only to find ridiculous numbers. Except now it¡¯s not just the values but the stats themselves. What¡¯s with the titles?¡± Daichi wondered as he looked at a different window yet again. The status window that had been such a constant in his life was now as ridiculous as anything else that happened in the last few hours. ¡°Why can¡¯t I check them? Since when do I have an attribute and I have an inheritance? Does it even mean what it meant yesterday at all?¡± The more he looked the more questions popped into his mind. ¡°Eh¡­ Best to put it aside. I¡¯ll ask the others their opinions and get some information out them. This situation might turn out very beneficial after all.¡± finally coming to a decision he stopped being so preoccupied with information he didn¡¯t have any answers for. Looking over at the rubble he could see a beautiful blonde walk past the collapsed ceiling wall while dusting herself off. She seemed familiar too. Right behind her was a guy grinning ridiculously wide. He had round eyes and well a well-formed chin with a full beard and whiskers which were hiding his age. Making him seem older than he likely was and a head full of short red hair. All that combined to give him what should have been a fierce look. Instead his expression and hunched over shoulders made him seem rather jovial and easy going instead. However as Daichi met his gaze and saw his brown eyes staring back at him as calm as the sea, he suddenly seemed like an entirely different person. ¡°I should be careful not to underestimate him, or the two girls.¡± Daichi vaguely thought after taking a look into Kaden¡¯s eyes. ¡°You scared the living daylights out of me! Are you sure you¡¯re okay??¡± Hannah involuntarily stepped closer to Kaden wanting to make sure he wasn¡¯t just trying to act tough in front of Ava or Daichi. Her voice was filled with concern and despite all the tears she had already shed in these past few hours. She was clearly still adorable in her own way even now. ¡°Yeah I¡¯m fine, I¡¯m fine. Even my hp is at 100. So what should we do now?¡± Kaden asked while glancing at all three of them inadvertently allowing his gaze to linger on Ava just a second longer than the others. ¡°We¡­ Can we talk about this somewhere first?¡± Hannah¡¯s voice hesitated. Even though she was trying to focus on one thing at a time, she couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge that all around her, were what used to be her friends in the ground and on the walls leaving her feeling eerie. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s continue this in the hallway outside here. I just took a look and it¡¯s¡­ Cleaner.¡± Ava tossed her hair behind her back with her hand and led the way seemingly indifferently but clearly uncomfortable for the same reasons as Hannah. ¡°Let¡¯s all go¡± Daichi followed last and when they all entered what could now barely pass as a hallway, but with no ceilings. He leaned against a wall and stared at everybody hoping someone would bring up their statuses so he could get a better idea at what is going on. ¡°So is no one going to talk? Dude, what happened to you? How come you¡¯re okay and have you seen anyone else?¡± Kaden spoke up clearly noticing the awkward silence that was starting to settle between the four of them. ¡°I was alone. I was fine, I was walking towards the library and then nothing and then suddenly I was back here. Near the school. Everything was empty and all I could see what looked like a ancient city scape. Everything outside that I saw looks like the school. Everything looks destroyed and broken down, cracked and aged. Aside from the blood every so often¡­ It all looks destroyed.¡± Daichi said each sentence stoically and without much emphasis on anything in particular not wanting to sour the mood for them. ¡°Any people¡­?¡± Kaden looked at Daichi optimistically. ¡°None that I could see.. but I just woke up a few minutes before I heard the red head and then I started running this way.¡± Daichi pointed towards Hannah. ¡°Fuck man. What the hell happened?¡± Kaden slammed his fist on the fall out of frustration, knitting his eyebrows and expressing the concern that had been welling up since all of this started. ¡°I don¡¯t know. My status is different now. Did you see the announcement?¡± Daichi commented hoping for something useful. ¡°I saw the announcement. Then I passed out. Then when I woke up Kaden was on top of me and you know the rest¡± Ava started twirling a stand of hair with one of her fingers like a nervous habit betraying her look of indifference. ¡°Ours are different too. Except I don¡¯t understand any of these new stats at all, and when I focus on them I don¡¯t get any additional information, what¡¯s going on?¡± Kaden calmed down enough to ask hoping that maybe Daichi has some answers on this front. ¡°Uhm¡­ I think maybe.. If it¡¯s the same for everyone else¡­ Maybe the level requirement is higher? I mean before at level 1 you can see your status and focus on a general idea of what everything means. Maybe now that the stats are different and that announcement stated that things would be different. Maybe this is also one of those differences.¡± Hannah pointed out ¡°What¡­ That, I mean that might make sense.¡± Daichi looked at her for the first time with a glance of actual interest causing Hannah to blush and look away This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°What should we do now? Should we look for more survivors?¡± (Kaden) ¡°I think¡­ I think we aren¡¯t in a position to help anybody. Not only do we not have supplies to feed us or weapons to protect ourselves with, but we don¡¯t even know what we¡¯ll have to worry about.¡± After pausing to let these words sink in¡­ Daichi decided to follow up with even more honesty. In a solemn tone Daichi began to tell everyone his thoughts. ¡°The reality is¡­ Even if there is a few survivors¡­ We don¡¯t know whether they¡¯ll be friendly or not. My dad once told me, that in the old days people used to kill other people, not out of anger or disagreement but simply to gain levels. Apparently similar to slaying monsters, if you kill someone else you gain a peace of their essence and that is how the levels increase and stats level up. Of course that last bit is only a theory of his and one he told me not to share with anybody, but I feel like the circumstances call for honesty on all our parts. Our attributes and stats have changed. If that¡¯s the same for everyone then some people may have gotten skills or awakened an ability, we won¡¯t know even whether we¡¯re in danger now, but I suspect that with these changes it¡¯s not just monsters or beasts that we¡¯re going to have to worry about.¡± Daichi looked at each one of them individually and tried to gauge their reactions, ¡°The red head looks like she¡¯s trying to hold back her fear but she¡¯s still shivering. Kaden looks to be doing better, he¡¯s looking contemplative and didn¡¯t immediately say something idiotic. Ava looks¡­ Calm. Strange. I can¡¯t tell what she¡¯s thinking, she¡¯s not making a single expression that I can read. It¡¯s unnerving.¡± *Cough* ¡°I think, we should look around together not making any noise. We should get a food feel for our surroundings and see how they¡¯ve changed. Once we make sure there isn¡¯t any immediate danger, then we should start scavenging for supplies, we should look for anything useful that we can use as a weapon, bonus if we can find some actual weapons as well as enough food that we can carry. If while we¡¯re doing this, we happen to come across a survivor¡­ We can decide as a group what to do about them. Fair?¡± Daichi was thinking ¡°I can tell if I don¡¯t pacify Hannah, Kaden will probably agree with her and this mishap group will fall apart right here. I¡¯m so glad I bothered to read a few books on diplomacy in my free time. So much of what I thought was useless knowledge might end up proving otherwise at this rate. I can¡¯t help but grin at that.¡± Hannah looked at Daichi and calmed down a bit. ¡°That¡¯s reasonable. If something happened to any of them and it were my fault again, I don¡¯t know if I can take it. Somehow that calm smile looks super reassuring, Daichi is so amazing for being able to keep it together like this!¡± Ava looked around acknowledging how the situation was going to play out based on everyone¡¯s reactions to these words. It was a sound plan. No need to disagree. Kaden let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he¡¯d been keeping in for so long. ¡°Is this relief? *sigh* Maybe this guy isn¡¯t as shifty as I thought? He¡¯s not wrong though¡­ I hope Ava can agree to this, if she does, it¡¯s definitely our best bet.¡± ¡°What are we going to do once we¡¯ve gathered the things we need?¡± Ava asked. ¡°That depends on whether we find any danger around and whether there are any survivors or not¡­¡± Daichi said in a low tone as he pondered the options available. ¡°Either way¡­ I think once we get what we need, we need to leave. We can¡¯t stay in this city. I have a lot more mana now and even though I don¡¯t know how to use it¡­ Even I can sense how much mana is in the air¡­ The mana in the world feels like it¡¯s a thousand times stronger than before¡­ I can almost feel it like a liquid if I try to focus on it and I don¡¯t even have mage training¡­ If all of you can feel it as well then this means we might have monsters to deal with. Mana creates the ability for monsters to spawn and if that starts happening, we¡¯ll be in a lot of trouble¡± Daichi wasn¡¯t even finished with his sentence before he realized how concerned everyone looked. Based on that he immediately realized it wasn¡¯t just him. Everyone could feel how thick the mana was in the air. Feeling a bit sour at realizing was is likely right he spout out the words ¡°We need to hurry¡±. ¡°No! Dude, it¡¯s dark out, even with the extra moonlight, which by the way, what the hell? We should go wandering around at this hour, even before this there were already lesser wolves in the forest around here. Considering what¡¯s happened they might be drawn here, we should try to sleep here for now and move in the morning¡± Kaden pointed out, while making a face at Daichi It took him a second to realize how out of it Hannah looked. ¡°Ah¡­. They need time to process.. Plus he¡¯s right, this might not be safe¡­ Waiting might not be either, but I guess if this is what everyone wants¡± he thought, then spoke out ¡°Yeah good idea. Let¡¯s sleep it off and wait until day-break.¡± They huddled around, luckily it is the middle of the Summer, with the weather not being an issue they can just sleep on the floor against the wall. Uncomfortable but the best of a bad situation. So they tried to sleep, with no one really succeeding. Ava was pensive, Kaden uncomfortable, Hannah bereaved and Daichi on guard. Chapter 9 The Beginning - Safety & Monsters (Part 1) Chapter 9: The Beginning - Safety & Monsters (1) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª It was a tense walk. Everyone was keeping their eyes peeled looking for danger and anything useful, while still trying to ignore the chaos all around them. The flesh and blood was at least fresh enough that the smell hadn¡¯t started to assault them. Being the first to break the silence, ¡°This is¡­. This is terrible¡­ How did everything crumble like this so quickly? How could this have happened? Are the gods really capable of this?¡± Kaden asked knowing there was no answer (at least none that anyone around him could give him). ¡°I¡¯m surprised too. It¡¯s incredible what kind of power and control it must have taken to have had this happen in an instant. What¡¯s more terrifying is that we don¡¯t even know if this has happened all over the world or not. If this isn¡¯t limited to an isolated area¡­ Well let¡¯s just cross that bridge when we get to it¡± Daichi was trying to be encouraging, but mostly once he realized how much pressure he was likely putting on everyone without meaning too he just stopped. ¡°Should we just take anything from anywhere¡± Ava pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can just take anybodies random items¡­It¡¯s not right¡­¡± Hannah voiced out her discomfort at the idea of stealing from people who they knew up until recently. ¡°Eh¡­ If you don¡¯t feel comfortable then don¡¯t do it, I think if we see something useful on the way we should pick it up. I will anyways, even so, we should definitely have a destination in mind. Otherwise we¡¯ll just end up wandering around for the rest of the night¡± Daichi spoke up. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, we should head for my house¡± Ava replied to him with confidence in her voice. ¡°Your house!? You¡¯re bringing me home to your house? I¡¯ll get to see your room??¡± Kaden didn¡¯t miss a beat before yelling out almost out of reflex before letting the words and situation sink in and dampening his excitement almost immediately. ¡°My great-great-grandparents ran a smithy so we have a few very high grade weapons that have been passed on to each generation. They¡¯re all stored in a mana-infused ring. Finding the ring(s) might not be so easy but it would kill two birds with one stone¡± Ava proclaimed proudly. Everyone stopped walking to stare at Ava at that moment. Mana rings have had void mages create a special link. Some people believe that the rings have their own inter dimensional spaces inside of the ring, but in reality they¡¯re just linked to safe spaces. They¡¯re mini portals to uninhabited high realms. Although they all have limited reach which limits the ¡°Space¡± inside of them. Each one only has about a 10x10 meter space. Although it¡¯s rare for people to manage to get their hands one of those rings, since the level of void magic required is astronomical to create one. People who can use void magic and comprehend it enough to create practical items are few and far in-between. It¡¯s one of the rarest elements to have insight in. Kaden voiced everyone¡¯s thoughts before anyone got a chance to comment. ¡°That¡¯s incredible. If we can get the ring, that solves the ¡°backpack¡± problem. Plus the weapons¡­ Okay! That¡¯s definitely what we should try first!¡± With their spirits lifted they started to walk a little faster now that they had a destination in mind with Ava leading the way. Walking over the ruble and around the debris made for detour after detour though, and it wasn¡¯t an easy walk. ¡°I wonder what we¡¯re going to find at her place. If we can really find the ring, and if there¡¯s more than one this could be an incredible find! Although, I wonder if everyone else is worried about their family? Could that have been a reason Ava volunteered to go to her home first? Otherwise she could have just said nothing and headed over there by herself and kept anything that she found, she would¡¯ve been the only one to think to look there¡­ Maybe I¡¯m over thinking things.¡± Daichi was deep in thought as always as he questioned the motives of his current companions. They only knew they arrived when Ava stopped walking. Most of everything looked pretty similar in the residential district and was in ruins like everything had passed, if it weren¡¯t for Ava they wouldn¡¯t have had an inkling of where they were. ¡°Are we here?¡± Daichi was the one to voice out their thoughts, as everyone else was wondering whether everything was okay with Ava. Ava was just standing still not saying anything. Daichi was wondering how long he would have to wait before Kaden elbowed him in the side and whispered ¡°Give her a moment man¡­ Her entire family is probably dead now.¡± Glancing over at him while ignoring the stinging in my side, he replied in contemplation ¡°Do you have any family around?¡± Not taking his eyes off Ava or even changing his expression, Kaden whispered back ¡°No¡­ Our parents died when we were younger. We were allowed to keep our home and live there since we were already 12 and 13. People in the town helped us out but still minded their own business for the most part. It¡¯s not like our parents had much in the first place. It¡¯s just been Hannah and me¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ No wonder this guy has been keeping it together so well. He¡¯s probably already experienced a greater hardship than this already. If he¡¯s a loner like me¡­ Then maybe none of these people matter to him either¡± Daichi thought as he was getting a little antsy about the time they were wasting ¡°How much longer?¡± Daichi whispered to Kaden. ¡°We can go in now, and I could hear you whispering.¡± Ava¡¯s cold voice rang out and without looking back stepped into the rubble and began looking around telling us in which direction we could start the search. We literally looked everywhere, including under every god damn rock. I was beginning to think the level of efficiency here was going to be a bother, especially after Hannah asked whether we should burn the bodies of the people we found as some sort of token of respect. Luckily Ava vetoed it immediately stating that we should hurry, our time was best spend on the living. Which I couldn¡¯t agree with more. It wasn¡¯t until I was out of energy and out of good will to continue the search that Ava rang out ¡°Here!¡±. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. They all stopped what they were doing and walked over trying not to rekindle that spark of enthusiasm too quickly. Ava was pointing at a large piece of wall laying flat on the ground. ¡°Based on the structure around here, beneath this wall is where the entrance to the cellar was. If it¡¯s still there and if we can get in, then there¡¯s a good chance we¡¯ll be able to find the ring inside.¡± ¡°How are we supposed to move that?¡± Hannah spoke up with some disbelief showing in her expression. She wasn¡¯t the only one. It was hard enough moving the one wall for a few inches at the school before and this was just as heavy but flat on the ground. Looking at everyone and their concerned gazes Daichi stepped in ¡°Okay. If the three of us try and lift it up and get it to a certain height, Hannah can then move and slide something high and sturdy enough underneath it. We¡¯ll have enough leeway to open the cellar door and go in, one of us can stay outside in case we manage to go in, just in case something knocks the wall down.¡± ¡°Eh It¡¯s as good a plan as any I guess.¡± Kaden voiced up ready to get to work. Even though no one was disagreeing, they all seemed a little reluctant to go with the plan. The fear of getting stuck in a cellar with no way out was terrifying to them. ¡°I have an alternative¡­¡± Ava looked at everyone showing the first signs of discomfort Daichi had seen her make since she first got out from underneath Kaden¡¯s awkwardness at the school. Everyone was now staring at her and waiting for her to continue ¡°I have a skill. It¡¯s a skill taught to everyone in the family. The ¡°melt¡± skill using for smithing.¡± Ava reluctantly admitted. ¡°Whooooaaaa!!!¡± ¡°Ehh!?¡± Both Kaden and Hannah looked at her like they¡¯d seen a ghost or something. Even Daichi looked at her with a little surprise showing in his expression. It must be known that due to the peace and lessening mana in the world, skills have become extremely valuable and very rare. The number of people with skills and the ability to teach them are very limited. To be in possession of a skill was like being in possession of a holy sword! Skills and abilities had always been hard to master due to the innate knowledge one had to attain, but at some point someone created the functionality of Skill Books and Ability Runes. These tools allowed someone who had attained a deeper understanding of an element or the universe to inscribe their skill or ability down. Others could then use these items to have this knowledge stamped onto their consciousness. While they didn¡¯t gain any of the knowledge themselves, they did unconsciously gain the knowledge to trigger the skill or ability with limited power. This had become the beginning of a new trend of technology that had allowed many talented individuals to pass on their abilities to others. ¡°Incredible.¡± Daichi voiced what everyone was thinking. Before making the situation uncomfortable and wanting to stop Kaden before he began endlessly praising Ava and then getting sidetracked and leering at her openly. Daichi followed up with ¡°What can your skill do?¡± thinking it must be what the others were probably thinking as well, and if not he still wanted to know. Ava held pride in her voice ¡°My skill can do exactly what it sounds like. I can melt just about anything. Although of course my melt skill is low leveled, but for those at the very top it can melt anything.¡± Looking satisfied by the reactions of everyone she let out what looked like a small self-satisfied grin and turned around and stepped in front of the wall. Raising her right arm over the wall her hand started to glow and she calmly said the word ¡°Melt¡± before the wall started doing just that. Magically the wall began melted from the area her hand was pointed at until it just globbed off and by the time the entire thing was pushed back most of it was gone and it was surrounding a metal cellar door on the ground. ¡°Let¡¯s give it a second while it cools off, I think some of it got on top of the door so it¡¯ll probably be too hot to open it right now¡± Ava flipped her hair back with that same hand and just walked to the side and sat down on the a stone acting as if what she¡¯d just done hadn¡¯t just blown their minds. ¡°That¡­. Is so incredible! Can you teach me that skill!? That was soooo cool!¡± Kaden getting over his shock began his endless compliments as expected and even Hannah was joining in. Daichi guessed the allure of a skill cannot be underestimated. ¡°No wonder she didn¡¯t mention this before.¡± he thought watching the others. ¡°I guess waiting for a few minutes wouldn¡¯t be so bad. This skill could come in very handy as well.¡± Feeling upbeat with this new development this feeling of cheer didn¡¯t last long. Daichi noticed something move as a few pebbles tumbled down behind Ava. ¡°Eh?¡± Daichi said the word out loud ¡°Goblins?¡± Chapter 10 The Beginning - Safety & Monsters (Part 2) Chapter 10: The Beginning - Safety & Monsters (2) Daichi noticed something move as a few pebbles tumbled down behind Ava. ¡°Eh?¡± Daichi said the word out loud ¡°Goblins?¡± The words had barely left his lips before he noticed that they were surrounded by a group of them. ¡°How could this have happened? How could they have been so quiet?¡± Daichi whispered to no one in particular. Kaden was the first to hear him ¡°What are you talking abo-¡° but before he finished his sentence his gaze must have noticed something behind one of them. He also yelled out ¡°Goblins! Hannah! Ava! Get behind me!¡± ¡°Ah! What are we going to do??¡± Hannah voiced out while Ava stood up next to her and her hands started to glow. Daichi told myself to calm down and started focusing on every detail around himself. He focused on all of the goblins in the area. Their skin was extremely dark green, their mouths had protruding canines and teeth jutting outwards in random directions. Their eyes were a discolored yellow with red veins running through to their black irises. All of them had weapons. Some had blades that were hunting knives to humans but short swords to them. They were all fairly small. All of them about 3-4 feet tall. No hair on their heads no clothes on their bodies, not even wearing loin clothes to cover their privates. These goblins must have spawned recently. Normally goblins while not being a higher race will still try to cover themselves with some clothing or something to increase their survivability. On top of which their skin is a dark green which is a clear indicator of their strength. The darker shade of green the lower the level. ¡°If we¡¯re lucky they might just be at a low enough level we could fight our way out of this.¡± is what Daichi was thinking while staring at each of them individually. ¡°There¡¯s only about 11 of them. A small group. We can do this. Everyone¡­ These goblins are low leveled, we can kill them if they att-¡° Ugh! Daichi was mid sentence when a goblin from behind jumped on his back and lifted his arm over his head and tried to bring down a knife towards Daichi¡¯s chest. Luckily Daichi reacted in time and caught his wrist while flipping him forward. He placed his other hand on his wrist and twisted to the side forcing his palm to drop the knife and face outwards from his chest at past a 90 degree angle and tried to snap his wrist. It worked like a charm. Surprising Daichi as much as everyone else around him. As he immediately grabbed the knife and slit his throat and looked around himself. Daichi had never formally fought before but he enjoyed reading up on martial arts. It had been part of the key to his survival against the first foe that had tried to take his life. The other part, was Daichi¡¯s lack of hesitation to kill someone or something trying to do him harm! Three of the goblins had gone after the girls and two were trying to cut Kaden with their knives making slashing motions. One in front of him and the one from behind. Leaving Daichi to deal with five goblins coming after him. He ran towards the girls, thinking it best that they were together, but before even reaching them, two goblins had their heads melted through to the brain by Ava. While in a state of amazement, in that second the third goblin sliced at her back making her double forward onto her her knees. Daichi ran straight at him and tackled the little bastard to the ground and stabbed the knife he was holding straight through his forehead. In that instant Daichi felt a huge swell of energy as he felt his muscles contract in pain for a moment before the feeling faded. It didn¡¯t take more than a few seconds for Daichi to recognize the feeling for what it was, a level up! His physical body had gotten stronger at that moment! Grabbing the other knife that fell from the second goblins hand. Daichi looked back to see Hannah grappling with a goblin and Kaden struggling with a goblin on his back. One trying to bite him, one still slashing at him and one laying dead nearby with a knife sticking out of his head. ¡°Two more approaching us¡± he assessed as thinking it was lucky that only one of them seemed to have a knife. ¡°Ava take the one coming at you, no knife¡± Daichi rushed at the one with the knife and made a stabbing motion at the same time as him. Fortunately he took into consideration that his body is much smaller than himself, and he therefore had a much longer reach. Daichi¡¯s knife stabbed into his shoulder while the goblin¡¯s knife merely swung at air. Which gave Daichi enough time to grab his wrist with his left hand. Swinging his arm with the knife outwards he pulled the knife out of his shoulder and start repeatedly stabbing him as blood sprayed all over him. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Daichi continued to stab until he feel his whole body slackening. ¡°DAICHI!¡± Hearing his name brought his attention back to the others as he saw Ava had melted her goblin¡¯s neck clean off so that its head was lopped off looking even more gory than his own handiwork and that Hannah was fine somehow. Her goblin was just not moving any more laying dead next to her. Kaden on the other hand was struggling a lot. He picked up the dropped knife and rushed over to him. He ran behind the one slashing at Kaden and stabbed it right in the back of the head making it drop like a sack of rice. Then using the last knife in his possession he stabbed at the one that was latched on to Kaden¡¯s leg and stabbed him a few times in the back while grabbing his neck and pulling him off. Then tripping backwards in the following second and pulling him down on top of himself while stabbing him in the chest for good measure. That feeling of pain coursed through his muscles even stronger than before. A feeling of a lightness followed soon after but it still made Daichi exhale a few times. Every time his body ¡®leveled up¡¯ it would still bring some measure of pain. After all.. It was still a physical change! After Daichi had handled those goblins it had left Kaiden only one to flip over to the side. Kaden picked up a rock barely big enough to fit in his palm and started bashing it against the goblin¡¯s head until its head had caved in. Leaving him panting for air ¡°huff¡­ huff¡­ Well that went¡­ We¡¯re alive, so well?¡± ¡°Eh..¡± Daichi couldn¡¯t help but start laughing at that comment. ¡°hahhahahha¡± They¡¯re all looking at him like he¡¯d lost his marbles but this was the first time he¡¯d killed something. This had actually been the first time he¡¯d gotten into a fight. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that aside from reading, reading instructional manuals for different martial arts (since his dad refused to let him learn), and watching the martial arts club members practice after school on most days out of boredom. Daichi thought he might had died with just this much action. ¡°This was the most exhilarating experience of my life!¡± was his only thought. Looking at Daichi like he was crazy, Kaden looked at Hannah next to the corpse of a goblin and Ava looking shaken before finally settling down. ¡°Hannah are you okay? I lost track of what was going on for a moment mid-way when I noticed that one goblin had gotten you. How¡¯d you kill it?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ It was trying to choke me and I couldn¡¯t move it¡¯s hands away *sniff* and I. I don¡¯t know. I started channeling mana and *sniff* suddenly it felt like his grip was getting weaker and weaker and then he just kind of toppled over on top of me.¡± ¡°Are you serious? Is he dead then¡± Suddenly becoming alert again Kaden walked over to Hannah. Cautiously reaching down towards the goblin beside her with one of the goblins knives in his order hand just in case. He grabbed it¡¯s shoulder and turned it on it¡¯s side and took a step back ready to lash out at it all in one movement. ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡± Hannah spoke, voice soft and unsure of herself but certain of her statement. ¡°Yeah he is¡­ No wounds¡­ How¡¯d you do it?¡± Kaden looking back at her confused by the entire thing but glad his sister was okay. She was his family. His everything. They had gotten through worse and they were certainly going to get through whatever came next. ¡°Eh. Everyone¡­I think I have some answers.¡± Ava was staring into space ignoring her wounds and it took me a second to realize she must have been looking at her status screen! ¡°Answers?¡± Daichi heard himself say the word but didn''t remember saying it. Answers seemed like a foreign concept to him at this point. "How great would those be?" he thought. Chapter 11 The Beginning - Safety & Monsters (Part 3) Chapter 11 The Beginning - Safety & Monsters (Part 3) 1.) First Chapter I'' wrote in Ava''s perspective so I''m still hashing out her personality lol 2.) Previous chapter was pretty short because this one is about 4x as long as the previous one and about 2.5x longer than my avg chapters. ------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 11 The Beginning - Safety & Monsters (Part 3) After killing the third goblin with my skill I got my second level up. Then turning to face Kaden. Daichi rushed towards them seemingly with no fear as he stabbed a goblin in the head with pinpoint accuracy and then ruthlessly began stabbing at the one on Kaiden¡¯s leg until his whole back and chest were littered with stab wounds. I can¡¯t be sure but I think he was smiling the entire time¡­ He¡¯s¡­ Scary. There¡¯s something not right about him. This was my first life and death experience where I was awake. I was scared, terrified even. I pushed myself to kill in order to survive. I kept thinking about how I don¡¯t want to die in a place like this. My parents are definitely dead. I passed their corpses at the front gate but didn¡¯t say anything. I wanted to cry but I couldn¡¯t. I know I was sad but I didn¡¯t feel anything. I felt defeated, lost and for a minute I wanted to just give up and throw myself under a rock and die, but then I remembered my mother, my father, everyone else who mattered. They were dead. They died and they woke up one day thinking it was going to be a good day, no different then the last and without even getting a chance to struggle they were killed. They suffered an injustice so wrong it can¡¯t be made right. I won¡¯t die the same way. I won¡¯t die for them. My desperate will to live pushed me to kill, to push my feelings to the side and move forward. Someday I might have to kill someone, not a goblin or some monster but a human and I think I can do it. Even it means surviving. I think I can do it. Then I felt a sensation coursing through my muscles as they all contracted giving me a sense of pain I wasn¡¯t used too. I knew it was my body leveling up. I knew I had just gotten stronger¡­ That was the only thing that kept me from freaking out. After so much, I know I was feeling jumpy. Wanting to focus on something that felt more constant. I checked my screen.
-Status-
Name:Ava Kajiya
Class:None
Level:10
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Accidental Survivor
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):None
Health:70/100
Mana:20/220
Strength:11Agility:10
Vitality:5Spirit:1
Intelligence:22Wisdom:10
Aptitude:24(+5)Ability:10/500
Skill(s):
Melt
Ability:
None
Inheritance:
None
I focused my mind on my *Title* and the information just appeared in my mind.
Accidental Survivor: In a situation orchestrated by the Gods where death was imminent. You survived by accident. Congratulations. Aptitude: +5
What?? Was I meant to die?? What kind of a joke title is this?? Can I even get rid of it? What does aptitude even mean? *Aptitude*
Aptitude: Representation of Inborn natural ability - Rate of growth (experience/level) - The ¡°Limiter¡± of potential - Cannot be manually changed through stats, appears at birth and can be influenced by the ¡°Gods¡±
My head is spinning. The feeling of having information just pop into my mind was something I never felt comfortable with. On top of which the content was making me a little confused. I have too many thoughts running through my head at once. It¡¯s like all the rules from the previous world are different. I knew the status window was different but this doesn¡¯t make sense. How can everything be so different? I feel exactly like I did when I woke up, suddenly my world¡¯s been flipped upside down. The more answers I get the more confused I feel. If this happened because I reached level 10 will it happen to everyone?
Evolutionary Path Unlocked: Dwarf
You have met the level requirements: You have performed smithing. You have a Blacksmith related Skill. You have dwarf blood in your veins. You have reached Level 10. Would you like to evolve down this Path: [Yes / No] Only one evolutionary path may be chosen as a Human.
No! Absolutely not! My immediate thought is a no and the window is closed immediately. I didn¡¯t even have to think about that! No way would I want to become a dwarf! I would get even shorter than I already am!! Tch. People already think I¡¯m way younger than I actually am because I¡¯m 5¡¯0 if I turned into a dwarf I might get as short as those goblins from before *shudder*. I think it¡¯s about time I share¡­ This is too big to keep to myself¡­ ¡°Eh. Everyone¡­I think I have some answers.¡± I finally take my eyes off my status screen and look around and notice Daichi staring at me oddly before saying ¡°Answers?¡±. Tch. I don¡¯t like his stare. Something¡¯s off with this guy ¡°Yeah¡­ But before that, I think we should get inside the cellar. We¡¯re all a bit hurt and if more goblins come *shudder* well yeah it won¡¯t be good. Lets go in and talk¡± I turn around and realize that midway through that sentence I finally started to feel the pain in my back. Tch! It must be from earlier when the goblin cut me! Right! Even my health was down! Grrrr stupid goblin! I need to change my clothes, I need a shower. I walk up to the cellar door and whisper the incantation necessary to open the doors. ¡°????? ????? ???? ????¡± The doors slide sideways respectively into the earth and a path of stairs are left before us. At least the cellar wasn¡¯t destroyed or worse. I glance backwards and catch everybodys looks of uncertainty which helps put me at ease a bit. I begin to walk down the stairs and lead the way. The second I step past the third step the gems imbedded in the ceiling and sides of the walls begin to glow. Lighting the entire path downwards. The entire scene looks majestic but it¡¯s something basic for a blacksmith to be able to imbue magic into gems or crystal for later use. The easiest form of doing so is imbedding a gem with magic for the sole purpose of lighting an area. The gems can do so indefinitely in theory, since after they have been imbued with magic they can stay lit or light up on command as long as there is mana to draw in to it¡¯s core from around it. Although that takes a higher level spell to be equipped to the gem. Calming down from the entire incident just minutes ago and trying to focus on anything but the pain radiating from my back I begin to explain the cellar and it¡¯s intricacies to the others ¡°The cellar was created by the first Kajiya. He was a famous blacksmith with incredible ability for magical weapons. He first came here when the town was first being built. He made a big name for himself but in his later years became a total recluse. Some people thought he left town because he never went out anymore and anyone who visited the house never saw him anymore but he didn¡¯t. This was where he spent all of his time, he lived and breathed smithing down here but no longer the conventional kind. He was working on trying to find an alternative method to creating Mana Rings without using void magic.¡± ¡°Did he succeed?¡± Daichi exclaimed. Hmmm. This counts as speaking out for this guy. ¡°No unfortunately he did not, but he did leave in his notes that he was certain that there was a way he just couldn¡¯t figure it out. He said that based on the principles of magic, void magic wasn¡¯t the only form of magic that could link two separate places together, but no one in our family has been able to do anything with that piece of information since then.¡± Hearing a disappointed sigh behind me, I expected as much. No more disappointed than any of us. My entire family has spent their lives building on this, and now there¡¯s no one left but me. Getting depressed again, I stifle those feelings again. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived. This cellar is unique in how it was originally built. It was created through smithing techniques and void magic. No before you ask, it wasn¡¯t my relative but his best friend who was a void magician, and together they built this sanctuary. It is 5 floors deep, this is the first floor.¡± I waved my arms as I walked down the final step and the entire room began to glow as the gems were triggered. What appeared before us was a large space, over 1000 sq ft. ¡°There are three doors, the first to a small wash room. The second to a pantry with stocked goods. The third that leads further down to the other rooms¡± I said with slight satisfaction. No one had achieved as much as my great-great grandfather had. He was the pride of our family. Even if the majority of what he did was unknown to everyone outside of my family. We understood how great he was. ¡°This was the first time a Kajiya is bringing outsiders into this room, you should all be honored¡± - The first time a Kajiya brings down outsiders and likely the last time I¡¯ll be here I thought. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Taking a deep breath I walk over a shelf and find some medical supplies, antiseptic and bandages for the wounds. ¡°Hannah, you come with me. We can change our clothes from our uniforms and you can help me as well. You two.¡± I walk over most of the supplies to Daichi ¡°You two can fix each other up over there on the couch.¡± I turn and walk away I pull Hannah¡¯s arm and head to the washroom. I go to pull on the door to the washroom only to find rock on the other side. There¡¯s nothing that, just rock. No room. Confused I closed the door and open it again. Same thing. I don¡¯t know why I tried it a second time I just couldn¡¯t believe my eyes. ¡°The washroom is gone.¡± ¡°What?¡± Kaden/Daichi I feel them rushing towards us and take a deep breath. ¡°There¡¯s wall, not even wall just rock, there¡¯s no washroom, it¡¯s as if it was never even here.¡± I try to keep my voice as steady as possible. This is disconcerting. I move away from the door and try the pantry. Same thing. Only rock, I move to the stairwell entrance and again, only rock. ¡°All the rooms are gone, even the stairwell is no longer here¡± the corner of my mouth twitched and my eyes were suddenly filled an astonishment and confusion that is difficult to hide. In order for all of this rock to form perfectly like this it¡¯s almost as if there was never anything beyond these doors in the first place. It¡¯s the only way to really explain it. After the day I had yesterday, it¡¯s not as far-fetched as I would have thought so before either. Daichi not one to hide his interest despite the inappropriate reaction was first to summarize the situation ¡°This obviously has to do with everything that happened yesterday. So these rooms and floors are probably gone, the town crumbled, just about everyone we know died and somehow we¡¯re seemingly the only survivors for some at least yet-to-be-explained reason.¡± without even stopping for breath his eyes widened even more as he grinned sardonically ¡°This is of course only the half of it, if that. Then our status windows change, something astronomic and even harder to believe and the gods message us again after nearly a thousand years.¡± Not wanting to keep what I know to myself any longer I tell the boys to get to the corner and turn around, Hannah and I are going to change and I don¡¯t want them to see. I go to the end of shelves near the washroom and pull off two towels and underneath where I¡¯d left them before some spare clothes. Without anybody noticing I pull out a gold embroidered box from in-between two towels and take my ancestor¡¯s ring out from the box and place it in my pocket. Then I pull an extra school set of skirt and shirt and a knee length white summer dress with frills on the sleeves. The only sets of clothes I¡¯d left down here. I keep the skirt and shirt for myself and offer the dress to Hannah. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay for me to wear this?¡± Hannah glancing at the dress then me then back at the dress. ¡°Of course it¡¯s no big deal, hopefully it¡¯ll fit.¡± Looking a little more self-satisfied then I meant too. I might be shorter than this red head but at least I don¡¯t lose out to her in the breasts department! I towel myself off and making sure the boys aren¡¯t peeking, I have hannah pour some of the antiseptic on my wound and then wrap some of the bandages around my chest and back before putting on my clean set of clothes. After Hannah changes as well we walk back to the boys. Taking a look it seems as if they didn¡¯t bother with much and just wrapped some gauze around Kaden¡¯s leg and shoulder and seem to be discussing what to do next. ¡°I got a few status updates when I reached level 10. Before you ask anything let me just say everything I can and then you can ask, okay?¡± glancing around and nothing no objections I continue ¡°Okay. When I reached level 10 I was told that I could finally have full access to my status window, titles. I was also told that I had reached the basic requirement for this new world, whatever that means. Also apparently as a human we have now gain two stats per level that we can distribute how we like after level 10 which is the same as before¡­ Except it¡¯s a little strange that it mentioned ¡°as a human¡± Finally finished speaking I was feeling exhausted and hoping everyone else would be able to handle the news with some form of helpfulness. ¡°Wow do you think that means I can get a skill at level 10 now??¡± Hannah was looking at me like I was her role model, wide eyed with stars glistening in her irises. Almost like the most excitable puppy I¡¯ve ever seen. ¡°Man i don¡¯t even know. That¡¯s a lot to take in. So we all have to reach level 10 before we can get full access, eh does that mean you know what each of the new stats mean? I have a feeling they¡¯re all different from before and not just the ones that changed¡± Kaden was in the thinker pose, holding his chin while almost too deliberately looking like he was thinking hard. Looking down at the floor and coming off as pensive Daichi chimed in ¡°Since there is too much to go over. It seems that the general gist of things is that level 10 is the starting point for this new world. Anything under level 10 may as well be a child and everything included on that level is destined to die to something else. Why else would the ¡®system¡¯ phrase it that way?¡± making a grimaced expression. Looking at this person, Kaden and I all stared at him revealing uncertain, and confused looks. Only Hannah had a rather surprised look in her eyes, her brow furrowing as a light flashed momentarily in her eyes before it vanished, leaving only me to notice that quick change. I looked at Daichi challenging his eyes ¡°I guess. Well for now we still have some food supplies in here enough for a week for the three of us. The door closed and the magic re-sealed itself after we all walked far enough down the stairs we¡¯re safe for now.¡± Without missing a beat he stared at me contemplatively and answered in a calm and unperturbed voice ¡°You¡¯re absolutely right. There¡¯s no need to rush. Although now that we have some more information¡­ It¡¯s clear to me that we¡¯ll need to kill more creatures to get stronger. Although the wounds should heal in a while and in the meantime we can look for the ring. Let¡¯s find it first and then discuss what we should do afterwards. Is the ring in this main room or was it on a lower level?¡± his gaze unchanged made me feel like that combined with his words, I¡¯d already lost. Since when do I let some guy boss me around? This is outrageous. I should be leading us, instead this guy is always one step ahead. He says the right things at the right times and it¡¯s ridiculously annoying. Tch. Lifting my chin a bit and swirling my right hand around a lock of hair ¡°Actually. I already found the ring. It was where it was supposed to be.¡± His expression falling for a second before he recomposed himself, clearly annoyed. Finally. ¡°So, what is inside?¡± he tried to act indifferent but I can he¡¯s itching to know what¡¯s inside. ¡°Two swords forged by my great-grand father, plain but made of mithril. They were experimental blades. One spear, the entire length of it made from an earth dragon¡¯s bone and the bladed edge also from mithril. An advanced piece while he was experimenting. A few short daggers plain but made with silver.¡± My expression even. I know I¡¯d won this round. Bow before the greatness of my family! ¡°Oh, that¡¯s all?¡± glancing away Daichi started walking back to the couch. What!? You IDIOT! These are near legendary items! Glancing back at me with a smirk on his face ¡°Yeah I thought you were goading me. haha. Of course that¡¯s amazing. Also, don¡¯t try to tease me unless you¡¯re fine with being teased back. So the items, who gets what? You¡¯re not going to hog everything right?¡± His smirk growing wide enough that I want to smack it clean off his face. I close my eyes and count to ten. I open them back up to look at his smirk is still plastered on his face before closing my eyes again and counting to one hundred. ¡°Uhh¡­ Hey Ava are you okay???¡± A soft voice right next to me surprises me and wakes up be up from my thought-calming-number-counting. Right. ¡°Okay what does everyone want? No point in keeping everything when we¡¯re all going to be working together from now on. Of course that¡¯s under the premise that we all have the same goals in mind. So what is everybody¡¯s goal from this point on?¡± I look over at everyone making sure I see every twitch of their brow and every micro expression theirs eyes make. ¡°No goal. We just want to stay alive¡± Kaden wastes no time in voicing his opinion. He¡¯s always straight forward. If he wasn¡¯t always leering at me like someone who¡¯s thinking something perverted 24/7 he might not be so bad. ¡°I want to go to a city. I think it¡¯s best if we find people and work together. Is what you¡¯re going to say right Hannah?¡± Daichi surprisingly speaks up next, and for Hannah no less. ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Hannah said softly ¡°I agree. We should head towards a town. The portals are probably destroyed or not working so we can try to work our way towards one of the closer inner cities. Even so¡­ We¡¯ll likely run into opposition along the way. We¡¯ll need to get stronger before we even leave. So I think that if there *are* more goblin around, we scout them out and we kill them. Aside from Ava the three of us aren¡¯t even at the starting point for this new world. We need to get stronger fast. Then we can level up some in this town since I doubt goblins are going to be our only concern. Once we¡¯re strong enough to travel through the forests where a wide variety of things and people might appear. Then we can leave. What does everybody think?¡± Daichi finishes speaking Tch. Once again. Another logical proposition. There¡¯s something about this guy that seriously bugs me. He hasn¡¯t checked me out once so far. Not once. Not normal. ¡°Okay. Then let¡¯s use this cellar for our base for now. We can gather more supplies, more intel on our surroundings and any threats and try to get stronger. I refuse to die like this. So I want to get stronger too¡± Looking as determined as I am Hannah and Kaden follow up ¡°Us too!¡± Hopefully this is the right decision. Chapter 12 The Beginning - Safety & Monsters (Part 4) Chapter 12: The Beginning - Safety & Monsters (4) ¡°Okay with that being the case, I¡¯ll take the swords¡± A grin on his face, the biggest one yet. It¡¯d been a long time since he expressed so many natural emotions, and the others were staring at him. He had a natural beauty that came off as perturbing when 95% of the time his face held nothing but an apathetic and indifferent expression. ¡°No problem here, I¡¯ll take some daggers¡± Kaden spoke equally excited at the prospect of high tiered weapons. He considered asking for the swords at first but then reconsidered thinking about how he¡¯d always focused on his speed and wanted to continue that. He wanted to become the fastest man on earth! No woman would be able to stop him from peeping whenever he so desired it! Ava looked at the suspicious expression Kaden was making and asked Hannah ¡°Why is your brother making such an evil expression¡­?¡± ¡°Ah well he¡¯s probably.. You know, just excited to get such cool weapons. That¡¯s probably it. Hah¡­¡± Looking side ways and avoiding eye contact with Ava. She knew her words were not even slightly believable. Shaking her head dispassionately Ava continued ¡°So Hannah what weapon would you prefer?¡± Thinking about it for a moment before answering a bit hesitantly, fiddling with her fingers ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, then I¡¯ll take the spear. I¡¯d prefer not to have to fight close range if I don¡¯t have too.¡± Noticing how uncomfortable Hannah looked about the entire topic Ava decided to drop it all. She handed both swords to Daichi, two knives to Kaden and the spear to Hannah. ¡°You can find items to hold your weapons and sheaths at the corner, there¡¯s a whole trunk full. Since these were experimental items by great-grand father worked on, he never planned on selling them so he didn¡¯t make scabbards or anything in particular for them.¡± flipping her hair with her hand she walked back to the cabinets and pulled some canned food out and walked back over to the couches. ¡°We may as well enjoy the down time we have right now. We don¡¯t know what¡¯s coming next.¡± Soon after she began started trying to open the cans with a knife. ¡°Let me help, there¡¯s a trick to that¡± Hannah put her spear down and walked over to help instead of fawning over her new weapons like the other two. ¡°These are incredible.¡± Swing the swords around with a huge smile on his face Daichi was completely absorbed in his new swords like a kid on christmas morning. ¡°No kidding, my knives are pretty perfect. Much better than the goblin knives. Plus there¡¯s plenty of scabbards that fit too.¡± The knives are 12 inches long, perfectly straight, with a serrated edge, with a pale bone handle. Finding two small scabbards, he placed them with straps around his thighs, and then inserted two of the goblin knives from before in-between his belt and waistband while glancing over at Daichi ¡°Better more than less, ya know?¡± With a wink he walked back to the couches leaving Daichi still swinging his swords. After a few minutes of getting a feel for his new swords Daichi also started looking around for some scabbards. He found two all black ones to fit his swords. Even though there were two swords, they were clearly meant to be used as a set. Two all black mithril short swords with no light reflecting off them, 20 inch blades with a cross guard grip and bone forged hilt. In Daichi¡¯s eyes there were absolutely perfect. Placing them tied around a band hanging low on his waist, one on each along with both goblin knifes on the edge of both scabbards in an extra band. Daichi finally felt some semblance of self-protection. Finally feeling some self-satisfaction he finally felt okay to take a small break. Walking over to the group who¡¯d already started eating canned vegetables and fruits he took a can for himself and started eating and thinking about the past 24 hours. Daichi realized he¡¯d just survived a horrible incident, interacted with people for a prolonged period of time and killed his first monsters. Too eventful. Thinking about the new swords and their value and suddenly feeling uncomfortable he spoke up in-between bites, ¡°So what do you want in exchange for the swords, they aren¡¯t free right?¡± Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Calmly gazing back at Daichi with a slight look of disdain for talking while he ate. Ava elegantly put her can down while arching her back and speaking up ¡°No. I suppose not. Nothing is free in this world, but I suppose this is a cooperative exchange. In return for greater protection, I¡¯m hoping we can stay as a party and that you will help me reach a human town. I don¡¯t think any of us will make it by ourselves, but together we might. If we share the same goals.¡± finished speaking and waited to hear everyone¡¯s thoughts. Kaden and Hannah exchanged a glance and after having a non-verbal exchange that only close siblings can. They both nodded their heads in unison, surprisingly it was Hannah that spoke up ¡°We¡¯re definitely in! We also want to get to a town! I want all of us to make it! We represent everyone from here now, it¡¯s only right that we help each other out now.¡± Hannah glanced at Daichi out of the corner of her eyes and then looked down. In between more bites of food Daichi managed to garble out ¡°I have no objections. We need to reach a town and get more information. So it¡¯s agreed.¡± finally swallowing the last bite, and putting down the fork and can he finished his prior thought ¡°We need to go check the goblin corpses. We need to at least move them otherwise when more come they¡¯ll be led to the door. Even if they can¡¯t get in, we won¡¯t be able to get out. Our mana and health has healed enough. This is something we can¡¯t put off any longer.¡± Daichi stood up and started walking to the staircase, ¡°Oh!¡± Looking back ¡°How do I open the door?¡± ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°I can¡¯t believe I let them talk me into resting for so long. We should never have let those corpses sit outside of the door for so long. Not good not good. I can¡¯t believe I was distracted by shiny things, I feel like a child. Although they are some pretty amazing swords¡­¡± Daichi thought as he realized how easily he¡¯d been swayed from trying to get rid of the corpses outside. He¡¯d had the thought that they should move them, in case the corpses attracted other predators. Then the moment the swords were mentioned and then brought out he¡¯d completely lost focus. ¡°Oh!¡± Looking back ¡°How do I open the door?¡± Daichi realized he didn¡¯t know what to do when he got to the top of the stairwell. In fact he thought Ava was playing a lot of cards close to her vest. ¡°Is she worried we¡¯ll abandon her or take advantage of her?¡± he thought. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything to get out. You merely need to be within the top three steps for the seal to unlock and for the doors to open.¡± Ava spoke up while also getting up giving me a bit of a disdainful look ¡°Maybe I¡¯m imagining it? No. Not likely.¡± Daichi thought as he gazed at Ava¡¯s expression and shook his head. ¡°We¡¯ll come too¡± Kaden said while getting to his feet and glancing over at Hannah with a look of reassurance. ¡°Okay.¡± Not bothering with more words he made his way up. ¡°I need to know more. We don¡¯t know nearly enough and after what Ava said, I feel like based on her personality she didn¡¯t tell us everything. I need to reach level 10 so I can see the same announcement she did.¡± Daichi decided in his mind. He came to the conclusion he needed to get stronger, only then would he gain more knowledge and be able to make his own decisions. Reaching the top of the stairs he waited for something to happen. Tick tock tick tock tick tock. ¡°Why isn¡¯t anything happening¡±¡­ Getting a little aggravated Daichi started waving his left hand in front of his face. Right behind him ¡°You¡¯re on the fourth step.¡± Ava chimed in. Feeling a little embarrassed, ¡°I¡¯m obviously distracted, better to focus on the present.¡± Daichi stopped himself from getting distracted as he walked up another step and felt too close to the doors, as they started to open. Daichi tensed a bit and placed his hands on his the knives he still had from the goblins. The doors opened and the late afternoon sun shined inside, Along with a pair of eyes. Chapter 13 The Beginning - Goblins (Part 1) Chapter 13 The Beginning - Goblins (Part 1) The doors open and the late afternoon sun shined in, Along with a pair of eyes. Looking down at Daichi was a curious looking rabbit. A normal ubiquitous rabbit. Daichi finally let out a breath he didn¡¯t know he was holding before breaking out into a grin. Feeling the tension ease around him, he thought everyone was expecting the worse for a second. Taking a look behind him ¡°See no prob-¡° ¡°Eeep!¡± Swinging his head forward Daichi saw the rabbit being pierced through the head with a barbaric looking spear, and above it a huge bloody Orc. ¡°Damn!¡± Not wanting to get stuck with the Orc having the higher ground, Daichi rushed forward and up the last few stairs pulling out two daggers and jumping at the Orc hoping to catch him by surprise. The Orc pulled the spear out of the rabbit¡¯s head with a yank and just as Daichi was past the spear he lifted his leg up and kicked him which sent Daichi flying a few meters into a wall of rubble like he weighed nothing at all. Coughing up a mouthful of blood while he looked up at the Orc. Daichi saw as Kaden and Ava rushed him right behind after he had. Kaden threw one of his knives at the Orc, but with seemingly no experience the knife hit him handle first in the chest not fazing the Orc at all. Ava right next to him jumped past him and rolled on the ground to a stop in a crouching position trying to flank him as Kaden jumped forward to pierce the Orc¡¯s left hand with his knife before being smacked away by the same hand. Ava used that moment when the Orc was stabbed to run in behind him, both hands glowing hoping to use her Melt skill. Sensing danger but not moving in time both of her hands dug into his spine causing it to scream a horrible grotesque ¡°Oiiiink¡± noise like a pig being slaughtered. Before crumpling to the ground he took a few swipes at her his spear hitting her square on the shoulder *crack* ¡°Ughhh!¡± breaking it and sending her to the floor at the same time as him. Staggering back to his feet. Daichi held his breath and calmed down. Still holding his daggers he steadied himself and ran forward and around the orc. Getting into his blindspot before jumping on the Orc¡¯s back and begging to stab it non stop. Stab after stab after stab until it stopped moving altogether, not even twitching. That strange muscle twitching sensation coursed through him once again as he felt his muscles contract and thicken while seemingly feeling refreshed immediately after. Daichi basked in that second of growth for a moment before regaining his wits. ¡°Not even out of the cellar and we almost died again. Just one orc and we¡¯re almost dead. Damn! This a joke. Was it just that strong or are we just that weak?¡± Daichi wondered as he felt powerless at the effort they¡¯d had to expend on one opponent.
Announcement by the Gods Due to your high INT - You have now been granted the Skill: Analyze Depending on growth, it can be turned into an ability.
¡°Eh.¡± Daichi felt a bubble of information pop into his mind. The information floated away as he came to terms with the luck he¡¯d just received. ¡°Kaden, Ava are you okay?¡± Walking over to Ava he knew her arm was definitely done for. ¡°This¡¯ll take a while to heal unless she has healing potions stashed down in the cellar.¡± he thought. It was a reasonable thought to have considering all of the incredible items her family had. ¡°Ugh. Yeah man, I lost some hp that¡¯s all.¡± Cracking his neck and shaking his head a bit Kaden walked over to Ava ¡°Ava, what can I do to help?¡± ¡°Tch. It¡¯s fine¡­¡± grimacing in pain she waved her right hand and a little green bottle appeared in her hand. Forming a twisted smile ¡°The ring had a few heal potions, sorry for not mentioning it earlier. It just didn¡¯t come up¡± ¡°Right. Didn¡¯t come up because you didn¡¯t bring it up.¡± Daichi thought as he realized she kept it to herself in case she ran into trouble. Not that he blamed her, in her position Daichi would have done the same thing. Waving his hand like it was no problem ¡°No problem, it¡¯s been hectic. Who would blame you for forgetting something like that?¡± Definitely not Kaden he thought as he gazed at the utterly undisturbed expression on Kaden. Popping the top and downing the entire thing in one go her body suddenly started to glow. Her arm popping in place but her face filled with a warm glow making the most serene expression as if she was having a warm bath in her most relaxed state. Kaden wiped his mouth. ¡°Didn¡¯t want to get caught drooling eh.¡± Daichi was judging Kaden when the glow started to fade and Ava¡¯s expression returning to mild disinterest. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.¡°How do you feel now?¡± Kaden chimed in. Flexing her arm a few times she then stood up ignoring Kaden¡¯s hand of help ¡°I¡¯m fine, the potion was top notch, all my health has been fully restored. How are you two?¡± glancing at us in passing while still looking and touching her own arm. ¡°My health will be fine in a bit, but that was crazy. If he had gotten a few more hits in I would have died just like that.¡± Daichi said with a grimace ¡°Yeah no joke. Are orcs that strong or is it that humans are just that weak?¡± Kaden spoke and for once posed a valid question. Ehhh¡­Hey wait up. Suddenly realizing Hannah wasn¡¯t around them, Daichi asked ¡°Where¡¯s Hannah?¡± while looking around and wondering what happened to her. ¡°She¡¯s down in the cellar. I could tell she wouldn¡¯t have been able to handle the spear with any form of technique so I told her to pack multiple bags with food and any supplies she found to be useful while we did little recon mission of yours.¡± Ava said while using her now fully healed arm to play with one of her curls in a completely natural motion. Getting a little annoyed that he was the only one who apparently didn¡¯t know ¡°Oh okay. Yeah that¡¯s a good call. We should be ready to move at a moments notice.¡± Daichi let it go, as he realized that out of all of them Hannah had been the only one seemingly torn up emotionally by the events that had happened. Everyone else had handled them a lot better thus far. ¡°Hey Daichi. Why didn¡¯t you use your swords? They¡¯re really high quality you know.¡± Ava asked him with a raised eyebrow ¡°Eh. At that distance a sword would have been harder to swing, besides if we fought at mid-range while it had the advantage of height then his spear would have become even more effective. I choose to go with the knives go for full close combat hoping I could kill it or that at least one of you would follow immediately behind in case I failed. I actually didn¡¯t expect both of you to react so quickly. It was kind of impressive actually¡± By the time he finished talking he realized he actually was impressed with their quick reactions. Had they been any slower and it could have led to all of them being killed. As it is that could have ended badly just because they were missing one person. Cracking the knuckles on his right hand with his right fingers Daichi thought about the current scenario. The orc should not have been so easily killed by them if it was that much stronger. Looking at its body carefully Daichi noticed that the damage that Ava and he had dealt was too extensive to tell much from his back. Instead he had to grab its shoulder and roll the orc over. Not perturbed by his ugly appearance. The orc was bloody all over with two small tusks coming out from his underbite. His skin a dark pink all over, it looks like a human pig hybrid. The only features distinctly making it stick out and seem different from a human were it¡¯s tusks, midsize snout in place of a nose, and disturbingly pale almost demonic yellow eyes. His whole body is filled with cuts and wounds, he¡¯d been in a fight prior to them battling it. Looking around there were a few extra goblin corpses, all looking the same as the one before it. ¡°Maybe more goblins came by looking for the friends that didn¡¯t come back when this Orc wandered by and did battle with them before killing them.¡± Daichi commented while still feeling like it would have taken more than just a few goblins to hurt it. While considering the possibilities, Ava spoke out loud a bit uncertainly ¡°We¡¯d better do something about the bodies then. Just in case.¡± Looking amused Daichi took a look at Ava while trying to gauge her expression while expressing another theory ¡°Perhaps those goblins were only scouts¡­ Goblins live in groups and therefore it wouldn¡¯t be strange if these few goblins were only scouting the area for a larger group.¡± ¡°Tch. Scouts? That means that there¡¯s more goblins coming, stronger goblins coming. We should move out now.¡± Kaiden said while looking anxious and uncertain. ¡°I can tell these two fights have really gotten under his skin. Possibly even more than Ava.¡± Daichi thought as he gauged both of them. ¡°No this is a good thing. I think that this Orc probably did some damage to other scouts as well, and we know we didn¡¯t let any leave alive. So they shouldn¡¯t know about us. On the other hand if the goblins know that there are stronger creatures that themselves they might hesitate to come back this their base. They might continue to send scouts to observe the situation and that¡¯s the perfect scenario for us to hunt.¡± Daichi thought out loud. ¡°So we hunt?¡± Kaiden asked while looking at Ava hesitantly. ¡°We should take advantage of whatever opportunities we can find¡­ I still have more potions, so worst case scenario we run and heal and return to the cellar.¡± Ava finished agreeing with Daichi but looking almost as uncertain as Kaden. ¡°I don¡¯t see why they aren¡¯t excited about this. This is the best opportunity to get some exp and get stronger!¡± Daichi thought as he contemplated how to get stronger the quickest. Without giving them the chance to change their minds ¡°Okay let¡¯s move out.¡± as he start walking ahead of them with a grin. Chapter 14 The Beginning - Goblins (Part 2) Chapter 14 The Beginning - Goblins (Part 2) ¡°Ava do you need a weapon?¡± Kaden asked while following right behind her ¡°If I needed a weapon I¡¯d have a weapon out. My skill is my most useful tool right now so that¡¯s what I¡¯ll use.¡± Daichi started to walk closer to them and finally checked his
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:10
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:80/100
Mana:400/400
Strength:13Agility:10
Vitality:10Spirit:1
Intelligence:40Wisdom:43
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:10/500
Skill(s):
Analyze
Ability:
Touch of Chaos
Inheritance:
???
¡°The battles must have increased my stats into things other than intelligence for once. Pretty useful. I can finally check these Titles too¡­ Eh?? Even an ability???¡± was thinking before immediately checking it. The information appeared in his brain and his eyes opened wide.
Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Level:Active Ability:
Touch of ChaosUnique(Max)Mana Cost: 2500 | 5000
Instantly seal an opponents skill. Instantly steal an opponents ability. Requirement: Must make physical contact.
Daichi stopped walking. ¡°This could be tremendous!¡± he thought before noticing the mana cost¡­ ¡°It would take me forever to even get the necessary mana to use the ability once!!! Tch!!Worthless.¡± a sigh escaped his lips as he thought about how useful his new ability would be IF he could use it. Which he was far from being able to do so. In the long term this could be extremely powerful he thought while picking up the pace and catching up to the others. Giggling a bit under his breath he noticed the others staring at him but he ignored them anyways. Daichi then checked his Analyze skill.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Active Skill:
AnalyzeRare1Mana Cost: 0
This skill will give you a basic description of living beings. Can be upgraded through reaching a greater understanding of how the skill works. In order to analyze higher level beings & obtain more information.
Daichi¡¯s giggling grew even louder. This was the perfect skill at the perfect time. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve got some amazing luck after all.¡± he thought unable to stop himself from smiling. ¡°I better not get carried away while we¡¯re walking in the open, Tch, there might be monsters around.¡± he finally determined and with a sigh of frustration he closed his status window. ¡°Hey¡­ Why is he smiling such a genuine smile of happiness¡­*shiver* It feels so wrong¡± Ava was feeling uncomfortable staring at Daichi that she even asked Kaden. ¡°He got that last kill, maybe he unlocked something?¡± Kaden pointed out. ¡°Oy, did you?¡± Ava poked Daichi in the ribs as hard as she could. Ugh.. Yeah. ¡°Yeah. I got something that¡¯ll help us discern how strong a monster is before we fight it.¡± as he grinned at them. ¡°Oooooh! Not bad bro! Man! I can¡¯t wait to reach level 10 now! I¡¯m definitely going to get a skill!¡± Kaden said with enthusiasm as the others ignored him. Walking forwards and finally out of the residential neighborhood they all spotted a group of goblins walking down the streets, ¡°Get down.¡± Daichi whispered and pulled them down. ¡°Hey! This is what we¡¯ve been looking for! Why¡¯re we hiding!?¡± Kaden replied in what could barely pass as whispering. ¡°We don¡¯t know how many there are, I say we go around and find as many groups as possible. Let¡¯s get a feel for how many there are and if they have a leader. We don¡¯t want to get surrounded. So let¡¯s let them pass and I¡¯ll check each and everyone of them okay?¡± ¡°Che¡­ Yeah okay¡± Kaden crossed his arms in front of him and sat down on the floor giving up completely. Ava stayed exactly as she was but smacking by hand away. Glancing at me and then back at the goblins she¡¯s stayed alert. As they got near, I noticed this was a similar sized goblin group to the one that attacked us before.
Goblin Scout: Level 5
Goblin Scout: Level 5
Goblin Scout: Level 9
Goblin Warrior: Level 8
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Scout: Level 7
Goblin Scout: Level 5
Goblin Scout: Level 7
Finally taking the opportunity to use the skill, Daichi used his skill on each one of the goblins within his sight. ¡°Eh¡­ So these are the goblins we fought before. No wonder we won. They were of similar level except we have a physical advantage to them as humans. Most likely that holds true for most races. That¡¯s why the orc seems so strong even though he probably wasn¡¯t that much of a higher level monster compared to these goblins. On top of which, no matter how many times I¡¯ve leveled in my life, my health points have never changed. My dad who once told me when I was a child that he was level 16 and his health points were also 100. I think that regardless of our level, unless we do something to increase our resistance to damage we¡¯re all at the most basic health points for our race. I know that if someone stabbed me through the heart at level 5 or level 10 I¡¯d probably die all the same¡­ So what the body is made out of must make a huge different. It¡¯s not all about levels.¡± Daichi ran through a slew of thoughts before beginning to wonder something simple. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Daichi began to wonder how exactly his analyze skill had the ability to gauge the strength of another creature. It would be one thing if he had gained some insight in how to do so, but it was another thing altogether to be able to do without any insight. It wasn¡¯t as if he gained the skill from a skill book or rune either. Unless he had knowledge before hand in how to do so, this should not have been a skill he should have gained so easily. The notion of his conclusions left him a little sour. Instead he turned his attention back to the goblins. ¡°We could probably take this group out¡­ Better to wait though¡­¡± he whispered under his breath but loud enough for Ava and Kaden to hear ¡°3 level 5s, 2 level 7s, 1 level 8 and 3 level 9s, all scouts except for 3 warriors. The warriors are the ones with the knifes and the scouts are all unarmed.¡± ¡°Che. Are we really going to do nothing?¡± Kaden stared at Daichi challengingly ¡°We do nothing for now. This is clearly a scout party. What we can do is follow them, check where they are scouting and then see who they meet up with if anyone. If we do attack we have to make sure its away from the residential district to avoid attracting more attention to the area.¡± he pointed out. He¡¯d already decided on this plan and therefore Daichi figured that they would either follow him or they could act of their own accord without him. ¡°Eh. Fine. That works.¡± Surprisingly Kaden agreed with no resistance, Ava just nodded. They began to follow the goblins. They walked in a straight path, the warriors keeping the scouts from wandering too far, and they just walk, they look around but they don¡¯t seem very vigilant. They really do come off as easy prey everyone thought. After following them for about half an hour them come into contact with another group, one even smaller. As they got closer. Daichi kept trying to use the analyze skill from the furthest distance so he could get a feel for what its range was. When he can finally use it he could make out the distance it worked from was about 20 meters or so. It seemed to vary for some reason. ¡°Hopefully the range will increase as I keep leveling it up. Which is the other reason I don¡¯t want to attack right off the bat. I want to use this opportunity to raise it¡¯s level by analyzing as many monsters as possible.¡± Daichi thought to himself while continuously triggering the skill as more goblins were within range.
Goblin Scout: Level 5
Goblin Scout: Level 6
Goblin Scout: Level 6
Goblin Scout: Level 7
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Paying no particular mind to this group. They waited as they seemed to be communicating with one another. Then their groups passed each other by, one heading off back to the western part of town with the majority of the bigger structures while this group continues heading north. They followed and about an hour later they came across a smaller group of goblins. This group was a little strange. The bigger group just automatically moved out of their way and the small group just passed them by. When they get close enough Daichi used his skill on them.
Goblin Scout: Level 6
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Chief: Level 14
¡°Eh. Goblin chief. Could this be their leader?¡± Deciding not to get carried away they hid as these goblins passed and continued to follow the other goblin group for another hour as they passed one more set of goblins. This other group was even larger, with 14 members, all in the higher levels. The group decided after talking it over that they¡¯d already spent a few hours checking them out and it was time to make a move. Their health had recovered since they didn¡¯t have any open wounds. So they started preparing to make their move. While they were getting ready Daichi decided it was time to check the rest of his stats. He called up his status window and took a good long look. He knew his skills now. So therefore he tried checking his ¡°inheritance¡± window earlier but nothing happened. ¡°I guess even if I have full access I¡¯m still too low leveled to even see that. Which makes no sense to me at all at the moment. Since I don¡¯t have enough information to make a better deduction, I take a look at my titles instead.¡± Daichi figured.
Psychopath: Due to every decision being made through rational calculation the Gods have deemed you a Psychopath. As such the universe has deemed you a likely survivor of the new world. +1 Stat point to Intelligence for every level up +1 Stat point to Wisdom for every level up +5 Stat points to distribute every-time you kill an opponent 10 levels higher than you (This title and benefits will only apply while unevolved)
Touched by Chaos: You accomplished the impossible for a mortal. As reality was eclipsed by chaos, you entered the void and returned unharmed. Lucky. Your body disintegrated in the void and was reformed by the chaos. You now possess the first requirement. Aptitude: +50 Chaos Attribute Gained Ability Acquired Inheritance Acquired
¡°Ahaha. I used to hate my status screen. The name thing over and over, and now. Now my status screen refuses to show me something boring! So I ceased to exist for a moment eh? Well I¡¯m back now so who cares! I now possess the first requirement but of course it doesn¡¯t tell me for what, naturally. Even the gods are stooping to name calling and have deemed me a psychopath eh? Well no biggie, those are some pretty awesome stat boosts. All in all, these are some sure fire wins.¡± Daichi felt some confidence swelling up with these new pieces of information. After thinking about all these things instead of getting excited they¡¯d calmed him down. This was the perfect motivation before a battle. This is exactly what Daichi needed to pump him up. There was only one way to get stronger now, he just had to kill all of these goblins one by one. Readying his daggers. ¡°Are you two ready?¡± he waited to see a nod from both of them, ¡°Okay let¡¯s go!¡± Chapter 15 The Beginning - Goblins (Part 3) Chapter 15 The Beginning - Goblins (Part 3) With a nod from both of them, ¡°Okay let¡¯s go!¡± After ditching the earlier group of goblins they¡¯d doubled back to find the smaller group. The group decided to go about this as safely as possible, small groups at a time before working their way to the larger groups. Also instead of going back to get Hannah, they all agreed that it would be better to leave her in case something happened. It would be best that one of them be in good enough condition to take care of the others if worse came to worse. Mostly Daichi thought Kaden just really wanted to avoid putting her in danger until he felt strong enough to protect her, since it was his idea from the start. Finding the smaller group that they thought they saw earlier, Daichi checked the goblins with his skill.
Goblin Scout: Level 5
Goblin Scout: Level 6
Goblin Scout: Level 6
Goblin Scout: Level 7
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Weapons in hand he described the goblin group to the others. Daichi told Ava to go for the two unarmed ones at the front after he charged in and engaged the first two and Kaden the other two. Daichi informs them that he will take the stronger ones and changed the strategy for the first time. He put his knives away. Instead he took out one of the short swords for the first time and held it with two hands. These goblins were small and he couldn¡¯t keep taking hits when fighting lesser monsters. Thus Daichi decided to use the range from the sword and get some experience using his best weapons. Hiding around the corner they waited for the goblins as they started to pass them by at an intersection in the town. After the first four passed Daichi tensed up on his sword, waiting for the second the others show their backs¡­ They passed them by unknowingly and Daichi immediately moved forward confirming his two targets with
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Getting into what he believed they called it in the martial arts club, an inside right pose. Daichi held his sword at chest height and pointed it right in front of him, with his left wrist facing upwards and his right holding it further back on the hilt facing downwards. In position he pushed himself out of a crouching stance and charged forward. Keeping his sword in position ready to pierce his first opponent. Just as the goblin noticed Daichi¡¯s footsteps and turned around, Daichi thrusted his sword forward making only a grunting noise of exertion before piercing the goblin right through the head. ¡°NOW!¡± he yelled! The goblins had noticed them and were screaming in their language but without having needed to say anything Kaden was already right behind one of them and stabbed one of Daichi¡¯s goblins right in the back with both knives as he used his weight to push him to the ground all at the same time. Not getting a chance to focus on anyone else Daichi placed his foot on the goblin¡¯s chest and yanked his sword out and swung it in an arc motion to get rid of the blood on the blade before charging the next goblin.
Goblin Scout: Level 7
With no weapon in hand the goblin could only put it¡¯s arms up in a pleading motion while Daichi used the same thrusting move to bypass his hands and pierce him right in the chest. Letting go of his sword he pull out his knifes. Using two reverse knife grips he stab him twice in the throat and moved on towards the third goblin near him.
Goblin Scout: Level 6
The goblin in front of Daichi had seen these humans attack like lunatics and tried to run away but Daichi jumped on its back and pierced him in the back multiple times until he was sure it was dead. Meanwhile Ava had an equally easy time and had already melted through the chests of her two goblins and killed them without even having to go entirely through their chests. Expecting Kaden to complain that he¡¯d took his kill, Daichi got off his goblin while looking dismayed and walked up to the other two ¡°Next group?¡± Kaden turned to Ava ¡°Ava you ready?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ Let¡¯s go.¡± Looking down, Ava also seemed a bit off. None the less, Daichi paid no mind as he assumed that perhaps the other two just weren¡¯t too comfortable seeing so much blood. They moved on after Daichi got his sword back and jogged off to find their next targets. Daichi was inwardly complaining as he figured he¡¯d killed three goblins but hadn¡¯t felt that familiar sensation of getting stronger. ¡°I wonder if it¡¯s because my level was higher than them or something else?¡± Daichi wondered. The second group happened to be a group they haven¡¯t seen. Since they haven¡¯t found a pattern to the movements of the goblins they¡¯d decided to just attack small or weak groups. The entire town was intersection after intersection with crumbled structures all around. With plenty of rubble to hide behind, which was perfect for them in their current situation. When they this current group of goblins passed them, Daichi used his skill on them immediately.
Goblin Scout: Level 6
Goblin Scout: Level 6
Goblin Scout: Level 6
Goblin Scout: Level 7
¡°Super easy! Perfect group for us.¡± Daichi thought as his eyes widened with anticipation! He told the others the levels and with no resistance they moved in behind them with no specific target in mind except for Daichi. Daichi was aiming for the level 7 goblin. Using the same strategy as before he used his trusting technique and this time his target managed to scream just before the sword pierced through his head. Only his target happened to have a weapon and it was only a brick. The other three were easy for the other two to handle as Kaden finished two of them off and Ava dispatched of the one that tried to run away with her technique. After cleaning up their weapons Daichi urged the others as they forward towards the next group, telling the others that leveling up wasn¡¯t going to be so easy if this many goblins don¡¯t do much for them. This time they ran into the original group that they¡¯d seen before.
Goblin Scout: Level 5
Goblin Scout: Level 5
Goblin Scout: Level 9
Goblin Warrior: Level 8
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Scout: Level 7
Goblin Scout: Level 5
Goblin Scout: Level 7
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Definitely the group they¡¯d followed most of the day. Most of these goblins had no identifying features so they might as well all look the same with the only differences really being seen in their weapons so far. Some had some others didn¡¯t Feeling confident and annoyed they¡¯d wasted so much time following these goblins in the first place Kaden and Ava couldn¡¯t help but glare at them. Daichi pointed them out and told the others ¡°I think we¡¯re ready.¡± Looking a bit more motivated than with the previous group, they readied their weapons. Daichi planned to do things differently with this many goblins this time around. After picking up a knife earlier he was up to 3 disposable knives, so he was going to try throwing them and if failed, then he could fall back on using his sword. Going around an intersection and getting ready as they hid. Using their same ambush tactic as they waited for them to pass them by. It had begun to feel a little routine to them already. Not focusing on levels due to their numbers, Daichi got ready to take out the ones closest to them. After they passed their group Daichi aimed at the first goblin that was closest.
Goblin Scout: Level 7
Goblin Scout: Level 5
Throwing one dagger at a time, the first two hit the goblin hilt first but the third was a success! Right in the middle of the chest! Charging out and ignoring that weaker goblin, Daichi left it as an easy kill for Ava and slashed with all his strength at the other goblin as he cut into his chest and stomach getting his sword caught inside ¡°EEEEK¡± The goblin screamed a loud pitched sound that personified its pain! Daichi could only think as he tried to pull his sword out ¡°These goblins have such high pitched voices it¡¯s ridiculous!¡± Ugh. After yanking his sword out with all of his strength, one of the other goblins jumped on his back. Temporarily Daichi trembled as he almost fell forward. That muscle contracting feeling passed through his body and left him stunned for a second before he regained his earrings. Unable to get the goblin off Daichi jumped backwards onto his back. Landing with his full weight on the goblin and dealing some damage before rolling over and crouching. Looking around 6 of the goblins were chasing after Kaden who was evading them and buying time while Ava was just now finishing off the one Daichi had left for her. Ignoring the thought of wanting to check his status window. Daichi lifted his sword above his head and brought it down with both hands letting gravity do its job as he decapitated the goblin that was finally coming to his senses. ¡°Ava! Take the two stragglers! I¡¯ll help Kaden!¡± Daichi pulled his blade off the ground and ran towards Kaden. He was already cornered up against a wall despite his speed, and was fighting them off with his range but he¡¯d already gotten multiple cuts. Running behind the goblins Daichi swung his sword from side to side hoping to draw their attention from Kaden, letting Ava jump in at one of the goblins with no weapons and go straight for his neck with her skill as if she was going to strange him. She melted his neck with almost no resistance and got stabbed in the side by one of the goblin warriors. Daichi noticed it and changed directions as he rushed at it and kicked it in the chest pushing it away as he reversed his grip on his sword, bringing it down and through it¡¯s chest. The goblin screamed in response to Daichi¡¯s assault but he paid the goblin no mind as he pulled out his second sword with the same grip brought down the second sword down onto it¡¯s neck to shut it up. ¡°Ava how are you??¡± he called out to the side while focusing on two of the goblins who were now paying attention to them. With their numbers dwindled they looked furious but hesitant to attack anymore even though two of the stronger ones are still fighting Kaden. ¡°Ugh¡­.. This hurts more than I thought, stay for a second while I use a potion.¡± Pulling another potion out of thin air, popping the top and downing it all in one motion her body began to glow like before. Noticing the goblins reaction to this Daichi pulled his swords out of the goblin¡¯s corpse and got into a defensive position in front of Ava hoping they¡¯d attack. Both the goblins and Daichi made eye contact as the goblins turned their attention towards Ava as they noticed Ava¡¯s glow receding. Their weariness now suddenly gone. They came rushing at Daichi and Ava. Noticing how useless holding his swords like this was going to be. Daichi twirled them in his hands back to their regular grips and rushed at the closest goblin making a swiping motion with one of his swords and then hitting it with his shoulder knocking it down. Shifting his focus to the goblin still coming at him, he struck with his sword from above with a vertical strike and after it blocked with its knife Daichi thrust his other sword through it¡¯s chest. Eeeeekk! ¡°Yet another annoying high pitched scream. Every time.¡± Daichi thought as he grimaced at the annoying sound. He pulled out his sword and kicked the goblin with a sidekick backwards. Then when it lost its balance and hit the ground he took a few quick steps forward and put a foot on it¡¯s chest and pierced it¡¯s throat with another quick thrust. Focusing on the other goblin that had gotten up and was coming at him screaming lividly. It failed to notice Ava chasing behind him and tackling it to the floor as she melted through its back all the way out through it¡¯s chest with her hands before it stopped screaming. Daichi looked around as he noticed that all of the goblins were finally dead as he sighed in relief. This had been the toughest battle yet. Ava was taking too much risk and damage by only fighting hand to hand with no real martial arts kills and relying on her melt skill and the only reason Daichi had been managing to get so many kills was due to Kaden being such a great distraction but there were too many flaws in their strategy. ¡°We¡¯re too inexperienced for now.¡± Daichi concluded as he looked at the results of the battle. As there was finally some calm, Daichi pulled up his status screen, and immediately looked at the differences.
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:11
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:94/100
Mana:410/410
Strength:14Agility:11
Vitality:10Spirit:1
Intelligence:41Wisdom:44
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:10/500
Skill(s):
Analyze
Ability:
Touch of Chaos
Inheritance:
???
Looking at the distance with a grimace ¡°I¡¯m not fast enough and at some point I won¡¯t be strong enough. I¡¯m not leveling up quick enough either.¡± was what had passed though Daichi¡¯s mind as he stared at his window. ¡°Kaden are you okay, need any help?¡± Kaden just waved his hand dismissively, looking tired and dispirited. Even Ava looked out of it. ¡°Let¡¯s call it a day, let¡¯s get back and meet with Hannah and recap what we know and our next moves¡± Daichi spoke up and noticing no objections began to head back to the cellar. He could tell something was up with them but he didn¡¯t know what and wasn¡¯t sure if it should bother him. In fact Daichi was a little bothered by their dispirited demeanor despite all of the great benefits from the day! Chapter 16 The Beginning - Goblins (Part 4) Chapter 16 The Beginning - Goblins (Part 4) After picking up a few of the salvageable knives the three of them began to head back to the cellar. Luckily they managed to move with ease and with no problems. They¡¯d gotten a good ¡®feel¡¯ for how the goblins moved at this point, and aside from the original scout troop, none of them seemed to be investigating the residential district too closely. When they got back down the first thing Daichi noticed was Hannah who looked incredibly anxious. Looking at them but not being able to stare for too long ¡°Is everyone okay? How did it go? Are you hurt?¡± Daichi considered letting the others answer but after thinking it over decided to chime in ¡°We took some damage here and there but mostly it was Ava, luckily her ring happened to have some heal potions and we got through with no real problems.¡± ¡°Tch. Hell! No man, that¡¯s enough. What the hell is wrong with you!? That was NOT okay! Every one of those fights could have ended up with all of us dead!¡± Kaden¡¯s eyes were lit up and an air of animosity lingered around him Eh. Completely confused Daichi had no idea where that came from ¡°Yes, we¡¯re still weak. You already knew this though, that¡¯s why we went out there. To get stronger.¡± Even Ava was looking at Daichi with some resentment or disgust which showed quite clearly on her usually indifferent expression. ¡°Do you not get it!? I¡¯m not pissed at you for that. I¡¯m pissed off¡­¡± Taking a second to collect himself before continuing ¡°I¡¯m pissed off because we just killed living beings and it¡¯s not easy. We killed and we killed, and we even killed those that ran. I don¡¯t care if they were goblins, they are still living beings, and you¡¯re the only one acting like it doesn¡¯t matter at all. Like the entire thing was a trip to candy mountain and you came back with a bag of your favorite candy. What the hell is wrong with you!?¡± his tone had been getting increasingly louder until he took a step forward shouting those last words. Not really knowing how to answer with what they want to hear, Daichi decided to go for the closest thing to the truth that wouldn¡¯t be ¡®unsettling¡¯ for them to hear, ¡°I killed them, and I¡¯m happy I did. If I didn¡¯t kill them¡­ I¡¯d have had to kill something else. The world has changed and i¡¯ve accepted it. I need to get stronger to live and that¡¯s just what I¡¯m going to do.¡± Daichi said it meaning to resolute but barely noticed how flat his tone was or the unmeant implication in his words. Taking another step towards Daichi looking even angrier than before, ¡°Oh. So if they were humans, would you still kill them all the same?¡± Yet another step forwards noticed Daichi. Placing his hands on his swords just in case, knowing he wouldn¡¯t like what he was about to say ¡°Yes. If that¡¯s what I had to do to stay alive. That¡¯s what I would do. I don¡¯t plan on dying for no reason.¡± Kaden took another step forward as he was balling his hand into a fist, getting ready to hit Daichi just as Hannah stepped in-between the both of them. Placing a hand facing both of them and looking at both of them while trying to calm them down. ¡°Stop. Enough. Just¡­ Enough.¡± Waiting for Kaden to drop his fist before letting go of his swords, they were left at a stand still before Kaden stood down making a clicking sound with his tongue ¡°Tch¡±. Out of no where ¡°He¡¯s not wrong Kaden.¡± words flowed from Hannah¡¯s mouth, shocking both Daichi and Kaden. Daichi was left wondering where she was going with her comment ¡°They¡¯re monsters. We have to accept that things have changed. We can¡¯t rely on anyone else but ourselves and each other. I wasn¡¯t up there so I can¡¯t speak to whatever happened today, but subjugating monsters is a long time tradition in our world. Just because it hasn¡¯t been necessary in years doesn¡¯t mean it hasn¡¯t been done. For any race to survive killing is necessary. We¡¯ve been lucky we¡¯ve been living our lives in peace for this long¡­ It¡¯s not pretty and it¡¯s not the world I would choose but it¡¯s the world that we¡¯re in now. I won¡¯t let anything happen to you or me, so please Kaden, calm down.¡± ¡°Surprisingly a reasonable statement, although it¡¯s riddled with justifications. She needs an excuse to be able to do what we¡¯re going to have to do. So does everyone else in this room it seems. So I¡¯ll just keep shut and let her handle this, it seems like they¡¯ll listen to her and not me on this one.¡± Daichi surmised as he saw the change of expressions on both Kaden and Ava¡¯s faces. ¡°Look at him Hannah. He¡¯s covered in blood. He didn¡¯t flinch even once out there when he was fighting those goblins. What the hell is up with that? It¡¯s not normal!¡± Kaden shouted. Angry, upset and disappointed. ¡°Then he¡¯s going to live. I want you to live Kaden.¡± Hannah said these final words with a warm and sad look in her eye while staring at Kaden for a few seconds and then glancing at me and then walking away. Yet another obvious but hidden implication from Hannah this time. ¡°I packed what we need, food, some bandages, some extra clothes¡± Hannah said without looking back at them and grabbing some towels and then coming back and handing one to each of them without really making any eye contact. ¡°I also found something strange back here. It¡¯s a book but I can¡¯t tell what it says¡± Hannah brought over a really old dusty book that looked really thin that seemed to only be a few pages, but each page seemed¡­ Special. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Ava thought as she realized what it was for the first time. She¡¯d seen the book before but the words were abstract and her father had only laughed at her when she asked what it was. Something was clearly different now as when Hannah had brought the book over the words seemed familiar! She could tell that the words were in the dwarfen language. ¡°It¡¯s a skill book! Except¡­ Ugh. It¡¯s only useful for those of the Dwarfed race. How worthless!¡± Ava nearly threw the book at the wall when she realized what it was and how useless it would be to her unless she decided to turn herself into a dwarf! No one said anything as they could tell that Ava was extremely incensed about the book. Daichi could tell there was something special about the book but since he couldn¡¯t even read the title, he lost interest immediately. Still¡­ It was a book, and Daichi loved all books that had any sort of value. ¡°Do you not want it?¡° he asked. ¡°It¡¯s mine! I will safeguard it for now! Tch.¡± With a wave of her hand she swallowed it inside of her ring and went away to clean herself off. ¡°Why don¡¯t you all clean up a bit and then we can all talk¡± Hannah pointed out noticing that Kaden and Ava were clearly disturbed by the events that took place during the day and were reminded of them by the blood on their clothes as she looked at Daichi with blood on more places on his clothes than the others. After cleaning themselves off with some water and the towels. They tried to clean the clothes up a bit. They all grabbed some of the cans they couldn¡¯t take with them and would have to leave behind and dug in for a meal. The atmosphere was tense. Kaden seemed to be in his own world seemed perturbed while Ava merely looked lost. Hannah who had been in a mild state of shock had only really recovered as they had returned. Her concern for Kaden and the others gave her something to focus on rather than what she¡¯d seen and experienced earlier. Daichi was also seemed annoyed but unlike the others, he was annoyed with them. He was annoyed at how easily they were faltering and failing to focus on the amount of danger they were still in! After letting everyone finished their food, Daichi brought up the subject of what they were going to do next. He pointed out that there are still a lot of goblin troops wandering around and they had two very realistic options. They could kill them because they were, at least for now, the easiest targets. Even if they didn¡¯t give much experience. The other option was to leave and search for stronger monsters like the Orcs or possibly even stronger but of course that would entail more risk by a huge margin. Either way Daichi pointed out the need to get stronger. If the goal was getting stronger with minimal risk. Then the goblins were the best bet. Especially since he was sure Hannah hadn¡¯t even reached level 10. At which point he asked everyone what their levels were since it was crucial to coming up with a plan. Since he had asked everyone to reveal something person, he took the lead ¡°I¡¯m level 11 now. I just reached it during the last fight.¡± hoping they would follow along. Of course Hannah chimed in next continuing to be the peacemaker. ¡°I¡¯m level 8. I gained a level during our first encounter with the goblins.¡± even while speaking she was staring at Kaden intently watching his reactions. Even as Daichi had been speaking Kaden had been getting frustrated with him. In Kaden¡¯s mind Daichi was clearly overlooking their other, just as realistic options! They could just leave town, and search for other humans. More over there was always a wait and see tactic where they could just hide out while they had food and shelter instead of risking their lives and counting to kill. Releasing a long breath of air, ¡°I just reached level 10. No special skill or ability unlocked like you two either. Just the spiel about gods and status meh.¡± Kaden said while holding his tongue about the rest. With everyone now staring at Ava, not even looking at them she replied ¡°I¡¯m currently at level 10. I haven¡¯t leveled up, I must not have killed any strong enough goblins.¡± looking a bit more aloof to them. Sighing himself, the exhaustion and the fighting catching up to Daichi ¡°Okay, well despite the fights we¡¯re still weak. Too weak. We¡¯ll fight more goblins. In fact we should fight the goblins until we reach level 15 or so. That may not have been too bad before, but now it¡¯s barely enough to survive. In fact I doubt it is¡­ If this is the trouble we¡¯ve faced in the first two days. We need to get a lot stronger if we¡¯re going to go all the way to another town. I think everyone should think about that.¡± and that¡¯s the last thing he resolved himself to say. Everyone here wasn¡¯t of any use to Daichi unless they resolved themselves to killing goblins and even humans. If they were unwilling to what the bare minimum in order to survive, then he¡¯d either leave them or kill them himself. Daichi was being pragmatic about the necessities involved in surviving in their current scenario. Something the others seemed to be missing at the moment. After saying as much he went to go find himself a corner and got ready to get some sleep. The girls made themselves comfortable on the two couches and Kaden went to the opposite corner from Daichi to get some shut eye. ¡°Tomorrow will be more of today, now that they¡¯ve seen what they¡¯re going to have to do I hope they¡¯re ready for it.¡± was the last thing Daichi thought before he drifted off to sleep. Chapter 17 The Beginning - Strength (Part 1) Chapter 17 The Beginning - Strength (Part 1) Unable to tell time inside of the cellar, the entire group slept like logs. Once they¡¯d gotten past the anxiety of the day before and finally fell asleep, the emotional and physical exhaustion really showed the toll they¡¯d paid. As Daichi was waking up, he felt his entire body felt light, reborn.He didn¡¯t notice it yesterday when he¡¯d woken up because he was so tense and unsure of all of the new changes but since waking up in this new world he¡¯d been feeling things he hadn¡¯t in so long if ever at all. The world before was so peaceful and everyone loved their lives but Daichi didn¡¯t. He¡¯d felt stifled and bored. He didn¡¯t value the peace everyone else did, he¡¯d never known anything else enough to value it. He was constantly annoyed by how arrogant and weak everyone was, which seemed so¡­ Unnatural. Based on everything he¡¯d read, the human race had always strived towards progress in some way or another. Whether intentionally or not they always moved forward. In strife they succeeded, and Daichi considered himself so unlucky for being born in the only era where he would never get to grow and find his limits. Then this suddenly happened, he felt as if his whole fate has changed. Then for the first time since all these changes had occurred Daichi finally wondered whether his father was okay. He hadn¡¯t thought about him until now, and wondered whether he was still alive. If he was, whether he¡¯d thought about his son up until now¡­ ¡°He probably made it through. He left before me and even though the portal was further, I doubt he dallied. He definitely, maybe, made it out of town. Although I guess that doesn¡¯t necessarily mean much of anything¡± Daichi reasoned. Everyone else in the group was extremely excited to get to a town near here and meet up with other people. Daichi kept wondering whether he should point out the obvious¡­ The odds of other towns having done better than theirs wasn¡¯t any better. Especially after taking the time to think about his Touched by Chaos title. It claimed that their reality was changed on some fundamental level, if that were the case then it was extremely unlikely that the damage done to their town was limited to just them. If that were the case it was entirely possible that this damage had spread across the entire continent. What would be even worse was¡­ If that was really the case, they would encounter even more danger once they found other people. If supplies were an issue they could be in danger. Even more as they were in possession of high tiered weapons which would attract a lot of unwanted attention from other humans unless they were able to protect themselves. Daichi seemed doubtful that anyone else had even thought of that. The more he thought about it the less he wanted to be the one to point it out either after yesterday. So he decided to keep quiet. Making friends with them benefited them all. They would help one another and definitely stronger together especially they can grow to trust one another to some extent. Even if they got stronger, the only monsters they¡¯d managed to kill and not even with relative ease had been monsters that hadn¡¯t even reached the starting point for this new world¡­ He would help them get stronger as long as they helped him, and would go along with their plans as long as it was mutually beneficial. If down the line they decided to do something that put him in harm or he simply didn¡¯t agree too, he would just leave. He wasn¡¯t tied down to them and wouldn¡¯t let himself become tied down to them. ¡°No point in thinking about it this way, nothing¡¯s changed. If I want to live I have to get stronger, it¡¯s simple so I should keep it simple.¡± he figured. Sitting up and looking around, the others were finally waking up. After a light meal with the others on the couches and talking strategy, they decided to leave their packs in the cellar. No one figured they¡¯d be able to escape anytime soon so there was no point in taking them. After all, if for some reason they ran into a monster so much stronger than them that they had to flee out of the town, they might as well be dead. Grabbing their weapons and arming Hannah with her spear and two extra goblin knives, they headed off to the outside looking to hunt. This time they were prepared as they were leaving and about to exit the cellar door. Prepared for another surprise but luckily there were no monsters barring their way. In fact as they left the cellar and began wandering around town they found no monsters. The goblins and their regular scouting parties were no where to be found. Daichi was getting a bad feeling about the seemingly missing goblins as they continued. No one was saying much of anything with everyone¡¯s anxiety piling on. They decided to make their way to the center of town and if they didn¡¯t find any monsters they would start going in a semi circle and slowly work their way outwards for safety. At the center of town is where the portal used to be, finally taking a closer look they noticed the intricate carvings for the seals necessary to sustain the portal were on various pieces of rubble. It along with most things had been destroyed by the tremor. Standing a top the rubble near the tower were the first signs of monsters they¡¯d seen except it wasn¡¯t what they expected to find. Sitting in a circle was a group of Orcs. Daichi stealthily moved closer, ¡°I need to use my skill on them and figure out how strong they are.¡± he thought as he moved closer. As he ran from one from one piece of rubble to the next. He put in every once of speed into he had into every dash! Finally within ear shot, he could hear them grunting at one another. Daichi thought that it could be their language as he moved just a bit closer and activated his skill.
Orc Chieftain: Level 22
Orc Warrior: Level 16
Orc Warrior: Level 16
Orc Warrior: Level 16
¡°Only a group of four Orcs¡­ But if even I was enough to deal with small groups of goblins these orcs must be more than enough to handle the goblins with ease.¡± Daichi reasoned as he tried to calculate their strength. The levels wasn¡¯t enough to truly gauge an opponents strength after all. All three Orc Warriors looked exactly like the previous Orc. Just as ugly, with small tusks coming out of his underbite and dark pink skin with a midsize snout and disturbing yellow eyes. The chieftain looks different. His tusks are longer curving up midway to his face, and his skin is an even darker shade. ¡°I wonder whether they are born that way or whether monsters have classes like humans¡­¡± Daichi thought as he stared at the orcs. ¡°This would be a tough battle¡­ I don¡¯t think we can take them without heavy damage¡­¡± Kaden thought as he was far enough to tell that the orcs would not be easy prey while reconsidering taking action as he took into account Hannah and Ava¡¯s safety. Daichi was preparing to get back to the group, but before he could turn around he looked straight into the eyes of the chieftain and noticed him staring right back. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ¡°Damn! He sees me. Change of plans.¡± In that split second Daichi decided action was required. He¡¯d been found out and getting away would be riskier than attacking while these orcs were still slightly off guard! Not hesitating any longer he made a run for it ignoring all the cover and headed straight back to the group. ¡°He saw me! GET READY!¡± Daichi yelled as loudly as possible as he heard the chieftain grunt loudly at the other orcs and began to give chase. Their footsteps were loud and they made a straight path for Daichi. As Daichi got closer to the group he rushed right past them as the orcs closed in behind him. Kaden tried to rush one of the rushing Orcs only to get knocked back on his ass. Hannah speared that same Orc while his rush stopped only for a second and then was smacked away by the orc coming right beside him. Taking nominal damage to his shoulder the first orc just pulled the spear out and threw it to the side. Meanwhile Ava was hiding behind a piece of rubble still biding her time. Daichi couldn¡¯t tell whether she was scared or being meticulous being making a surprise attack. It seems these orcs were all going to fight with their barehands. Which was the only saving grace to this battle Daichi could find. He pulled out both of his short swords and rushed at the closest orc. Daichi raised both swords and brought them downwards with a slash aimed at both it¡¯s shoulders before getting tackled by an orc from the side. Having the wind knocked out of him, Daichi was dazed for a second before realizing the orc has knocked both swords out of his hands and was trying to take a bite out of him with it¡¯s misshapen mouth. He held it back with one hand at the neck and pulled out a knife with his right hand from his side scabbard and pierced it right through it¡¯s left eye. The orc immediately started wailing and backed up off of Daichi while trying to grab the knife in it¡¯s eye. Daichi scooted back at that moment, back still on the floor and reached out for one of his swords. As he got up off the ground go after the orc kneeling on the ground as it pulled out the knife and in the same moment Daichi swung his sword with both hands like a baseball bat and cleaved it¡¯s head off. There was no one around which was lucky for Daichi as his whole body convulsed for a second as every muscle contracted as he experienced the now almost familiar sensation of his muscles and body growing stronger. Ignoring his small fit, Daichi looked over at Kaden who was now dodging his own orc while slashing at him every time it missed to hit him. The other orc was lying dead at Hannah¡¯s feet. ¡°How did Hannah kill her orc?¡± Not getting a chance to follow that train of thought the Chieftain Orc finally made its move and started to walk towards them as it grunted at them angrily. ¡°If it¡¯s so angry why didn¡¯t it just attack with his warriors! Tch. Dumb orc.¡± Daichi thought as he stared the orc down. The orc was walking towards Daichi as his speed increased with every step it took until he was at a full sprint running towards Daichi. With his one sword he stood his ground and dug in. At the last second as the orc went to tackle him Daichi jumped to the side and let him fly right past him into the ground right in front of Ava. She finally made her move and jumped on top of the fallen orc her melt skill was works wonders as always as it was melting right through his back. It tried to move around while screaming in pain as the smell of his back being melted through created steam in the air. Just when Daichi thought that the fight was over. The orc despite the huge wounds on it¡¯s back still turned over and smacked Ava away like a fly. Sending her flying a meter before skidding on the ground. It was wailing but its eyes were still focused on Daichi. It was still shaky on it¡¯s feet, as it was wobbling on the ground and Daichi used the opportunity and went right at him. Daichi got closer and he evaded the orcs random swings towards him as he waited for his chance and finally jumped into a roll on the ground and crouched right behind him while thrusting his sword as he pierced his heart from the already open wound on its back. It didn¡¯t move for a few moments making Daichi think he¡¯d missed before he finally toppled forward face first into the ground. This time the tremor running through Daichi¡¯s body felt even stronger. His whole vision got hazy for a few moments as he almost felt he was going to pass out. Without thinking too much about it Daichi opened his window, as he gazed at the benefits from the battle.
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:13
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:90/100
Mana:430/430
Strength:17Agility:22
Vitality:10Spirit:1
Intelligence:43Wisdom:46
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:10/500
Skill(s):
Analyze
Ability:
Touch of Chaos
Inheritance:
???
Ignoring his own wandering thoughts again Daichi noticed Ava healing and walked over to her ¡°Thanks. I was a goner without your help on that one.¡± Daichi was speaking honestly. If not her for her there was no way he would have been able to deal enough damage to that one orc in a one on one battle. As her healing glow finally diminished she looked up at him with an annoyed expression ¡°Hmph. You stole my experience!¡± Eh? ¡°I didn¡¯t mean too!¡± he immediately called back ¡°Hmph. Whatever. You owe me now.¡± Turning her head to the side with an irritated expression Daichi could only sigh in defeat. Meanwhile it seemed Kaden¡¯s Orc had also met it¡¯s end, looking over it had slash wounds all over it¡¯s front but nothing deep enough that would indicate a fatal wound. Looking at Hannah and Kaden a bit puzzled Hannah looked at Daichi, then glanced down and in a soft voice ¡°I did it. It seems¡­ I¡¯ve developed a new Ability.¡± Chapter 18 The Beginning - Strength (Part 2) Chapter 18 The Beginning - Strength (Part 2) Just as I finally finished the first goblin the first convulsions happened. My muscles contracted but it was worse than before. It was almost overwhelming before I returned to normal if not a little breathless.
You have now Created Ability: Death Follows Ability was created through the use of Mana manipulation & Attribute affinity: Death
The information just flowed into my mind as I realized it was a name for the technique I¡¯d just used. The information appearing in my mind was a little disorienting, but if this ability is what I¡¯ve been using until now, then just thinking about the ability should trigger it¡¯s affect. I have to focus, if I don¡¯t focus something could happen to Kaden! He¡¯s doing well but he¡¯s never going to defeat that orc like that and just one hit from that orc is going to seriously hurt him! He never thinks about these things! Rushing in behind the orc trying to take it by surprise I get knocked back by him as I run into him by accident. On the floor he finally notices me but it¡¯s too late, my hand is touching his leg and I activate the new ability and I can feel all of his mana being enshrouded by my mana and my mana emanating death as his life vanishes until only death remains. The second he falls forward I let go of him immediately. I hate how this feels! I hate how good it feels while my attribute is summoned. I feel cold and scared but in control and powerful at the same time, and every time I use this ability I can already tell I feel a little more indifferent about the life I take. When I first used this skill by accident during the first goblin attack I didn¡¯t know what I was doing, but now that I¡¯m doing it on purpose¡­ I can¡¯t help but feel guilty. I¡¯ve never heard of another human having the death attribute. Looking up at Kaden as he helps me up I can¡¯t meet his eyes. Until I feel Daichi¡¯s eyes on me, and noticing what he¡¯s looking at and the way he¡¯s looking at Kaden and I¡­ I speak up, sooner or later I would have told them. They deserve to know. It might as well be now. Not being able to look them in eyes while I say it, in a soft voice I mumble ¡°I did it. It seems¡­ I¡¯ve developed a new Ability.¡± Waiting for all the questions I know they have, I try to calm down my feelings. I can¡¯t always be overwhelmed. I won¡¯t be able to help Kaden when he really needs it if I don¡¯t get myself under control! Instead of waiting for the questions. I steady myself and taking a huge breath of air, I say everything I know and that I¡¯ve been holding back ¡°I have the Death attribute. I didn¡¯t know what I¡¯d done the first time, but I created an Ability by tying my attribute to a method of mana control or at least that¡¯s what the window just said. Oh and I just reached level 10!¡± I open my window while they¡¯re thinking.
-Status-
Name:Hannah Guresu
Class:None
Level:10
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Lucky Survivor, Death¡¯s Harbinger
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Death
Health:96/100
Mana:478/490
Strength:5Agility:6
Vitality:5Spirit:1
Intelligence:39(+10)Wisdom:30
Aptitude:23(+25+5)Ability:10/500
Skill(s):
None
Ability:
Death Follows
Inheritance:
None
Thinking about whether I want to know. I know I don¡¯t have much of a choice. I check my new *Title*
Death¡¯s Harbinger: Achieved by enshrouding a living being¡¯s life with death aura resulting in it¡¯s death. You are living-death. Aptitude +5 Intelligence +10
I feel a little nauseous about this ominous title¡­ Yet it¡¯s pretty much what I expected. It¡¯s literally what I did. I check my hopefully more optimistic *Title*
Lucky Survivor: In the midst of death and chaos you remain unscathed. As a Lucky Survivor your luck lies in your ability to evade death. Aptitude +25
Oh? Well that¡¯s good news, definitely compared to the rest, but I get the feeling I got that title because of my attribute, or maybe my attribute because of my title? Ugh¡­ Confusing to think about¡­ Steadying myself for more news of the nauseating-variety I think about my *Ability*
Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Level:Active Ability:
Death FollowsSpecial(Max)Mana Cost: Varies
You enshroud your opponents Mana with your own then trigger your Death attribute to cause instant death to your target. Restrictions: Must have more mana than target.
As expected, if anything this didn¡¯t tell me something new and horrific so it¡¯s the best news so far. Thinking about how nothing scary or incredulous popped up this time around I let out a breath of air I didn¡¯t realize I was still keeping. Looking at me with a big smile and wide eyes ¡°Well that good news. Seems like it¡¯s similar to Ava¡¯s skill but more effective, I suppose it¡¯s because it¡¯s more suited to be a combat skill. If it¡¯s instantaneous then you might end up being our trump card when our backs are against the wall. How much mana does it use?¡± Daichi asked. ¡°Uhh¡­ It depends on how much mana my opponent has, I have to use more than hit has in general in it¡¯s body¡± I reply not meeting his eyes but feeling happy he¡¯s not looking at me like a freak or angry for having this ability. ¡°Well if it¡¯s based on an opponents mana, how much do you have left from taking out, what I¡¯m assuming was both of those Orcs?¡± he asked with the same excited tone of voice as before. ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± Checking my status window again I open my eyes wide realizing how much mana I have left! ¡°Ah, I only used up 12 mana. I guess orcs don¡¯t have much mana in their bodies?¡± I say and risk a glance in his direction. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°INCREDIBLE!¡± He shouts and comes over and grabs my hands all of a sudden making me super nervous and uncomfortable. I mean i don¡¯t hate it or anything but this is super sudden! ¡°Basically any non magic creature is a goner with this move! and all you have to do is get a touch in! As long as the opponent isn¡¯t ridiculously stronger we can win, worst case scenario with our backs against the walls all of us can act like shields and hold an opponent back long enough for you to activate your skill! This is incredible Hannah!¡± Giving me a big hug I feel like fainting. What¡¯s he doing!? My mind is going blank. Should I push him off? What do I say? Does he like me? Can he tell if I¡¯m blushing? Oh my god, I haven¡¯t showered properly in days! What if he thinks I smell bad or something? This is terrible! I push him back and quickly move backwards. ¡°Oh! Ah! I¡¯m sorry!¡± He says and bows at me. ¡°No no! It¡¯s fine! it was just so sudden.¡± I turn to look at Kaden to see if he¡¯s angry but he¡¯s just standing to the side looking away from us. Hmm¡­ He looks so distant¡­ I wonder what¡¯s wrong? I told him about this skill the night after the first goblin attack. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be mad at me for this. I know I can trust him, what¡¯s bothering him? ¡°Okay new plan, from now on when we fight we break off into pairs. I¡¯ll attack and hold back my opponent and Hannah can use her skill, and we¡¯ll split kills. Ava and Kaden you two can stick together and anyone Ava can¡¯t finish Kaden can take out in a cinch.¡± The frown on Kaden¡¯s face lessened into one of neutrality. Even now the mention of extra time with Ava still seems to calm him down. That¡¯s a little reassuring¡­ With my ability being revealed to the others, we went about finding goblins or more orcs. Without expending too much energy what we found were the corpses of various groups of goblins near the center of town. It looked like the goblins were killed by orcs due to how they were seemingly ripped to shreds. I felt strangely calm about the whole sight. Days ago this would¡¯ve completely freaked me out and today I just feel calm. Kaden and Ava are having a rough time with the sight but Daichi looks indifferent as always. I wonder if maybe the same thing that¡¯s happening to me is happening to him¡­ After walking around all the corpses we ran into a small group of goblins. Somehow even though it was my first fight with them, I didn¡¯t panic. Although they¡¯re ugly and their loud high pitched squeaks were unnerving, they weren¡¯t nearly as terrifying as the creepy orc men. We dispatched of the first group without anyone taking a single hit. I happened to kill 3 with my ability, daichi kicked them to the ground where I would simply have to touch them, and after seeing my ability they would begin to panic and Daichi would kill off the rest. The second group of goblins we ran into was much larger. We all got a chance to fight, we used the same strategy except Kaden and Ava fought their own separate group while we took care of our own. On our third group of goblins we ran into some problems, it seemed they were all higher level than the average at 9, and all of them had weapons, without meaning too I happened to trip mid fight and got stabbed in the shoulder. It hurt so much I thought I was going to pass out. Definitely not something I want to experience again. Luckily Daichi stepped in and kept me okay. Ava didn¡¯t fair much better also fighting melee with a skill and took some serious damage, but seeing as how she was still carrying about some heal potions we were both back to tip top shape before the battle even ended. I was actually surprised how well I kept myself together in the middle of the fight. After three battles, according to Daichi I had defeated 5 level 6 Goblin Scouts and 3 level 8 Goblin Warriors. I also leveled up twice and reached level 13. Daichi said he leveled up to reach level 14 and Ava mentioned how she leveled up to 11. She actually jumped up in joy, apparently it¡¯s been slower for her to get stronger for some reason. It was only after the fights were over that I begun to get freaked out about how calm I was being despite killing so many living beings. Which made me think about what Kaden and Ava were saying last night¡­ I feel as if I¡¯m more like Daichi and I don¡¯t know if I want to be when it comes to this. These lives matter and I should be more bothered about killing them, even if it doesn¡¯t change anything. I shouldn¡¯t get rid of the mentality I had before all of this happened so quickly and easily. After all this, we decided to call it a day and head back and get some rest in the cellar. We ate and all wanted a little space to ourselves. Finally getting the chance to think and sort out my feelings. I remember when our parents died. Our entire lives changed overnight, and everyone tried to make it easier. Kaden had it rough but I could tell how grateful he was to everyone that helped, It made it easier for him. I hated it. I could tell that they weren¡¯t really trying to help, they were trying to make themselves look better in front of everyone else, and I hated them for it. I could tell by the way they looked at us how little anyone cared about us. The moment our parents died I lost the two people that I could count on and a little piece of me died along with them, I just didn¡¯t know it until all of this happened. Kaden is trying to make the best of it, but he¡¯s struggling already. I wish this were harder on me. I wish I could relate to how he¡¯s feeling more than I can. I wish I could help him somehow. Instead I¡¯ feel cold. I feel cold because until this happened I didn¡¯t realize how mad at the world I was and how little this really changes things for us. It¡¯s still just Kaden and me. Even Chloe, my best friend never really knew me. After the initial shock i realized that I didn¡¯t feel the same way or even close to how I felt when my parents died. Opening my status window one more time, I look at the changes that happened today.
-Status-
Name:Hannah Guresu
Class:None
Level:12
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Lucky Survivor, Death¡¯s Harbinger
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Death
Health:100/100
Mana:530/530
Strength:5Agility:6
Vitality:5Spirit:1
Intelligence:43(+10)Wisdom:30
Aptitude:23(+25+5)Ability:12/500
Skill(s):
None
Ability:
Death Follows
Inheritance:
None
Finally getting tired and getting closer and closer to getting some rest I had one final thought before falling asleep: I¡¯m getting used to killing and even though I don¡¯t think I should, and even though I don¡¯t want too, if this¡¯ll help me protect Kaden then I¡¯ll do whatever it takes. Chapter 19 The Beginning - Strength (Part 3) Chapter 19 The Beginning - Strength (Part 3) Feeling revitalized Daichi opened his eyes and thought about the previous day. So many gains. It also felt like everyone was getting more accustomed to killing monsters. Now that Hannah had almost instantly become the strongest in the group. At the very least with her overpowered ability, their entire hunting strategy has changed. ¡°I¡¯m also interested in how she created her ability. She didn¡¯t gain it, but created it and then it was acknowledged¡­¡± ¡°That might mean that I can create my own ability, or that abilities and skills may possibly be created through manipulating mana in different ways, the question is just whether that¡¯s only possible through your own attribute. I think it¡¯s probably not that hard when it comes to death, regardless of how creative you get in the end death is death. What the hell do I do with Chaos though? I¡¯ve never even heard of anyone or anything anywhere that I¡¯ve read about Chaos being an attribute. Now I just have to decide whether I should share this with the others and have them try and come up with abilities of their own this way and take time off from hunting or whether to keep at it as we are now¡­ It¡¯s more dangerous if we continue without a long range fighter to help cover us, but at this point everyone is moderately strong as it is. Hmm¡­ I¡¯ll wait until I¡¯m stronger. I still don¡¯t trust them enough to allow them to get stronger than me so quickly.¡± Daichi contemplated the possibilities available to him and how to make his next move. After everyone woke up, they discussed their plan to continue like they did yesterday. Instead of having a formal discussion it was quickly agreed. Everyone seemed to understand some of the benefits from leveling up. Ava on the other hand decided to skip hunting today with them and instead focus on trying to come up with a more effective way for her to battle, even as she¡¯d spoken the words Daichi thought ¡°Probably because she must be running low on heal potions¡­¡± With just three of them going today they would then focus on hunting smaller units. They circled around town and found a surprising number of Orc groups and Goblin groups without too much effort. Finding it surprising Daichi decided to tell the others to cut the hunting plan for now and to just observe. It was strange to see so many different monsters. Especially the Orcs. Up until now they had only run into one group and a solo orc. Not taking long they noticed two groups of Orcs and Goblins are engaged in battle. Using his Analyze skill Daichi got a handle for their power and realized that all of the Orcs were on average much stronger than the Goblins. 6 Orcs all around level 14-18 vs 20 Goblins all around level 7-10. ¡°It must be a territory dispute which works perfectly for us. The Goblins almost always lose so we allow them to be cannon fodder for the Orcs and after the Orcs have won we rush in and attack the Orcs who¡¯ve been weakened.¡± Daichi whispered to the others as his eyes glowed with excitement. Although hunting such a large number of monsters would have been very risky in any other situation, this had become an opportunity now that these two groups of monsters had begun to engage in battle with one another. As soon as the goblins were wiped out by the orcs the three of them sprung into action at Daichi¡¯s signal. Each one of them performing a sneak attack on one of the hurt orcs and each of them getting a one hit kill. The orcs were celebrating their victory and were not expecting to be blindsided by another enemy so quickly after their battle! Daichi decapitated an Orc, Kaden pierced his through the back of the head and Hannah just got close enough to get a touch in. Even the last three were no problem as each of them handled their own with only some minimal difficulty compared to the first two days. Daichi fought his head on and after evading his hits he waited for the perfect moment to strike and decapitate him as well. Kaden used a similar strategy and instead lacerated the neck of his Orc before piercing him through the eyeball and well into it¡¯s brain. Hannah just let it get near her while trying to maintain her composure and touched it¡¯s arm when it lowered it¡¯s guard due to her vulnerability. It had been the easiest battle they¡¯d gone through up until now. Except while basking in the glow of their victory they failed to notice how crucial it was that not only had they taken advantage of an opportunity, but that they did so with no hesitation and together. If they had attacked this group of orcs individually, they would have been surrounded and killed. If any of them had hesitated in attacking when the orcs had been vulnerable, they would have lost their opportunity to kill an orc and only face one instead of two or more each. They had gotten lucky, but they had performed without hesitation, by pushing their fears and concerns to the side. All three of them had managed to reap the benefits of seasoned warriors. Being pushed into their current state of life or death peril, they were maturing at an astonishing pace. Instead of resting, they headed off to find more prey. They found a group of goblins within minutes but decided not to bother with them considering that it seemed to them, like killing monsters weaker than them wasn¡¯t very efficient in gaining strength. They ran a greater risk of getting harmed when there are so many of them as well. They heard high pitched squeals and noticed the goblin group running in a certain direction. Finding it a little odd they tried to follow them discretely only to be led to another Orc and Goblin battle! This time around the orcs were being overwhelmed by the sheer number of goblins! There was another group of 6 orcs but over 30 goblins! Multiple goblins on top of each of the orcs backs while the orcs were busy trying to swat them away, but for every goblin they hit more climbed on top of them. Finding the opportunity wonderful, Daichi couldn¡¯t resist but give a nod to the others and heading in behind some of the goblins that had been smacked away a good distance from the main fight. These were the goblins that at every opportunity, they picked off individually. After the goblins were hurt and knocked down, they struck at them and killed them while returning to cover trying to remain unnoticed for as long as possible. They managed to kill around 9 goblins before they were even noticed. Some of the goblins tried to attack them but were already ineffective as the three of them killed another 3 before the orcs had finished the rest of the goblins at the cost of 4 of their lives. Leaving one of the orcs to Kaden and Hannah, Daichi attacked the closest one to himself. It was already on its knees. Small bites and cuts all over its body, it was just so defenseless as Daichi stared at it like the prey it was, and finished it off with one swing of his sword. Daichi basked in the feeling of his muscles twitching and squirming as the pain assaulted him. It longer fazed him like before. Daichi was growing accustomed to this pain and intertwining it with the feeling of victory! The sensation faded away and Daichi noticed the Orc he¡¯d left to the others staggering trying to hit Kaden but failing miserably to keep up with him as Hannah cautiously closed in on it. Noticing their prudent combination, Daichi stopped paying attention to them and started thinking about his own strength as he opened his If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:15
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:100/100
Mana:450/450
Strength:17Agility:22
Vitality:10Spirit:5
Intelligence:45Wisdom:48
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:15/500
Skill(s):
Analyze
Ability:
Touch of Chaos
Inheritance:
???
Daichi found it a little strange as he noticed his spirit increasing. Perhaps it had something to do with his tenacity and will power. After all the orcs and goblins weren¡¯t known for anything except their strength and vitality at most. They continued on for the rest of the morning fighting orcs in battle with goblins and swooping in at the last moment to kill as many as possible as they were close to death! Despite how brazen they were being. It turned out to be the most effective form of leveling for them. Even more so with the sheer number of orcs and goblins that even with their interference. Since they didn¡¯t leave any witnesses alive, they continued to thrive under these conditions. More over with their poaching style of fighting, they weren¡¯t taking any heavy damage unlike before. During the afternoon nothing much changed, except they have to take a longer break to get their energy back up from all the battles in the morning. After finding another group in combat and swooping in for the kills Daichi leveled up yet again, as he enjoyed the excruciating feeling of his muscles tearing and reshaping at a molecular level. It was at this moment that something happened, suddenly Daichi¡¯s perception of his surroundings drastically increased. It seemed to him as if the world was slightly bright and his senses slightly more alert! Wondering what had caused this sudden increase in his senses, Daichi hurriedly opened his
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:17
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:100/100
Mana:450/450
Strength:17Agility:22
Vitality:10Spirit:9
Intelligence:47Wisdom:50
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:17/500
Skill(s):
Perception Analyze
Ability:
Touch of Chaos
Inheritance:
???
Then immediately focus on his new ¡°skill¡±.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Passive Skill:
PerceptionCommon(Max)Mana Cost: 0
This skill will passively allow you to have a greater grasp and control of Mana. This skill will allow you to more easily create Mana based skills.
¡°Ugh! Okay¡­ So this is probably pretty helpful to most people but useless to me since I have no idea how to harness mana in any way nor do I do even know how to touch upon my attribute. The skill is also common so it¡¯s probably a skill that most if not all people get if they reach 50 in Wisdom. Which I guess for most people is normally hard.¡± Daichi thought as he considered how it was still useful. Perhaps when humans reached certain physical or mental checkpoints in their lives, their conditions took an abrupt change for the better, and when it happened it was registered as a ¡°skill¡± by this ¡°status¡± spell. After all, it seemed like all the status spell really did, was quantify a persons abilities and qualities. After finishing their orc the others walk up to Daichi with Hannah smiling and Kaden not looking too moody. ¡°So did you two level up or something?¡± Daichi asked casually. ¡°Yep! I reached level 15! Kaden reached 13!¡± Hannah exclaimed. Daichi nodded his head at both of them. ¡°I¡¯m pretty content at the moment. It¡¯s been a good day, our efforts have been well rewarded.¡± Daichi told them as he felt slightly at ease. Chapter 20 The Beginning - Strength (Part 4) Chapter 20 The Beginning - Strength (Part 4) Noticing the sun was going to set soon Daichi began thinking about whether they should quit while they were ahead or look around some more. They hadn¡¯t been out of the cellar past sun set at all yet. Looking at both Hannah and Kaden chat happily about their growing strength, Daichi decided to ask them their thoughts. ¡°We could head back now like usually, or do you guys want to try and look around, see what happens after the sun sets? I think we¡¯ve gotten a good deal stronger than before. We definitely shouldn¡¯t engage in needless combat but it might be a good to explore some more.¡± Daichi asked, trying to gauge their reactions to his suggestion. Hannah looked surprisingly calm, her expression didn¡¯t change much. She looked like she was deeply considering it. Kaden on the other hand immediately showed his thoughts and his apprehension in his expression. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should do it. Yeah we¡¯ve gotten a bit stronger, but the only reason today was so easy was because all the monsters were fighting each other and we took that opportunity and made it ours. If either group decided to just focus on us it would not have been anywhere near as easy and the smallest mistake could still cost us our lives. Plus Hannah hasn¡¯t been putting much effort into increasing her speed, if we have to run at night and can¡¯t even see well, forget about her being able to run away. She¡¯s likely to trip on her first few steps.¡± Kaden pointed out Giving him a death stare Hannah rebuked him almost immediately ¡°I think I will be fine thank you very much! Uhm¡­ If you two want to look around some more I¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯m barely tired after that last fight too.¡± again not making eye contact with Daichi Hmm¡­ Daichi pondered¡­ ¡°Okay never mind. We¡¯ll go about this differently. You¡¯re right, Hannah doesn¡¯t have enough speed since she¡¯s been focusing on her skill. Let¡¯s go back.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll go back to the cellar. Once we¡¯re there though, I¡¯ll go out for a look by myself. I¡¯ve already started to feel kind of strange as it is being around people for this long. It¡¯ll be refreshing to spend some time alone.¡± Daichi decided in his mind, which was the reason he agreed so promptly to Kaden¡¯s suggestion. Nodding at Daichi they both agreed, but Hannah looked a little bit disappointed. She was disappointed that they had decided to go back likely solely because of her. Feeling like a weight around their ankles, she felt like a burden instead of an asset at the moment. They headed back to the cellar and for the first time they noticed a few goblins around the residential district. They avoided them so as to not draw any attention to the area they were hiding out in, but Daichi found it a bit strange that they¡¯d be in this area when they had avoided the area in the first place. ¡°Although it might just be because we¡¯ve taken out so many orcs today, which may have been the deterrent to them coming to this area somehow¡­ Or perhaps it¡¯s maybe just because of all the battles in the surrounding areas that these goblins are the cowardly sort?¡± Daichi tried to figure it out as they walked back in silence. After they got to the cellar, it opened by itself. Ava gave them a crystal which was similar to a key. Just by being in front of the cellar doors, the crystal would trigger the doors to open. It was necessary since she wasn¡¯t coming with them earlier. As Kaden and Hannah start heading down Hannah looked back and noticed that Daichi was not following them down. ¡°I¡¯m going to go take a look around. I won¡¯t engage in combat. I just think it¡¯s best that we gather more information. We still don¡¯t know much and we definitely have to stay ahead of the orcs and goblins.¡± Daichi nodded at them and before he could give them a chance to say anything back, he started walking away. Even as he was walking away he thought ¡°I¡¯m sure if I give them the chance at least Hannah will try to talk me out of going.¡± Stepping away from the doors they immediately started to close, stopping Hannah in mid-sentence, not that Daichi heard what she was saying anyways. Feeling a breeze, Daichi feel lighter. Being with the others made things safer, but it also meant less experience, less kills, less opportunity to get stronger. Daichi was focused on making himself strong so naturally his thoughts reflected that much ¡°I¡¯ll definitely go take a look around like I said¡­ But if I run across anyone I think I can beat, well I¡¯m not just going to let walking stat points just walk away¡­ Hehe¡­¡± Feeling giddy Daichi started walking around the residential area. Not coming across anyone at first. As the sun was setting and the moons began to rise. The climate started to change and it started to feel colder very quickly. Not too long afterwards Daichi noticed a small batch of goblins laying down on the ground right outside the residential district, asleep and defensive¡­ Their lackadaisical behavior made him wonder if it was a trap¡­ He¡¯d circled around the residential areas up until this point to verify how safe they were, but now that he¡¯d come across a few bundles of sleeping experience¡­. ¡°Too easy¡­Still¡­ Opportunity right?¡± Daichi couldn¡¯t resist himself and began to prepare himself. He took out his knives instead of his swords and crept closer to them and as he triggered .
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
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Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
Goblin Warrior: Level 9
¡°Eh¡­ Strong group¡­ Strong group for goblins¡­ Easy experience for me. Even if they were awake I could take them as I am now¡­ So no wasted opportunities for me!¡± Daichi got closer and closer not wanting to make any noise. Finally behind one of them, He put one of his knives away and grab its mouth while simultaneously slitting it¡¯s throat and then stabbing him through the eyeball. Almost no noise¡­ None of them woke up. Daichi shifted around to the next one and the next one and then the next one. Each one died without so much as a grunt. While it was not much for experience, it took barely any effort on his part. Feeling excited about how easy it was he left the bodies as they were and walked away. He started heading away from the residential district instead of looping back in. Instead of heading for the middle of town he decided to head out of town instead. ¡°I¡¯ll head north and see what I can find.¡± At the very north of town there was a cliff that overlooked the forest. That forrest leads to the mountains ahead of them. It was a beautiful sight, but it was also one of the towns advantageous points. The town itself was actually built in a strategic position, with a cliff and a natural wall as a barrier on the north, and forestry to the east and west. ¡°After all these goblins and orcs have to be coming from somewhere. If they have leaders then they must all report back or meet up with them at some point somewhere.¡± Walking along a path with least about of rubble. Daichi started to wonder what he was doing. ¡°I¡¯ve never had a goal in my life, and if I did it would have been something like this. A life where everyday I woke up excited. Except now that I¡¯m living some form of that I feel as if I need a new goal. I need to change and adapt to this new world as well. Just being willing to do what¡¯s necessary is not going to get be very far here. I need a goal and I need to change, and actually do something about reaching my goal. In the past I lost count of how many times I complained about my status window and my boredom. I also never did anything about it though, I guess because my dad always told me to have patience and to be good. For now, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a concept of good or bad, right and wrong that applies here. I¡¯ll make finding out the answers to all the questions this incident caused. About my status window, my attribute, everything. That¡¯ll be my goal. I¡¯ll aim for answers.¡± Feeling a sense of accomplishment at his new resolution. Daichi was in a daze before he realized how strange the sight before him actually was. Without realizing it he was walking towards the lights. ¡°Why are there lights?¡± The moonlight guiding him as he intrinsically walked over the hill to the top in at the very edge of the town. He looked down and over at the forest engulfed in fire. In that fire hordes of monsters were slaughtering each other. Thousands of monsters laying waste to one another and being engulfed by flames. Sweat trickling down his brow Daichi watched in trapped horror and fascination. The sheer number of these monsters would be terrifying by itself but without even needing his skill Daichi could tell there were Elemental Beasts, packs of Demon Wolves, Ogres, and Hellfire spawns. The lineup he could make out was enough to render him speechless and incapable of moving. These were monsters he¡¯d only seen in books or some, so rare that he¡¯d only read their description much less seen a picture. Staring out at this horror before him his mind went blank. Daichi¡¯s heart beating faster and faster until his own heartbeat woke his mind from it¡¯s stupor. ¡°Incredible. This is incredible.¡± His fascination striking a thought first before being followed up with a nauseating feeling of self-deprecating annoyance at his own lack of strength. ¡°If I were strong enough I could join in on this blood bath. If I were strong enough I could slaughter my way through every single monster there.¡± Feeling his blood boil and the hairs on his body stand at attention. Daichi followed his thoughts. ¡°If I had the strength I could make this world mine. I could make everything mine. If I had the strength¡­¡± Daichi¡¯s thoughts ending as all he could feel and think now was how much he wanted to kill everything in front of him. He just wanted to kill and kill and feel the blood spray on his body as proof that it was him. Unintentional taking a step forward, his foot hovered over the cliff¡­
Ability Created: Bloodlust Aura Created through the singular focused thought of killing and mana release.
¡°Eh.¡± Daichi¡¯s thoughts suddenly less jumbled and now confused as he lost sight of himself for a second as he saw that information in his mind. Chapter 21 The Beginning - The First Step towards Evolution (Part 1) Chapter 21 The Beginning - The First Step towards Evolution(Part 1) Suddenly staring blankly as the information flowed through his mind. Daichi realized how engrossed he¡¯d been in his thoughts of killing that he¡¯d lost sight of himself. ¡°That¡¯s never happened before, but it was a strangely invigorating sensation. I felt pure excitement. I recognize what I just did, I focused all of my thoughts and feelings into a singular point inside of me which was a representation of my greatest desire. That must mean, that bloodlust is the excitement and desire to kill.¡± Daichi realized he¡¯d just learned something useful for the future and himself. Calming down. He opened his window to confirm his thoughts and take a peek
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:17
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:100/100
Mana:470/470
Strength:17Agility:22
Vitality:10Spirit:9
Intelligence:47Wisdom:50
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:17/500
Skill(s):
Perception Analyze
Ability:
Touch of Chaos Bloodlust: Aura
Inheritance:
???
Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Level:Active/Passive Ability:
Bloodlust: AuraRare1Mana Cost: Varies
Release mana with blood in mind. An invisible red aura that smells and reeks of blood is released. Effect: All nearby living beings are struck with fear - Amount of fear is dependent on strength of creatures affected in comparison to user. Growth: Intensity and weariness/fear is dependent on amount of life taken
¡°Hmm. I was half right, somehow without realizing it I started to release mana? I¡¯m not even sure how I did that yet. It seems there¡¯s still some basic things I should have bothered to ask Hannah after all.¡± Looking down at the carnage with a more distant gaze, Daichi acknowledged that the place he¡¯d called home his entire life would soon be gone and likely turned into a bloody fiery hell like that one down below. ¡°No point in wasting more time. I¡¯ll get as many kills around here as possible and get back to the cellar. It¡¯s time we move out. Even if we¡¯re not ready it doesn¡¯t seem like we have much of a choice.¡± Then a chilling thought popped into Daichi¡¯s mind. ¡°What if all this carnage isn¡¯t just occurring down there? What if it¡¯s happening in areas all around town? If that were the case¡­ No time to waste¡± Taking one last glance at the fighting down below, Daichi turned around and started running back the way he¡¯d come. ¡°I need to check out as much of our surroundings as possible.¡± Making more noise than he would have preferred Daichi ran while hoping there was nothing around. He got through to the center of town before running past something and making eye contact. The eye contact was enough to stop him at a dead-run. Staring at it as it was still in the shadows Daichi¡¯s mind blanked out for a second before he suddenly come back to himself. He activated his skill.
Lesser Named Demon: Gorath Level: 32
Staring into it¡¯s all black eyes and gargoyle like appearance, if a gargoyle had been splattered in blood Daichi¡¯s mouth went dry. ¡°Level 32¡­¡± Before getting a chance to react the demon appeared before him and kicked Daichi in the chest sending him flying meters backwards before Daichi could even react to his movement! Daichi hit the gravel and rolled five times before coming to a stop. Trying to get up, Daichi felt completely out of breath. Even as he tried to fight the pain, he realized that the demon hadn¡¯t moved. It¡¯s leg still in the air. Still staring at Daichi with what he could have been mistaking for a sneer considering the situation. Finally catching his breath, Daichi saw a few seconds later all it had done was lower it¡¯s leg back down while not blinking even once. ¡°Serious. This is serious. Even if I wanted to run based on the speed it just showed me there¡¯s no way that I could. So the only choice left is to fight.¡± Daichi felt overwhelming disappointed at his bad luck, even as he made up his mind to fight he knew that the odds were definitely not stacked in his favor. Getting up off his knees and onto his feet Daichi slowly pulled out both blades from his scabbards and activated his ability focusing his entire thoughts not on surviving but rather killing this demon in front of him. Suddenly all the apprehension he was feeling moments ago disappeared leaving only a desire to kill. ¡°I¡¯ve never wanted to do anything so badly in my life before. It¡¯s like my very skin is tingling and reacting to my very desire.¡± Daichi didn¡¯t even realizing the veins in his eyes popping causing his eyes to turn bloodshot giving him a wild and unhinged appearance. The demon finally changed expressions at this sudden change but remained unmoving. Daichi began his charge towards the demon ¡°Arrghhhhhh!!!¡± Screaming at the top of his lungs he turned his body mid run and rotated his hips while reaching back and with all his strength launched one of the swords right at the demon while putting all of his weight into his front foot for balance and support using that as a platform to begin a sudden dash straight at him again trying to catch up to the speed of the thrown sword. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. The demon dodged the sword to its left as Daichi arrived in front of it swinging his remaining sword downwards trying to slash its shoulder clean off. He took a few quick paces back easily dodging Daichi¡¯s sword. Daichi remained unfazed and continued his attack swinging wildly at it, ¡°I want to kill it, I have to kill it, it needs to die, I need to be the one to kill it.¡± Thoughts of its death and blood running down his sword further fueling his body as he slasedh at it non stop. Every time it dodged, Daichi switched positions and pursued slashing and slashing, dodge, slash, dodge, slash. ¡°I¡¯m getting angry. It won¡¯t let me kill it! Why won¡¯t it stand still and let me kill it! Doesn¡¯t it understand I need to kill it!? I need to cut into a million pieces until I can¡¯t count them anymore!¡± Daichi slashed again while pulling daggers out of their sheathes and throwing them at the demon in-between slashes. Dodging non stop, it¡¯ continued to utilize footwork to evade every single attack. Daichi moved in closer and thrust his sword. ¡°If I can¡¯t cut it I¡¯ll pierce it! I¡¯ll stab until there¡¯s nothing but a hole where it¡¯s chest used to be!¡± Putting all his strength and speed into his thrust the demon waited until the last moment spinning around and evading Daichi¡¯s thrust and then hitting him in the back of the head forcing Daichi¡¯s face head first into the ground. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I hit it!? It should be dead! It¡¯s not dead! It needs to die!!¡± Feeling pressure on his back Daichi tried stand up, but his body wouldn¡¯t budge. His back felt numb and he could hear crunching noises. ¡°Are these crunching noises the bones of this demon being mashed into pieces?¡± Finally Daichi¡¯s bloodlust began to clear up and all he felt was numb. Numbness. ¡°I don¡¯t think those were his bones, that doesn¡¯t even make sense. Did he crack my spine? Why can¡¯t I feel anything?¡± he tilt his head to the side and couldn¡¯t see anything. ¡°Have I gone blind? No that¡¯s not it. My eyes are closed. That was a scary thought.¡± Although his spine was likely broken, Daichi couldn¡¯t feel a thing but was still wondering what his odds of defeating the demon were. Even now he hadn¡¯t given up on survival! Except as the feeling of numbness and nothing else persisted and nothing else changed. Daichi¡¯s thoughts of survival started to fade away. ¡°So this is how I die? Thinking about my life ending like this, it feels like such a ridiculous joke. After everything that¡¯s happened recently I get killed because I¡¯m running too quickly trying to do something good for everyone. Well, and myself. Still, this feels like a karmic joke. I feel so numb I¡¯m wondering if that¡¯s why I¡¯m not afraid.¡± He waited for something to happen. For pain or even for life to end. Something. Anything. The more he waited the more confused he felt and the more that anxiety started to bubble up to the surface. ¡°I thought I¡¯d come to terms with this, but what the hell? What if I end up paralyzed and I just die of starvation or dehydration. Impossible, I¡¯m make a decent meal for some other monster long before that ever happened. Is that why I¡¯m not dead? Is the demon planning on eating me?¡± Feeling like an eternity had passed Daichi finally began to start thinking about what to do. ¡°If I¡¯m not going to die, then I have to figure out how to survive and get out of this. I¡¯m numb, I can¡¯t feel anything and can¡¯t move. I have my skills and abilities, those are the only things left to me. My status screen!¡± Daichi summoned his status screen but nothing happened. This had never happened! ¡°No, wait it has. During the event that caused all of the destruction I was numb, kind of like this and I couldn¡¯t summon my status screen for a while. Is this the same?¡± Thinking about his skills and abilities, ¡°I can¡¯t use analyze without my eyes, I can¡¯t use Touch of Chaos yet, Bloodlust: Aura would be worthless and if it did work it might just make me go insane without a target to focus it on. I still have the perception skill!¡± He focused his mind on the skill and tried to activate it. Nothing happened. ¡°Fuck. It was a passive skill. No wonder I can¡¯t activate it, but if it¡¯s a passive that means it¡¯s effects would still feel more prominent if I¡¯m focusing on the skill.¡± Focusing on the the skill he tried to do exactly what he remembered it did. He tried to focus on his mana. He focused within himself and tried to feel even a speck of his own energy flowing within the mana channels in his body. He calmed himself and began to focus on sensing everything in his body. Since he couldn¡¯t feel his body itself right now it didn¡¯t take long for him to start feeling something different and new. I ¡°I¡¯ve never felt this energy before. It¡¯s volatile and chaotic. It¡¯s aggressive and explosive.¡± The second he focused on a specific bit of this energy it felt like a loud exploding sound went off in his brain and he lost all focus. He tried to reorganize his thoughts. ¡°I know this has to be my mana. I can feel my mana¡¯s presence now but I can¡¯t utilize it in any way since it seemingly won¡¯t let me. If I can¡¯t use it because it¡¯s so volatile then I have to tame it. I¡¯ll force it to obey!¡± ¡­ I start focusing on sensing my mana again, feeling the chaotic energy flowing around me. I begin to understand as I grasp that I am consciously inside a part of myself that is always present but not actually inside of me. A place that shouldn¡¯t exist in the physical but the metaphysical. This accumulation of mana inside of me, is and isn¡¯t inside of me. It¡¯s part of me but isn¡¯t actually. As if I¡¯ve accumulated not a certain amount of mana inside of me but rather the ability to wield a specific amount of mana and specific mana itself that is constantly coiling around a space that it creates itself that feels to me like a part of me but that could in reality be any where and no where. Mana is everywhere, that is a universal truth. If mana is everywhere, then it¡¯s constantly surrounding us, we are constantly engulfed by mana, we live in it¡¯s presence and we use it as it allows us. Finally feeling as if I have a glimpse of understanding as to what mana is, I think about what that means. If mana is everywhere, and if we¡¯re constantly surrounded by mana then why can¡¯t we absorb it? If we others can sense mana around them, but that mana is separate from the mana inside of them, does that not mean that mana doesn¡¯t pass through us? If mana doesn¡¯t pass through us, then how do we accumulate it? If we can only accumulate mana through meditation or leveling, then doesn¡¯t that mean that in a sense, we only gain further control of a greater pool of mana as we gain it¡¯s permission? After he came to this conclusion, he felt a feeling that seemed to be coming from somewhere intangible but interconnected to himself from somewhere he¡¯d never felt. Unable to think of another name for it, Daichi realized he had no choice but to possibly call it his soul. He felt a wave touch his soul, an energy that seemed to approve of him, or perhaps his recent understanding. Feeling this new and odd sensation, Daichi began to wonder what was happening. Chapter 22 The Beginning - The First Step towards Evolution (Part 2) Chapter 22 The Beginning - The First Step towards Evolution (Part 2) Feeling this new and odd sensation, Daichi began to wonder what was happening. Could this possibly be his soul? If so, didn¡¯t that mean that souls were real¡­ Lots of people spoke about the soul as if it was real but there was never any one who could conclusively prove it in some way. It was intangible and only experts could claim to have made contact with their soul¡­ ¡­ Feeling as if his mind was starting to lose focus, Daichi ignored that passing thought and tried to remain calm and focused. He continued thinking about his mana. Feeling as if he was on the correct path. ¡°If you can ask permission, or if certain forms of increasing mana if the equivalent of such, then you should be able to force or trap mana. Anything you can ask permission of should in theory be something you can steal, force or trap. Wouldn¡¯t that mean that accumulating mana through any method equates to gathering mana through one of these methods, which would be inherent to personality? If you aren¡¯t consciously trying to do something as you unconsciously try to accumulate mana which is how I heard mages used too through meditation, then you can only subconsciously take a form of action which would be inherent to the type of person doing it.¡° Feeling invigorated he began thinking about mana as something sentient. Something that can and does exist everywhere. ¡°If it exists everywhere does that mean it¡¯s part of everything? No, just because something is somewhere doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s part of it, but it does mean it is part of it.¡± Confusing even himself, he tried to simplify it. He started thinking about his father and their home. Just because he was there didn¡¯t make him a part of it, but he was a part of the town, a part of this world. A piece inside of the universe. ¡°On a grander scale, the universe must be made up of mana.¡± Reaching a realization. ¡°The universe is made up of mana, mana is the building blocks of the universe.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I ca-¡° Mid thought he was mildly interrupted by that ¡°soul-stirring¡± feeling that seemed to invigorate a part of him he hadn¡¯t known existed until just seconds ago. Ignoring the sensation as best as he could, he continued to think without allowing himself to be distracted or disturbed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I can rebuild myself, I can infuse mana into my very beings to change my structure. Is that what evolution is? The universe itself acknowledging us as we¡¯ve met certain standards or understandings and therefore using mana to change our very core at a cellular level? If that were true¡­ Then what would happen if instead of trying to do those things, I instead figured out how to infuse myself, and every cell in body with mana itself? If I changed and forged my body anew but through my own will and mana. What would I become? The universe could no longer decide, because I would be doing it myself¡­¡± Thinking about the consequences of such an action, he was surprised at how excited he was at the prospect of something so ridiculous. ¡°How can I infuse mana into myself? How can I even accumulate mana? I now think I understand what it means to do those things but now the how. A method of execution. Focusing on any of my mana feels near impossible due to it¡¯s nature. It¡¯s nature¡­ Eh¡­ Idiot! The reason why my mana feels so impossible to wield but be because all of my mana is infused with my own attribute! Having an attribute must mean that your own accumulated mana experiences a fundamental change compared to the mana in the air. The mana generally all around us must be pure in the sense that it is as basic as it can get. Only by making it our own can we change it, since it becomes a part of us.¡± Then¡­ ¡°If I still can¡¯t understand mana because I don¡¯t have the ability to wield my own chaotic mana, then what if I focused with just mana in the air!¡± Suddenly feeling his own excitement boiling, he began to calm his mind again and focusing on everything around him. Using his mind to feel not what was there but what had always and would always be there. Shocked and confused, he suddenly felt like he was in a mine field. Inside of a vast ocean of chaotic mana. All of the mana around him was utterly chaotic! ¡°This isn¡¯t what mana is supposed be like!¡± Daichi¡¯s mind in turmoil he tried to think about what it meant. As far as his mind could gather it could only be one of two things. Either he was moved or moved on own his own will, into a space or area where the mana is different from that of the towns OR that the mana in the town has fundamentally changed since the event happened. Unable to make any assumptions with the information he had, Daichi felt stumped as to what to do next. Instead of spending too much time trying to think of the things he couldn¡¯t be sure of or the things he couldn¡¯t change. Daichi began to focus on what he could in fact do. ¡°I can try to understand my own mana. If I want to use it I first have to understand it. If I want to understand it then I have to do nothing but observe it.¡± Feeling resolute in his decision, he began focusing his mind on sensing the mana inside of himself. Focusing on that mana he began sensing, but instead of trying to utilize it like before He simply observed this space filled with chaos. The mana gave off the feeling of being erratic, devoid of purpose or patterns. It felt stale yet erratic as if its very nature contradicted itself on the surface. It felt aggressive and offensive. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Thinking about the attributes of this mana, Daichi began to realize that if he wanted to infuse himself with mana it cannot be this form of mana. This form of mana cannot be wielded by him, at least not how he was now. ¡°I don¡¯t think any living being can take this mana into his physical form and wield it in any way without some backlash. I can only use unblemished mana and instead of drawing it into my own pool of mana, directly infuse into my physical form, but not to enhance. I think if I tried to do that it would end up as some form of buff. I would have to think about changing my own cellular structure and in what way as I was doing it. If I felt pain during, it would be a distraction that would destroy me, and that would be the simplest obstacle to overcome¡­ No wonder even though this feels simple and even though I knew it wouldn¡¯t be I haven¡¯t heard of someone doing this before. Most of the people that have thought of this probably wouldn¡¯t share it in the first place and that¡¯s if they don¡¯t try it themselves and fail.¡± Thinking more about his own mana¡­ ¡°It can¡¯t be wielded inside of my physical being, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can¡¯t wield it externally. It¡¯s very nature is aggressive and offensive, which means it¡¯s probably ideal for creating offense based skills to deal damage. I just can¡¯t think of how I could do that though¡­ ¡° Then Hannah popped into his head. ¡°She did what she considered to be the most simple form of utilizing her attribute! She directly infused it into her opponent! So what if I directly touched an opponent, and in that instant transferred my mana into his physical being?¡± Skill Created: Chaos Erupts A skill that allows one to transfer Chaotic mana into another living being. ¡°Eh. Does that mean that the instant I think of an application of my mana it becomes a skill? No because Ava said she used it more than once before it turned into a skill. Hmmm¡­ Maybe not only do I have to think of an application, but also know how to execute that application through a method consciously before it turns into a ¡°Universe Acknowledged¡± skill. That would make sense¡­¡± Daichi felt that soul-stirring feeling once again, making him feel even more refreshed. He felt as if he was being touched by a feeling of greatness every time he experienced this sensation. It was incredible but underwhelming and unoffensive. ¡°Well isn¡¯t that a beautiful confirmation from the universe¡± Daichi thought as joy spread through every facet of his being. ¡°Okay this is perfect. If my mana is chaotic. What other forms can I use it. I know that as I thought about the former skill, I can only think of how to apply it through physical touch. That means that to use it I will definitely have to be touching my opponent since I basically ripped off Hannah¡¯s skill but made it even simpler. If I want it to be even more effective¡­ Then I have to find a method of applying this similar attack but without touch¡­ Hmm¡­ When I use my bloodlust: Aura ability I release mana into the air, but when I do it¡¯s not chaotic¡­ That must be because I¡¯ have a singular focus as I am releasing my mana, killing. If that¡¯s the case then when I release my mana subconsciously it must harness only part of the chaos¡­ If I release the skill while focusing on releasing my mana in that state with the intention of causing fear and telegraph my intent to kill, that would increase the effect of my aura.¡± Understanding of Ability: Bloodlust: Aura increased. Ability changed: Effectiveness changed Even without that information passing through his mind, Daichi had already realized he¡¯d just found a way to better utilize that skill and how to slightly shape it through mana manipulation. ¡°Eh? So gaining a deeper understanding of my own abilities and skills can indeed increase them in the direction I desire for them to improve¡­ Then¡­ If I can release my chaotic mana in a specific way, while I may not be able to take into into my own physical self, I can release it with specific intent¡­ Chaos is not just one thing but many things, so the attribute itself has manifest in different forms¡­ If I focus on a specific area, and willingly change the mana in that area to mana of my nature. Then I could create something similar to the Chaos Erupts skill but long range. The effect would be weakened, but it would hold similar characteristics¡­ Nothing. No that wouldn¡¯t work since I can¡¯t just change mana outside of me into something I don¡¯t fully comprehend myself, I need specific intent. If I change the mana in my surroundings to that of my own mana, if I imbue not someone or something but rather the mana within my range into chaos attributed mana, then I can cause an entire area to take the full effect of my chaos without specifically utilizing a part of the chaos attribute¡­ I would just have to make sure that within the a small space surround my body the mana turned back into regular mana and not chaotic to keep myself safe. This should be do-able!¡± Skill Created: Chaotic Eruption Created through emitting a wave from the body that changes all mana caught within the wave into Chaotic Mana. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I can¡¯t wait to test this one out¡­¡± Suddenly thinking about Hannah again¡­ ¡°If there is a death attribute then there must be a life attribute regardless of how rare¡­ Then utilizing that attribute would be similar but completely different!¡± Suddenly caught in a new train of thought a spark had suddenly engulfed Daichi, as if an answer for a question he did¡¯t know he had asked had suddenly appeared! Chapter 23 The Beginning - The First Step towards Evolution (Part 3) Chapter 23 The Beginning - First Step towards Evolution (Part 3) Suddenly caught in a new train of thought a spark had suddenly engulfed Daichi, as if an answer for a question he did¡¯t know he had asked had suddenly appeared! His mind making a connection he didn¡¯t know he¡¯d subconsciously been skimming.. ¡°If there is an attribute that does one thing and another that does the opposite, wouldn¡¯t they both be doing the same thing just in the opposite way? To take life you have life, and to give life you must take life. This principle of equal exchange has always existed in the universe. Isn¡¯t my Chaos attribute the embodiment of every attribute to some extent? The reason why I can¡¯t use it as such is because I don¡¯t understand any of the attributes in any real way. If I did, it would likely mean that everything exists in chaos and nothing at all all at once.¡± Once again the soul-stirring feeling enveloped him, except this time it was even stronger than before! It felt even more enveloping even if only for a second! ¡°My Chaos attribute changes and can disrupt cellular structures, resulting in a form of death to some extent. If I had the control I could possibly heal with my attribute. The question is how can I heal without having the control necessary to it? I could heal by not healing, but rather by doing the opposite¡­ I could heal by taking life. If I could create a skill that force something to ooze it¡¯s own life, then I wouldn¡¯t need to carefully use chaotic energy focused on myself. It wouldn¡¯t even have to be carefully used on the target as long as I didn¡¯t care about it releasing its life force until it died. Our life is determined by our vitality to a small extent but mainly due to our life energy that can¡¯t be specifically focused on as coming from any one place. Health points are just a simplification of how close we are to losing our life rather than a representation of our actual life. We simply work, like a set of cogs that move in a perfect way that equates to us being what we are, I can¡¯t solve the mystery of life¡­ But thinking about vitality and health embodied as essence. I might not necessarily need to know the specific outline of how we function. I just need to focus all of my mana and thoughts into a state equal to bloodlust into taking life. I would have to focus on the chaotic mana not breaking apart and interrupting but just reversing and releasing.¡± Realizing that this was easier said then done, the only way to test this theory is to actually do it. ¡°I have the method and execution, but not the application isn¡¯t worked out because the theory and actually doing it are two different things. Being able to do something I myself don¡¯t know if I am capable of doing limits me¡­ Still, I used my perception skill, that means that theoretically there¡¯s no reason why I can¡¯t try to create this skill¡­¡± Focusing his entire being on channeling his mana into having the properties of reversing and releasing without expelling his mana, He thought about taking life. Daichi focused his entire being into fusing these two separate thoughts into one action. He focused for minutes until his mind was exhausted. Daichi cleared his thoughts and his mind and instead of resting, he continued the same process. He would stop and continue. Stop and continue. Until at some point he stopped focus on when he¡¯d stopped taking a break, on when his breaks became part of this cycle, of stopping, and even when clearing his mind, his heart and mind are solely focused on the concept of taking life though reversing and releasing the process of life. It became a cycle of thought and his mind entered a revolving state of constant emphasis on these two things that are separate but one. Daichi¡¯s thought singular, his mana focused. He didn¡¯t know when he reached this state but when he did the mana inadvertently began to release itself without him noticing.
Announcement: Ability Created: Life Release: Aura Created through the singular focused thought of forcing a living being to release it¡¯s own life.
In-between these words and information popping into his head that soul-stirring feeling once again enveloped him making the words things he simply couldn¡¯t focus on. Whenever this soul-stirring feeling enveloped it would both distract and focus him. It was as if part of him was being pulled in one direction and another part in the opposite direction. A strange contradictory sensation!
Announcement: Spirit has reached maximum stat for Human Race Reached the pinnacle of Spirit for Humanity.
Then Daichi¡¯s mind began to wander for a while. Resting as he¡¯d felt exhausted from focusing on simple thing until something that had bothered him for a while finally popped into his mind¡­ The analyze skill he possessed¡­ He¡¯d long wondered how the skill worked and now that he was feeling enlightened he began pondering and a conclusion came to him quite easily. The skill was a skill, external factors were only limited¡­ Therefore he was using information he already knew. The levels he gathered inadvertently from his body¡¯s natural reaction to someone close in strength, allowing him to gauge an opponent. If this were the case, could he not trigger his mind to give him more information? Information that would allow him to instantly make deductions by initiating the skill, and therefore garnering information based on anything and everything he¡¯d ever learned! He could essentially turn the skill into an auto search feature, that would scan all of his knowledge, and then present relevant information¡­ Even further than that he could have the skill make instant deductions that would other wise take him a lot longer to make as he tried to put pieces of relevant information together to come to a conclusion. Suddenly Daichi¡¯s mind became blank. Slowly his mind started feeling less distorted and he regained his focus and felt refreshed. Refreshed until his mind started spinning. Feeling as if he was actually moving, feeling again he realized he wasn¡¯t feeling numb anymore. He felt myself and before he knew it he eyes opened. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°DAMN IT!¡± Intense pain spread throughout Daichi¡¯s back and every limb in his body! He felt like he was on the verge of death! ¡°What the hell! What the hell is that¡­ What¡¯s with this pain!?¡± *kekekeke* In a second it all hit him in a single wave. ¡°I was beaten by a demon. He crushed my back. I was about to die.¡± ¡°Correction! I¡¯m about to die! Wait! Trying to string my thoughts into cohesive useful ones past and in-between the pain I managed to piece together one thing, I didn¡¯t just imagine those things, I still remember, I still remember!¡± Feeling the foot still stepping on my back, his lips quivered and turned into an ugly deformed smile as his right eye tried to look up at the demon. The pain being held back by his desire to see it in just as much pain as him. Daichi finally invoked his skill through the foot stepping on my back. ¡°ARRGGGHHH!¡± Daichi heard the demon screams louder than his own as it¡¯s foot trembled and felt it¡¯s body fell to it¡¯s knees on top of his back increasing his pain even more! ¡°UGH! THIS Bastard! Even when I hurt it, it friggin hurts me back!!!¡± Not wasting a moment Daichi focused and utilized the skill as the demon¡¯s body was on top of him. It worked like a charm and in an instant, the demon¡¯s screams started to get soft and then softer. Still screaming they became more like faint whispers and Daichi heard his own spine crack even worse than the first time, one, two multiple cracks coming one after another except instead of pain he felt an intense pleasure washing over him. He felt enveloped in warmth and strength. He felt invigorated. All of his muscles went into contractions and Daichi suddenly felt lost as and a slight panic as his whole body began convulsing! Daichi looked like he was having a seizure as his whole body was shaking for nearly a full minute before coming to a rest. Exhausted¡­ From every single event that had occurred, Daichi still thought to use his skill as he both saw and felt the demon breathe his last breath.
Lesser Named Demon: Gorath Level: 32 Description: Lowest evolution of Demon race. This demon is 6 feet tall, has budding wings sprouting from it¡¯s back but is incapable of flight. This demon outer shell has not developed the trademark hardness and scales of higher class demons.
¡°Ah. Beautiful. How I adore you my precious little power ups! Come to me! Bring all of your friends!Make me stronger! Stronger than ever! Hehe¡­¡± Realizing he wasn¡¯t hurt any more Daichi started to get up and felt the weight of the demon as it happened to completely topple over onto him when it must have died. Trying to get up onto his hands and knees, he then moved into a roll to the side and rolled out from underneath the demon. Then turning to the side, Daichi saw a withered corpse looking like a mummy. Like it had been drained dry. ¡°Hehe¡­ Serves you right¡­.¡± Daichi then opened his . ¡°Hehehe¡­. It was all worth it for this!!!¡± Daichi let loose a string of giggles. ¡°So much to think about. Enlightened state? Is that were I was? Was that why everything was weird? Hmm¡­¡± Daichi tried to be pensive but he was still giggling like a little school girl in a fit of excitement. Closing his eyes and sensing the mana around him, he felt waves of mana flow over and around him. Gentle-like waves of water in the sea gentling washing over me. It felt incredible. Opening his eyes not allowing myself to get absorbed in the feeling, that is mana.
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:20
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:100/100
Mana:385/610
Strength:25Agility:25
Vitality:10Spirit:10
Intelligence:61Wisdom:61
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:20/500
Skill(s):
Perception Analyze Chaos Erupt Chaotic Eruption
Ability:
Touch of Chaos Bloodlust: Aura Life Release: Aura
Inheritance:
???
Smiling, Daichi began to focus on his new skills and abilities one at a time. Chapter 24 The Beginning - The First Step Towards Evolution (Part 4) Chapter 24 The Beginning - First Step towards Evolution (Part 4) Daichi couldn¡¯t stop himself from smiling as he began to focus on his new skills and abilities one at a time. Unlike other people who had the information appear inside of their heads, Daichi physically manifested small little windows that appeared before him. These little windows were created and sustained by mana and were an extension of his Analyze skill.
Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Level:Active/Passive Ability:
Bloodlust: AuraRare3Mana Cost: Varies
Release mana with blood in mind. An invisible aura that smells and reeks of blood is released. Effect: All nearby living beings are struck with fear. Creatures weaker than user will be sent into a fear state. Creatures 10 Levels stronger will feel apprehension. Creatures twice as strong will be unaffected. Secondary Effect: User no longer passively leeks bloodlust. User has increased self-awareness while under Bloodlust State.
Ability Name:Ability Rank:Ability Level:Active Ability:
Life Release: AuraRare(Max)Mana Cost: 25% of Mana
Instantly infuse mana into a living creature through touch and force it¡¯s cells and life to release themselves through a manifested Aura. Released life infuses into any/all living creatures within the Aura.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Active Skill:
Chaos EruptsSpecial(Max)Mana Cost: 100
This skill will allow you to infuse Chaotic mana into another living being with a single touch. Effect: Disrupts cellular structure. All stats of being lowered by 75%. Health of being lowered by 75%.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Active Skill:
Chaotic EruptionSpecial1Mana Cost: 250
This skill creates a wave that travels in all directions emitted from the user. The wave infuses the mana it passes through with weakened Chaos Attribute. Effect: All living organisms that possess Mana will be temporarily stunned for 4 seconds. Range of Wave: 4 meters.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Active Skill:
AnalyzeRare2Mana Cost: 0
This skill will give you a basic description of living beings. Will show name, race, level, short description.
¡°Ah.. They look so beautiful hehe¡­ Hmmm the Bloodlust Aura skill seems to have been dramatically changed and for the better. Although now that I¡¯ve used it once¡­ I can¡¯t imagine letting myself use it again. Improved self-awareness might not be enough if I end up like I did before. I might have been weaker while under that state as well, I didn¡¯t do anything strategic and just lashed out at the demon. If what happened before whatever it was didn¡¯t happen I¡¯d be dead right now¡­¡± That thought quickly sobered Daichi to the reality of what could have happened tonight. Daichi lost all traces of the joy he¡¯d previously been experiencing. Regardless of the benefits he had just gained, the reality of how close he¡¯d come to death was daunting. ¡°I need to be aware of my surroundings and not allow myself to make such an easy mistake again. The only enemies I will face from now on, are the ones I choose!¡± Closing his eyes and shaking the anxiety off, Daichi opened them again and focused on the other skills. ¡°Surprisingly The Life Release: Aura uses up a lot of mana. There is no particular reason why it should though, the only thing I can think of is that it¡¯s because what I¡¯m trying to do with my chaotic mana is so complicated that the effort and focus must be extremely high. Even without actually leveling up the ability, I bet I can make the ability more mana cost-effective if I increase my mana control and focus. The Chaotic Eruption skill is a bit different than I thought, mostly because I was wondering what using my mana in such a way would result in, I didn¡¯t imagine it would result in a stun type effect. I also didn¡¯t actually think about the range. Perhaps even though the skill doesn¡¯t specify it, if I consciously use the skill without triggering it, then I can manipulate the amount of mana output and the range itself¡­ Definitely something that will be worth a try later on. Looking in shock, the Chaos Erupt skill seems overpowered. I can weaken and lessen health all at once¡­ This is even better than Hannah¡¯s current death skill! Her¡¯s might result in instant death but there¡¯s a necessity to have greater mana than her opponent, mine has no such restrictions! On top of that, since mine doesn¡¯t kill, I can use it to farm opponents for other people¡­ If I wanted too I could use it to make the others stronger¡­ As for my analyze skill it doesn¡¯t seem very different. Pretty much exactly what happened with the lesser demon.¡± Sitting on the floor with his arms on his knees Daichi thought about all of the new skills and abilities and came to a decision. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t recklessly tell the others. Even though they have been useful thus far, Kaden and Ava still seem weary of me and Hannah is incredibly close to Kaden. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to survive but I can¡¯t say the same for them. If I do something that they don¡¯t agree with they could turn on me, I wouldn¡¯t put it past them at this point. The smart call would be to keep these new changes to myself, at least for now.¡± As he made up his mind, he glanced around his surroundings not noticing any changes. ¡°Maybe this area was cleared out because this demon was in the area¡­ In that case¡­ I should leave. My original goal was the south side of town, I should head that way while I have the chance. Although this time around, I will actively look for opponents stronger than me. Time to test my new skills in an actual combat situation that hasn¡¯t already played right into my hands.¡± ¡°Heh¡­ I wonder whether I¡¯ll meet any other demons¡­ Heh¡­ I hope I do.¡± Getting up off the floor he began to carefully walk staying in the shadows. Even now the moonlight was brighter than it was before. The three moons shined down creating more light than Daichi had ever been accustomed too at night. Looking around carefully Daichi finally noticed something. Inside the remains of a destroyed one floor building with no roof, there seemed to be a whole horde of Goblins. Daichi figured they could even possibly be the batch if they were at all involved in the battle outside of town. It seemed unlikely they¡¯d survive for longer than a second against any of the monsters out there. Changing positions and trying to stealthily climb some of the rubble to get a better vantage point, Daichi climbed to the equivalent height of a third floor building. On top of a row of walls that had crumbled in on themselves. Daichi looked down on them from about and noticed about 26 goblins huddled around a small fire like refugees. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Using his new analyze skill on what seemed to be their leader. The leader was seemingly sleeping while, sitting in a cross-legged position on top of a mount of small rubble.
Goblin Chieftain: Level 14 Description: The leader of a small group of Goblins. Small, green, violent. Fights with a short sword.
¡°Eh? What the hell kind of description is that? I¡¯m starting to wonder how these descriptions are chosen. Perhaps I get information based on threat level, since it poses little threat to me then the skill gives me very little. Information based on necessity?¡± Looking around the levels of all of the other goblins, Daichi seemed to average them all around 8-9. Thinking about it for a bit longer he decided not to waste his breath. ¡°I¡¯d be putting in more effort than it¡¯s worth to kill these goblins, at best I¡¯d level up once if not twice with just these many monsters. If I did though I¡¯d be exhausted after¡­ Not worth the hassle.¡± Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Just as he was climbing back down, as his feet touched the ground. A goblin scout noticed him as they stared right back at one another and the second they did, Daichi flicked a knife at its throat. Instead the dagger hit him in the chest. Even so before the goblin could scream, Daichi jumped forward and pulled out his sword on his left and using his right arm swung wide and a full slash decapitated it in one go. The goblin¡¯s body hitting the ground barely made any noise, and not giving the others a chance to notice anything strange Daichi slinked away not wanting to bother with these goblins at all. The further Daichi walked, the more time had to realize the goblins hadn¡¯t given chase to whatever had killed their scout. ¡°They¡¯re likely very aware of what¡¯s happening outside of town or they think there¡¯s just as much to fear inside of town. Either way, it turned out to be quite convenient for me.¡± He made it almost all the way to the very southern end of the town when he finally encountered a group of Orcs. They just happened to be sitting in the middle of what was left of a bath area holding their weapons attentively. ¡°Seems like they¡¯re probably hunting and not hiding, taking a closer look at the group there¡¯s only about 8.¡± Daichi wondered why the Orcs only hunt in such small groups. Using analyze on each one of them, he came across a new Orc.
Valgor Orc Champion: Level 24 Description: Unlike most Orcs, Valgor the named Orc is stronger and very capable at wielding the spear. He stands strong among the Orcs as one of it¡¯s champions through combat.
The other orcs were all like warriors and were all around level 15-17. Daichi made a mental note that these orcs were stronger than the previous orcs he¡¯d previously battled but not by much. Looking at this perfect opportunity. Daichi took both of his swords out of their sheaths slowly and quietly, as he moved getting closer. The closer he moved towards the orcs the less rubble and random things appeared that he could hide behind. It slowly decreased and he was still quite a distance away. Daichi began preparing his mana and skills as he rushed out of the cover of the rubble and dashed towards the orcs as fast as he was capable of! They noticed him within a few steps of his dash and stood to attention getting in position to battle him. Instead of fighting, Daichi ignored their formation and dodged past the first two who taken wide swings at him and as he rushed at their leader he brought both swords down on him with his full strength! The Orc Champion put up his spear to block both swords and kicked Daichi in the chest but Daichi had anticipated as much as he pushed off the ground as he took the kick. Nullifying almost any of the damage he would have taken from that attack. As he readied his swords again the orcs had him surrounded¡­ They slowly all closed in on Daichi¡­ Clearly they didn¡¯t want to give him any room to escape their ensnarement. Daichi was merely grinning wildly as he muttered without even realizing ¡°Perfect¡±¡­ As he realized his skill! Triggering the skill, Daichi felt a surge of mana flow outwards like a wave from his chest. The feeling was exciting for him and the second the mana left his body, he pounced forward! The orcs were all immediately stilled and not half a second from the moment Daichi used the skill he¡¯d already slashed at the Orc Champion¡¯s neck in a horizontal swing going right through his neck with some effort. Lopping off his head Daichi didn¡¯t hesitate and moved towards the next orc and instead of taking the time to decapitate it. Daichi pierced through it¡¯s neck with a thrust leaving his sword behind while moving to the one next to it with another thrust at it¡¯s neck with his remaining sword. Pulling his sword out, Daichi moved towards the next closest orc counting in his head as he reached 4 seconds. The orc started to move as Daichi aimed at its heart instead (not wanting to miss) as he pushed off the ground while placing his left hand at the bottom of the hilt with an open palm. Daichi pierced into the orc¡¯s chest all the way to the hilt. Pushing the orc backwards with his momentum until he hit the floor hard. Daichi looked at the other orcs as he stood back up pulling his sword with him. As he stood over one of their fallen brothers bodies. Even as he stared at them his muscles twitched and he could feel a slight burst of energy. Three kills in four seconds and one more right after. Only four left, but they were looking at Daichi confused and unwilling to attack. Daichi focused on his bloodlust skill and released a hint of his intent to kill towards them. Although it seemed as if he didn¡¯t have much control as the orcs remained unmoving. Not wanting to waste more time, Daichi charged at the orc right in front of him and instead of attacking Daichi the orc turned to run almost instantly. All of them began to scatter immediately. After all, they had just seen this human before them appear out of no where, and just as he¡¯d been cornered he¡¯d unleashed some sort of strange attack rendering them immobile. In a matter of seconds he¡¯d dispatched their leader and three of their companions with such ease that it instilled a certain amount of fright in all of them! After seeing their leader who was far stronger than all of them killed in such a pathetic way, none of them wanted to stick around and try to attack Daichi. Daichi chased after the orc he¡¯d tried to attack and as he caught up to him, he pierced him from behind in the back through the stomach. As he placed both hands on the hilt, he swept the sword to the right bisecting him from the would. The orc fell to his knees as Daichi took one final swing and completely decapitated him. The other three orcs had long fled and Daichi was feeling pretty tired. Decapitating the orcs was no easy feat. Especially with these short swords. Thinking about their efficacy, he walked over to the other orc that was bleeding out and pulled out his other sword and then pierced him through his chest a few times until it stopped twitching. Releasing a long breath, Daichi sat down next to the orc champion and took a small breather. ¡°Killing the champion orc must have been a huge blow to the others. Especially with the ease I did it with. It seems orcs can show fear too¡­ Doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s much of a difference in terms of instinct with any of these monsters and us. We all understand the concept of death and fear it. Not that it matters, if I¡¯d had more energy I would have chased the others down but they were too weak to make it worth it. It¡¯s been a long day.¡± Daichi opened his status screen and reviewed the benefits he¡¯d reaped throughout the night.
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:21
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:100/100
Mana:135/620
Strength:25Agility:25
Vitality:13Spirit:10
Intelligence:62Wisdom:62
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:21/500
Skill(s):
Perception Analyze Chaos Erupt Chaotic Eruption
Ability:
Touch of Chaos Bloodlust: Aura Life Release: Aura
Inheritance:
???
Gazing at his status screen, Daichi realized his mana hadn¡¯t increased at all since his previous battle leaving him a little confused. He¡¯d always assumed that once a being had obtained mana, then whenever it decreased it would slowly fill itself back up¡­ It now seemed obvious to Daichi that his previous logic had been wrong. ¡°Perhaps the only way to recover my mana is to actively try and gather it back up. This is going to be problematic¡­¡± Chapter 25 The Beginning - Leaving (Part 1) Chapter 25 - The Beginning - Leaving (Part 1) Once Daichi realized that mana didn¡¯t just naturally recover on its own over time. He began to wonder how Hannah and Ava recovered their mana. After all their skills were based on the usage of their own mana and not once had he thought to ask them how they recovered their mana in order to continue fighting. He¡¯d been so absorbed in the things important to him, that their techniques and how they worked were irrelevant as they were not directly useful to him. Now Daichi realized that he needed to either consult with them or figure it out on his own. Thinking about it left him feeling uneasy. Trust is important and he didn¡¯t trust them quite yet. Daichi still felt like they would eventually make poor decisions or that helping them might slow them down so he was hesitant to give them too much assistance. Especially now that he was learning more about mana. It made him wonder how much Hannah and Ava really knew. It had gotten late now. Very late. ¡°I need to find a place to hide.¡± Heading towards what used to be a guard house. Where the guards used to rest up at the edge of the town, Daichi noticed the structure was completely ruined, but there was a small opening¡­ Deciding to crawl inside he made it a few feet before getting up on his knees and lifting his upper body. There was enough space to sit up. More than enough as a place to rest for a while. Daichi considered whether he should head back to the group now, but then dismissed the idea. They were safe and he still hadn¡¯t accomplished his goal of finding out what was happening in the other areas outside of the town. ¡°I can¡¯t even do that now either until I get my mana back. Without my mana I¡¯ll be a sitting duck for any half-assed monster out there.¡± Suddenly realizing how weak humans were without the use of mana, Daichi started wondering how they had lived so long. How humanity had subjugated all of the creatures in their world and defeated even the dungeons in the world. The world was so large and he had barely seen a scrap of it, but from what he had seen¡­ Humans were weak. Extremely weak to the point that it seemed inconceivable to Daichi how they had managed to turn their world into a utopia for humans. Humans had managed to become strong through magic and techniques that strengthened the body far past the limits of what humans originally thought possible. Except so much of that knowledge was now forbidden. What was left of it could only be found by those old enough to remember first hand or in the books on the shelves of libraries that Daichi was infinitely far from being qualified to enter. Daichi reminded himself not to bother over thinking things he couldn¡¯t verify. ¡°If I can¡¯t get a definite answer then there¡¯s no point in forming a theory unless I need too.¡± Instead he began to think about his current mana situation. Letting his mind wander he began to try and sense the mana in the air. After a few minutes, he sensed it surrounding him, washing over him wave after wave. So unobtrusive and calming. Focusing on the mana in the air Daichi began to lose his sense of time. His perception of his surroundings and his sense of self. All he felt was mana flowing around him. As if he was adrift at sea looking up at the sky and seeing nothing but clouds. Feeling all this mana surge over him, he felt as if he was one with the mana. It felt so relaxing that he forgot his original purpose and just became part of the sensation. Enjoying the feeling he felt as if he was naturally becoming more attuned to the flow and ebb of the mana. The more natural it felt the more minute details became more noticeable and obvious. At some point the mana flow around him felt like it was pushing at him gently. Not physically but like a push that his soul felt. The sensation jarred him from his senseless yet focused wandering thoughts as his eyes sprung open.
Announcement: Skill Created: Meditative State Created through reaching a profound level of a mana perceptive state.
Noticing the window Daichi suddenly felt like that was too easy. ¡°If it¡¯s so easy to learn a method of meditation then wouldn¡¯t becoming a magic user be easy? Plus skills aren¡¯t that easy to come by, I wonder if this is because of the world being different or something else? I definitely have to ask Hannah and Ava about their methods of meditation.¡± Although even as he thought it¡­ Daichi knew something was off. There was no way it should have been that easy. Even if he didn¡¯t actually find it ¡®easy¡¯, he¡¯d still managed to do it in one night and with limited effort. He hadn¡¯t been stumped and had managed to do so quite quickly (even if he couldn¡¯t tell how much time had passed). This made Daichi wonder if it was somehow connected to his earlier state of enlightenment. Perhaps he had more mana than someone who had never meditated and the amount of mana he could had and feel was therefore affected. Although the last thought he had on the subject was that perhaps he was just naturally gifted in regards to mana¡­ That would be a blessing if that were the case. Finally noticing the light at the end of the path before him, he finally realized the slight change. My body felt replenished, less sore, more vigorous, as if I¡¯d slept an entire night. Crawling through the hole back outside he didn¡¯t have to get very far or even outside to tell, that this light shining in was sunlight. ¡°Sunlight? Have I meditated through the entire night?¡± After crawling out of the hole Daichi realized it was definitely morning. Around mid-morning probably. Thinking about his earlier state he became a little less confused. Although it felt like an instant while he was in that state, if he thought about how many observations he¡¯d made and how much he¡¯d gained from it. It stood to reason that he was in that state for a prolonged period of time. Perhaps that feeling of time disappearing could only be felt in that state but the subconscious mind continued to process information at a normal speed making it more productive, not being weighed down by needless analyzing or wandering thoughts. Opening his status screen. Daichi looked at my stats and immediately noticed that his mana was back to 100%. ¡°I don¡¯t even realize how this happened¡­ I never tried to draw mana in¡­ That must mean that while I meditate I become so familiar with the surrounding mana that I draw some of it into me to replenish what I¡¯ve lost. In which case if I actively tried to draw mana into myself, it would either replenish my mana faster or it might instead increase my over all mana pool.¡± Daichi felt lost as he considered the endless possibilities before him. There is so much he didn¡¯t know and even more that he realized now he still didn¡¯t know. An excitement and thirst for knowledge began to grow inside of him without him realizing. The more he learned, the more he understood¡­ The more Daichi realized how little he knew, and how vast the universe was and it¡¯s intricate mysteries. More knowledge only led to the general understanding of how little he knew¡­ And it was a feeling that made him thirst for more. He let that desire for knowledge, for understanding the world around him and the universe itself fill him up as he felt yearning. That yearning allowed Daichi to realize that his wish had always been for something to happen but that this was the first time he¡¯d ever felt a strong desire for anything. This was finally what he wanted to focus on. A path he wanted to walk, a path towards knowledge. A resolute look appeared on Daichi¡¯s face as his expression momentarily embodied his newly acquired burning desire for knowledge and determination to succeed. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Meanwhile¡­ Looking over at Kaden pacing back and forth inside of the room from one end to the other and Ava unceasingly twirling her hair in her finger, Hannah tried to stay calm. Surprisingly enough she thought it would be harder but instead found that in in the wake of Ava and Kaden¡¯s anxiousness she found herself eerily calm without effort. Normally she would be worried but instead just thinking about what Kaden needed, forced her in a state of calm. Looking at Kaden¡¯s growing annoyance, Hannah finally spoke up ¡°We don¡¯t know what happened. So there¡¯s no need to jump to conclusions.¡± Without even looking at her Kaden continued to pace, ¡°Yeah we know what happened. He left, either that or he got himself killed by being reckless and trying to kill monsters without us there. I bet he didn¡¯t even go out for surveillance like he said, he just wanted to get stronger.¡± Kaden¡¯s tone contained disdain and the pent up feelings he¡¯d been holding back for days now. Staring at the stairs, ¡°I don¡¯t think he would have left¡­ He needs us. He doesn¡¯t seem like the type to abandon us if we still have any use to him.¡± Ava pointed out, thinking only as much because in his shoes, that¡¯s what she would do. Ava had spent years growing up with a family that cared for her but that taught her the value of nobles. While peace reigned throughout their land, greed was still prevalent in the hearts of humans. Being one of the few families who for generations had been passing down a heavily useful skill for smithing, the Kajiya family had been weary of outsiders and taught everyone of it¡¯s descendants discretion and to be good to others, but always be weary of them. To put themselves into the best position, to be a leader among groups of people in order to be control of any situations, only though control could one assure the prosperity of oneself and safety of others. Thinking about Ava¡¯s words, Hannah couldn¡¯t help but agree to some extent ¡°I agree he wouldn¡¯t abandon us, I also believe that we hold value to him but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the only reason he wouldn¡¯t have left us. He helped us on the first day this all happened without needing too¡­ He could have stepped in later or not at all before he even knew that monsters would invade the town in the wake of everything¡­ I think regardless of how he makes his decisions, he¡¯s a good person. At least a trustworthy one.¡± Hannah agreed with what Ava had said. Part of the reason she found Daichi so interesting was because of how he made his decisions. In fact before the world changed, Hannah had already noticed Daichi on numerous occasions. Hannah had felt disconnected from the world after her parents died. Her only connection was Kaden and even then she couldn¡¯t relate to him since he was different. Hannah had noticed that although Kaden generally stayed away and separate from others he was ¡°close¡± with, he did it by choice. In fact, she suspected he did it so that he could stay closer with her which she made her feel even more love for him. She was different though. She felt separate from others and just couldn¡¯t relate to them. Making real connections with others became foreign to her and she receded into herself. She was polite and helpful, and a model student and person. That was as far as things went though, she no longer let others in, she didn¡¯t know how. Her mother was a Mage. Not a strong one, but when Hannah was young she had been captivated by the wonderful things her mother could do. Her mother was the sun in her eyes and the distant star she aimed for in her heart. Her mother¡¯s death didn¡¯t change that, it only amplified her desire to be more like her, to be closer to her now that they were separated and even further apart. Therefore Hannah spent her free time in three activities. Reading in the library, working on developing her own spells and helping Kaden when they were younger. As Kaden got older and needed less and wanted to do more for himself, Ava found herself with more time on her hands. Hannah began to spend more and more time in the library. Learning and trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible involving spell work. Unfortunately the resources regarding magic were scarce in her town, and without a proper teacher she could only do so much. It wasn¡¯t in class but rather in the library when she¡¯d first seen Daichi. Daichi near lived in the library, he spent less time in class than he did at the library. She found him strange but familiar. For a long time she began to think that he was similar to herself in some ways, which only increased her curiosity towards him. Once she¡¯d actually made the effort to try and talk to him first which was a rarity for her. Instead she¡¯d been all but ignored. She¡¯d walked away stunned at his reaction only to realize soon after he hadn¡¯t even noticed her, or known that she¡¯d spoken to him. He¡¯d been that absorbed in what he was reading. She¡¯d been stunned by this for many reasons, mainly because despite not meaning too, she had a lot of male admirers in her school. Her helpful but shy disposition only added to the unique flaming red hair and blue eyes. She was beauty through and through, with a petite but athletic figure. She¡¯d gotten used to the constant gazes of everyone around her, but the males in particular looked at her like starving wolves who¡¯d finally found Little Red Riding hood. The memory of being ignored by Daichi so thoroughly had forever been engraved in her mind. It caused her interest in him grow but it never became more than interest. Even after the apocalypse, that interest and curiosity only increased bit by bit with danger being around every corner, her only thoughts had been on surviving with Kaden and what she would have to do in order to live one more day every single day. Thinking about Daichi leaving them at this point had become a turning point in Hannah¡¯s view of Daichi. She realized that she knew little to nothing about him. Could he in fact have left? Possibly¡­ Even so¡­ She didn¡¯t believe it. In the last few days her opinion on Daichi had turned into one of interest because he was an enigma. Her interest had changed from mild curiosity to a poignant interest caused by her inability to gauge whether Daichi was a good or bad person. Despite this, there was something she felt confident in even if she couldn¡¯t put her finger on why. She was confident that Daichi was trustworthy. Thinking about Hannah¡¯s words Ava couldn¡¯t help but think about how naive Hannah must be to think that way. Trust only exists between loved ones and even then, in the face of a calamity any trust has to be questioned. Not bothering to respond they continued staring up at the stairs. Kaden on the other hand was torn. He wanted to say rebuke Hannah. Tell her that¡¯ she¡¯s wrong to think so highly of Daichi. The guy is going to get them all killed. He¡¯s bloodthirsty and from his perspective there¡¯s no way he can ever trust someone who could kill so easily. Even if the guy saved them a hundred times, it only takes one stab in the back to make all of that go away. Finally stopping and staring at Hannah¡¯s resolute expression, he just couldn¡¯t find it in him to say it out loud though¡­ ¡°Even if he didn¡¯t betray us¡­ What if he got hurt? Or worse¡­?¡± Posing the alternative scenario instead, he pointed out the one thought that was definitely on everybody¡¯s mind. Even if he didn¡¯t betray them. The world had suddenly become very very dangerous. They had been lucky thus far, but that luck was limited and even then they had narrowing avoided death every day so far. At some point that luck will run out. Daichi¡¯s luck may have run out last night. Thinking about that comment, everyone stopped fidgeting for a second as silence enveloped them¡­ Chapter 26 The Beginning - Leaving (Part 2) Chapter 26 The Beginning - Leaving (Part 2) Finding his center and deciding on his new goal. A peaceful calm washed over Daichi. For the first time in his life, he felt a sense of purpose he¡¯d never had before. A feeling of walking towards something instead of hoping for something to walk towards. Feeling at ease, he decided to move forward. It was time to finally check the outside of the village. He¡¯d meant to do it last night, but he¡¯d ended up meditating and losing himself in the sensation. He briefly thought about the others and what they were likely thinking, but considering what he¡¯d seen outside of town to the north going back now would be pointless. Taking one step at a time he pulled out the last chocolate bar he had with him and began to eat it one bite at a time. He hadn¡¯t eaten much since yesterday. He¡¯d still had 3 chocolate bars, 1 nutrition bar and two bottles of water in a little sack he¡¯d been carrying around his waist. Not eating a single thing since last night it was only now that the hunger was finally setting in. Eating as he walked he had too many things to think about. From changing his tactics from a close range to a long range speciality as an option if he continued to pursue an interest in mana based attacks, to his own weapons. Despite not wielding great strength, the short swords were becoming progressively harder to use against stronger creatures with stronger defense. Aside from battle tactics the scenario involving having to leave the town he¡¯d spent his entire life in was also wearing on him. Trying to put these thoughts to the side he realized there was too much, just too much to really calm down. He¡¯d had one unanswerable question after another since the incident, and now they were getting to the point where the pile was getting bigger. With his sudden desire for knowledge he realized that to get stronger in his chosen path he would need to begin to start thinking about and answering these questions. He would no longer just put questions he couldn¡¯t answer to the side. He¡¯d seek the answers he wanted. Finishing his chocolate bar he sat down cross legged on the ground and began to ignore the danger it brought and think about his situation. In the worst case scenario he¡¯d use a Chaotic Eruption wave and deal with anything that got near him or run. Nothing happened while he sat in contemplation. He decided that he¡¯d been pretty lucky thus far. Continuing his walk and eating another chocolate bar he looked around only to realize there was nothing worth noticing so far past the south side of town. He walked a few miles past the town border only to find nothing alive and nothing dangerous. Instead of being happy though, he suddenly felt very anxious. There was no logical explanation why there would be such wide open territory with no monsters around. This was a lush forest area and plenty of resources available. No monsters meant that there was something worse. Continuing his walk he finally came upon the first clearing. Inside of that clearing there were three creatures. Noticing them from a distance he immediately stopped walking forwards and hid behind the nearest three. Trying to use his analyze skill he realized he was much too far for it to work. Moving in closer one tree at a time. He finally got to a tree right at the edge of the clearing. Close enough for his analyze skill to actually work.
Lesser Demon: Level 29 Description: Lesser Demon Soldier. Loyal to it¡¯s master to a fault. Fights using bare hand-to-hand combat.
Lesser Demon: Level 29 Description: Lesser Demon Soldier. Loyal to it¡¯s master to a fault. Fights using bare hand-to-hand combat.
Lesser Named Demon Leader: Talith Level 39 Description: Lesser Demon Leader. Has proven his worth through repeated merits. Has attained a name and a reputation for being cruel and effective.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Staring at those windows while looking back at the figures Daichi felt his heart skip a beat for a second as he held his breath. ¡°These are some seriously strong monsters.¡± Trying to make them out Daichi could tell they were around 7 feet tall. They had the trademark small wings on their back that seemed to serve no purpose. Nearly all black skin with a rough, broken looking texture. All three of the demons had pitch black eyes, no irises or pupils. Just pitch blackness. Daichi was nearly killed by just one lesser named demon and it was already comparable to just one of these three demons¡­ Looking at the three before him¡­ ?If I can get within range to use my chaotic eruption skill I might have a chance but the odds of being able to succeed are nil if for any reason they spread out. If they do that.. I¡¯m as good as dead. If I try to leave now there¡¯s a good chance they¡¯ll notice me too.¡± Trying to think about his mana reserves Daichi realize that he didn¡¯t have sufficient mana to use enough skills to win this battle. Holding his breath while still trying to think of a possible alternative, he looked on as he heard a clicking in the distance and all three demons turned their heads at the same time. The leader issued a command, shockingly in language that Daichi could vaguely understand as they dashed off at a ridiculously fast speed. Finally letting his breath out, he turned and started running in the opposite direction back to town. ¡°Too dangerous. I can¡¯t count on getting lucky every time. Every time I allow myself to get into a scenario like this I¡¯m risking my life. I have to start being more cautious. Even with my knew skills and abilities there are plenty of things outside the range of my ability.¡± Not taking a break until he was well inside of the town again, Daichi ran into a group of Orcs with their backs to him. A large group of orcs. !
Great Orc Leader Named: Mannoth Level: 30 Description: A Great Orc. One of the various evolved forms of an Orc. This Orc has fought through countless battles and has attained glory for his followers earning his name.
Orc Warrior Level: 19 Description: An orc warrior that fights under the command of Mannoth. Close combat specialty.
Orc Warrior Level: 18 Description: An orc warrior that fights under the command of Mannoth. Close combat specialty.
Orc Warrior Level: 19 Description: An orc warrior that fights under the command of Mannoth. Close combat specialty.
Daichi could only see the backs of those four but ahead of them he could see multiple heads. There were at least another 2 in front and likely more that he couldn¡¯t see. Not a small group. ¡°Not a group I can handle on my own. Their levels are also the highest I¡¯ve seen for a group of Orcs. It really isn¡¯t a joke. It¡¯s survival of the fittest, in just a few days the very weakest of monsters are being weeded out. The longer I survive the stronger the monsters around are going to be.¡± Getting ready to leave, Daichi started to turn around when he heard a voice yell ¡°Hannah stay back for now!!!¡± ¡°It¡¯s them? What the hell are they doing out here? Damn it. Okay no, calm down. This is good. It means that they can be a perfectly good distraction. I¡¯ll use a sneak attack and kill as many as possible off the bat, the ones that survive will try and attack but with that distraction some of them will head for the others, giving me a chance to fight those around me and giving the others a chance to lessen the over all numbers. This could work.¡± Daichi pulled his swords out and got ready to go to work. Chapter 27 The Beginning - Leaving (Part 3) Chapter 27 The Beginning - Leaving Home (Part 3) Earlier that day in the cellar¡­ ¡­ ¡°We can¡¯t just wait any longer. We need to go out there. It doesn¡¯t matter what happened to the him We need to get stronger. That hasn¡¯t changed.¡± Ava stood up and exclaimed looking flustered Kaden took a good look at her but instead of his usual heated gaze, he instead looked at her disapprovingly ¡°We don¡¯t have to go and kill monsters. We should kill when we need too, and just leave. Make a run in the direction of another town. If we mind more people then we¡¯ll be fine. That¡¯s the safest choice.¡± he said in a slightly tired voice. Hannah gave Kaden a soft look, the kind a mother gives her young child when he doesn¡¯t seem to understand something seemingly simple to everyone else, ¡°Kaden. We don¡¯t know whether it would be the safest choice, we don¡¯t even know what¡¯s out there. It could be nothing or could be even stronger monsters. We definitely have to go hunting. We need to get stronger if we are going to have any chance of getting to another village relatively safely. Ava is right.¡± Sharing a glance between one another, Hannah and Ava seemingly make a unilateral decision and grab their weapons. Kaden feeling dismayed at not being heard. Wants to argue but holds his breath knowing it¡¯s not often he wins an argument with his sister ¡°What about that guy?¡± he asks with a monotone voice. ¡°We¡¯ll do our usual rounds, if we find him that¡¯s great and we¡¯ll ask him what happened. There¡¯s nothing else we can do, if he¡¯s gone he¡¯s gone and if he¡¯s dead he¡¯s dead. If he¡¯s hurt he¡¯s hurt, but we wouldn¡¯t know where to start. There¡¯s no point in thinking about it since he didn¡¯t tell us what he was going to do and where.¡± Ava brings a backpack with some food and bandages, this time ready to stay out longer with no one staying behind ¡°Okay, it¡¯s as good a plan as any¡± Hannah says following behind Ava, Ava stops at the front of the stairs and stares at Kaden ¡°Oh ah yes??¡± Kaden looks a little surprised by the sudden stare. ¡°You go up first.¡± Ava says with no room to argue in her tone Suddenly flushing, Kaden turns his head and starts up the stairs with the girls behind him. Above ground they begin to discuss where to go. Somewhere new or the areas they¡¯ve previously covered. ¡°I think¡­ We should go south. We¡¯ve barely taken a look that way so far. Plus I have a feeling¡± Hannah comments and with no arguments from the others they begin their walk on guard and ready to meet any dangers. Heading south they were lucky enough to get through most of the town without encountering any monsters. They were feeling more and more optimistic about monsters not being as common as they thought. Until they got further south. Without meaning too they ran into a group of Orcs. These orcs looked stronger than the ones they¡¯d seen, they had a clear leader and seemed to be awaiting orders. Inadvertently Hannah was seen and after that two of the orcs entered into battle with them. Even without Daichi to tell them their levels they could tell that they were stronger and faster, only Kaden was able to face them face to face as a distraction while he told Ava to guard Hannah. In reality it was a two pronged plan, being one of his brighter ideas he both got Ava to guard Hannah and Hannah to guard Ava. If an orc attacked after what he¡¯d said he¡¯d be less weary of one than the other not realizing how deadly both Hannah and Ava were. Unfortunately with two orcs attacking Kaden at once he was having trouble dealing any damage because after the first dash from one of the orcs Kaden got a a feeling that one hit from either any of these orcs would deal serious damage and limit his ability to fight back. Under so much pressure Kaden was relegated to dodging all of their blows and at every attempt to strike back, Kaden would have to stop in order to avoid the other orc. Barely within Kaden¡¯s field of vision he saw three orcs charge at Hannah and shouted at her ¡°Hannah! Stay back for now!¡± ¡­ Swords in hand, Daichi slowly crept closer to the orcs. There were too many to just dash in without gaining as much ground as possible. Their levels were high enough and this was a big group too. ¡°I definitely have to play it smart. I¡¯ll get in as close as possible before rushing them. Kaden¡¯s group will just have to hold out for now.¡± Moving closer bit by bit and taking cover behind anything he could find, Daichi creeped closer and closer until he was a few meters away. In fact Daichi was a little surprised by their lack of self-awareness, figuring that these orcs must have been seriously focused on the battle in front of them to leave their backs so exposed. ¡°Careless mistake on their part¡± he thought while preparing his skill. Daichi leapt forward covering the short distance left between himself and the orcs in but a few seconds. Giving Mannoth the orc only enough time to sense the danger and turn pulling one of his orc companions in front of the sword piercing towards him. The moment Daichi¡¯s sword pierced the unaware orc He triggered his skill. Pulling his blade out of the orc in front of himself and moving around him to strike at Mannoth. ¡°I have to kill their leader immediately. That¡¯s the only way I get out of this with ease!¡± Unable to move, Mannoth could only stare blankly at the blade swinging towards his neck with an expression of confusion before he was decapitated without even the slightest chance to react to this new development. After killing Mannoth, the 4 orcs standing in the immediate vicinity were already staring at Daichi with expressions of fear and confusion. An opponent had just easily killed their most trusted leader with such ease and trapped them with some form of magic rendering them with fear and dread. Understanding their rationale, Daichi decided to end their confusion. Fortunately for them they only had to experience this dread for a few more seconds before he moved in closer decapitating them one at a time. Leaving only the original orc he¡¯d pierced before still alive within the span of 4 seconds. Daichi tried to turn and move while ignoring the sensation of his muscles tingling and convulsing. Luckily it only lasted a second as he turned around, not wanting to leave his back exposed as he struck at the remaining orc before thinking of what action to take to save the others. The orc in front of Daichi was filled with fear at seeing his companions die in the blink of an eye. He tried to turn and run away only to leave himself even more vulnerable to Daichi¡¯s sword. Pierced once more through the back the orc fell down unable to take more than a few steps. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°I definitely made the right choice. If I hadn¡¯t just acted as decisively as I did, that orc may have recovered enough of it¡¯s courage to attack instead of trying to run away making that such an easy kill.¡° Facing the others Daichi noticed two orcs chasing after Hannah and Ava and Kaden struggling to fight two more orcs by himself. Considering their strengths and weaknesses as a group, Daichi decided to help Hannah and Ava. ¡°They probably won¡¯t be able to evade the orcs for long but Kaden will.¡± Daichi figured but not giving it too much thought as he closed the distance. Running towards them as fast as possible. Somehow despite taking out their leader and 5 of their comrades, those orcs and the others still hadn¡¯t noticed Daichi¡¯s arrival. Taking advantage of this as he got closer, instead of making noise to draw their attention Daichi stayed silent and struck at the slowest orc behind the knees with his foot making it fall to one knee and letting Daichi to pierce it from behind and through the heart. ¡°I¡¯m getting more and more used to the vital point of these monsters at this point.¡± Daichi thought as he killed the orc. That kill finally made enough noise for the other orcs to stop their swings at the girls, and stop in their tracks as they turned around in Daichi¡¯s direction. Unfortunately for the orc in front of Hannah, that was all it took for Hannah to touch it¡¯s back and end it¡¯s life with a very terrifying simplicity. Staring at Daichi both of the girls were perspiring and breathing heavy. Daichi wasn¡¯t really sure what to say, so instead of saying something pointless he instead turned to look at Kaden and saw he was having trouble evading the orcs at this point. Kaden must be getting tired he thought as he looked in the direction of the girls ¡°Let¡¯s go help Kaden, I¡¯ll distract one and Ava you finish mine off while he¡¯s facing me. Hannah use the same strategy with the Orc facing Kaden.¡± Not even waiting for them to reply Daichi started running forward with his swords dripping blood in his wake. Using his strategy, they finished off the last two orcs with ease. Which allowed the girls to get some more experience. After finishing the final orc, Daichi could tell from a glance that Kaden was angry at him. ¡°He¡¯s looking at me like he wants to throw a punch or something.¡± Instead of trying to smooth things over though Daichi decided to just be frank and tell them what he found out and see what they would say after that. ¡°Last night I found out a lot. We need to go back and talk.¡± he threw it out there hoping they could handle it with ease. Kaden nearly blew his top and screamed at Daichi ¡°What the hell happened to you!? We all thought you were dead! Why the hell did you even go out on your own in the first place!?¡± Glancing at Ava and Hannah it looked to Daichi like they didn¡¯t quite trust him as much anymore. Neither of them were saying anything so he could only assume they felt the same way as Kaden. ¡°I went out on my own because I needed some space. It¡¯s my right to do that if I want. As for why I didn¡¯t come back last night, that¡¯s because I got trapped under one of the old guard posts near the wall at the outskirts of town. There was a horde of monsters too strong for me to deal with, I had to hide until they were gone.¡± Daichi knew it wasn¡¯t quite the truth but also figured it wasn¡¯t all too far from what had actually happened either. Looking at him like she didn¡¯t quite believe him ¡°You were being selfish!¡± Ava said in an almost monotone voice. Hannah looks at Daichi with some lingering disappointment and continued to stay silent. Kaden continues ¡°No. Wrong. You don¡¯t get to make that choice. You don¡¯t get to take off whenever you want. We¡¯re in this together. Going off and doing whatever you want may work if you¡¯re going at it alone, but if you want to stay with us you can¡¯t do that shit man. I¡¯m trying to keep it together but you did was fucked up. You aren¡¯t just risking your life when you pull a stupid stunt like that, you¡¯re risking ours too. I can¡¯t trust someone who doesn¡¯t even think about how his actions affect his friends.¡± taking a breath and finally almost calming down completely. His eyes going cold, enough to surprise me finishes his thought ¡°Honestly I couldn¡¯t put my finger on what the hell is so off with you and I think that¡¯s it. I¡¯ve finally realized it. You don¡¯t think of any of us as friends. We¡¯re not your friends are we?¡± Daichi immediately answered back ¡°Am I your friend? No. You know that and so do I. We¡¯re companions. We have a common goal. I trust you enough to try and accomplish this goal with you. I said I would help take Ava to a nearby town, and I still think that¡¯s in the best interests of everyone including myself. So I¡¯ll keep my word. That doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m just going to do whatever you want.¡± Daichi stood firm. He thought he understood why he was upset, but it didn¡¯t matter to him. ¡°If I don¡¯t have the freedom to do what I want when I want then I may as well leave.¡± Finally stepping in ¡°Kaden isn¡¯t wrong¡­ But he¡¯s not right either and neither are you¡­ We¡¯re all in this together now. Everyone is safer if we stick together. I¡¯m not saying¡­ *We¡¯re* not saying that you can¡¯t do what you want, we¡¯re just saying that it¡¯s not fair to us for you to do something so dangerous and not take the groups interests into account. You may have thought that going out to gather more information was a good thing, but you not only didn¡¯t tell us which direction you were going, how long you were going for or make a contingency for what we should do in case something like you not coming back happened. That wasn¡¯t fair to us, and you would definitely not appreciate being put in that position either would you?¡± making eye contact with for a second before looking down, I could tell Hannah was being very serious. Sigh. She isn¡¯t wrong I guess. ¡°Okay. Yeah you¡¯re right. I¡¯m not used to being around people. So this is kind of not only new but uncomfortable to me. The next time I need space, which I probably will. I¡¯ll make sure to discuss my plans before leaving and what to do in case I don¡¯t return. In fact we have a lot to talk about right now anyways. So I¡¯m apologizing for how I handled things. Can we move past this now?¡± I finish saying. I think I was doing well up until the end, I can tell Kaden and Ava are angry at me again. ¡°Yes. We can.¡± Looking at Kaden and Ava with a long stare she turns back to me, ¡°What¡¯d you find out?¡± Looking at all three of them, ¡°A lot. We have a lot to talk about.¡± Chapter 28 The Beginning - Leaving (Part 4) Chapter 28 The Beginning - Leaving (Part 4) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª After telling them that he had a lot of important information and that it would take too long to discuss in the open, Daichi convinced them to go back to the cellar to talk about everything. After reaching the cellar everyone was still tense, and Daichi could tell that Ava and Kaden were no less angry at him now than they were before. He began to tell them about the fire and the enormous battle that he saw last night at the north side of town. He told them, that considering the massive scale of the battle it was still probably going on even as they spoke and the reason why they had never heard or seen anything was because the battle was basically going on down beneath them. If anything the battle would definitely be drawing closer to the town and the smoke would be more than noticeable by today. Kaden and Ava looked skeptical, Daichi couldn¡¯t tell if they really didn¡¯t believe me or whether they just didn¡¯t want to believe him. Hannah looked serious, probably considering what Daichi was telling them at face value. Daichi was having such a hard time gauging her because she just never really met his eye line. He¡¯d never realized but a lot of what he usually read from someone¡¯s expression really did come from wha their eyes was saying. Continuing with the rest of the information, he mentioned how the battle was going to reach the town and when it did the entire place was going to become a huge battlefield that they definitely won¡¯t be able to survive there. The monsters he saw, he couldn¡¯t even identify but none of them were anything he could take on at all. Then he told them about how he had been to the south side of town, but hadn¡¯t quite made it as far because of the many orcs blocking the way. He had to go a roundabout way and then he found shelter under the guard post. It was only until morning that he got a chance to explore the south side of the town, and how he happened to come across a few demons that were so far beyond his ability to handle, that the only reason he¡¯d managed to survive and get back here was because something drew their attention. If it wasn¡¯t for that there would have been no chance of him running away. Daichi mentioned his opinion on how if they try to leave through the south side then they could run into those demons and if they did, they were likely to be killed on the spot. Worse even would be if they ran into whatever drew the attention of those demons in such a controlled way. Daichi mentioned how he suspected that whatever it was, it was enough that it was much stronger than even those demons which were already an unsurpassable mountain for them.. Finally after all of that Daichi finished his story He finally got a chance to take a breather and eat a snack and drink some water while trying to gauge their expressions and how they were taking all this information. All three of them seemed to having a tough time deciding whether they believed him or whether if they did, what to do about it. So Daichi voiced his thoughts, ¡°Honestly. I think the best decision we can make it to leave town. I don¡¯t really think we have much of an option. Also you should have noticed that the monsters that are wandering around town now are stronger than before. Even if we¡¯re getting stronger so are the monsters around here and if we wait too long, even if we leave before the huge battle reaches here the monsters around might be too strong to handle anyways.¡± Watching their bitter expressions Daichi continued forth giving them a bitter pill to swallow but one he thought they needed to hear, ¡°We need to leave soon, if you really don¡¯t believe me, then later on you can go take a look yourself to the outskirts of the north side of town. You¡¯ll be able to see exactly what I saw. When you see it, you¡¯ll know we have no other option but to leave.¡± Ava was the first one to speak up, ¡°Look, even if you aren¡¯t lying just to come off as if you¡¯ve actually done something useful instead of having abandoned us last night. How is leaving a real option? If what you¡¯re saying is true. Then the problems that are coming to town mean that it¡¯s just as bad or worse out there!¡± fidgeting with her sleeve, Ava looked rattled. Kaden didn¡¯t waste a second in supporting her ¡°I agree. So what if it¡¯s true. We¡¯re better off here. We at least have a safe zone. If we leave now we won¡¯t even have that.¡± Even without the words he¡¯d spoken Daichi could tell from the expression on his face that Kaden definitely didn¡¯t trust him at this point. What he was saying was ridiculous. ¡°I wonder whether he really just doesn¡¯t like me enough to agree with anyone who¡¯d be disagreeing with me or whether he actually thinks it¡¯s a good idea to stay here.¡± Daichi thought as he gazed at Kaden. At this point Daichi knew that Kaden didn¡¯t particularly like him. The fact that Daichi had dealt with everything that had come their way with relative easy, adjusted so easily and didn¡¯t mind changing his mentality to suit his needs was something that made Kaden uncomfortable. Kaden may not have realized it, but he was morally rigid. He¡¯d slowly formed his opinions on right and wrong earlier on in life and now he abided by them as the base for who he was. Looking at Hannah, Daichi curiously waited for her to voice her opinion. Somehow he felt like she¡¯d be more likely to agree with him as long as she believed what he¡¯d said. Even more so, Daichi felt if she did agree it would be exactly for the reasons he would have countered Kaden¡¯s argument with. Speaking up as if on cue, Hannah said one succinct sentence ¡°I think we need to leave.¡± Looking at her like she¡¯d lost her mind both Kaden and Ava are gave her incredulous looks. ¡°Why the hell would we leave? Hannah what is going on with you???¡± Kaden blurted out. ¡°Do you have any reason in particular? We can¡¯t even this with two people voicing one decision and two people dissenting. That won¡¯t get us anywhere¡± Ava points out once again twirling her hair in her hands. Something about Ava resorting to her old mannerism was giving Daichi the feeling that she had something in mind, regardless of how Hannah would answer. Looking up and staring at Kaden, and giving him a calming look, Hannah finally voiced her thoughts ¡°I think Daichi is thinking what I am. If we stay, we may have some safety for now and if somehow these monsters aren¡¯t strong enough to penetrate the cellar we¡¯d still be stuck down here, the food would run out eventually and in the meantime we¡¯d be stuck unable to get any stronger for when it was time to finally try and leave. On the other hand if we do leave, we don¡¯t know what¡¯s out there. Even if we don¡¯t know whether it¡¯s safe going east or west. Actually I¡¯m guessing that based on what Daichi saw, it probably isn¡¯t safe anywhere to begin with. If we leave we¡¯ll at least have a chance at making it. If we get stronger on the way, we can even increase our opportunities as well. Right?¡± She finally gave Daichi a glance and and he nodded back at her. She was basically on the same page as him. In fact that was almost spot on what he was thinking. Daichi actually didn¡¯t care too much about staying in this zone with them. ¡°If we do some of them will die at some point but while they don¡¯t I¡¯ll have plenty of chances to get stronger with them as distractions. Once I get strong enough I might actually be able to kill some of the monsters I saw yesterday too. On the other hand, I am being considerate. They¡¯re weak, even weaker then me.¡± Daichi figured. ¡°Kaden can¡¯t kill, both his resolve and methods are too weak as they are, Hannah has excellent offense but her defense is so weak that just a monster on her own level or weaker could kill her if she isn¡¯t careful, and Ava is in the same boat as Hannah except she¡¯s even worse off. If we don¡¯t leave, they¡¯ll definitely die. Staring at them, I wonder what they¡¯ll decide to do. Kaden looks a little less angry now. It seems he¡¯s calmed down quite a bit. I guess he really is an idiot and hadn¡¯t thought of those things.¡± Daichi thought as he analyzed their situation and made his peace with the decisions the others were going to make. In his mind he was going to survive no matter what, it was just a matter of how he would use the others and whether they would survive as well. Ava looked pensive but pleased, and finally spoke up ¡°You definitely bring up some good points. I think the cellar would hold but, of course if there is a cave in or something or too much weight is placed on the door, we likely would be dead in here just like that¡­ Still, I think this situation brings up a perfect point. I think because there are four of us, we need to designate someone as the leader. Someone we trust, and who will make unilateral decisions when we reach an impasse as a group.¡± Finally folding her arms over her chest she finished speaking and gave everybody a calm look. ¡°So that¡¯s where she was going with this. What value is being placed in a position of leadership in such a small group? Is she just doing this so she can increase her odds of surviving or does she actually care? She¡¯s either that arrogant or that sly. I¡¯m hoping for sly, because that arrogance is just going to get her killed which would be such a waste.¡± Daichi thought as he realized Ava was angling for get some form of social order started within their group of four. Digesting her words Kaden and Hannah shared a look. Hannah replied quite calmly ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything wrong with that, but who would be the leader of our group?¡± Looking smugly ¡°I believe that should be based on who wants to lead and has the capability to lead. I¡¯m the most qualified, after all it¡¯s thanks to me that we¡¯ve had shelter, food, weapons and the opportunity to get this far right?¡± Ava replied to Hannah with sound rationale as her tone was slightly grating on the ears. Kaden looked torn about how to continue and before he got the chance, Daichi spoke up ¡°I think you¡¯ve provided a lot of help to all of us. I also agree that the many things you¡¯ve provided thus far have been of immense value, but.. I think if our group is to have a leader, it should be one we all trust. One who will make the best decisions for all of us, and one who isn¡¯t afraid of making tough choices¡­ I think it should be Hannah¡± The room went deathly quiet. Daichi could almost hear crickets in the background after he¡¯d spoken those words. In fact he could, but there probably were actual crickets. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.Pushing a little more, ¡°Kaden what do you think? You trust Hannah¡¯s judgement right?¡± and not giving him a chance to answer he followed up looking at Ava ¡°You don¡¯t want me as leader right? Would you trust Kaden as leader? Let¡¯s just say this, if it¡¯s not you who would you rather it be?¡± Finally looking at Hannah I ask her point blank ¡°What do you think Hannah? I think everyone including myself trusts you enough to make the right decisions. It might be a lot to ask of you, but I think you¡¯re the most suitable for the position. I also believe that out of everyone here, you¡¯re the only one everyone would be okay with unilaterally allowing to make those tough calls.¡± Looking less rattled than Daichi thought she¡¯d be, Hannah looked down at her hands while thinking. It took her a few seconds but she looked at Ava and asked her ¡°Would you be okay with me as the leader?¡± Ava was frozen stiff by Hannah¡¯s response. Ever since Daichi began voicing his opinion she didn¡¯t even so much as twitch. ¡°I think even she knows how this is going to play out.¡± Daichi thought as he pushed he heard the final nail end the conversation, with a small but forced smile Ava answered ¡°Yes.¡± Not a single complaint from anyone, Kaden was looking a little indecisive about how he felt but he was certainly not going to object. He¡¯d probably have looked indecisive no matter who took up that mantle of responsibility. Daichi figured this was the best possible outcome for now though. Based on what had happened so far, aside from himself Hannah was the only one looking at their options with a clear and open mind. Moreover¡­ She might be the only in the group who would thus far¡­ Be able to make the tough and calculated decisions necessary to survive. With that out of the way, the others decided at Ava¡¯s insistence to go to the north side of town later to do some recon and verify what Daichi had said. They still couldn¡¯t imagine what he¡¯d said to be true, but he didn¡¯t blame them. He merely warned them to be very careful and to avoid monsters as much as possible. It seemed that both Kaden and Ava wouldn¡¯t leave until they themselves saw and verified what Daichi had said. Although he didn¡¯t think that they would actually go for themselves see what he¡¯d seen and not come back with some excuses about their reservations about leaving the town. Which made Daichi wonder whether they were just scared of the unknown or simply being sentimental of their home town. Finally with everyone breaking up, they all got some food and began to relax (well at least Daichi). After finishing his meal he decided to ask Hannah for some advice for something that¡¯d been bothering him since last night. He finally got the chance and asked her about her form of mana recuperation, ¡°So what I don¡¯t get, is if you don¡¯t have a skill how do you regain your mana?¡± Looking at me like him like an idiot or as if he¡¯d said something silly, Hannah took a second before deciding whether he was being serious and answered ¡°Anyone can slowly recuperate their mana with time and focus. The first thing mana users learn is how to sense mana. Once you can sense mana you will automatically recover mana while sensing it if you¡¯ve used it up. Everyone has a different form of meditation as well, it¡¯s not really something that¡¯s taught. Just the idea behind it. Of course no one gets a meditation skill until they¡¯ve gained a deep understanding and affinity to mana. As far as I¡¯ve heard, only mages, people who¡¯ve gained a deep (but to them) basic understanding of mana, have a meditation skill.¡± After her explanation Daichi stopped to think about what she¡¯d said. It mades sense, after all he was in a state where he was sensing mana before he got a skill involving meditation and he didn¡¯t think the two states were very different. Perhaps due to all that insight he gained into mana and because of his perception skill he happened to develop a Meditation skill really quickly. Although from what he could tell the only benefit of triggering the skill instead of trying to sense mana on his own would be that he entered a meditative state quicker. Using the skill allows me to enter the state quicker and regain his mana quicker when necessary but by not triggering the skill and using my own affinity then he¡¯d likely gain more insight since he would be starting the process from scratch. Intrigued by that idea, Daichi also realized that based on last night he no longer needed to sleep. He could just meditate every night and gain insight into mana in the time he would have previously spent just sleeping! In the afternoon, the three of them decided to go take a look together before it got too dark. After a long discussion they decided that although at night they wouldn¡¯t be seen as easily by monsters they would not be able to notice monsters as easily as well. Not wanting to take that risk, they decided to go while the sun was still up. After they left Daichi immediately went to my usual corner and sat down crossed legged and began to try to enter a meditative state without using his skill. He began to sense the mana in his surroundings and after a while the usual feeling of being enveloped by a warm rush of everything started to spread all around him. Instead of just focusing on the mana, he began to focus his mana in the forms of my skills. Gaining further insight in this state everything came a little easier without distraction. Thinking about his Chaotic Eruption skill he began to think about the flaw he noticed yesterday. When he ran into the demons in the forest he had a weird feeling as he was looking at the wings on their backs. He thought about how stronger demons might actually be able to fly. In fact stronger there are a lot of monstrous and divine beasts that can fly. They had yet to run into any sort of beast but if all sorts of monsters were now wandering the area, even the ones who were supposedly extinct or gone, than they should be as well. When that realization hit him, he thought about how he wouldn¡¯t be able to counter any aerial attacks. His most useful skill wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything until his opponent got close enough. If he could focus the mana to be emitted from only one area he could focus the wave to only go in one direction instead. Instinctively he thought about my hands and feet. The most useful places to release mana in a specific direction from. Considering he would have to account for a just a general direction and not a target, he thought about feeling he have when he releases a Chaotic Eruption and the flow of mana.
Announcement: Skill Changed: Chaotic Eruption Altered through mana manipulation into a skill that emits a wave in a specific direction from either hands or feet that changes mana caught it the wake of the wave into Chaotic Mana. Skill Created: Chaotic Erupted Sphere Created through releasing mana from the entire body in the form of a sphere that changes all mana caught within the sphere into Chaotic Mana.
Feeling pleased with the knowledge as he realized he¡¯d definitely just reshaped and created another similar skill all with minimal effort. Feeling at ease with the mana, he tried out the Chaotic Erupted Sphere and feel the mana releasing from every pore in my body and almost immediately felt those pores receive mana. He hadn¡¯t felt it before but the very feeling of mana entering is normally not noticeable. Suddenly gaining an insight he willed his entire being to be open to the mana around him, to allow it¡¯s entry and absorb it all. Within an instant he felt as his body was overwhelmed but instead of stopping he continued further. Wanting to understand what was happening to his body and how the mana was interacting with him. Feeling the mana enter but not willing it to change into his attribute it started to coalesce on his body. Wallowing in the new sensation Daichi further continued allowing mana to enter him and feeling himself surrounded by a thicker mana than usual. Just as he began to try to control the mana surrounding him to take shape he heard the cellar door begin to open and his concentration was broken. The second his eyes opened the mana surrounding him dispersed in an instant and he felt open and exposed for a moment before feeling like himself again. Staring up he saw the others walking down. Their faces dripping with sweat and fear in their eyes. They seemed to be physically fine, Daichi could only attribute the looks of fear to seeing what he¡¯d seen at the edge of town the night before. Momentarily thinking about his earlier mana experience he realized he must have lost track of time while in that meditative state. It must have definitely been a few hours. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to find a way to keep track of time somehow while meditating or only meditate when in a completely safe location.¡± he thought as they were all finally downstairs as the girls sat on the couch except for Kaden who immediate got back up and started pacing around the room. Clearly he was nervous, and as Daichi gazed at them he knew he didn¡¯t want to be the one to break the silence. He just sat with them in waiting, for someone to say something. After a while Kaden finally broke the silence ¡°That was fucking ridiculous. The number of monsters out there. Their sizes alone¡­¡± ¡°Sizes? Their speed and strength were far more monstrous. Who cares how big they were, you could tell based on some of their battles how high their levels must be. We wouldn¡¯t last an instant against any of them!¡± Ava blurts out looking pale. Hannah finally speaks up ¡°Kaden, Ava¡­ Daichi was right. We need to leave. We need to leave tomorrow.¡± Kaden and Ava stared at her, then glanced at Daichi. Kaden looked at him in dismay while ava looked him with a hard to explain expression before it returned to one of indifference as they nodded in agreement. At least they¡¯ve been convinced. Daichi actually thought he would somehow still have to argue to get them to change their minds despite having the proof in front of their eyes. ¡°We leave tomorrow then!¡± Daichi said out loud and receiving no complaints. ¡°Tomorrow I will leave my home. I will leave this town for the first time in my life. My entire life I¡¯ve wanted to see the world, now I¡¯ll finally get that opportunity.¡± Daichi was reeling with excitement and instead of feeling fear or apprehension for what was yet to come, he was just bubbling with exuberance of a child wanting to see something new. Chapter 29 Cheating Death - Necessity (Part 1) Chapter 29 Cheating Death - Necessity (Part 1) ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Last night after the group agreed on leaving town, a thick almost palpable silence induced anxiety had set in for every body. Daichi was ecstatic to leave his home town and finally see the world. He was feeling excitement instead of the danger that would be involved. He was beginning to think about dying while adventuring and realizing, he wasn¡¯t afraid of death. Or at the very least not the concept of it¡­ Daichi¡¯s thought process being ¡°I¡¯m not fearless, definitely not fearless. I just know what I¡¯m scared of, it¡¯s not death but what it implies. I fear dying before learning more about this universe, before seeing the rest of this world, before experiencing something that¡¯ll make my heart beat faster than it ever has. I¡¯m afraid that what I¡¯ve seen and done so far would be the sum of my life¡¯s experiences, but not death itself.¡± Thinking this far Daichi realized that was one of the main he reasons he had been able to so fearlessly attack and kill monsters much stronger than him. How he was able to get past the numbness of his body and react almost instinctively during battle. Daichi had subconsciously found a reason to push past the fear of death and focus on his reason for living. Watching everyone just kind of wallow in their anxiety while coming to terms with the consequences of leaving their home town and thinking about what they may experience wasn¡¯t amusing at all for anybody. Causing everyone to want some space but not having anywhere to really go. Breaking apart from one another into their own little spaces. The atmosphere was too heavy, and Daichi didn¡¯t want to waste his time like them. They were all taking too much time acknowledging what had to be done and coming to terms with it, so instead Daichi just went back to his corner checked his status screen.
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:22
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:100/100
Mana:660/660
Strength:25Agility:25
Vitality:13Spirit:10
Intelligence:66Wisdom:63
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:22/500
Skill(s):
Perception Meditative State Analyze Chaos Erupt Chaotic Eruption Chaotic Erupted Sphere
Ability:
Touch of Chaos Bloodlust: Aura Life Release: Aura
Inheritance:
???
Looking at his status screen Daichi considered how weak he was. ¡°Basically just yesterday I was giggling about my stats, but now thinking about some of the enemies I¡¯ve seen and met. I¡¯m too weak. In a one on one fight I may stand a chance against stronger enemies but that won¡¯t always be the case, and against groups all it takes is one mistake. I need to become stronger, not just my offense but my defense as well. I just have no idea how to do that for now, but maybe later on I can think of a way to use mana to increase my survivability. ¡° Finally focusing on his skills, Daichi took a look at the changes.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Active Skill:
Meditative StateCommon1Mana Cost: 0
Enters a state of Meditation. Effects: Mana Regeneration and Growth and Understanding of Mana increases.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Active Skill:
Chaotic EruptionSpecial2Mana Cost: 200
This skill creates a wave that travels in a specific direction emitted from the user. The wave infuses the mana it passes through with the Chaos Attribute. Effect: All living organisms that possess Mana will be temporarily stunned for 4 seconds. Range of Wave: 6 meters.
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Active Skill:
Chaotic Erupted SphereSpecial1Mana Cost: 300
This skill creates a sphere that travels in all directions emitted from the user. The sphere infuses the mana it passes through with the Chaos Attribute. Effect: All living organisms that possess Mana will be temporarily stunned for 4 seconds. Range of Wave: 2 meters.
Staring at his skills Daichi lost himself in thought. So when I was thinking of using my energy differently I all but basically created a new way to use the same skill. Now I have the same skill but for different applications¡­ I¡¯m definitely going to have to try this with my other skills. I want to figure out how analyze works. This is probably the skill that bothers me the most, how do I get information I don¡¯t know. That wouldn¡¯t make sense to me unless it¡¯s an outside influence giving me information in which case I could try to strengthen it in order to get even more information. If it¡¯s just my own subconscious processing information that I should know, then I could try to figure out to further delve into my subconscious. That wouldn¡¯t explain how I would know names of other demons or monsters though. That puts a big strain on that idea. The reality is I know too little about everything. It¡¯s hard to even put my finger on where to start. I also have a feeling that the only one who has information that could be truly useful to me is Ava but getting her to cooperate and teach me what she knows feels like an uphill task. She¡¯s arrogant, thinks very highly of herself, cares about her position and prioritizes herself first¡­ Thinking about those traits Daichi came up with a simple idea. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. I have something she wants, and she has something I want¡­ There¡¯s no reason why she would turn something down that benefits her if it puts her in a better position than myself. Especially if she thinks that what I gain won¡¯t be as useful. Smirking at hs newly thought out plan, Daichi began to think about when to put it into action. Tomorrow once we¡¯re out of town. I¡¯ll show her the dangers we¡¯ll be facing before putting my proposal before her. When everyone was finally trying to fall asleep. Daichi wondered whether they were thinking about how this was likely the last time they¡¯ll be sleeping somewhere safe, somewhere moderately comfortable. Those thoughts suddenly going through his mind, he begin to smirk again. Sleep is for the weak. I¡¯ll never sleep again when I can meditate. Hehe¡­ Definitely a big gain. Beginning his process of entering a state of sensing the mana in his surroundings, Daichi tuned everything out and focused on the mana and nothing else. No additional purpose or thoughts Daichi just sensed the mana around him and let that feeling envelop him and then lost himself allowing his subconscious to the absorb his observations¡­ Not shortly after from his perspective his eyes snapped open at a new thought. Looking around the others are still asleep. I¡¯m unsure how long I was in meditation, but the others are in deep sleep at the moment. It had to have been a while. Taking a look at each one of them and confirming they were asleep, Daichi used his analyze skill on each of them for the first time.
Human Named: Hannah Guresu Level: 15 Description: Death hovers around her.
Human Named: Ava Kajiya Level: 12 Description: None
Human Named: Kaden Guresu Level: 13 Description: Lucky and fast.
Eh¡­ Ava leveled up? So these descriptions aren¡¯t too useful¡­ They aren¡¯t telling me anything new, which is likely because the skill is still only level two. On the other hand, if I were to use the skill on people I don¡¯t know, it would still be helpful with name and level alone, the description may not be much to go on though. They really are weak though. Shaking his head with his eyes closed Daichi thought about how useful they¡¯ll be once they leave¡­ Thus far Daichi had only helped so much because he didn¡¯t want them to get stronger than himself when he didn¡¯t quite trust them. I still don¡¯t know enough about Ava and I know that should something happen, Kaden and Hannah will definitely stick together. Thinking about their low levels though¡­ If I leave them this weak¡­ They might end up only causing more problems by dragging me into more life-and-death situations instead of helping me out of them. More over, how useful will they really be like this¡­ Losing himself in these thoughts Daichi struggled to come to a decision about what to do but Daichi also knew that if he didn¡¯t make a decision and then resolutely follow it, he would just continue to second guess himself. We¡¯ve already been through so much, and now our adventure will really begin. If we manage to reach a town, then having others with me will be of huge advantage, especially if I gain their trust. Thinking up to this point, he opened his eyes and stared at Hannah¡¯s sleeping face before finally deciding; I need to help them get stronger. I won¡¯t tell them anything particular about mana, I feel too lacking in that regard to be of guidance. Even if I did I think it¡¯s something that if I explained poorly I could lead them down a permanently wrong path and if I do a good job they still might not understand. The only other choice is to stop killing monsters from now on and help each one of them take the kills, that¡¯s the best i can do and gain experience faster. Finally feeling comfortable with that decision Daichi also thought about the trust they mentioned earlier. I¡¯m not particularly good with people but considering our circumstances, I will try to associate with them more. I have to at least make sure two of them trust me, considering Kaden definitely has a dislike of me, I¡¯ll focus on Ava and Hannah. Finally feeling satisfied with all off his decisions Daichi tried to drift back into a meditative state and enjoy the rest of the time he had left. Daichi was beginning to feel as if he had just entered meditation as Hannah pulled him out by placing a hand on his shoulder. Opening his eyes instantly and feeling uncomfortable at the touch, he steadied himself and stopped himself from even twitching as he made eye contact with her. ¡°We¡¯ve been calling you for about a minute, how can you even sleep sitting up like that?¡± Hannah looks at Daichi curiously seemingly unperturbed by his stare for once. ¡°Actually. I was meditating.¡± Daichi honestly told her and waited for a response trying to observe her every reaction Her eyebrows furrowing together and looking a little surprised ¡°Really? You¡¯ve learned to gather mana?¡± Not wanting to hold back but not wanting to say too much, Daichi followed up with an even expression ¡°I¡¯ve taught myself the basics. I¡¯ve gained a deeper understanding of mana and how it works more or less, but I¡¯m still very new to this.¡± Looking at the hand she still has placed on his shoulder, he raised his right eyebrow in curiosity. Noticing his look and then looking at the direction of his gaze, she immediately moved her hand ¡°Sorry! I forgot! You¡­ Surprised me with the meditation comment¡± stepping back a few steps looking uncomfortable as if she had done something wrong Daichi felt a little more at ease now that she was out of his personal space ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I didn¡¯t mind¡± he lied. Standing up and cracking his neck, Daichi stretched his arms and legs and asked about the others, and whether everyone was already ready. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve all got our bags and we got one ready for you. Extra clothes, as much food as we can each carry, some bandages from from some of the extra shirts we ripped up.¡± Hannah points at the bag next to the couch which apparently has my name on it. Going over to the couch Daichi picked it up, it felt kind of heavy and then started to wonder how the girls were going to carry these. If these are heavy for me, they must be super heavy for them. Noticing his stare and guessing at his thoughts, Ava sitting on the couch opposite of him answered his unspoken question ¡°Two of the backpacks are special, they have a spell placed by one of the wizards that my grandfather used to know. They reduce the mass of anything inside them. So actually Hannah and I will be carrying these two backpacks due to their weight, which will be carrying the heaviest things.¡± looking at Daichi a little smugly and no longer showing the signs of fear from last night. Kaden was sitting on the stairs his backpack next to him ¡°We got the short end of the sticks this time.¡± giving Daichi a nonchalant look and then looking away. Seems I¡¯ve woken up to less overall hostility from everyone. Super. Today might go a lot better than expected Daichi thought. Hannah speaks up ¡°We¡¯ve already eaten our breakfast, if you¡¯re okay with eating something as we walk, then if everybody is ready let¡¯s head out now.¡± a little urgency in her tone. Daichi considered that despite everyone seeming a lot more calm, they¡¯ve only processed what they saw last night. They¡¯re definitely still scared of the hoard of monsters coming this way. Looking at them a bit amused, he grabbed the two cereal bars that Hannah was handing him and put them in his pocket grabbing his backpack ¡°Let¡¯s do it, let¡¯s walk and talk.¡± Not wasting words or time they began their adventure. Although the others might not be thinking of it as optimistically as me Daichi thought. Chapter 30 Cheating Death - Necessity (Part 2) Chapter 30 Cheating Death - Necessity (Part 2) After leaving the cellar everyone glanced back at the doors for a minute in silence. They were all thinking something similar. They were about to leave the only place that could be considered remotely safe up until this point. Not being as sentimental or as unsure as the others, Daichi put those thoughts aside and started walking while opening up his wrapper and eating his breakfast. Trying to eat as quickly as possible in case he needed his hands free. Walking through the entire residential district and all the way to the eastern section of the town they didn¡¯t run into so much as a single monster. While walking in silence, trying to make sure nothing snuck up on them or that they don¡¯t give away their locations to anything that might be lurking in the area. Reach the eastern perimeter of the village by noon, the backpack was beginning to wear Daichi down. The sun getting higher in the sky and the weather turning hotter. This was the first truly hot day since the it all began and as they walked through the town they tried their best to ignore and not mention the stench all around them. The corpses of everyone left from the town as well as monsters were littered in most places and the smell was finally starting to become noticeable. Daichi was surprised it wasn¡¯t an issue up to this point but figured they should consider themselves lucky for that point alone. This smell would have been enough of a reason for them to have left town even if they hadn¡¯t decided too last night. Covering their mouths and noses with shirts that they wrapped around half of their faces they walked through briskly. Avoiding conversation and one another¡¯s gazes so as to ignore the unspoken truth they were walking past. When they finally saw the forest area past the perimeter they all began to inadvertently pick up their speed even more. All harboring the intention of leaving that smell behind them as quickly as possible. It¡¯s only well after they were into the forest that the others begin to look behind and gaze in the direction of the town. Unsure what to say, or whether he should say anything at all Daichi stayed silent while watching their complicated expressions. Deciding to change the mood and that this was as good a moment as any, Daichi pulled off the shirt around his face and coughed once to get their attention, Kaden looks at him with annoyance, Ava sadness and Hannah indifference. Looking at them all for a full second, Daichi tilted his head down and said what he knew they needed to hear, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. You were all right and I was wrong. I didn¡¯t think we were a team. We were people who were staying together because there was no one else around. I¡¯ve changed my mind though, we¡¯re companions and as such I¡¯ll act accordingly from now on.¡± Its more or less true he thought. Looking back up at them, they all looked fairly surprised at Daichi. I guess they weren¡¯t expecting an actual apology, this might go pretty smoothly then he figured, ¡°If you¡¯ll all accept my apology, then I¡¯ll make it up to you with some honesty on my end.¡± Not getting interrupted like he expected, he continued ¡°I learned a new skill that should be helpful should one of us be seriously injured, although I can only use it at most once a day. It takes up a lot of my mana. I¡¯ve also learned a new skill that should be useful in case we run into a lot of opponents, but again, limited mana so limited opportunities to use them and once I do that¡¯s it.¡± Up to this point, that¡¯s about as much as he wanted to reveal to them. They¡¯re not all getting in line to tell me everything about themselves so this much should be enough he thought to himself. Kaden finally looked at Daichi with some annoyance ¡°I knew you were holding back dude. What level are you?¡± Only half expecting that, Daichi gave him a quick look measuring the meaning behind those words before telling him the truth, ¡°The night I couldn¡¯t come back I ran into a pretty strong monster, by using these skills which I¡¯d just learned I was able to defeat it and also heal myself. I was pretty close to death actually. After that I leveled up to 20.¡± Which is true. Although I¡¯ve leveled up since then too, but I¡¯ll keep that to myself. ¡°Tch. So you¡¯re that much stronger than us. How can I feel comfortable when you¡¯ve been keeping stuff like this dude?¡± Kaden commented while crossing his arms defensively. ¡°Have you told me everything about yourself? Your titles, attributes or abilities if any? Mentioned your level to me or anything else along those lines? You haven¡¯t jumped in line to share with me either.¡± Daichi pointed out but not wanting to push the issue. Scrunching up her nose and looking at Daichi with what looked like disdain, ¡°I told you about my melt skill, my identify skill and I¡¯ve given you weapons, shelter and more. I¡¯ve shared.¡± Ava said looking as if she¡¯d been wronged. Without missing a beat Daichi replied with a monotone voice, ¡°Yes, but have you told me everything? Before this goes any further. I¡¯ve shared with you all more than I¡¯ve shared with anyone else before. I¡¯m not a people person. This is me sharing and trying to make an effort. Up to this point I feel like you¡¯e shared what you¡¯ve had too, because you¡¯ve clearly held back. Kaden, what exactly have you done for me? I¡¯ve saved your life more than once, but what about you? Trust is earned and shouldn¡¯t just be expected.¡± Daichi tried to bring it back at the end, not wanting to turn his apology into an argument. Hannah hadn¡¯t stepped in or even tried to mediate things. Looking at her Daichi got a chill down his back. Something about her feels off to me. She only ever speaks up when she needs too, it¡¯s strange to me how someone who seems so similar can be so aware of what others need when I¡¯m so far off from that he thought. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. Clicking his tongue a few times Kaden finally spoke up in an even voice ¡°Okay. You¡¯re right. I¡¯ve been pushing all of this on you because there was no one else. You¡¯re right. Whatever. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Barely speaking up when he said those last few words. Not much of an apology if you have to say it begrudgingly, if you ask me. I¡¯ll take it though. Daichi just nods at him. Looking at Ava and waiting for her response, Daichi¡¯s right eyebrow twitched when she just turned around and started walking ahead of them. Calling out from in front of them without turning back ¡°Fine.¡± Fine? That¡¯s it? Daichi clicked his tongue in response before realizing what he did surprising himself a little. Daichi had the amusing thought that Kaden was beginning to wear off on him a little. I guess that¡¯s as good as it gets with her. Daichi looked at Hannah but she just shrugged her shoulders and started walking as well with Kaden following right behind her. I guess that¡¯s that. I can¡¯t really tell whether we¡¯re any better off than before though Daichi thought as he started to follow from behind. They continued walking with little conversation between any of them for a long while, taking breaks every so often. Even without heavy back packs the girls didn¡¯t have very good stamina and considering Daichi and Kaden¡¯s backpacks weren¡¯t as light as feather like theirs, even Kaden and Daichi were getting about as tired as them they went. While walking Daichi began wondering whether they should make finding shelter regardless of distance or whether gaining as much distance from the town and it¡¯s surrounding dangers should be the top priority. A few miles from the town while trying to cut across the forestry, their clothes already starting to have rips,and their arms and legs were getting small cuts from the branches. Finding the discomfort too much Ava finally ¡°Hmphed¡± in annoyance and just plopped down in front of a thick tree as her support. ¡°I¡¯m taking a break. So we¡¯re taking a break¡± she said while taking out more water to ease her suffering. Not bothering to point out that they should keep moving but wanting too Daichi took off his pack and sat down near her while the others were doing the same. While drinking some of her own water Hannah broke the silence ¡°Mhmm.. I¡¯ve never seen that fruit before? Is it something that¡¯s always been growing near this area?¡± Hannah said pointing at a pale yellow pear shaped fruit dangling from a nearby tree. Looking at the area she was pointing too, Daichi noticed the strange fruit and began to look around find a few more dangling from random tree branches meters off the ground. ¡°Strange. I¡¯ve never seen that fruit either. Have any of you?¡± Daichi asked the others Kaden shook his head while Ava just continued to drink more water ignoring them completely. Not nothing with Ava, Daichi posed another question ¡°This entire time I was sure there was path outwards from this side of the village. Not only that but I don¡¯t remember the forestry being so thick in this area either¡­ Am I just wrong on this?¡± Looking at Daichi meaningfully Hannah responded ¡°No. I think you¡¯re right¡­ What are you getting at though?¡± Grimacing and then returning to a look of indifference Daichi just shrugged ¡°I¡¯m not getting at anything, I just found it strange. Never mind though.¡± Once again he decided to ignore the strange circumstances surrounding him, without a way to get definite answers there was no point in asking an unanswerable question. More over Daichi was concerned that if he stirred the pot too much the others might fall apart. As it was Kaden was still on the cusp of distrusting him and he had no idea where Ava¡¯s mind was at. Getting up and walking over to the closest tree. Daichi began climbing upwards until he was within range of the closest dangling fruit. Instead of climbing onto that weak branch though, he pulled out his sword and chopped at the branch altogether. After taking two chops the branch fell to the ground. Climbing back down Daichi walked over the plucked the fruit from the branch. It was soft but not too soft in his hand. It felt like a plum. An oddly bright and yellow pear shaped plum. Bringing it to his face he sniffed at the fruit and after thinking for a second Daichi briefly considered asking Ava to use her skill to identify the fruit. Only to instantly consider whether a fruit would be considered alive. Using his analyze skill on the fruit he discovered nothing. The skill wouldn¡¯t activate. Walking over to another tree with another fruit dangling from it¡¯s branch, he activated the skill again. No success. Daichi¡¯s definition of life always considered fruits or trees alive, since the cells could still grow and has a source of sustenance. Considering how his skill wouldn¡¯t activate he began wondering what could be considered ¡®alive¡¯, perhaps the only reason the skill hadn¡¯t activated was because it wasn¡¯t considered a ¡®living being¡¯ even if it was living. Wondering about the limits of his skills, his mind wandering a bit he realized that if he began to meditate right now he would certainly reach some sort of insight into something either simple or profound. Considering whether he should ask the others for a break so he could gain something from this line of thought, he head a loud high pitched scream. Immediately whipping his head towards the direction of the scream Daichi saw Ava crawling backwards on her back as she eyed a large hideous creature dripping goblets of drool down the side of it¡¯s mouth. Chapter 31 Cheating Death - Necessity (Part 3) Chapter 31 Cheating Death - Necessity (Part 3) Staring at the enormous monster bearing down on Ava everyone held back a breath. Daichi was well aware that not one of them could reach her or it, if it made a move at this instant. Triggering his analyze skill Daichi stared at the huge monster trying to will it to stop from moving or thinking.
Greedy Troll Level: 28 Description: One of the many inhabitants of the nearby river. Greedy Trolls only leave their river dwellings to hunt for treasure and food.
Daichi glanced at his window thinking that as per usual the information it gave was minimally useful at best. The troll before them was over 10 feet tall even with it hunching it¡¯s back to stare down at Ava. It was soaking wet and the drops of water falling down it¡¯s slick brown skin were mixing in with the the drool falling in globs from it¡¯s mouth. It¡¯s face was hideously unattractive by human standards, looking even worse than the goblins, with warts all across its face and a large crooked nose. Even though it was staring down at Ava she still couldn¡¯t make out it¡¯s eyes clearly because of its long straight wet locks of hair covering parts of its face. Still panicking and moving backwards Ava was no longer stuck staring at its face, but its arms. The trolls left arm was holding a giant club. Ava was too scared to identify it with her skill. Recognizing it for what it was (a weapon) Ava began to panic even more until her back ended up against a tree. Unable to move back any further she stopped moving and thinking all together. Panic enveloping Ava completely. Paying attention to Ava¡¯s panic stricken expression, Kaden leapt forward screaming trying to get the Troll¡¯s attention ¡°Hey hey hey! You see me here Mr.Ugly!? That¡¯s right Mr.Ugly, where¡¯s the Mrs? Got too scared of your ugly mug she ran away in the middle of the night!?¡± Turning it¡¯s head almost as if on command the troll gazed at Kaden noncommittally. Noticing the trolls focus taken off Ava, Daichi called out for Hannah and said ¡°follow me¡±. Daichi planned on taking advantage of Kadens distraction to get closer to the troll, draw it away from Ava at the last second, disarm it with his ability and have Hannah deal the finishing blow. Moving closer from the side; Daichi was trying to make sure not to distract from Kadens actions. Kaden continued to try and distract the troll by yelling profanities at it and insulting it¡¯s appearance. Finally noticing the trolls full attention on Kaden, Daichi put all of his energy into a crouching position and dashed forward. Just as he was a few feet away from the troll he heard crunching sounds from his surroundings and barely had time to trigger his Chaotic Eruption technique from his hand as he directed it at the general area of the troll in front of him. Just after launching his skill he became fully aware of another troll lifting his club to smash it down on him. Feeling cold sweat pour down his back, Daichi immediately wondered what would have happened if this troll had been behind him instead of somehow hiding behind the first. Ignoring the budding thoughts Daichi pulled his swords out and stabbed out at the original trolls knees trying to pierce the bone only to feel how solid and thick the entire structure of its knees were. Not being able to pierce through the bone Daichi didn¡¯t think too much of it, he closed in on the troll and triggered his Chaos Erupts touch on the troll and yelled back at hannah ¡°Finish it off¡± while moving on to the next one, trying to get close enough to trigger another Chaos Erupts touch on it¡¯s leg before the 4 second effect finally wore off. With the effect finally wearing off both trolls released mournful shrieks as if condemning these humans before them. The troll that Daichi just touched with his Chaos Erupts skill began falling to it¡¯s knees in agony and swinging his club in front of it at random. Trying to kill the damnable human that caused it this much pain. Noticing it¡¯s weakened state Daichi finally caught Ava¡¯s gaze and just pointed at the troll. Finally coming out of her stupor, she triggered her melt skill and jumped on it¡¯s back screaming at the top of her lungs ¡°AHHHH!¡± while holding on to it¡¯s neck, but unlike every other creature this one swung around getting off its knees trying to shake Ava off. The melt skill going through layer after layer of skin and bone before finally hitting something vital enough to make the light go out of the trolls eyes before falling stock still face first into the ground. Looking around at the dead trolls Daichi was breathing heavy. Two trolls took that much effort, with weapons alone they would have been hard pressed to even defend themselves much less kill these two creatures. Thinking about difficult this would have been without his skills, he immediately sat down into a cross legged position and called to Kaden ¡°Wake me up no matter what in half an hour. Not before and not after.¡± and triggered his Meditative State skill. In that battle Daichi used up almost all of his mana, on top of which it only barely helped him fend off these two creatures. The important of mana could not be looked down upon and once realizing this, recuperating his mana became his first priority. Almost in the blink of an eye, Daichi was being shaken by Kaden. Opening his eyes and gazing around him, he noticed nothing much had changed except Ava was looking haggard. Kaden was staring at him, before saying ¡°What the hell was that man?¡± Replying in an even tone, Daichi replied ¡°I needed to meditate to regain my mana. Those are trolls, and we either have to avoid trolls altogether or only fight them if we¡¯re the ones sneaking up on them. Weapons won¡¯t work by themselves, only skills.¡± then getting up off the ground he picked up his backpack and asked everyone if they were ready, getting no replies just nods, he began walking forward. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Talking a low voice ¡°When it was still alive I used my skill on the first troll and it said that these trolls come from rivers, so we should definitely avoid anything resembling a river for now. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s stronger creatures away from the rivers, but these are already enough of any issue.¡± Daichi calmly said. ¡°Yeah no kidding, what the hell was up with them? At first it didn¡¯t even look like it wanted to kill us, it looked like it wanted to eat Ava¡± Kaden said in an even softer tone aimed at Daichi and not the girls. ¡°Maybe. They leave the river to hunt for treasure and food¡­ In that scenario, I would think food would still be better than the possible alternative¡­¡± Leaving the implication in the air Daichi gave Kaden a meaningful look ¡°Are you saying what you think I¡¯m saying?¡± Kaden replied even softer with a questioning gaze. ¡°I¡¯m implying exactly what you think I¡¯m saying¡± Daichi replied with a flat expression still weary of what had just happened to him only moments ago. Steeling himself and making a very dark expression Kaden looked at Daichi but not at him but rather through him. Wondering what that look meant but not wanting to ask Daichi said nothing and continued walking. Opening his Status screen he confirmed he¡¯d regained all of his mana, making him wonder how much mana he regenerates while in his meditative state. Clearly it was enough for now, but if he only had a few minutes of rest of he had more mana, there were too many variables. Daichi decided at that moment that when he got the opportunity he would have to test how quickly he regenerated his mana. It would be crucial to staying alive and calculating his growth. He also felt like he would gain some form of insight from this. With Kaden walking right next to him, Daichi asked him ¡°How is Ava doing?¡± Looking at him a little oddly but no longer like before, Kaden replied ¡°She¡¯s shaken up. Honestly I¡¯m surprised she even got it together quickly enough for her to react in time to kill that troll. If I was in her shoes I don¡¯t know whether I could have pulled myself back together that quickly.¡± Glancing at him again, ¡°So what the hell was that dude? You¡¯ve been holding back on us like crazy¡± Kaden said. Pondering on what to say, Daichi stopped walking and waited for the two girls to get closer as Kaden stopped next to him as well, when they got closer he continued ¡°I have a skill that allows me to stun opponents, it¡¯s the one I mentioned would be useful if we ran into a lot of opponents. I can change the range and direction a bit but it drains my mana by a lot. As for what you saw me do to the other troll. That was an acupuncture point. I attacked it based on what my analyze skill had told me¡± Daichi finished speaking and looked up, not wanting to meet their eyes. He finally talked about the specifics of his stun based skill, but he still felt uncomfortable talking about his Chaos Erupts skill. It was too powerful and something inside of him was telling him that if Hannah felt she should hide her death attribute, he should definitely hide his chaos attribute. He¡¯d at least heard of the death attribute that some beings had, but he¡¯d never heard of the chaos attribute. Without wanting to think about the implications he just left it at that, he had a feeling and he followed it. Daichi was used to making decisions based on logic, but making decisions based on instinct was fairly new to him, thinking how it had served him well thus far since this huge mess began he decided to just go with it. Suddenly thinking up to that point, he looked at the others and spoke up ¡°I think we should come up with a name for what happened when this all began. Something we can just call it so we¡¯re not just saying ¡°when it began¡± what do you think¡±. Looking around everyone was a little confused by the change in topic. Kaden couldn¡¯t tell if he was trying to change the topic so they wouldn¡¯t focus so much on his skills or not. Ava was still a little overwhelmed and had only registered the information he¡¯d said up to this point without thinking too much about it. Hannah narrowed her eye and gazed at Daichi but not wanting to push too much into what he wanted to keep to himself. She nodded ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve been thinking a lot, constantly even about the ¡°event¡± and almost overtime I come up with a different name for it, what do you think we should call it?¡± Kaden playing along despite his annoyance at the change of topics ¡°Why not the apocalypse? That¡¯s what it basically is right?¡± Daichi looked back up and then back at the group ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like every thing ended, it just changed. Maybe not for better for us, but for others. Why not The Change?¡± ¡°Ehhh?! That¡¯s it? Waaayy too¡­. normal and un-¡­big.¡± Kaden exclaimed ¡°Big?¡± Daichi retorted confused ¡°Yeah ¡°big¡± this was huge, it should sound more¡­ Big.¡± Kaden pointed out ¡°There was an announcement from the gods, so why don¡¯t we say, since the gods woke up?¡± Ava softly said. Finally hearing her speak after all this everyone stared at Ava for a long while ¡°Yeah! That¡¯s perfect! It¡¯ sounds huge, I mean sorry¡­ For all we know that¡¯s exactly what happened too!¡± Kaden almost yelled before realizing where he was and calmed it down a bit Appreciating the meaning, both Hannah and Daichi nodded in agreement. Chapter 32 Cheating Death - Necessity (Part 4) Chapter 32 Cheating Death - Necessity (Part 4) Finally coming up with a name for the event that had changed all their lives, they felt a small amount of comfort, pulsing out through their bodies, as a huge weight was lifted off their shoulders. They could finally enjoy a sliver, of peace of mind. As if they¡¯d answered a question they¡¯d all been wondering even if they knew they really hadn¡¯t. Ava¡¯s comment held a greater meaning. It signified her coming to her senses, snapping out of her shock-like state. While walking, Daichi began trying to trigger his analyze skill into the distance. He thought that if nothing happened, there wasn¡¯t likely to be anything there. But if it triggered, he might have a leg up on any previously unforeseen dangers or enemies before coming into contact with them. Not wanting to push Ava''s state of mind, they began walking again. That''s until Daichi asked something he¡¯d been wondering about for a long while. ¡°I¡¯ve actually had limited opportunities to read much about the specifics of magic and mana, I was wondering if you knew something about attributes? I know that some people have multiple attributes, but how does that even work?¡± Daichi asked this question to no one in particular. But in the depths of his heart, he was expecting Hannah to answer. Instead, to his surprise it was Ava that followed up on his question ¡°Attributes aren¡¯t necessary for spells or skills. My father taught me that attributes simply makes learning and using certain spells a lot easier, while at the same time, making it harder to learn and use spells of other of any other type. In fact, understanding the principles behind a spell is far harder than actually putting it into practice. As for attributes and how one gains them, that¡¯s unknown.¡± Thinking about her words, Daichi wondered about the unknown comment. He himself already had his own theories, wouldn¡¯t high ranked powerful wizards, or beings of other species with an affinity for magic perhaps have figured this out? Wondering why this knowledge wasn¡¯t widespread, Daichi started believing that it was information only passed on to an apprentice or disciple. ¡°How many attributes are there?¡± Daichi thought, but said the words out loud Hannah and Kaden glanced at each other, both curious about that themselves. They had only the knowledge their mother had taught them, not even the diaries that would have been left behind for them. Ava glanced around the group and without her usual arrogance spoke up ¡°I¡¯m surprised you don¡¯t know. This isn¡¯t exactly common knowledge but it¡¯s not a secret either. A lot of the professors at our school knew this. Did you never ask them?¡± Embarrassed, he looked away from everyone. Daichi couldn¡¯t bring himself to tell them the truth; he was always too uncomfortable to have a real conversation with any of his teachers. Their conversations were never long enough for them to have taught him anything useful. Noticing Daichi glancing away from them, Ava began to get a little annoyed, thinking to herself that he was being too arrogant again. Not letting it get to her, Ava recited a piece of textbook information; ¡°There are four categorizations for attributes. The Nature Attributes can be categorized under the Major and Minor attributes. The Minor one¡¯s being water, wind and fire. These are considered minor because they exist in nature. The Major attributes being Light and Darkness because they exist within nature and apart from it. Then there are the Law of Nature attributes, which are usually stronger because they are not simply laws of nature but the universe itself, they are death, life and time. These attributes are laws of the universe. All that is given life will eventually have death, all that which will die has to have life and time is what determines the length of everything in between from the start to the end. Then there are the ¡¯special¡¯ attributes. These are especially powerful in their own right, but their grandeur is both more limited and more mysterious all at once. There are quite a few that fall into this category, the most common example is the ¡®Void¡¯ attribute that encapsulates space. Trying to cast a spell which is based on one of these attributes is rather hard, and learning a skill of this attribute even harder without possessing the attribute. Otherwise, you need the understanding of it first. Which few people have managed to do in our history. Lastly there are the ¡®Unique¡¯ attributes. These are the least common. Even more or at least as rare as the special attributes. They are a mutation or subset of a nature/law attribute. They are the peak of a specific attribute but also extremely limited and less flexible in their use. Common examples are heat and ice. Subsets of fire and water but very different. My melt skill would technically use a lot of principles of the heat usage of mana, but my insight is actually very limited. Since our skill is inherited through a book that only people in my bloodline can read due to a spell that was placed on it. Although¡­ This is of course how we commonly identify and categorize things, as far as I can tell though it seems that we have a pretty limited understanding of these things¡­¡± When she finally finished speaking every one had different expressions on their faces. Hannah was enthralled at finding out more about her attribute. She was wondering how she got her attribute and a lot of the questions she¡¯d been trying to put aside were rushing back into her mind. Daichi was extremely interested in this new knowledge. Going by what Ava had just said, if she was right then his attribute was not a nature or law one. It was either a unique or special one. Considering that it didn¡¯t seem to be a subset of something else, except maybe the void attribute then it might be a special attribute. Thinking about it more closely, he realized that some of the knowledge he¡¯d thus far gleamed into about other attributes and their uses was through his own. If chaos embodied other attributes then it was not likely it was a subset of something else. Feeling a little lost in these thoughts, Daichi began to realize that there was definitely something obvious he was missing. Something he could gain if he could only back track and try to simplify what he knew about attributes and their connection to mana. Even Kaden was lost in thought. He¡¯d also worshipped his parents before they died. They were his role models, and while he loved his mother he worshipped his father. His father wasn¡¯t very apt with magic or skills, but he was an excellent swordsman. Kadens father never got the acknowledgement he deserved because the fighting arts were no longer viewed upon with great honor like they once were. Kaden never once gave this much thought. As he grew up, he always wanted to be more like his father. Kadens father got the attention of women everywhere. He had a charm about him that made women get drawn into his orbit with the least amount of effort, causing his wife and Kadens mother endless headaches and jealousy. But it also made Kaden think of his father as the coolest man in the world. Kaden wanted to be the same as his father, popular with the ladies and manly without magic. But now finally realizing that mana and magic might be essential in this new world, he finally began wondering how he could use his attribute to fight more effectively, or he could do it at all. A heavy silence shrouded the group as they walked. For the first time in a while, it wasn¡¯t a silence of fear or sadness but thought and introspection. Everyone was trying to gain an insight into something useful. Ava, unlike the others was not thinking about attributes and mana, but rather her previous encounter. She¡¯d had lost herself for a second, had it not been for the others she¡¯d be dead. Shuddering but not allowing herself to wallow in shock any more, Ava straightened her back and tried to regain her composure. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Ava knew she needed the others and finally, after this last experience she was beginning to subconsciously nurture her greatest fear. She was terrified of the others leaving her behind, that they would think she wasn¡¯t useful enough to them and that she¡¯d be abandoned. Seeing her home destroyed, with only blood smeared in multiple places to remind her that her parents and those she once knew were all dead, she had put it aside and immediately thought about everything her parents had taught her. Ava¡¯s parents had taught her to be strong. They taught her to lead others and to find comfort in the position of leadership, because a leader would always be needed. Since joining this group, for the first time in all of her life no one had put her on a pedestal. She was accustomed to being made to feel important but no one, not even Kaden whose eyes lingered on her longer than they needed all too often was groveling at her feet. Despite giving them the most useful weapons available, providing them with shelter and fighting along side of them. Not one of these people had made her feel necessary. After finally having a monster sneak up on her, and only her. Ava had finally lost the composure she had always maintained and began to nurture a seed of doubt and fear. Thinking about this and acknowledging that she needed to do more, and make herself more useful. Ava came to the conclusion that if even Daichi could lower his head and apologize to them, then she would also need to exhibit some level of modesty. Until she was necessary, she would at least aim to be more well liked. In a contemplative mood, the entire group walked in silence, until while instinctively trying to activate his Analyze skill, Daichi surprised himself by successfully triggering it.
Greedy Troll Level: 28 Description: One of the many inhabitants of the nearby river. Greedy Trolls only leave their river dwellings to hunt for treasure and food.
Halting immediately, Daichi put his hands up and got into a lowered crouching position while trying to cast Analyze in the general direction again
Greedy Troll Level: 28 Description: One of the many inhabitants of the nearby river. Greedy Trolls only leave their river dwellings to hunt for treasure and food.
With the others realizing that something must be happening, they also crouched down, ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Kaden was the first to voice their thoughts. Still focusing on the exact same direction ¡°I spotted two trolls. I can barely make them out, but my ability must have caught enough of a body part to activate.¡± Taking a look at the others, Daichi decided on a new plan of action ¡°We¡¯re going to run into monsters. But when we find them first, it becomes an opportunity instead of a problem. We¡¯ve dealt with trolls, same levels and now we know how to deal with them. So let¡¯s start a troll hunt.¡± The others looked a little weary. But acknowledging his words, Hannah and Ava nodded back. Kaden on the other hand was not of the same mindset ¡°They haven¡¯t spotted us, there¡¯s no need to go and kill them. Let¡¯s just avoid them and go on our way.¡± Staring at Kaden as if he¡¯d said something ridiculous Daichi was about to start talking to only stop himself. Instead, glancing at Hannah curiously, he wondered what her response would be. ¡°We don¡¯t need to kill them but we do Kaden. Opportunities to get stronger like this aren¡¯t without risk, but this is still the best we can hope for.¡± without so much as a shred of hesitation Hannah replied to the look that Daichi was giving her. ¡°I¡¯m up for it.¡± was all Ava said in response while trying to hide the anxiety appearing from before. Not giving Kaden another chance to comment ¡°I¡¯ll rush in. When I say go, that means I¡¯ve activated my skill and weakened them, at that point Hannah you go in for the kill on the one to my left and Ava and Kaden you two go in for the kill on the other.¡± Daichi stated his plan of attack. Realizing that both kills would likely go to Hannah and Ava, Daichi was prepared to help them get stronger this way. Checking if they were ready, Daichi steadied himself and waited for the two trolls to get into closer proximity to one another before rushing forward. Getting as close as possible, Daichi trigged his wave in their direction, yelling ¡°NOW!¡±. Getting even closer, he activated his upon contact with each of them before seeing Hannah moving forward, closely behind him. The first skill wearing off, the trolls began to shriek and wave their clubs around, not leaving much room for anyone to step in their range. Waiting for Hannah and Kaden to get even closer, Daichi made sign for them to get behind him. He then launched another wave in the direction of the trolls as he screamed ¡°Go¡± for the girls to move in. The trolls immobile, both Ava and Hannah¡¯s skills made short work of both. Immediately feeling exhaustion washing over him after draining most of his mana, Daichi told the others he needed to meditate. He also pressed them to keep a watch out for him, and to alert him in half an hour before entering into his Meditative State through his skill. Daichi was awoken by the group more or less after half an hour. The entire group was feeling less tired after their rest as well. The sun was finally closing in to the horizon, it looked like it was getting close to sunset. Daichi and the group began moving again, wanting to get away from the troll corpses in case it drew attention from other monsters. Not long after though, Daichi noticed two more trolls with his skill. Choosing not to waste the opportunity, he informed the group and then proceeded in the same fashion as before to eliminate both trolls. After the second battle the sun was at break point with setting. With no problem occurring, the group was feeling more confident than before. After meditating to regain his mana, Daichi felt refreshed again and moved out with the group. This time with the intent of finding some place to rest for the night. Realizing that there was a good chance that they were close to a river and that it might be the reason that they had run into multiple trolls, Daichi suggested they move in a different direction. But, with all the forestry surrounding them¡­ No one knew exactly what direction they had been moving in for a while. As the sun set and the moons rose, with no safe refuge coming into their sights, everyone unanimously decided to look for a large sturdy tree to climb, so as to rest there. At least that way they would be safe from some of the monsters. They would take turns sleeping, that way someone would always stay on watch. The first day out in the wilderness finally coming to a conclusion, everyone had different thoughts as they tried to find even the slightest comfortable position on their branches. Unfortunately, with so much weighting on their minds, not one of them could even get a glimpse of rest. No one except for Daichi. Taking the opportunity to meditate, even in an awkward position on his tree branch, he settled into a natural meditation and allowed his mind to process his recent experiences. Chapter 33 Cheating Death - New Members? (Part 1) Chapter 33 Cheating Death - New Members? (Part 1) This chapter ended up being inadvertently short. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª While meditating, Daichi¡¯s focus was disturbed by the sounds of talking near him. Waking up, he realized it was Hannah and Avas doing. Hannah was comforting Ava about the previous troll encounter, praising her on her bravery for managing to kill 2 trolls despite being rattled. Kaden had fallen asleep even though he was the one that was supposed to be on watch, or so Daichi thought. Then he re-evaluated his thoughts, perhaps the watch shifts had changed and he had just meditated for a longer period of time than he had expected. Feeling a little discomforted by his inability to gauge time while meditating, Daichi wondered how he could fix that in the short term. Glancing at the duo of Ava and Hannah, Daichi used his Analyze skill on them.
Human Named: Hannah Guresu Level: 18 Description: Death hovers around her.
Human Named: Ava Kajiya Level: 14 Description: The last of the Kajiya bloodline.
Daichi¡¯s expression described his baffled state, seeing that both of them got some level ups with just the trolls from earlier. Daichi realized that helping them kill notably stronger monsters was going to be a huge help in their case. Although looking at their levels, he was beginning to think that there was quite a discrepancy, considering they¡¯d have killed nearly the same number of monsters at nearly the same levels. Finding it a little odd, Daichi started to consider that perhaps the ¡°Aptitude¡± stat was what affecting their different levels of growth. Perhaps different people gain less or more doing the same thing. If that were the case, wouldn¡¯t he have gained quite a bit from one of his titles¡­? Thinking about his own luck, Daichi shook his head and looked at Kaden.
Human Named: Kaden Guresu Level: 13 Description: Lucky and fast.
Not a single change, Daichi began to wonder how much of this was due to Kaden¡¯s own reluctance to kill when he didn¡¯t have to. In fact, thinking about all of their previous battles, Daichi couldn¡¯t think of a single time when Kaden would kill an opponent unless he was attacked first. Instead, letting Hannah or Ava get the kill and strengthen themselves. Was Kaden being a team-player or was it more than that? Staring up at the moons high in the sky, Daichi began thinking about the conversation they¡¯d had earlier. Their talk involving attributes had sparked a lot of inner introspection that ended up interrupted by trolls. Thinking back over the topic and the new information, Daichi began pondering on the many opportunities that could mean for him. While thinking about the wonders of mana and the fact that all mana could manifest. Daichi was in awe, his thoughts wandering around the many possibilities and secrets of Mana when his heart skipped a beat and his brain suddenly froze. A familiar feeling spreading throughout his mind, Daichi felt as if he was on the verge of understanding something vast but simple. Crucial and life changing, Daichi tried to focus on this thought that kept slipping away, a feeling that was telling him he was close to something huge but so far away at the same time. Daichi immediately triggered his Meditative State skill again and allowed the feeling of mana to overflow onto him. He did as to ease his mind and allow it to naturally reach the conclusion he was chasing. The great, many attributes dictate the possibilities of mana. Yet, there are many low wizards who can cast a variety of basic spells from different attributes. Making an attribute unnecessary to wield mana in a specific way. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Following that train of thought Daichi began wondering the true importance of an attribute. Whether an attribute itself was something that dictated the specialty one had or would have in mana manipulation¡­ Or whether it was merely a form of mana that came into contact with one¡¯s mana before one knew how to manipulate it. If hypothetically a child with low mana who had never wielded his mana came into contact with a skill or a naturally occurring mana that entered his own, would that automatically change that mana pool into that nature? Only a mage could protect himself from mana and an attribute of mana. Under this hypothesis, an attribute was not necessarily what dictated one¡¯s natural predilection for mana use¡­ This alone would mean that someone with a wind attribute would theoretically be able to use fire formed mana techniques¡­ It just wouldn¡¯t be natural or easy¡­ Then again, the only reason why using one¡¯s own mana is ¡°easier¡± is because you can feel how that mana flows and reacts. Once you have an attribute, using mana from another attribute was as if you were trying to learn a different language once you had already learned your first. Would mastering the feel and use of mana, gaining experience of using mana in a different attribute then allow one to gain that attribute? How would one go about changing his own mana pool to integrate another attributed mana inside that same pool? Was that even possible? Or would creating a new separate pool of mana be necessary somehow? There are indeed people with multiple attributes¡­ If they were not born that way, then certainly it would be possible to gain attributes through understanding and/or practical experience. Involved in this epiphany Daichi felt a soul stirring feeling he hadn¡¯t felt since that night he¡¯d killed a demon. The feeling was almost surreal as he could feel his entire body this time as he experienced it. Although unlike before¡­ This feeling didn¡¯t even last a second. It came and went, in less than a second! Fully embracing this epiphany, Daichi felt warm and excited with possibilities. Considering this new theory, Daichi began to wonder how he would go about learning the basics for how mana could be infused with another attribute. While thinking about this topic, Daichi was awoken by Hannah¡¯s urging. ¡°Daichi, I¡¯m about to pass out, everyone¡¯s taken a turn staying up. It¡¯s your shift¡± her hand on his shoulder bringing Daichi back to a state of awareness. Noticing Daichi open his eyes, Hannah turned around and shifted back to her own branch not too far away. She leaned back against the trunk of her tree and closed her eyes trying to get some sleep herself. Not being bothered by being tousled out of his meditation, Daichi maintained a general awareness of his surroundings while continuing his train of thoughts. Perhaps simply trying to manipulate mana in a specific way would be sufficient. Daichi began querying if gaining more insight into the inner workings and concept of fire, wind, and water would be sufficient in order for him to apply that insight into his mana manipulation. Then thinking about his own previous knowledge, Daichi started trying to remember the various books he read in the past. Depending on what he already knew, he could measure himself against what he already could do and what he would need to learn. Feeling confident in his process of thinking, Daichi was on the verge of beginning to apply this knowledge to the mana in the air when he noticed something across some of the branches. It was a hundred meters or so, on the ground. A pair of eyes staring back at him. Suddenly very alert Daichi stared back unblinking. These eyes, the shape and size appeared almost human. Chapter 34 Cheating Death - New Members? (Part 2) Chapter 34 Cheating Death - New Members (Part 2) As previously stated, one moderately long chapter! --------------------------------------------------- Daichi was left unable to look away from these staring eyes, unsure of what to do. Moments later these eyes were gone. Fully alert now, Daichi didn¡¯t want to alert the others unnecessarily especially if they were tired but considering the possible danger of an enemy knowing their location, he struggled with what decision to make. If it was another human, that could be just as dangerous as any monster but the others likely wouldn¡¯t think so. Wanting to avoid this possibility Daichi chose to act by not acting. Instead of alerting the others, he maintained his vigilance and looked around, constantly trying to trigger his analyze skill in case anything or anyone was close enough for it to notice them. Anxiously waiting on his tree Daichi observed his surroundings without dropping even the slightest bit of his self-awareness. After a few minutes¡­ Daichi calmed down a little. Whoever or whatever it was seemed to have left. Calming down only left Daichi with a greater anxiety. If they were ¡°friendly¡± they would have likely tried to make contact, if they aren¡¯t friendly they could be getting more enemies. Trying to shake his anxiety Daichi considered that there were a slew of other possibilities that he was ignoring. Ignoring the anxiety he calmed himself down and maintained his vigilance. This persisted for another few hours or so until the others started waking up one by one. Feeling less anxious after a few hours, Daichi put the instance behind him thinking whether they¡¯re friendly or not they¡¯d find out soon enough. As long as he¡¯s on guard, they won¡¯t be able to launch any sneak attacks making it irrelevant whether they attack or not. Since the awakening of the gods, there had simply been one threat right after another, expecting no different from today Daichi steadied himself for the day to come. With everyone waking up and eating some of their food and water, they all discussed rationing their food. Thus far they hadn¡¯t explicitly talked about it, but they had been watching what they ate, trying their best not to eat more than necessary. Realizing that they had officially left their town and that there was no going back, the conversation that should have taken place days ago was finally had. After eating their portions and climbing down from the trees, they stretched their bodies and parted in sets to use the rest room not too far from one another. After taking care of the bare necessities, they discussed what direction to go. Not a single one of them having a particularly good idea of their location, they decided to simply continue in the general direction they had been going the day before. Hannah and Ava made small talk and complained about their cuts and bruises while Kaden and Daichi walked in front of them brushing away the leaves and branches in silence staying vigilant of their surroundings. Noticing that they weren¡¯t being particularly weary of him, Daichi was in slightly better spirits thinking about how his apology the day before had some pretty good results. Part of him was still thinking about whatever it was that made eye contact with him earlier, but putting the thought to the side he focused on what was right in front of him. After a few hours of walking, taking breaks every so often, the group came to a clearing in the forest. Taking opportunity to rest, they decided to snack at the edge of the clearing. While eating his snack, Daichi felt an unsettling sensation of someone watching him. Feeling alert like before, he began to look around and activate his analyze skill¡­ Noticing his sudden movements, the rest of the group become more self-aware and readied themselves in case an enemy was near. Finally seeing something on the other side of the clearing, Daichi made contact with a pair eyes. The same ones from earlier on in the morning. Immediately feeling on guard, Daichi considered the possibilities. Regardless of who or what they were, they had followed them for hours, their intentions making them suspicious in his mind. Walking out from behind the leaves covering them, two girls appeared within their eye line. Both girls had oval faces with just a little bit of extra baby fat in their cheeks giving them an appearance of youth. Large black eyes with long matted dark hair coming down to their shoulders, their bodies looked skinny and frail, and their tall heights accentuated their lack of extra fat on their arms and legs. Despite their slightly gaunt appearance they had striking expressions that despite their looks and gender gave off an intimidating aura of self-reliance. Wearing rags and holding nothing in their hands, they simply stated at the group. Noticing their arrival Daichi and the others simply stared back unsure of how to proceed but before being able to formulate a plan Kaden stepped forward and began calling to the girls. ¡°Are you two okay!? Where did you come from!? Do you need help??¡± sounding concerned and putting the others into a difficult position. Daichi stared at Kadens back stupefied by his words and actions. Despite not receiving an answer Kaden started moving forward not too slowly but not too quickly holding his hands up in a defenseless-gesture ¡°Seriously, do you need help?? I¡¯m Kaden. These are my friends. What are your names?¡± Looking over to the side and making eye contact with each other, the others wearing different expressions of confusion and uncertainty began slowly following Kaden. Daichi was the last to move, not wanting to move further into the clearing in case this was a trap. This whole situation felt too strange. Two girls wearing rags suddenly appearing in the middle of the forest? What the hell is Kaden thinking? Clenching his fists and then placing them on the hilt of his swords, Daichi began slowly moving closer wanting to get into the range of being able to use his analyze skill. As Kaden got closer one of the two girls spoke up, ¡°Stop right there.¡± Every one stopped walking including Kaden, expecting the worse. The same girl spoke up ¡°We do not have names. What are you?¡± Everyone was surprised by that question, Kaden unsure of what to say but feeling the need to respond ¡°What do you mean? Do you mean where are we from, like our towns name?¡± The other girl responded with seemingly the same voice as her sister ¡°What are you?¡± ¡°We¡¯re from the Outer City. That¡¯s what it¡¯s called, it¡¯s one of the furthest cities from the capital, but it has I mean, had a gate.¡± answering with what he thought they meant Kaden spoke up The slightly taller girl first spoke up clenched her fists and lowered her tone ¡°Last time, What are you.¡± Looking confused and helpless, unsure of how to answer Kaden just shook his head when Hannah spoke up ¡°We¡¯re human. What else would we be?¡± Daichi had thought that this was what they were asking, but being naturally cautious and not wanting to give anything away he¡¯d stayed quiet. Sparing a glance in Hannah¡¯s direction Daichi was a little annoyed that she answered and a little impressed at the same time. The two girls turned to look at each other and then as if having a quick unsaid conversation with each other, turned back to look at Kaden and the others looking less on guard. Speaking in a less aggressive tone, ¡°We haven¡¯t seen a human in years. What has happened. Where are we. Who are you.¡± Kaden was at a loss for words but that didn¡¯t stop him from speaking ¡°What do you mean? This forest has been next to our town forever, since it was built. What do you mean humans? Aren¡¯t you human too? We don¡¯t mean any harm by the way, we can help you if you need it. My name is Kaden, this is my sister Hannah and these two are my friends Ava and Daichi¡± Kaden pointed at each one of them introducing them a bit awkwardly Staring at Kaden¡¯s back Daichi continued to be stupefied by him, thinking that maybe his stupidity would occasionally be useful. There was no tactful way to ask what he just asked, getting ready for the situation to go south he began thinking about what skill to use on them when the time came. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Both Hannah and Ava were staring at the girls with guarded expressions, still optimistic. If they weren¡¯t human than what were they? How could they speak their language? Glancing at each other once again, both girls weren¡¯t showing too much on the surface. Their expressions guarded they seemed to be able to communicate without speaking, either that or they just knew each that well. Seemingly having come to a decision, both girls began walking forward slowly. Noticing their actions, Daichi felt even more on guard. Kaden had stepped back to just a few steps in front of the others when he had introduced them, and now getting a closer look at the girls as they got nearer he began to fully appreciate the view. The girls stopped a few meters away from Kaden and completely within the range of Daichis analyze skill.
Fledgling Mare Level: 25 Description: A young Mare who has lived only a few centuries.
Fledgling Mare Level: 26 Description: A young Mare who has lived only a few centuries.
Staring at their information Daichi began to feel cold sweat running down his back. This was the first time he had encountered a ¡®monster¡¯ that seemed to have intelligence on par humans. They could speak their language and appeared human as well. Thinking back to what he had read in the historical textbooks that included information on monsters. Daichi remembered a passage that mentioned that the stronger the race of monster, the more their appearance would resemble humans with minor exceptions. The textbooks referred to anything that wasn¡¯t human as ¡®monsters¡¯ of course, and referred to anything that wasn¡¯t human unworthy of being trusted. Daichi didn¡¯t believe everything he¡¯d ever read but the information regarding stronger races resembling humans made sense to him, and seeing that these Mare girls were at least a century old. His natural weariness of others kicked into high gear. ¡°My sister and I were walking our grounds when the sky turned black. After it turned back to normal, the forest was different. What do you know?¡± The shorter girl said, seemingly unafraid of us attacking them. Kaden looked slightly excited ¡°So it happened to you too!! Yeah, that happened to us when we were in town, and then the next thing we knew the whole town was basically in ruins¡­¡± Finished with his sentence Kaden looked down seeming crestfallen Suddenly looking back up with more composure, ¡°What do you mean different?¡± Looking at each of us individually the taller Mare answered ¡°It smelled different.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Kaden was hoping for more, looking at them optimistically he pushed with his eyes for them to elaborate ¡°Smelled different. It¡¯s not the same. The other monsters around are different than the ones we¡¯re accustomed too as well. The mana in the air is stronger.¡± the taller girl said ¡°Much stronger¡± the shorter girl elaborated on her sisters comment Finally speaking up trying to sound neutral as Daichi posed a question he knew the answer too ¡°Are you human as well.¡± Hoping for a lie Daichi waited for their responses with his hands on the hilts of his sword. ¡°No. We are Mare.¡± They responded in unison. After listening to their response, the greatest reaction was undoubtedly from Kaden and Ava. Ava revealed a small gasp and Kaden was filled was confusion. Kaden asked ¡°What¡¯s that? So¡­ You aren¡¯t human?¡± ¡°Mare is mare. We are not human. Humans are not seen often in our forest.¡± The taller girl stated. Daichi looked a little green, he¡¯d been hoping they would like about what they were so he could just kill them and they could move on. Instead they answered honestly making him feel anxious, hoping that the worst case scenario would not occur. Kaden looked back at Hannah and seemed to ask her a question with his eyes that only she would understand. Knowing full well what he was asking, Hannah looked at him with a stern face while glancing at Daichi and Ava. Understanding her meaning, Kaden turned back to the Mare ¡°Where are you going and what do you plan to do now?¡± ¡°We briefly hoped you would have information about where we were. You do not, so we will continue our walk.¡± Seemingly devoid of personality it seemed it didn¡¯t matter which one of them answered, their expressions stayed even and their tone the same. These mare seemed to be carbon copies of one another. Daichi raised an eyebrow while thinking about whether they were actually sisters, or if perhaps even if they were, that sisters might mean something different for mare than it did for humans. Striking at Daichis heart with words that he was dreading Kaden asked the mare whether they would like to come with them, ¡°We¡¯re heading in that direction. There is a lot of danger around here but we¡¯d probably be safer if we all stayed together.¡± Kaden pointed in the direction where they had come more or less and finished his sentence with an upbeat tone Daichi immediately spoke up ¡°Kaden! We would need to discuss this. As a group.¡± The mare exchanges glances and responded ¡°We would like to come with you if you would let us.¡± Kaden made an excited expression and turned around to face an ashen looking Hannah and Ava. Not even glancing at Daichi he walked a few steps to get closer to the group and whispered ¡°This is fantastic. If they come with us we¡¯ll have a bigger and stronger group! Plus they look like they could use our help, if we can help we should help!¡± Daichi chimed in ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say this earlier¡­ But I noticed someone or something before we got up. They left almost as quickly as I¡¯d seen them so I didn¡¯t want to make too big a deal if it wasn¡¯t necessary. I¡¯m certain that¡¯s them. They¡¯ve been following us since this morning. There¡¯s no reason for them to join us, in fact we¡¯d be safer without them.¡± ¡°Why would we be safer without them? Besides even if that were true which I don¡¯t think it is, because they might be strong, they wouldn¡¯t be safer without us.¡± Kaden countered with a righteous expression Both Daichi and Kaden stared at each other reaching an impasse. Then turning at the same time to look at Hannah and Ava to hear their input. ¡°Daichi, did you use your skill on them? How strong are they?¡± Hannah inquired ¡°Level 25 and 26 is all it says, but they could be stronger. We should¡¯t let two people we don¡¯t know who are already stronger than us come. This is a stupid idea.¡± Daichi answered ¡°I don¡¯t think they should come either. We don¡¯t know them and they¡¯re monsters.¡± Ava voiced her opinion ¡°So what if they¡¯re not human? That doesn¡¯t mean they¡¯re bad! Plus if they¡¯re strong then they can help us.¡± Kaden pushed the topic. Everyone having different opinions on the topic, they all looked at Hannah since she was the only one who hadn¡¯t said anything up to this point. ¡°I think it¡¯s a little strange if they followed us since this morning. I also don¡¯t necessarily think it¡¯s a good idea to team up with people we don¡¯t know¡­ But I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really a choice anymore. Kaden already invited them, they¡¯ve followed us since this morning so they could just continue to follow us even if we say no, and if we say no they might become hostile. We should let them come.¡± Hannah looked over at Ava hoping she¡¯d agree with her. ¡°I don¡¯t trust them, but fine. If they¡¯re going to follow us anyways.¡± Ava answered ¡°There¡¯s another option you know.¡± Daichi said while looking down at his swords. ¡°No! We¡¯re not doing that! There¡¯s no reason to do that! What the hell is wrong with you man?¡± Kaden spoke up louder than he meant too. Hannah just gave Daichi a glance and shook her head. Looking at the others with an even expression Daichi hid exactly how much annoyance he was feeling at this very moment. Knowing he was outnumbered, and that he was not going to win this argument. Daichi shook his head in reluctance and defeat. He glanced at the two girls and looked at them as if he was seeing right through them. Chapter 35 Cheating Death - New Members? (Part 3) Chapter 35 Cheating Death - New Members? (Part 3) Everyone had now agreed upon allowing the two Mare girls to travel with them. Kaden was the only one thrilled about it though and he immediately showed his enthusiasm by beginning a seemingly one sided conversation with the girls. Hannah and Ava stood nearby listening occasionally nodding their heads. ¡°We heard humans are all magic users. Are you all magic users?¡± the taller and seemingly more forward girl asked. ¡°Where¡¯d you hear that from?¡± Daichi cut Kaden off and responded to the Mare for the first time. ¡°Our tribe. The stories say humans are filled with mana.¡± the shorter mare responded. ¡°Do the Mare use mana?¡± Ava asked her own question. ¡°Yes. We live with nature and we are at one with the world. Energy is our source.¡± the shorter girl replied. It had almost become a pattern, the taller mare would inquire and the shorter one would answer. Daichi decided not to say anymore and just watched Kaden prattle on about their town, and just about any single thing he could think to make an impression on these girls. Personally Daichi didn¡¯t care whether they were human or ¡°other¡±. In his mind in came down to a simple balance of risk and reward. There was more risk than reward in allowing them to travel with the group. Too many variables unaccounted for. Up until now he thought of the others as useful companions and without realizing it. His last ties to humanity, and the life that ended on the day the world changed. Daichi had begun to protect these other people since the day the gods woke up in order to protect the remnants of what used to be. So protecting the group had become a priority. Not Daichis main priority, but a priority none the less. In Daichi¡¯s mind if he had been the one to follow them for half a day in order to find out more about them before approaching them, then perhaps this could have worked but being in a position of weakness in regards to knowledge was not something Daichi was accustomed too. After discussing pleasantries, which mainly consisted of Kaden speaking without thinking and the mare girls occasionally responding. Daichi had realized how little the girls had said. Regardless of how they would answer, they wouldn¡¯t say anything about their past, where they came from or anything specific about themselves. Even Hannah and Ava had noticed this and were slightly perturbed by these two similar looking girls but for different reasons. Both girls were feeling a little uncomfortable with the way Kaden was staring at the mare girls and with how little concern they seemed to have over his leering. Moreover since the girls were only wearing what were basically rags, Hannah and Ava felt uncomfortable for them instead of because of them. Finally done speaking about his own past and group, Kaden seemed satisfied with the new companions and inquired whether they would like something to eat. Both girls glanced at each other before the shorter girl responded ¡°Not necessary. We just ate.¡± Daichi¡¯s eye twitched at the comment but thought nothing more of it. The group proceeded to begin walking in the direction the mare had come from. Daichi decided to be tactful and not ask them why they had been following them before making contact. There would be too many easy and logical responses, and he wouldn¡¯t believe anything they said anyways. Daichi asked them how far they had traveled from the direction they had come. After all that was the direction they were going. ¡°We walked in circles, in fact earlier today we were in the general direction you just came from. As such we haven¡¯t explored that section much ourselves.¡± the shorter mare answered on cue. Finding that answer interesting, Daichi noticed the girls expressions changed about as rarely as his. Then considering the information at hand. Daichi inquired whether even if their forest had changed, whether they knew their way around the area at all. ¡°Even if it changed, some of it must still be familiar right?¡± The others were walking alongside the mare with only Daichi now trailing behind them. Daichi wouldn¡¯t let the mare walk behind him just in case. Not turning back to respond ¡°Yes and no. Our forest seems the same but the locations of many things have changed. As such we do not know our way around.¡± Daichi had begun to notice that even though the girls had not said anything specific about themselves they had yet to blatantly lie to them, as far as he could tell. The group had been traveling while making small pleasantries, every so often they would stop to rest and the two mare girls would wait together while the other four original members would sit off slightly to the side on their own. Despite Kaden¡¯s mediating between the two groups. There was some lingering tension in the air. Even more so because the group couldn¡¯t tell if the mare girls were being guarded or whether their indifferent demeanor was just them acting what passed for ¡°normal¡± for mare. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Ava was the first to bring up the most obvious question ¡°What is a mare?¡± she whispered to the others. The others glanced around looking at one another not expecting an answer but hoping for one. ¡°We could always ask them. I¡¯m sure they wouldn¡¯t mind.¡± Kaden said ¡°I doubt they would give a real answer. Not just because they don¡¯t know us, but because they don¡¯t seem to be fond of useful answers. They¡¯ll just say something sage-but-not-really like ¡®Mare are mare¡¯.¡± Ava said in response Daichi gave her a long look surprised by her countenance. Ava had voiced his thoughts. Feeling more in tune with the group than Kaden for the first time, Daichi realized that without saying anything the others would voice his natural concerns. Leaving Daichi with only the responsibility of making sure they weren¡¯t lead into an obvious trap or caught unaware. Feeling slightly less burdened, Daichi decided to just take a back seat to the conversation. Daichi would listen, watch, and wait. After their quick break, they began walking in what felt like a straight line from where they had begun their journey knowing it wasn¡¯t. Walking ahead of the group with the two new girls, the shorter one spoke up for the first time without being prompted ¡°If we continue like this we¡¯ll end up making a turn towards the direction we¡¯ve come from. Would you like us to lead?¡± Kaden couldn¡¯t hide his surprise, before voicing it ¡°Can you actually tell which way is which? Could you guide us in the direction we would like to go?¡± ¡°Of course. We live in the forests. We can tell where we are going even without the sun and the shadows.¡± the shorter girls response came in the mares seemingly trademarked even tone. Daichi¡¯s eyebrows had twitched at the mention of being led by the Mare. Finding it suspicious. Looking at Hannah and Ava, they also seemed to be a little uncomfortable by the idea. Kaden continued unaware of everyones feelings or simply ignoring them, ¡°That¡¯s fantastic! We want to go east! In the a straight line! Can you have us walk in that direction?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± the shorter mare responded. Her one word response immediately followed up ¡°Why east?¡± by the taller mare. ¡°We¡¯re trying to head for one of the bigger towns that we know of. Hopefully there will be people that can help us there.¡± Kaden said ¡°Help with what? What is your goal?¡± the taller mare inquired finally facing him for this question. ¡°Goal? I mean, we just want to find other people.¡± Kaden answered a little confused and unsure of what the mare were getting at. Not getting any further comments from the mare Kaden continued ¡°Once we find more people, we¡¯ll be safe obviously. You two as well! We¡¯ll tell anyone has a problem with you that you¡¯re with us!¡± Kaden pointed at his chest with his thumb and made a righteous pose feeling confident in himself ¡°Mhmm¡± they responded in unison while continuing their walking now slightly ahead of Kaden. Hannah was thinking about their comments and wondering that as well. Where there any human cities still left and fine? If there were, would they even be safe? When their parents died they were lucky they had been left with a home, money and people who knew them enough to try and look out for them. Now they had none of that. Hannah knew that despite their parents deaths they had been lucky in this life thus far. Especially Kaden who had been the least affected by their deaths. Glancing at Ava without her noticing, Hannah wondered if they would have to rely on her. Thinking about the ring on Avas finger¡­ Hannah immediately dropped her line of thought. That wasn¡¯t her and she wasn¡¯t even going to think it! Ava had ignored the entire portion of the conversation. In her mind it was obvious to head for a city. With people there is safety. Her skills are supportive and her name would likely still carry some weight if she managed to get to the capital. Since beginning their journey Daichi only had the goal of getting stronger to survive. Then soon after he¡¯d made the resolution to gain knowledge, his passion he¡¯d learned had been gaining a deeper understanding for the intangible. Until now, his only purpose for leaving his home town and heading for the capital with the others had been to keep them all safe. Taking the time to really think about their destination and not just getting there alive but what it would mean to actually get there, Daichi realized the realm of possibilities waiting for him. If they managed to get to the capital, he would possibly be able to get access to their library. One of the four greatest libraries in the world! Thinking about the prospect of being able to get his hands on all of those books¡­ All of that knowledge¡­ Daichi temporarily dropped his guard and his indifferent expression and wore a rare expression of longing. Chapter 36 Cheating Death - New Members? (Part 4) Chapter 36 Cheating Death - New Members? (Part 4) Daichi was longingly looking into the distance when Hannah glanced over and asked him what his destination would be once they arrived at the capital. Without so much as a moment of hesitation Daichi responded ¡°The Lumina Repository¡±. Hannah¡¯s eyes widened slightly and then she nodded ¡°That¡¯s a place a lot of people which they could step a foot in. Although you¡¯ll need a lot of qualifications before you so much as get a chance to do that.¡± Kaden up ahead made a clicking noise with his tongue expressing his disapproval. In his mind, they were going to one of the most amazing cities on the planet! One of the four major cities and Daichi¡¯s destination was a library? What a waste! So many beautiful girls in one big city and Daichi wanted to spend his time in a dusty room with dusty books? No wonder he didn¡¯t get along with the guy. The mare turned were both looking ahead and paying attention to Kaden. Noticing his displeasure the taller girl inquired ¡°What is the Lumina Repository?¡± Jumping into explanation mode, Ava began telling the mare about the wonders of the capital and the reason it had grown to become such a powerful state over the years. ¡°The library in the capital is renowned throughout the entire continent. It is one of the oldest structures known to man. In fact the entire capital city had originally been built around this structure. Everyone knows our continent has four major capital cities with the remnants of kingdoms, that still survive in their surroundings. Munten, Sabie, Fiara & Lumina the four major cities that have withstood the test of time. The four major cities in the world are vast compared to most towns, and all four of them were built around a single ancient structure. All four structures have different values and significance to those cities but the most wondrous of them is the Lumina repository in the capital city of Lumina.¡± Looking unimpressed, or possibly extremely shocked to the point of being unable to change their facial expressions. It was hard to tell with the mare. Ava elaborated in order to give them some context. ¡°You see, most towns and academies with enough prestige would have their own repository, covering a general array of topics. The better the books, the better the library. The best libraries include some books that contain skills themselves. These towns aren¡¯t that uncommon, and are usually towns with a big academy.¡± Glancing at the others and making sure she still had their attention, Ava continued ¡°The library in the capital on the other hand, goes a hundred steps beyond all of those other libraries. The Lumina not only contains a copy of every book that has been written in the past thousand years and more, but it also contains a wide variety of skill books. Hundreds and maybe thousands.¡± Seeing the look change on Kaden¡¯s face and even noticing the mare¡¯s footsteps walking a little slower. Ava felt pleased by their reactions. After all even though the Lumina was well known throughout the entire continent, not everyone knew why or exactly how grand it was. The Kajiya family was in the-know involving a lot of things. Naturally they knew a great deal involving the Lumina. ¡°Actually¡­ The greatest accomplishment of the Lumina, it¡¯s greatest treasure, isn¡¯t those skill books.¡± Ava said mysteriously¡­ ¡°Few people actually know, but the greatest treasure that makes the Lumina more than just a library, but worthy of being called a repository of knowledge¡­ Is that the Lumina contains a separate and very private section which only the truly elite can enter. In this section¡­¡± Finally allowing her own enthusiasm to overtake her Ava let out a huge secret that before the gods awakening, her parents would have scolded her non-stop for divulging, ¡°The library stores a plethora of books that can teach those with the talent to understand and learn, the very theories behind the creation of various abilities, skills, and mana. The books in this section would grant those with the ability to understand what¡¯s in those books the know-how to create a path for themselves in the world!¡± Ava said gasping for breath after her long explanation. Everyone even the mare had stopped walking and were looking at Ava in awe. The mare were surprised to know that humans had such a wealth of knowledge. Which was more than they¡¯d thought of man. Hannah and Kaden were looking stupefied. They¡¯d known the Lumina was an incredible place, but never had they imagined that it was holding such an overwhelmingly powerful base of knowledge. Even Kaden was moved by Ava¡¯s speech. Kaden was thinking about how many girls would fall for him if he was able to say with honesty, that he was one of the few able to enter the Lumina at will¡­ Naturally Daichi knew of such things to begin with due to his father being a philosopher. Years ago Daichi¡¯s father had been granted the honor of having one of his books placed into the inner section of the Lumina. On that trip, Daichi¡¯s father had been allowed not only to enter the Lumina¡¯s outer sector but the inner sector where his book was placed. Daichi recalled how he had never seen his father so pleased and depressed simultaneously as when we had returned from that trip. When Daisuke had returned from his trip, he could not stop rambling about the wonders of the Lumina. When he had first seen it he had marveled at it¡¯s size, but once had he had entered the outer section he had been overwhelmed by it¡¯s beauty. ¡°The second you enter the ¡°Outer¡± section of the library, which is the largest section of the main building. The very atmosphere changes. There is no ceiling. Instead it¡¯s almost as if you enter another realm! There is a simulated night sky with stars that illuminate the entire library! Apparently it is a long forgotten spell that no one understands.¡± Daisuke had said with a look of wonder on his face as his hands trembled at the memory ¡°Once you stop marveling at the wonder of the stars, you notice that in the center of what should be the main floor, in the night sky there is a phrase written in star-light ¡°Lumina in intuneric¡±. It is from a long forgotten language in our world but there are some books in the library and I was told it had been translated as ¡°Light in the Dark¡± Daisuke had looked past Daichi in marvel when he said this and then burst out laughing Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s a wonder you will one day need to see for yourself Daichi! I venture to guess that the meaning of that phrase is not as literal as most people interpret it to be, not simply referring to the spell cast or the light in the library but the value of knowledge. You must always remember that.¡± Daisuke had said to Daichi and the look with which he had said it had been eternally etched into Daichi¡¯s mind. Daichi had never seen anyone before or since so enraptured by something. Daichi had craved that kind of desire for years, never getting so much as a fleck of it for anything in his life. Not until recently. Recently Daichi had finally begun to understand his father¡¯s obsession and begun to feel connected to his father for the first time in his life. A spark, a desire for knowledge had been lit within Daichi similar to his fathers. Daichi could also never forget the absolute depression-filled gaze with which Daisuke had had right after telling Daichi all things. Daisuke had been granted the privilege of entering not only the outer but inner sector of the library, but never allowed to so much as touch a single book. What should have been and still was the greatest moment of Daisuke¡¯s life had also been the most heartbreaking experience as well. Suddenly the world was different though. Daichi was in a different position. Not only had he already gained enough experience and strength to outclass most others his age. Daichi had become exceptional in his own right. Confident in his ability to understand and resolute in his newfound desire. Besides¡­ Daichi couldn¡¯t help but think that if the capital had been destroyed¡­ Perhaps he could just stroll in and take every book he would ever want to read¡­ Now that would be the best case scenario¡­ Thinking about this Daichi couldn¡¯t help grinning like an idiot (or Kaden). Everyone had begun to think about their motives and desires for reaching the capital further than the purpose of survival. Kaden was the only one whose thoughts never veered further than it simply being the only option. In his mind an alternative to reaching another civilization of humans had never crossed his mind. While dreaming of becoming more like his father in his childhood, Kaden had only ever considered the rewards. The way the people treated his father, the respect and adoration. The looks the women gave him due to his status. The prosperity of their family. Not once had Kaden truly stopped to think about what his father had to do to gain the title of Hero for his village. The acts he had to commit, and the sacrifices he had to make. It was only after a sudden turn in direction and almost tripping on a branch that Daichi came to his senses and noticed the gloomy expressions on Hannah and Ava. The mare brought Daichi back from his memory by speaking in their monotone voices unanimously ¡°Amazing.¡± Daichi just glanced at them and thought how that was likely the grandest understatement they would never understand. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite amazing. In terms of knowledge, it¡¯s as close to paradise as one can get.¡± Ava said nonchalantly while fidgeting with her hair for the first time in a while. Looking in awe, Hannah couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡°Do they really have a copy of every single book written in the past thousand years?¡± ¡°Well. Every wide spread book. Some of the ones written by people for their families and such wouldn¡¯t be found there. Still, every book on the major technological advancements from before a thousand years ago until now are definitely in there, not counting historical and miscellaneous texts.¡± Ava said with the tone of a professor teaching one of her students. ¡°Technological advancements?¡± the taller mare probed while leading. They had been walking for a few hours now with the mare leading. The mare had been taking strange turns at sporadic intervals making Daichi more and more suspicious. Daichi while absorbed in his thoughts had allowed this to continue knowing the risks¡­ In the worst case scenario Daichi would leave the others, after all it was their choice to allow the mare to accompany them. In the best case scenario, the mare would lead them to an ambush and they would be able to swiftly deal with the mare and any other accomplices or just generally deal with them swiftly and as soon as possible. ¡°Do the mare simply live in the forest? Don¡¯t you venture out? How do the mare live?¡± Kaden inquired drawing attention away from the mare. While simultaneously asking something everyone was curious about. The shorter mare replied briskly ¡°We live in the forests. We live in nature. We only live with the natural. We live apart.¡± ¡°What do you mean apart??¡± Kaden pushed ¡°We generally live by ourselves and attain our own territory. We are solitary creatures.¡± the shorter mare replied while taking a small pause in her steps, before continuing in a slightly different direction. ¡°Oh¡­ That sounds so lonely¡­ But you two are together though!¡± Kaden said with a slightly downcast expression while trying to be upbeat ¡°We had no seen each other in years before the sky went black. After it did we ran into one another and decided to seek answers together¡± the shorter mare said, while getting back to a normal pace. Looking genuinely saddened by this Kaden ventured further to ask ¡°That¡¯s truly sad. Even though you¡¯re both generally alone, it¡¯s amazing what a close rapport you two have together! If you were human you¡¯d be the equivalent of sisters who answer each others sentences! Sort-of!¡± Kaden finished with some forced enthusiasm. ¡°We are never truly alone.¡± the shorter mare said matter of factly. That last comment disturbing Daichi even more. Daichi¡¯ was beginning to feel anxious. Every time something suspicious happened Kaden would say something or one of the mare would draw their attention with another question. The more they said the more questions their answers begged. On top of which their actions were beginning to wear on him, the fact that no one else was saying anything yet or had noticed it¡­ That was beginning to irk him even more. If no one else was going to demand some answers, Daichi would. In a forest, being lead quite suspiciously, by ¡°people¡± he didn¡¯t know. Daichi¡¯s trust was at its limit. Chapter 37 Cheating Death - Choices (Part 1) Chapter 37 Cheating Death - Choices (Part 1) ¡°Technological advancements? What did you mean?¡± the taller mare asked once again ¡°I meant like how Mana lamps were created and fire became unnecessary. Crystals that can heat up meals or baths, paper from trees through he process of mana, mana fabric machines for mass production of clothes.¡± Ava flinched after saying that last one after realizing she had momentarily forgotten the mare were wearing rags. Continuing without letting an awkward silence fill the void ¡°Refrigerators, elevators, long distance communication, electricity, power sources. Mana has been used to create wonders beyond the imagination of the people of the past.¡± Ava was running out of things to say, without realizing it she had never stopped to consider how much she took the basic things in life for granted. ¡°Yeaaaah. Basically the industrial revolution is what Ava is trying to get at. There was a period of time in our history when everyone was coming up with new and amazing ways to use mana. The advancements came nonstop or so I read.¡± Kaden said casually while trying to clear the path for the others with his knives. Kaden had summarized what Ava had been trying to say with ease, surprising both Daichi and Ava. ¡°Oh uhm. Y-Yes, basically.¡± Ava nearly stuttered in surprise. Just as Daichi was about to pull out his sword and have a ¡°conversation¡± with the mare girls- Kaden in a more polite tone ¡°Yeah, actually I¡¯ve noticed we haven¡¯t just been walking in a straight line and have made lots of weird turns. Is there any reason for that?¡± Hannah and Ava glanced at each other thinking the same thing ¡°We should strangle him.¡± Glancing at Ava and Hannah, Daichi realized that they had definitely noticed as well. It seems he wasn¡¯t the only one on edge up to this point. ¡°We can sense mana. It is one of our gifts. We have been avoiding other things in the area.¡± the shorter girl answered Kaden without missing a beat. That was big news to drop so nonchalantly. Glancing at one another, Ava and Hannah had surprised expressions and were on the same page. They were both feeling a little skeptical but happy if what they were saying was true. ¡°That¡¯s amazing! We¡¯ll be safe that way! We can avoid every danger then!¡± Kaden exclaimed in excitement. Daichi narrowed his eyes at the backs of the girls in suspicion. Assuming they weren¡¯t lying, which he was still on the fence about¡­ Avoid all danger? Sure that was an option. The other would be having the ability to target whomever they wanted. Hunting would be a breeze if they were telling the truth. Thinking to this point Daichi felt a little less uncomfortable. It would explain how they so easily found them in the trees and kept track of them throughout the day from such a long distance away. ¡°Is that how you found us?¡± Hannah inquired thinking along the same lines as Daichi ¡°Yes. You have more many than most of the creatures we¡¯ve come across in the forest. It made us very curious.¡± the shorter mare answered while slowing down. ¡°Can you sense anything with mana then?¡± Daichi asked. ¡°More or less. It¡¯s hard to explain our ability. It¡¯s an inmate gift of our race.¡± the shorter mare replied Stopping behind some shrubs. The mare pointed in unison past the shrubs that completely blocked their line of sight ¡°There is a stream up ahead about 100 meters. There are 4 trolls resting there. Trolls are common in this forest. Very little mana.¡± Surprised, Daichi stepped past the others and pushed some of the branches and shrubs out of his way to take a look. Sure enough the trolls were there, just as the mare had claimed. Looking back at the group, Daichi gave them a nod of confirmation and looked back at the trolls longingly. ¡°What should we do? Should we go around them?¡± Hannah asked the others ¡°Yeah. Of course, why wouldn¡¯t we?¡± Kaden looked at her questioningly ¡°Because this is a golden opportunity to attack the trolls and gain some experience. Not all of us mind feeling so helpless all the time Kaden.¡± Daichi said sounding harsher than he meant too. Looking more surprised by what he¡¯d said than anyone else there. Daichi thought to himself about how he must have been more winded up than he¡¯d thought. Then realizing how relieved he felt to simply say what he thought, a small window broke in his mind. Daichi had been censoring himself for a while now in order to get along with the others better. Thinking about it, being liked more because he said less to nothing at all, might as well be meaningless. ¡°What the hell is that supposed to mean?¡± Kaden clenched his fists and spoke in a low tone ¡°It means that you keep wanting to avoid conflict in a world where the strong survive and the weak die. At some point something is going to want us dead, whether it¡¯s because it wants to eat us or just because. How are you going to feel when you just sit there and watch Hannah die because you can¡¯t do a single thing about it?¡± Daichi was barely finished before Kaden had taken a full swing at him. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Not caring much about it, Daichi watch the punch coming and let Kaden hit him. Turning his head to lessen some of the damage Daichi stumbled back a few steps and licked lip and stared back at Kaden. Staring at Kaden, he was a little surprised to find him looking disappointed, possibly ashamed instead of angry. ¡°He didn¡¯t mean what he said. We should definitely avoid danger when we get the chance¡± Hannah tried to step in and ease Kaden ¡°I didn¡¯t sign up for this. None of us signed up for this. I don¡¯t care if this doesn¡¯t mean anything to you, but it means something to me. To US.¡± Kaden looking down at the ground spoke in a barely audible and soft voice. Pushing the nail in even further, ¡°You didn¡¯t. None of us did, but here we are.¡± Daichi simply stated. Finally lifting his head but looking defeated. Kaden stared at Daichi and held his gaze. ¡°Do you even care when you kill someone? Do you even feel scared, or sad? What do you feel?¡± Kaden spoke softly. Daichis left eye twitched for a moment. Daichi took a deep breath and paused for a moment to think about that question. ¡°I feel nothing. Then I stop and I think about what I just did and a little piece of me feels happy. Happy that I¡¯m one step closer to being in charge of my own future, my life, my death.¡± Daichi spoke while holding Kadens gaze. Opening his mouth before closing it. Kaden hesitated before carefully saying what he was thinking, ¡°I think about how unfair it is. I¡¯ll protect my sister, I¡¯ll protect Ava. I¡¯ll even protect you. I just don¡¯t see why I should look for other people and kill them just because the gods have decided we should.¡± waving his arms, and tearing his gaze away from Daichi. Kaden looked around them, gesturing at their environment. ¡°They did this, and now what? We have to play their game? I think you¡¯re taking the easy choice.¡± Staring at each other, neither looked away. Hannah and Ava were considering what they were saying but were left with at a loss for words. Neither of them could say a thing because neither of them had a better answer. ¡°You kill those that are weaker. That¡¯s the law of the world. It¡¯s how it¡¯s always been.¡± the mare spoke up in unison breaking the silence. Glancing at the mare, Daichi finally looked at them with a less suspicious gaze and asked them point blank ¡°If we chose to hunt down creatures in this forest. Would you help us? Would you help us find the right targets and help us hunt them down?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t mind.¡± the shorter mare answered for the both of them. Looking at Ava and Hannah, Daichi posed the question he¡¯d just implied ¡°So what are we going to do. It¡¯s clear what my position is. I want to get stronger. Kaden is right about us being forced into a shitty situation, but I disagree about us having a choice. Our choice is to try to play by different rules and die or kill and get stronger. Only the strong have a say in how their fate turns out.¡± still glancing at the girls ¡°Do we hunt or avoid?¡± Daichi asked. Hannah was looking at Kaden who was managing to look defiant and defeated all at once. Feeling upset at her inability to make him feel better¡­ She knew that what she was thinking would only further upset him. Deciding against what she actually thought they should do¡­ Hannah couldn¡¯t help but want to ease Kadens suffering. ¡°I say we avoid the creatures we can while we can.¡± Hannah said softly and then glanced at Ava. Looking a little surprised by Hannah¡¯s answer Ava regained her composure. Looking at the others, she considered her options and weighed them in her mind. Against her better judgement, she replied with the answer that scared her most ¡°I think we should hunt while we can. We¡¯ve been lucky we haven¡¯t run into anything really strong yet¡­ If we did we wouldn¡¯t make it. So now we have a chance to hunt in a relatively safe way¡­ I feel that if we turned this opportunity down we¡¯d regret it later.¡± Ava answered. Feeling a bit in turmoil by the strange turn of events. Daichi looked at how divided the group was. This was the worst scenario they could be in. Feeling disconnected from them. He turned to the mare, ¡°Well, since Kaden decided you would make wonderful companions. What do you think? If you¡¯re with us, obviously you should get a say in what we do.¡± Daichi asked with one eyebrow tiled up feeling half amused at the entire scenario they happened to find themselves in. ¡°We should hunt. Hunting in a larger group is safer.¡± the mare responded together Amused by the mare and Kaden¡¯s crestfallen expression Daichi came up wth a new plan in his mind. He didn¡¯t trust the mare but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t be useful. They would hunt, and he would take the opportunity to watch them fight. He¡¯d keep some trump cards in the deck, but he¡¯d make use of this opportunity. Chapter 38 Cheating Death - Choices (Part 2) Chapter 38 Cheating Death - Choices? (Part 2) With the group as fractured as it was, Daichi didn¡¯t give it very good odds for making it out of this forest alive. Staring at all of them, the answer was as obvious as day. They could either all decide to avoid danger, or to face it head on. Since he refused to do nothing and let himself become a target, he would just have to change their minds. He would have to convince Kaden about how wrong he was. If Kaden was convinced then Hannah would likely also have no problems. ¡°So are we in a majority agreement?¡± Daichi asked All of them nodded except for the mare who stared at him blankly. Staring and waiting for Kaden to respond, he finally grunted in acknowledgement. Swell - Daichi thought. ¡°Then let¡¯s go kill some trolls!¡± Looking at the mare, ¡°How are your combat abilities?¡± Daichi took the opportunity to ask. Sharing a sideways glance, ¡°Our combat abilities are not well suited for battle against trolls. We will stand back during any encounters with them, you may get their essence.¡± Daichi gave them a questioning glance while thinking about the word ¡°essence¡±. Daichi thought about how the mare are more attuned to nature and mana. Their word choices are particularly interesting. Perhaps it would help him change his view of mana later on. Putting the thought aside. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go first and Ava and Hannah you two follow from behind.¡± Daichi changed his plans almost immediately. The mare had chosen not to fight. He could force them but clearly he¡¯d already pushed the group this much already. That¡¯s fine he thought, no big deal. Instead i¡¯ll just have to put on a show. I¡¯ll make it so that they won¡¯t even consider trying to harm us. Pushing past the branches and trying not to cut himself anymore on the thorns than he already had throughout the day, Daichi slowly moved forward until he was past the shrubbery. Standing in front of the only cover around. Completely exposed Daichi eyed the trolls that were just laying down near one another, feet in the water. They were seemingly at complete ease. These trolls looked no different from the previous trolls he¡¯d encountered. Noticing nothing particularly unique about them, Daichi noticed the one difference. These trolls didn¡¯t have clubs on them or next to them. Finding it a bit strange, Daichi became a little weary but decided to proceed as always. Not sensing any kind of weariness from the trolls Daichi considered the perfect opportunity before him. Hearing Ava and Hannah move up behind him. Daichi turned around and gave them a nod ¡°follow right behind me¡±. Daichi pulled out his sword from his right holster with his left and and began running towards the trolls. Finally within 20 meters, Daichi triggered his Analyze skill.
Lazy Troll Level: 26 Description: This breed of troll is less likely to get into a territory dispute over a larger body of water.
Lazy Troll Level: 26 Description: This breed of troll is less likely to get into a territory dispute over a larger body of water.
Lazy Troll Level: 25 Description: This breed of troll is less likely to get into a territory dispute over a larger body of water.
Lazy Troll Level: 26 Description: This breed of troll is less likely to get into a territory dispute over a larger body of water.
Only noticing their names and levels. Daichi pressed forward barely slowing down. Getting within range, his footsteps slowed down because of the mud near the stream. His footsteps becoming more noticeable the trolls began to lazily open their eyes and let out a warning shriek. Feeling a little unprepared for the mud, Daichi braced himself to prevent from slipping while slowly putting less and less weight behind his footsteps. Triggering his skill with his right hand towards two of the trolls. ¡°Hannah take those!¡± Then skidding into a stop, he triggered his skill once again towards the other set ¡°Ava those are yours, I¡¯ll follow with.¡± Hannah passed him and immediately reached the two trolls Daichi had pointed too, touching both of the trolls once and ending their lives with absolutely no effort. In fact her skill was so flawless, that even if she were to use it in a crowd full of people. Not a single person would notice that she had used a skill. Hannah¡¯s skill enshrouds a persons mana. Therefore the only one feeling the effect would be that person. The mana enshrouded is not in a physical space, but rather the metaphysical space created inside of people. With no one to see, no length, width or time in that metaphysical space. Enshrouding an opponents mana happens in the blink of an eye for a triggered skill. Slowing his steps and moving in tandem with Ava, he let her jump towards and first troll and watched as she triggered her melt skill causing her hands to glow. The glow had changed from before and now had a golden tinge to it. Going right for the throat, Ava used both hands to strange the troll until both hands reached one another and the trolls head fell clean off. Using the skill there was not a single drop of blood. The throat had been unevenly cauterized and melted into itself. The second troll regaining it¡¯s movement and shifting his gaze momentarily to it¡¯s other two comrades back away in fear realizing the monumental threat to its life. Daichi pointed at the last troll. Trigging another skill, ¡°Last one Ava.¡± The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Daichi watched as she finished the last troll just as easily if not easier than the first. Daichi looking around at his surroundings felt a warm feeling of peace settle over him. Daichi looked around thinking ¡°That was a wonderful hunt. Not a single thing went wrong, it was clean and effective.¡± Next to Hannah two of the trolls were crumbled on the ground. Their faces on in the dirt. If he didn¡¯t know better, he¡¯d think they were taking an uncomfortable nap. Embracing that sense of peace, he turned around and watched Kaden and the mare walking over. Looking at the mare with an even but less suspicious gaze. Daichi decided to trust them. Even if they betrayed them, he would likely be able to kill them. Worst case scenario the others died, but considering it was a group decision¡­ He could live with those consequences. Instead, now as he gazed at the mare, he could only see two beautiful girls who represented a treasure troves of monsters waiting to be slaughtered. Nothing Daichi smiling at the mare, Kaden felt utterly uncomfortable. Looking down at the corpses of the two trolls she killed with a single touch. Hannah felt saddened that these two lives were going to weigh Kaden down. Ava simply walked back over to Daichi¡¯s side. With her melt skill on and the mana covering her hands, she didn¡¯t have to dirty herself whenever she killed something. Despite it¡¯s general impracticality for battle, there were some definite upsides for Ava. Noticing the previous glow, ¡°Did your skill level up? It looked more¡­ Pure?¡± Daichi asked. Giving him a grin ¡°Yeah, it leveled up during out last fight. It¡¯s overall effectiveness increased.¡± Ava replied pleased with herself. Finally asking what had been on her mind for a while now she turned her back to the mare and whispered ¡°What is up with that skill you use? How come I ever see anything and suddenly our opponents can¡¯t move?¡± Ava asked with up turned eyebrow and curious gaze. Carefully considering her question, Daichi turned around and motioned Hannah over. ¡°Ava just asked about my skill, you can¡¯t see anything either when I use it?¡± Daichi asked her ¡°No.¡± Hannah replied ¡°I release a burst of mana aiming to trigger a specific effect. I can¡¯t see anything either but I know how it works because of my logic when creating the skill, and also because I can feel it as it happens.¡± Daichi explained ¡°Eh??? You created it?¡± Ava looked stupefied by Daichi¡¯s words ¡°You mean you received it?¡± Even Hannah¡¯s thoughts of Kaden were interrupted by Daichi¡¯s wording. Taking a deep breath, ¡°No I mean I created it. I was in a meditative state and I was pondering mana and its applications and I came up with a way to use this skill and before even getting a chance to use it. It was acknowledged and a window appeared before me saying basically what I had just come up with¡± Daichi explained Baffled by what they were hearing. They were both in awe of Daichi but Ava was the only one who truly understood the significance of what Daichi was saying. In Ava¡¯s mind if what Daichi was saying was true¡­ No. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to think it. ¡°I will explain some of my insights in the future, but it¡¯ll be up to you to really understand what I¡¯ll be telling you. If you can¡¯t then it won¡¯t lead anywhere. Keep all of this secret from the mare. I don¡¯t know them and I don¡¯t trust them. I don¡¯t want them knowing any more about me then they need too, if you want to share your own information then that¡¯s up to you but I suggest against it.¡± Daichi said solemnly ¡°Eh? They¡¯ve been pretty honest so far. I think Kaden may have been right about them.¡± Hannah said defensively ¡°Maybe. Maybe not. I think trust should be earned not freely given.¡± Daichi responded and with one last glance, walked back to the mare and Kaden. Ava glanced at Hannah and just shrugged her shoulders and started walking back as well leaving Hannah alone to think about what to do. Feeling irritated at Daichi, Hannah wanted to argue with him or say something in Kaden¡¯s defense. Even if Daichi was likely right, Kaden was right too. In fact, she felt bad for wanting to agree with Daichi and thinking he was right in the first place. Kaden was her family, she should give him the benefit of the doubt. He was doing that for strangers, and he wasn¡¯t a complete idiot. She should trust in his judgment more. Following behind the others they huddled close together an began discussing their next move. ¡°We¡¯ve decided to hunt but a good chunk of the day is gone, is it safe to hunt at night?¡± Daichi asked the mare. ¡°I would advise against it. There are a slew of creatures better equipped to do battle in the dark¡± the shorter mare responded. Nodding in response, ¡°So if you don¡¯t mind me asking, you just caught a glimpse at one of our many fighting strategies. Would you mind sharing how you fight?¡± Daichi asked innocently still with an inadvertent smile plastered on his face. Glancing at one another again. The mare took a few seconds before, the shorter one turned back and responded ¡°Why not have a spar with my sister?¡± The smile on Daichi¡¯s face grew wider. ¡°I would love too.¡± Daichi didn¡¯t manage to take a step forward before Kaden stepped in. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, why don¡¯t you let me? Everyone else already got a chance to fight the trolls. Even if you¡¯re not tired¡­ It¡¯s only fair I get to show off some of my good points right? Hehe..¡± Kaden suddenly spoke up smiling and acting perfectly fine. Daichi¡¯s smile lessened into what could barely pass as a smirk as he eyed Kaden. Daichi was used to putting on an act for others. He never had the energy to really try, so it was never as good as this, but he could tell an obvious lie like this one from a mile away. Considering the previous events, was Kaden trying to be helpful? Or¡­ Was Kaden just afraid he would actually hurt the mare? Daichi couldn¡¯t figure it out, but he was happy to sit back and enjoy the show. Chapter 39 Cheating Death - Choices (Part 3) Chapter 39 Cheating Death - Choices (Part 3) ¡°No problem. Go for it.¡± Daichi motioned to go right ahead with his arm and took a step back next to Hannah and Ava. Looking a little embarrassed Kaden stepped away from them closer to some open space and waited for the taller mare. While everyone was looking at him in curiosity, Kaden was anxiously trying to look calm and his usual self. After he¡¯d seen Daichi smile at the mare he was both terrified for them and¡­. Jealous. Completely confused as to why he was jealous Kaden tried to sort out his feelings. Sure, they were beautiful and their expressionless faces made him want to see what they would like absorbed in pleasure¡­. Ugh!! What was he thinking Kaden suddenly thought with his mind drifting to where it normally did! I have Ava! There is no way I should be cheating on her just because these girls are beautiful, and because I¡¯ve always kinda had a thing for sisters, and because maybe their mom is still alive, and looks maybe no older than 30? That would be really hot¡­ Kaden completely lost his train of thought and with mind completely absorbed in these thoughts all he saw was a beautiful face appear right in front of him before he felt deprived of air. Suddenly unable to take a breath Kaden fell forward on his knees devoid of breath. Struggling to inhale. Pain second to his lack of air, washed over him. Kaden looked up finally getting air into his lungs, and seeing the taller mare standing over him with a slight hint of confusion barely showing on her face. ¡°Kaden!¡± Hannah started to rush over to him as Daichi grabbed her stopping her and Kaden put his arm out ¡°No!¡± simultaneously. Looking at Daichi with probably the scariest expression he¡¯d seen Hannah make. Daichi inadvertently loosened his grip for a second letting her loose enough to move forward and closer to Kaden. ¡°No! I¡¯m fine. I let her hit me! She¡¯s a girl Hannah! How could I take advantage of her and not let her a shot in first? Do you think so little of me!?¡± Kaden yelled out stopping Hannah in her tracks. Still glancing up at the mare, Kaden¡¯s mouth formed a slight grin as he spoke ¡°That was my token of respect. Now shall we begin?¡± Placing a hand on the ground and then getting up off his knees. Kaden pushed off the ground with both his feet and- Suddenly Kaden was staring up at the sky with something dripping from his lose. Confused¡­ Kaden lifted his hand to his mouth wiping it off with his hands and then lifting it up to stare with his eyes. Blood. Confused Kaden wondered what he was just doing¡­ His mind a little hazy¡­ Oh! I was testing the mare! His eyes widening in surprise he got off his back and sitting on the floor he looked at the taller mare who was standing 10 feet away with her leg still in the air. Realizing what had just happened Kaden couldn¡¯t help but think about how with her leg raised in the air like that¡­ He could also almost see¡­ Licking his lips, Kaden tried to stare even harder only to have the mare disappear from his view. Immediately looking around, Kaden realized he¡¯d seriously underestimated his opponent. In fact he realized that after their first exchange but he couldn¡¯t help but get distracted afterwards. Getting into a boxing pose and trying to protect his chest and face, Kaden began shifting his feet and looking around him. Turning around several times he finally caught sight of the mare running towards him from the direction she had disappeared from already only a few feet away from him. Noticing her speed, Kaden immediately jabbed with his left hand to get some distance while taking a few steps backwards. Unperturbed by the haphazard attack, the mare simply turned her body and pushed forward off the ground closing the gap between them in that instance. At point blank range, she send a light slap towards kaden¡¯s face from the side, smacking him right into the ground! Managing to lessen some of the impact with his arms, Kaden¡¯s whole right side of his face was numb from the impact. Shaking his head and trying to get rid of the numbness Kaden looked around for the mare. ¡°Where¡¯d she go¡­?¡± voicing his thoughts Kaden was baffled, standing up and looking around he turned to look behind him only to have everything go dark. Taking a quick glance at the group, the shorter mare looked back at her sister. ¡°Your friend is really respectful.¡± she said in a soft voice. Muffling a laugh that had just escaped her throat Ava couldn¡¯t help herself. Daichi was somber as he stared at the taller mare. Turning to look at the shorter one, he casually asked ¡°She wasn¡¯t moving that fast. Fast but not that fast. Was that a skill?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s one of our abilities. I won¡¯t say any more than that, but as you can see it¡¯s quite useful. Although if we were trying to kill a troll or something equally sturdy. We could at best run away, cutting through all of that muscle and fat would be impossible for us.¡± The shorter mare responded Crossing his arms in front of him, ¡°Fine. So why are you saying so much? Why are you being so honest? Why are you being so helpful?¡± Daichi just came out and finally asked with both girls turning to look at the mare at the same time. ¡°We mare do not lie.¡± the shorter mare answered as if it was a completely natural response. Feeling utterly unsatisfied by their response, Daichi grimaced but shrugged it off. They went easy on Kaden, and they have thus far, seemingly been honest. Thinking things through Daichi came to the conclusion that they could be useful, and they were not a in a position of power. The mare had more value in these woods than the others. If the mare could be more useful, there was no reason not to include them. Even side with them. Contemplating his options, Daichi considered the value of the individuals before him. Kaden wasn¡¯t useless, but his views differed greatly from his, making it difficult to achieve the best results for his goals. Hannah was extremely useful, and was one of the main reasons he¡¯d decided to stay with them up to this point. If she was properly cultivated, she could be a very useful ally in the long term. Ava had been useful thus far and hadn¡¯t been an obstacle. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. These mare on the other hand, while they seemingly had limited use past this forest¡­ They were, at least for now, far more useful than the others. They also talked a lot less which Daichi personally found very appealing. He¡¯d let things play out for now. The more the mare revealed about themselves the more useful they seemed. Perhaps Kaden was right about inviting them along, although there was no way he would ever say those words outlaid. ¡°Okay. When he wakes up we can leave.¡± Daichi shrugged and took a seat on the ground taking the opportunity to eat a snack. Hannah had been clenching her fists the entire time. After Kaden had told her to stay out of it, she had been teetering on the edge¡­ After noticing the other mare wasn¡¯t trying to harm him though, she relaxed if only slightly. Then noticing how Kaden didn¡¯t hit her once, Hannah realized he must have been taking it easy on her. Looking at Kaden lying on the ground, she was a little impressed that he let the mare seemingly take advantage of him so that they could get a better feel for their strength. Feeling a little proud of Kaden, she left him as he was. He was probably faking being passed out so he could leer at the girl, that little rascal. Ava was staring at Hannah confused by her smile. She was sure Hannah was going to lose it and attack the mare. Now all of a sudden she had a complete change in attitude, utterly confused she could only follow Daichi¡¯s lead. Taking the opportunity to eat a snack and wrap some bandages around her arms from the cuts she¡¯d accumulated from all the thorns and branches. ¡°Are we going to hunt more?¡± The taller mare closed in on the group. Looking at Kaden on the ground, Daichi weighed his options and spoke up, ¡°No. We should find a place to rest for the night. We can discuss a suitable hunting strategy now that we¡¯re in agreement for what we¡¯ll do next.¡± Glancing at Daichi as her sister came and stood next to her, ¡°Wasn¡¯t your earlier strategy against the trolls the strategy you plan on using in the future?¡± the shorter mare asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ Not necessarily. Besides, there are more than trolls in this forest I gather? We should discuss what ¡®game¡¯ there is in the forest, their overall strength and what would be most beneficial for us to hunt.¡± Daichi said Thinking to this point, Daichi wanted to find something the mare would fight as well. They claimed that their weakness was large monsters who could only be slain by magic or strong weapons. In that case, they¡¯d find something equally if not stronger, but with a smaller body. Waking up and realizing he¡¯d been knocked out. Kaden felt completely ashamed. He¡¯d been utterly overwhelmed by a girl. A really really strong girl though. Thinking about that speed and strength, there was nothing for him to really be ashamed about. That was simply impressive on her end Kaden concluded. Feeling a shred of dignity seed itself within him. Kaden got up, noticed the group and walked over to them. Looking over at the mare. Kaden spoke up with a sincere looking smile and a pensive tone, ¡°That was very impressive. I was wrong to hold back, that is my fault. I should not have sealed my strength with my own skill. I can only blame my own arrogance for the result.¡± The mare simply gazed at him for over a minute before responding. ¡°Very strong.¡± both mare spoke up. Confused by the whole thing, Ava kept looking back and forth between the mare and Kaden. *Cough* ¡°Well, things of the past aside. Let¡¯s get going.¡± Daichi spoke up. Allowing the mare to lead with Daichi and Kaden right behind them. Ava and Hannah took the rear as they headed deeper into the forest looking for refuge. After walking for another few hours, they came across a small cave area with a small hole. Exhausted from the entire day they all fell down on the floor as they sat up trying to get some energy back into their bodies. The mare staring at them, ¡°Through that hole there is a medium sized cave. It is safe. We passed this location in the past and took refuge for a night while we were exploring our new surroundings.¡± Glancing at each other, Hannah spoke up ¡°Lead the way.¡± The mare got down on their hands and knees and began crawling through the small hole. Kaden immediately wanted to follow but Hannah grabbed his shirt and held him back giving him a menacing glare. ¡°You can go next Ava, then myself, Daichi and then you.¡± Hannah spoke completely understanding Kaden¡¯s intentions. Following them inside the cave in the order Hannah all but ordered, they made it in with no problems except for the lack of light. Using her melt skill a glow appeared from Ava¡¯s hand, and then on her right hand, she flipped her hand and a small stone came out appearing in her hand. ¡°I have some practical items in the ring.¡± Ava said and tossed it into the middle of the cave where it began to emit a dim illumination for most of the cave. ¡°Handy¡± Daichi said pressing himself against the side of a wall and then letting himself slide down to the floor. The inside of the cave was indeed larger as the mare had said. It was about 2.5 meters high and was just wide and long enough to fit all 6 of them more than comfortably. It was a lot safer than being outside in the trees or on the ground. The mare had found them a perfect spot to rest. Considering the safety, Daichi stared at the mare, the scenario felt a little too perfect. At this point the mare had proven their worth in more than one way, especially considering some of the other group members Daichi was with. As night started to settle in, Daichi hoped for the best but expected the worst. Chapter 40 Cheating Death - Choices (Part 4) Chapter 40 Cheating Death - Choices (Part 4) I''ve read posts discussing the pacing of my story, so I will now shed some light. First of all, yes. It''s slowed down. Eventually, it''ll pick back up like you wouldn''t believe. Depending on the section, some will be slow and some will be fast. Keep in mind it''s not that much different than the first 28 chapters. The first few were on the slow end, the the middle section was a lot faster paced, and the last few in that section were a mix between the two. I consider the first 28 chapters the first book. The following (undermined) number of chapters will be the second, so pacing will shift. Secondly, there is a lot more to come so don''t expect everything to suddenly happen. I honestly can''t picture writing what I have in mind in just 100-200 chapters. I wouldn''t if I didn''t have too either. Since I don''t, I won''t. Which is a good thing! Woo! Rejoice. The people who like my story have plenty of awesomeness to come! ------------------------------------- ¡°I know everybody is exhausted, but we should talk about our next moves. We should discuss, decide and let it settle in over night¡± Daichi spoke up Within the dim glow of the room, everybody except the mare had weary expressions after their long day. The experience of constant walking, being on alert at the slightest twitch of leaves, actively engaging in a life threatening battle. All these things had exhausted everybody. Moreover, knowing there was no end in sight only extended that feeling of exhaustion. ¡°Hey¡­ You know your way around the forest. Do you know where it ends if we keep going east?¡± Kaden asked the mare looking slightly optimistic. ¡°No. We¡¯ve never gone that far before, nor after the change.¡± the shorter girl replied. ¡°How far have you gone?¡± Kaden asked. ¡°Before the change¡­ I would say around 200 miles or so for me, my sister has traveled closer to 300 miles.¡± while speaking, she glanced at her sister as if confirming her statement. 300 miles with no end in sight - was the thought that everyone was struck with. Albeit it was not a particularly great distance¡­ But in a scenario where they were actively avoiding monsters most of their day and not walking at a fast pace, it would take an astronomical amount of time to get to the end of the forest even if it was just twice that distance. ¡°Well that was my bad¡­ I was expecting better news¡­¡± Kaden chuckled grimly. ¡°We could always just go in a straight line¡­ As much as the mare can guide us anyways.¡± Daichi said while looking at the ceiling. ¡°If we just go straight it¡¯ll be quicker, and if we aren¡¯t actively avoiding fights then we¡¯ll still get to hunt while hastening our travel. Moreover, we¡¯ll still have a heads up that there¡¯s something ahead of us with the mare around¡­ Of course if it¡¯s something we can¡¯t handle we¡¯ll run away.¡± Daichi said thinking out loud to some degree. ¡°Is that smart? Maybe we should just take the safer route and only attack the weaker monsters we can find¡± Ava said ¡°We could do that¡­ But the goal is to reach the capital and the longer we¡¯re stuck in this forest the more likely we are to get attacked by something that can and might kill us. The longer we¡¯re in this forest, the more monsters that will flood into it. Getting out is the priority right?¡± Daichi said looking down from the ceiling and taking a look at everybody. Hannah looked deep in thought, and finally spoke up after taking a back seat for most of the day ¡°Getting out of the forest should be our priority. If we do this, we only need to attack monsters on our path¡­ Which should be no problem right Kaden? Any monsters on our path would be likely to attack us if they saw us first. We can avoid unnecessary fights while still becoming stronger on our way.¡± Ava basically reiterated what Daichi said, but with a hint of benevolence for Kaden¡¯s sake. Nodding in response Kaden agreed. He would have agreed anyways considering they were right. They needed to get stronger, and even if he didn¡¯t want to go out of his way to kill. It wasn¡¯t fair for him to speak up on their behalf. Kaden wouldn¡¯t push his preferences on them once he¡¯d voiced his opinion. Seeing a general consensus being reached, Ava quickly nodded her head as well. ¡°Great. That¡¯s one issue resolved. Should we have someone stand watch, what do you think Daichi?¡± Hannah gave Daichi a meaningful look. ¡°No¡­ I think we¡¯ll be fine, we¡¯re pretty safe in here.¡± Daichi shook his head, replying both to what Hannah asked out loud and to the unspoken meaning behind it. Considering how the day went, it would be better to give the mare some form of courtesy and trust. Although Daichi wasn¡¯t so naive to really do it, in truth he was planning on staying up a good chunk of the time to watch that nothing happened just in case. Kaden started crawling towards the hole, ¡°Restroom break¡± as he crawled out. Daichi looked in his direction, and after giving it some thought decided to follow. Outside, he found Kaden by some trees looking up at the sky. Getting off the ground and standing up, Daichi said ¡°We need to talk.¡± ¡°Do we though?¡± Kaden said without looking back. ¡°I want you to know something. I don¡¯t think I spoke out of turn. I said what I needed to say because I think, no I know. If we do things your way, you¡¯re going to get people killed.¡± Taking a second for his words to sink in, Daichi continued. ¡°We have a difference in opinion because of how we think and what we believe or don¡¯t believe. I¡¯m going to push past that because in our situation, I don¡¯t really think it matters that we¡¯re different.¡± Kaden put his arm out and stopped Daichi, ¡°Stop. Don¡¯t need your advice. I¡¯m with you. Let¡¯s agree to disagree. This isn¡¯t going to go anywhere.¡± Turning to walk away, Daichi spoke in a softer voice ¡°You¡¯re going to have to decide what matters more to you Kaden. Your ideal on how much you value life or your sister. Juggling and trying to do both is going to get her killed.¡± Clenching his jaws and trying not to let Daichi see the frustration building inside of him. Kaden walked away not saying a word in response. Looking at Kaden¡¯s back, Daichi tilted his head to the side wondering what Kaden was going to do. In reality, Daichi respected Kaden for having such a strong belief in something. It¡¯s something he never had. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. If circumstances were different¡­ Kaden probably wouldn¡¯t been someone he could have enjoyed arguing different philosophical beliefs with. He¡¯d never win but he would have enjoyed having someone who wouldn¡¯t give up either. Now¡­ Well circumstances were different, no point in thinking about the ¡°What-ifs¡± Daichi thought. Giving Kaden some space, he went back inside the cave and picked out a spot for the night. Kaden came back in after a few minutes and did the same without speaking a word. Noticing the tension between them, Hannah thought about saying something but decided against it. Clearly they had a difference in opinion that she couldn¡¯t fix for them. Daichi would help them survive, but Kaden was probably right. His ideals and his view on the value of life was something he¡¯d had since he was a child. She always respected him even when he acted like a little perfect because of it. It¡¯s what made him a good person, the kind of person people ought to try to be. Now¡­ Looking around the cave. Those same ideals had become an inconvenience for all of them. Hannah wouldn¡¯t let Kaden lose his ideals even in a place like this though. She¡¯d already decided to do what was necessary to save her brother. Now she decided she would do what she needed to not only keep him safe, but keep him idealistic. Hannah would make whatever sacrifices she needed too in order to give Kaden the opportunities her parents never got to themselves. Feeling resolute, Hannah was getting used to falling asleep with a sense of purpose. Ava had already passed out, the physical burden had been heaviest on her. She had never built the physical endurance her family was known for. As Kaden drifted off as well, Daichi kept an eye on everybody. Noticing the mare girls resting on one another in the middle of the group, Daichi closed his eyes and began to pretend he was asleep. Daichi figured if he just kept his eyes on them the entire time nothing was going to happen. Even if they intended to do something, they would probably notice. Wondering about their sensitivity to mana, Daichi wondered whether they could tell if someone was awake or asleep based on mana¡­ Thinking about the mare and what they might do even Daichi began to drift off a little. Not wanting to fall asleep, Daichi triggered his meditative state but maintained a level of awareness. If he heard the slightest sound he would wake up. Daichi entered a light meditative state for the first time where he maintained some level of awareness. Maintaining that slight level of awareness made it so that he could allow his mind to wander and unconsciously make sense of the information he¡¯d processed recently. His mind was at a stand-still as the mana he¡¯d used recuperated itself. ¡­ Noticing the last of them falling asleep, both of the mare opened their eyes. Looking around and trying to feel their consciousness, they concluded the humans had fallen asleep. The mare themselves could tell whether someone was conscious based on the flow of their mana. Much how they could sense the mana in others from a distance, at a very close range their perception of mana in those around them was astonishing. Looking at each other, they decided on their next move. The humans had surprised them as they dispatched of the trolls who were stronger than them by quite a bit with ease. The mare had not expected that these humans would possess such impressive abilities. Even more so, the human named Kaden. He had put them on guard since they met him. He approached them with absolutely no fear of them, despite coming off as far weaker. He seemed completely at ease with them, and every time the humans got into an argument¡­ It almost seemed like it was a show for them. From what they remembered of the few humans they had encountered, they were usually weak. The strong ones that grouped together were always united. Then later during the day, the boy named Kaden agreed to spar with them. Originally the mare were going to hold back, they had no intention of showing their abilities but they also wanted to come off as useful. The boy had utterly ruined their plans. As the mare engaged him in combat, the boy had surprised them by not even bothering to put up a struggle. Causing a slight fluctuation in their emotions which were normally numbed, the taller mare had inadvertently activated a skill while trying to force the boy to take her seriously. The mare had unintentionally revealed more than they had wanted too, and even at the last second where she could have taken the boy¡¯s life. He still didn¡¯t show his true abilities. He had shown a patience rarely seen for a boy his age. He had even apologized as much after their spar. He had forced them to utilize a skill they had intended to keep secret and even at the last moment showed no intention of taking their fight seriously. He had completely seen through their intentions and as such not bothered to defend her last strike causing her to harmlessly strike his neck with her lightest chop. He even went so far as to fake being temporarily hurt afterwards so he could likely analyze the skill they had used. This had put them on guard, far more so than they had expected to be with these humans. Before falling asleep, the two male humans discussed something. It was likely about what ¡®Kaden¡¯ had learned of their skill and orders as to what they should do throughout the night. If this were been any other situation, the mare would have chosen to retreat. These humans had proven far more powerful than they had anticipated. The mare had lost a lot of their upper hand which they had intended on using to subdue these humans with. If this were any other situation the mare would have chosen to retreat. Fortunately for the mare, the humans regardless of their strategy, had fallen asleep. This was the mare¡¯s territory. This was their advantage. After deciding on proceeding. The mare glanced at each other and fell asleep on command. They would venture into Kaden¡¯s mind and gather more information. While asleep, he would be defenseless, and they would be command of his dreams. They would look through every last detail, learn everything about him. They would figure out what his plans and their goals really were. They would eat. Chapter 41 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 1) Chapter 41 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 1) I now give you¡­. SATURDAY¡¯S CHAPTER! Mwuahahha! Okay¡­ I guess there¡¯s nothing sinister about a Saturday chapter. Never mind then. Enjoy. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Switching their consciousness from their own body to another being¡¯s dream was a racial specialty of the mare. It was a sub ability that allowed them to understand their prey and find entertainment while eating their fill of mana. Opening their eyes, a bright light came down, immediately causing both mare to use their hands as cover. Opening their eyes again, slowly this time. They looked around to find themselves in a huge mansion in large room with no ceiling. Looking down at themselves, they were no longer wearing rags but rather, they were both wearing simple white babydoll dresses with buttons down the middle of the front of the dress. From the bust to the bottom, it was a peculiar form of clothing to the mare. Finding it strange what they were wearing had changed, they took note of their surroundings. Inside of a sun room with decadency written all over the features of the home. A giant king-sized four-poster bed in the center of the room. White bed sheets, and a canopy hung cover the bed. A pool area about 2 meters wide, going around the room except for where the gold trimmed glass doors were. A room that could only exist in a mansion of the wealthy. Looking around, they admired the creativity. Thinking it must be a memory. Then they spotted Kaden sitting on the bed looking around on the confused. Spotting them and making eye-contact. His eyes lifted and a wide smile covered his face. ¡°How¡¯d you do that cutiepies? One second you were standing right in front of me and the next second -poof-!¡± He said as he stood up and beckoned them closer. Glancing at one another, they were confused as to how he could see them. Caught in the moment, they moved forward confused by this change of pace. Coming to stand before him they noticed the glint in his eyes, amusement. ¡°Now. Why are you two so stiff all of a sudden? Just a moment ago you two were giggling and begging for me to undress you two¡­¡± Kaden said with a charm he normally didn¡¯t possess ¡°We did no such thing.¡± the shorter mare responded in confusion ¡°Now now, let¡¯s not quibble over the specifics. If you¡¯ve changed your minds, that¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no need for me to undress you when you two are perfectly capable of undressing each other. Go on¡± Kaden motioned to them while leaning back on one of the columns of the bed. Staring at them deeply with anticipation, Kaden didn¡¯t dare blink a single time. Feeling utterly confused at the scenario. Both of the mare were even more surprised when they began to unbutton one another¡¯s dresses. Staring at each other in confusion as they fumbled with the buttons. They felt their usual connection gone. ¡°What is happening?¡± the taller mare asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ Are you moving your body?¡± the shorter mare replied ¡°No. I am not¡­ Do you feel the mana flowing into you?¡± the taller mare asked her questioningly ¡°Yes. I still feel it. This should be normal. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening at all¡± the shorter mare replied as she had finally gotten a hang of undoing the buttons. Licking his lips, Kaden felt his fingers twitching. The girls had opened the buttons down to their naval, and he could make out just enough to excite every bit of him. He knew this is what he would be dreaming about since the moment he saw them earlier today. This fantasy had played out in his mind numerous times while they were walking and he¡¯d been so angry that every second he got close to getting his way someone or something would interrupt him. Not now though he thought. Finishing the last button on one another¡¯s dresses the mare turned to stare at him blankly. Noticing their completion of the task. Kaden stared at them just a moment longer. Enjoying the anticipation before his meal. Finally unable to stand it, he moved towards them taking slow and calm steps. Utilizing self-control he didn¡¯t possess, Kaden walked towards them like a lion stalking his prey. Confidence that his prey was cornered and unable to escape, but a single lunge and his teeth would pierce their flesh in a flash. Although in this instance it wouldn¡¯t be his teeth plunging into their bodies. Walking in front of the taller sister, Kaden placed his hand on the nape of her neck as he lowered his face until their lips met. The mare simply held her breath almost afraid or too confused to move. This was her first kiss. She had never kissed a man or anything else before in her VERY long life. Despite knowing this was a dream, she felt uncertain and disarmed by his sudden actions, as his lips moved gently over hers. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Kaden¡¯s lips moved over hers once, and then twice, and then a final time. The pressure growing with each pass until the mare felt his tongue slip out to nudge her lips apart. She opened her mouth under the gently but domineering force of his tongue and let his mouth fill hers while experiencing something she never had before. The shorter mare watched her sister with wide eyes unsure of what to do, and unable to will her body to move as she normally would. Forcing herself to try to regain control her exertion caused her to release a small gasp. Bringing Kaden back from the point of no return to realize he¡¯d left a pretty girl in waiting. Brought to his senses by her seductive gasp, he realized she must want the same attention too. Moving his other hand and placing it on her cheek, he guided her face closer making her take a step forward without meaning too. Lowering his head he met her lips with the same attention as her sister. Kissing her with the same vigor and attention before pulling back. The shorter mare¡¯s eyes blinked, before she let out a soft ¡°oh¡± of confusion from her throat. She¡¯d been missing out on this for many years. It had been a lifetime or two since she had last experienced a kiss. Noticing her expression and her mouth willingly open. Kaden smiled and dipped down for another kiss. This time focusing his full attention on her mouth and being more thorough than he¡¯d ever been in a dream. Pulling back, Kaden began to leave a trace of kisses down her cheek toward her collarbone leaving her skin hot as kissed his way down. Suddenly caught unaware her hand moved towards his hair. Catching it in her fingers and pulling it up in an effort to bring his mouth back to hers, in the hopes of rekindling that same sensation again. Kaden answered her request at once, pleased by her reaction. Raising his head back to claim her lips once more, as he devoured her mouth being rougher than before now that he had gained her consent. Moving his arm from cheek to trace a line with his fingers down her neck to her shoulder. Kaden moved his arm to her back and slowly let it drop down her spine bit by bit until it had gone as far as her waist. His excitement mounting. Kaden could feel her legs trembling as he kissed her, feeling his excitement swell and patience evaporating. Kaden pulled back slightly only to feel her dress slipping off as she moaned into his mouth. Excited to the point of no return Kaden opened his eyes and pulling back from their kiss. Immediately looking down to see the bounty he was about to claim as his surroundings went dark. Feeling something sharp and cold against her actual throat on her physical body. The taller mare came to her senses. Realizing they had lost their normal domain and control inside the realm of dreams of others. The taller mare released her consciousness from Kaden¡¯s mind. Pulling her sister out along with her. Opening her eyes, and inhaling a deep breath of air. She was stunned to see a sword at her neck, the tip pressed but with no pressure against her skin. Looking up, she noticed Daichi, and the coldest feeling she¡¯d ever experienced filled her entire body spreading from her chest. Before even getting a chance to think about what had just happened, the look in Daichi¡¯s eyes made her think she would die. It was a feeling of certainty she¡¯d never experienced before about anything but nature. The look he was giving her gave her a sense of certainty. The same certainty she had when she looked at the sun and knew it would rise in the morning and set at night. ... At the same time Kaden clenched his mouth and feeling lost as both girls disappeared from his sight again. Kaden screamed at the top of his lungs in his dream. The most amazing, realistic dream Kaden had ever experienced had just turned into a nightmare as his playthings had disappeared right as he was about to see heaven. This was a new form of torture for Kaden! Where were his girls! Looking around in confusion and pain, Kaden saw no one in sight. Then finally feeling restricted in a strange way, Kaden looked down. Looking down all Kaden saw, was an erection begging for help and at the end of his arms, his hands had disappeared. Fear and depression consumed him in a single moment. ... The shorter mare opened her eyes and let out a soft moan, and noticing Daichi¡¯s eyes glance at her. She immediately looked away without realizing what she had done. A blush spreading on her cheeks as she bit her lower lip. Chapter 42 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 2) fChapter 42 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 2) Quick announcement. I will be taking a trip tomorrow and will be gone with little opportunity to write for a week. As such I will try and do what I can during the week. I will aim to continue to post 1 chapter a day, but it may not happen. But hopefully will. Also as reference, if I put out a slightly shorter chapter than you can usually expect the following chapter to be notably longer. ------------------------------------------------- The shorter mare opened her eyes and let out a soft moan, and noticing Daichi¡¯s eyes glance at her. She immediately looked away without realizing what she had done. A blush spreading on her cheeks as she bit her lower lip. ¡­ Daichi had been waiting. Waiting for a few hours before he felt something change in the air. Sensing the mana in the cave suddenly lowing from one direction to the other. Daichi sprang awake and to his knees reaching for his sword with his right hand almost as if out of instinct. Looking around, everything seemed normal. Except Kaden was getting progressively more pale even in the dim light. His breathing was ragged. He continued to look at Kaden. Considering the possibilities. If Kaden died¡­ His life would be a lot simpler. Even if it were the mare doing this, they seemed to have more value than he did. On the other hand Hannah would be furious, it might even break her. In which case, did Hannah have more value than the mare? Weighing the options¡­ Daichi decided that Hannah had far more value than the mare. So did Kaden. They had their issues with him, but in the end he still got what he wanted. They didn¡¯t want to hunt, they still hunted. They didn¡¯t want to leave the town, they still left. They didn¡¯t want to use the mare to hunt, they still would. This group would do as he told them, even if it took prodding. These mare were not in the same scenario as him, he knew little to nothing about them. More over if they could, and would kill one of his companions, there was no reason why they wouldn¡¯t turn on him in the future. No longer hesitating, Daichi pulled his sword out slowly and walked over to the mare, equally slowly. Worst case scenario was still only Kaden dying. Lifting his sword and placing the end of it against the taller mare¡¯s neck. He pressed slightly before she opened her eyes in a heartbeat. Staring at her, with his sword pressed against her skin Daichi suddenly wanted to kill her. It would be so easy, and his sword was already on her neck. Daichi clenched he jaws and forced himself with all his willpower to not simply slide the blade in even further. Taking a few seconds, Daichi stayed motionless. The shorter mare woke up next to him. Glancing in her direction, he saw something that surprised him enough to forget about killing her sister. She was blushing. He had not seen the mare make a single expression this entire time. Confused by the turn of events, he pressed the sword against the taller mare¡¯s skin just a tad bit further letting a single drop of blood bubble on top of the blade. ¡°What did you do. I want an actual answer. If I am even the slightest bit dissatisfied with how throughly you answer. I will kill you.¡± Daichi spoke in his natural monotone voice. Staring at him and showing actual confusion in her expression, the taller mare wasn¡¯t sure whether to respond or not with the blade pressing against her skin. The shorter mare realized what was going on, and trying to forget what had just happened. Spoke up for her sister ¡°We live off mana. That is our sustenance. Normally we take in the mana in nature, but certain beings that possess large amounts of mana or even just more than the average are a particular delicacy for us. We were inside of your companion¡¯s dream, and eating his mana.¡± Hesitating after gazing at Daichi, she elaborated even further "This is how we get stronger, this is how we increase our own mana over time." Gazing at the shorter mare, ¡°Why him?¡± Daichi asked, curious as to why she didn¡¯t choose any of the others there. As far as Daichi knew, he had the least amount of mana in the group. Biting her lip and taking a second, the shorter mare responded ¡°We thought he was the strongest one here after this afternoon. So we wanted to enter his mind and understand his plans.¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t realize he was just a perverted idiot.¡± the taller mare spoke up as the blade had lessened it¡¯s pressure on her neck. Glancing at her sister, the taller mare spoke ¡°It took me a second to realize, but in his dream we had lost our normal control. That only occurs when¡­¡± Clenching her teeth, she gazed into Daichi¡¯s eyes one more time, before speaking up ¡°It only occurs when we are already the subject of the dream, if we are the subject then we are trapped in that created body. It has never happened to me before.¡± Daichi glanced at the shorter still blushing girl, and then her sister before taking a second to realize what had happened. A thought popped into Daichi¡¯s mind as understanding filled him. Kaden was being Kaden, his dreams were likely no less perverse than him. Without so much as a twitch in his expression, he glanced at the shorter mare and then asked ¡°Why is she blushing, why are you both showing emotion.¡± The shorter mare answered ¡°When we eat the mana of another being who has higher intelligence, we unseal our emotions which are normally completely dampened. It doesn¡¯t lasts in proportion to our meal.¡± she said while coyly glancing away from Daichi and then looking back. ¡°Do you have to eat?¡± Daichi asked Understanding his meaning, the shorter mare looked down without making eye contact before replying ¡°Yes¡­ Eating natural mana sustains us¡­ But it¡¯s basically like starving ourselves to the point of madness. Only when we ¡®eat¡¯ do we feel like ourselves. Can be ourselves.¡± ¡°Do you have to enter someone¡¯s dream like you did Kaden¡¯s when you eat?¡± Daichi asked Sitting up from his slumber ¡°So that¡¯s how it was.¡± Kaden softly said, his eyes red and fists clenched. Kaden had just experienced a nightmare. Left past the tipping point with no return and no girls or hands. Glancing his way, the shorter mare spoke with a little indignation in her voice ¡°We may have been eating your mana without permission, but¡­ but what you did!¡± Clenching her teeth and looking away, even the taller mare blushed while recalling what he had done. Experiencing both shame and lust at the same time, Kaden only shook his head¡­ ¡°Why not gather normally and eat it that way?¡± Daichi asked ¡°We cannot meditate or tune ourselves to mana. It is our fault as a race. We are a-tuned to mana, and life off mana. Yet we cannot actively engage it ourselves.¡± the shorter mare spoke sounding genuinely wistful about their circumstances. Getting up off the ground and walking to stand before the three of them, he got on his knees and bowed at them. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry. I was definitely out of line. I would normally say, that my thoughts are my own, but I should not have thought so little of you as to include you into my own fantasies without your permission.¡± Waiting a second he looked up and faced the mare ¡°An apology is insufficient. You need to eat, and as long as the mana you take isn¡¯t permanent, then you can continue to eat mine as we travel.¡± Blushing and looking at Kaden, the shorter mare felt like crushing his face into the ground for even bringing it up. Thinking about his proposal though, she steadied herself. ¡°No, we take what you have but never more. Your mana would regenerate as it normally would. Although even if we do that, we do not need to consciously enter your dreams. That will NOT happen again.¡± Looking up at Daichi, Kaden gave him a meaningful look before speaking to the mare ¡°That¡¯s fine. I owe you an apology anyways. I also owe you an apology in advance. I cannot promise it won¡¯t happen again, so I deeply suggest you avoid entering my dreams in the future.¡± Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. Pausing a second and letting his words sink in, Kaden continued ¡°Now with that being said. I am all but basically providing you with food. If you promise there is no adverse affects, I am willing to provide that food for services rendered.¡± ¡°Services rendered??¡± The shorter mare asked with clenched teeth ready to rip Kaden¡¯s throat. ¡°You provide us with guidance and safe passage. You actively engage in battle when we ask you too, and I provide you with ¡®food¡¯¡± Kaden met their gazes as he spoke looking more serious than he had all day. A gaze the shorter mare had only seen in his dreams. Feeling uncomfortable, the shorter mare looked at her sister for confirmation. Daichi looked at Kaden in surprise. Daichi did not trust the mare, even more so after what they had just tried to pull, but it would be hard to ignore how useful they could be. More over if they had a mutually beneficial relationship, he could put some trust in that. Some anyways. ¡°We agree.¡± the shorter mare responded briskly. ¡°Great! So, don¡¯t tell Ava and Hannah for now. Let¡¯s keep tonight between ourselves.¡± Kaden said. Taking a long look at both of them, Daichi finally pulled his sword back and sheathed it. Standing up and looking at the three of them slightly wistfully, Daichi realized he really wanted to kill all three of them. Just a bit. Thinking about it as he moved back to his position, Daichi tried to figure out the cause for that. Normally he wouldn¡¯t care about killing or not killing, he didn¡¯t feel much of anything one way or another. He¡¯d rarely had the urge to kill. Now he suddenly found himself near lust at the thought. He¡¯d been feeling a little bit off since he killed the demon in the town. Thinking back to that he realized he¡¯d acquired his bloodlust ability that night. Considering his symptoms, Daichi began to wonder if the bloodlust skill was passively effecting his judgment. Thinking to that point, he considered how inconvenient it would become if he actively felt the need to kill constantly. That would affect his plans once they reached a town. Just as Kaden was about to move, a thought occurred to him¡­ ¡°Uhh¡­ At the end of that dream¡­¡± Kaden¡¯s gaze wandered to the mare for a second as he looked both sad and embarrassed. Noticing his look, the taller mare felt a grim satisfaction. The shorter mare responded in understanding ¡°Regardless of what we do, when we enter a dream it turns rather¡­ Unpleasant for the dreamer in the end. It is a consequence of our siphoning the dreamer¡¯s mana in the process.¡± Feeling his throat tighten up a little, Kaden moved back to his position. He was going to give the mare a wink before laying back down to sleep, but as he recalled the horror he felt at losing his hands in his dreams. He thought better of it. Kaden was lost in his own mind wondering what he should take from today. So much had happened. Feeling uncomfortable, he couldn¡¯t decide if he was right about any of it. He¡¯d gotten the group into a risky situation when he approached the mare and invited them¡­ But the mare had already seen them. Approaching them with good intentions seemed like the best way to avoid an unnecessary fight at the time. Now he¡¯d entered into an agreement with them for the sake of the group. If all it took was his mana, then it was a small price to pay to keep the mare as teammates. Even Daichi had not acted to kill them, and in Kaden¡¯s mind Daichi always wanted to kill first and talk later. Kaden knew that wasn¡¯t actually the case but he couldn¡¯t help but feel that way. Knowing that Daichi didn¡¯t act against him, made him feel that he had been right, their assistance would be monumental to getting out of this place alive. Feeling happy about that conclusion, Kaden sunk back into a feeling on insecurity. He would have to kill from now on. He¡¯d been avoiding this fact for a while now. Today had made things clear though. He would have to put his ideals aside and kill for Hannah and for himself. Feeling a sadness overwhelm him, he knew what he had to do. He just had to come to terms with it now that he had acknowledged it. The mare ignored Kaden and sat against the wall lost in thought. They now understood the situation a bit better. Kaden was not the leader, he was clearly a perverted idiot. Definitely a perverted idiot. There must have been too many coincidences that had led them to believe he was a genius. Even the dream, it was definitely not planned but just a man''s perversion. Otherwise this Kaden would have been a brilliant genius ahead of them at every step. The human Daichi was dangerous. It was clear to the taller mare that he wanted to kill her earlier. In fact he actively looked like he was trying not to do it. Feeling for the first time in years, the mare were stuck feeling uncomfortable. The mare fell asleep feeling that discomfort mounting them. ¡­ Waking up in the morning, the girls slept wonderfully. They had been so exhausted that they fell asleep without anxiously worrying over their new ¡®companions¡¯. Hannah on the other hand had simply assumed that Daichi would in his suspicion of them, keep an eye out. Daichi woke up, from a sitting up position feeling stiff but good. He¡¯d figured out how to manage a lighter less useful but more practical form of meditation even though it was the same skill used differently. Wanting to utilize his analyze skill as much as possible, Daichi triggered it on all 5 of them.
Human Named: Hannah Guresu Level: 18 Description: Death hovers around her.
Human Named: Ava Kajiya Level: 14 Description: The last of the Kajiya bloodline.
Human Named: Kaden Guresu Level: 13 Description: Mana weakened state. Lucky.
Fledgling Mare Level: 25 Description: A young mare who has lived only a few centuries.
Fledgling Mare Level: 26 Description: A young mare who has lived only a few centuries.
Daichi noticed the girls didn¡¯t level up from yesterday¡¯s activities. That must mean they are both ready for another level up. He would help them reach level 20 and then he would get back to getting his own strength to grow. Kaden woke up looking tired, with red eyes and slightly pale making Daichi wonder whether that was from the mare last night. Perhaps they had wanted an extra snack afterwards, but he didn¡¯t notice any changes so he brushed that thought aside. Daichi then thought about his description from his skill. Perhaps he hadn¡¯t regenerated enough mana naturally because he still couldn¡¯t meditate. Daichi had assumed that Kaden had a meditation method considering that both girls had one. He¡¯d slip this piece of information to Hannah so she could give him some pointers later on. After all, he needed his food wagon to keep the group together. Daichi grinned at the thought of Kaden being food. It fit him pretty well. The mare awoke thinking about these humans. The mare shared a single thought at this moment. These humans seemed like despite being good food¡­ They were going to be more trouble than they had bargained for. Chapter 43 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 3) Chapter 43 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 3) As anxiety took over their chests and stiffness numbed their muscles, they made their way out of the cave. One by one, the party exited the cave, guys taking the lead this time around. Breathing in fresh air, they all felt rejuvenated. It wasn¡¯t every day that they would find such a convenient form of shelter to sleep in. Ava even considered asking the others if they wanted to stay in the area and hunt while making the cave and its surroundings their base for a while. She was terrified at the idea of having to go back sleeping in trees. She¡¯d barely slept a wink that night. Sitting back down on the ground near the cave, they began eating some of their food while being cautious to ration it out properly. Every except the mare who stood off to the side and talked to one another out loud so as to not seem suspicious to the others. Now that they were experiencing emotions once again, they felt it necessary to display a smidgen of courtesy to them. Especially since they had entered into a mutually beneficial relationship with this group last night. Thinking about the events of yesterday''s night, both of the mare blushed at the thought. The shorter mare did so out of mild annoyance and excitement. The taller mare out of fright and discontent. Unlike her sister, not a bit of her enjoyed what had happened last night. She was too surprised to act at the time but she did not find Kaden attractive in the slightest. She found his advances crude and unbecoming of her, she had stayed pure for centuries only to have a man try to sully her against her will. Moreover, the man looked far older than her, despite her actual age. His skin was bright and fresh, but his beard made him look far older than her. It made him look aged and his eyes looked wise, despite what she had later learned. Shivering at the memory, the taller mare clenched her teeth in annoyance, but in the end she let it go. The only cause for the repercussions was the fact that she had invaded his dreams with her sister. The mare fed on others, it was in their nature and a necessity to them, but they were also beings of higher reasoning. As such, they had often pondered on the concept of "right" and "wrong". Although in their world, it meant far less than in the human''s. In their world, "right" and "wrong" were merely the premise for allowing grievances to dissipate whenever it was inconvenient to use violence. Violence was the answer, and the premise of ¡°rights¡± were secondary, only to be discussed among equals. Finishing their food, the humans walked back over to the mare and spoke to them in refreshed voices. ¡°We¡¯ve decided to stick to the plan from last night! Straight line!¡± Hannah spoke up, unusually cheery Even though Kaden had woken up a little worse for wear, there had been no further argument between him and Daichi. Hannah considered this a good sign for them. In Hannah¡¯s mind it meant that they had put yesterday''s matter behind them. Possibly even that Kaden had acquiesced to the group''s way of thinking in this case, which would be marvelous! ¡°We can do that. We shall warn you, should we be within range of an opponent¡± the shorter mare spoke out while not looking at anyone in particular, walking forward with her sister ahead of the group. ¡°How can you tell how strong someone is from a distance?¡± Daichi inquired ¡°We can¡¯t without visual confirmation. What we can do is tell when there is a living being with mana in an area, and how strong that mana is. Normally most beings with a lot of mana are very powerful. Although a being with little to no mana isn¡¯t necessarily weak.¡± the shorter mare responded as she moved through the forest. The mare avoiding branches, trying not to disrupt the forest as much as they could. They were surprisingly lithe for girls their size. Daichi figured that both girls seemed to be about 5¡¯8 and 5¡¯7 each. The taller one seemed to be the same height as him, the shorter one only slightly shorter than both of them. Taking that into account, Daichi began wondering what they would run into today. Unfortunately for Daichi, the group managed to walk at a brisk pace the entire day without a single encounter with anything. The majority of the group felt pleased. It was hard enough to walk for such a long distance, fighting while tired would be quite the hassle to add that to the list. Daichi seemed to be the only one in a slightly impatient mood after an entire day of walking without seeing blood once. Finally late into the afternoon, the mare stopped walking and held their hands to the side. ¡°We didn¡¯t notice them sooner because they don¡¯t have much mana. There seems to be a medium sized group of creatures about 50 meters away from us. What would you like to do?¡± the taller mare turned as she asked the group. Daichi immediately asked ¡°How many? How strong?¡± ¡°Hard to say when they are grouped together like that, more than 10. Based on mana alone, I would say they aren¡¯t very strong.¡± the shorter mare replied. ¡°Hmm¡­ It could be the case¡­ Also from what we¡¯ve seen¡­ It seems like the stronger monsters are usually out in smaller numbers or by themselves. Only the weaker ones travel in large groups.¡± Daichi voiced his thoughts. ¡°Okay. Well, we agreed. Let¡¯s prepare and get to it.¡± Hannah spoke up Ava and Kaden nodded, while Kaden and Daichi put their packs down and left them on the ground. They readied their weapons and began moving forward closer to the group up ahead. Getting close enough was quite difficult without a clearing, but the forestry also hid their position as well. A double-edged sword, or so the situation seemed. Finally getting in close enough, Daichi climbed higher on a tree and utilized his analyze skill.
Teething Almas Level: 20 Description: Human-like Bi-pedal Beasts. They use their physical strength in groups to overpower their enemies.
Teething Almas Level: 20 Description: Human-like Bi-pedal Beasts. They use their physical strength in groups to overpower their enemies.
Teething Almas Level: 20 Description: Human-like Bi-pedal Beasts. They use their physical strength in groups to overpower their enemies.
Teething Almas Level: 20 Description: Human-like Bi-pedal Beasts. They use their physical strength in groups to overpower their enemies.
¡­ x8 Daichi looked at his screen, then looked back at these humanoid beasts. Although they didn¡¯t resemble humans that much more than the trolls or goblins. These creatures had blueish fur covering the majority of their body except for their hands and face. Their lower body looked like that of a wolf of some sort or dog. their body part from the navel up their bodies still covered in fur looked human in appearance. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Their faces looked like archaic humans while their speech was only growls and grunts. Considering their actions, it was hard for Daichi to classify them as thinking, higher beings. They definitely resembled roaming beasts more closely in his mind. There seemed to be 12 of them. Considering their levels and the number¡­ Daichi decided this was a fight they could handle. Climbing back down, Daichi described what he saw to the others and told them the plan he¡¯d concocted while coming down. ¡°They are pretty big in number, that seems to be the only issue. They are likely strong from what I can ¡®tell¡¯. So I¡¯ll stop their movements while Ava and Hannah get in as many kills as possible. I will back them up and continue to help so they can maximize their opportunities. Kaden and the mare, you three move in as a group and try to distract at least three of them, possibly more. Ideally, the mare can help Kaden distract, stop and kill as many in that same amount of time.¡± said Daichi as he gave all members the instructions they needed. Then looking at their hesitation, Daichi added ¡°Should anyone get in trouble, we regroup at their position as quickly as possible¡±. Seeing a light sigh of relief emerging from all three''s mouth, Daichi spoke up with more enthusiasm ¡°Great! Let¡¯s move out!¡± Getting a sword out with his right hand, Daichi led the way. Mentally preparing for the battle to come, Daichi felt his blood pumping. He was barely holding a smile from cracking up in his face as he held his excitement. Daichi could tell his bloodlust ability was definitely what had been slowly affecting him. Perhaps the affects weren¡¯t as noticeable until now, probably because he had refrained from killing for a few days in order to help Hannah and Ava. Thinking about its likelihood, Daichi decided to satiate his need for blood by at least killing one of these beasts. Finally within their sights, Daichi began rushing at a fast jog. There was little cover and the Almas would notice him right away if he advanced too slowly. Getting in within range with no one noticing until he was meters away from a group of them, Daichi activated his Chaotic Eruption coverinh the majority of the pack and then moved in without waiting for the girls. Daichi moved past the first few and and then swung his sword with both hands cutting off the leg of one of the Almas as their dark red blood sprayed all over the ground and his shirt. Moving onto the next one he started slashing like a madman. Daichi wanted to incapacitate as many as possible within these first few seconds. Not stopping until he noticed movement, he stepped forward and trigged another Chaotic Eruption, freezing another double couple in the back row, while slashing at their legs and arms with reckless abandon. He could feel his eyes turning bloodshot as more and more blood engulfed his sight. The blood was affecting him and he couldn¡¯t stop himself from cutting at more of them. ¡°Daichi! HELP!¡± Mid-way through a swing, he heard a scream and turned around. He¡¯d cut his way through the majority but one of them had grabbed Hannah¡¯s legs and started pulling her towards it. Daichi leaped forwards avoiding the Almas who could still take swipes at. Reaching Hannah, he slashed down with both hands decapitating the Almas. Its angered expression frozen as the blood gushed out of its neck. The impact of the sword cutting through its neck and hitting the ground shook Daichi stirring him out of his frenzied state. Looking at Hannah, she was looking up at Daichi with an expression painted with fear. ¡°I am sorry. I lost myself there for a second, thinking it was going to hurt you.¡± Daichi quickly said while turning away from her and taking note of his surroundings. Hannah quickly came back to her senses and tried not to think about the look Daichi just had or that comment which made her forget where she was for a moment. Ignoring the slight stir of confusion in her chest, Hannah looked around. She had already killed three of the Almas along with Ava taking one out before the others stated moving. Two had been distracted by the Mare and Kaden and were currently engaging them. Six had been sliced to pieces by Daichi. Hannah looked at the bloodshed on the ground, she gulped right afterward. Hannah would have thought she would find the sight of so much blood repulsive, but she didn¡¯t mind it as much as she thought. Moving closer to them, Daichi swung his sword cutting their hands as it shrieked and growled at him in anger and pain. Hannah merely placed a hand on their backs and utilized her Death Follows skill. With Daichi assisting them. Hannah killed another two and Ava three one more than her. They watched as the mare dodged the two Almas with ease, leaving little work for Kaden. The shorter mare waited for the Almas to lose its patience and took a wide swipe at it. As she moved in closer, she ducked under the swipe and gave it a full force punch to the solar plexus. The taller mare didn¡¯t use the same patience and just grabbed at the Almas as it swung at her. She then threw it against a tree, nearly knocking it out with the impact. Stopping the movement of both Almas, they waited for Kaden to reluctantly plunge his knives into their throats and take the kills. Feeling unsatisfied, Daichi frowned despite the growth of the group. Using his analyze skill again, he noted the progress.
Human Named: Hannah Guresu Level: 19 Description: Death hovers around her.
Human Named: Ava Kajiya Level: 15 Description: The last of the Kajiya bloodline.
Human Named: Kaden Guresu Level: 14 Description: Mana weakened state. Lucky.
All of them gained some levels. That would help them all. Daichi would have preferred stronger enemies but that worked in everybody¡¯s favor. The mare were also very helpful, they dealed with two of those Almas barehanded and with ease. Daichi was left to wonder exactly how strong their physical stats must be for them to do that. ¡°Tch¡± Clicking his tongue, Daichi called it a win and stopped over thinking about his displeasure. He felt unsatisfied but it was likely not him, but the effect of his ability. Killing that one Almas had done little to change Daichi¡¯s disposition. ¡°Good job everybody. That was a good battle¡± Daichi said ¡°What did you do?¡± the shorter mare asked with a curious glim that the others noticed and were a little surprised by. ¡°I can temporarily slow my opponents down, that¡¯s all. It¡¯s handy on occasion¡± Daichi said while playing it off as if it was nothing special. Gazing at him, the taller mare further strengthened her belief that Daichi was a dangerous being. Chapter 44 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 4) Chapter 44 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 4) ¡°Why don¡¯t we find a place to rest now¡± Daichi said while looking at the mare Noticing his intent on changing the subject from himself, the shorter mare responded ¡°Very well, we should leave this place anyways. Too much blood will attract others.¡± Glancing at him from the corner of eye, the shorter mare had been intrigued by this skill of Daichi¡¯s. She had noticed it the first day, but wasn¡¯t sure who had activated it or what it was. There had been a mana fluctuation but she couldn¡¯t pinpoint it at the time. Now she had confirmed that it was Daichi. Leading the group, they ended up venturing towards a stream within an hour. Using that that time while there was still some sunlight left, the group began to wash some of their clothes off from the blood and to clean up. The mare in particular went away from the group so they could clean their entire bodies and hair. The others merely cleaning off a few pieces of clothes and their weapons. Walking back towards the group the mare now looked completely different. Their hair now wet, slicked back and dripping. No longer matted and dirty, made their appearance even more striking. They were far more beautiful and if they weren¡¯t wearing rags, their appearance would look even more breathtaking. Noticing their gazes, the shorter mare let out a light giggle of amusement before returning to a more passive expression. Noticing yet another show of emotion, Hannah couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡°Why are you so much more¡­ Human now?¡± ¡°We have had our fill of mana since yesterday, as such our emotions are less dampened.¡± the shorter mare responded as if it was only natural and pushed forward through the group and away from the stream. ¡°So what happened?¡± the taller mare asked as they began walking with the others following. ¡°Eh¡­ What do you mean?¡± Daichi asked lifting one of his eyebrows coming off a little awkward ¡°After your mana revolution. Have the humans and their knowledge evolved even beyond?¡± the taller mare asked completely indifferent to the previous looks. Completely confused the looks at each other before realizing the mare were referring to their conversation from yesterday. Wanting to push past the awkwardness Kaden took the lead ¡°Nothing happened I guess. Once the gods made that announcement about peace and the mana in the world thinned out¡­ I guess it became harder to make advancements with the field of mana or even to gain personal insights. Who¡¯s to say? I mean, since peace and tranquility followed no one seemed to care. Everyone began to live in bliss so what¡¯s it matter right?¡± Ava was the one to respond to that rhetorical question ¡°It does matter¡­ Our bloodline was once very important to us, but when that peace followed¡­ Even though everyone was happy, even though prosperity came to everyone. Everyone just sort of blended in with one another. Maybe it¡¯s only because it¡¯s been so long, but if you think about it. How many cultures and customs have been lost over the years because people fell into a state of unity?¡± Ava¡¯s grandfather had constantly drilled into her father the losses their family had taken since the melding occurred after peace became widespread and multiple kingdoms collapsed as the people spread out no longer bunched together in the cities for safety. As such, her father had drilled this same sense of loss into her since she was a child. Ava was taught to look at the peace of the world from a different perspective. The Kajiya perspective was one of blacksmiths. A perspective of those that thrived on war and advancement. Hannah gave Daichi what seemed like a prodding look as she gave him a chocolate bar as they walked. She had not been distracted by this random question from the mare. ¡°Hah¡­ I mean we probably shouldn¡¯t be eating chocolate for dinner, don¡¯t you think?¡± Not getting the response he was looking for from any one, Daichi decided to voice one of his true thoughts, albeit while censored. Looking forward, ¡°I always felt like the peace in our world was boring. I mean¡­ Everyone always seemed happy¡­ But I always felt that it was tranquility rather than true happiness. With no bad days how can we appreciate the good ones? I guess.¡± Daichi said¡­ Even though in his mind he was secretly thinking about how bored he¡¯d always been, and how an era of bloodshed like the one he was now experiencing was infinitely more suited to him. He¡¯d been bored because he didn¡¯t feel much of anything. Now constantly in danger, without any rules to impede him. Daichi lived in excitement and everything was new. In a sense, it was what he¡¯d always wanted Of course if he he said that out loud, he¡¯d probably be ostracized considering their general dispositions. Daichi tried to smile but ended up making an awkward and forced expression that even he could feel, so he just dropped it altogether and ate his food. The others continued to exchange pleasantries for a little while longer before finally reaching a small set of clustered woods where the mare stopped. ¡°The sun has gone down and the moon is up. Continuing to travel would have increased danger. This is as good as any place to sleep, we sleep in shifts and nothing will harm us.¡± the taller mare spoke This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. After their previous experiences, Hannah and Ava decided to just sleep on the ground. Everyone but Daichi had found it hard to sleep in the trees for fear that they would roll or fall over in their sleep and die. Walking away from the group for a bit to get some air. Daichi needed a moment to himself. Daichi was still feeling a little off from earlier. He wanted to leave altogether and explore the forest a bit on his own, but he knew if it he did that it would be extremely hard for him to find his way back. Away from the group for less than a few minutes, Hannah had walked over. Hannah hesitated, but thinking about Kaden, she finally got the words out ¡°I may not have said anything about it then¡­ But what you said the yesterday may have been a bit overboard.¡± ¡°Overboard?¡± Daichi asked ¡°It feels like you crushed Kaden. He hasn¡¯t been the same today. I thought it was fine in the morning but he hasn¡¯t been as upbeat as he normally is. He¡¯s just seemed so out of it. It¡¯s not like him. I think it¡¯s because of what you said yesterday when the mare showed up.¡± Hannah said said while forcing herself to make eye contact with Daichi. ¡°I said what I needed to say, for everyone.¡± Daichi said. Noticing Hannah¡¯s defiant look, Daichi felt compelled to elaborate ¡°We talked about it before the night ended. I made it clear where I stood and he made it clear where he stood. We don¡¯t have to like each other, but we do have to work together.¡± Still making eye contact with Hannah, and seeing her unchanging expression. Daichi sighed and turned around, ¡°We talked it out, it¡¯s fine. Besides I may not have told him, but I respect him for what he believes.¡± Feeling less pressure now that Daichi had turned away from her, she exhaled and let out a breath she¡¯d been holding in. ¡°Why would you respect him for it? No offense, but you don¡¯t seem to value life at all.¡± Hannah said with a hint of trepidation. Hannah had always thought Daichi was colder than he even seemed. She liked that about him, but also knew that it was what should make her afraid of him. ¡°Hah¡­ I don¡¯t particularly value life. Not anyone¡¯s but mine or those that can help me in some way.¡± Taking one last glance at Hannah ¡°But¡­ The way Kaden values a concept, more than anything. The way he values life, ironically enough so that he would risk his own and even yours¡­¡± Daichi let the words out before taking a breath. ¡°If he were willing to die for that ideal of his, or even you¡­ Why wouldn¡¯t I respect someone for something I can¡¯t do myself?¡± Daichi spoke in a slightly more monotone voice, as he walked back to the group. Daichi could not even imagine the concept of caring for someone more than his own well being. It seemed so idiotic to him. The more he thought about it though, the less he could get behind it. The intellectual side to him though, loved to play devil¡¯s advocate. As he thought about that aspect, the ability to sacrifice for an idea or another, was honorable in it¡¯s own right. Daichi wasn¡¯t particularly honorable either. He was pragmatic. That didn¡¯t stop him from admiring a set of rules one set for oneself, in order to be the kind of person one wants to be rather than the person one is. Staring at his back in confusion. Hannah was torn between believing his words or taking them as a mockery of her brother. He respects Kaden because he himself can¡¯t value life? Value anything? Clenching her teeth. Hannah inhaled a big breath and then exhaled slowly trying to ease her mind. Taking a second, she erased her thoughts and put them behind her. Thinking about her problem and not unimportant things, she considered; If what Daichi said isn¡¯t what¡¯s been making Kaden look so ghostly depressed, then what is? Leaving her thoughts at that. Hannah began wondering about what else it could be as she walked back to the group. Daichi spoke to the group and decided that tonight, Kaden would take one watch with a mare and he would take another watch with a mare. This would allow the others to get some rest. Taking the first watch with the shorter mare. Instead of making any small talk Daichi just looked up the stars and the moons. The three moons together made one another look even more amazing, brighter, fuller. Daichi had never seen a night sky quite like the one tonight. He had never taken the effort to truly appreciate the beauty of the sky, and even know acknowledging and appreciating it were two different things to him. Still, this sky represented proof of his beliefs. Death, chaos and strife can give birth to some of the most wonderfully beautiful things the world has to offer. Daichi marveled at the sudden realization that for the first time in his life, he had found and appreciated a form of natural beauty from an artistic perspective. Daichi had never held appreciation for anything, this sudden realization made him feel connected to something more than just himself. Enjoying the smell of the leaves, the light of the stars, the feel of the ground. Daichi allowed himself to just enjoy. Enjoy this new wonderful world. Chapter 45 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 5) Chapter 45 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 5) As the others slept, Daichi entered into a light meditative state not wanting to succumb to boredom. He was awoken from that state when Kaden switched turns with him and the taller mare. Instead of going to sleep, Daichi walked away from the group slightly into the forest. He knew that if something got close the mare would warn Kaden in time. Probably. Daichi had plans to learn tonight, he had gone far too many days helping his group become stronger that he had reached a point of impatience. Yesterday¡¯s encounter with the mare had given him a new idea to try. Walking over 20 meters away from the camp. Daichi sat down on the ground and entered into his meditative state. Unlike every occasion before though. Daichi actively tried to focus his thoughts unto one thing. Sensing not only the mana around him, but gaps or mana fluctuations in the air. Yesterday he had been able to notice the mare taking mana from Kaden and that had allowed him to act in time. If he could learn to sense mana in the air in a more effective way, perhaps he could learn a skill of similar use to what the mare had. Daichi was constantly thinking of how to make use of his companions, considering their limited use at the moment. Daichi decided to make use of their skills. He would try to replicate anything they could do but in his own way. He would use the creativity they had in creating anything original for themselves and make it his own. Trying to get a feel for mana in a different way did not come easy to Daichi, but luckily he knew where the others were. Using them as a starting point, he focused on sensing the mana differences in their locations and possibly their mana as well. Daichi focused like this until sunrise as a bird chirping on his shoulder awoke him from his meditative state. Daichi felt frustrated, he¡¯d made little progress despite an entire nights effort! Of course, if the mare had known what Daichi was thinking. They would throw a fit in anger and cough blood at the very notion of it. Their ability was not only inborn, but it took most mare 50 years to develop and activate and then decades of practice to expand their range. If the mare knew Daichi was upset he couldn¡¯t replicate their ability over night, they would kill him right then and there. Daichi got up and shook himself off, he cracked his neck and knuckles as he walked towards the group. Using his regular routine, he activated his analyze skill as they came into view.
Human Named: Hannah Guresu Level: 19 Description: Death hovers around her.
Human Named: Ava Kajiya Level: 15 Description: None
Human Named: Kaden Guresu Level: 14 Description: Mana weakened state. Lucky.
Daichi was amused by Kaden¡¯s description. It seemed the mare had eaten their fill once again, leaving the poor guy looking exhausted without any of the fun. Daichi faintly wondered what kind of nightmare he¡¯d had this time around. Perhaps they had heard the conversation and chosen to take a more tactful approach. Daichi had left the group with the slight hope that the mare would kill the others or vice versa. That would have been mildly interesting, it would have certainly made his days during his travels less noisy. Oh well he thought. Coming into their view, Daichi spoke up ¡°Okay you two, today we have two goals. We find monsters, as many and as often as possible. Secondly, keep an eye out for another cave like the one from yesterday.¡± Daichi didn¡¯t elaborate and began walking over to pick up his pack and take a snack out as he readied himself for another hike. The mare began walking into the woods and they followed. Hannah noted that Kaden looked just as bad if not worse than yesterday. He looked pale and he was sweating a lot, seemingly taking a lot of effort to do the things that normally didn¡¯t bother him. Finding it strange, Hannah kept an eye on him. Maybe he simply didn¡¯t sleep well, but maybe there was more to it than that. Unlike the day before, without trying to walk in a specific direction. The mare happened to find monsters quickly. Within an hour the mare was leading them to a group of Trolls. Daichi had a suspicion as to where they were headed. Unsurprisingly, they ended up walking towards a a large creek. Surrounding the creek were about 16 trolls. Looking at their large numbers spread out through the entire area. The group felt like they were coming down with a headache. Daichi used his analyze skill as he walked out into the open and walked towards them slowly. Noticing his actions, the others hesitated but walked right behind him. ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡± Kaden asked from in front of Hannah. ¡°Same as always. I¡¯ll get as many as possible to charge at us, and then we go with the usual.¡± Daichi said ¡°Mare, you two take care to distract any stragglers¡± Daichi said while looking forward and getting within range of his analyze skill.
Greedy Troll Level: 27 Description: One of the many inhabitants of the nearby river. Greedy Trolls only leave their river dwellings to hunt for treasure and food.
Greedy Troll Level: 28 Description: One of the many inhabitants of the nearby river. Greedy Trolls only leave their river dwellings to hunt for treasure and food.
Greedy Troll Level: 28 Description: One of the many inhabitants of the nearby river. Greedy Trolls only leave their river dwellings to hunt for treasure and food.
Three normal trolls grouped together. All these trolls were likely around the same level. While looking around, Daichi realized all of the trolls were grouped together except for one troll. Laying down in grass with his feet in the water. It looked like the most casual troll in the world, not a care in the world. It¡¯s skin was a deep shade of purple unlike the others. Nothing about it stood out, in fact it was slightly smaller than the others, equally muscular but smaller. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Daichi couldn¡¯t make it¡¯s face out but it probably looked as ugly as it¡¯s friends. The trolls had begun to take notice of the intruders who were casually advancing. 3 groups of 3 gathered together and approached from the right as two groups of 3 approached from the left. Surprising Daichi completely. He thought they would spread out and cover all of their sides. Instead they just did all of the work for him. Trolls really didn¡¯t seem that bright after all, he¡¯d always just thought that was a joke. As the group of 9 came around the right they were far behind the other group giving Daichi enough time to get within range of the purple troll.
Troll Lord Named: Jakarov Level: 32 Description: The greediest of the greedy trolls. Instead of hunting prey it hunted its own. It became the greediest troll. It became a lord of the clearest creek making it the envy of all other trolls.
Daichi stopped walking as he was stunned by what he read. Description aside, Daichi was struck in awe by it¡¯s level. If it¡¯s strength and speed was on a completely different level than them¡­ ¡°Tch.¡± Daichi clicked his tongue doing the math. He wouldn¡¯t be able to kill it with this many trolls. ¡°Mare, how much mana does the purple troll in the middle possess?¡± Daichi spoke with urgency. ¡°A lot more than the others, but far less than all of you¡± the shorter mare responded. Those words were a delightful surprise to Daichi. Worst case scenario and Hannah would still be able to kill it is what he thought. ¡°New plan. Mare you take the six trolls approaching us with Kaden. You don¡¯t have to kill them just hinder them as long as possible. Hannah and Ava you two come with me.¡± Instantly Daichi started running towards the large group of trolls causing them to slow down and ready themselves for the trespassers. As he got closer, Daichi made an abrupt turn and started running towards the purple troll. Daichi had closed most of the distance, and now that he had turned in the direction of the troll, it had finally taken notice of him from the corner of it¡¯s eye but didn¡¯t consider the human a threat. It sat up and waited as if confused as to why this trespasser was running to it¡¯s death. Hannah and Ava stopped their steps as they had also been confused by Daichi¡¯s movement. Stopping and unsure as to what to do, they watched him run towards the purple troll. Instead of being cautious, he waited until he was only two or so meters from this troll lord as he activated his Chaotic Eruption skill freezing it where it sat. The troll so confused by it¡¯s movements did not even realize he had been stunned, as he had yet to even try to move. Reaching it a second later, Daichi smiled so hard his face hurt as he put he patted the trolls shoulder with his left hand saying ¡°You¡¯re it!¡± as he triggered his Life Release: Aura ability. Daichi had only used this skill once before, even triggering the ability it took more than a second which felt like an eternity before it fully activated. The trolls confusion had only gotten stronger as it suddenly realized the danger it was in, but it was too late. This mighty troll lord had been confused until the very last moment. Slowing feeling it¡¯s energy, it¡¯s essence leaving it¡¯s body. The troll felt confused and sad as it regained the ability to move it took a swipe at Daichi with it¡¯s muscular arm only to have Daichi jump backwards onto the ground with his back avoiding it altogether but basking in the troll¡¯s life energy. The troll now laying down flat on it¡¯s stomach could do little as it¡¯ he could feel itself dying. Finally feeling anger at this small little being that had come to take it¡¯s precious creek. The troll shrieked in rage and got to it¡¯s feet. Daichi still smiling, got to his feet at the same time, turned around and started running at the large group of trolls. ¡°Run at them NOW!¡± Daichi screamed at Hannah and Ava, as he ran towards the trolls. Even further away he advanced faster than them and caught up to them in seconds. The purple troll shrieking in anger and taking haphazard swings of it¡¯s arms at Daichi motivated him further to run like he¡¯d never run before. Taking a wide swing the troll tripped on itself stumbling forward and crashing into the ground with a troll. Daichi didn¡¯t even look back as he heard the sound of the huge troll hitting the ground like a giant rock. Lifting that same hand as before, the trolls who had been frightened by their lord¡¯s shriek became even more frightened of this small little human. As Daichi approached the trolls, they considered backing away, but ended up holding their ground out of instinct. Getting within range, Daichi triggered one final Chaotic Eruption feeling his mana get lower than felt comfortable. Stunning them in place as he was a few feet from them. Daichi screamed at Hannah and Ava as he ran past the first few ¡°Run to the back of the group and take those out first!¡±. Hannah and Ava had already begun to ready their skills as they heard Daichi shout in time, for them to run right with him. They moved forward and reached the last two in seconds as Hannah and Ava split up and took out a troll each just as the the purple troll had reached their ranks and began to smack his subordinates out of the way. Even though these other trolls were noticeably larger, one swing of the purple troll¡¯s arm and they would go flying into the air as if they were nothing. Daichi had reached the back and pulled his second sword out as he watched the purple troll make it¡¯s way towards them. Daichi knew all they had to do was hold out long enough for it to die, but that was easier said than done. As the trolls were smacked away one at the time, none even got a chance to move out of the way as they were in confusion and fear of their lord. ¡°Hannah! Ava! Go after the hurt ones as this one chases me!¡± Daichi said as he pointed his swords left and right. Getting the idea of thinking they had, Hannah went left and Ava right to completely avoid the purple troll on it¡¯s warpath. Noticing the plan was going more or less as he¡¯d planned it thus far, Daichi turned waited a bit longer until he felt uncomfortable and then began running away from the purple troll. Daichi ran as he could feel one of the trolls swing¡¯s barely pass by his back and wind it generated propelled him slightly forward. Sweat running down his back, Daichi felt pressured like he never had before. Chapter 46 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 6) Chapter 46 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 6) Sweat running down his back, Daichi felt pressured like he never had before. ¡­ As Daichi began running away from them towards the forest, Hannah took advantage and rushed at the trolls that had been hurt by their leader. She picked off one troll at a time diving into the ground and touching a leg or an arm hoping nothing was trying to attack her in the chaos. Ava hesitated but noticing Hannah¡¯s vigor, she didn¡¯t want to get left behind. Rushing forward Ava was unfortunate to run into the one troll that had managed to take no damage as it had simply been pushed into the ground by another troll that was hit into him. As it was getting up, Ava dove into the ground as she had seen Hannah do earlier and applied both hands of her melt skill onto the the back of the left knee of the troll. Shrieking in agony, the level up had become quite effective as by the time Ava hit the ground she had squeezed her fists and melted the the leg off at the knee. The troll shrieked in pain as it toppled over and reached for it¡¯s missing leg in agony! Not caring at all about the troll¡¯s pain, Ava jumped on top of it and melted her way through it¡¯s chest until she was all the way through it¡¯s back and into the ground. Close enough to feel it¡¯s breath, the troll tried to bite her face off with it¡¯s last breath and action but sadly was an inch away from her nose. Feeling the disgusting odor from it¡¯s mouth and the crushing of it¡¯s teeth so close to her, Ava screamed and backed up immediately. Realizing how close she had been to dying at that very second, Ava could feel her breakfast rushing upwards, and despite her best efforts she threw up into her hands. Feeling the melted flesh in her hands meld with what had been her breakfast until just a second ago, Ava felt utterly disgusted and horrified. Only until Hannah screamed at her ¡°MOVE NOW AVA!¡± Did Ava come to her senses. Tears welling up at the corners of her eyes. Ava ignored her feelings and, feeling empty. She moved forward to attack the next closest troll. ¡­ Hannah had been moving from one troll onto another, taking most of her damage from her jumps as she hit the ground hard trying to avoid random swings from the trolls. Hannah killed two trolls with ease. She moved with no hesitation, fueled by her desire to get stronger. Moving forward she came across a troll that was getting up despite it¡¯s face being a total wreckage, dark red blood flowing from it¡¯s nose. Teeth had fallen out and blood was dripping down the side of it¡¯s lips as it¡¯s eyes were at half-mass. Moving towards it before it come come to it¡¯s senses Hannah dived at the troll and touching it¡¯s knee before she felt pressure on her side. The troll had barely hit her, but that slight contact was enough to knock her shoulder out of place. Falling onto the ground Hannah tilted her body to fall on the uninjured side. Hannah clenched her teeth and reactivated her skill as she grabbed it¡¯s thigh and killed it on the spot as she felt anger and hatred welling up inside of her. As hannah was laying on her side she noticed Ava on the ground nearly in tears as another troll shaking it¡¯s on it¡¯s knees in confusion near her. Ava was clearly in shock, Hannah immediately screamed at her ¡°MOVE NOW AVA!¡± As she herself moved forward and attacked the last troll that had been an arm torn off by the purple troll¡¯s rampage. Throwing herself onto it¡¯s back with the pain in her shoulder making her gag in process¡­ Hannah activated her skill again feeling exhausted. ¡­ After coming to her senses and focusing on the remaining trolls. Ava pushed her fear and moved numbly forward. A troll on it¡¯s knees was shaking it¡¯s head as if trying to come to it¡¯s senses and Ava moved her hands forward with her skill activated. Grabbing it¡¯s neck and melting it off¡­ Until she felt what had to be it¡¯s spine, the last the remnant of resistance being melted with almost the same ease. It¡¯s head fell forward and it¡¯s body crumpled forward onto itself. Feeling nothing and walking forward like a zombie, Ava looked around and then headed for the last troll. The last one alive. She had it in her sights and walking forward as if this troll was all she could see. she stumbled forward a few times on her own legs unable to stop them from trembling. Finally reaching it, she looked down and noticed small details. It¡¯s chest caved in. It was wheezing. It was suffocating. It was dying. Falling to her knees, she reached out to it and stroked it¡¯s cheek gently, she could see the panic manifested in it¡¯s eyes. It knew it was dying. It was feeling fear. Fear of what was coming. Finally granting it mercy, Ava activated her skill with hand already on it¡¯s face as it bellowed silently unable to make any noise as Ava moved her hand slowly from it¡¯s face as it melted away at her touch down to it¡¯s jugular and then clean through. It struggled to make any noise, unable to voice it¡¯s pain until it¡¯s eyes rolled over finally put out of it¡¯s misery. ¡­ The mare had been confused by Daichi¡¯s plan. There were too many enemies, all of them formidable. Watching his back as he ran forward towards the large group of trolls, the mare were stunned at this human¡¯s thinking. In their eyes this was a foolish course of action. There were too many trolls for them to successfully fight them all efficiently. Knowing their own limitations against this kind of opponent, the mare watched stunned as Daichi changed directions and headed for their leader. He possessed more mana than the others, and gave off an aura of superiority to these other trolls. Upon seeing him attack him, and the mana in the troll suddenly disperse into the surroundings. The mare were instantly captivated! The troll is willingly releasing all of its mana and life! This is absurd! The mare thought. Seeing it begin to chase Daichi, the other trolls they were supposed to temporarily distract regained their composure and seeing their leader lose himself in anger and go into a rampage. They followed suit and started charging at the mare and Kaden. Suddenly having six angry trolls rushing at him, Kaden felt a bit intimidated. This was a bad plan. A terrible plan he thought. The mare and Kaden moved out of the way of the charging trolls and began to weave in and out of their grasp as some of them attacked with their bare hands while a few of the others swung large crude clubs at them. Feeling pressured on every swing, Kaden couldn¡¯t hold off long despite this being his style of combat. The trolls were too big for him to try to deal any damage with his speed and knives. Unable to do nothing but dodge as more than one troll took large swings at him, Kaden decided the best way to buy time would be to run away as Daichi had while the others could regroup. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Beginning to run in the direction the trolls had come, Kaden ran towards the left side of the lake. Taking a glance as he ran at Hannah, he noticed she was in as much if not more danger than him. Clenching his fists teeth and biting his lip. Kaden got angrier at himself for being unable to do anything to help. Kaden could do nothing but run. Feeling a new form of self-loathing welling inside of him every step he took, Kaden clenched his teeth and ran. Two of the trolls followed behind him and gave chase, taking few but long lumbering steps and keeping up with Kaden with ease. Seeing Kaden¡¯s strategy, the mare followed suit. The taller mare ran into the forest hoping that one or two trolls would follow her as well. Only to be disappointed to find as she sensed her surroundings as she ran that only one troll had followed in rage. The other three had stayed focused on the shorter mare who was weaving in and out of the attacks, using the troll¡¯s lack of coordination to get them to land a few blows on each other that did little damage. ¡­ Getting up in pain, Hannah took note of her surroundings. She had managed to kill 5 of the trolls. Looking at Ava, she didn¡¯t look too good, she didn¡¯t seem hurt, but she looked like a mess. The other trolls dead, Hannah concluded Ava took out the other 4. Feeling satisfied, Hannah stood up. She pushed past the pain in her shoulder and went over to Ava and sat down next to her as she looked at the troll before her. It¡¯s face half melted off all the way down to the neck as if it had been tortured. It still had tears that hadn¡¯t dried running down both sides of it¡¯s face. Feeling a little disgusted by it¡¯s looks, Hannah turned to look at Ava who looked horrified. ¡°Ava. Get your shit together. The battle isn¡¯t over and we need you. I need to go help Kaden. I need you to go with me.¡± Hannah spoke to Ava but got no response from her as she was blankly looking off into space. Clenching her teeth, Hannah felt aggravated. She didn¡¯t have time for this! Lifting her hand, Hannah smacked Ava across the face with as much force as she could muster. Smacking her hard enough to leave a resounding sound vibrating through the air. Hannah¡¯s own hand felt painful and numb as she began rubbing it against her hip while hoping it had been enough to wake Ava up. Turning to look at Hannah, Ava finally spoke ¡°I¡¯m fine. I can still fight.¡± Giving her a doubtful look, Hannah could tell that Ava was still in shock. There was no time to help her process at the moment so she could only nod at her and get up. Ava got up along with her, and asked ¡°What do we do?¡± ¡°We help Kaden.¡± Hannah said without hesitation, as she began jogging in the direction of the lake. She could still see Kaden running around the large creek. He was coming back towards their general direction so he must have doubled back. ¡°Let¡¯s go in his direction, fast but save some energy. When they¡¯re close go after it but stay as safe as possible. I still have enough mana to handle mine and maybe yours if it comes to that.¡± Hannah said to Ava as she jogged in his direction with Ava alongside of her. ¡­ As Kaden ran feeling exhausted at this point, he¡¯d been running for minutes at a full sprint being chased by these trolls. The pressure on him only mounted as he had been running at full speed but these trolls had yet to slow down in the slightest. The difference in the size of their stride and number of steps was making a huge difference. Realizing he could not keep running indefinitely, Kaden turned around and stilling his heart for a moment dove to the side at the trolls jumped at him in an attempted to tackle him with their bodies. Getting up at a half crawl not stopping for even a moment, Kaden moved onto his legs running away back in the direction he had come from. Kaden knew he needed to regroup with the others now. He had bought as much time as he could. Running back, he felt the weight of every step. The trolls had been gaining on him before and causing them to tumble forward into the ground as he had doubled back had only served to anger them even more. Their growls were as audible to him as if they were right by his ear. They came after him even faster than before forcing Kaden to push himself even more. Finally catching eyesight of Hannah and Ava. Relief poured into him for a second realizing that they were okay. He had made the right call. Running towards them, he gritted his teeth putting the last bit of energy he had into reaching his full speed as the trolls closed in with an even greater determination to crush him into a liquid. Finally within meters of Ava and Hannah. The two halted as Kaden stopped and turned around again hoping for the best as he readied his knives. In anger one of the trolls dove at him again, as Kaden dove sideways out of the way. The other troll swung with a club just barely missing him and started attacking the ground. Trying to crush Kaden as he rolled away away from each loud and powerful strike. Hannah moved forward and followed the troll attacking Kaden. Ava moved forward and jumped at the troll who had dove at Daichi that was still on the ground. Leaping on top of it with her melt skill already activated she melted through it¡¯s back as it shrieked in agony trying to get up. In an effort move and get up, the troll pushed Ava¡¯s hands even deeper through his back and out of his chest. Trying to grab at its attacker on it¡¯s back, The troll tried swiping at her with it¡¯s hands and nailed in futile effort before Ava¡¯s hands reached back inside of it¡¯s chest and finally found its heart. Dropping in pain, it¡¯s life was ended with that final look of pain still frozen on it¡¯s face. Ava inhaled deeply, having trouble remembering to breathe but trying to remain focused on helping the others. Ava kept repeating that she had to help the others as she got off the troll and moved forward one step at a time focusing on those words. Hannah had reached the other troll and while it was busy taking swings at the ground trying to squish Kaden she put her palm on it¡¯s back as she reached it and ended it¡¯s life in a moment as she dropped to her knees with the troll. Sweat running down Hannah¡¯s face she looked at Kaden in relief. She could feel her mana mostly gone. Exhaustion only amplifying the pain in her shoulder, but relief was coursing through her. Kaden looked up at her and sighed in relief. He had been worried about her until he had seen her. Then all he could do was focus on not getting crushed to death by these trolls. Feeling annoyance and self-loathing at his inability to help, Kaden began laughing in pain. Laughing out loud at his own weakness. ¡­ Chapter 47 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 7) Chapter 47 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 7) ¡­ Daichi had run towards the woods in the hope that they would slow the troll down. It was far larger than he was and less lithe and able to move in between the smaller trees with the same ease. Unfortunately Daichi didn¡¯t take into account that the troll was dying and it realized it. The troll swung with reckless abandon destroying everything in it¡¯s path. Its only goal being to kill Daichi painfully before its own death. Running forward a thick branch from over head came into Daichi¡¯s view. Immediately thinking of using it to his advantage he kept running with the same speed with the troll hot on his tail until just a meter before reaching it he dove underneath. Not able to react in time the Troll lord ran into the thick branch cracking it off the tree with his momentum but being knocked back onto the ground as well. Daichi rolled over and got back on his feet and pounced on the troll stabbing both swords into his chest where it¡¯s heart should be. The troll¡¯s thick muscle stopped the blades from going in too thick, more than a few inches as it realized the audacity this little being had at trying to attack him even now. Realizing the Troll lord was smaller but had thicker muscles than the other trolls he¡¯d encountered up to this point, Daichi pulled one of his blades out and grabbing it with both hands stabbed it into the troll¡¯s left eye with all the force he could muster. Jamming it through it¡¯s eye socked and into it¡¯s skull. The troll stopped twitching as it¡¯s life energy continued to pour almost instantly like an ocean instead of slowly like before. Daichi felt that glorious feeling he¡¯d felt after killing his first demon. Wrapped around this energy, he could feel some of his mana regenerating and his life being replenished. Looking down at the dead troll, Daichi took a moment to admire his work. Then thinking about how he had not been particularly hurt to this point¡­ Daichi wondered whether when he killed something with his Life Aura ability, and he had no injuries to heal whether there were other effects that happened instead. Since he wouldn¡¯t have to regenerate cell damage, did his life expectancy increase? Wondering that for a second, Daichi eyes widened as he felt a crippling pain running down his fine as he collapsed onto the ground into a seizure. His entire body convulsing out of his control for almost a full minute. When Daichi finally regained control of his body, he cold feel cold sweat all over his forehead and back as he gasped for air. He felt both refreshed and terrified for a second. He could physically tell his body was slightly different, which must have meant that he¡¯d undergone some serious increases after killing this creature¡­ At the same time came to a realization. If he killed and took in the essence of a monster or beast so far above him that he couldn¡¯t handle the change in his body¡­ It was possible he could die¡­ Or at very least be forcibly changed from a human into something else¡­ Still on top the troll, Daichi stayed put without moving until all of the troll¡¯s aura had dissipated into the air. Embracing the feeling of being refreshed, Daichi noticed that even all of the small cuts and bruises he¡¯d gained from walking in the forest these past few days were gone with a hint of ever being there. Feeling very rewarded, Daichi walked forward considering the benefits of his previous choice. Daichi had known that in order for the group to continue to be useful they would need to improve themselves, especially since he had far surpassed them due to his extra battles and learned skills. When they had entered into the forest. Daichi had decided that helping them become stronger was a necessity but that it should not be more important than his own progress. Struggling with what decision to make, they had stumbled upon two trolls very early on. Those trolls gave Daichi an idea. He would become strong without leveling up. Daichi would help the others increase their levels and kill monsters while staying as low leveled as possible. In doing so, Daichi could benefit from killing other lower leveled monsters that were still 10 levels stronger (with the assistance) of the group and gain stat bonuses along the way. On top of which, if he allowed the others to kill most of the monsters and helped in the process, he would be able to claim any kill. Especially with their soft hearted demeanor. If he could could gain an additional 5 or 10 stats at every level. Every level increase for him would be the same as 10 levels for the others. He could make them stronger while increasing is own strength exponentially while leaving the largest room for growth. Getting off the troll, Daichi began walking back to the group with casual even steps. I don¡¯t want to cut myself on all these branches after finally healing all these annoying little cuts Daichi thought. Just a few meters away from the troll¡¯s body and Daichi felt completely cold. His body froze and his senses were heightened to the point of feeling numbed by the air touching his skin. That feeling instantly went away as Daichi¡¯s eyes opened wide as he turned to look in every direction around him, completely on guard again. Something had just been there! Something had been watching him, and whatever it was. The feeling Daichi had just gotten, made him feel cold knowing that it could probably have killed him. Feeling detached from the moment as he realized he was likely no longer in danger¡­ Daichi took a few moments to calm himself down. Whatever it had been, it had left. Feeling unable to do anything about it as Daichi glanced around himself making sure there was nothing around. Feeling less secure about his surroundings, Daichi began walking while opening his status window. Daichi made the snap decision to increase his stats now just in case. Opening his status, he took a look his current stats and then decided to add the majority of it to his intelligence. There was a clear correlation between his intelligence and mana pool. He needed to gain the ability to use it more mana. Just in case something happened to the others. Putting 11 points into intelligence, Daichi hesitated, and then added another 2 points to Vitality. He hadn¡¯t needed to increase vitality yet, but Daichi figured he would hate being in a position where he should have when he could have.
-Status-
Name:Daichi Seishin
Class:None
Level:23
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Psychopath, Touched by Chaos
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Chaos
Health:100/100
Mana:345/800
Strength:25Agility:25
Vitality:15Spirit:10
Intelligence:80Wisdom:66
Aptitude:21(+50)Ability:23/500
Skill(s):
Perception Meditative State Analyze Chaos Erupts Chaotic Eruption Chaotic Erupted Sphere
Ability:
Touch of Chaos Bloodlust: Aura Life Release: Aura
Inheritance:
???
When Daichi finished, he felt more confident in dealing with whatever came his way today. If the others were alive, then this would likely end in a success. Taking his time, Daichi finally ventured back to the clearing with the creek in sight. Looking at the sight, Ava and Hannah were rushing away. The group of 9 trolls were dead. Kaden was running in their direction with two trolls giving chase, who looked as angry as their lord had been with Daichi. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Watching in amazement. The girls handled the trolls one each and survived the endeavor with little consequence. Daichi was impressed they had managed to do this well. He had been expecting more injury, possibly a death. Daichi had hoped this would be a wake up call for them. The dangers of the monsters in these forests. He wanted to motivate them to understand that agreeing to hunt these monsters was not enough, they needed to want too. It didn¡¯t matter why, they just each needed a reason to want to get stronger. Without that need, they would become useless before too long. Daichi noticed only one of the mare in a battle with three trolls and not faring particularly well. Counting the trolls, Daichi realized that 11 were dead. 3 were battling the one mare, so the other mare must have run off with one following it. Daichi only needed one mare as a guide, deciding to watch instead of helping. Daichi stood his ground, while triggering his Meditative State skill. If he actively tried to move or do anything else the skill would be deactivated, but if all he did was stand watch, he realized he could keep it up while not having to close his eyes. He cleared his mind and just focused on the battle, watching but not intervening physically or with opinions. The mare was struggling, and after dodging who knows how many hits one of the trolls who had been knocked down by a punch from one of the other trolls, grabbed her leg stopping her movement altogether. At that moment another swung his fist with all of it¡¯s strength aiming to crush her chest. Feeling trapped and left with no other option. The mare triggered one of her innate skills. She focused the mana she had eaten within the past few days and covered her fists with it. Then striking out at the troll at the same time, their fists collided. A crunching sound could be heard as the impact resounded in the air. The troll¡¯s fist with crumpled, fingers pointing in the strong directions and bone poking through the back of it¡¯s hand. A moment of confusion followed before the troll realized what had happened and it¡¯s brain converted the shock to pain. It turned its head to the sky and bellowed. The mare looked at the arm grabbing her leg and directed a punch down at it¡¯s arm breaking it¡¯s forearm and crushing the bone into multiple pieces at the point of impact. Jumping forwards, the mare attacked one of the incoming trolls in the chest pushing it back a meters as its feet scrapped against the ground before falling backwards, it¡¯s ribs shattered. Observing and appreciating the opportunity. Daichi stepped forward ending his Meditative State as he began to make his way to the mare. Not rushing but not walking as slowly as before, Daichi made his way over as the others were also walking over. The others looked worried and shocked but ready to finish the battle. Daichi realized they had probably not noticed what the mare had done with mana to her hands. As he walked forward, Daichi realized the taller mare had likely done this same thing in her battle with Kaden. When she had thought he was not taking her seriously. She must have used this skill on the last attack, up until the last second where she must have completely held back in order not to kill him. Daichi smiled inwardly in amusement. He¡¯d learned something else about them. They weren¡¯t as helpless as they had previously claimed against the trolls. Daichi wondered whether they had kept this secret because they were simply being cautious or whether there was something more to it. Noticing the group looked a bit¡­ Worse for wear. Daichi pointed at the two trolls whose arms had been damaged by the mare. ¡°Hannah, Ava, You two take those two down!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t¡­. I don¡¯t have enough mana¡± Hannah spoke while grimacing. ¡°Hmm.. Okay, Ava take that one and Kaden help her out!¡± Daichi pointed at one while he started taking quicker steps until he was in a jog running at the other troll. ¡°Get it¡¯s legs!¡± Daichi yelled at the mare. Moving towards the troll. The troll backed up in fear. All the trolls respected physical prowess. Any being that could physically best it was strong in their eyes. Not giving it a chance to to flee the moved forward and grabbed it¡¯s unhurt arm and lifted it over her shoulder throwing it down onto the ground. On the floor Daichi arrived and stabbed both of his swords into it¡¯s chest. Still writing on the floor the Troll was still alive and scared. Struggling to get away from these monsters! With Kaden¡¯s help as a distraction the other troll could only attack with one hand. While focused on Kaden, Ava snuck in from behind and attempted to attack but the troll was swinging his arm and moving too fast for her to move in unscathed. Noticing the other troll being defeated, the troll caught onto the fact that these other beings were strong. Too strong for it to handle. Choosing to run away instead it ran at Kaden and when Kaden avoided it, it just kept running into the woods. Not knowing what to do Ava and Kaden turned to Daichi and Hannah. Daichi simply shrugged, ¡°Nothing we can do. One gets way, so be it. Kaden come over here and kill this one.¡± Kaden inhaled, and simply walked over and without Daichi having to say anything. Kaden stabbed his daggers through the troll¡¯s eyes into it¡¯s skull. It didn¡¯t die and instead shouted in pain so close to Kaden¡¯s face that it startled him for a second. Committing to his choice. Kaden pulled his blades out with more than just blood on the blades as he plunged them back into it¡¯s skull repeatedly until the troll stopped wailing. Kaden said nothing as he looked down at the dead troll. He got up and walked over to Hannah. He¡¯ felt disgusted. He hated the feel of taking that trolls life. The sensation of plunging his knife into the flesh of another living being. He hated that sensation, and hated that he had ended a life but no longer questioned himself. He had been useless to help Hannah. He would do whatever it took to protect her and every one else. Looking at Kaden with approval, Daichi was pretty pleased with how things had gone so far. ¡°Okay everybody, mare included. I have a treat for you all.¡± Daichi said in a cheerful voice that felt so out of place that everybody¡¯s chests sank. Daichi walked over to the troll that had it¡¯s chest caved in by the mare, and motioned for everyone to gather around him. Slowly walking over, all of the encircled the troll. Daichi leaned down, and with the mana he had recuperated, trigged his Life Release: Aura ability once again. As the troll was already incapacitated, it didn¡¯t struggle, it didn¡¯t do anything. It laid there as it¡¯s life flowed out of every pore on it¡¯s skin. It¡¯s entire body enshrouded by an aura created from it¡¯s own life as everyone of them felt that aura enter them and refresh them. ¡°What the hell is this.¡± Kaden spoke up with wide eyes Hannah was confused as she felt the pain in her shoulder easing even as she heard her bone pop back into place with no pain. Ava felt all the cuts and bruises, all of the pain wash away. Even her mind that was in turmoil was set at ease by the warm calming feeling that was surrounding her. The shorter mare, almost giddy with delight instantly realized what it was as she basked in the scarce mana flowing from the dying body of the troll. Delight turned to dread as the shorter mare realized what Daichi had done. Daichi had touched this troll and with that alone, the troll had willingly released it¡¯s life force. It¡¯s life poured out from it. Gazing at Daichi with a look of appreciation and apprehension. The shorter mare realized what her sister had meant. This was a very dangerous human. She had greatly underestimated him. Just as the aura faded the taller mare came out of the forest walking towards them. Glancing at her, Daichi asked ¡°What happened?¡± The shorter mare answered for her ¡°She left to try and distract some of the trolls. Unfortunately only one of them followed her.¡± Daichi smiled, ¡°And what happened?¡± Realizing what had just happened. The shorter mare gave her sister a look and stayed silent. The taller mare, for a change of pace opened her mouth and answered the question ¡°I managed to hold my own, I could not kill it but it chose to run away instead and I let it.¡± ¡°Oh okay¡± was Daichi¡¯s only response. Glancing at everyone looking a lot better than just a few minutes ago. Daichi took a breath, ¡°Let¡¯s go find some shelter. Mare, lead the way.¡± The mare glanced at one another and began leading them. No one was saying anything as they walked. They were all thinking about what had just happened. Daichi realized that they must have been doing as much, and said nothing. This was the perfect time for them to process this experience and learn something from it. They had killed, they had likely nearly died, they had to improve. They had to want to improve. That is how they would survive. Chapter 48 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 8) Chapter 48 Cheating Death - Beasts of all Sorts (Part 8) After walking for a few hours, the mare led them to a cave similar to the one they¡¯d used before except with a much bigger opening. It would mean less security but more comfort which was a mixed bag in everybody¡¯s eyes. Ava decided on not to dwell on it. A cave was still safer than being in the woods exposed on all sides and above or worse, up a tree. The others were happy simply to get a chance to rest. Daichi Ava and Hannah went out for a few minutes, for ¡°girl needs¡± as they so eloquently stated. When they came back to the group, Daichi took the opportunity and voiced out the order of the different night-watch shifts. He called for himself and the shorter mare, Kaden and the taller mare (at her behest) and Ava with Hannah. Daichi didn¡¯t trust the mare 100% but he didn¡¯t trust anyone 100%. He now knew enough about the mare¡¯s intentions to believe they wouldn¡¯t try to kill him while he slept. It wouldn¡¯t be beneficial to them at this point. In fact, Daichi realized he would never trust them. Not unless he was notably stronger than them. Daichi realized he could never trust someone who could kill him with ease if he was caught unaware. Hannah gave Kaden a glance and noticed how tired he looked, so much so that he was already falling asleep. Not able to simply ignore that, Hannah voiced her thoughts. ¡°Someone isn¡¯t telling me something. Daichi what are you hiding.¡± Hannah said as she looked at Daichi and then glanced back over at Kaden. Kaden was suspiciously tired, and if that were it perhaps she could let it go, but the mare had just joined them yesterday and Daichi being his suspicious self. Would have immediately jumped at the opportunity and assumed it was them. The fact that he was playing it off as if Kaden¡¯s exhaustion was normal made her think that he knew something he wasn¡¯t telling her. He wasn¡¯t acting like himself by ignoring something so obviously out of place. Daichi looked at Hannah and sighed. It had barely been two days and she had already basically figured out something was up. Taking a good look at this red head, she really wasn¡¯t like her brother. She was exceptional perceptive. Daichi considered his options, but after the day they had. He decided to be honest. The others should know their circumstances. Knowing that they had basically become food as a necessity to survive would motivate them. Moreover, Daichi was already feeling like he¡¯d gotten off lucky. He¡¯d been expecting at least one of them to complain about his ¡°plan¡± regarding their battle with the trolls. Instead, everyone had seemed to be so contemplative that no one said a word of complaint. Daichi shifted his gaze over to Kaden and spoke up ¡°Let¡¯s get everything out into the open.¡± Daichi and Kaden proceeded to explain that the mare needed mana to survive. Unfortunately for them, only taking in the natural mana was barely enough for them to survive. It was a akin to being in a perpetual state of starvation. Telling her up to this point, Kaden glossed over a few details and told her about how the mare had taken some of his mana. Daichi had noticed and stopped it. Then they had discussed all of this and come to an arrangement that he himself proposed. Kaden admitted he had agreed to give them mana in exchange for their assistance while in the forest. It was a mutually beneficial agreement for all involved. Hannah took everything in. She let Kaden speak, she focused on his words and let her gaze drift as he spoke. As Kaden spoke she glanced back over at him and noticing the parlor of his expression. Hannah came to the realization that the mare were not to be trusted. She would find the right opportunity, and she would kill them. Hannah knew as Kaden defended them, by speaking to the merits of how useful they had been and could be that she couldn¡¯t let her intent show. Still staring at Kaden and hearing the events of two nights ago. Hannah was not the slightest bit surprised that Daichi had chosen to do nothing at all. He was using them as much as he wanted to use the mare. This was completely within Hannah¡¯s own set of expectations of him. Even as Hannah heard that Daichi had saved Kaden¡¯s life it meant nothing to her. He did that for himself, not for Kaden or for me. Hannah calculated that Daichi was as strong if not stronger than the mare. Stronger she concluded. If that is the case, Hannah further realized how careful she would have to be in order to kill the mare. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous! There¡¯s no way we can trust them after that! What the hell is wrong with you Kaden!?¡± Ava shouted at him. ¡°If you¡¯re going to just feed them like this, what the hell does that make us! We¡¯re not cattle!¡± Ava shouted indignant about the entire situation. ¡°We are cattle. Everything is cattle to something stronger or smarter.¡± Daichi said nonchalantly while staring at Hannah. ¡°Hannah¡­ Are you going to say something?¡± Kaden asked, afraid of what she was going to say. ¡°I have nothing to say. I am very upset. This is your choice though, if you are okay with this then I can¡¯t stop you¡­¡± Hannah said while slowly turning to look at the mare. ¡°But¡­ If something happens to you. If they have lied about anything. I will make you two wish for death. Death is easy, it¡¯s quick. I won¡¯t be so lenient.¡± Hannah spoke in a chilly tone. The entire atmosphere was wracked with tension. Glancing over at the mare, Daichi asked them if they could take a walk for a few minutes. Responding with a nod and nothing else the two mare walked out of the cave with nonchalant expressions. They realized instantly that the only reason to have them leave would be to discuss their continued alliance. ¡°These group talks are becoming a daily thing hah. Let¡¯s put things on the metaphorical table.¡± Daichi spoke as his gaze swept over everyone in the group. ¡°We have no idea where we are. We have have no idea where we¡¯re going. This forest is filled with monsters, the weak ones apparently stronger than you, the strong ones I can¡¯t even begin to guess at. We¡¯re lucky if that¡¯s all there is, but there could be more for all we know.¡± Daichi stared at each of them for a few seconds at a time as he drove the nail in. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°We need them. We can¡¯t trust them, you¡¯re right. How could we trust anyone who could kill us? But we need them, without them we¡¯re lost, with no aim and just waiting to be picked off by something at some point. Just look at today. My skill told me those trolls were all lesser beings. How did that go?¡± Daichi said. Ava wanted to say something, but couldn¡¯t find the words. Kaden looked at Hannah and then looked down. He best understood exactly the situation they were in. As much as he liked the idea of having two new beauties join their ranks, he¡¯d been trying to find a way for them to survive since they left their town. Kaden just wanted to keep them safe, to save Hannah and to find an alternative to Daichi¡¯s kill-kill-kill mentality. Even so, at every turn Kaden found himself loathing the reality he was surrounded by. Daichi¡¯s method seemed to be the only method. Kaden looked at Hannah,. He knew she wanted to protect him. She was thinking about how to deal with their problems without the mare, but there wasn¡¯t any solution. Not right now. Making eye-contact with Daichi, Hannah finally spoke ¡°I will teach Kaden my form of meditation. I think from now on we should take every opportunity to hunt. I think we should avoid looking for the shortest method out of this forest. The shortest method isn¡¯t short anyways, and once we get out, we still don¡¯t know what we¡¯ll find.¡± Gazing back at Hannah, Daichi felt like her intensions were obvious. She wanted to become strong enough to kill the mare without anyone here being able to stop her. Daichi thought about it, and decided that if that¡¯s the motivation she needed, then whatever. ¡°Great. We¡¯re settled.¡± Daichi said as he got back up and walked in the direction the mare had left to bring them back. After finding them, they all sat in silence for a while before they started their shifts. Everyone was feeling uncomfortable, and were avoiding looking at the mare. Everyone but Daichi. Hannah sat next to Kaden and tried to teach him a bit about meditation. She knew that her form of meditation was not the most effective and it required a lot of concentration and erasing one¡¯s mind. Kaden¡¯s inability to stop himself from thinking about girls, had always made her refrain from even bothering to try and teach him. Now that she had no choice, she hoped that he would pick it up fast. If he didn¡¯t, she would have to kill the mare. Kaden listened and understood what Hannah was trying to teach him, but he couldn¡¯t keep his mind focused on nothing or clearing it with so much going through his mind after today. Kaden had killed two more creatures today. They weren¡¯t human, but they had slaughtered these creatures. It was effective and no one he cared for was harmed, but Kaden still had a hard time struggling with the feeling of the unfairness of how it was done. Realizing this was only the beginning, Kaden decided to be resolute in his actions. Hannah, Daichi and even Ava were doing what they needed too in order for all of them to survive. He would not allow himself to hinter them now that they had chosen a path. Thinking this far, Kaden also decide their path didn¡¯t need to be his. I can¡¯t do it. I can¡¯t kill and feel nothing. I can¡¯t kill and think it¡¯s okay, that I¡¯m not taking something away, something irreversible. I can¡¯t ignore that it has to be done, not if I want to protect Hannah and the people I care about. If I have to choose between protecting my ideals and Hannah. Then I will choose Hannah, I will always choose the people who matter most to me. I will kill. I will each and every opponent before me, and I will not hesitate. I will get Hannah to safety, and then I will atone. I will atone for every life I¡¯ve taken and for every ounce of pain I¡¯ve caused in this world. This will my penance. This is how I will protect my ideals. Feeling resolute in his decision. Kaden finally reached the point of no return the others had. He had become resolute in his choice for moving forward. Now feeling less burdened by his feelings and morality, Kaden was free to interpret the situation a bit more objectively. I have to kill. That is done. That doesn¡¯t mean that I have to kill indiscriminately. That does not mean I have to allow the others to kill unnecessarily. Those that have to die will die, but those that I can save. The ones that can work with us, that could become our allies. I will stake my life to get their help. We didn¡¯t kill the mare and now they are our allies. There¡¯s no reason we can¡¯t make more allies in order to reach our goals! Feeling clear and at ease. Kaden finally drifted off to sleep. Feeling a sense of peace he hadn¡¯t felt before. ¡­ Ava was feeling angry at herself. She felt like she had been trying to adjust, trying to keep up with everyone since they had left their home. Now she felt herself needing to change even more. Now the group was in a position where they needed to trust random monsters who meant them some degree of harm and possibly more. Instead of being able to do something about it, they had to endure. Ava was torn. Torn at her inability to do any of the things she¡¯d been taught to do. Ava was getting angry at her parents. Angry that what they had taught her was wrong. She had grown up believing something that had suddenly become so useless to her at every situation she found herself in with these people. Today she had almost died. She was an inch away from having her face bitten off. Seeing those trolls in agony, after experiencing that. This was the first time the pain felt so real. The pain she was doing to others. The blood, the gore and the disgust she felt earlier. Ava came to the realization that she would do that to anyone. As many times as it was necessary if it meant it wouldn¡¯t be done to her. Using her anger to motivate herself, Ava concluded that if everyone else was going to become stronger, than she would become stronger than all of them. Ava decided to become the strongest, and assume the position of leadership she deserved. ¡­ Chapter 49 Cheating Death - Hunting (Part 1) Chapter 49 Cheating Death - Hunting (Part 1) ¡­ The group slept peacefully with no occurrences. It had been a long time since they had slept like this, perhaps since before the gods had awoken. In reality, for most of them this was a kind of sleep they¡¯d never had. They had fallen asleep resolute in their choices, in their desire to work towards achieving a clear goal for the future. Bolstered by the threat of death, with their lives on the line. Daichi didn¡¯t sleep at all through the night. He had entered his Meditative State and continued in perseverance trying to sense the mana of those around him and away from him. Daichi now knew it was possible based on the mare, and was determined to gain their ability. Although he did not manage to accomplish his task, he had in fact gained a better sense for the flow of mana in his surroundings. This didn¡¯t become evident to him until he woke up and realized that even without being in meditation, he retained some form of connection to the mana around him. Daichi was disappointed in his progress but pleased something came out of it. The mare would have killed him on the spot had they known the amount of progress he had made in two nights. The progress Daichi had made even if it were compared to them, two mare who had a teacher each and were very adept at sensing mana naturally. They had spent years getting to the point Daichi had reached nearly over night. Daichi¡¯s training speed in relation to sensing mana would have been considered absolutely ridiculous by them. Stretching as per his usual routine in the mornings, Daichi limbered up as he waited for everyone to wake up. As everyone was waking up, he got out some food for everyone and began eating himself. Daichi asked the mare if they could go scout the area. Their ability to sense them would make it so they wouldn¡¯t have a problem finding them afterwards. The mare only nodded in response and left. Using his analyze skill on the group, Daichi confirmed their levels.
Human Named: Hannah Guresu Level: 21 Description: Death hovers around her.
Human Named: Ava Kajiya Level: 17 Description: None
Human Named: Kaden Guresu Level: 15 Description: Lucky.
Impressed by their growth. Daichi noted Hannah¡¯s level. Considering how quick it had risen. She had either killed that many more monsters than the other two, or her talent was really high. When everyone was eating and getting ready to leave, Daichi spoke up ¡°I think we need to have an extra chat today.¡± The entire group looked at him in worry, expecting bad news. ¡°Nothing bad. I have something to tell you that I learned last night. I think it could be useful for all of you.¡± Daichi said, taking another bite of his oatmeal with water. ¡°I received an ¡°announcement¡± you know how those are. Basically it let me know that 10 for spirit is the max for any given human. Although afterwards I noticed that because my spirit was so high I was getting stronger¡­ Or more like I was gaining more from what I was killing.¡± Daichi said with some food in his mouth. The others stared at him dumbfounded. Hannah had considered putting points into various categories but had decided in the end to focus, opening her screen she looked at her status.
-Status-
Name:Hannah Guresu
Class:None
Level:21
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Lucky Survivor, Death¡¯s Harbinger
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Death
Health:100/100
Mana:620/710
Strength:5Agility:6
Vitality:5Spirit:1
Intelligence:61(+10)Wisdom:30
Aptitude:23(+25+5)Ability:21/500
Skill(s):
None
Ability:
Death Follows
Inheritance:
None
Hannah looked at her status screen longingly. She had so many weaknesses that it hurt to look. She had focused on raising her mana so she could use her skill as often as possible, but it had cost her so much. Yesterday when Daichi had left them to fight for themselves. Hannah had finally realized what a huge difference it made to fight an opponent that was fighting back versus one that was frozen in place. Even then, all of her opponents were mostly hurt to some degree and all she had to do was touch them while in concentration. Knowing all this, Hannah knew she still almost died. Daichi had made their hunting infinitely easier thus far, and she had never fully appreciated until yesterday as she thought about it. Thinking about her own status window, Hannah began to wonder how Daichi could be so strong despite being around her level. Did he gain that much more of a boost when he was still under level 10? Perhaps he¡¯d had this spirit knowledge sooner¡­ Shaking her head, Hannah pushed that thought out of her mind. Even if he did, he still didn¡¯t have to share this information even now. He was doing them a favor. Hannah decided she needed to focus on fully understanding meditation as well. Daichi had gained that knowledge and it clearly made a difference. Hannah had rarely had to use so much mana, so she¡¯d never worn herself down so low that even after a night of semi meditation her mana pool was still not full. ¡­ Ava opened her eyes wide and then opened her own status at the same time as Hannah. She had similar thoughts of how much she could have done or improved had she known to try this sooner.
-Status-
Name:Ava Kajiya
Class:None
Level:17
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Accidental Survivor
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):None
Health:100/100
Mana:400/200(+200)
Strength:10Agility:20
Vitality:10Spirit:5
Intelligence:20Wisdom:10
Aptitude:24(+5)Ability:17/500
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Skill(s):
Melt
Ability:
Second Pool
Inheritance:
None
Ava wondered about Daichi¡¯s comment¡­ After all how does one raise the spirit? Was it something that required meditation or was it something that required resolve or knowing more yourself or something along those lines. Perhaps it was something else entirely. Even as she gazed at Daichi she got the feeling he didn¡¯t know much else or else he would have said so after saying as much. Ava also had a skill book which she had kept to herself. It was one of the legacies of the Kajiyas. Once learned the skill book triggered an ability within the blood of the Kajiyas creating a secondary pool of mana that would never grow in size or change. This pool of mana would be essential to crafting weapons imbued with magic in the future. She had considered sharing it with Hannah or Daichi, but considered the book useless to them. It was simply too hard to understand the concepts and the core concepts weren¡¯t even included. It would have been useless to them from her perspective. Ava thought how lucky she was that despite thinking spirit was seemingly pointless, she had still added a few points just based on principle. She was half way to getting to 10. Pulling up her melt skill,
Skill Name:Skill Rank:Skill Level:Active Skill:
MeltCommon2Mana Cost: 20
This skill can only be activated through the hands. The hands will actively generate a bubble of mana at an extreme temperature made for the purpose of melting metal. All metals can be melted through this skill based on its level. Each generated bubble will stay in affect for a duration in proportion to strength. Current time: 10 seconds.
Ava pondered whether she should increase her intelligence or strength once she reached 10 points in spirit. ¡­ Hearing this news from Daichi was stunned, and extremely excited. This would mean a world of growth for him. Especially since he was still weaker than the others. It would mean he could catch up to them! Kaden opened his Status screen doing the same thing the others were clearly doing. Unsure about himself yesterday until he¡¯d become resolute in his decisions to move forward, he stared at his spirit longingly determined to somehow increase it, and make himself stronger!
-Status-
Name:Kaden Guresu
Class:None
Level:15
Race:HumanEvolutionary Path:???
Title(s):Unlucky Survivor
Divine Protection:NoneAttribute(s):Wind
Health:100/100
Mana:65/80
Strength:15Agility:31
Vitality:12Spirit:3
Intelligence:8Wisdom:3
Aptitude:31Ability:15/500
Skill(s):
None
Ability:
Unawakened
Inheritance:
None
Kaden continued to grin as he thought about all the improvement that was waiting for him. Looking at Daichi and feeling beholden to him for everything he had done for them. Kaden felt guilt for being so weary of him, but no regrets. Daichi had seemed suspicious to him from the start. The more he got to know about him, or more like the more time he spent with them. The more Kaden felt that Daichi was different. Daichi seemed to enjoy this new world. Even from the start, while all of them were struggling with the death of everyone around them. Daichi seemed indifferent. When they had struggled with the idea of getting used to seeing monsters so commonly, to having to kill for survive. Daichi took to it like a fish to water. All of this unsettled Kaden, and made him weary of Daichi. The more Daichi did the more suspicious he seemed. Even now, after everything Daichi had done for them he still didn¡¯t quite trust him and now that he felt resolute about things he should thought about long before. Kaden finally realized why. Daichi didn¡¯t love or care about anyone. His motives were completely different than his own. Daichi had no respect for life, which upset Kaden to the core. They were polar opposites, which had slowly given birth to a seed of respect for Kaden. Daichi didn¡¯t care about them, yet he had still saved their lives on multiple occasions, helped them survive and become stronger, and even shared information with them that he could have kept to himself. Kaden could never put himself in Daichi¡¯s shoes¡­ But he realized that he respected him for being able to do the good deeds he had done without the feelings that normally prefaced those actions. It is easy to do good things when your moral compass tells you to do so, it¡¯s natural. To do those same things when nothing is guiding you in that direction, Kaden could only wonder how Daichi¡¯s mind worked. The guy was an enigma to Kaden, but better a useful crazy man than an evil one! Kaden thought. ¡­ As everyone seemed pleased with themselves and the information Daichi had shared, Daichi watched them all with some amusement in his eyes. Daichi had decided to share with them this tidbit of information because at some point there was a strong possibility that one of them would find out. Moreover if he told them now, they could become more useful to him faster and he could begin to focus solely on his own growth. Hoping this would be the final match to light their excitement for strength, Daichi readied himself to move out. The mare had already returned even though they had only been gone for a few minutes. They must have found something after all. The taller mare walking briskly in front of her sister ¡°Two very-very strong mana filled creatures. Reasonable distance away!¡± she exclaimed. Noticing the unusual pep in her speech, Daichi¡¯s eyes widened in pleasure. A perfect feast after yesterday! Wonderful! Winking at the others as Daichi was pleased with the development, he grabbed is pack and moved out as the mare instantly moved in front to lead the way. The others followed momentarily, for the first time more excited than afraid of what was to come. Chapter 50 Cheating Death - Hunting (Part 2) Chapter 50 Cheating Death - Hunting (Part 2) Short Chapter! Not overly short, but short. I will be releasing one more later tonight which is pretty long. So they''ll even out. I''m also planning on releasing 2 chapters per day for the next few days. That''s the plan anyways. ------------------------------------------------------ Moving at a jogging speed, the group followed behind the mare as they weaved in between the trees moving with an elegance the others were sorely lacking. Moving at the same pace for over an hour, everyone came to stop at a cliff¡¯s edge as the mare glanced down at endless forestry. Hannah and Ava were panting and breathing hard. They hadn¡¯t moved at this speed for this long since they¡¯d began their journey. This had already taken a huge toll on them. Coming to stand beside the mare, Daichi looked in the same direction they were staring. In the distance below them all he could see was more trees, and nothing of the ground itself. Only green as the tops of the lush trees were all that could be seen. Each three thick and it¡¯s branches spreading to touch the trees around it in some way. There was nothing that could be seen past the dense cluster of trees, the ground covered and kept secret from their prying eyes. Glancing back at the mare, ¡°Are they down there?¡± Daichi questioned. The shorter mare responded in a heartbeat ¡°Yes. Two of them. The mana fluctuations are huge. Much stronger than any one of you.¡± The taller mare followed up with a comment of her own ¡°We would advise you to find another target, we can go down but the amount of mana coming off of these two creatures is so disproportionate to the others here that it may as well be comparing a child to an adult.¡± Noticing the wording, Daichi¡¯s left eyebrow shot up. Wondering what they meant but not wanting to ask directly only to receive a vague response, he decided to work his question in a more subtle manner than he was accustomed too. ¡°You said it yourselves before. Mana itself does not dictate strength alone. They have a lot of mana, perhaps their physical strength is weak and that could be our advantage. You also mentioned that compared to the others their mana is much higher, that must mean that mine isn¡¯t too far off correct?¡± Daichi said looking nonchalant. Glancing at one another, the shorter mare tilted her head to the side for a second almost as if thinking about how to respond. Being thrown off by the gesture, Daichi was surprised when she answered ¡°You are correct. That could be the case. We can¡¯t tell how much more or less the mana is between the two of you, seeing as we can¡¯t get a grasp of your mana.¡± Glancing at the shorter mare with a look of inquisitiveness, Daichi knew unless he asked they wouldn¡¯t answer, ¡°Can¡¯t grasp my mana? What do you mean?¡± The shorter mare having decided already to state their position, followed it up ¡°Your mana fluctuates in a strange way that we have not previous come across. Sometimes it is larger, sometimes smaller, we can¡¯t get a grasp on it¡¯s size or anything else. We previously assumed you were masking your mana. There are endless ways to using mana in this universe, an ability that disguises mana in such a way would not be too surprising.¡± she said. Thinking about it for a moment, Daichi realized that it explained a lot. it explained why they had been weary of him recently and why they had only continued to eat Kaden¡¯s mana and only his. Perhaps if they could sense more than the amount of mana they could sense that Hannah¡¯s mana was of the death attribute or something along those lines. Although it wouldn¡¯t explain why they hadn¡¯t tried Ava¡¯s mana unless or was simply a preference for mana of the opposite gender? Wanting to know but not wanting to ask Daichi put the thought off to the side, deciding it was unimportant as of now. Finally catching their breaths with Kaden helping them with water, Hannah spoke up. ¡°I think that going all the way down is going to be rough for all of us. I say we work our way around. We can try to find opponents we can handle. There¡¯s no need to fixate on anyone or anything.¡± Ava nodded, somehow even more winded than Hannah. Glancing at them with a slight look of annoyance, Daichi shrugged his shoulders. Even he thought it would be inefficient to waste their time focusing on an opponent they might not be able to defeat. Unexpectedly though, he still argued for it ¡°We could do that. It¡¯s probably the better option. I just think we should know what the limits of our abilities are. So far we¡¯ve either battled monsters we can kill with ease or with a lot of effort¡­ At some point we¡¯re going to come across something we¡¯ll have to run away from, I just think it¡¯s a good idea to get a feel for what they will be like but on our terms.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Taking a deep breath, Daichi continued ¡°When we were battling the trolls and I was running from the troll leader, I felt a presence. It felt like someone was watching me but I could feel that between them and me there was a world of a difference that nothing I could do would help. I didn¡¯t like it at all¡± Turning to stare at the mare Daichi asked the question that had been nagging at him since yesterday, ¡°Did you sense anything out of the ordinary yesterday? I imagine whatever it was probably had a lot of mana.¡± The mare glanced at each other before the shorter mare responded as was their custom ¡°No. We didn¡¯t sense anything.¡± Daichi frowned, and Kaden spoke up ¡°Does that mean there wasn¡¯t anything there?¡± The shorter mare responded ¡°Not necessarily. Our ability has its limits. That could be the case or it could have been someone who could hide themselves or their mana. It could have been someone with little mana. It could have been something else entirely.¡± Daichi decided to shrug it off as he looked back at the group waiting to hear their feedback. ¡°I say we look for more monsters in the area. If you want to check those two out we can do that but it¡¯d be dumb to focus on that ignore our current purpose for searching for monsters.¡± Ava responded Kaden looked at her and noted in agreement as Hannah nodded as well, ¡°Perfect, then we¡¯ll do just that. Keep a feel for them as we make our way down and fight whatever we can come across.¡± Hannah said. With everyone in agreement on the topic, Daichi merely looked back down over the cliff. Daichi decided not to dwell on it, as they took a short break so everyone could rest up before following the mare down and slowly down the long way around the forest until it leveled it¡¯s way down. Along the way the group ran into a few small groups of Almas and defeated them with relative ease. Daichi led the way and with his Chaotic Eruption skill allowed the other three to run in and kill their opponents with ease. The Almas unlike the Trolls focus on their speed and attacks rather than un overwhelming vitality and defense that can be used offensively. As such, Kaden and Ava were able to be nearly as effective as Hannah by attacking vital points while they were stunned thanks to Daichi. Getting a few kills in with minimal effort, the group became more unified as they moved forwards. No longer holding the same sentimentality of the past, they moved with purpose. Daichi was thrilled at the actions of the others. No longer being weighed down by Kaden¡¯s morality, Ava¡¯s hesitation or even Hannah¡¯s preference for safety. Their kills were quick and effective and their short battles never lasting more than a minute. In such a way they were able to dispatch 3 groups of Almas on the long way around to get to the lower portion of the forest. Having killed 4 Almas each or so, everyone but Daichi were feeling confidence in their progress. After every battle Daichi would stop to meditate for half an hour or so, allowing himself to recover his mana and the others to rest. Moving forward Daichi was feeling confident until he sensed something up ahead that the mare hadn¡¯t caught. Moving towards them pushing past the vines and branches was what looked like a man. Immediately getting in position to attack as the others were rattled by the sudden presence. Daichi analyzed the threat with his skill.
Human Named: Jeremy Norom Level: 19 Description: A failure in life, second and third chances were wasted on him.
¡°Stop where you are!¡± Ava yelled triggering her melt skill in both hands trying to sound threatening and succeeding as there was still blood on her clothes. Hannah and Kaden were also getting ready to defend themselves. ¡°No! Stop! Please! I¡­ I saw you in the distance! Oh my gods! I¡¯m so happy! You¡¯re people! There¡¯s people!¡± the man cried out in what appeared to the others as genuine joy and relief. Getting closer and then dropping to his knees the man looked up at the sky and closed eyes, his face showing an expression of pure relief. The group stared as this ragged looking man stumbled onto the ground. The realization that another human was indeed alive left them wide eyed. Chapter 51 Cheating Death - Hunting (Part 3) Chapter 51 Cheating Death - Hunting (Part 3) So.... It ended up being longer than I anticipated after finishing up. Twice as long as the previous chapter. Good news I hope? Enjoy. ------------------------------------------------------ It was one thing to assume they weren¡¯t the only humans left, it was another thing to face it. Feeling trepidation and joy, the group had a mixed bag of reactions to this ragged man suddenly appearing. Despite their wavering emotions, they all stayed on guard. Daichi had one hand on the hilt of his sword and the other ready to cast a skill. Taking a moment to analyze the situation he thought about the man¡¯s description and level. He wasn¡¯t weak, not compared to them at face value¡­ But he was clearly older than them. He looked around 40 or so. In a world filled with mana, the average lifespan of a human was far greater than that of earth. The average lifespan had changed throughout the ages and the rulers of the land had ordered the smartest men at their disposal to figure out the cause. The smartest men being people associated with mana, the question was answered in time. The conclusions these men came too, was that lifespan was associated with mana. The more mana in the atmosphere the longer the average lifespan happened to be. At the peak of their planet, it was recorded that the average lifespan was around 200. When the mana had lessened, the average lifespan had dropped to around 120. More noteworthy, was that the mana in the atmosphere didn¡¯t just affect the lifespan but the development. People with more mana or able to manipulate mana at their will, could maintain their peak physical condition far past their prime into old age. Daichi had read information along these lines, even if he hadn¡¯t read quite enough to be an expert or to know enough to gauge this man¡¯s age based on his looks or mana. Even still, due to this awareness. Daichi did not let down his guard so easily. He was aware of the possibility that this man was far older than he seemed, and therefore could be far craftier than they anticipated until he realized that the mare had said nothing. Without glancing in their direction Daichi asked out loud ¡°How come you didn¡¯t notice him?¡± The shorter mare barely paid this man in their presence any attention, ¡°His mana is so weak he wasn¡¯t noticeable.¡± Staring at the man before them, Daichi felt a sliver of relief before the many possibilities that existed ran through his mind one by one. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kaden stepped in front of Hannah and Ava and asked with his knives out. Noticing Kaden¡¯s demeanor towards this stranger, Daichi couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether his change of heart had really been this thorough or if it was only because this was a man and not a woman¡­ Finally calming down, the middle aged man looked at them and finally paid attention to details. Their clothes, weapons, expressions, ages. ¡°My name is Jeremy. I was living in the forest with two friends for the past 5 years when the sky went dark. Next thing I know everything shimmered and then my friends have trees sticking out of their bodies and I nearly die as well. Everything went to shit damn it!¡± In frustration Jeremy looked at them with fists clenched on the ground. Sighing and trying to compose himself as he realized he was in the midst of kids far younger than himself, Jeremy continued his story ¡°I managed to collect a bunch of food and water and set off for what I thought was the nearest town. Except the forest was completely different, the routes I knew were gone¡­ Everything was different and I got lost. Then I notice all these beasts and monsters! Fuck¡­ I nearly died more than once. I¡¯ve had to fight a few times but I only have an axe on my back and well¡­ It¡¯s been hard¡­ I thought I might never see another person ever again¡­¡± Glancing at one another the group backed up and away from Jeremy while whispering to one another. Daichi glanced at the mare ¡°Watch him¡± and focused on the group discussion. Ava argued that they should just leave him here. She didn¡¯t feel comfortable with adding yet another member to their party. Kaden kept quiet surprising both Hannah and Daichi. Hannah decided that it would be best to bring him along, he could be helpful and they could always part ways whenever they needed too. In her mind, Hannah had decided to use any advantage to get stronger. In the worst case scenario¡­ Hannah was sure that Daichi would kill this man if it needed to be done. Daichi agreed with Hannah further surprising Kaden and Ava. Staring at them he voiced his opinion ¡°I think he has information that could be helpful. He¡¯s only level 19 so I don¡¯t think we should let him come with us. No reason to carry him when our lives are in danger constantly. Moreover we are already struggling to get stronger ourselves. That doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t share information that might be useful to one another and give him some supplies. If he wants more and won¡¯t take a no, I will handle it.¡± Finished speaking, Daichi gave them all a solemn look. Daichi had never killed a human, but at this point he¡¯d realized he didn¡¯t think he¡¯d view it too differently from killing a monster. A sentient being was all the same in his eyes, was killing a troll with higher thinking any different from killing a human? A life was a life. Kaden clenched his jaw and fists at Daichi¡¯s comment but said nothing. He decided to pick his battles, and this wasn¡¯t the time or place. In agreement, they all acknowledged one another and walked back over to Jeremy who looked at them hesitantly, ¡°I really don¡¯t mean you any harm. I can help you kids. I don¡¯t know how you¡¯ve survived thus far but I can help. I¡¯m pretty strong. I bet you guys have managed to stay alive because of those weapons. They look really amazing, but it won¡¯t be enough. You need someone who knows this forest, and I bet I know it better than any of you.¡± Glancing at one another, there was a slight flicker of humor in their eyes before it withered away as they heard a loud screech coming from high above and away from them. Feeling perturbed by the sound, Daichi motioned to the newcomer ¡°We can talk, that¡¯s all we promise.¡± Glancing at them with hesitation and relief fading, Jeremy gulped before a creeping feeling of fear started flowing through his mind. He began wondering whether these kids would really not want him to join them. Immediately deciding to put his best foot forward, ¡°That¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll see my value. Kids like yourselves need protection after all!¡± He continued to look at them trying to look valorous, but beginning to think that no matter what he would need to get his hands on one of their weapons. Those could be the difference between life and death, besides what would these kids really be able to accomplish with them. Smirking to himself, but trying not to show it. Jeremy got up and decided to lead the way ¡°Why don¡¯t you kids follow me, I know a safe spot from where I just came. It¡¯s not too far off either, it¡¯s a good spot for us to talk and rest, it¡¯s getting late after all.¡± The others looked at one another and Hannah replied ¡°After you.¡± Glancing at her, Jeremy¡¯s eyes twitched a bit confused as to who their leader was. Choosing to lead the way, he didn¡¯t even think twice about leaving his back open to these kids. In his mind these kids were absolutely no threat, they would be shields and props for him so that he could survive this damnable forest of hell! Moving forward Jeremy was indeed wondering about the group dynamic. He couldn¡¯t tell if the tall redheaded bearded man was their leader, the sexy redheaded girl that answered him or the quiet guy whose expression hadn¡¯t changed much during their entire meeting. Jeremy walked at a brisk but moderate pace. He wanted to make sure these kids could keep up with him, after all they were probably pretty weak and had just survived in this forest by luck thus far. Wondering a lot about them, he wanted to get to his cave as soon as possible so he could get as much information as they had. Jeremy was dying to talk to these new people, but he¡¯d been wandering the forest alone for days now and had come to understand that the slightest noise could get you noticed. Getting noticed meant dealing with a slew of monsters all of which were stronger than you. Holding back his curiosity, Jeremy imagined just what it would be like to have one of those knives or swords those two boys were carrying. They looked like they were of such high quality. Jeremy had been using an axe but he had to be very careful, swinging and making contact with something sharper or sturdier would mean losing his only weapon. Jeremy inadvertently grunted while annoyed remembering that he had already run through his friends weapons. I had to kill them. We weren¡¯t all going to live. It was them or me! Taking a glance back at Daichi. Jeremy calmed himself. These kids didn¡¯t know what they were doing. Their weapons would be his the moment he got everything he could out of them. He¡¯d focused almost all of his points into strength. Therefore Jeremy was confident, that now that his strength was at 29 he¡¯d have no problem lopping off their heads with one swing, maybe even going through their bodies. That would horrify them all he thought. After an hour or so they reached a small area where the trees were clustered even closer together almost like a natural little closed off space, with a slight opening big enough for something human to walk through. After walking in he went and sat down by a tree and immediately began to ask the kids every question he could think of; Where are you from? How did you get stuck in this forest? Do you know how to get help? How to get out? Where are you going? How do you have such wonderful weapons? How have you survived thus far alone? Who are the two quiet girls that haven¡¯t spoken more than one sentence this entire time? Most of them stayed quiet and even Daichi stared at Hannah allowing her to take the lead and answer. She explained how what he had experienced they had as well, on a grander scale. Their entire village being brought to ruins and nothing being left except the monsters. Without going into detail about their hunting, Hannah explained how there were too many monsters and how they were working their way into their town trying to claim is as territory and that they were forced to flee. They were trying to make their way to the capitol and had a good idea of how to get there. The weapons were legacies. The man stared at them in awe and despair. It just so happened that he had been heading towards their town. He had thought it would still be there, that he could receive shelter and aid there. Suddenly his greatest hope was dashed away. Jeremy stared at them thinking about how idiotic these kids must be thinking that they had a chance to make it all the way to the capitol. The capitol was far enough that making it there through this monster infested forest would take a miracle on top of a miracle. In Jeremy¡¯s eyes their plan was akin to suicide. Daichi had noticed that Jeremy would occasionally glance at their weapons and linger for just a bit too longer. He had been on guard since they met him, and up to this point he had provided nothing of value to them. Even what little information he had about the forest turned out to be useless to them, who were heading out to the opposite direction. They were heading towards an area he¡¯d never been even before the awakening of the gods. Before everything was ¡°changed¡±. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Jeremy did provide one tid bit of information that made everybody¡¯s eyes glitter with interest. ¡°There are a swarm of fairy like creatures, they¡¯re about a foot tall and they all appear at night in this section of the forest. They don¡¯t always come out but when they do it¡¯s almost magical¡­ It would be wonderful if it were for what follows¡­ They¡¯re like little walking balls of mana and a lot of the monsters in the area try to feed on them. Most fail¡­ but there are two creatures¡­ I saw them once. They were¡­ They were terrifying. The very presence of these fairies is like a beacon for everything in the area¡­¡± Jeremy said looking amazed, everyone watched as that expression of awe turned into a quaking fear. The entire group was exchanging glances. This was going to be very helpful. As it was they had no idea what was in the area, but Jeremy did. He informed them that there were troll like creatures near the water banks, making it extremely difficult to refill any water. There were also centaur like creatures of different varieties. They usually moved in packs and once they knew you were in their territory they would chase you non stop. He¡¯d almost lost his life numerous times to them. Spitting out the words in both anger and fear he finally came back to those two creatures. ¡°They were like bulls¡­ Except they weren¡¯t¡­ They also¡­ They seemed to know exactly what they were doing when they were killing those fairies like they were nothing. If I didn¡¯t know better I would say they were divine beasts.¡± Jeremy said chuckling at his own foolishness half in fear and half in amusement. Jeremy glanced up at the sky as the sun was setting and the stars and moon were coming out. Daichi¡¯s eyes widened, so did everyone else. They knew better, if everything they had seen thus far was possible, perhaps divine beasts were indeed in their vicinity. That meant both a huge risk but the possibility of great rewards. Everyone was now re-weighing the benefits and costs of trying to battle these creatures but it seemed it was out of their hands. The taller mare suddenly stood up with her sister as they both focused on a single spot, as if they could see past everything in their line of sight to something more. ¡°It would seem we were lax in our judgement. The two from before are heading this way. Very fast.¡± the taller mare spoke. Daichi noticed their wariness and immediately got to his feet as well ¡°How fast and are we safe?¡± The shorter mare responded ¡°Very fast. Not here, if anything we¡¯re trapped.¡± Daichi took out one of his blades, as he glanced at the others ¡°Let¡¯s get moving, if they can get in but we can¡¯t get out then we need to change positions, now.¡± The others were already on their feet preparing for a battle as Jeremy was staring at them wide eyed, he couldn¡¯t help but lick his lips in the sight of so many wonderful weapons. Daichi started moving forwards and out of the enclosed space looking around trying to get a feel from where they were coming, the taller mare right by his side ¡°Very close.¡± The shorter mare stayed behind with Jeremy as the others moved behind Daichi to prepare. Suddenly all around them, blue lights began to glow. A wonderful scene right out of a fairytale began to play right before their eyes. Like fireflies except, these large blue glowing lights felt peaceful, warm yet cool and large. Almost in a whisper behind them ¡°It¡¯s the fairies.¡± Jeremy said his voice cracking as fear began to spread through him. Looking around them, the group was in awe of the wonderful feeling spreading through them. The mare looked around them like children staring at the most delicious candy through a window. Wishing they could go in but knowing their parents wouldn¡¯t let them. Daichi was staring into the distance, wary of seemingly everything at this point. In the distance he could he a galloping at the ground began to tremble. The ground trembling was the first sign that things were about to go south very fast. Off in the distance, the others could now see what the mare had begun to sense before them, which had turned their normally expressionless faces into ones of hesitant vigilance. Two large creatures. Larger than oxen. Much much larger than oxen. These two bull-like creatures were nearly ten feet tall and seemed to be about 16 feet long. They looked massive. Their movement caused the ground to tremble, causing small earthquakes in their vicinity making cold sweat drip down the backs of everyone seeing them. Daichi could only guess at their weight as he stared at them, ¡°Maybe 5¡­ 6000 pounds¡­?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but say outloud¡­ Even this would be a conservative estimate. Their sizes aside, the reason their very sight was so fear inducing was because everything in their wake seemed to just¡­ Burn. Daichi¡¯s eyes glazed over as he began to think about the rewards of killing these bulls. They were so magnificent that a part of him wanted to slaughter them. Without even realizing it his bloodlust had begun to seep and his desire to kill was overwhelming his reason. Normally Daichi made calculated decisions. He would take into account risk and reward before taking action. Except¡­ Daichi¡¯s ego had slowly begun to grow inflated. A sense of invulnerability had seeded itself within him as he had continuously battled and killed monsters far stronger than him with relative ease. All of the glowing balls of light, which were apparently fairies turned into wisps of smoke that were instantly devoured by these bulls which seemed to now be moving at a light gallop and yet were moving at break neck speed. Their speed slowing as they neared more and more of these fairies. Finally now within 25 meters, Daichi triggered his analyze skill almost on instinct.
Bull Spawn Named: Khalko Level: 62 Description: A spawn of a divine beast. The outer skin is as strong as metal. It¡¯s physical strength and charge is deadly, without the use of it¡¯s flame abilities.
Bull Spawn Named: Tauroi Level: 62 Description: A spawn of a divine beast. The outer skin is as strong as metal. It¡¯s physical strength and charge is deadly, without the use of it¡¯s flame abilities.
Daichi had begun to trigger his analyze skill at the slightest opportunity. He wanted to improve it and realized that he wouldn¡¯t be able to do so without using it as often as possible. Moreover there was always the possibility that within the information he received, would be a hint towards an opponents weakness or some piece of information he could use. Although as he stared at these creatures. Daichi felt a lump in his throat. Staring at these creatures which seemed to be ignoring them. Daichi felt fear and awe. Daichi wanted to both run away from them and try and kill them. His bloodlust held at bay by the small part of him that was still trying to be rational about attacking seemingly powerful creatures. At odds at what to do, he could only stare as the others shared similar feelings¡­ Except they had no inclination to try to attack these creatures that seemed to have been spawned by something divine or hellish. Their massive sizes, their long 3-4 feet curved horns. Their burning crimson eyes. The flames that appeared where they walked and seemed to disappear almost as quickly. These beasts exuded an aura of the divine. Steeling himself as the bulls came to a stop and began to feast on the fairies. Daichi clenched his sword in his right hand as he held it out next to him and made up his mind. Daichi came to a conclusion as he¡¯d stared at these bulls long enough. His Chaotic Eruption skill and Chaotic Erupted Sphere gave him a distinct advantage no matter who he fought. In Daichi¡¯s eyes the best case scenario would be that he could kill these creatures with relative ease and injury and gain something incredible from them¡­ Worst case scenario he could do nothing to kill them and he would his skills to stun them and run away. Glancing at Hannah and the others, Daichi spoke again ¡°These creatures are strong, I¡¯ll test them out. Hannah follow up with me. Mare cover the others.¡± Feeling that calculating part of his brain trigger, Daichi could barely contain his bloodlust but was still trying to manage the best case scenario for himself. He called Hannah over to follow him, not because he believed she could hurt them but because he knew that she would (if necessary) become a much needed distraction. Even if she was killed near instantly, that small bit of time could be crucial for him. Moreover, if she was in mortal danger he was positive that Kaden would try to save her and Ava being left alone would also try her best to help. If he asked Kaden who was the fastest to help, he¡¯d likely argue with him about all the detriments of attacking these majestically powerful creatures and Ava had been overwhelmed by her fears on more than one occasion making her too unreliable. ¡°Fortune favors the the brave!¡± Daichi spoke out aloud. ¡°What the hell! Are you fucking crazy boy!¡± Jeremy stated at him shock confused. He¡¯d already been getting ready to run away but now hearing his words and seeing Daichi beginning to run towards these hellish beasts was the nail being driven into the coffin. Glancing at the sword in Daichi¡¯s hand, Jeremy steeled himself, turned around, and ran away. The mare ignored him as Ava and Kaden turned out to notice Jeremy running away. ¡°You coward! Where the hell are you going!¡± Ava shouted at him momentarily distracted. Kaden gritted his teeth and turned back to see Daichi lifting his hand, knowing what was coming next, Kaden clenched his daggers even tighter getting ready for a sprint. Moving forward Daichi was certain that he could find a way to kill these beasts. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how high their level is! Levels are only a factor in strength! I have stats much higher than others at my level, I have experience in staying alive and I have a skill that will lead me to victory!¡± Daichi thought as he moved forward with seemingly reckless abandon. Daichi triggered his Chaotic Eruption skill pointed right at the Bull Spawns and readied himself as he moved forward getting ready to trigger his Chaos Erupts skill only to be astonished that just as he was a meter away the Bull Spawns aura suddenly fluctuated and flames exploded from their bodies pushing both Daichi and Hannah back through the air into the ground. On his back Daichi looked at the Bull Spawns, feeling the blazing heat that had scorched his hand and looking right at them as he felt fear running down his spine. ¡°I didn¡¯t stun them¡­? My skill didn¡¯t work¡­?¡± ¡­ Chapter 52 Cheating Death - Hunting (Part 4) Chapter 52 Cheating Death - Hunting (Part 4) Daichi stared at these beasts as if they were actual monsters. His skill has failed him. Only meters away from them, Daichi felt cold despite the scorching heat emanating from their bodies. Daichi stared at them ignoring the pain of his burnt hand and the tumble he¡¯d taken when he had been blown back by their aura. If I can¡¯t stun them with my skill I can¡¯t even get close¡­ If they want to kill me right now¡­ Fuck. Staring at these divine beasts Daichi felt confusion and fear muddle together as he felt powerless for the second time since he¡¯d been forced to fight for his life. Daichi¡¯s overly inflated sense of invulnerability was crushed in an instant. Most of his confidence had been gained not from his courage or intelligence, but a reliance on his Chaos based skills. His ability to stun his foes had led him to able to kill or harm creatures far stronger than him. Now that skill had finally failed him. All of the confidence that come from being able to kill something or someone stronger based on that skill suddenly vanished. As Daichi continued to stare at the flames, one of the bulls making eye contact with him for a brief moment before snorting and looking away. Daichi felt beneath them. They didn¡¯t even consider him in their eyes as a threat. Even so the flames blazed hotter and expanded¡­ Daichi could tell even without trying, these bull spawn could kill him without batting an eye. Hannah was still feeling the impact from the hitting the ground. Grinding her teeth she felt the heat and began backing away in a crawl as she realized their predicament. Daichi¡¯s usual skill had failed, leaving them vulnerable. As she crawled away so focused on the heat and the bulls, Hannah failed to notice Daichi stuck to the ground unmoving. Daichi¡¯s mind had been reeling in shock and fear the moment his skill had failed, but almost immediately after his fascination for the ability these bulls had used to block his ability overwhelmed that sensation of fear. Instead he viewed them in awe. In awe of their sheer power, their ability to stand above all else around them and view their opponents with disdain so easily. ¡­ Kaden and Ava stared at what had just happened in surprise and terror. They knew these bulls must have been powerful based on what the mare had said. After they saw them first hand, they understood just based on what their eyes were telling them that these two beasts were pray far above what they could handle. Normally Daichi never made a move against anything he couldn¡¯t kill, by himself or with their help. They assumed that with his temperament, he must have had a plan in order to take down these two seemingly divine beasts. As they saw him get batted away through no effort on the part of these beasts their hearts sank and fear set in. Kaden immediately made a beeline for Hannah. I¡¯m going to save her no matter what! was Kaden¡¯s only thought as he sprinted towards her with no plan to back up his sole desire at the moment. Ava stared in shock unable to move forward and help or to turn around and run. She watched as Kaden sprinted towards Hannah faster than she¡¯d seen him run before. Kaden reached Hannah within seconds but it felt like an eternity as he ran. Kaden with his agility and strength as it was, could run a 100 meter dash in about 13 seconds. Kaden was not particularly smart and he was certainly not particularly wise. Yet he had understood a basic principle by watching the others and by adjusting his stat points as he grew stronger. The more agility he had the faster he could react, the more instinctive it became while somehow still giving him more time to think. The more agility he had, the better he could make use of his speed. It was simple to understand but unless someone was told, unless they read it. The only reason to truly understand the concept was to drastically increase your agility and nothing else while having to force your body to move under pressure. This was something Kaden had experienced time and time again. As he reached Hannah, Kaden had already decided what he would do. How he would proceed, even if it wasn¡¯t the best option, it was the best he could think of. Grabbing Hannah by the shoulders and helping her to her feet, Kaden hoisted her over his shoulder, stared at Daichi¡¯s back and yelled at him as loudly as he could ¡°RUN DAICHI!¡± Turning around in almost the same instant, Kaden high tailed it out of there. Feeling the desperate need to get out of there, he was half expecting to get hit or killed as he ran but hoped for the best. Without turning around to look at Daichi and without letting his mind be bogged down by the expectation of death, Kaden ran away from Ava and the others. He felt like he might get attacked at any second, if he ran towards Ava he would just be putting her in danger as well. Not wanting to take any more risks than necessary, Kaden did what he thought was best as he ran. Staring at Kaden running away from them Ava felt numb with fear as she watched him run through the forest. Staring at his back and turning to look back at Daichi she felt divided as to what to do. Should I try to help Daichi¡­? What could I even do¡­? Or¡­ Should I run away? In a split second, she made her choice. Unsure whether it was right or not, she grabbed the shorter mare¡¯s hand who was closest to her and screamed ¡°Let¡¯s run, find Kaden!¡± as she started running. The shorter mare ran with her without hesitating, easily keeping up with her as if it was the simplest thing in the world. The taller mare didn¡¯t move an inch as she stood in place, wanting to bare witness to what would come next for Daichi. ¡­ Staring at the bulls from such a close distance Daichi was entranced. The fear he had initially felt had blended into a curiosity as to why his skill didn¡¯t work and how these bulls were creating such magnificent flames. They were superior to everything he had seen so far. This was the first time Daichi had seen mana used in such an ostentatious and magnificent way. Instead of letting the fear drown him, Daichi immersed himself in his need to understand how they could do such a marvelous thing. His desire to study them outshines any fear he had for them. He vaguely heard someone screaming near him to run away as he stared at the bulls, entranced by the fire created through their mana. The flames were blazing even closer and Daichi instinctively reached towards them only stopping when he noticed the back of hand, burnt. His entire arm and hand had suffered 1st and 2nd degree burns and only now, that he was staring at his own hand and arm was the pain finally registering. The reality of the situation registering. Daichi looked past his hand towards the bulls and saw them for what they were, a threat. Even without realizing it, Daichi¡¯s natural reaction to such an overwhelming opponent had triggered his natural bloodlust. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.Daichi¡¯s bloodlust manifested itself in the mana surrounding him in a way it had never done so before. This was the first time Daichi¡¯s desire to kill was caused not by retribution but by the desire to overwhelm a strong opponent. As his bloodlust manifested around him. The mana in the air started to fluctuate as undulating waves that seemed to make the air blur around him began to increase. Noticing this the bull spawn that Daichi had tried to attack grunted in dissatisfaction. It seemed this inadvertent aggressive action of Daichi¡¯s had annoyed the bull more than Daichi¡¯s previous action. Stomping the ground with one of his hooves to convey his intent, the bull spawn blew out puffs of fire from his nose as his grunts became more wild and fierce. Staring directly at Daichi, the bull spawn started charging forward. Getting to his feet Daichi had just enough time to sprint off the ground and jump to the side to avoid the charge of this bull spawn. It¡¯s speed was incredible. Despite it¡¯s size and weight, it covered the distance between them of a few meters in 2 seconds. Even as Daichi jumped out of the way the bull noticed no impact and erected it¡¯s flames to blow away from him like a small explosion. The flames and charge knocked Daichi through the air even further causing him to hit the ground as the flames covered part of his body. Daichi rolled on the ground trying to put them out clenching his teeth as the pain seethed into him. The bull spawn slowly circled around him as the other continued to feast on the fairies with relative indifference. Daichi put the flames out and go to his feet crouching, trying to ignore the pain from all the burns as he stared at the bull who was circling him with slight amusement. Daichi¡¯s bloodlust only further increased from before the air around him undulating as it turned slightly red in his presence. The color difference in the air barely noticeable as the flames from the bull spawn¡¯s body were still burning bright and hot in his vicinity. Noticing Daichi¡¯s bloodlust the bull spawn Khalko was further enraged by Daichi¡¯s audacity. He had not been so insulted by a lesser being in centuries. All other lesser beings ran from his presence or waited in fear to die or be granted freedom. This small being was actually releasing intent to kill. This kind of insult enraged Khalko! Stomping the ground again, the Khalko charged forward but instead of trying to physically harm Daichi, he employed a new technique. As he got closer and Daichi struggled to jump out of the way of his charge. Khalko stopped in place stomping with both hooves to halt his charge and infusing the ground with his mana and flames causing a shockwave that made the entire earth within a mile from him to tremble. Meters from him flames erupted from the ground at random in all directions from Khalko. Even as Daichi jumped out of the way, he knew something was wrong and the second the bull spawn stopped his charge Daichi knew he was in trouble. As ground trembled and Daichi hit the ground his whole body was shaken from the impact and earthquake as a pillar of flames appeared right underneath him. Daichi immediately began to roll on the ground as he sensed the heat from beneath him but the flames still burnt off part of his flesh. Daichi continued to roll, too scared to stop as his anger swelled inside of him. It was at this moment as the flames were continuously springing up and burning Daichi as he put them out almost as quickly that the taller mare sprung into action. Using an ability she had kept secret the mare hovered mid air as her entire being became translucent. She suddenly appeared surreal and it was almost as if she was and wasn¡¯t there. The mare was transcending the universe she appeared within Khalko''s mind. Waving her hands in a strange pattern, the mare began singing a mesmerizing song. Khalko''s mind was thrown into turmoil. Daichi¡¯s rolling continued until he put out all of the flames as he tried to get up the pain was being pushed back by his bloodlust and desire to live. Noticing the bull spawn had stopped in place, Daichi looked at the other bull spawn who looked utterly indifferent to their scuffle. Deciding retreat was his only choice, Daichi turned around and began running away. The pain in his muscles and exposed skin was brutal the moment he stepped through the forestry. Every branch, every vine, leaf and twig that touched his burnt skin was like a lash cutting through Daichi¡¯s core. The pain was intensifying the more he tried to ignore it. Daichi could do nothing else but try to ignore it as he focused on his anger and desire to kill these bull spawn. He knew that the bloodlust would only lead a trail right to him but knew he had no other choice. Without his bloodlust and desire to kill, the pain would be overwhelming. Daichi ran for half an hour at his fastest speed, ignoring the pain and focusing on his anger. The more he ran the more the bloodlust faded and the more the pain became real. At some point the bloodlust was nearly gone, he hadn¡¯t meant to trigger the skill but it had been both a curse and a saving grace. As Daichi ran, his intense bloodlust as it had continued to intensify had warn off all other creatures in his vicinity. Most creatures had already kept their distance sensing he bull spawn¡¯s presences but with Daichi¡¯s bloodlust also triggered, they were warned of how dangerous he was as well. As the bloodlust wore off, Daichi realized there was someone following him, turning around and getting ready for what Daichi thought would be his last fight he realized it was the taller mare. Opening his eyes wide and realizing it wasn¡¯t the bull spawn Daichi tried his best to stay conscious but the pain was rolling through him in waves, with every wave getting stronger and harder to resist. The taller mare walked up to him, having finally caught up and as she neared him she got in close and disappeared from his vision. Reappearing right behind him, she hit his neck with a light chop knocking Daichi out completely. As Daichi crumbled to the ground, the taller mare stared at him for the span of a few seconds before she felt the presence of the bulls beginning to shift. Looking at Daichi once again, she lifted him off the ground with one arm and tossed him over her shoulder and began to carry him away. She had lulled the Bull Spawn into a state of confusion that barely lasted a minute and when he had come to his senses and realized his prey had run off, instead of giving chase he looked at his companion. Noticing the fairies were being consumed with a breakneck pace, he began to feast on the fairies with the other bull spawn. The moment the bull spawns had finished their meals, their eyes lit up with a fierce light as they began to move in unison in the direction Daichi had run. Tauroi didn¡¯t much care that the lesser being had offended Khalko, but if Khalko wanted it dead, then he would naturally lend a helping hoof. They began to move, they began their hunt. Chapter 53 Cheating Death - Hunted (Part 1) Chapter 53 Cheating Death - Hunted (Part 1) I will be posting an "Announcement" thread later, and it''ll contain some general stuff I sometimes I mean to say, or when I do only put in specific chapters so not all readers have a chance to check that info out. --------------------------------------------------------- As Kaden ran through the woods with Hannah on his back he didn¡¯t stop for anything. He could hear footsteps behind him and knew his friends were behind him. He¡¯d glanced back once as he hit the woods and knew Ava was running behind him. He could only hope Daichi had made it out of there as okay as well. He ran for about 20 minute before he started to feel completely exhausted and dropped to the floor. All of his energy gone, Kaden put Hannah and down and started checking to make sure she was alright. Hannah had been shaken up at first, and when Kaden had grabbed her she didn¡¯t register what had happened. As they ran through the forest guilt started to eat away at her. Hannah knew Daichi had likely not been any better off than herself after they¡¯d been thrown to the ground. After Kaden had hit the woods she could hear loud earthquakes. She could hear the deafening sounds of the land behind her being destroyed. Not even thinking of an alternative, she knew it was Daichi trying to fight those beasts. Hannah felt a slew of emotions, from fear and shame to anger and restlessness. There was no way that Daichi didn¡¯t have an idea of how strong those things were. He still led us into that battle! Was he actively trying to get us killed! And¡­. What the hell is he doing battling them! He should have run away the second he got to his senses instead of trying to continue! It¡¯s suicide! Hannah toiled over her anger at Daichi¡¯s recklessness until she began to wonder whether the only reason Daichi was still battling the beasts were because he¡¯d been given no other choice. Daichi was occasionally a little reckless and bloodthirsty but he wasn¡¯t an idiot. The second he realized how much stronger those beasts were he should have come to the same conclusion as all of them: run. If he was doing battle with them it must have meant that they left him no other choice. Torn between her anger and worry for Daichi, Hannah did and said nothing as she let Kaden carry her. It was only after the sounds seemed to quiet down that her anger seemed to dissipate and her worry and shame bubbled over to win that emotional battle in her mind. As Kaden finally came to a stop and trying to inspect her wounds, Hannah brushed him off. She¡¯d been next to Daichi but the second she felt the heat she¡¯d covered herself up. She¡¯d been blown back but her arms only had some 1st degree burns. Although they hurt and itched all at the same time, she was fine. As they heard some rustling of leaves, it was a short while later that the shorter mare and Ava appeared. Ava appeared winded and terrified. She must have ran for her life with everything she¡¯d had to catch up to them so quickly. Ava didn¡¯t say a word as she made eye contact with Kaden and Hannah. Unlike them, she actually felt like she had betrayed Daichi. They¡¯d run because they¡¯d had no options, and running was the only thing to do to try to save their lives. Still¡­ As Ava thought back to what happened she couldn¡¯t help but feel as if she¡¯d made a choice. A chore between who to throw her hat in the ring with and who she valued more. Thinking back to every experience she¡¯d shared with these people¡­ She replayed various images in her mind. Events flowed like running water and the more she saw these things the more she felt like she¡¯d made the wrong choice. Daichi was suspicious, dangerous, bloodthirsty and she could never put her finger on it, but she just couldn¡¯t figure him out. Despite all this, she could not argue with the facts. Among all of them he was the strongest and barring any situation like the one they¡¯d just been in, he was the most likely to survive. He had adapted to their surroundings since day one, and were he to make it out of this mess tonight. Things were going to change. Kaden stared at the shorter mare and asked her ¡°So, where¡¯s your sister?¡± After hesitating for a moment, he followed it up with ¡°Do you know what happened to Daichi?¡± The shorter mare gazed at them individually before responding, ¡°She stayed with him. He was still alive. Although it¡¯s hard to tell now.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t she come with you?¡± Kaden immediately asked not wanting to dwell on the news about Daichi but feeling slightly optimistic that the guy was still alive. ¡°She can find me if she wants too. We can sense one another¡¯s mana after all. Distance is not an issue.¡± the shorter mare responded as if it was only obvious. Ava stared at her and feeling the frustration welling up inside of her, couldn¡¯t help but snip at her ¡°How are you so okay?! Weren¡¯t you scared of those things?!¡± The shorter mare merely gave her a glance ¡°I don¡¯t fear that which I can run away from.¡± Then she turned around to look in the direction they had run away from, no longer paying attention to the rest of them. As the others rested in silence, each one of them experiencing a different slew of emotions they heard rustling in the area. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. All three of them got up in an instant but it was too late, as the assailant had jumped out from behind Ava and grabbed her neck. Holding her neck and pressing the back of her body against the front of his, Jeremy stared at the others looking a bit crazed and excited. Ava felt shocked and didn¡¯t move. The others stared at him in shock and anger as they realized what was happening. ¡°What do you want!?¡± Kaden immediately said as he placed his hands on his daggers. ¡°Exactly. Good boy! That¡¯s exactly what I want. I want you to take those out and drop them to the ground. After you do that, kick them over. In fact, drop them with the scabbards on. Wouldn¡¯t want to scratch the handles or anything you know¡± Jeremy called over grinning from tooth to tooth. Hannah stared at him in anger. This night had been a disaster and now this man which they had helped was trying to steal from them!? The mare glanced back at the group before muttering in a barely audible voice¡­ ¡°That¡¯s the second time you¡¯ve snuck right by me.¡± in a voice that could have been construed as annoyance however slight. Ava realizing it was Jeremy behind her felt her rage bubbling over as well. First she had been terrified by beasts and now this idiot had tricked her into being scared of him as well!? ¡°Now now, it¡¯d be rude if all you handed over were those daggers. Let¡¯s make it a full set. Tell me where you left those supplies back there and I¡¯ll be glad to go back and get them for you hehe¡­¡± Jeremy spoke feeling supremely confident in his position. Ava put her hands lightly on the arm grabbing her neck, ¡°Get. the. hell. off. of. me.¡± ¡°Stop moving foolish girl or I¡¯ll snap that pretty neck of yours! That would be such a waste too hahaha!¡± as he pressed his lower body up against her even more. Ava¡¯s eyes widened as she felt something stiff pressing against her behind. Immediately feeling her dignity and pride had been completely stepped upon over and over by this absolute idiot. Ava activated her melt skill in her hands without hesitating any longer. Immediately the mana bubbles that formed in her hands began to corrode Jeremy¡¯s arms. ¡°Arghh! What the hell!¡± Jeremy reacted in an instant as he felt his skin bubble over he tried to pull his arm away and feeling a slight resistance he punched Ava in the area where he figured her kidneys should be from behind. Ava gasped as she felt the pain and hunched forward. She was barely trying to grab his arm anyway. Even with all her anger, she was still reluctant to seriously harm another human. Staring at his arm as the sleeves had been melted too and slightly blended into his skin. He stared at the third degree burns. The skin was deformed and no longer hurt too bad. He could tell it was serious. Staring at Ava in shock, she had done that in less than a second. Jeremy realized that had he hesitated for even a moment or moved slightly lower whatever she did would have burned through to the bone or worse. Feeling a shiver run down his spine he wondered what the hell she did as she noticed Kaden pulling out his daggers and Hannah taking slow steps forward barehanded. Before getting too close all of them heard another earthquake and the sound of two loud beasts bellowing towards the sky. The sound piercing through the entire area causing wind to shake the trees even from this distance. The others felt a moment of hesitation as they heard these shocking sounds. Feeling freaked out by these kids, and noticing their distracted gazes. Jeremy no longer hesitated as he turned around and ran like the wind. He¡¯d been putting his money on being able to steal from these lucky rich kids but that was no longer the case. They were scary little things! As he ran he slightly changed directions as he realized that they weren¡¯t chasing him. He grinned realizing that these kids may be strong but they were still soft. They¡¯d clearly never killed anyone before, that would be their downfall! ¡°Hahahah! No problem then! I¡¯ll go get the packs! I¡¯¡¯ll take their food and supplies and wait until they¡¯re starving and then make my move!¡± Jeremy thought no longer feeling as panicked as before as he moved at a quick but cautious pace. He had been used to the sounds of the monsters of this forest. He¡¯d¡¯ lived here for years and even with those two crazy beasts, he knew that as long as they didn¡¯t want to eat him then he could just carefully avoid their path and be on his way. Not too far but not too close from both of these locations, the taller mare¡¯s eyes were wide open as she felt her soul quiver. She had tried to taste Daichi¡¯s mana for the first time since they¡¯d met. She¡¯d been curious for a very long time now, but he was never defenseless. Taking the opportunity to get a little taste, just a little she felt her soul quiver as her mind touched his mana. It was filled with a chaos she¡¯d never encountered. It felt like purgatory and her mind and soul had been rattled at the slightest contact. This slight fluctuation was enough to cause Daichi to come to his senses. As his mind came back into focus. Daichi opened his eyes. Chapter 54 Cheating Death - Hunted (Part 2) Chapter 54 Cheating Death - Hunted (Part 2) I will post another chapter at around 8 pm later today. I will also post an Announcements thread either later tonight (after the chapter) or tomorrow. Enjoy. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Daichi opened his eyes. Feeling temporarily confused, Daichi lifted his head and got into a sitting position as he looked around him. He noticed the taller mare sitting near him with a slight expression of shock. Looking down at his wounds, there were a lot of leaves and some sort of lotion lathered all over his left arm, side and hand. The pain he felt was reduced to itching and discomfort. Taking a deep breath Daichi realized he wasn¡¯t feeling as crazed as he had been just moments before. Perhaps it was hours or days at this point, the mare had knocked him out. Feeling at peace, Daichi realized he wasn¡¯t angry at the bull spawns, upset at the others for leaving, the mare for knocking him out or even particularly confused as to what had happened. ¡°How long have I been out¡± Daichi asked with a detached indifference that surprised the mare. Daichi sounded no different than she normally did. Taking a moment to calm her heartbeat, ¡°A few hours. After I knocked you out for your own good, I found a place to hide and then treated your wounds with an ointment.¡± Daichi simply nodded at her, pleased she¡¯d answered his question and the question he was going to ask next, ¡°Why knock me out?¡± ¡°The blood lust you were exuding¡­ It was too obvious. The divine beasts began to give chase and it would have been a beacon to our location.¡± the mare answered calming herself down considerably. Thinking back to the incidents earlier on, Daichi couldn¡¯t get the image of the bull spawns out of his mind. Their power was incredible. The amount of mana they must possess to use the ability they had and numerously must be immense. Why was my skill ineffective though¡­? That¡¯s a first¡­ ¡°Do you know why my skill failed?¡± Daichi asked out loud not expecting an answer but receiving one none the less. ¡°No¡­ But¡­¡± Looking at Daichi with a curious expression, the mare seemed to be hesitating on whether she should continue. ¡°Yes?¡± Daichi asked, one eye brow tilted upwards in curiosity. ¡°There seems to be something else inside of you.¡± the mare spoke softly. ¡°What?¡± Daichi responded slightly more perplexed than before. ¡°The bloodlust you exude. We noticed it a while ago, but weren¡¯t sure. Occasionally you passively leak a twinge of bloodlust but it¡¯s barely noticeable. Last night when it was in full effect we realized it wasn¡¯t yours.¡± the mare answered, finally being less cryptic than before. ¡°What the hell does that mean?¡± Daichi asked getting more and more confused by her answers. ¡°I mean, the bloodlust you exude is not yours. There is something inside you releasing that bloodlust.¡± the mare responded plainly as if the answer spoke for itself. Lost in thought, Daichi pondered her meaning. How could the bloodlust not be mine if I¡¯m the one letting it out? Something inside me? Is she saying there is something inside me releasing it? Someone or something else? What the hell does that even mean? How would I not have noticed it before if it were true? Steeped in question after question, Daichi endlessly poured over this thought before coming to the conclusion that he could do nothing about it. He spend all of his time in meditation when he could and he had never felt something out of place. If this was the cause for the bloodlust in the first place. How had he not realized any of this before? Up to this point Daichi considered his behavior¡­ He¡¯d never been a risk taker, he¡¯d never been a thrill seeker but from the day the gods awoke, he¡¯d been doing things out of place for him. He took risks he never would have before and he enjoyed the near death experiences he¡¯d had from day one. Daichi considered how he¡¯d always been bored and hoped for something exciting to happen to him, but nothing ever had. Once it finally did, he had thought nothing of his behavior attributing it all to the change in circumstances. Finally taking a moment to consider it all, he considered perhaps this had something to do with what happened when he¡¯d blacked out and entered that weird place. His status window and everything else had disappeared leaving him seemingly drifting in emptiness. Daichi had no answers so he didn¡¯t bother asking the questions. Now that things seemed to be affecting his decision making, he reconsidered his stance on asking those questions. Thinking about these questions with no clear answers, Daichi dismissed them thinking there was no point in wasting precious time pondering abstract things with no clear answers. On the verge of beginning a new line of thought, he brushed it aside as he asked ¡°Gave chase? How have they not found us?¡± ¡°I am using my mana to block our existence from the outside of this small zone.¡± the mare answered, her tone returning the bland indifference Daichi was accustomed too. ¡°You tried to do something to me as I was out of it. I felt it.¡± Daichi said, not accusing but merely stating a fact. The mare stared at Daichi for a few breaths before responding without a hint of bashfulness or remorse in her tone, ¡°Yes. I wanted to try and taste your mana. Keeping this skill up consumes a lot of energy, merely taking in natural mana will not be sufficient¡­ But I didn¡¯t expect your mana would be so strange¡­¡± Staring at her while deciding if he should simply kill her, Daichi¡¯s gaze broke away from her as he glanced down at his arm and the ointment on it. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Weighing her worth, Daichi asked ¡°How was the meal?¡± Finally glancing down and away from Daichi the mare took a moment before responding ¡°I don¡¯t think I can take your mana unless you let me¡­ It was a first.¡± ¡°Well, maybe I¡¯ll pop more than one cherry¡± Daichi thought mockingly. Daichi¡¯s thoughts wandered back to the bull spawn. Their ability was so amazing. He¡¯d been entranced by those flames. There was something about them that seemed majestic, heavenly. It was no joke to say that they were beings with ties to the divine after what he had seen first hand. Thinking back to how that one bull spawn had merely been playing with him, had it been serious he would have been dead several times over. Considering this Daichi merely smirked as he ignored that feeling of mortality while his mind drifted. Without intending it, Daichi had entered a natural state of meditation as he¡¯d begun to think about the flames again. Something about them had called out to him. Something had urged him, made him feel a need to attack and kill those bull spawn just as much as it was now giving him a sense of need and desire for those flames. Within the recesses of his mind Daichi pondered over the mysteries of that seemingly divine flame the bull spawn used. It was far more extraordinary than any flame he¡¯d ever seen. Something about it seemed almost sentient, as if it was helping a companion rather than a tool being created and used by another. The more Daichi thought about the mysteries behind this flame the more lost he felt. Realizing he was trying to climb to the heavens in one go because of his need to solve this mystery. Daichi cleared his mind and in a calm space, decided to start one step at a time from the bottom. He¡¯d previously never thought about flames and mana and their connection despite being one of the most common attack based magics. Now trying to start from the beginning Daichi considered what he knew about heat and flames. Trying to take a logical approach instead of feeling things out. Daichi considered how fire is created by oxygen interacting with some sort of fuel or accelerant and heat being the intermediary. Heat are those building blocks vibrating really quickly. He¡¯d read that in an extremely old book in the library, which was made up from the theory of one of the old scholars from thousands of years ago. Unable to really understand any of the ideas in the book Daichi had all but disregarding most of the information he had read. Instead Daichi considered that most people simply willed mana into creating something from nothing. Normally they had an attribute or a lot of mana control in order to these things. Daichi had no practice regarding any of this so he began trying different things in his mind, willing mana in the space of his hand to gather around and undulate waves, the vibrations spreading out as he willed the mana to generate heat. Coming into contact with the air flames were created in his mind. If it happened in his meditation it would happen outside. Feeling at ease with the simplicity in which he¡¯d managed to create flames. Daichi realized a lot of things were possible despite a lacking of understanding as long as one had sufficient control over mana¡­ But this would lead to a huge roadblock in the future. Without a proper foundation there would always be a clear limit to one¡¯s ability. Deciding against continuing to the next step. Daichi began creating flames and having them disperse. Over and over Daichi repeated this process in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of the creation of flames. Instead as he continually repeated the process Daichi refined his control and will over mana. Every time he repeated the process of creating a flame and then dispersing it, he would do it with more finesse, less wasted mana and less effort. As he did so Daichi came to the understand that to truly gain some form of enlightenment or understanding of flames with such a repetitive process would take him a huge amount of time. Time he didn¡¯t currently have. Instead he focused on how much ease he could perform the same task due to his increased control. Focusing on the same task but doing so with the intension of refining his control instead Daichi progressively pushed himself into doing the same task if only slightly better every single time. The more he did so, the more he gained. As he completed this repetitive task Daichi realized his understanding of his own mana. The understanding he had of his own metaphysical space was growing wider. As if he had been staring at a picture for who knows how long, and suddenly more details had become clearer. Coming to a stop Daichi came to the realization that mana could be employed in any number of ways, but the reason that his skill had not worked was perhaps because it had not affected the bull spawns in the first place. Daichi considered whether their ability, their flames could have cancelled out his ability before it even reached them. If his skill worked by disrupting the mana flow inside of them, could the skill be countered by emitting mana outside of the body, like two forces cancelling each other out? Considering this new line of thought Daichi felt like he¡¯d had a sudden understanding. His skill, all skills had a fatal weakness. Perhaps the only thing that would be effective if this were the case, would be to utterly overwhelm another skill with a stronger one. If his theory was correct, then the reason his skill failed was because the two forces did not cancel each other out, the amount of mana being released by those flames was stronger. Either there was more, it was stronger, or it was special. Perhaps all of it. In which case, this was no different than any other principle of the world. The strong eat the weak. Feeling at ease and hungry to increase his own strength Daichi opened his eyes. The taller mare who had been keeping watch at the entrance of the cave was staring at someone. ¡­ Chapter 55 Cheating Death - Hunted (Part 3) Chapter 55 Cheating Death - Hunted (Part 3) ¡­ As he was running he¡¯d felt the monsters in the forest spreading through the area. The raging bulls had terrified all of the weaker monsters into running away from the area. Feeling uncomfortable with all of the monsters that were nearing his direction, Jeremy moved around trying to avoid every single monster. After a few hours of moving in circles he was exhausted. Finally seeing a cave up ahead, Jeremy jumped at the opportunity to enter some form of shelter, however temporary. As he was entering the cave, relief coursing through his mind Jeremy¡¯s eyes turned huge. Up ahead of him was one of the girls from before! Jeremy¡¯s eyes widened as he remembered that when he ran into the group before, not all of them had been there. Jeremy had assumed the others had been killed by the bulls, but taking a look behind her he could see Daichi as he opened his eyes. His mind reeling, Jeremy instantly considered his immense luck! I couldn¡¯t get any weapons before because there were so many of them! Now look at my fortune! It¡¯s finally taking a turn for the better! A few hours ago I thought I had a windfall, and next thing I know I¡¯m fleeing for my life but now it¡¯ looks like the gods are finally favoring me after all! The mare was staring at Jeremy with intrigue as she saw him smile so wide, such an innocent and truly happy smile. The mare was confused as to his happiness. Had he been looking for them this entire time? Jeremy¡¯s innocent smile lasted only for a second as greed creeped into his eyes as he moved past the mare as if she wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Boy! If you give me your swords right now, I promise to spare your life! In fact, not only will I spare your life, I will help you survive despite your stupidity! Hahaha!¡± Jeremy spoke up as loudly as he could, glee evident in his voice. Daichi merely stared at him. Tilting his head to the side almost confused by Jeremy¡¯s words, he glanced down at himself and the swords in the scabbards on his thighs. Taking a glance back at Jeremy, Daichi expressionlessly pulled out both swords very slowly and then watched as Jeremy¡¯s expression began to grow dark. Although much to Jeremy¡¯s surprise and glee, Daichi merely tossed the two swords out a meter or so in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m hurt, if you want them, take them.¡± Daichi said in an even tone. Jeremy was staring at the swords barely hearing Daichi¡¯s words. These are the two items he¡¯d really wanted from the start. He¡¯d been willing to settle for the two daggers assuming that this stupid boy had been killed by the bulls and the swords lost. Now staring at them, all his desire manifested as with little hesitation, he barely glanced at Daichi as he stepped forward. Remembering to have a slight semblance of self-restraint, Jeremy pulled off his battle axe and moved forward slowly. The mare stood behind and after taking a glance she moved further outside to stand at the very mouth of the cave. If Daichi asked her too, she would step in and stop this idiot. These two swords seemed to be of high quality, they would be wasted on him. As Jeremy walked forward, wary of Daichi trying anything funny he was finally standing in front of the swords and his eyes were lighting up like candles. Daichi simply stared at Jeremy will pitying eyes as he triggered his Chaotic Erupted Sphere as Jeremy was slowly bending down to pick up one of the swords with his free hand. As Jeremy bent down he realized he was frozen in place and fear trickled down his spine as he wondered what Daichi had suddenly done. Getting up off the ground from his cross legged position, Daichi briskly moved forward and tripped Jeremy pushing him forward onto the ground. Getting down on top of him and pinning his arms to the floor, Daichi finally spoke ¡°Poor choice, then again I was probably going to do this anyway.¡± Daichi squeezed the back of Jeremy¡¯s neck with his left injured hand and triggered his Life Release Aura ability. ¡°Wait wait wait! I¡¯m sorry! Stop! Let me go! Please!¡± Jeremy began to beg for his life, but it was too far late. Immediately Jeremy¡¯s life-force left his body in a swirl, as Daichi¡¯s hand and arm was healing at a extremely fast rate. The healing could visibly be seen, as skin peeled off and fresh slightly red but perfectly fine skin appeared underneath all of the burns. Within a few breaths all of Jeremy¡¯s life had left his body and circled the air as Daichi¡¯s injuries were completely healed. Daichi got up and moved to side to sit back down, he re-entered his meditative state and began to reabsorb the wasted mana. The mare stared at Daichi as he killed the other human with absolutely no emotion. Her eyes opened wide a bit as she realized Daichi¡¯s indifference was nearly equal to her own. After taking that man¡¯s life, he showed no expression, nothing at all. Feeling a little perturbed by his coldness, the mare walked over to the corpse as the remnants of his life lingered in the air. Triggering his suction ability, she absorbed what little mana was fixed into the air with the lingering life aura and felt a slight increase. It felt like eating one or two stale crackers. Thinking something was better than nothing, she walked back over to the mouth of the cave and continued her watch. ¡­ After recuperating his mana, Daichi opened his eyes and got up. He walked over to the mouth of the cave and decided to venture forth. Standing next to her as he glanced out at the forest, Daichi took his time before finally speaking ¡°Do you know of any way we can kill those two bulls?¡± The mare thought about the question, a little surprised that he still had the intention of even trying, ¡°No. Not for you. Not with two of them. Even if they were separated, killing one would be an immense task for you as you are.¡± Rubbing his chin, Daichi felt a little anxious and annoyed. He still felt the desire to kill them, except he was clearly out of options on how to do so. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.Thinking about this, he turned around and looked back seeing Jeremy¡¯s corpse as he looked around the cave. Looking for nothing in particular but trying to think, Daichi began to pace back and forth. Walking as he let his mind wander, Daichi continued to think of a solution to his problem. Occasionally his eyes would wander back towards the corpse near his feet as if there was something to be gained, something he was missing. Instead he continued to dismiss it thinking that Jeremy had been useless alive, he was equally useless dead. ¡°The best thing Jeremy probably did for anyone in his entire life was probably give up his life willingly in order to heal my burns. Although perhaps I was quick to kill him, he could have still had some value as bait. Maybe I should have kept him alive a little longer.¡± Daichi thought as he continued to pace. Thinking about his behavior, Daichi felt like just dismissing it considering he wouldn¡¯t get answers anyways. Daichi didn¡¯t want to waste his time pondering something he wouldn¡¯t be able to answer, as he felt this feeling washing over him his whole body stiffened and his mind felt like it had been dunked in a bucket of cold water. I don¡¯t want to bother thinking about this because I won¡¯t get an answer? Since when have I ever not wanted to think about something just because I wouldn¡¯t have an answer? My entire life I¡¯ve spent my time reading and learning. Everything I learned made me want to think about the world, and think about everything in it. Most of my thoughts my entire life have been focused on pondering things others have dismissed. Why have I suddenly dismissed every single thing that has happened to me since I woke up in town as if it was all inconsequential? I would never have done that before. Never. I may not have ever shown it, but I loved my father. I loved him but I never wanted to admit it because I could tell a small part of him hated me. He hated me because he blamed me for mother¡¯s death. I wake up and not once have I bothered to think about how he is, whether he¡¯s even still alive¡­ An eerie feeling of being lost overwhelmed Daichi. For the first the time he began to question his own behavior. His inability to care about anything, his random rash decisions, his calculating perspective. Suddenly he felt like he wasn¡¯t himself. He¡¯d never thought about it, because so much of it was exactly what he would do. He would do what he would have too in order to survive. He¡¯d always known that, he¡¯d been a survivor his entire life in some form or another. Now Daichi realized how different he¡¯d become. How strangely he¡¯d been acting. How dismissive he¡¯d been over the things that would have intrigued him the most before. How much he he¡¯d done without experiencing the feelings that would have caused him pain before. Looking to the side he saw Jeremy¡¯s corpse and his throat tightened up and waves of nausea filled as his eyes widened. He¡¯d killed a person. A human being¡­ He would have done it anyways. It was the right decision¡­ But before he would have felt disgusted, ashamed, disheartened. Daichi stared at this lifeless corpse and despite not being exactly sure what he would have felt, he knew he would have felt something. Anything. Instead he¡¯d realized that from the moment he killed him, he hadn¡¯t so much as had a second thought about his actions. Felt nothing for what he¡¯d done. He had not second guessed his actions or lack of feelings even once since he woke up in town. Not once. ME! Me! I¡¯ve always thought about everything inside and out, I¡¯ve second and third guessed my actions, my choices since I could so much as remember. The reason I¡¯ve always been so resolute is because I could assure myself that I would have done the same thing over and over in the same scenario¡­ Now look at me¡­ I¡¯m not even questioning the things I do or feeling a single thing about them after I do them¡­ His own lack of fear at his sudden change in behavior was making him feel as if he should be terrified. Realizing the immense changes to his own personality Daichi begun wonder what the cause was, the mare said there was something else causing his bloodlust¡­ Is there really something or someone else inside of me¡­? Is that the reason every time I should have asked a question and tried to think of an answer I dismissed it¡­? Am I being manipulated? Or is this¡­? Am I just different? Was I changed somehow¡­? The more he thought about it the more he felt like he should just stop bothering with these abstract questions. The more he felt the urge to dismiss these questions the more Daichi realized how important they really were. He was struggling with his own contrasting desires. Entering into another state of meditation Daichi¡¯s mind stopped wandering and for the first time was completely absorbed in just one thing, himself. Daichi analyzed himself, every bit from the physical to the metaphysical. He searched himself only to find nothing. Instead of feeling frustrated Daichi came to the conclusion that there was nothing out of place¡­ ¡°If there is nothing out of place¡­ That means what I should be looking for is something that isn¡¯t out of place, but that was never there before. I am looking for something that is now a part of me but shouldn¡¯t have been before.¡± he thought. Examining himself Daichi tried to find what was part of himself but shouldn¡¯t have been and the more he looked the less he found. Then taking a step back Daichi tried to look at the bigger picture as he stared at his chaotic mana from within himself. This was a form of mana he had never heard of before, a form of mana that no one seemed to have heard before from the previous conversation he¡¯d had with Ava and the others. He had never told him his attribute, but had gathered as much. Now staring it from within, Daichi came to the conclusion that perhaps it was more complicated than he had originally thought. ¡°Am I really a psychopath now? Am I even still me?¡± he thought the question while his consciousness was inside of his mana only to be surprised as the Chaotic mana around him reacted instantly pushing him out of his own meditative state. Staring wide eyed in front of him but not seeing what was there. Daichi sat down suddenly in stupefaction. Chapter 56 Cheating Death - Hunted (Part 4) Chapter 56 Cheating Death - Hunted (Part 4) I had something huge written, it was a lot of ¡°Announcements¡±, general comments and well, a lot of thoughts I wanted to share¡­. Then it all got deleted. So yeah, not feeling like re-writing everything again. Instead I¡¯ll just say, there¡¯s a lot of comments I want to address, some things I want to point out, and general things I want my readers to be aware of¡­ But since a chunk of these things are generally irrelevant to the readers currently following along I¡¯ve decided to wait until I finish this arc. Anyways, I will be posting a lot of announcements and general info about where things are going, my plans and re-writing the first 20ish chapters to increase the overall quality of my work after I finish this first arc. Also, *assuming* I finish writing today everything I want too... I will be posting double chapters tomorrow and Tuesday. BIG IF. Anyways, new chapter¡­ Enjoy! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Immediately after they heard the deep bellowing sounds echo throughout the forest the entire group tensed up. In that moment of distract, Jeremy took advantage and ran away from them without a single glance back them. Ava barely glanced his way when she realized he¡¯d run off. The bellowing from those beasts dissipated all her anger and left her feeling weak in the knees. The idea of having to face them was terrifying beyond to her. Hannah and Kaden looked annoyed that Jeremy had run away, neither of them had actually wanted to kill him (for different reasons of course) but the idea that he could still pose a threat to them and get away with what he had just tried didn¡¯t sit well with them. Still looking in the direction they had fled from and thinking about the bellows that must have been caused by them¡­ They all made eye contact wondering the same thing ¡°What do we do now?¡± Ava was the first to speak up as her voice cracked ¡°Should¡­ Should we look for Daichi?¡± Perhaps it was because she had made a choice already, but she had already been wondering what their path would be like without his assistance. Kaden shared a glance with Hannah thinking about what to do¡­ He wanted to look for Daichi and make sure he was okay¡­ Even with his stupid decision he was sure that Daichi hadn¡¯t meant them harm by it¡­ Thinking about how the bulls might be chasing after Daichi made Kaden hesitate. If that were the case then even if they tried to help him, there just wouldn¡¯t be anything they could do. Thinking to that point, Kaden was worried about Hannah and Ava. How can I put them in danger when there¡¯s nothing we can do to help? Hannah was thinking something along the same lines, she¡¯d been so close to the bulls and had felt she¡¯d come so close to death. Her hesitation was more centered around the fear caused by her sense of self-preservation. ¡°Not necessary. The bulls seem to be heading our way.¡± the shorter mare casually said pulling everyone¡¯s thoughts out of their own heads and causing their eyes to widen with fear. ¡°What the hell? Why?!¡± Kaden stammered as he realized they hadn¡¯t run far enough. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I can consume some of your mana and use an ability of mine to hide us¡­ But they already know we¡¯re in this general location¡­ We would need to go elsewhere and you would have to carry me as I do this.¡± the shorter mare responded giving them all a piece of hope. Taking the initiative, Hannah immediately spoke up and agreed. In Hannah¡¯s mind, if there was a way to buy time before having to make a choice then it was clearly the right option. Moreover if they could find a way to avoid having to have any contact with those bulls, then that would be the right choice. As the mare got onto Kaden¡¯s back and and wrapped her hands around his neck, Kaden¡¯s face immediately began to pale. Almost immediate he could begin to feel a sense of desolation. Kaden still hadn¡¯t fully mastered the meditation technique his sister had tried to teach him. His mana was slowly being drained every step they took trying to get some distance from where they were and find shelter. They began trying to jog through the forest as the mare tried to give them some general directions in order to stay away from the bulls and keep them on track. The tension in the group only heightened as they tried to avoid anything and everything. Even if they weren¡¯t particularly hurt, with their stamina so low after the day they¡¯d had, getting into a battle with anything would prove too arduous for them and they knew it. After finding some shelter after nightfall, they resorted to climbing trees for safety again, and with the mare eating. Kaden could only try to meditate to restore some of the mana being taken from him. They tried to sleep¡­ But in the distance they could hear the rumblings as the bellowing of massive creatures shook the forest and their anger heightened and seemed palpable in their voices. Taro and Khalko had not come across lesser creatures that could mask all traces of their mana in a long time. Suddenly being forced to do work in order to catch their prey, their frustration began to mount. They had not expected an easy task of picking off an insect who had annoyed them to become such a burden and a sense of indignation began to seed itself within them. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! They stomped through the forest as they destroyed anything in their path, they held themselves back from using their flames solely to stop themselves from burning every single living in the forest down to cinders. Even enraged, they didn¡¯t want to kill all of their food at once. Throughout the night the bellowed and stomped causing the entire forest¡¯s landscape to change wherever they passed through. Every single beast and monster in the forest with any sense of self-awareness began to retreat as far from the areas near the bulls. Their sense of fear pushing them out of their territories and even causing them to come into contact with other creatures they might have normally felt some animosity of caution towards. In the face of the overwhelming aura of these divine beasts though, all of these monsters trembled in fear. All except a few brave creatures strong enough to stay. These few monsters were the ones who refused to leave their territory, their homes. ¡­ They tried to sleep¡­ But the sounds of those angry bellows had kept them all too stiff to do more than worry for their lives. It was only after pure exhaustion had set in that they had managed to get a few uncomfortable hours of sleep before the early morning light from the sun began to wake them all up. Looking haggard, uncomfortable and paranoid they all eyed each other uncomfortably. They began to have a conversation they had avoided last night now that they felt a slight quiver of safety that they knew was nothing more than an illusion. ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ Let¡¯s leave. I think Daichi is going to make the same decision. He saw those things up close and he should come to the same conclusion as all of us, that trying to face those beasts would be impossible. Since it¡¯s the only decision, there¡¯s no reason why he wouldn¡¯t make it.¡± eyeing the mare whose face looked no different than always, Hannah continued. ¡°Once they get a far enough distance, he¡¯ll probably have your sister make it so that we can sense them again so we can find each other. That¡¯s the most efficient choice¡­ I think that¡¯s how he¡¯ll probably think and it¡¯s what we should do as well¡± as soon as Hannah finished she could sense the hesitation on the others expressions. No one felt comfortable just leaving Daichi behind, even if they all shared different reasons for feeling as such. With no one disagreeing, they all all stayed in silence for a few minutes as they came to terms with their decision. The shorter mare watched in silence, not giving an opinion either way. No one could tell what she was thinking, but she was secretly weighing her options. After making up their minds, they came to a decision to continue trying to go east in order to get as much distance from the bulls while still going in the direction they were heading. No disagreements, they got out of their trees and started going their way. They traveled for hours with no problems and the shorter mare still being carried by Kaden was beginning to feel hesitant even if she didn¡¯t voice it. She could feel the difference in the forest. After all of the destruction the bulls had caused throughout the entire night suddenly they had ceased their rampage and stopped moving altogether. They had stayed put for the last two hours or so and their inaction was what was beginning to trouble her. After walking through the day into the afternoon the group ran into their first obstacle which they didn¡¯t anticipate. The shorter mare had been working diligently as her technique was not meant to shelter so many others without a constant large supply of mana. Unlike her sister, she had to cover the mana of 3 others and not just one. The strain coupled her her vigilance on the mana of the two bulls despite the growing distance between them, caused her to no longer her as sensitive to the mana of those around them. After coming to a stream and immediately wanting to get some water to cool their faces and take a rest the others remembered what Daichi had said after their first troll encounters. Trolls love bodies of water, and make those their homes. As they stood stock still in front of the small creek they were at, they began to look around and finally calmed down as they realized there wasn¡¯t anything else around them. That moment of relief didn¡¯t last long as Ava pointed to a large with her eyes wide open and mouth hanging ope, ¡°T-Troll!¡± The others had already been sensitive to their surroundings and now looking in the direction Ava was pointing immediately cast their gaze on a troll that was staring right back at them. Their faces darkened instantly as they realized this wasn¡¯t a normal troll¡­ This was one of those special trolls Daichi had spent all of his effort in order to defeat¡­ On the edge of the creek up on higher ground stood a large thick tree, thick enough that five people would have to try and hug it together to make up it¡¯s circumference. On one of the lower thicker branches, leaning up against the trunk of the tree sat an ornate looking monster. Purple skin, muscular and wearing only rags to cover it¡¯s unmentionables, it¡¯s ugly features stood stark in contrast with the beauty of the scenery. The beauty of the lush thick majestic tree situated next to the clear crystal waters of the creek as the foliage gave the entire area a scene of serenity sat this purple skinned troll. He sat making eye contact with three humans as his stomach began to growl. Chapter 57 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 1) Chapter 57 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 1) One more chapter coming very shortly. I am leaving today on another trip, won''t be back until Wednesday. I will try to post two more chapters tomorrow as I''ve already completed one of them and most of the other, I just need to finish up and do a quick over view. Likely, no release on Wednesday until Thursday again. ----------------------------------------------- Staring at these humans as his stomach began to growl the troll connects the dots. ¡°Humans, I¡¯m hungry. Food?¡± The troll thought simplistically as he decides to make these humans his next meal. Jumping off the tree and landing safely on the ground he¡¯s stunned to see that these humans have already begun running away from. Staring at them in confusion, the troll begins to wonder why it is that they think they can run away from him. Suddenly sprinting after them, his large muscular legs propel him forward on the ground as his larger strides nears them in seconds. Getting ready to grab the two for one special, his hand takes a swipe at Kaden while carrying the mare. ¡­ Immediately after seeing the troll and it¡¯s skin color the others realized that this troll would definitely be a step above everything they¡¯d faced so far¡­ As it jumped down to the ground, Kaden didn¡¯t even have to tell the others to run. He turned around and dashed off with the others next to him having the same idea. Hannah looked over her shoulder and could tell her was about to give chase, running next to to the others she thought of the only idea that could maybe work for them¡­ Thinking about the danger they were in she realized she couldn¡¯t play it safe¡­ ¡°Run a little slowly Kaden! If you do he¡¯ll likely try to attack you instead of us and when he does Ava and I will both go after it!¡± Hannah says while running her fastest and getting her skill ready Ava gets the gist of the plan immediately, Kaden¡¯ll be bait for them to make a move. Taking a glance back Ava realizes the troll is almost on them and as her eyes widen, her skill starts to trigger as she notices Kaden slowing down just a bit more than them as they run. Getting ready, ¡°NOW!¡± she hears Hannah scream as she stops running and jumps back at the troll at the same time as Hannah. The troll¡¯s swipe barely misses the mare¡¯s back as Kaden throws himself forward onto the ground as Hannah and Ava attack from both sides. Surprised by their actions the troll instinctively moves his arms to guard himself onto find Ava try to grab his arms as his skin begins to sizzle and corrode. The pain in his arms is almost ignored as he senses danger from Hannah before she even does anything. The troll propels himself backwards with the strength of his legs before Ava¡¯s skill can melt past the skin into bone. Taking a glance down at his arm and then making eye contact with Hannah for a second before they turn around and begin to run away the troll changes his mind. That moment before Hannah¡¯s attack made him realize she was dangerous. Instead of pursuing them he sats back on the ground no longer interested in bothering with them. As they run for their lives Kaden is already back on his feet catching up to Ava and Hannah as they run together surprised but delighted the troll didn¡¯t continue to give chase. Once they find their way back deep into the forest again they finally take a rest to calm themselves and their hearts are about to pop right out of their chests. Ava stops her shaking hands as she realizes her skill was much slowly this time around¡­ Thinking about the trolls purple skin she begins to wonder how tough it must be to be able to slow down the corrosive property of her melt skill. Hannah is thinking along the same lines as she realizes that in order for her to have landed her skill with a touch on that troll. He would have had enough time to take a full swing at her¡­ Shuddering involuntarily she realizes she may have been able to kill it, but not without paying a serious price¡­ Realizing the serious limitations of her abilities without her target being stopped or distracted, Hannah begins to regret not working on becoming faster. Hannah begins to realize the range of her limitations without Daichi around to stop her targets. She¡¯d been gaining her strength up to this point based on the premise of having someone who could do what he did. Even if she wanted to land a hit on that troll, it would have probably been impossible for her without recreating another moment of perfect distraction and forcing it to block instead of dodging. Kaden unaware of why the girls are so shaken tries to console them but doesn¡¯t quite understand exactly what¡¯s going through their minds. As both Ava and Hannah think back to their most heinous battle with the trolls before while realizing just how much of an effect Daichi had on that battle. Not spending too much time resting as they want to get as far as possible before nightfall, they continued onwards. Meanwhile the shorter mare who was unshaken by what only she knew to be a Troll Lord began to feel a sense of danger¡­ The bulls have disappeared from her senses. Thinking it could be the distance she began to grow wide eyed as she hears their bellows in the distance again realizing they are far too close for her not to sense them. A feeling of dread begins to come over her as she realizes she is in danger. Everyone in this area is in grave danger. ¡­ Feeling overwhelming pressure, the shorter mare immediately spoke in a louder voice than she¡¯d ever used with the group ¡°You all need to run. You need to start running. Now!¡± She spoke as she got off Kaden¡¯s back and pushed him forward. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. They began running together with the mare leading them. In fact, she wasn¡¯t leading. The shorter mare was running as that growing pressure was filling her senses. The only thing she¡¯d ever felt even similar to this was her mother¡¯s pressure years ago as she¡¯d gone into a rage. The shorter mare was running with the sole purpose of survival. If the others could keep up with her than they would have a slightly better chance of living. If not, then there was nothing she could do for them. Without the extra weight of the mare, Kaden¡¯s speed increased several fold. Unfortunately he still had to slow down because of Ava and Hannah¡¯s slow speeds. As they ran, he could tell the shorter mare was slowly gaining distance from them, she wasn¡¯t waiting she was just running. The feeling of being abandoned was slowly creeping into his mind, as he realized he didn¡¯t understand why she¡¯d been so spooked but he knew he didn¡¯t want to find out. Grabbing Ava and Hannah¡¯s arms, he tried to pull them along as he wanted to speed up but the shorter mare¡¯s speed was on a whole different level even if he had been running at his top speed. In just a few minutes she was completely gone from their sights as they began to panic. Stopping to look around, each of them tried to find a trace of where the mare had gone only to find nothing as their frustration started to mount. Not understanding what had just happened but feeling a growing concern, Hannah and Ava came to the realization that what the mare had just done was out of character. The realization that something had spooked her bad enough to turn tail and run so quickly made Ava and Hannah think about how unconcerned the mare had been in front of the bulls. Feeling uncomfortable, Kaden spoke quietly ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯ll be fine, but let¡¯s keep moving. No more stops, we just move forward.¡± Even as he finished speaking he was already moving forward, they began jogging at a pace the girls could keep up with. They jogged through the brush and vines. The cuts and scrapes that the thorns and branches provided becoming something they had already grown accustomed too. They jogged for over two hours before Hannah collapsed in exhaustion as they reached a small clearing that led to a cliff. Kaden was barely standing up as he rested his hands on his knees gasping for air just as hard as Ava. Whatever the mare had done had drained him of his mana and it had been taking a clear toll on his stamina. Kaden felt utterly exhausted. ¡°Do you think we¡¯re far enough?¡± Ava says in between catching her breath Hannah doesn¡¯t respond as she catches her breath on the ground and grabs some water from he storage ring. They¡¯d dropped both of the packs Daichi and Kaden had been carrying when they¡¯d come across the bulls, but Ava and Hannah still had the two ¡°special¡± rings that Ava had provided. Taking huge gulps of water from her jug, Hannah drank as much as she could before she started coughing. This was the fastest she¡¯d ever moved for such a prolonged period of time that her legs and lungs were burning. Grabbing the jug from Hannah and drinking some himself, Kaden braced his legs and walked through the clearing over to the cliff as he peered outwards. His surprise ever evident as he gasped out loud. Ava walked over and grabbed the same jug drinking the last of it in an effort to conserve the supplies they still had as she gazed in the same direction as Kaden understanding his awe. Below them, yet again lie an ever expanding forest as far as they could see. This was yet another level, even lower filled with trees, lakes, meadows and it just kept going. Strangely though¡­ There was a small section of the forest. If you could call it small. That seemed to be surrounded by mist. The whole section seemed to be covered in mist and while the general area seemed to be clear from up above where they were. They couldn¡¯t see through the mist and they were sure that if they were on the ground down there, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see a foot in front of them in that mist. Taking a breather and deciding that they might as well rest where they were, Hannah finally getting some of her energy back was about to call out to the others as they were peering over the cliff as she noticed someone walking out of the forest from where they had come. Walking out of the forest with a nonchalant expression, was a tall young man. Wearing an all red robe, his features seemed well defined and straight. A straight nose, a straight square jaw, walking forwards with a ramrod straightened back. His pale skin and hazel eyes were a stark contrast to his jet black long straight hair that framed his face and shoulders. Before Hannah could even speak up her eyes made contact with this stranger. Despite his young looking face, something about his hazel eyes seemed to contain a wisdom far beyond the years his body seemed to show. His eyes exuded a mysterious pressure that seemed to stun Hannah, unable to open her mouth and say a single thing in warning to the others. Gazing at Hannah with a nonchalant expression, this stranger looked past them at Kaden and Ava and immediately they felt as if daggers had pierced through their necks as they turned around to find this young man staring at them with a nonchalant expression that seemed both natural and yet fake. His expression seemed so natural and at ease, yet everything about him when pieced together gave the clear expression that this was a very serious man. Something about all of him put together betrayed his expression and revealed the very core of his personality. Slowly opening his mouth as he gazed at them as if he were staring at stale bread, ¡°Which one of you tried to bully my cute little pets eh?¡± Chapter 58 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 2) Chapter 58 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 2) No wait time in-between chapters, you can truly call this a double release! Enjoy. --------------------------------------------------------------- Startled and confused Kaden and Ava stared at this stranger unsure of who he was, but as they were about to speak, they heard his words as their blood turned cold and they mouths went dry. Hannah and Ava instantly understood the meaning of his words and started connecting the pieces together. This was the creature that the shorter mare had been so frightened by that she ran away, all but basically abandoning them in the process. This creature must be much more than what he looked, because if those seemingly divine bulls were really his ¡°pets¡± as he¡¯d just stated¡­ Their thoughts made them gulp in realization of what that would mean¡­ Kaden¡¯s thoughts slowly churned as he caught up to them as he realized what was going on. Thinking for a moment this guy could be lying like Jeremy had. He put his hands on his daggers as the mysterious young man¡¯s eyes turned to gaze at him and his entire body went still. Kaden¡¯s eyes widened as he suddenly felt unable to breathe and unable to move. It was if every bit of him had been frozen, unable to twitch including his lungs. Kaden stared back in shock and fear as his face started changing colors getting more and more red before the mysterious young man¡¯s gaze looked away. Suddenly able to breathe again, Kaden almost fell forward but caught himself in time as he began taking huge gulps of air as every strand of hair on his body had straightened up in fear. That one look at nearly killed him, an overwhelming fear washed over Kaden as he realized that there was likely absolutely nothing that he could to this guy even if he wanted too. ¡°Running is likely out of the question, fighting him is definitely out of the question¡± Kaden thought. Hannah spoke up as she mustered her courage and felt less burdened while the tall young man had looked away from her, ¡°W-Why? I-I mean, what makes¡­ You think it was one of..us?¡± she managed to stammer out. Closing his eyes as he nonchalantly walked forward to stand before her, the young man opened his eyes slowly ¡°Just a hunch.¡± he said. Seeing the glimpse of an opportunity, Hannah fumbled as she spoke in a hurry ¡°I don¡¯t know who your pets us are but it definitely wasn¡¯t us! Definitely not us!¡± The young man tilted his head as if wondering whether to believe her, ¡°Then why hide your presence so diligently from me? Speaking of, who was it that managed to do that?¡± He looked at each of them, as if he already knew it wasn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t have been any of them. Hannah tried to think of an excuse as her mind was drawing an absolute blank. Much to her chagrin, Ava was able to speak up to answer the question with a quick retort ¡°This is a very dangerous forest¡­ We got lost in here and we heard some very terrifying creatures. Hiding our presence was the only thing we could do!¡± Ava was staring right at the young man as she said it, trying her absolute best not to flinch. Placing his right hand under his elbow, and his left hand on his chin, the young man questioned their story ¡°Then who was it¡­ And why were you keeping a tab on the pets you claim to know nothing about? Hmm?¡± Ava¡¯s mind blanked out but Hannah took the opportunity to answer for her this time ¡°We met a creature and she helped us for a while, she was the one who kept the tabs on what were apparently your pets¡­ She just told us that there were two very powerful creatures and that we should avoid them.¡± The young man¡¯s eyes brightened ¡°Aha! That makes sense! Okay then, have a good day!¡± as he turned around and started to walk away. He took a few steps before turning around giving them a suspicious look, ¡°Your friend wouldn¡¯t happen to be a mare would she? About yay¡¯ tall *gesturing to around his shoulders*?¡± the young man asked, one eye slightly wider with eyebrow raised. Ava and Hannah were tongue tied, torn between lying and telling the truth. They could both tell this was a crucial question and that depending on how they answered they could be spared but the alternative was almost certainly death¡­ Ava and Hannah glanced at each other and that sudden look between the two of them made the young man¡¯s eyes glaze over to his original nonchalant look as he gazed at them suddenly more relaxed. Hannah and Ava gulped as they realized the mistake they had both involuntarily just made. Hannah spoke up knowing anything but the truth would be questioned from this point forward ¡°Yes, that sounds about right¡­¡± ¡°I see. So you were lying. It was you.¡± the young man said the surrounding air suddenly feeling a bit thicker and heavier for all three of the group. ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t-¡° Hannah spoke but was cut off mid sentence as she lost the ability to speak as the young man¡¯s eyes narrowed in her direction. Feeling a sudden twinge of despair as the idea of what he might to do them, to Ava¡­ to Hannah¡­! Kaden clenched his teeth and fists as he came to a conclusion. He¡¯d all but realized that they were not likely to get out of this unscathed. He didn¡¯t have a reason for it, he just felt it. Like instinct¡­ If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.That if they told the truth, this man, if he was a man, was going to kill them. If they lied and he believed them, then he would likely just kill them - just because. Feeling angry at this injustice, and defeated almost immediately after. Kaden used the time while Ava and Hannah spoke to calm down. He released a breath he hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d been holding. The defeat washing over him, Kaden felt a calm settle through him as he gazed back at the young man making unflinching eye contact as he spoke, ¡°It was me. I was the one that did it. Not them, they weren¡¯t even in the area. The mare is my friend, she was with me when it happened. I attacked what are apparently your pets. The girls here just arrived in time to see me doing what I did before running away as well they should have.¡± Struggling to maintain eye contact with the young man, Kaden found it harder to breathe with every word he spoke. The young man¡¯s eyes flashed a look incredulity before his nonchalant expression turned into one of amusement as the air settled down for all of them again. A smile started forming on the young man¡¯s face, as chills began to run through Kaden as he stared at him. His limbs growing numb from fear as the smile seemed completely and utterly unfriendly. Finally speaking, ¡°I applaud you for your courage. That was very noble of you. I mean silly, after all it¡¯s not as if my cute little pets didn¡¯t tell me exactly what happened, how many creatures there were and what they seemed to be, what they looked like and what they did¡­. I assumed you would take the opportunity to tell me where the other three were¡­ But now that I¡¯ve confirmed that one of them was a mare¡­ Then¡­ Obviously the one that looked like her twin was likely a mare as well¡­ I can only assume that since I didn¡¯t head in their direction that she is still with your other friend.¡± summing up almost exactly what had happened. Sweat was forming on Kaden¡¯s forehead and neck as he felt that everything up until now had been pointless. The young man clapped his hands together ¡°From the looks on your faces it seems I¡¯ve hit the nail with the hammer on this one eh?¡± as he continued to smile at them. ¡°Okay then, since you volunteered. You can be the puppet my noble little friend!¡± the young man said as he spread his palm in the direction pointed at Kaden. A strong suction force suddenly enveloped that palm as Kaden¡¯s whole body was drawn towards that palm almost instantly. His body moving forward pulled by his chest as his limbs just dangled behind him as his torso was drawn to that palm. Kaden felt a terror welling up inside of him as he lost control of his entire body and could do nothing to stop himself from being pulled towards this smiling young man. Feeling dread bubbling up inside of Kaden, he mentally prepared as he readied himself to do whatever he could to buy time for the others to escape the second he got close enough and his body became his own again! His body was pulled those tens of meters within a few seconds. As Kaden¡¯s body was about to make contact with the palm, it seemed to suddenly slow down to the point that when his body reached the palm, the palm merely gently reached out to grab him. Tapping his chest gently Kaden looked down confused and unsure what the young man was up to. Then feeling red wash over him, Kaden looked up at the young man¡¯s eyes wide a wide stare before his mind went blank. ¡­ Hannah and Ava stared wide eyed as the young man attacked Kaden, from the moment he lifted his hand to the moment Kaden reached him. They expected a large boom or some huge attack. Instead the young man merely patted Kaden on the chest. Kaden feet hit the ground gently, walking of his own will again as he slowly turned around. Kaden¡¯s eyes were were dark red, the sclera which was normally white was now all black, and his irises and pupils all red. Hannah¡¯s whole body trembled for a moment as she realized something terrible had just happened. Looking at the brother that she¡¯d loved her entire life, her last remaining family member and the one person she had to protect. Hannah could only hold her breath as he leaped forward unsheathing his daggers towards Ava. Ava noticed the eerie changes to Kaden¡¯s eyes immediately. She wanted to warn Hannah but before she could do so Kaden moved towards her with a speed he¡¯d never shown before. Instinctually Ava tried to move to defend herself only to have eyes widen even further as she realized her whole body was frozen in place. Unable to so much as twitch. Ava could only watch as Kaden moved forward and reached her. With an X motion he slashed at her jugular with both daggers as she felt a slight pain and nothing more. Feeling everything go dark, Ava¡¯s neck spluttered out blood in a spray all over Kaden¡¯s chest and face from her neck before toppling over onto the floor. On the floor Ava tried to speak for a few moments as her mouth gurgled up blood, unable to form words as she drowned in her own blood. Her vocal cords had already been slashed with that first strike. Kaden unflinchingly turned around and gazed at Hannah as if awaiting a command. Hannah watched everything in abstract horror with lips trembling. This isn¡¯t Kaden. This is definitely not my brother! What the hell did he do to him! What did you do to him you asshole! You turned him into a murderer! Chapter 59 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 3) Chapter 59 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 3) A few chapters coming out now. They''re shorter than usual but I''m releasing a few. I am writing away from home, so I just stopped every time I felt I''d finished one portion I was going for. Enjoy. -------------------------------------------------------------- ¡­ Sitting in stupefaction Daichi comes to the realization that his mana just willed him out of his own space as if it possessed sentience. Daichi only took a moment to realize that wasn¡¯t possible¡­ Coming to the only conclusion that made sense to him. Daichi realized there was definitely something within him, something that was now a part of him but that wasn¡¯t before. Feeling lost and disturbed by the knowledge and confirmation that he wasn¡¯t himself anymore he sat in quiet thought without meditating for a few hours. Deep in the dead of night, exhausted from his own train of thoughts as he wondered how he could make himself, himself again. Deciding to get a breath of fresh air, Daichi had worn himself out mentally as he¡¯d sat in the stuffy cave with nothing but a corpse for company as he¡¯d pondered whether he was who he was and who exactly it is that he was. Walking out of the cave and as he glanced at the endless trees in the expanse of the forest Daichi stared up at the night sky. Unsure of himself and unable to trust his own judgment, Daichi was feeling a crisis of self. Daichi was by all accounts still young, young enough to be considered a child by many. Yet¡­ From an early age he had already possessed the self-confidence to decide for himself what his priorities were and it had given him a sense of self. After the gods awakened, and the world changed for him. His goals, his decisiveness and his will to move forward replaced his previous sense of self as he had decided who he had wanted to be based on what he wanted to do. Now Daichi was questioning all of this, unsure if his goals, his thoughts, his actions were not influenced by something else. As he stared at the night sky he wondered how much was what he truly wanted, and whether he could really make that distinction anymore. Feeling the night breeze gently pass him as his hair wavered a bit and his shirt rustled, Daichi couldn¡¯t explain the almost instinctual feeling that made him look in the direction of a cliff to his right. His gaze was almost pulled in that direction by some greater force, that knew better than him. Standing on top of the cliff, so far that anyone without incredible eyesight would have missed her even if they were looking in her direction. Stood a girl so stunning that Daichi¡¯s eyes opened wide as he all his previous worries and thoughts dissolved and melted away as he gazed upon her. Suddenly Daichi had a thought. His mind telling him that the reason there were three moons instead of one was because of this creature before him. The universe was giving this beauty fairness and justice. Only by having more moonlight shine down on her could she really shine as she should. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Staring at her still in a daze, his eyes roamed about her features. Wandering from her porcelain-like skin to her straight nose and long lashes that drew attention to her already noteworthy light crimson eyes that seemed to glow in the moonlight. Perfectly framed by the bangs on her forehead whose ends met her eyes. Wearing a simple black dress, with pieces of leather armor on her forearms, waist, and thighs she stood staring up at the sky. Taking her hand and tucking a long stand of her wavy, flowing white hair and tucking it behind her ear. Daichi¡¯s focus was drawn to the blue ribbon in her big pony tail. Even with the pony tail her hair went down to the middle of her back as it gently wavered in the breeze. She suddenly turned to the side to glance at Daichi. Daichi continued to stare unable to think clearly as his eyes were now solely focused on her full pink lips, she was his very picture of perfection. Daichi stared at this woman-like painting of a goddess brought to life as she stared right back at him with an expression so forlorn that made him feel a twinge he¡¯d never felt before in his chest. She only glanced at him, but that one look, that one second was enough to make him feel as if she¡¯d seen right through is soul and everything he¡¯d ever been and would ever be. They gazed at one another for what felt like an eternity, as Daichi memorized her face forever in his mind before she turned around and seemed to disappear with that one movement. Daichi¡¯s entire body shuddered as he felt emptiness. An emptiness had become familiar with that suddenly felt different than it ever had before. Daichi took a step forward without even realizing. His instincts were telling him to go after that girl, to find her, that something about her was important. Not important to anyone, but to him specifically. After taking a few steps Daichi realizes he¡¯d been moving forward and stops himself. His confusion having only grown, he feels even more lost than before he¡¯d seen her. Daichi had felt he was lost in an ocean before, now he felt as if he was lost in a world. An entire world with only himself and his thoughts and maybe someone else inside of him. Clenching his teeth, frustration building up Daichi walked back to the cave walking past the the taller mare without so much as a glance as he plopped himself down into a cross legged position and entered a meditative state. Many years later Daichi would come to realize how important this ¡°chance¡± encounter had been, how pivotal this moment had been for his destiny and just how his life would change from merely glancing at this mysterious girl. Chapter 60 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 4) Chapter 60 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 4) He forced his mind to wander, to focus on the mana around him. He forced himself to calm his to let the universe take it¡¯s course. He would allow himself to get answers instead of trying to force them. He ignored the occasional drifting image of the girl he¡¯d previously seen. He would likely never see her again, if she was even real. She may have simply been a mirage. A forest mirage¡­ That happens sometimes¡­ I think.. Maybe¡­ No less realistic than a girl my age taking a stroll through a super large dangerous forest who can just disappear into thin air like a ghost. So yeah¡­ Forest mirage, why not? He stayed in meditation for the rest of the night and most of the following day. He steadied his mind and focused on sensing the mana in general vicinity. He focused on gaining further sensitivity to the mana of the living things around him. Opening his eyes as his stomach started growling. He touched his stomach with a look of realization. Not only had be not eaten in almost a day, but he had lost his pack when he¡¯d attacked the bull spawns. Feeling regret over his rash actions, Daichi shook his head as the taller mare was still keeping watch at the mouth of the cave. ¡°I¡¯m going to go out and get something to eat¡± Daichi mentioned about to leave as the mare stopped him by lifting up a rabbit carcass. Daichi looked at her a bit surprised leaving the obvious question hanging in the air. Understanding the look, the taller mare answered ¡°When I am actively hiding my presence and that of others, animals that do not possess mana see me as part of nature. As such, they do not hesitate to come near me. I assumed you would need to eat something while you were in meditation so when this one got close, I snapped its neck for you.¡± A little surprised and almost grateful, almost. Daichi gave her a nod as he realized how useful everything mare could do was. Every ability of theirs served more than one purpose. Serving as the perfect tools to both live as part of and excel in nature. He couldn¡¯t hide the look of envy that flashed past his eyes as he felt himself wanting to learn their mana sensing ability even sooner. Then breaking out into a toothy grin, Daichi nabbed the rabbit from her and using one of the troll daggers he still had, began to skin it. Doing a poor job, he didn¡¯t think too much of it as it was his first time skinning an animal himself. Finishing up with a look of excitement, he skewered the torso with a nearby stick and then held the stick parallel to the ground with one hand as he grinned again at the mare who had been watching his odd behavior. Holding his hand underneath the rabbit he began to use the mana in the air as he¡¯d envisioned. Changing the temperature by vibrating the building blocks of the world and using the mana in the air as the fuel he ignited a red-orange flame just above his palm. His palm could feel the heat but wasn¡¯t touching it as he was using an oval sheet of mana on top of his hand to protect his hand and serve as the ignition. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Moreover, this was the first time he tried using mana from the atmosphere, from all around him instead of his own mana pool. Smiling in satisfaction he realized there was a lot more to what he had just done than he¡¯d originally thought. His thoughts wandering to some of his own other skills, like his analyze. The skill took up zero mana. Perhaps that was because it drew on mana from around him in a far more complicated manner¡­ Daichi wondered whether, if he gained further understanding of this, he could upgrade his own current skills. Feeling proud of his first usage of a mana based flame, Daichi smiled wide as the mare looked at him with a bit of shock on her face. The mare were nature¡¯s creatures, and with the slew of abilities they possessed along with a long longevity and high intelligence many creatures were naturally envious of them. Still¡­ From birth they were limited to what skills and abilities they could acquire in their lifetimes. This didn¡¯t stop them from learning new information whenever they could, and along they way this taller mare had picked up some pieces of information about humans. She¡¯d grown to learn that only mages that used incantations as a formula for manipulating the elements around them could use elemental mana. The only other way was having a fire type attribute. The entire time she¡¯d known Daichi he had never once shown any proficiency of proof that he would have fire as an attribute¡­ More over if he did¡­ He would have certainly used in in one of their many battles. After all fire was a particularly useful attribute for fighting and killing. As his rabbit began to cook at a quick pace, Daichi was eating it¡¯s meat and savoring like never before in no time. Even though it wasn¡¯t seasoned, even though it tasted bland. In Daichi¡¯s eyes it was the most delicious rabbit he¡¯d ever eaten (also the first) because he¡¯d used a mana based fire for the first time, this rabbit - this meal was proof of his growing understanding of mana and it¡¯s grand number of uses. Almost finished with the entire meal Daichi feeling content suddenly stiffed as he heard a high pitched sound in his left ear. His neck twitching, as he felt his ear to make sure everything was okay. Daichi¡¯s jaw clenched as he began hearing a voice transmitting directly into his head. ¡°Hello hello! My name is Tael. Every creature small and large, within the range of my territory can hear this, but for those of you not named Daichi just go about your business.¡± Daichi¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he glanced at the mare, feeling less confidence as he noticed the pallor of her expression. Chapter 61 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 5) Chapter 61 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 5) Daichi¡¯s eyes widened in surprise as he glanced at the mare, feeling less confidence as he noticed the pallor of her expression. ¡°I¡¯m sure you can hear me. I heard you weren¡¯t in the best of shape. I doubt you are out of my territory yet and if you are then the rest of this won¡¯t matter.¡± Daichi settled down as he realized he was currently safe. This voice, this person didn¡¯t know where he was. ¡°Let me get straight to the point, two days ago my cute little pets were given a horrible fright! My little beauties were attacked by a mischievous little devil! They were terrified and were fussy for an entire night! The poor little things ran amok in their fright, eating like little gluttons to quell their fright with food. You know wha they say about comfort foods right?¡± Daichi was beginning to take this voice less and less seriously, despite the kind of ability it must have taken to do what he was doing, the voice sounded like an idiot. ¡°Well now, I don¡¯t take kindly to strangers picking on my poor defenseless little pets, as such I began looking for said perpetrators a little while ago¡­ And lo and behold. I found three little human rats scurrying about. The little red head has voiced that their names are Kaden, Ava and Hannah. I have to say, their names aren¡¯t all too bad. They have a certain zing to them! I was surprised to hear their friend, the poor little guy who got lost on the way. Surprised to learn his was Daichi! I mean, what kind of silly name is that?¡± Getting more and more irritated at the guy, Daichi wanted to smack him for mocking his name. Daichi had been a little self-conscious about it ever since he was a child, it was only after his father had told him to go to the library and find out it¡¯s meaning that after using several books. He¡¯d figured it out and had a good chuckle about it. It¡¯s meaning was something Daichi could be proud of. Now this random jerk was mocking him for it! Putting his irritation to the side, Daichi finally focused on the first few words. ¡°So he¡¯s found the group, and they told him about me. Annoying.¡± Daichi thought. ¡°Well suffice to say, I¡¯ve been playing with these little rats but it¡¯s been quite disappointing. They¡¯re just not very durable! I¡¯m afraid if this Daichi fellow, yeah you. If you don¡¯t get over here soon, I just don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to say your goodbyes!¡± Daichi wondered what incentive this guy must think he would have to go throw his life away? Did the voice think he was an idiot? ¡°Hmm.. The little redhead has pointed out though.. That you my little oddly named bother, are likely not too keen to come. That you are a cold person. Well bully for me! So I¡¯ll be kind and fair, I¡¯m a kind and fair guy you know? If you get yourself here within the next 12 hours¡­ I promise you¡¯ll be able to save at least one of them¡­ And hey! I¡¯ll be extra kind! I promise that if you do get here in time to save one of them, and I promise my pets and I won¡¯t lay a hand on them or you. That I¡¯ll spare you. I¡¯ll spare you and the saved ones. Free pass! Although in fairness, I must admit the noble boy won¡¯t last too long even if you do get here. Poor little thing somehow came in contact with my mana¡­ And a skill of mine¡­ Who knows how it happened? Weird things happen ya know? Thinking ahead though, now that he has, once it¡¯s gone from his mana pool, he¡¯ll die. So there¡¯s that. Still a pretty sweet deal though right!? So make up your mind, come or don¡¯t come. 12 hours.¡± The voice said as it seemed to drift away. Hearing that weird high pitched sound in the same ear again, Daichi¡¯s whole shoulder and neck twitched as if he was given a shock. Shaking his head to get the sensation to go away, he looked at the mare as she looked downright ghostly. ¡°So who was that?¡± Daichi asked her point blank. Giving him a long hard look, the mare seemingly having an internal struggle over the question finally answers ¡°That is a very terrifying being. If he is what I think he might be¡­ Then even entering his territory much less offending him was the worst possible thing you could have done.¡± If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Clicking his tongue, Daichi counters ¡°Well you were there too. He only mentioned the three, the other mare wasn¡¯t there I¡¯m guessing? Why do you get the free pass but not us?¡± Giving him a meaningful look, the mare¡¯s expression returned to its normal indifference ¡°There are reasons. We will likely be fine if we run away and leave his territory.¡± Tapping his fingers on his knees, Daichi began to ponder something obvious. Three days ago he would have simply left with the mare. There was no reason to risk when the stakes were so clearly against his favor. The risk and reward was too obviously poor. The only one in the group that Daichi even put much stock in was Hannah, even if Ava had put in the same amount of work. He¡¯d valued her for her knowledge and tools. Kaden just happened to come along for the ride in his mind. Even if he had come to respect his ability to abide by his ideals. It still hadn¡¯t made him any less of a risk. Three days ago, he would have left them and not thought twice about the matter. Three days ago things were simple. He was himself and he did the things he did because they were the rational things to do and because it was what he would do. Now¡­ Now that Daichi had realized that perhaps he wasn¡¯t himself. That perhaps something was making him act differently, be different. A nagging, a stubborn, part of him refused to just be. To just ¡°do¡± what he ¡°should¡±. The part of him that was nagging at him, was telling him the obvious thing before his eyes. ¡°Doing something without foreknowledge is one thing, to willing know and then do is another.¡± His father had once said to him. Thinking about his father¡¯s words, Daichi considered his choices. Not the choice of whether he should go or not and what those risks might hold. He considered *his* choices. Now knowing that he didn¡¯t know what and who he was, Daichi faced a monumental decision for himself. He could do what came natural to him, be logical and ignore anything else. He could forget what he¡¯d learned, abandon his group and just leave. He¡¯d forget them soon enough and he wouldn¡¯t feel a thing over it. Or¡­ He could save them. He could choose to risk his life, and do ¡°the right thing¡±. Nothing about it sparked any sort of emotion in him, but thinking about what his father would do. About the philosophical talks he¡¯d had with him. Daichi placed a huge value on the philosophical value behind the rationale one uses to walk through life. What I think or what I want does not define who I am. What I choose to do defines who I am. Why I choose to do the things I do defines how I see myself. How I choose to carry my convictions and whether I stay true to them defines my will. If this is how I see the world, and it is. Then it¡¯s not much of a choice is it? I am going to choose to save them. I am going to choose to do the ¡°right thing¡±. I am going to choose the harder path. I would rather die tomorrow making a stupid decision, but one I feel I wholeheartedly made, me - myself. Than live for the rest of my life wondering who I am and whether anything I do has any meaning, a puppet under someone else¡¯s strings! Standing up, Daichi has made up his mind. The mare glanced at him in surprise, that mask of indifference crumbling for the third time in the span of just a few minutes. She could tell he¡¯d decided to save the others. Bringing utter surprise to her. This was completely out of the range of her expectations and out of character for him. ¡°I am choosing to do this just because. Because I can. Because I need too. Not for them, but for me.¡± Daichi said as he looked at her, his eyes burning with conviction. Thinking for a long time, the taller mare finally spoke, ¡°I can guide you most of the way. Once we are close enough, I will leave. That is the most I can do for you.¡± she stated matter of factly. Chapter 62 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 6) Chapter 62 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 6) Thinking for a long time, the taller mare finally spoke, ¡°I can guide you most of the way. Once we are close enough, I will leave. That is the most I can do for you.¡± she stated matter of factly. As she left the cave, Daichi followed and at the mouth of the cave he couldn¡¯t help but gaze at that spot in the far off cliff. Thinking of her for a moment, he shook his head wondering how his mind could wander at such a time. Steeling himself, he began to stretch his body. Mentally preparing himself to die if that was what was necessary. Feeling ready, he nodded at the mare as she began running into the forest. As Daichi began to run behind the mare, trying to keep up with her pace and find a certain rhythm in his steps. Daichi matched her while slowing her down. Getting into a pace that was neither fast nor slow, Daichi was jogging at a pace of his own. One in which he was confident he could match without losing too much energy or tiring out. As he jogged he began to think about what he would do if Tael didn¡¯t keep his word. If he was stronger than the bull spawn then as of now there was nothing much he could do to him. Feeling helpless was not something that Daichi could accept, instead he thought about what he¡¯d just put to use and how the bulls had nullified his attack. If his main attacks wrecked havoc on an opponent¡¯s mana pool. Then it was clear that his attack had to get into contact with their internal mana. He¡¯d never fought another creature with a large mana pool or one greater than his own so his previous experience had been an utter fail. Now that he¡¯d gained a little extra insight, Daichi considered the numerous ways in how his attack could have been nullified. If the flames they emitted were due to mana being ignited in the atmosphere then his attack chaotic wave would have come into contact with those flames and only made them rage out of control. That seemed to make perfect sense to Daichi but only raised further concerns. If everything he¡¯d come to suspect was indeed true¡­ That means I¡¯ve barely begun to start to understand mana. It means I have participating in all of these fights like a complete novice. I¡¯ve been playing around, with my life on the line thinking I was in control. I was so wrong. There were so many situations that I thought were a risk, but how could I have known how true that was? The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. These divine bulls could have killed me with ease, but how many more creatures could I have run into that could have done the same? Thinking about his mana, what the bull spawns had likely done to stop his attack from taking effect, Daichi wondered what other methods would be possible. Using external mana¡­With sufficient mana manipulation and control, I could theoretically gather enough of it and will it into a thin film to surround my entire body to protect myself from an outside attack. I could also use mana, my own and have it explode outwards some how. If I did that then I could have that mana come into contact with an attack before it hits me. The same could be done with an explosive mana drawn from the atmosphere like those flames. Daichi ran behind the taller mare as his body followed by his mind was focused on the mana wonderful uses for mana. As he continued to run and think, it became even easier for him to think of the many methods he could use mana effectively if he had the ability and understanding not only offensively but also defensively. Daichi pondered how many of these methods would be helpful in the short term. Daichi¡¯s mana manipulation had grown more refined over the past few days, but he wondered whether would it be enough to implement any of these new theories. Eventually his thoughts wandered back to those flames. Those bull spawns had entranced him with their wonderful flames. Something about them had left him breathless, not due to fear but out of inane curiosity towards them. Daichi realized he had to discover the secret behind why they were so transcendent. It was now on his list of priorities. In the meantime, as he ran forward his pace and breath even. Daichi decided on taking it one step at a time, and his next step would be using the flames in a similar way as the bull spawns had done. He would try to figure out to cause flames to erupt around him, leaving him unscathed but creating a defensive barrier for him. As he thought back to the amount of effort that his small flame on his palm had caused him, he knew he still didn¡¯t have the technique or ability to do it yet¡­ But it was the perfect goal to aim for. It was something that was ingrained in his mind after seeing it, and something he had the feeling he could do with some time and effort. ¡­ Chapter 63 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 7) Chapter 63 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 7) Another Chapter to be released within minutes, maintained the shorter format as I was writing while away some of these chapters. -------------------------------------------------------------- ¡­ Hannah could only stare in terror as Kaden stood unflinchingly rigid. Unmoving and unwavering after having killed the girl he¡¯d called his future ¡°wife¡± since he¡¯d first seen her at school when they were kids. Her eyes glazing over as tears pooled in her eyes, Hannah gritted her teeth in pain. Seeing her brother standing there, like a puppet. She felt the pain and indignation he should be feeling for him. Finally tearing her gaze away from the last remaining family member left to her, she stared at the young man with a look so torn and angry that he looked back slightly surprised. ¡°Whoa. That made you angry eh?¡± Staring at her, merely amused by the seeping hatred in her eyes. ¡°Your friend is bleeding out¡­ But it seems she¡¯s fairly smart. She¡¯s using her mana to staunch the blood flow. She¡¯s likely just going to die slower¡­ But kudos to her for making an effort.¡± Giving her a second to process what he¡¯d just said, the young man continued ¡°So why don¡¯t we see if you want to make an effort?¡± His left eyebrow tilted upwards wondering whether she¡¯d sink into despair based on his words alone. Instead he noticed her looking at him, unwavering with a look of defiance he wasn¡¯t used to seeing after a lesser being had felt his presence. Most being quaked in their skin when they saw him use even a touch of power, and under the threat of death they all begged for forgiveness, for leniency. The look Hannah was giving him, made him all but certain she would do no such thing. She would rather die than beg for her life. Seeing the tears of hated still flowing down her cheeks though, his mind formed a new plan. ¡°Now now, don¡¯t get the wrong idea. I don¡¯t mean it¡¯s your turn. Not yet anyways, I mean you¡¯re still alive¡­ This fellow is still alive¡­ Would you like it to stay that way? No problem, just tell me what I want to know. Tell me who the other person who tried to hurt my cute little pets was. Tell me his name, tell me where he went. Tell me what I want to know.¡± his facial expression returning to one of nonchalance, as if her answer was all but a certainty that was of no consequence to him. Hannah wanted to tell him to go to hell¡­ But thinking about Ava struggling her hardest for a chance to live, doing her best. There was hope for her¡­ Kaden¡­ I can¡¯t let him die. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. ¡°My name is Hannah. This is Kaden. That is Ava. Our other friend¡¯s name is Daichi. He ran off with another mare like you guessed. In fact, it¡¯s more accurate to say that we left him behind. He attacked those bulls and when we realized what he¡¯d done, how strong they were. We left with him sitting in front of them at their mercy.¡± Hannah spoke quickly, wanting to get the words out of her mouth as they left a sour taste the more she spoke ¡°He¡¯s gone though. He is a rational person. He¡¯ll leave and you won¡¯t find him.¡± Hannah couldn¡¯t help but throw those words in. She refused to simply be this person¡¯s toy. Merely looking at her with that same expression, the young man seemed to be considering her words. After a few minutes of what seemed like casual deliberation¡­ ¡°Okay! No problem. We¡¯ll find out if he¡¯s still in the area. My problem was with him¡­ But maybe this can do as well. After all my pets just wanted some light retribution. Okay! So since he tried to hurt two of my pets then I will request two of your lives. Whether more die will depend on him hehe¡­¡± the young man said giving a light chuckle that seemed out of place with his unchanging expression. ¡°Two!? He only attacked one of them! One!¡± Hannah screamed at him realizing he wasn¡¯t just going to let them go. ¡°Semantics.¡± the young man merely waved his hand at her while closing his eyes and turning around. Seeing his actions, Hannah immediately considered trying to move forward and using her skill¡­ One touch and perhaps she could end this and save them all.. Just as she was gathering her courage and about to make a move, she¡¯d only moved a muscle but Kaden had already sprang forward appearing behind her as he brought his daggers to meet her neck holding her in place. Hannah clenched her teeth, unable to do anything. UGH! KADEN! SNAP OUT OF IT DAMN IT! Now I can¡¯t do anything! I can let Kaden kill me¡­ And then he would never forgive himself¡­ Or I can¡­ No. That¡¯s not even an option. Damn it!!!! Hannah could only let the stream of tears continue to drip down her cheek as her feeling of hatred towards this man could only coalesce into something she¡¯d never forget. This feeling of helplessness was something she vowed at that second, that if she lived through this, she would never feel again. Chapter 64 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 8) Chapter 64 Cheating Death - Consequences (Part 8) I will release another 2 chapters later today, around 5pm probably. Enjoy! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª After turning around, the young man seemed slightly different. ¡°I sent your friend a message. I gave him a chance to save you. If he shows up in time, perhaps he can save what I assume to be your brother?¡± The young man spoke casually but giving Hannah a slight ray of hope. That slight ray was slowly drowned out by the reality of her knowledge. There¡¯s no way Daichi will come even it could save us. He¡¯d be walking towards his death¡­ Maybe if he had a chance, but if this guy told him that the bulls were his pets, he¡¯d know better. He won¡¯t chose to save us¡­ We¡¯re going to die. Looking like she¡¯d just been grievously wounded, the young man noticed her expression and tapped his fingers on his leg. Instead of giving her hope, his words seemed to have dashed what little hope she¡¯d had away. Suddenly unsure as to whether this friend of theirs would show up, he merely gave it this much thought before shrugging it off. It was a mere slight, and this was all merely for slight amusement for him. ¡°I gave him 12 hours. So in the meantime, your brother can play with you.¡± the young man said turning back around and walking into the forest. Hesitating at the meaning of those words, Hannah¡¯s mind immediately went to the worst possible solution before Kaden made a small cut on her neck. Widening her eyes, Kaden began to cut her. Slowly and methodically, small shallow cuts that stung and made her clench her teeth as her heart settled down. She¡¯d immediately thought of something far worse. Physical torture was something she could endure, but the thought that had crossed her mind had made her heart sink. ¡°This¡­ I can handle this¡­ This is good¡­ This is better¡­¡± Hannah thought. The pain caused by each freshly made cut made her want to scream, but with every cut Hannah¡¯s mind wandered to what she had first thought, and that small sliver of relief washed over her every time. ¡­ Tael stood in the wooded area nearby as he set up a sound barrier around himself. He wasn¡¯t interested in hearing the little girl scream. Tael wasn¡¯t the sort to enjoy hearing the screams caused by physical torture. He found it boring like most things. Any body would scream if hurt the right way. The type of screams that made Tael feel something were the screams caused by injuries that could never be seen. Injuries caused by the type of pain that couldn¡¯t be compared from one person to another. Tael was waiting for Daichi to arrive, arrive and see his friends tortured, mind crushed and dead. That would be of slight amusement to him after what these kids had done to his Bulls. He could have just let things go, but it was a matter of principle. As such¡­ He was going to keep his word. He wanted two of their lives. ¡°The shorter girl is dying. She¡¯s doing a commendable job trying to keep herself alive¡­ She¡¯s even used some sort of skill to cauterize her neck, but the blood loss is already too much. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The boy is going to die one way or another now that I¡¯ve placed a seal with limited mana within him. The odds of the boy coming being able to reverse it are near impossible. Although with his personality, I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if he killed himself after he comes to his senses hah. The girl is the most likely to survive¡­ If the boy gets here soon enough¡­ Although if he gets here too late¡­ Well that¡¯s his problem.¡± Tael stood still as he looked beyond the trees and pondered how this little event would turn out. Tael closed his eyes and begin to count as he muddled all of senses wanting to maintain as much anticipation possible. ¡­ Daichi was jogging without rest for hours on end until the mare in front of him stopped him. ¡°Regardless of why you¡¯re doing this. If you show up tired and exhausted you won¡¯t even be able to respond if he changes his mind. Be prepared for a battle, and be prepared to die.¡± the taller mare stared at him, almost showing some emotion before she pointed in the direction they¡¯d been traveling. ¡°That¡¯s the way to go, maintain that direction and use the sun as a parameter that you are still going in the correct direction as you run. This is where I stop. I won¡¯t go closer¡± she said as she walked past him and began to walk towards the direction they had just come from. Daichi watched her back as she slowly walked out of sight within the forest. She¡¯d already told him that she would only go part of the way. Unfazed he looked back over at the direction he was going to be heading in. At some point as he¡¯d been running, he¡¯d thought of a few techniques and ways he could try to implement his skills. He¡¯d considered what would likely happen, and whether he should bother to believe any of the words Tael had said. At the very least he¡¯d questioned whether he would truly let him live. Daichi¡¯s mind kept wandering back to the one thing that kept making his heart palpitate. He¡¯d ignored the reality of his decision even though he felt he had to make it. ¡°If I go, there¡¯s a good chance I am going to die.¡± Daichi finally said the words aloud. He had come up with a few methods and tried to think of the different possible outcomes but he¡¯d ignored the very real probability of his death. Now saying the words aloud he finally let them sink in as they caused him to hesitate and reluctantly want to change his mind. Instead of getting anxious as his heartbeat was going crazy inside of his chest, he let the feeling wash over him. He¡¯d known what he¡¯d chosen, he knew this was a very real possibility. He wouldn¡¯t go back on his choice now. Even with the threat of death, Daichi steeled himself as he reinforced his decision. He would rather die now, then forever wonder who he was. He¡¯d make the decisions he wanted to make in order to become the person he wanted to be. Allowing the breeze to carry his feet forward, Daichi began sprinting forward. Less hesitation in his footsteps with each step he took. Even fully resolved to go through with his choice, his body felt stiff and his chest heavy. The burden of making constant life and death choices were still weighing Daichi down, especially now that the life and death he was considering was his own. His decision was crazy even to him, but that recklessness was something he felt was completely his own. ¡­ Chapter 65 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 1) Chapter 65 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 1) I will be releasing more chapters over the course of the next hour. If you¡¯d prefer to read it all in one go, then I suggest waiting until around 1-2 hours before reading. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡­ Just as the time limit was about to come to its conclusion Tael opened his eyes as a smile covered his lips. The unseen barrier surrounding him dissipated as he took a single step forward. Tael seemingly disappeared into the air with that one step, appearing hundreds of meters away inside another wooded area. Tael put his arms behind his back and folded them as he awaited his guest with wry amusement. He¡¯d sensed a particular presence moving in his direction. Considering he was in the area, his natural aura would make most animals and monsters instinctively stay away. Only humans would be oblivious to the natural presence he exuded. Staring forward, Tael awaited his guest. ¡­ Minutes later Daichi was jogging and hoping he was getting close. He¡¯d been jogging for nearly 10 hours with just a few rests in-between. His clothes were soaked through with sweat and he was beginning to take heavy breaths. He¡¯d been pacing himself to conserve energy, but even he had never jogged this long through a forest. Moving through the woods and bushes with reckless abandon, he¡¯d been cut and scrapped everywhere. His clothes ripped apart in most places as his own blood adorned his clothes in most places. He could tell his time limit was almost up and even though he didn¡¯t much care what happened to the others, he would be deeply frustrated if he¡¯d come this far only to find out the others had all been killed before he even arrived. In fact, he¡¯d been struggling to keep himself thinking that part of the purpose of this journey was to save their lives. Daichi¡¯s rationale constantly went back to his focus on himself and what this would mean to him. He had to remind himself numerous times as he ran that saving the others was supposedly just as important. Noticing a particularly thick brush up ahead, Daichi ran forward a bit fast and jumped into the air letting his momentum push him through the brush with his arms covering his head and face and knees tucked just a bit higher to cover part of his stomach. Pushing through the brush and pain from the cuts he received on his already raw skin from that jump alone, Daichi noticed someone up ahead before he even landed onto the ground. Rolling forward and back up to his feet, Daichi was ready to defend himself. All of Daichi¡¯s muscles tensed as he began to anticipate an attack from an opponent. Staring at his opponent and seeing no moment, Daichi triggered his analyze skill on the mysterious young man, only to realize nothing occurred. The skill either wouldn¡¯t trigger or just didn¡¯t work on him. The young man in front of him just stared at him, hands behind his back with an impassive smile on his face. ¡°Can I assume you are Daichi, little one?¡± the young man asked in a nonchalant tone that Daichi recalled with a trace of confusion. ¡°I am. You must be Tael.¡± Daichi stated instead of asking. Staring at this young man as his skill refused to trigger, Daichi felt naked in front of him. This was the first opponent he¡¯d come across that he didn¡¯t know a single thing about. ¡°Who are you?¡± Daichi asked, trying to get to the point while still preparing himself in case Tael attacked. ¡°You aren¡¯t even worthy of my name, and yet you ask for more?¡± Tael answered with his left eyebrow almost imperceptibly twitching. ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t in my shoes?¡± Daichi replied almost as nonchalantly. ¡°Most. Most humans would be too terrified to say anything in your shoes.¡± Tael responded with his smile never wavering. ¡°In fact, most humans wouldn¡¯t have come even after being given the generous offer you received. Not unless they were like that other boy you seem to be friends with.¡± Tael continued, finally causing Daichi¡¯s attention to be drawn to his surroundings. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.Finally realizing that the man before him was not going to tell him anything, Daichi began to realize that he seemed to be blocking the way. The others were no where to be found¡­ ¡°He¡¯s stalling.¡± Daichi finally realized. ¡°I am here. You said if I arrived you would give me a chance to save the others.¡± Daichi spoke, his calm words were making Tael wonder were Daichi got the confidence to reply so casually in his presence. ¡°How is he even able to stand in my presence without being overwhelmed by my aura? It almost seems like he¡¯s completely unaffected¡­¡± Tael pondered while staring at Daichi and taking his time. ¡°Hmm. Yes. Once I¡¯ve given my word I am tied to fate and must follow what I¡¯ve said, as such I meant what I said. If you arrived while they were still alive you would be given a chance to save them. Now I present you with that opportunity, if you can save even one of them¡­ I¡¯ll let them go and let you live.¡± Tael spoke, but his wording made Daichi stiffen. ¡°Although¡­ Keep in mind what I told you about the boy. Unless you can find a solution to save him. Leaving with him and him alone is not an option.¡± Tael¡¯s words were directly transferred inside of Daichi¡¯s head as Daichi saw him only smile wider. Looking past Tael and then back at his unwavering expression, Daichi started walking past towards him while watching his every muscle. Daichi didn¡¯t want to let down his guard, and continued being vigilant but as he approached Tael he saw his eyes close. The small action making Daichi even more weary, as he heard a loud deep scream echo from in front of him. ¡°The voice sounded like Kaden¡± Daichi realized. Wanting to move forward but refusing to take his eyes of Tael¡­ Daichi kept walking forward as his every instinct was screaming at him that the young man before him was dangerous. Every instinct was screaming danger inside of Daichi¡¯s bones and mind was telling him at the top of their lungs that if the young man before him wanted him dead, he wouldn¡¯t even need to break a sweat to do it. The more his instincts told him that the more he naturally wanted to turn tail and leave but instead, his mind made him push forward with even less hesitation. If his life and death were at this being¡¯s hands. Then there was no point in hesitating more than he needed too. Even as he was telling himself that in his head, over and over. His feet were only moving at a snail¡¯s pace. Each step Daichi took felt like a huge effort, the sweat pooling at his forehead wasn¡¯t because of the running but rather from the very effort it was taking him to move past Tael. Tael kept his eyes closed as he sensed Daichi moving forward. It was only as Daichi finally reached his side that his mind reeled with surprise. Tael was exerting his full aura into this area. Anything else would have fainted in fear or been utterly overwhelmed by aura he was releasing. Daichi hadn¡¯t even stopped walking, almost unfazed to Tael. In his mind, he was suddenly very intrigued by this boy. He¡¯d seen him once when Daichi had killed the Troll Lord as he¡¯d been out on a stroll and had been surprised such a frail looking child had been capable of such a feat but hadn¡¯t paid any more attention. After all, killing that troll would have taken but a flick of a finger for him. This feat on the other hand utterly impressed Tael. There must be something special about him I didn¡¯t notice. Something I can¡¯t notice. Maybe it¡¯ll be worth keeping an eye on this one for a while. After Daichi passed Tael, his body suddenly felt as light as feather. Feeling as if a huge weight had been lifted off his chest and shoulders, Daichi wanted to spring forward through the trees, but held himself back as he continued walking at the same pace. Refusing to let Tael see him flustered. Each step he took, further fueled his anticipation as the closer he got the more noise he could make out and the clearer the sound of crying became. As he reached the end of the trees, Daichi could make out a clearing. Looking ahead as he passed the last tree Daichi¡¯s eyes widened. Chapter 66 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 2) Chapter 66 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 2) Stepping forward and out of the woods Daichi stared at Hannah. Daichi could barely recognize her face. Her entire body was dyed red from the cuts all over her. Her face half peeled off as she lay on the floor with both of Kaden¡¯s daggers stabbed through her chest and sticking out through her back. If it weren¡¯t for Kaden kneeling right beside her weeping profusely he wouldn¡¯t have even guessed. Kaden sat kneeling beside Hannah with his hands covering his face as he sobbed his entire body trembling. Kaden looked lost in grief as Daichi looked around and saw Ava, completely pale in a pool of her own blood. Not sure in how to proceed, Daichi just stared at the scene before him before things clicked into place. Obviously Tael had planned everything, and if Hannah and Ava died there was probably no way for him to save Kaden. His entire body stiff, Daichi realized this was a trap after all. The second the others died, Tael would kill him next. Moving forward no longer held back by hesitation Daichi moved towards Ava. As he placed two fingers on his wrists, he tried to find a pulse but found nothing. Realizing her blood loss may have just made her pulse too weak to feel at her wrists, he was about to try her neck as he looked closer at the blood. She¡¯d used her own melt skill to cauterize the wound completely burning through her entire neck. The sight of it made Daichi stop mid-motion. He would never have imagined Ava had the will to do something like this. Pushing past the moment of shock, he felt around her neck and stifled an immediate discomfort at the feel of her burnt skin as his fingers moved about the dried blood on her neck trying to find a vein. Finally finding something, Daichi realized she wasn¡¯t dead. She¡¯s not dead! What the hell! She¡¯s still alive!? Damn it Ava, this is crazy. How are you still alive? Amazed by her will to live, Daichi felt some hope welling up inside of him before he began to wonder how he was possibly going to save her. Shit. If she dies, then it doesn¡¯t matter that she made it this far! Trying to think of something but coming up short and empty, Daichi looked at Ava and settled on her hand. Seeing the ring on her finger, Daichi slipped it off using some of the blood that hadn¡¯t dried as a lubricant. Pulling it off and slipping it onto his pinky, Daichi looked through it¡¯s contents trying to find something, anything that might help. Finding nothing, Daichi let out a snort of frustration. Even he knew that aside from another healing potion, the only thing that would bring her out of this slump was blood but he didn¡¯t even know if they were compatible. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.Taking his eyes off Ava and getting up, Daichi moved towards Kaden and Hannah. Kaden barely noticed his presence as he approached. It was only as he knelt down beside Hannah and was about to touch her that Kaden snapped out of his grief and roared at Daichi and pushed him backwards onto the ground. Daichi did nothing to stop him and laid in the grass looking up at Kaden¡¯s fierce expression. ¡°I¡¯m trying to help. So why don¡¯t you tell me what happened while I try to help her Kaden.¡± Daichi spoke calmly but with a very serious tone, ordering instead of asking. At the very mention of how Hannah had ended up that way. Kaden¡¯s expression turned into one of horror as he fell back onto his behind and crawled away from them a little. Kaden¡¯s already reddened eyes, just stared at Daichi with disgust which Daichi couldn¡¯t understand. Kaden¡¯s tears just streamed down his face as he clenched his hands into fists in the grass and continued to look at him with a look of repulsion before he brought his own hands up into his line of sight. Seeing his own hands seemed to set off a trigger within Kaden as he turned to side and threw up. Emptying his entire stomach, Kaden¡¯s face was a mixture of tears, puke and snot. Kneeling over the grass with his hands holding him up, Kaden just continued to cry, unable to look back. Daichi stared confused and unable to understand. Until Hannah spoke out of softly with blood possibly pouring out of the sides of her mouth. Daichi couldn¡¯t tell based on the amount of blood everywhere, that it was hard to tell where the blood was coming from anymore. ¡°It wasn¡¯t¡­ your fault¡­ He.. made¡­ you¡­ do it. It wasn¡¯t¡­ your fault¡­¡± Hannah could barely make the words out in a whisper as her throat welled up with blood, stopping her from doing anything but choking. A lightbulb lit up over Daichi as realization struck him. Staring at them with a mixture of awe and disgust. Daichi was shocked. How did he do this? How did he get Kaden to do this? What kind of ability allows you to do this to someone? Why would he even go through all of this trouble? What the hell is he playing at? Daichi¡¯s mind was reeling as he tried to tear himself away from his thoughts. Daichi simply didn¡¯t understand Tael at all. Nothing he did or had done seemed to make any rational sense to him. Turning his head to gaze at Hannah. Her wounds were extensive but most of them were superficial. Even superficial, there were so many that the blood loss alone would have been an issue¡­ But with the knives embedding into her so deeply¡­ Daichi knew he couldn¡¯t save her. Hannah was going to die. Chapter 67 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 3) Chapter 67 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 3) This is a regular length chapter (Finally back home and writing in my usual pace). I will be posting one more chapter after this, that chapter will be the last of my ¡°short¡± chapters as I began it while I was away from home. It only feels natural to use the stopping point I have as it is. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Daichi knew he couldn¡¯t save her. Hannah was going to die. As he came to that realization, Daichi finally understood that Tael had driven him into a corner. If this was all one big game to him. Why not just kill me? Why do all this? What¡¯s the point? Wondering what Tael¡¯s motives could possibly be, Daichi finally stopped trying to think of the why of it all and tried to come up with a solution. The feeling of being trapped in a corner started to spread through Daichi as he began to lose the will to act like something he wasn¡¯t. Finally casting aside the effort he was putting into trying to be something he wasn¡¯t, he cast Hannah a cold look. Daichi¡¯s gaze bore into her as he came to the only conclusion he had at his disposal. Choosing to focus his mind on the present. Daichi looked towards the future as he tried to calculate the possibilities of what his actions in the next few minutes could result in. Calculating his chances of survival, Daichi made up his mind to follow through with what he¡¯d decided. After making up his mind, he walked over to Ava and tried to scoop her up under her neck and knees as his knuckles scraped across the ground in an effort to lift her weight gently. Daichi lifted her up and then slowly carried her over to place her beside Hannah. He cast her one last glance before staring at Kaden¡¯s back for a second. Then leaned down and whispered to Hannah, ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Kaden over. Once I do, I am going to pull the daggers out and let you say your goodbyes. Be quick about it.¡± Pulling back so that she could look right at him, Daichi tried to convey his the seriousness of his words with a look, as he moved away from her toward Kaden. Kaden had returned to being oblivious to his surroundings but as he felt fingertips coming into contact with his shoulders, Kaden trembled and jumped away as if shocked at that slight touch. Staring up at Daichi in horror, Kaden looked like his mind had been broken. Instead of trying to bring him back, Daichi just said what he thought Kaden needed to hear, ¡°I think I can save Hannah, so stop moving.¡± Kaden¡¯s whole body trembled at those words as disbelief and hope crossed his eyes and expression simultaneously. Ignoring Kaden¡¯s expression, Daichi reached forward to place his hand on Kaden¡¯s shoulder again. Daichi waited for him to pull back but was pleasantly surprised when Kaden sat stock still. Closing his eyes, Daichi willed his mind to try and sense the mana in Kaden¡¯s body. Something he had never tried to do to someone else before. Shockingly without putting much effort in, he felt something so strong that it seemed to repel his mind. Forcing his eyes open and hand away from Kaden. Daichi felt a huge current run through his hand as if he¡¯d been forcefully shocked, but that pain paled in comparison to his throbbing head. Daichi¡¯s mind felt as if it had been shocked in much the same way as his hand, except it had been completely defenseless when it happened. Struggling to stop himself from staggering. Daichi gritted his teeth as he sat down and tried to calm his mind from reeling. Coming to state of calm, the throbbing pain in his head came down to a barely pain. Daichi had tried to look for whatever seal Tael had placed on Kaden to try and see where he stood. He had never imagined that even trying to do that would nearly get him killed. Considering the amount of energy that seal had within Kaden, Daichi shuddered to think about the amount of mana Tael must have coursing through his body. The very thought made Daichi involuntarily shudder. Kaden merely continued to look at him, as the hope in his eyes faltered and flickered faintly. Staring at Kaden right in the eyes, Daichi finally spoke ¡°I can save her.¡± Kaden eyes widened as tears threatened to make their way out again as Daichi stopped him in his tracks, ¡°But¡­¡± turning around and glancing at Hannah. Daichi stood up and moved forwards and bent over to whisper in Kaden¡¯s ear as Kaden¡¯s eyes flickered with a slew of emotions before settling on what looked like relief. Daichi straightened up and walked back to Hannah. Kaden stayed still as he looked at Hannah with a look of happiness that seemed to be coming from every bit of his soul. Kaden knew he could never wash away the shame, disgust and pain for what he¡¯d done. Even if he didn¡¯t mean to do it, even if he didn¡¯t have a choice. In Kaden¡¯s mind it didn¡¯t matter. It was *his* hands, he did it. He wasn¡¯t strong enough to stop that guy from controlling him, from turning him into a puppet and from making him hurt his sister. Over and over again. Instead of trying to forget those thoughts, Kaden¡¯s mind focused on the memory of every scratch, cut, scrape, he¡¯d inflicted on Hannah. The most important person still in his life, his last bit of family and the person he owed the most. Kaden thought back to how much Hannah had taken care of him before their parents had passed. Then how much more she had to do after they died. She¡¯d been the rock he¡¯d needed, and he¡¯d never thanked her. Never the way he would have wanted too someday. Instead today, the closest they¡¯d come to death and it was at his hands. I will never forgive myself for what I¡¯ve done. It¡¯s inexcusable. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. I will never let you forgive me Hannah. I don¡¯t deserve it. Kaden stared as Daichi pulled the daggers out of her chest in quick succession as he came to his senses and mind his wandered from his memories to the now as he got off the ground and dashed forward throwing himself on the ground next to her as he lifted her up and pressed her body against his in a hug. ¡°I am so so sorry. I will never forgive myself for this. I didn¡¯t want too, I was breaking with every single twitch of my fingers. I don¡¯t expect you to ever forgive me. Actually I do, because you¡¯re the amazing sister that has always been there for me. Every time I ever needed you whether I knew it or not, you were there for me. I know you would forgive me, maybe already forgive me. I won¡¯t let you. I don¡¯t deserve to be forgiven.¡± Kaden continued to speak not letting Hannah say a word until he finished. ¡°I forgive¡­ you. You¡­ know I ¡­ do. I ¡­ love you¡­ It¡­ wasn¡¯t¡­ your fault¡­ Make¡­ sure you¡­ survive¡­ Kaden.¡± Hannah choked out the words as the blood filled her lungs and throat as she struggled to breathe while speaking what she knew were her last words. ¡­ Daichi only stared at Kaden¡¯s face and the back of Hannah¡¯s head as he wondered what it would be like to love someone like that. Wondering what it would be like to feel anything like that. Perhaps to be loved like that in return. Thinking back to his own childhood Daichi couldn¡¯t think of anyone. He¡¯d never had anyone. He¡¯d had his father. He¡¯d only ever had his father, and because he was smart. So smart that had he ever tried or showed off what he could do, he would have been labeled a prodigy. Daichi had come to understand when he was a very young child, that the look in his father¡¯s eyes when he stared at him was blame, blame that had blossomed into hate. His father loathed him from the bottom of his heart. Blamed him for something he¡¯d never meant to do, that could never have truly been his fault. When he¡¯d come to understand that, something had snapped inside of him. Thinking back, that was perhaps the day he¡¯d felt himself become so detached. It was that day that his mind began to wander and focus on the abstract rather than the things around him. Perhaps he was just putting two-and-two together and the two were unrelated. Maybe he¡¯d always been the way he was now and he was just looking for a reason. Something to make things make sense. Daichi wasn¡¯t sure and it didn¡¯t matter after then. His father had tried afterwards, at least Daichi thinks he did. He¡¯d certainly focused on teaching him so many things that he didn¡¯t have too. Although after he¡¯d come to that realization about his father, he¡¯d no longer paid attention to him ever again. He stopped making eye contact with him, he had stopped randomly thinking about what his father thought or felt. The only things related to his father that he¡¯d ever thought about from that point forward were the words he spoke to him and the things he¡¯d learned from him. Thinking about this, Daichi felt as if he¡¯d suddenly understood himself a lot better. He¡¯d forgotten¡­ He¡¯d forgotten why he¡¯d turned so cold and shut the world out. Why he had tuned everybody and everything out and decided to live in his own mind. Coming out of his own memories and realizations, Daichi stared at the tear stained face looking back up at him. ¡­ Looking at Kaden¡¯s expression of pure grief and pain. Daichi felt his respect for Kaden grow if only a little. Daichi understood one thing. Even if he didn¡¯t have all the pieces of why he was the way that he was, he knew that he would never be able to do what Kaden was doing. Taking a few steps forward, Daichi reached out and placed his hand on Kaden¡¯s forehead as he activated his Life Release: Aura ability. Instantly Kaden¡¯s entire body began to glow and light up. Visible waves of golden light emitting from his body in a way Daichi had never seen. As he backed up with wide eyes, Daichi took a second to think about what this could be caused by. Either there was something special about Kaden or this was due to the mana and seal placed inside of him by Tael. Steeling his mind, Daichi merely continued to watch. I didn¡¯t even tell him that he was going to die either way. A little part of me was hoping that I would need too, I didn¡¯t know I was so petty. Instead I only had to whisper the words and he jumped at the opportunity. Even as I reached out to touch him slowly, his gaze never faltered. Daichi stared straight at Kaden as a look of relief was evident in his expression as he mouthed the words at Daichi but didn¡¯t make a noise. ¡­ Hannah¡¯s whole body was filled a warm sensation as her cloudy mind slowly came to her senses. Slowly as her vision un-blurred. She began to feel her skin tingling and her entire body growing stronger, the weakness and pain fading away rapidly. Confused as to what was happening, she felt Kaden¡¯s arms wrapped around her tighten even further into a bear hug. Feeling something was desperately wrong. Hannah tried to wriggle free, and Kaden¡¯s arms wouldn¡¯t budge. Understanding dawning on her as she recalled the words Daichi muttered into her ears, ¡°I¡¯m going to bring Kaden over. Once I do, I am going to pull the daggers out and let you say your goodbyes. Be quick about it.¡± Hannah¡¯s entire mind was reeling as understanding finally dawned on her and a fury she hadn¡¯t felt the entire time she was being tortured ignited in a part of her she normally kept buried deep within her. Why the hell would he do this!? He should have just let me die! This wasn¡¯t my choice! I didn¡¯t chose this! If Daichi did this I am going to kill him I¡¯ll kill him! Chapter 68 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 4) Chapter 68 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 4) Okay people! Four more chapters released! That is 6 for the day. That¡¯s all for today, my aim is to knock out another two chapters Saturday and Sunday. My chapters will return to being their normal length after this chapter. I am home and writing from scratch rather than working from pieces I jotted down while away. I¡¯ve had a lot planned up to this point and where this is going¡­ But even when I know what I am going to write and what plot points to include in any given chapter. Writing it out is still not that easy without inspiration lol Also I see some comments about how some readers aren¡¯t liking the ¡°shorter¡± chapters. Even though they¡¯ve been shorter, I¡¯ve still released ¡°more¡± chapters making them come out to the same word-count (in fact more on average), but readers need not worry. I will return to my former chapter format. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Kaden held Hannah with an expression of peace and relief as on the other side where no one could see. Hannah¡¯s expression had turned into one of grief, injustice and a hatred that was blossoming from her very soul. Kaden¡¯s tight hug that held her with every bit of strength he still possessed intensified her hatred. She couldn¡¯t even struggle to stop this even if she wanted too. Hannah began to curse Tael for making Kaden do those terrible things, for forcing them to feel weak. ¡°And¡­ Daichi. He killed Kaden. He should have let me die, he should have let us go. Instead he killed Kaden because of some selfish reason. I don¡¯t care what it is. I won¡¯t let it go, and I won¡¯t forgive him. I¡¯ll kill everyone that was responsible for this.¡± Hannah thought the words as they engraved themselves into her heart. A determination to gain justice for everything they¡¯d had to endure Her determination to seek justice for Kaden was growing stronger as Kaden¡¯s grip on her was growing weaker. The more her vision cleared up the more the tears blurred her vision once again. The less light headed she felt, the heavier the weight on her chest felt. The quicker her cuts healed leaving her skin smooth once again, the more the pain she felt, from the ever growing wound in her heart. She could feel Kaden¡¯s breath growing haggard before his grip on her slipped away. She continued to embrace Kaden as his arms lay limp at his sides, the embrace now one-sided as she held on to him for a few seconds longer as she struggled to keep herself from letting her grief overwhelm her. ¡­ Daichi tried to think of what Kaden was saying but the only thing that came to mind were the words ¡°Thank you¡±. This was the second human life Daichi had taken, and he¡¯d expected to feel worse. He¡¯d hoped he¡¯d feel remorse or some sort of crisis of conscious after he¡¯d touched Kaden and set his death in motion. Instead he¡¯d only begun to reminisced about his own past. In having the realization of something so simple but that had shaped his very future, Daichi felt his mind waver for a moment. Seeing Kaden thank him for his own death or perhaps Hannah¡¯s life. Daichi finally felt a twinge of something. Wanting to understand himself even more, Daichi stayed still as he watched. Hannah grieved silently, as she laid his body on the ground gently. Refusing to look up, her gaze stayed on Kaden¡¯s body. Daichi stopped staring at her and looked towards Ava. He¡¯d hoped that Kaden¡¯s life would be enough to heal Ava as well, and it seemed it had. Her face had turned less pale. Ava¡¯s cheeks had regained some coloring and even her neck had glazed over as the poorly melted skin from her self-cauterization healed. The excess skin peeled off. But¡­ She wasn¡¯t waking up. Clapping brought Daichi¡¯s senses back to his surroundings as he spun around to look for the source of the noise. Daichi¡¯s eyes came upon Tael who was walking forward while clapping lightly with a wry grin on his face, ¡°Quite surprising. I certainly didn¡¯t expect you to have a solution to my little scenario. Very few humans have the insight you seem to have towards life and death.¡± Tael¡¯s expression slowly becoming darker with every passing word, ¡°You can leave. Down the cliff you go.¡± as he motioned towards the cliff with both hands. ¡°Down the cliff?¡± Daichi startled couldn¡¯t help but speak out. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Yes. Do you see any other way? Down the cliff is the only option available to you.¡± Tael said his face nonchalant but a hint of daring posed towards them. I can¡¯t tell if he wants us to fight back or disagree so he can kill or whether he really wants us to jump off this cliff and just kill ourselves. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you won¡¯t die. You¡¯ll see what I mean once you jump down. I said I would let you live if you succeeded. I have to keep my word, but I don¡¯t have to make things easy for you.¡± Tael spoke casually but his tone carried an undercurrent that made Daichi realize he¡¯d been right all alone. There was no way things were going to be as easy as he¡¯d made it seem. This guy can really hold a grudge over nothing. We¡¯re the ones who got hurt when we tried to attack those damn bull spawns! Daichi thought as he cursed Tael in his mind as he walked over to the cliff and looked down. The trees were even thicker below, so much so he couldn¡¯t see the ground past the leaves and dense grouping of trees. Out farther off, there was a section of mist that seemed to be spreading and something about it seemed to call out to Daichi. Feeling some sort of calling coming from inside of himself. Daichi stared at that mist and no longer hesitated or questioned Tael¡¯s motives. Instead he wanted to get closer, he knew where he needed to go now. Daichi called out to Hannah hoping she¡¯d respond, and make it easy on him, ¡°Hannah we have to do what he says. I need you to get up now.¡± Daichi could only stare at the unresponsive girl before him, as he continued to try to get her to come to her senses, it was only as he neared her that she answered in a very low tone, ¡°I am not leaving Kaden.¡± Even though he couldn¡¯t see her expression, Daichi could tell she was being serious. It was even possible based on her tone that she would rather die here than leave Kaden behind. Moving closer he could tell that she was trembling but instead of assuming she was in a state of fear, he assumed the worst. Although he couldn¡¯t even hope to understand how she was feeling, he had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking. After what she had been through which he could only tell from what he¡¯d seen¡­ ¡°She¡¯s probably extremely angry. In the worst case scenario she¡¯ll try to attack me or Tael which might set him off or make things worse for me. I need to get her out of here¡± Daichi thought. Staring at her back, Daichi spoke in an equally low voice ¡°Okay, we will take him with us. No, you¡¯ll take him with you. Let me show you how.¡± as he reached down and grabbed her wrist. Daichi held her wrist as gently as he could while maintaining a firm grip to stop her from trying to pull away. He pulled her hand to Kaden¡¯s body only inches away and whispered ¡°Will your mana into the ring and pull him inside¡­¡± Suddenly shaken by suggestion she did exactly what he said without giving it much thought as Kaden¡¯s body disappeared into her ring. The moment his body disappeared Hannah could only stare at the ring on her hand as a wave of depression rushed into her heart. The fact that Kaden could enter the ring meant he was dead. ¡°He¡¯s really dead.¡± the acknowledgement in her mind making her feel weak as she momentarily forgot her anger as it was replaced with grief. Looking down at the still unconscious Ava and the unresponsive Hannah. Daichi lifted his hand toward Hannah and triggered his Chaotic Eruption. Moving to stand behind her, Daichi lifted her up and over his shoulder as he picked her up and walked her over to the edge of the cliff and then dropped her over the side. Walking back to pick Ava up in much the same way, Daichi glanced at Tael once more making eye contact with him briefly. If I ever meet you again. I¡¯ll kill you. I¡¯ll make sure I am strong enough by then, and I¡¯ll kill you. Daichi wanted to convey those words with his eyes in that brief look as he turned around and walked off the cliff with Tael watching his every movement. ¡°Surprising. Almost fearless, he didn¡¯t even question me¡­ Did he know he wasn¡¯t going to die if he jumped down? Hmm... I wonder if any of them will meet *him*.¡± Tael wondered as he walked to the edge of the cliff himself and sat down at the edge looking down. Chapter 69 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 5) Chapter 69 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 5) Hannah had passed out in fear as she fell from the cliff. After spending hours running without rest, mentally scared out of her wits, physically tortured by her brother who was controlled by some super powered freak, on the verge of death, emotionally prepared to die, then emotionally punched in the gut as she healed while her brother died in her arms to give her life. Hannah had been emotionally and physically drained. Once Daichi froze her in place, her overwhelming fear caused by being being in a state of catatonia and unable to move as she¡¯d been tortured triggered a natural response that made her mind go blank. In that state of overwhelming fear, she¡¯d been dropped off a cliff overwhelming her completely. She was only awake for a second and as soon as Daichi let her go over the cliff her mind called it quits. It was just too much for her to handle as she passed out. Fortunately for Hannah and unfortunately for her companions, she was the first to regain consciousness. After dropping Ava off the cliff and shortly after jumping himself. Daichi could only try to get into a ball and hope for the best as he fell long enough to give him enough time to settle his mind but as he realized even with time, his heartbeat and fear weren¡¯t going to slow down at all. It was only as he was near the trees that a cold feeling enveloped him as he lost consciousness. Even as Hannah woke up she began patting down her body until Hannah realized she was fine, her clothes torn in multiple places but no wounds. For a few moments Hannah held the hope that everything she suddenly remembered had just been cruel nightmare. She stared down at the ring on her finger, stopping herself from checking the contents afraid of what she knew she was going to find. After minutes of hesitation she finally checked, and her heart fell as she found what she knew was going to be there; Kaden¡¯s body. Taking some time to acknowledge the events that occurred Hannah ignored her surroundings and felt her emotions as she tried to settle them down. The grief she felt was overwhelming and it temporarily staunched everything else. Finally coming to her senses as she donned the realization that the pain she was feeling was not going to go away, possibly ever. She took the time to notice her surroundings. Not too far from her, She noticed Ava. Ava was still unconscious but considering that they had fallen a huge distance it wasn¡¯t too shocking to Hannah. What did trigger a sense of curiosity (however mild) was how they had survived that fall. When Daichi had thrown her off the cliff she¡¯d been sure he was trying to kill her. Now as she stared at Ava¡¯s unhurt body and looked down at herself, she realized that he must have had a plan. Thinking about Daichi made her grief only grow as she thought about Kaden dying. The self-loathing he exhibited before he passed. The injustice of his death made her bite down on her lower lip until she drew blood and only that sliver of pain finally brought her back to her senses. Looking at Ava softened Hannah¡¯s gaze. She didn¡¯t realize it at the moment, but she herself felt responsible for Kaden¡¯s actions. She¡¯d been looking after Kaden much the same as her mother had looked after her after she¡¯d passed, making her feel responsible for anything Kaden ever did wrong or out of place. Instead of focusing on the things out of her control, Hannah decided to focus on the girl in front of her. She had been hurt by Kaden and had been made to become just as much of a victim as she had. Thinking back to the entire journey they¡¯d shared thus far Hannah realized that Ava would feel something similar to herself when she came too. She¡¯d done everything she could to stay alive. There was no way she would just be okay with everything that had happened when she woke up. She¡¯d be infuriated, hurt, angry, scared, shaken, ashamed but most of all, she was sure that Ava would want revenge. The power to achieve that revenge and to take back her own dignity. She was sure about all of those things because those were the things that would be overwhelming her if she didn¡¯t have grief pressing down on her heart. After deciding on what she would do, she finally took a look around her at her surroundings. Much like everywhere else they had wandered, she saw trees. Nearly the same looking trees¡­ Perhaps taller and sturdier than the trees above. Except out in the distance she could see a mist. Shuddering for some real as if a chill had passed through her body. Hannah dismissed it as a lingering fear of what had already happened. Hannah sat down beside Ava and stroked her hair as she waited for Ava to wake up. ¡°I¡¯ll wait as long as it takes¡± Ava thought. ¡­ Fluorescent dots of light flooded Daichi¡¯s vision as he felt a coldness in his entire body that made him feel as if that coldness was coming from his insides rather than the outside. Moving his hand to cover his already closed eyes, Daichi finally tried opening his eyes slowly, only to have his eyes bombarded by light. Flinching and turning away, Daichi allowed his eyes to adjust as he lifted himself up and sat upright with his back to a tree. His eyes finally adjusting to the light, Daichi inspected his body to find everything in one piece and unhurt. Surprise showed on his expression even though he had expected things to somehow work out. ¡°There was no way that, that guy was going to just make us jump to our deaths. I was fairly certain of it¡­ Fairly¡­¡± Daichi thought as he spoke the words aloud. Looking around he noticed there was no one around, and oddly enough it was nighttime and the moon was out. There was no bright light to be seen, which suddenly made Daichi wonder why his eyes had been so bothered by light. Sitting there against the tree, Daichi finally allowed himself to feel the exhaustion that had been building up swallow him whole. Instead of thinking about what to do or whereto go, Daichi merely closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep. Instead of feeling fear of his surroundings, anticipation over what would come next or hesitation to stay in the open seemingly exposed to anything that could walk by and spot him. Daichi felt at ease, for whatever reason he felt at peace as if he was safe right now. That feeling of safety let him drift off into sleep almost instantly. Within his mind, Daichi drifted about in a sea of clouds over looking a beautiful forest. In fact it was strange because even as he drifted on the clouds he was facing downwards staring at the earth, but his back felt as if gravity was pulling him the other way. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The contradiction didn¡¯t faze him as if it was overlooked because it was what it should have been, rather than the oddity it was. Overlooking the forest beneath him, Daichi lazily made out a forest so large that it spanned his entire line of sight regardless of which direction he looked. The forest expanse was wide and the trees so beautiful from above. Rather than the majesty of the forest Daichi was amused at how he saw the beauty before his eyes and felt it rather than just thinking the words. He was looking at something that should be beautiful and genuinely believed it to be as well, he was appreciating something for it¡¯s innate beauty. Wondering what had come over him, Daichi¡¯s eyes were inevitably drawn to an area far off into the distance, but as his eyes focused on that area his body seemed to disappear into the clouds and reappear in the clouds over that area. Gazing downwards Daichi only saw an endless fog, and a calling. The fog or something inside of it was calling him, it¡¯s desire for Daichi to come towards it evident in Daichi¡¯s thoughts. Something within Daichi was resonating just as strongly, making him want to go to it just as much as it wanted him to go. Something about the fog just seemed so familiar, as if it was a part of himself. A part of himself that was and wasn¡¯t him. That was familiar and wasn¡¯t. It was a contradiction. Allowing that resonating sensation to grow stronger, Daichi could almost feeling his body being pulled forward as his eyes blinked open waking up from his dream. Staring ahead of himself as the light bombarded him. Daichi shut his eyes again and slowly opened them letting his eyes adjust, as he looked up at the sun. He¡¯d slept the entire night. Suddenly Daichi felt like the dream, or perhaps the sleep itself had somehow been a novelty. As he thought that, it dawned on him that he hadn¡¯t truly slept since he¡¯d learned how to enter a meditative state. Now for the first time Daichi wondered whether or not sleeping for a prolonged period of time could truly be substituted by meditating. He was still human after all. Instead of thinking too deeply about the matter, Daichi decided he would sleep when he could and train the rest of the time. It was rare for him to believe he was safe. Wondering why he¡¯d felt that way his mind naturally drifted back to what he¡¯d dreamed, and Daichi¡¯s mind began to wonder if the mist like area from his dream was the same area he¡¯d seen from high above on the cliff. Daichi¡¯s entire body was almost shuddering from anticipation as he realized that he needed to go there. He didn¡¯t just want to go there out of curiosity. It was as if he felt fate was telling him that it was where he needed to go. Standing up and gazing around and finding nothing particularly out of place, and his items still on his person, ring still in place. Daichi was about to leave when his gaze returned to the ring. Taking a moment to look through the ring, Daichi¡¯s mind stopped on several books and one in particular. He¡¯d glanced over a few books, and even found a ¡°Skill book¡± but that was not what had drawn his attention. It was a very thin book that only had a few pages. Feeling the need to pull the book out of the ring, it appeared on his ring hand and he stared at the simple leather cover. The cover was leather¡­ but it didn¡¯t feel right. The texture felt less like hide and more like stretched skin. Finding the sensation odd, Daichi opened the book and stared at the first page. He read the words aloud and began to wonder whether he had missed something. ¡°The loftiness of one¡¯s soul is correlated to the experience and wisdom gained. It is only through action that wisdom can be attained, but action in it of itself does not necessarily merit the gain of wisdom. A reaction to an action equates to a separate experience but added experience doesn¡¯t result in a given. The soul is meant to expand and grow. The soul is meant to last forever, but never in the same vessel. The soul moves through time, unblemished but changing. The experiences shaping it¡¯s essence. Turning it pure or other. The essence of immortality lies in the soul attaining enlightenment. Challenging the order of the universe. The process of understanding the secrets is the process of the alchemy of the soul. The universe itself has rules. The universe demands everything have a beginning and eventually an end. All that has an end must have a beginning. All that has a beginning will inevitably end. This is a decree that cannot be changed. Immortals pursue the path against the tides. The tides can only move forward. The soul can never stay still.¡± Finishing the words on the page Daichi felt enlightened. His memories of the past clear. He realized that he¡¯d shut himself from the world when he¡¯d felt abandoned. When he¡¯d felt his father¡¯s hatred for him, he¡¯d been so hurt because he understood that his father was the only one who should never feel that way towards him but he did. He¡¯d shut himself away and locked himself inside of a cage he¡¯d created himself. He felt clear about himself then and now. He was not himself. He was not emotionless but now he seemingly was. He¡¯d been detached and cold before but that was because he tried be cold and felt detached. Now he was detached and cold. He was the things he would have become had he kept living his life that way. It was as if he¡¯d walked an entire path and reached its conclusion before getting to make the decisions on the way that would have shaped where he ended up and Daichi realized it all now. Everything began when the sky had turned dark and he¡¯d thought he died. When his attribute changed, when not only the world changed but something changed him. Realizing this train of thought had merit, Daichi came to the conclusion that he didn¡¯t just think he died. He had died. He had died and come back¡­ Differently. After reading the words he forgot them immediately. But¡­ Something in his mind was triggered. Something inside of him suddenly felt clearer, awake. Chapter 70 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 6) Chapter 70 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 6) One more chapter for the day coming later in a bit. -------------------------------------------------------- Daichi stared down at the book in his hands and wondered what exactly it was. He felt as if he was holding a peerless treasure capable of unraveling both secrets of the universe and everything he was. Except all he could was stare at the book in frustration, because as he tried reading the words he realized that he the moment he stopped reading them, he forgot them. If he tried to read them inside of his head, his mind would just go blank. The only way to read the page was out loud. Moreover, every time he tried to read the words on one of the other pages his mind would just space out and cause his body to turn the pages back to the first. The frustration he was feeling was still overwhelmed by the realization that he was in possession of something extremely valuable. Which only led Daichi to wonder how Ava or her family had come to be in its possession. However Daichi couldn¡¯t have known that Ava had been unqualified to open and read even the first page of this mysterious book. If he had known that then it is likely he would have come to realize that not just anyone could read even a few words from this mysterious book. The importance it would have had in his heart would have multiplied, as it¡¯s value was somehow still being understated. Feeling clear headed and as if he¡¯d gained something marvelous. Daichi came to the conclusion that whatever the book was, it was valuable and it wasn¡¯t that the words on the other pages could not be read but rather he was currently unable to read them. In fact, Daichi had a feeling that if at some point he could read the words and truly understand them, or perhaps stop them from disappearing from his mind he would gain something truly spectacular. Putting the book away, Daichi began moving forward his mind resolved to find the mist he¡¯d seen before jumping from the cliff above. Only after he started moving forward did Daichi wonder where Ava and Hannah were and whether they were alive. ¡°I¡¯m alive, so they should be as well. It¡¯s not like I had any signs of taking damage on my way down, so the fact that Ava was unconscious shouldn¡¯t have mattered. I¡¯m not their babysitter either, I saved their lives. If it weren¡¯t for me they¡¯d both be dead, so I don¡¯t owe them anything either. If anything they owe me, so there¡¯s no reason why I should bother to look for them.¡± Daichi thought. Justifying his actions, Daichi shrugged off the passing thought of their whereabouts and began moving through the forest that seemed no different than what he¡¯d already passed through these past few days. As he moved through the forest, Daichi''s mind wandered from time to time as nothing seemed to making his senses wary of his surroundings. "I wonder if there are more books as valuable as this one inside of the ring... I''ll take a good rest later on and check them out. I may have stumbled upon a gold mine." Daichi thought as the very idea of new and interesting books perked up his demeanor and gave him something to look forward too. The forest seemed the same, no different. The trees, the bushes, leaves and all. It was seemingly the same. The further he walked the more it all seemed similar. It was only after walking for more than a few hours in no particular direction that Daichi¡¯s expression turned into a frown as he began to feel uncomfortable. His thoughts churning, he¡¯d ignored the strangeness of the area up until now because of that strange feeling of safety he¡¯d experienced earlier. After walking for a few hours though, his thoughts couldn¡¯t help but notice the oddities in his environment. There was no noise¡­ There was no birds, or any sort of living creature. He¡¯d walked for hours and somehow he hadn¡¯t encountered a single living thing. The plant life was fine, but there wasn¡¯t a single living breathing animal in the area that he¡¯d covered. Something about not passing a single living soul in a forest made Daichi¡¯s hairs stand on end as the absurdity of that sunk in. There was a moment of silence as Daichi momentarily reconsidered moving forward. The eeriness of the location made his rational mind advise him to leave, but his instincts were pleading for him to continue. Closing his eyes, Daichi calmed himself down and calmed his thoughts. He¡¯d decided he would go, and he wouldn¡¯t change his mind now. ¡°Danger has been around every tree in this god forsaken place where there is a tree no matter where you look and danger doesn¡¯t even bother to hide. Why would I turn back now just because this place might be more dangerous? Just a day ago I met with something so strong I couldn¡¯t even make myself stand up to him. How could this be any worse? Why not move forward.¡± Daichi thought as he steadied his mind and decided to move forward regardless of the consequences. ¡­ Daichi moved through the forest the entire day and chose to rest at night. Instead of meditating like he normally did, he chose to sleep once again. He wanted to dream again, perhaps if dreamt he¡¯d learn something new. ¡°Nothing is impossible, and stranger things have happened.¡± Daichi figured as he felt more relaxed than he¡¯d been in days. Instead of entering another surreal-like dream, Daichi just slept. It was a comfortable sleep, but not as worth it as it could have been. He slept against a tree, uncomfortably on the ground. His muscles were only slightly less stiff than had he sat cross legged and meditated. Picking up the pace, Daichi continued forward. Daichi wasn¡¯t sure exactly where he was going, nor was he following a specific path or direction. He was moving in the direction his instincts were telling him to go. He felt like he was being drawn towards a particular direction and wanted to find out what would be at the end of the path he¡¯d set himself to walk. Towards the afternoon, his torn clothes were soaked with yet more sweat but to his great shock he could see the mist he¡¯d seen from the cliff and in his dream in the distance. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! His expression turned wry as he prepared himself for the worst. Instead of excitement, he felt wary of where his instincts might have led him and slowed his footsteps instead of rushing forward. Instead of simply entering the mist, Daichi decided to trace a path around it. ¡°Perhaps I¡¯ll learn something before trying to enter it. It can¡¯t be so simple as it seems.¡± Daichi prudently decided. He¡¯d made up his mind he would enter it, but he would try to learn as much as he could about it before he did. Walking around the perimeter of the mist, Daichi soon came across an unexpected surprise. Up ahead in his line of sight was Hannah striking out at a tree. She seemed to be practicing with daggers. Even as he got closer she still hadn¡¯t noticed him. Her mind and body solely focused on her practice. The closer he got the more his attention shifted to her daggers, they were the daggers Kaden used! ¡°Now when did she have the time to snatch those up? Even I had focused too much on Tael at the time to bother picking them up¡­¡± Daichi thought with some surprise. Stopping a few meters away, Daichi leaned up against a tree as he noticed Ava on the ground asleep before returning his gaze to Hannah. ¡°I could say something but¡­ I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s going to try to kill me. Knowing her personality and how much she cared about Kaden¡­ She probably thinks I betrayed her or something. If she were stronger I¡¯d be worried¡­ But I shouldn¡¯t be cocky. I underestimated the bull spawn even when I knew how strong they were. If Hannah touches me it could be a problem, I doubt she has more mana than me but I shouldn¡¯t risk it just in case.¡± Daichi thought as he stared at her. ¡°Even so I can always stop her with my Chaotic Eruption skill. Just because the bull spawns and probably Tael can stop it. There¡¯s little to no chance Hannah can. Now that I¡¯ve saved her, it would be a waste if I had to kill her.¡± Daichi thought as he resolved himself to try and patch things up. Pushing himself off the tree, as Daichi was about to step forward and call out her name a bright light blinded him for a second. Opening his eyes again, Daichi was startled as there was nothing there. There had been something bright enough to completely blind him for a second and then nothing. Except now that he had gained his barring, he noticed Hannah staring right at him. ¡°Hello again.¡± Daichi said almost awkwardly. Hannah clenched her jaw and fists as she looked at him with so much hatred that Daichi almost instantly realized there would be room for a conversation amongst friends or companions. ¡°Still, if I don¡¯t try then what¡¯s the point?¡± Daichi figured as he tried to start a conversation that would hopefully lead her to understand why he had done what he did. ¡°If I didn¡¯t do what I did¡­ He would have killed himself from the pain of losing you to what he did. I offered him a chance to die in peace instead of regret and pain.¡± Daichi said with a look of nonchalance that underscored the words he spoke. ¡°You killed him. You killed him because you didn¡¯t like him and you valued me more than him. You didn¡¯t do him a favor, you made a selfish choice.¡± Hannah spoke softly as she enunciated every word. She was clearly struggling to speak past her anger. It was clear to Daichi as it would have been clear to any one else. ¡°Hmm. Should I just tell her that Tael was going to kill him anyways? That his life was limited the moment he¡¯d used whatever skill turned him so mindless? I doubt she¡¯ll believe me¡­¡± Daichi tried to decide how best to proceed. ¡°You¡¯re selfish. Everything you¡¯ve done has been for you. If it weren¡¯t for you provoking those bulls that we never even had a chance to defeat none of this would have happened!¡± Hannah¡¯s tone rose as did the veins in her forehead. ¡°Well¡­ Damn, she¡¯s got me there. I am selfish and most of my motives were pretty selfish. In fact yeah, if it weren¡¯t for what I did none of it probably would have happened. Don¡¯t I get points for coming back?¡± Daichi thought but instead said ¡°I did what I did because I thought it was best for everybody. I attacked those bulls because I thought we could kill them. Even if I didn¡¯t are you really going to blame me for something I couldn¡¯t have known? That those bull were some overpowered freak¡¯s pets? If that were the case we should have been scared to touch or harm anything we¡¯ve come across!¡± as he yelled the last few words for dramatic effect. ¡°Do you even take his death seriously¡­ Do you even feel bad for what you did¡­?¡±Hannah spoke the words and for the first time something other than hatred and anger lingered in her tone. Her eyes were getting moist and Daichi wasn¡¯t sure what she was thinking due to her change of pace. ¡°I did what I thought was best. I don¡¯t feel bad for that, and I don¡¯t feel bad for his death because I didn¡¯t kill him. The man that forced us into that scenario. The one who had Ava nearly killed, you tortured, and Kaden controlled. He¡¯s the one that really killed Kaden.¡± Daichi answered resolutely. In Daichi¡¯s mind it really was Tael¡¯s fault. Daichi had only occasionally considered killing Kaden, but even then he¡¯d held himself back. ¡°It was only because of Tael forcing my hand that Kaden ended up getting killed by me. Otherwise I would have probably stopped myself from killing him a few more times.¡± Daichi thought. ¡°You don¡¯t even feel bad¡­ You don¡¯t even feel bad for killing him! He didn¡¯t trust you and now you¡¯ve proven him right! You ended up doing exactly what he thought might happen!¡± Hannah screamed the words as tears fell from her eyes. ¡­ Chapter 71 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 7) Chapter 71 Cheating Death - Decisions (Part 7) ¡­ Hannah had stroked Ava¡¯s hair and waited for her to wake up. The day had gone by and eventually she even fell asleep next to Ava as her grief and exhaustion overwhelmed her. Except instead of having a wonderful dream that made her feel peaceful and at rest like Daichi, she entered a nightmare that broke her heart over and over again as she replayed the last moments of Kaden¡¯s life over and over in her mind. The physical torture coming in second by comparison to the pain she felt over the loss of her last family member. She woke up sweating completely through her clothes in the middle of the night and only due to the exhaustion of her body did she eventually manage to fall back asleep as she huddled closer to Ava. When Hannah woke up in the morning she felt no less exhausted than she had last night. The constant nightmares had exhausted her mentally far more than her physical body had recovered from her short bursts of sleep. Staring at Ava who was still sound asleep, concern finally started welling up inside of her. ¡°It¡¯s getting a little strange¡­ Ava should have woken up by now.¡± Hannah thought with concern filling her thoughts. Sitting next to Ava, her thoughts and feeling started to grow sour as the thoughts in her mind were making her feeling as if she would go insane. Unable to think of anything else but the loss she¡¯d experienced the day before Hannah stopped sitting down and doing nothing and decided to fill her mind and body with something simple. Hannah looked inside her ring and found Kaden¡¯s daggers as she wistfully and painfully felt his corpse with her mana. He was there, just lying in her ring. Dead and forever lost to her. It took a few minutes before Hannah pulled herself out of her grief and dedicated herself to practicing with the daggers. Although they were daggers they were still 12¡± without the handle. They were long, very long for daggers and they weren¡¯t weapons she¡¯d ever used. Hannah filled her time swinging the daggers around trying to familiarize herself with them. Without realizing it she had decided that she would become proficient with the daggers and use them from now on. She¡¯d been holding the daggers after Daichi had pulled them out and dropped them next to her, she¡¯d been clenching them when she was about to die. If it weren¡¯t for Kaden coming in all of a sudden and grasping her and forcing her into a hug. She might have simply forgotten them or dropped them. Instead she¡¯d absorbed them into her ring when she realized Kaden was dying and wanted to respond to his hug without hurting him. She trained for a few hours, completely oblivious to her surroundings. Even as her muscles ached from the strenuous effort, or her stomach growled in desperate need of food. She ignored it all as she focused on the pain and discomfort which was a welcome distraction from her grief. In the middle of one of her movements, she heard a rustle of trees behind her. Instead of turning around she made another movement as she used the blade to see behind her and saw enough to realize it was Daichi. Hannah¡¯s hatred overwhelmed her as she triggered her Death Follows skill Her mana circling her hands she felt an overwhelming desire to kill him. Just as her mana exploded forth into her hands, it was just as quickly snuffed out as she was suddenly embraced by a powerful golden light. That light felt nearly tangible, as she heard a strange voice seemingly speak directly into her mind ¡°I never imagined I would find someone so special like you so quickly.¡± As the light embraced her, she turned around and stared at Daichi. ¡­ Throughout the conversation with Daichi that same voice had spoken to Hannah time and time again, hoping to get her attention but Hannah¡¯s hatred and anger was focused on Daichi. Hannah didn¡¯t care what this voice was or if she was losing her mind. All she could focus on was Daichi. ¡°You don¡¯t even feel bad¡­ You don¡¯t even feel bad for killing him! He didn¡¯t trust you and now you¡¯ve proven him right! You ended up doing exactly what he thought might happen!¡± Hannah screamed the words as tears fell from her eyes. Her grief and anger now bubbling over together, Hannah heard that same voice from before speak out again ¡°Do you really hate this boy that much? How about this. If I help you kill him will you have a conversation with me then?¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes opened wide at that comment as the voice had finally gotten her attention. ¡°Hehe¡­ So that worked? Good. Now respond in your mind if you agree. I will help you kill him and in exchange you have a conversation with me.¡± the voice responded to the slight fluctuation in Hannah¡¯s expression. Thinking it over, Hannah could only stare at Daichi. She hated him from the bottom of her heart right now. She wanted to kill him but something was holding her back. But¡­ The more she looked at Daichi¡¯s unrepentant expression, the seemingly indifferent look in his eyes and the lack of remorse he had for his actions. The more Hannah¡¯s hatred grew and in a moment of rage. She responded with a whispered ¡°Yes¡± in her mind. ¡°Good¡­ Then just attack him. When you do, I promise you he won¡¯t be able to move, respond or defend himself.¡± the voice responded as if it would be the easiest thing in the world to do. Even as she heard the words, Hannah didn¡¯t once get the feeling of hesitation or wariness that the voice could deliver on the promises it was making. It was as if everything it said, regardless of it the tone was the truth. Hannah stared at Daichi¡¯s eyes and looked, looked everywhere. She looked for some sign of remorse. Finding none¡­ Hannah stopped hesitating and made up her mind. Clenching the daggers that Kaden used, Hannah ran forward towards Daichi looking at his eyes resolutely without rage but a cold hatred instead. The rage helped fuel her courage and ignore her morals, but the hatred was what allowed her to follow through with her decision. Hannah had made up her mind and without delaying any longer, she charged at Daichi! Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised but somehow I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s actually trying to make a move. Is she trying to get herself killed?¡± wondered Daichi as he positioned himself to make a move as she got closer. Running towards Daichi, Hannah threw one of the daggers at him trying to distract him. Daichi dodged the dagger by jumping out of the way and rolling on the ground and getting back up as fluidly as could be done. Utterly unperturbed by Hannah¡¯s attack. Using that same amount of time to move even closer, Hannah finally got within striking distance as Daichi merely lifted up one of his hands towards her and prepared to stun her. ¡°I¡¯ll stop her, disarm her and try to talk some sense into her one last time. More than that and I¡¯ll have to consider killing her.¡± Daichi thought as he lifted his hand pointing it towards Hannah and readied his Chaotic Eruption skill. Just as he was about to trigger his skill everything in the area seemed to glow with that strange golden light from before completely blinding Daichi. More over, Daichi himself felt frozen in place. ¡°What¡¯s happening?? I can¡¯t even trigger my skill. My mana is dissipated and I can¡¯t feel it anymore. What did she do!?¡± Daichi suddenly felt completely alert and an impending sense of danger as his eyesight returned but Hannah¡¯s face was already inches from his now as she slid the knife in right in his chest. Confusion and pain hit Daichi at the same time as he still couldn¡¯t move but he could feel that Hannah had hit something important. Even his breathing became haggard almost instantly. Hannah stared at Daichi and her hatred seemed to disappear for a second as she gazed at his confused and startled expression. Backing away as if she¡¯d done something wrong Hannah felt an overwhelming feeling of powerlessness over come her as the weight of what she¡¯d done crashed over her. Instead of feeling relief, or justice. She just felt colder. Her hatred had been slightly satisfied but instead of feeling better she felt worse. She stared at Daichi for minutes before he could finally move, but by then the amount of blood that had poured out had already left him pale and weak. Daichi fell on his knees and started coughing up blood the moment he was unfrozen. Daichi reached for the dagger that was lodged in his chest and felt the cold handle. It felt so solid. Somehow heavier than even his own swords had ever felt in his hands. Hannah watched him coughing blood up repeatedly and finally when she couldn¡¯t bare it any longer, turned away and turned around and walked back to Hannah ignoring Daichi altogether. He was going to die but she didn¡¯t want to watch. ¡°This is serious. I don¡¯t know how she did it. But this is serious. Am I really going to die like this? What the hell! How¡¯d I let myself get over confident again! I already made this mistake once, how¡¯d I let myself make the same mistake again! That is not who I am! If I live, I will never make the same mistake again. I will learn from each and every mistake and grow!¡± Daichi pledged to himself as his mind remained fairly calm even as his body was racked with a coughing fit as he struggled to breathe. Hannah had moved away from him and Daichi looked around for any way he could survive. He could still see her and she was near Ava. ¡°If I can reach Ava¡­ I could take her life and heal¡­. Damn it! There¡¯s no way Hannah is going to let me! The only reason she moved is because she¡¯s just letting me die slowly!¡± Daichi continued to cough as he felt his options dwindling by the second. Finally out of the corner of his eye, Daichi made eye contact with the mist which seemed slightly closer now. A slight glimmer of hope crossed through his mind as he realized where he needed to go. ¡°I hesitated going in before because something told me it wasn¡¯t safe. Now I have no option. I¡¯m going to die one way or another. At least in there maybe I have a chance. Maybe she won¡¯t follow.¡± Making up his mind, Daichi started trying to make his way over, as he got up and stumbled forward a few times. The amount of blood he¡¯d lost was already making him woozy and each step felt like it took all of the effort he had in him. Finally giving way, he fell forward on the ground just a few steps from the mist. The gras felt differently as he hit the ground so much closer to the mist. It felt colder, alive even. Reluctant to give up, Daichi started using his hands and elbows to crawl forward as Hannah finally returned her gaze and watched him. The blades of gras actually cutting him and leaving cuts all over his forearms as he crawled forward, nearly oblivious to the pain of the cuts as his head was growing numb and weaker by the second. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do a thing. He was going to die before. Now he¡¯ll die an agonizing death. That mist is a part of the realm of gods. Even the gods themselves can only enter for short periods of times and with great risk to themselves. The moment he enters, his fate will be sealed¡± the voice murmured into Hannah¡¯s mind as a look of relief and sadness simultaneously appeared on her face. Finally only inches away from the mist, Daichi crawled forward without hesitation as part of his body entered it. The moment his arms and head entered the mist, it seemed to swallow his entire body whole as it expanded to include him. The entire mist seemed to visibly move forward enveloping an even greater area before receding backwards even further then before. Its entire circumference growing far smaller than before. Hannah looked closely as she felt a twinge of regret beneath the self justification her hatred was providing her. ¡­ On top of the cliff Tael made a surprised expression as his eyes nearly shined with awe. He finally stood up as he decided it was time to make some introductions. Especially now that two of the kids had died. His enmity had concluded and this was an opportunity. Taking a step forward onto what seemed like air in front of the cliff, Tael disappeared from the area. Chapter 72 Chosen - Hannah (Part 1 of 2) Chapter 72 Chosen - Hannah (Part 1 of 2) These are chapters with a lot of content, so be prepared readers! Also¡­ Due to the nature of the chapters¡­ I will release both today. Although due to the length (and edits I made to this chapter) and will make to the next, it will be a little while before the following chapter is posted. ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª ¡°Now that, that matter has been settled. Even though it doesn¡¯t seem like it has brought you much solace, I believe it is time we have that conversation.¡± the voice murmured in Hannah¡¯s mind as she vaguely listened. Hannah felt a little numb as she realized she didn¡¯t have much of a choice, but at least whatever or whoever had helped had held up it¡¯s end of the bargain. Hannah nodded her head assuming it could understand her sign of agreement. ¡°Before I became a god, I was called Luna. Once I did, I was given the title of Moonlight Reaper.¡± the voice said as the outline of a body the size of 50 meters appeared before Hannah, the outline majestic as it radiated a golden light that shined so splendidly it made making out the features impossible. The golden light gave off a regal aura that made every word spoken feel like a decree from a king. As the size of the outline grew smaller and smaller becoming only as large as Hannah herself. Her shape became a bit hazy and her form seemed surreal. Most importantly as Hannah noticed was that even as she stared at the figure before her. It was as if she could see but couldn¡¯t remember what she was seeing even while still looking. Hannah¡¯s mind was in a state of shock as the words suddenly merged with the figure before her. Not a single shred of doubt lingered in Hannah¡¯s mind, this being that called itself a god was indeed just that. She felt like she was looking at the sun and trying to make out a detail while trying to stop herself from looking away as her eyes burned. Not a single god had appeared before a human in recorded history. That is not to say that it had never happened, it was just not openly discussed if it did. Some sects, schools and families had many secrets and passed the information they had from the past down to other family members, but any thing as serious as this was guarded and never spread. Hannah didn¡¯t know what to say, ¡°What do I say to a god? Why is she even speaking to me?¡± Hannah wondered as she stared at the majestic presence before her. If Hannah had analyzed the situation a bit better, she would have realized that there was no point in appearing in such a forceful form that could be seen but not comprehended, if not for the sole purpose of verifying it¡¯s identity and showing off. Hannah wholeheartedly believed that this was the form of the gods at this moment. ¡°I am going to tell you a story. You are going to listen¡­ And then you are going to make a decision. A choice that only a selected few will have to make in the coming years.¡± Luna spoke, her tone even. ¡°There are many worlds. They exist in the vast reaches of space and our universe. Some are incredibly marvelous, some primitive and simple, but regardless of the world they all follow the rules of this universe. There is a great expanse which cannot be explained or covered within a mere conversation. It would take a human life time for a mere cursory description of every planet, every star, every race. Every single living thing. There is a vastness, and in that vastness there exists all of which is encompassed by this universe. Originally there was only one god. One keeper of the universe to oversee it¡¯s rules and to wield the power to create and destroy. He was the wielder of the title of ¡°God¡± and it is the power of god that has influenced that makes up the immortals in existence. Unable to stop herself Hannah blurted out, ¡°Wait¡­ The power that makes up God or God? I thought you were a god. I¡¯m sorry but I¡¯m getting confused¡± Hannah admitted as she felt overwhelmed by the information much less the majestic presence before her which was making it hard to focus. ¡°Try not to interrupt unless it¡¯s necessary¡­ It¡¯s commonly known among us gods that the first ¡°God¡± after an unknown period of time, reached a point where the loneliness and boredom overwhelmed him. The greatest threat we gods face is our own boredom. Time is our foe without anything motivating us. The first ¡°God¡± created a loophole for lesser beings, an opportunity to attain a small piece of his power. A chance to stand above the rules of the universe and become an immortal. All lesser beings live on worlds like yours previously was. You are a lesser being. Anything that does not possess immortality is by our definition a lesser being. When a lesser being begins understanding mana, the universe and one of the attributes that either makes up the universe, the worlds or exists within, they begin on the path of immortality. Most begin this path without realizing it but never reach far enough to truly be considered having tread the path of understanding. Reaching a level of mastery of understanding through mana in a given piece that makes up the universe is the first requirement. The second is strength. A trained mind and body. Once these requirements are met, a lesser being is given a choice by the power that makes up ¡°God.¡±¡± Over time various different beings attained this level of power, creating the gods that most worlds and their inhabitants know of. The power of ¡°God¡± grants a being that has mastered and understood an attribute to it¡¯s completion a godhood. A godhood is divine body. Making a lesser being a demigod. An immortal that can do as he or she pleases in the mortal realm but also enter God¡¯s Realm. This is still the weakest form of an immortal. Above them, there are gods, highroads and unique gods. The requirements vary, but the difference between a god and a demigod lies in attaining a ¡°divinity¡±. A god has a godhood, a vessel which holds their divinity, the liquid inside of the vessel. The purest form of energy which is derived from God. It can be wielded in many ways but the differences are great between those two barriers. A god can survive even without a body, such as myself. A demigod cannot. A god can only be killed by another god. A demigod can be killed by a lesser being (however improbable). A god cannot kill a lesser being directly. A god cannot live in a lesser realm permanently. A demigod can do both. We are limited by our own power by God himself. The gods inside of the universe exist against the will of the universe. We are existences that have overcome the rule of the universe that dictates death. We exist inside of it and apart from it, but still ruled by it. Now¡­ You may be wondering why it is called a ¡°title¡± if there was only meant to be one ¡°God¡± or one immortal from the start right¡­? ¡°God¡± is a title, it is a title given to whichever god wields the greatest power in the universe. That god is given the title because only one god can hold the power to create and destroy the universe at will. Originally this was the only being that was supposed to be immortal. The keeper of the universe, the one meant to enforce the rules of natural order. Over time due to the loophole that ¡°God¡± created, more beings came into existence that were qualified to hold this power. They were and are qualified because they possess the essence of the original ¡°God¡±. That is why the title of ¡°God¡± can and has changed over time. There have been 2 since the creation of the universe. Although the first ¡°God¡± created a set of rules that cannot be broken or changed, regardless of who holds the title because his will was infused into the power that the title-wielder holds. Now¡­ I want you to understand that I¡¯ve told you all of this for a purpose. A few human weeks ago, God chose to end himself. In doing so he nearly destroyed the universe by accident, or more accurately by inadvertent consequence.¡± Luna paused almost for dramatic effect, or perhaps because she herself found the event of grave importance. Hannah only stared wide eyed. Not fully comprehending everything she was being told. Everything was so many realms above everything that the humans in this world knew that her mind was trying to digest all the new information. Seeing Hannah¡¯s rapt attention focused on her story, Luna continued ¡°Every god in the God¡¯s realm had to sacrifice their godhoods and part of their very essence which is their divinity in order to both stop and repair the universe. We succeeded but at great cost to ourselves. We no longer have bodies. In some ways, the demigods who had to sacrifice very little are now the strongest beings in existence.¡± Luna spoke, her voice now held a hint of weariness. Recalling what she and her fellow gods had endured had taken a toll on her mentally. ¡°Eh¡­? How come? You all still exist though. I mean¡­ I don¡¯t want to come off as rude but¡­ How does that affect of us ¡®lesser beings¡¯?¡± Hannah asked while giving voice to what she thought was a fair question. ¡°The gods were the ones who monitored the demigods. Therefore they did not run wild because any god could kill them with ease and with no repercussions. Now it would take a huge toll on any of us to do. Our divinities are still in existence, but they won¡¯t be forever. Not without a vessel, not without a godhood. We are now mortal in a sense. In the sense that we will perish in time.¡± As Luna finished Hannah finally caught up as a little bit of understanding dawned on her. ¡°If these beings that may as well be gods to any normal creature could do as they pleased¡­ It wasn¡¯t a stretch to say they could shape this world or any other if they wanted too.¡± Hannah thought out loud. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Then as if a light bulb went off in her head, a cold shudder crept down Hannah¡¯s spine as a daunting thought crossed her mind about her recent events. Luna stared at Hannah as comprehension dawned on her as she began connecting dots in her mind, ¡°Correct¡­And while that holds some relevance to you. That is not why I am telling you this. I am telling you because of what is to come next. The world will change in many ways, especially yours. Your world is no longer your own, a large portion of your world melded into ours. Into the realm and world that used to be solely for the gods. Perhaps it¡¯s more accurate to say that they melded together since our ¡°world¡± was a realm and not a world in it of itself.¡± Hannah didn¡¯t really understand her meaning, but at least that of explained the huge differences they¡¯d all experienced since waking up to their town in ruins. ¡°I will follow this up by letting you know that your world isn¡¯t the only one that was¡­ By lack of better phrasing, also melted into our realm. I won¡¯t speak to the intricacies of our realm as it would be useless to the you now. I will only give you a comparison to expand your mind. If it would have taken you 4 years to traverse your entire world on foot before, with time to rest and traverse the more difficult portions¡­ Then I will tell you that if you wanted to travel to the end of this world, you wouldn¡¯t even cover a blip in an entire human lifetime.¡± Luna¡¯s words lingered in the air as Hannah stared at her in shock. Believing the world to be one thing, being told it had changed but then having that bubble expanded and popped right in front of your very eyes would be hard for anyone to accept much less truly comprehend. Hannah was stuck trying to wrap her head around the first things the first portion of what this god had told her, all this information was more than overwhelming but now she was being told that her entire world was nothing but a small rock on what by comparison was an actual world. Seeing confusion and apprehension in Hannah¡¯s eyes made Luna feel gratified that the girl she was speaking too was taking her words with the seriousness they deserved. Continuing her story ,¡°Without the gods maintaining the rules they set forth everything will slowly return to a more primitive form¡­ I won¡¯t speak to this any further as only time will show you what I mean. Instead I want to tell you why I¡¯ve chosen to speak with you as I have. The first God set one rule regarding his power before he chose death. A rule to decide who was most worthy of receiving his title and power. It was a manner in which to decide how a god could attain his power. Chasing a form that required a variety of qualifications. God chose to hold a set of trials. Trials for both the gods and lesser beings alike. These trials would inevitably decide on who would gain the qualifications to become the next God. Which lesser beings would have the right to attain a higher form, and which beings and worlds would di-¡° Hannah interrupted mid sentence again unable to hold herself back ¡°Why would we die? It¡¯s a competition for gods! Why would a lesser being and it¡¯s world be destroyed?¡± Giving her a look of impertinence, ¡°Do not interrupt me again. Use your own brain to think about it once I¡¯ve finished giving you all of the information. Only an idiot asks a question or makes up his or her mind before given all of the information.¡± That look on consternation made Hannah shut up immediately as she was chastised by a god making her feel small. ¡°After his passing, all the gods in existence would have a time limit set before their divinities withered away and died. Regardless of whether they had a godhood or not. They simply had more time than we do. Each god must create a dungeon within our realm. Then choose a lesser being as a representative to try and complete that dungeon. We must guide our representative to our dungeon and then without any interference allow them to try and attain the best possible result. The dungeon itself varies in difficulty and is decided upon by it¡¯s maker. It holds grave importance. Now this is the part that is equally meaningful for you as much as me. If the god¡¯s do not have someone complete at least one higher dungeon, then as the gods fade away so will the power that suppose the universe. As no one will attain the title of God and maintain the universe. All organic life will wither away and die, the fires will become unstable. Gravity will lose it¡¯s pull. The vacuum of space will affect the air within the individual worlds. The void will begin to swallow up matter at random. The universe will die, and so will everything within it. Now. I think you can more or less guess where I am going with this. I want to choose you to be my representative. I want you to be my chosen.¡± as Luna finished speaking Hannah¡¯s mouth gaped open. ¡°The universe will cease to exist and she wants ME to be the one to help her stop this!? What in the world could make her think I would be capable of this!? This is crazy! I can¡¯t do this, the weight of the entire world much less the universe? I can¡¯t even handle the kaden being gone¡­¡± Hannah thought as her grief started to swell and her earlier thoughts and surprise and awe seemingly faded into the background. Even as she stared at the ground letting everything sink in, Hannah still couldn¡¯t understand why not participating would mean their deaths. ¡°It would be one thing if no one won, but as long as someone does, doesn¡¯t it fix the problem¡± Hannah wondered. ¡°Hmm. I will answer your unasked questions. I am choosing you because you have my lineage. You have at least one drop of diluted blood from my line. Only those who have my bloodline will be able to innately trigger a Death Attribute.¡± Luna said with the aura of a god and the loftiness to match. Pride swelling within the very words she spoke. ¡°Is.. that a big deal? I mean know it¡¯s not a common attribute but sti-¡° Hannah wasn¡¯t finished before Luna cut her off. ¡°As for the other question¡­ You are going to have to learn to become more insightful¡­ Imagine a scenario with various gods vying for power through their representatives. If someone does attain the greatest power, do you think those representatives wouldn¡¯t have gotten into conflict at more than one point throughout their journey? Do you think enmity wouldn¡¯t have been created in-between different groups and races? Do you think the representatives themselves do not gain power as they complete these trials? Exactly. Also, it¡¯s not so fun to be cut off mid-sentence now is it?¡± Luna¡¯s voice had steadily been increasing as she spoke. Clearly she was bothered by Hannah¡¯s lack of effort into realizing something that to her, was obvious (and also because she didn¡¯t like being interrupted and was still holding a slight grudge¡­) ¡°You must not understand the value upon which you simply stumbled upon. What an ¡°attribute¡± is. Anyone can gain understanding and mastery over anything. That which exists in the universe can be understood by those inside of it. An ¡°Attribute¡± means that you are born or have unlocked a limited understanding with no work. The equivalent of¡­ Being born able to crawl. It sets you on a path that is both easier and set out for you. It¡¯s an advantage but that is all. Still, it¡¯s a very, very rare advantage.¡± Luna paused as her gaze bore down on Hannah. She wanted her words to sink in. Luna then added ¡°The ability to gain or unlock an ¡°attribute¡± was something we gods set into place and maintain with our power. It was a means to get children (lesser beings) to grow stronger. Training wheels in order for you all to attain enough enlightenment to join our ranks.¡± even as she spoke, she was expecting to see a look of admiration in Hannah¡¯s eyes, and seeing exactly that. ¡°Understanding death is one of the hardest and most complicated paths within the universe. I was the first to understand death to the level of a High God. Thus earning the title of Moonlight Reaper.¡± Luna spoke further bolstering her position in front of Hannah. Even as most of it went over her head, Hannah understood the implication. She was very rare, and because of that this god held her in high esteem. Perhaps not because of what or who she was, but this god was measuring her based on her potential. Hannah also realized that this was likely a very powerful or special god to have attained something so amazing. ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t think I can do this.¡± Hannah finally spoke, as fear that her words would anger this god spread through her. ¡°Give me one reason why not.¡± Luna replied unrelentingly. Hesitating to speak up, Hannah finally mustered the courage to be honest with the god in front of her and herself, ¡°I¡­ I just lost my brother. I am barely hanging on. I don¡¯t have what it takes to do what you¡¯re asking of me. I just¡­ I just don¡¯t have it in me to bear the weight of the world on my shoulders.¡± Unflinchingly the god before responded as if the words she would should have been a given, ¡°You are walking the path of death. The path of death is opposite the path of life. The path that ties the two together is un-death. You have lost your brother, your most precious family member. Then why not aim to bring him back to life? I can guide you towards this end. I can guide you in becoming strong enough to regain what you have lost.¡± Hannah¡¯s eyes teared up as she slowly tried to stop her body from trembling. The words Luna had spoken had shaken her to her very core. The possibility of being able to bring Kaden back to life had never crossed her mind. Something so impossible would have been too farfetched for Hannah to believe had it been anyone else speaking the words¡­ But this was a god. A god who Hannah had enough instinct to know was special in some way. She was clearly not at the bottom of the god totem pole. Clearing her throat, Hannah asked exactly what was on her mind, ¡°Is that even possible? Can I really do that?¡± ¡°If you possess the body then yes. I can seal the soul which should still be in the body. Reviving him as undead should not be impossible within reasonable period of time. Reviving his soul into his undead body will take far more skill. Reviving him back to his former self, giving him life. That will take the pinnacle of understanding and training, but yes.¡± Luna said without wavering, her confidence inspiring a belief in Hannah that gave her a hope that she thought was previously lost. Chapter 73 Chosen - Hannah (Part 2 of 2) Chapter 73 Chosen - Hannah (Part 2 of 2) Hannah¡¯s gaze was moist as she felt light and freed of a crushing weight for the first time since Kaden¡¯s death. Carrying his death on her shoulders had been crushing her, but carrying his life in her hands was something she could manage. Regardless of how many thorns were on that path. That light hearted feeling caused by hope was short lived though as Luna turned her head to the side drawing Hannah¡¯s attention in the direction of her gaze. Appearing almost out of thin air, Tael stood around 10 meters away from them. Hannah¡¯s stomach turned. Even without realizing it her breathing had become ragged and it looked to Luna and Tael as if she was having trouble breathing as she stared at Tael with a look of hatred that she hadn¡¯t bothered to try and mask. Tael merely gave Hannah a glance of contempt before looking back in the direction of Luna without directly gazing at her. ¡°I apologize for just dropping by, but I believed it would be only polite of me to pay my respects in person.¡± Tael said as he gave a slight bow in their direction. Clearly the action and the respect he was conveying was aimed at Luna and not Hannah. ¡°Fine. If there is nothing else, you can leave now¡± Luna said while clearly conveying his presence was an unwelcome interruption. Hannah¡¯s death mana started to agglomerate in her hands as her emotions seethed as she barely constrained herself from rushing at Tael at that very moment. The smallest most rational part of Hannah¡¯s brain was telling her that it would be a death sentence but that same part was also telling her that now she had a god who was interested in her. ¡°Surely she wouldn¡¯t just let me die so easily would she?¡± Hannah thought as that self-control was whittled away as even her logic was failing her as a reason not to attack the monster before her and get revenge for Kaden. Inside of Hannah¡¯s head Luna¡¯s voice reverberated like a cold bucket of water splashing directly on her thoughts, ¡°He can kill you in an instant and I won¡¯t choose someone who would do something so stupid. I also won¡¯t waste my previous life and time to kill him unnecessarily for you. Someone I have just met and who hasn¡¯t agreed to be my chosen, much less rendered any merits.¡± The instant realization that she had no protection. Nothing at all, made the small string that had been on the verge of snapping in Hannah¡¯s mind stop. Even so, Hannah couldn¡¯t reign in her mana and emotions. She could only stop herself from taking that first step forward. ¡°I was wondering whether you wanted me to take that girl over there off your hands.¡± Tael said with a nonchalant expression that made the veins in Hannah¡¯s forehead bulge ¡°Why the hell would I do that!?¡± Tael¡¯s original intent had been to take revenge on those that had angered his pets. Who are an extension of himself as they are his. Once he had met Daichi his intentions had changed. While he couldn¡¯t go back on his word, there was no reason for him to not seek them out. In reality he was looking for entertainment and they had proven mildly entertaining. He had even sent them down to this level of the forest¡­ Where he knew there was an area restricted even to the gods, and a god itself passing through. Tael had merely hoped to see whether they would insult him too. Moreover he wanted to see what Hannah would do. Whether she could get past her hatred of Daichi, or whether he would be heartbroken by her possible betrayal. They were a drama waiting to happen in a forest that was generally devoid of entertainment. What he hadn¡¯t anticipated was that Hannah would be able to kill Daichi. That she would do so, so soon after he¡¯d sent them down. That she would come into contact with the god in the area, and that it would take an interest in her. That Daichi would barely survive only to commit suicide and enter the mist. Every thing that had happened after he had sent them down this area had surprised him. It was the entertainment he had hoped for¡­ Except now he knew that this girl was, if only presently, on good terms with this god. Even if all the gods had lost their godhoods, Tael would not be so stupid as to offend any of them unnecessarily. He still didn¡¯t know which god this was, as they had lost their bodies. Yet he could tell based on the divinity it exuded alone, that before the cataclysmic event that occurred it had not been a weak or ordinary god. Without so much as looking at Hannah, Tael explained himself ¡°You see, I wronged this girl just days ago. I didn¡¯t expect that you would really take an interest in any of these children when I had them come down here. They slighted my pets so I wanted to play with them. Now that you have taken any interest in this one¡­ I would like to offer my services and give you the service of taking care of this other one. She has been afflicted by my mana. I am not quite sure why this other one wasn¡¯t¡­ But when her companion¡¯s life essence was being released to heal them, so was my mana and the seal within. This one has been badly afflicted and without my help she will die.¡± After a few moments, ¡°He isn¡¯t lying. You can either leave her with him or she will likely die.¡± Luna spoke the words directly into Hannah¡¯s mind as Hannah reeled. Every single event in the past few days had left Hannah feeling powerless and out of control. Nothing had gone her way and now she felt like she¡¯d been sucker punched yet again. ¡°How¡­ How can I possibly leave her to him..? After what he did? He¡¯s a monster! I can¡¯t trust him! I won¡¯t!¡± Hannah screamed the words in her mind to stop herself from screaming them aloud. A grin slowly appeared on Tael¡¯s face as he seemingly thought of something¡­ ¡°Oh¡­ I suppose there¡¯s also something you didn¡¯t know¡­ We will likely never meet again so it would be cruel if I didn¡¯t share with you now¡± the grin spread across his face as a cruel light appeared in his eyes ¡°When I turned your brother into my puppet, I had to do so with a seal and my mana. It is a particular skill of mine¡­ Since he was so weak, once my mana faded away, in minutes or hours or days. He would have died. In essence, your brother was dead the moment I used my skill on him.¡± Tael finally turned his full attention on Hannah. He was offered his help as a token to the god before him and done his service. On the other hand, Tael had a bit of a daredevelish streak within him. The more Hannah had continued to stare daggers at him, the more he wanted to tease her. Then the thought struck him ¡°What if I turn this meritorious service into entertainment as well? Two for one? How much would she loathe me if she had to give up her friend to the only person left to direct her hate towards?¡± Hannah heard the words but couldn¡¯t focus on them as her whole body weakened. The mana surrounding her hands dissipated as her mind reeled. She stumbled forward a step without even realizing it as once again she¡¯d been blind sided. She felt like a small crack had suddenly appeared in her mind¡­ Luna only observed as she had still not chosen the girl with her lineage. If she wasn¡¯t smart enough to make even the most basic life or death decisions, then she wouldn¡¯t choose her after all. It was clear to her that the logical option was to let her friend go with this demigod before her. Regardless of the pain and hatred she was experiencing. ¡°He¡¯s telling the truth. Both about what he did to your brother and about deciding to save your friend¡¯s life.¡± Luna spoke to Hannah, there was no sympathy or room for coddling in her words. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Luna told Hannah the exact truth without pretending to give her an alternative, however cruel it may have seemed, ¡°He means what he says. If you want her to live then let her go with him. I won¡¯t save that girl. I have no obligation too. So decide what you want to do¡±. Hannah¡¯s body began to shake uncontrollably as she was cornered yet again. ¡°How can I just let this go¡±¡­ Hannah thought as she tried to wipe away the new stream of tears, as her trembling knees felt too weak to support her any longer and she collapsed to the floor. She felt that crack in her mind spreading a little bit further. ¡°I¡­ I killed Daichi and now I don¡¯t even know if I was wrong¡­ A-nd¡­And now I have to let that monster¡­ That monster take Ava! The monster that killed my brother. I-i just¡­ I don¡¯t know anymore.¡± Hannah finally gave voice to her thoughts aloud. The crack in her mind now spreading in more directions. Finally overwhelmed by everything, her emotions and events. Hannah felt an emptiness appear inside of her. Devoid of everything for a moment, Hannah¡¯s body finally stilled as an eeriness formed by her aura seemed to surround her entire body. Devoid of anything any more. The moments ticked by as that void within Hannah slowly began to fill with her hatred for Tael. Hannah was staring at Tael now but her left eye was twitching uncontrollably, her gaze focused on Tael but not him but the idea of him right in front of her. Everything he suddenly represented. A slow smile spread across Hannah¡¯s face as she stared at the cruel grin still hanging on Tael¡¯s lips. A longing to rip his face to shreds with an equally strong regard for patience. Patience to nurture her hatred was spreading though Hannah. All the anger and weakness she¡¯d felt before had been turned into hatred within Hannah. Finally for the first time in her life, she¡¯d given way to a small part of herself she¡¯d kept bottled up her entire life. Her mind slowly coming to a resolution. A resolution to give vent to the hatred that seemed to be the only thing keeping her together. Hannah spoke in her mind with the intention of Luna understanding her¡­ ¡°Then let her die¡­ I would rather her die than see him take her¡­ Let her die¡­ And I will bring her back. I would rather bring her back no matter how she comes back then let him take anything else away from me.¡± Hannah replied to Tael smiling at him with a genuine beauty and ease that made him sober up. Tael gazed at Hannah who now exuded a surreal beauty in her features and smile that was absurdly out of place. A discomfort spreading through him that ruined what little entertainment he¡¯d been having. ¡°Do you want me to save her life or not?¡± he said as obligation to do what he had offered deterred him from simply leaving. ¡°She has decided she would like to proceed without your help.¡± Luna replied for Hannah. Tael did not hesitate to linger any longer. The mood had been spoiled by Hannah leaving him with no pleasure from their interaction ¡°You know best what this means so I won¡¯t say any more. I will take my leave.¡± Turning out around and walking away, as walked forward and through the trees he disappeared from their sights completely leaving the area. Still smiling at the area Tael had left from, Hannah turned to look at Luna with the innocence that only a child could possess as she asked in a soft voice ¡°How strong will I need to be to take everything and everyone he cares about and turn it all to dust? How long will I have to wait before I can make him experience a pain that even I did not feel? What do I have to do in order to make him my plaything like what he did to me?¡± Luna looked at the smiling Hannah and returned the smile, utterly pleased with the one she¡¯d chosen. She was everything that Luna was hoping she would be. If properly nurtured, she might turn out similar to herself she thought as she felt content with Hannah at the moment. ¡°Tael is a demigod. It will be a very long path, but I will guide you down the path best suited for you to achieve all of your ambitions. You will become strong, strong enough to kill him if that is your desire. Strong enough to gain the ability to resurrect your brother if that is your goal. Strong enough to complete the task I¡¯ve now set before you, if you choose that responsibility.¡± Luna said with the tone of a mother speaking to her young child as she felt the first twinge of endearment towards Hannah. Hannah looked at Luna with determination but looking past her, there was a slight flicker of emotion that passed through her gaze before disappearing into emptiness as she¡¯d seen the mist behind them. Luna¡¯s perception was that of a god and there was no way she would have missed that flicker of uncertainty. Luna gazed at Hannah solemnly, ¡°He is dead. Think nothing more of it. That mist is a chaotic space. It is a place no god can freely enter. Only the previous God had attained the full enlightenment of Chaos. Something that exists outside of our realm of existence, outside of this universe. It is something no one other than him could touch and understand. Your friend is dead. His corpse, even if it were still in existence could never be retrieved. He is forever lost.¡± Her gaze returning to that motherly look of love, Luna¡¯s demeanor changed instantly almost as if at the drop of a dime again, ¡°Now take care of what you have to do so I can give you the protection that only a god can.¡± Hannah tilted her head in confusion at the words, but followed Luna¡¯s gaze to Ava. Understanding clicking immediately. Hannah had already made her decision after all. Looking around, Hannah stood up a little clumsily, her balance slightly off as she walked over to the sleeping Ava and reached dow and stroked her hair again. Hannah stared at Ava almost lovingly as she saw Kaden in Ava at the moment. Instead of seeing Ava¡¯s scarred throat, her sleeping face, her companion, her friend, she simply saw one of the most important people she still had left. Igniting the feeling of death throughout her entire body, Hannah willed that feeling into her hands as she agglomerated mana and triggered her Death Follows skill as she continued to stroke Ava¡¯s hair. She felt Ava¡¯s life fade away almost instantly and as she did, she willed that same mana into her ring as she pulled Ava¡¯s body into the same space as Kaden. ¡°Now he won¡¯t be so lonely until I bring him back!¡± Hannah thought as she smiled and turned back to look at Luna who was close enough to touch and looking at her approvingly. Luna reached down and placed a finger above Hannah¡¯s heart and a light revolved around her as it seared into Hannah¡¯s entire body. The light looked golden, blinding and eye catching to Hannah but to anything and anyone far enough it looked like a grey aura of death as darkness swelled around the entire area taking life from everything around them. The grass, trees, leaves, and roots around them, anything that contained life was turned into a sea of decay as Hannah was branded and changed. Protected by her new patron god, Hannah was now becoming one of the first chosen. Chapter 74 Chosen - Daichi (Part 1 of 2) Chapter 74 Chosen - Daichi (Part 1 of 2) Only more chapter after this until the end of the first book. The last chapter will be posted tomorrow. I will also likely post the announcements page tomorrow as well (as I''ve already re-written and added things to it) The announcements thread will already contain most comments about future posting schedules, some answers, start date of next posts, future plans, etc etc Any questions can be posted there and I will respond to all of them. -Not to repeats of questions already asked or anything that would contain a spoiler on my part. -------------------------------------------------------- The instant that Daichi had been enveloped by the mist an indescribable pain overwhelmed him. Unable to withstand the pain he could barely keep his eyes opened as the last thing he saw was the mist swirling around him like a twister, instead of focusing on the pain he only thought ¡°Well that¡¯s strange¡­ No wind.¡± before he lost consciousness. It was only as his subconsciousness took over, that the mana formed mist resonated with Daichi¡¯s mana. The mist moved him to the very center and began to heal and seal his body. Instead of healing Daichi¡¯s wound¡­ The mist was healing him around the wound. Sealing his entire body into a state of suspended animation to save his life. The mist was sealing his body into a state in which it both existed and did not exist within the realm it was in. The mist enveloped his body until there was a fine sheen of mist completely surrounding his body like a layer of translucent mist-skin. Leaving Daichi¡¯s body immobile and sealed in place. Time moved forward. Never stopping for any one event. Eventually Daichi¡¯s conscious mind woke up but he himself felt immobile. Unable to move his body. Stuck in place and unable to do a single. Before panic set in, Daichi tried to figure out what was happening to himself and his body. ¡°I am definitely still me¡­ I¡¯m still hurt but I¡¯m not getting worse and the pain doesn¡¯t seem to be bothering me either¡­I can¡¯t move a single body part but I can still feel my mana. I can¡¯t open my status screen¡­ This is starting to feel very familiar¡­¡± Daichi thought as he recalled the two previous scenarios that were all too similar. ¡°Well it is and it isn¡¯t.¡± Daichi heard himself answer. Seeing as he didn¡¯t mean to say it, or hadn¡¯t realized he¡¯d thought it he wondered what he himself meant. ¡°I must be going crazy already¡­¡± Daichi thought only to have himself reply instantly ¡°Not so¡­ Although I can tell this is going to be a very repetitive conversation if it keeps up the same way. I know what I would do and apparently I¡¯m doing it.¡± In the next moment Daichi felt himself open his eyes as he was floating in the air in a dimly lit sky with nothing in any direction. Daichi suddenly able to move, looked down at his hands and arms and felt his body all over checking to see if he was okay. Finding everything to be perfectly normal¡­ A small suspicion started to arise as he still felt the pain of his injury but saw no evidence of it. Staring into the vast expanse ahead of him, Daichi frowned as he looked around and found nothing in any direction. It was as if he was in a world with nothing but clouds with himself at the center. Clouds in all directions and nothing else. In fact he wondered how there was even any light with no notable light source. Daichi moved a little closer to one of the clouds and just as he was about to reach out, he stopped himself as his instinct warned him to stop. A sudden feeling of danger arose in his mind as he¡¯d reached out to touch the cloud. It was only then that Daichi looked more closely and noticed the cloud was not a real cloud¡­ It was a cloud of mist. All of these clouds were just imitations made of mist. The same mist he¡¯d seen before. Out of the mist a carbon copy of himself appeared before him. A mirror-like reflection of himself seemingly created from the mist itself. They stared at one another with the same look, feelings and thoughts. Daichi wondered what was happening and whether he really was looking in a mirror ¡°I kind of led you here¡­ Which seemed like a terrible idea¡­ But after analyzing the stupid mistakes we¡¯ve made in the past few days it really seemed like the only way.¡± The mist Daichi spoke. Daichi simply stared at himself as he finally asked the only question that seemed to make sense ¡°Are you my subconscious or something?¡± ¡°No. This is going to be a little confusing and hard to believe, but you needed answers we needed to give them to you¡­ I am you¡­ Except I¡¯m not. *sigh* This is so tedious. Before you even ask a question, just listen to what I have to say and then think about you yourself having to give yourself this same speech and then tell me you aren¡¯t annoyed by the inconvenience.¡± The second Daichi said while getting into a cross legged sitting position in mid-air and looking as if he was really sitting on air. Bringing his hand to rub his forehead, the second Daichi looked weary as he rubbed his temples and began his explanation about the gods. He recited everything that had happened with the previous God, what the gods had done to save the universe and keep it together. How a lesser being can become a god and the path and checkpoints needed to reach that level of enlightenment. After giving Daichi a rudimentary explanation and making sure he understood, he finally allowed Daichi to ask only one question. Disappointingly to the mist Daichi, the first Daichi chose to ask him who and what he was. Giving himself an annoyed look, ¡°Of course that¡¯s what you¡¯d ask. I tell you all these marvelous things about the world. Enlightenment. Basically secrets of the universe that only a few lesser beings in the entire universe know and you ask something about yourself. Tch.¡± the mist Daichi seemed genuinely annoyed at himself. ¡°It¡¯s almost ridiculous seeing myself from the outside. It¡¯s like I know what my faults are but the second this me is gone, all that¡¯ll be left is you. Ugh. I was God. I didn¡¯t chose to kill myself either. I was just bored and finally done with the responsibilities of my title. It was a heavy burden, but mainly it was just really boring. You¡¯d be sad to hear that being God is actually fruitless. There is little to actually do with the gods in existence and only if I wanted to hurt and kill other gods, which is far less amusing than you might think would I have anything to do. All the power in the universe and nothing to do with it.¡± the second Daichi answered still rubbing his temples. He¡¯d taken a break as he¡¯d explained the story of the gods to Daichi but the more he spoke the more weary he seemed to become. Gazing at Daichi with a reluctance to continue, ¡°I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I was God¡­ And now I¡¯m you.¡± Daichi merely gazed at himself as he thought how crazy all of this sounded. If the other Daichi had told him that he was a god and that he had chosen to take the same form as him to have this conversation he might have just found it ridiculous but believed it. Instead he said something incredulous and left him thinking ¡°With that logic, then that means I am God right?¡± Rolling his eyes, the other Daichi seemed to know almost exactly what Daichi was thinking before he even thought it ¡°No. You aren¡¯t. I said I am you and not that you are me¡­ I chose to do what I did because I knew the other gods would save the universe as they had too, in order to save themselves. I wanted them weak as they tried to fulfill the trials required in order to choose the next God¡­¡± pausing to look at Daichi from the corner of his eye, he continued. ¡°Only that way would I be safe from being inconvenienced by them¡­ When I released my body and divinity, my soul resonated throughout this universe searching for the one other being that was similar almost exactly similar to myself. I actually did that several times until your soul appeared. That set things into motion as I finally had a soul, a living soul to reincarnate into. I didn¡¯t want to die¡­ I wanted to in some way re-experience everything. Everything I had gone through before becoming a God myself.¡± the second Daichi gazing off into emptiness as he reminisced about something beautiful. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°So¡­ You reincarnated into my soul. What does that mean for me?¡± Daichi said with some agitation in his tone. Even if this was the most powerful being in the universe, there was something extremely perturbing about a superior being hijacking his body. Instead of focusing on the vast expanse around, Daichi just couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the other ¡°him¡± sitting right int front of him. Floating around the other ¡°him¡± Daichi gave him a quick once over but couldn¡¯t find any differences, not that he was really expecting too. ¡°Worth a shot I guess¡± Daichi figured as he sat down in front of the other him in the same cross legged position in mid-air. The other Daichi merely watched Daichi circle him before he sat down in front of him and sighed at how annoying he was finding the conversation. He knew this was going to happen and knew it had to happen. This was going to be a turning point in Daichi¡¯s life. ¡°Okay listen up.. When our souls resonated, I allowed my physical body to explode and my divinity to disperse. In doing so I fused an extremely small portion of my soul into yours. I did something only I was capable¡­ Chosen living reincarnation. I picked you to become the new vessel for the smallest part of myself I wanted to survive¡­ But I didn¡¯t take over your body or anything ridiculous so don¡¯t even think about it. In fact to make sure that I didn¡¯t I made sure it was the smallest piece of my soul. If we were to quantify it, it¡¯d be less than 0.0001%.¡± Daichi listened and was a little blown away by that number. ¡°How can you even choose such a small piece? Or even divide a soul into such a small piece? Why even choose such a small piece?¡± Looking at Daichi with half-mass eyes, ¡°Anything more and you would have become me rather than the other way around. Your soul is just that weak¡­ hahaha¡± Daichi considered the consequences of those words. ¡°If he isn¡¯t lying, then I am still me. Although that doesn¡¯t explain for why I feel so different¡­¡± Daichi thought out loud assuming that the other him could just read his mind or something similar anyways, but didn¡¯t direct his words at him or expect an answer to his thoughts. Daichi did on the other hand expect him to explain why he was laughing ¡°Why are you laughing. Aren¡¯t you technically laughing at yourself?¡± Giving him a curious look ¡°Yeah I am. That¡¯s why I¡¯m laughing. I¡¯m looking at myself from the perspective I could possibly have if I reach the pinnacle of existence and seeing myself so weak is just¡­ I¡¯d rather find it funny instead of depressingly terrifying¡­ You¡¯ve ¡°changed¡± because even with just the smallest piece of my soul being reincarnated into you, some of my traits were naturally fused into you.¡± the mist Daichi finally gave him a somber and almost apologetic look. He stared Daichi right in the eyes as he told him a truth ¡°All gods as they get stronger go insane due to being overwhelmed by a desire or emotion¡­ The others simply lose their emotions¡­ It¡¯s not a stretch to say that we all become psychopaths in order to reach the pinnacle of existence. How else could we watch slaughter and genocide and be so indifferent? Most of us even engaged in such practices at some point or another in order to get stronger.¡± Daichi stared at himself for a long time before asking the only question that mattered to him ¡°If I¡¯ve become a bit of what you were, but I am still myself. Will I be influenced by what you became and make decisions I wouldn¡¯t have made if your soul didn¡¯t affect me?¡± ¡°Obviously¡­ Although it¡¯s a moot point now. I am you. Your personality has been altered a little but your choices are your own. I am telling you this because of all the stupid decisions you¡¯ve been making these past few days just to go against your own logic. Just to prove something to yourself you never had too. Do what you need to in order to become who you want to be, but be smart about it.¡± The other him waved his hand dismissively as he remembered the events of the past few days. Daichi thought about his words as he realized he wasn¡¯t going to get a better answer than that as he placed a hand under his chin and cheek and stared at himself wondering who he was and who he really wanted to be. He knew he¡¯d made some foolish decisions recently but he didn¡¯t regret them. He¡¯s attacked the bulls and that was a mistake on his part. One that if his mind wouldn¡¯t have been so clouded he might not have made. ¡°I knew too little and didn¡¯t take that into consideration¡­ I let my ego get the best of me and that is a mistake I shouldn¡¯t have made.¡± Then he¡¯d chosen to come back and help the others¡­ ¡°I had to do that though. Even then I felt like it was a stupid decision where I was all but basically throwing my life away¡­ But it¡¯s a decision I don¡¯t regret. If I had to make it again, I would it without hesitation. In this life and the next, I¡¯ll be myself and only myself, and if I don¡¯t know who that is or feel like I¡¯m being manipulated¡­ I¡¯ll choose death.¡± Finally he thought about his skirmish with Hannah¡­ ¡°I have no idea how she bested me. Then again¡­ It wasn¡¯t like what happened with the bulls. I knew nothing about them and I let my judgement get clouded by my ego. I knew Hannah. I watched her grow and develop her skills. I spent every day with her and I felt like I knew every one of her abilities. I don¡¯t think I was overly confident¡­ I still don¡¯t know how she did what she did, it didn¡¯t even feel like something she should have been able to do! Grr!¡± Daichi felt annoyed by how things had played out with Hannah. Even anticipating what she would do he somehow still lost to her. Feeling wronged by a loss to someone far weaker than himself made Daichi lose his previous confidence as he realized the world was a very large place. It was one thing to lose to a divine beast, or some creature so strong he could tame them¡­ But losing to someone weaker than himself in almost every category stung his pride. Reminiscing on their travels, Daichi wondered how different things could have been if he hadn¡¯t attacked the bulls. ¡°Perhaps we¡¯d all still be together. Tch. No point in wondering what-ifs though.¡± The only thing that mattered to Daichi now would be what he would do next and where he would go from here. ¡°So where are we anyways?¡± Daichi suddenly asked his mist-self. Finally the other him gave him a grin before waving his hand again dismissively. ¡°We¡¯ll get to that later.¡± Daichi¡¯s entire body relaxed as he prepared to ignore the voice in front of him. ¡°I won¡¯t be your puppet. Either speak to me like an equal or this conversation is finished.¡± Rolling his eyes the other him seemingly expected as much. ¡°The entire mist covered area is a chaotic space. Very few beings can enter for any period of time and only someone with a chaotic body or mana can make it as far as you currently are. You are safe, but you are also trapped.¡± An uneasy feeling spread through Daichi. He¡¯d found it strange that he felt his wound but couldn¡¯t see it. Daichi began trying to feel the mana in the area or some way to get out. The feeling of being trapped against his will immediately set a discomfort inside of him. The other Daichi stared at the almost panicking Daichi and grinned at him, ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get out. I guided you here because you are weak. You are impulsive, weak and you are going to get yourself killed. Inside of this space you are trapped but you are also safe. Your body will be fine, in fact it will very slowly heal. The mana in the area will even nurse your own mana pool and have it grow, albeit very slowly. There is only one way to get out of here. Once you have a basic understanding of Chaos then you will be able to leave.¡± ¡°What the hell!¡± Daichi clenched his jaw but even in his discomfort at the idea of being stuck against his will, he still noticed the expression on the other him. There was no budging and if he was anything like himself¡­ The more he thought about it, the more Daichi realized that the other him was clearly leaving a few things out. There was probably more to where he was then he was letting on and getting out of here definitely wouldn¡¯t be so simple. ¡°What does reaching a basic understanding on Chaos even mean? I thought I already had.¡± Daichi asked trying to contain his annoyance and discomfort. The other him started laughing hysterically at him. Tears even pooled at the corners of his eyes. ¡°You think you¡¯ve gained even a smidgen of understanding into Chaos? That¡¯s the funniest thing I¡¯ve ever heard. If any god heard you, they¡¯d laugh their asses off too! Chaos is so hard to gain an understanding of that I am the only one in the universe who had mastery of chaos. You¡¯ll understand once you reach the basic level.¡± Chapter 75 Chosen - Daichi (Part 2 of 2) Chapter 75 Chosen - Daichi (Part 2 of 2) Announcements page coming up later today. ------------------------------------------------ Still smiling as if Daichi really had said the funniest thing he¡¯d ever heard¡­ ¡°I am you. I am literally you even as I am now, except at the moment I still possess the knowledge of my previous life¡­And so I am you but I am not. Although all of this will fade away as I integrate into you. I¡¯ll disappear soon so you better pay attention, you won¡¯t get all of this useful information for free anywhere else.¡± ¡°Now!, i¡¯m going to explain to you about the trials that are going to occur on your world and what exactly it means.¡± the other Daichi said as he explained the trials the gods would now undertake and what it would mean for humanity as the gods raged a competition against one another with their representatives taking the helm. ¡°So what¡¯s the big deal? I don¡¯t much care about what happens either way, it¡¯s not like I have a stake in any of it. Although it does sound like a pretty awesome way to get stronger. Should I find a god to sponsor me?¡± Daichi commented only to draw an annoyed but weary gaze from the other him. The other Daichi stared right at him and giving him a somber expression, ¡°Now pay close attention. I told you all of this for a specific reason¡­ Under no circumstances are you to become a representative of a god.¡± ¡°Eh What gives?¡± Daichi was a little surprised by that. He¡¯d just been told all of the benefits and amazing things that he could get and achieve if he were to become eye-candy for one of these gods and fight for them. Now he was being told to do the opposite. Sighing. The other Daichi finally took an amorphous form and then disappeared back into the mist as if he was part of it. Words were instead instantly transmitted into the entire space surrounding them ¡°No god is going to tell you the truth but I will. Aside from the difficulty of each dungeon no matter which god makes it. A god dungeon isn¡¯t some trip into a cave and back Daichi. A dungeon made by a god is an entire realm. A dungeon made by the essence of a god is a world created by them, their imagination and the horrors they can imagine. These gods are vying for power as well, do you really believe any of them will create a weak dungeon if their future power will be based on how difficult their dungeon was before it is conquered?¡± Daichi considered that point. It made sense but he also felt that with no risk came no reward. He was willing to risk his life if the benefits matched the risk. ¡°Once you enter a dungeon you won¡¯t be able to exit until you defeat the guardian of that area. You are far from being able to even defeat one creature in any dungeon as you are now. I am telling you now, until your power is comparable with a demigod. Do not enter a dungeon. Otherwise you will for nothing.¡± Daichi only looked more annoyed ¡°Yeah but won¡¯t becoming a representative make me stronger? It seems like the quickest way to get to that point. Besides there doesn¡¯t seem to be any real downsides if you ask me.¡± ¡°Do you think such a beautiful and wondrous thing like Divine Protection really exists and is that simple? Being ¡°chosen¡± by a god means willingly becoming their slave. You receive their mark and become theirs. You give up the freedom to choose your own path. Moreover regardless of what benefits a chosen reaps, their god will reap even more benefits because of them.¡± Daichi¡¯s expression changed at that. That touched on the one thing that mattered greatly to him aside from knowledge and that was his own free will. He¡¯d already done plenty of stupid things all in an effort to feel as if he wasn¡¯t something or someone else¡¯s puppet. There was no way he¡¯d enter into a relationship with anyone else where he was a slave. Regardless of the benefits. Then Daichi wondered ¡°Why is it called a divine protection in the first place if really it seems like the gods call it being chosen?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because we made the status screens for you humans. It¡¯s a magic in place by the gods. The status screen was a tool originally created to help you get stronger and also to mark our own and allow other lesser beings to recognize our marks. Only demigods and above can recognize it based on the divinity alone.¡± Daichi gaped at that. This entire time he¡¯d always wondered about the status screen everyone was born with and now he was being told it was a tool created by the gods! ¡°What kind of astronomical amount of power do you have to have to create a spell like that that anyone can use at anytime!¡± Daichi thought. He¡¯d always found it strange that people could innately use such a useful ability and yet never waste any mana in doing so. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. It won¡¯t matter much longer anyways. I am telling you not to become a representative, but that doesn¡¯t mean I am telling you not to defeat the dungeons and get the goodies inside. Anyone can enter any dungeon and defeat it. Except the god who made the dungeon won¡¯t receive anything if his representative isn¡¯t the one to defeat it. In essence it¡¯s a death sentence for them, but the one who clears it will receive wondrous things. Aside from whatever benefits you get from inside, you¡¯ll also get something from that god as he fades away.¡± Even as he was hearing this, Daichi¡¯s eyes had already lit up. He wanted to compete in these trials the second he¡¯d been told about them. He¡¯s always been interested in dungeons even growing up and now he was being told there were incredible, god-created dungeons, whose size spanned entire worlds! Being told he couldn¡¯t compete was already something he wasn¡¯t sure he could agree too but now things were different. He was being told not to do it for someone else. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ¡°Exactly. Do it for yourself. Represent no one but yourself.¡± Both Daichi¡¯s seemed to have the same thought and feelings at that moment. They wanted power, they wanted adventure, they wanted to feel alive in the way that only risking your life for something incredible and nearly out of reach can make you feel! ¡°I want you to remember this feeling of excitement. You¡¯ll have a lot of time in here to train and grow stronger. It¡¯s only by remembering what motivates you that you¡¯ll be able to continue and keep a clear grasp of your sanity.¡± Ignoring Daichi¡¯s curious expression at his words, the voice in the mist transmitted his final pieces of advice ¡°Lastly, while I won¡¯t go into detail I feel like you should know¡­ You should be very careful as you choose your evolutionary path. There are a lot of options that will become possible for you due to your chaotic mana. You should know this, a lot of paths are dead ends to someone with your potential. Paths that are limited and eventually reach a wall that can never be broken. Then there are very strong paths¡­ Paths that could turn your physical body nearly impenetrable and indestructible. Those are useful for staying alive but will make your rate of growth near stunted. Choose wisely.¡± Even as the words were still ringing the mist near him was dispersing and mixing in with the rest of the mist. All the while Daichi was beginning to grow disappointed. ¡°How useful would it be to have this big ball of knowledge with me all the time? If I can somehow keep it¡­¡± Daichi began to think as a few extra words drifted into his mind ¡°I¡¯m going to be fully integrated soon. Don¡¯t believe you are so lucky as to have an all powerful companion by yourself guiding your every step of your journey. That would be far too easy and not the path I would let you walk on. This is the first and last time we speak. Best of luck.¡± Even as the mist faded away from Daichi, he didn¡¯t give it too much thought as he tried to stifle a deepening sense of loss. Daichi felt like he¡¯d just lost a big encyclopedia he¡¯d only had the chance to read a few pages from. Giving himself some time to get over the feeling of loss and then focus on what he¡¯d been told. Daichi began to digest all of the information swirling through his brain at the moment. Thinking about how to leave this place was secondary to deciding what he would do once he left. Even if he could leave, if he didn¡¯t have goals and a purpose he¡¯d be just get himself into more trouble¡­ This was a safe place to think and he would be a fool not to take advantage of it. Daichi relaxed and began to think about everything he¡¯d experienced in the past few weeks, everything he¡¯d done, everything¡¯d felt and everything he¡¯d just learned. The world was so wide and vast. There were so many things he¡¯d yet to experience and so many creatures and things to see and learn. He hadn¡¯t even stepped into the world. He¡¯d left his home town only to wander through part of a forest and likely made no progress with all the things he¡¯d gone through. Moreover his mind was finally at ease for the first time in the past few days. He had an explanation as to why he¡¯d felt different. He couldn¡¯t say that he was pleased with things as they were¡­. But he¡¯d certainly gained some benefits. Moreover, it didn¡¯t seem like there was anything he could do about it, and this god didn¡¯t seem to want to take over his body or control him. He seemed intent on just experiencing the world through Daichi and that much he could deal with. Now that he''d remembered why he''d pushed his father and everyone else away, and had a realization that he himself had distanced himself from everyone he knew out of fear Daichi felt freed. Freed of every worry he''d had for a long time. He was free. Even as he thought about all this, he considered his previous goal of reaching the capitol and joining their academy in order to enter their library. Now it just seemed like such a small ambition. Everything he¡¯d just heard gave him the urge to want to aim higher, and see the world from above. Daichi spent days sitting in the air letting this feeling fill him as he gained more motivation. Sleep was unnecessary and he felt energetic despite no sleep or food. While absorbed in this feeling he thought about the various details of the world before him. I will join the academy and gain all the knowledge I can from their library. I will make that capitol city my first goal¡­ Then I¡¯ll go to each existing city and learn from the strongest and wisest people there except I won¡¯t discriminate! I¡¯ll learn from the strongest and wisest creatures, whether they¡¯re human or not! Feeling the urge to do something incredible with his life for the first time.. Daichi finally came to the realization of what he would do with his life. ¡°I will find my way out of this place. I will leave that god forsaken forest. I¡¯ll change the mindset I¡¯ve had up to this point and acknowledge how weak I am. Only by doing that can I move forward¡­ I¡¯ll make friends with those who can help me, whether they¡¯re human or not! Only equals can truly become friends. I¡¯ll make them acknowledge me and I¡¯ll do the same and I¡¯ll kill whoever and whatever stands in my way! I¡¯ll finally step into the stage of the world and I¡¯ll make this small world my stepping stone as I aim for the very top. There¡¯s no point in aiming small anymore¡­ So I¡¯ll aim to become God. I¡¯ll set my ambition towards the very top!¡± Finally for the first time Daichi was filled with an ambition great enough to match his potential. Announcements - Post Book 1 First and foremost¡­ If you''re reading this... Then It¡¯s likely because you stuck it out with me and read through my first 75 chapters. Essentially my first book. I am very thankful to each and every one of you. As a budding writer, it would have been tough to write this much, this fast and in general if it weren¡¯t for seeing that I had viewers that were following my story. I especially want to thank two groups of people. The readers that have been following my story since basically the beginning, and the readers who take the time out of their day to read this on a daily basis. It¡¯s hard to write a story and keep readers going when it¡¯s being released one chapter at a time, but I know since I love to follow stories of my own that it¡¯s also hard for readers to read on a daily basis one chapter at a time as well. It¡¯s easy to write something bad about someone¡¯s work. It¡¯s easy to put someone down and comment on what it¡¯s missing or doing poorly¡­ On the other hand, it¡¯s harder to take the time and look for the good in someone¡¯s work. What they¡¯ve done well, what they¡¯re trying to convey and the positives to be found. I appreciate each and every one of you who has found that in my work and has enjoyed the story thus far! ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª So¡­ These are both ¡°Announcements¡± which¡¯ll include information for the readers regarding future releases, re-writes, changes, etc This is also a thread for readers to post any questions they may have and want answered. There are also some comments regarding the story from me. I sometimes see comments and want to respond but stop myself. I refuse to write an opinion and possibly give away a spoiler in the process just by stating a point of view. Sometimes my greatest fault is not conveying sufficient information or the thought process of a character accurately rather than anything else. Which is a work in progress. As long as I write, I will continue to strive towards improving my work. Now that the first book is finished though, I can now comment on some general things and if my opinion or comment gives away something in foreshadowing¡­ Well you¡¯re free to make any guesses! I am preemptively throwing in some comments, that will hopefully clarify some things about the characters. I am not arguing with anyone with my comments. I am clarifying intentions and the motivations for some of the characters and the rationales that motivate them or that they employ. (As well as myself) I will continue to try to do a better job of this in my writing, but as it stands some filling in the gaps (with the author) might help. 1.) Books. This was officially the end of the first book. At one point I was writing it as if it was a light novel but somethings changed my mind. Mostly how unfinished it all felt. Albeit this is a longer first novel than I would have liked. One day I hope i can have a work of mine published, but I¡¯m taking small steps at a time here. As such my goal is to condense my stories to around 75-80k since that is exactly the length publishers are looking for considering my genre and audience. Anyways.. Tangent¡­ I will continue to write my second book in the story for free, but I will be switching over to a website I am creating. It will be the main hub for the story. Although I will try to update and post my chapters here on RRL when I get the chance since it¡¯s been the main hub for my story in the first place. Also on this note¡­ Planning¡­ I planned out what I wanted to happen and how it would happen before I started writing. I like to have clear goals for myself and the characters before I even start so I know where I am going. Some characters were going to ¡°die¡±. Some of what the readers thought of as ¡°main characters¡± I thought of as ¡°Main characters in this book¡±, but to me it¡¯s like a series not one sole book. So characters can/will die. Plot armor does not make anyone invincible in my story! Some people got really attached to some of the characters and I appreciate that. It means that I did an okay job in developing those characters. There will be A LOT of characters in an otherwise long story to come, I just so happened to put a lot of effort into developing all of the characters in the first book both because there were (in general) less characters and because of their importance to the story to come. 2.) Quality. Quality is HUGE¡­ And¡­. I am unhappy with the quality of my work thus far. So first off, I am going to go back and re-write/re-word the first 28 chapters or so before continuing. Then, I plan on going through the rest of my chapters and combing them for errors (spelling/grammar). When I re-start my story (hopefully not too long from now¡­ Actually probably in a week or two, I will also slow down my pace¡­ I will slow it down and post 3-4 chapters a week. In doing so though, I will be editing my chapters twice over after completing each one to correct grammar/spelling errors and hopefully increase the overall quality as I write. 3.) Quantity. I will be posting 3-4 Chapters a week (I will be re-organizing my schedule) but I will also start doing sponsored chapters in case people want to have me try to maintain a similar pace to what I¡¯ve been doing thus far. I haven¡¯t decided how many sponsored chapters I¡¯ll be up for doing with all the edits I will be doing per chapter, nor how much I will set per sponsored chapter but as I am currently looking for work. I don¡¯t have a huge reader-base so I don¡¯t actually expect to fulfill the quota for sponsored chapters for a while (which isn¡¯t a bad thing lol) This is becoming harder to balance while still being practical about my current circumstances & responsibilities. Moreover, I plan to make this story great! So, while I would love to get chapters sponsored. It is not a necessity. I will still post chapters, just at a more reasonable pace. Now that I got the first portion ¡°out¡± of my brain. I feel like I can start thinking long term. 4.) Posting Schedule. Hard for me to say what days etc ahead of time, but I can let you know if you haven¡¯t noticed yet, in terms of what times during the day I post, I will normally post at 12pm, 4-5pm or 8-9pm. If my posts don¡¯t come out at those times, they aren¡¯t coming at all. In fact, if I don¡¯t manage to post in one of those windows I will just wait and post the next day. I want to maintain a consistency in my posts from now on. 5.) Prologue. In my mind¡­ This first book is basically a prologue for the story. It¡¯s a long story and this first chunk was an introduction to some of the main characters (as it¡¯s only the beginning). An introduction to who they were before they experienced death first hand and how it began to change them. It was me laying down some foundations for things to come and the premise and motivation for one (or more) of the main characters. It was also to set up one of the main struggles that will shape one of them for a long time to come. The final chapters of this first book touched on the main plot of the story. It will be a while before this plot comes to fruition, in the meantime, there will be a lot of side events, plots that come along to drive the main plot along, character development, new characters introduced and so much more that will be necessary to reach the ending I have in mind. Lastly, The next book will not be "characters stuck in a forest" for a non-stop amount of chapters. The forest portion is nearly over people! I do apologize that the book was almost a little unbalanced in that there was an intro, then some real world experience and then for the last 20 chapters or so just a heavy emphasis on plot development and character development, but it was almost necessary for what¡¯s to come. 6.) Psychopath/Sociopath Lots of comments on this¡­ LOTS. A lot of people have been right, some wrong in their comments. I just want to clarify a few things¡­ There is in fact a difference (from a psychological stand point and from the DSM definitions, not taking into account that both words are interchangeably used when referring to someone with ASP). The differences mainly lie in CAUSE. The cause for someone being deemed a ¡°psychopath¡± and a ¡°sociopath¡± are different. Therein lies the clear distinction for me and what will be a theme in my story as we go forward. 7.) Daichi¡­ Okay guys, I want you to think back to what you¡¯ve read because this is a big ¡°Wtf¡± moment if you haven¡¯t realized as you¡¯ve read thus far or haven¡¯t focused on what was subtle and not great foreshadowing. I never once wrote or said that Daichi is/was a Psychopath. Think about that. I am not saying he is or isn¡¯t. I¡¯m just saying I never said he was. He has a title, that was conferred to him by the universe labeling him a ¡°Psychopath¡±. What lies in the future for him? You¡¯ll have to read to find out, but I will clarify that I am not trying too nor will I turn him into a sentimental individual. He¡¯ll forever be a lot of things, but he *is* trying to figure out what those things are. This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Just as much as this story is about specific plot points, one of those plot points is Daichi figuring out who he is and deciding who he will become and then striving to achieve that. - Some people didn¡¯t like a few choices Daichi made, like deciding to save the group towards the end of the first book. I will say that a logical decision is formulated based on the premise of what that person is trying to achieve. His decision was in line with his logical rationale of chasing death over mindlessly becoming/embracing a role that he was unsure he had decided. Where-as while this decision seemed out of character for him on every level, he was certain it was one he could only make embracing a part of himself he was certain was ¡°him¡±. Some people would say "My issue wasn''t so much him doing it but how he did it. He didn''t plan things out better, try to come up with a solution beforehand etc". No he did not. Perhaps it''s because I am the author and I was trying to write from Daichi''s perspective, but I gave him the logic that he instinctively knew that he was facing an opponent he could not defeat, regardless of whatever method he thought of. He didn''t have the tools necessary or ability. Therefore he went in with conviction expecting the worst but hoping for the best. In which case, instead of trying to come up with a countermeasure that would likely fail, he focused on maintaining his conviction in order to go through with something he himself considered stupid and against his own personality (Which is normally geared towards self-preservation unless there are benefits to be had in risking his life). None the less... He¡¯s made some poor choices and might still make more in the future. He¡¯ll grow and learn. That''s what teenagers do. Well that or these kinds of scenarios, they die. 8.) Kaden. A lot of people had negative comments about Kaden¡­ I have no qualms with that, seeing as how I normally dislike or hate (depending on the author) the ¡®Kaden¡¯ of most stories. They slow down the main character and act hypocritical. Except, Kaden wasn¡¯t a hypocrite. He was a lot of things, but not that. He acted with reason, as much as a character that wasn¡¯t meant to be particularly bright would. He was a pervert, but he never particularly acted on it. He had morals all along, and I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anyone that can say much to the contrary. I introduced him into this story by having him risk his life to save Ava as the events of the story began to unfold. Something he did naturally and not even by choice, his personality has always been self-sacrificing. Although I won''t pretend that he wasn''t written in a way to draw animosity from the readers. 9.) Evolution. This has been discussed and theorized over in a lot of the posts (awesome to see btw) but I want everyone to know that this will be a big theme, or more importantly a crucial element as the story progresses. This isn¡¯t a short story either (not in my mind) therefore, don¡¯t be in such a rush when it comes to the evolution portion. Yes¡­. In answer to the unsaid question. I have already decided what will happen to Daichi in this regard. I actually have two routes I¡¯m undecided on. That has been planned out in stages and I will choose which one to follow depending on how the details go as I write and chose whatever feels more natural when I get to that first turning point. In general though, this will play a very big role in the second book. 10.) Children. As I began writing this story, in my mind all four of the main characters were children. They were children who despite whatever experiences and upbringing they had, had been sheltered. They had lived a very simple and peaceful life. Regardless of how they were, how they acted and what they thought. As the events in my mind began to take place, they began to change. Their experiences began to shape who they were slowly changing into and who they were/are going to become. The way i developed them was based on the experiences I threw at them, people change partially based on what they experience after all. They are children, they are teenagers. They don¡¯t know who they are, and even if they have an idea¡­ They haven¡¯t had a chance to become those things. The more they experience, the more they see and feel, the more it shapes them. There are a lot of stories where 10 year olds are ridiculously over-powered or geniuses for their age and that¡¯s not my story. Mine is more grounded in reality, in that there are geniuses in the world but even they are realistically limited in what they can do and in their own development as people. Therefore... The world itself will have nonsensical and incredible things that make it exactly what it is: Fantasy. The people on the other hand, I will try to keep grounded in reality. Their points of view may be different due to the world they live in and their society. Yet the basic fears, needs and motivations that drive us will remain mostly the same. 11.) Big One¡­ Windows. I would have preferred to just go with it, but I can tell my fans are temperamental by the ¡°I¡¯m leaving because I don¡¯t quite like how this is going based on this¡± comments, so I am going to be up front about this change to let it all settle in. Originally I had a very long term down the line plan for getting rid of the blue windows, it was going to be when all of the characters reached a check point which I had in mind. Recently though I¡¯ve been considering expanding and I¡¯ve also considered how long term it¡¯ll be harder for readers to adjust to a change coming in at post 300+ chapters so instead I think this is the perfect time to throw it in. I am not getting rid of the ¡°windows¡± entirely, I just no longer plan to use the RRL coded windows. If for no other reason than the fact that they limit me to only being able to post my story on RRL. They are pretty much a RRL exclusive. There will be changes to the windows in general though (even the hand-typed ones) because of a plot point that will be evident almost from the get go once I get into the early chapters of the following book. I am doing this (aside from being able to post my story elsewhere) because I don¡¯t want to limit this story to something as simple as ¡°Character reaches this checkpoint -> Story is finished¡± I want to allow this story to grow in the way that my mind has viewed this world, and due to the way the ¡°power ups¡± will develop, the former ¡°windows¡± would not have quantified things anyways. So, You can expect something like this: ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª | Name: Daichi Seishin | Race: Human | ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª Even recently, new readers were inconvenienced because of this RRL update that screwed up all of the windows for days making it very hard to read the story from the beginning to now. I want to completely avoid that by making it so that my story is just good old fashioned print. Nothing extra, nothing unnecessary, and nothing dependent on a code that only works one place. I will be implementing this update to all of the chapters up to now as I go back to re-edit. 12. Outlining I¡¯ve already begun to outline the next book-arc and it will take me a bit of time in-between doing that and editing old chaps. I¡¯m basically going back, re-writing and re-reading everything I¡¯ve written in detail. So it¡¯ won¡¯t be an overnight gig. Afterwards I¡¯ll begin to post. If I have some inspirations while doing so, I¡¯ll write in the meantime. Perhaps when I start posting the second book I can give any fans a nice surprise by posting A LOT of chapters at once¡­But let¡¯s not expect this lol 13.) Artwork. In the process of getting art-work done (something I am particularly excited about) so I can throw in a thumb here on RRL and have some of what I had in mind posted when I launch my new website. Readers/Fans will get to see what my vision for what the characters (present and future) will look like :) So this may take a while as I¡¯ve been in the process for this for close to two weeks, I want it done right not fast. 14.) Comparisons. I almost left this out... Way back someone posted something super important and while I wanted to implement something it just didn''t get fit in. I will make things more clear in the next book for comparisons to give people a better idea of everything (speed/strength etc) Example: 40 str means able to lift this much etc & a comparison to how common or average that is etc The next book *will* involve more people, and therefore I will be able to give readers a better feel for what the common strength, speed etc is for humanity and how the characters that matter compare to them. ________________________ Feel free to post questions etc, and I will strive to answer them. Please pay attention though since I will not respond to the same question multiple times (if there even are any). If a question cannot be answered without a clear spoiler then I will simply write "No Comment" or not comment at all. Announcement - Update (Interlude) Announcements (In a not so orderly fashion): This is more like general comments which some of you may or may not be interested in hearing! It''s been a week now, and I''ve done heavy edits to the first 30 chapters of the novel. I''ve also done some light edits to the other 45 chapters. The edits corrected a lot of typos etc but also made the POV consistent as it was all switched over to 3rd person. I wanted to remove or change the "Windows" but it looked terrible on here to do it otherwise, so I decided to leave them as they were on *here* although elsewhere, they will naturally be different. I also made some notable changes in the content... So for those of you who have already read through the novel the first time around, it won''t be necessary for you guy''s to do a re-read or anything, as I will include any important explanations as the novel progresses. I am in the middle of interviewing people for cover art, unfortunately everyone who I seem to like charges an astronomical amount (in my eyes with my budget) or I''ve spoken to people whose style is not in the wheelhouse of what I''m looking for (thus I''ve had to talk to/verify/and then say no to various artists. It''s going a lot slower than I would have liked :( If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Lastly, because I have made so much progress thus far. I intend on beginning to start finishing up the outline for the new novel and the new chapters for the next novel tomorrow or so, but I won''t be posting anything for sure for at least one more week. I intend to still finish out everything that needs to fixed up on the new website (which is coming along swimmingly) and have sufficient content written and edited before beginning to post new chapters. I am also (now that I''ve gotten some basic experience) going to be working on a new novel in my free time that I *won''t* be posting. So that will suck away some of my already nonexistent free time. Once the new website is finished and I am posting new content, I will definitely post another announcements page detailing pertinent info. I will also release said chapters on here as well (albeit slower). The main differences, aside from me posting on there first will be the personalized cover art and other art depicting characters past/present/future. I will post any pictures that I find notable (if they were what inspired a character etc). If any there are any questions/comments just post them on the previous Announcements page. www.9tribulations.com - Updates Good Morning!! I''ll start with the info most fans care about, I said two weeks would be the max fans would have to wait before new releases would be coming out and I am going to keep true to that! I have released the Chapter 76 on my website as of a few minutes ago. www.9Tribulations.com Extra comments... Unfortunately no artwork yet, but I figured everyone would rather I post chapters rather than waiting for artwork that isn''t *essential* but I have finally spoken to someone who''s willing to do something I want (and whose art I like) for a price I think is reasonable (if not heartbreaking). A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Lastly, for those who find reading on here more convenient, no worries. I plan to release the chapters on RRL as well. Except I will make my website my main focus as well as trying to get more readers to go there... Which means advertising my story finally O.O I will post chapters here that I have posted on my website on the weekends, it''ll get done when it gets done. Otherwise, I will strive towards posting my chapters consistently on the days I''ve already stated and at around the same time daily. More essential info has been posted on there. So Enjoy! Chapter 76 Lumea City - Leo (Part 1) Chapter 76 - Lumea City - Leo (Part 1) Posting the first chapter of book two since my break. A reminder to all followers/readers/fans - Currently 76-78 are out on my website and I will be posting 79 in a few hours. www.9tribulations.com When you get a chance, please take the opportunity to visit! Thank you. :) ----------------------------------------------------- After tossing and turning in his bed for hours Leo had finally managed to get a couple of lackluster hours of sleep. He¡¯d been anxious the entire day before, and now the night before his first real test where his life would be on the line had left him anxiously running a stream of non ending thoughts in his mind. ¡°Today I am finally going to put to use everything my grandpa taught me¡­ My family has slowly declined after years¡­ My grandpa was seemingly the only one in multiple generations that had shown any talent and worth and he taught me everything he could so that I could prove that our family name still has merit¡­ Now I¡¯ve finally earned my right to enter the Lumea Academy and undergo their 5 year exam.¡± The Lumea Academy had once been heralded as one of the most important and renowned academies in the various cities. Now it held an esteemed position equal tantamount to raising royalty. Those who entered were destined to carry on in the upper echelons of the human race, and those who excelled were destined to do what they wanted after they graduated. Whether it was to have a position of power and knowledge in the capitol or to explore the vast land and gain more power and fame. The Lumea Academy was the place to attain the power and knowledge necessary to bear these responsibilities. Leo¡¯s family had once held a position of high nobles, but over the generations their power had dwindled to near non existent due to the highest ranking members becoming greedy and lazy. Instead of understanding the law of the world, that only power could maintain position. They basked in their wealth, and earthly desires. Over time, having men like these lead their family had led to a decline in the family. A steep decline. Leo¡¯s grandfather was the first in years who had managed to gain some power and respect back for the family, he¡¯d even managed to enter the Lumea Academy himself and once he¡¯d graduated he chose to become an explorer for the city. It was a highly regarded position, as only those with power and courage dared to leave the barrier protecting the city and traverse the wilderness that now surrounded them. The wild beasts, the tribes of monsters and the wandering elites in the wilderness were enough to stomp an average adult male like an ant without noticing what it had even done. The fear in the villagers of the outside world had led to the humans of the city splitting into two branches. Those that were weak and desired safety & those that were courageous and sought to grow stronger. The weak chose a path of utility. Making themselves useful by either working towards growing crops for the city, creating useful tools or materials or other non valued but important positions. Although even among these jobs, there were still people to be respected. Those who could create highly useful weapons, new inventions, or commanded the masses or maintained public order were highly valued regardless of their lack of courage. After all maintaining a city required all sorts of talents. The strong desired more knowledge and power, and regardless of the resources in the city. There was a limit to what could either be learned or acquired with limited land. They sought to expand the city, seek out other cities or even grow stronger by doing battle with the monsters of the land. Even so, their power was limited and in the end, the majority (even those with lofty ambitions) had to settle for protecting the city. These were the heroes of the people, the people acknowledged that without them, the city would be destroyed and the people could only slowly wither away. After all, even with a barrier protecting the city, limited resources and with occasionally monsters or races being able to penetrate the barrier¡­ The city could only rely on the strong to both protect them and help them prosper. Humans inevitably regardless of their position¡­. Need hope. Hope that there is more to life, and that their future can grow brighter. Only this hope can allow them a happier and healthier mentality. After waking up Leo didn¡¯t do anything except lay in bed, still anxious¡­ but excited! This was a once in a life time opportunity for him, and he knew he had to do his best today. Today would be the beginning of a corner stone to his life. He knew that if he did well, he could prosper in the future but if he did poorly¡­ His ambitions would be limited.. Even worse if he failed the exam¡­ Failing the exam was almost more horrifying to Leo than dying during the exam! The Lumea Academy took on new students every 5 years. There would be a preliminary exam in which 90 in 100 students failed. Those that remained would be allowed to move into the preliminary residences temporarily set up by the academy for a few days before taking the practical exam. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°I need to be prepared¡­ Prepared to face even the strongest of beasts! I know we¡¯ll have city guards with us¡­ But if I have to rely on them to save me¡­ That¡¯s tantamount to failing!¡± Leo¡¯s ambitions were not so lowly as to want to merely survive or pass the exam. Leo wanted to thrive! His goals were to stand above the rest so he could reclaim the past glory of his family¡­ ¡°If I can do that¡­ If I can stand at the top¡­ Then I can repay my grandpa¡­ I can make my parents proud, and I can finally leave.¡± his expression turned to one of longing as he stared off into space. ¡°C¡¯mon Leo, I know you¡¯re up. Get your ass up and let¡¯s go get some grub¡± Leo heard the gruff voice from outside his tent as he turned his head to look to the side. A 6 ft tall, thick as a giant guy with the most boyish looking face was standing there holding the flap to the tent half open. Leo grinned at him throwing the half blanket off himself and waving him away ¡°Give me a sec¡± as he pulled on his loose but fit leather pants and a black shirt. On top of his shirt he threw on a matching leather jacket which were his warrior clothing. Normally in the city people dressed in only three different ways. They either wore simple linens which showed that a person worked doing menial labor or had a lowly position. It was also practical since these people would get their clothes dirty quite often due to their work or couldn¡¯t afford better clothes. Even if they could, it would be a waste with their limited earnings. Warriors wore steel or leather. Fabrics that would provide some resistance to physical damage or the elements. Although this was not always the case, it was the most common. Those in higher positions of power or who focused were and were adept at using magic wore finer fabrics and robes. The robes served a practical purpose of cover most of the body. After all, even fi they could perform some sort of spell that involved the elements, they themselves weren¡¯t immune to their own attacks. More over a lot of these robes were imbued with some sort of mana resistance, which was as effective in resisting magic as leather and steel were to physical damage. Leo left the tent with his pack on his back. It held what few belongings he would need and still had. Even though most people from influential families gave their children a basic storage ring, no one was allowed to carry on during the examination. It was an academy rule. Outside of the tent Leo looked around as the hustle and bustle of the street was in full swing. The section had been cornered off so that only the participants of the exam were still left but even then, there were thousands of participants on the street. Up ahead the city seemed to go on forever, no matter which road you took. Standing to the side of the tent talking to some of the other applicants was the 6ft wide and stout giant of a boy who had called Leo. Leo smiled the moment he set eyes on him. They¡¯d been best friends since early childhood and now they were taking the exam together, walking similar paths with similar goals. It gave Leo some comfort to know he¡¯d have a friend if they both managed to pass today¡¯s exam. Leo was 15, while Marcos was a year older at 16. Neither of them were geniuses, but they were hard working. They¡¯d both trained with the sword respectively since they were young and had been working to improve their mana control bit by bit. Marcos noticed Leo and walked over as he waved towards the people he¡¯d been speaking too. He was wearing similar warriors clothing to Leo, but unlike leo who was of average height and muscular but thin, Marcos looked almost barbaric due to his size. Despite his size though, Marcos was amiable. It was hard for him to meet someone who didn¡¯t like him due to his boyish but hardworking personality. He gave the impression of a likable reliable guy. ¡°You were pretty quick! I just heard that our practical exam isn¡¯t going to be so easy this time¡­¡± even as he said it, his usual smile had turned into a frown of concern. ¡°What do you mean? How do you by the way? I didn¡¯t know they¡¯d announced where we were going yet?¡± Leo looked at him skeptically. Marcos wasn¡¯t the type to lie, but Leo didn¡¯t believe gossip, especially when this sort of information wasn¡¯t easily spread. ¡°One of the other kids man, his father is one of the city guards that¡¯s going with one of the groups and his dad told him that this exam wasn¡¯t going to be anywhere near the city. Everyone knows that means that there¡¯s only so many places we *could* be going!¡± Marcos emphasized because if they weren¡¯t going to simply be having the exam in the perimeter of the city¡­ It didn¡¯t matter where they were going, the amount of danger was clearly going to be higher. Leo played it off, not wanting to show any concern in front of his friend ¡°Yeah well, no point in worrying over nothing! We¡¯re going to pass and that¡¯s that!¡± as he smacked Marcos on the shoulder and started heading off towards one of the cheap food places nearby. Marcos shrugged it off and walked behind him. He knew that Leo was trying to seem less concerned than he was. Leo was the type to overthink the simplest of things. Leo pondered the difficulty of the exam as he unintentionally balled his hands into fists. I need to pass. This is it, only one chance! Chapter 77 Lumea City - Leo (Part 2) Chapter 77 - Lumea City - Leo (Part 2) www.9tribulations.com ----------------------------- Leo pondered the difficulty of the exam as he unintentionally balled his hands into fists. I need to pass. This is it, only one chance! The qualifications to the enter the academy were simple, but not so easily met. An applicant had to be within age range of 12-20, no younger and no older. The age range was decided by the elders of the school to prevent talented children from dying before their time. Part of the responsibilities of the students involved risking their lives and doing battle with enemies of the city outside of the barrier. The teachers would protect their students but they would not coddle them, as such in the past plenty of children with a lot of promise had entered early but had died far too young. A child¡¯s mentality wasn¡¯t ready to face the horrors of the world. The cut off was also 20 because those who did not meet the other requirements by that age were deemed not talented enough to enter. After all with limited resources, space and talented individuals willing to teach and mentor the students the academy wouldn¡¯t waste their time on someone whose potential seemed limited. The second requirement involved a candidate¡¯s potential or talent. A candidate was allowed in their preliminary interview to either perform some sort of skill that required mana control or to test within a crystal the amount of mana they had. The test was in it of itself biased. Only those whose families had taught them meditation or skills since they were young could know these things, but as time had passed most people could learn meditation by themselves. It was no longer the secret it had once been. Regardless of how common the ability to meditate and gather mana had become, to self-teach yourself how to manipulate elements or even the finer touches of controlling mana was something few could do by themselves without someone guiding them. Those who passed these two requirements which were not only based on whether someone could but rather only the top 10% of the applicants were admitted past this point. The last requirement was the final exam, and it required the applicants who¡¯d made it this far to actually go with a group of applicants out into the wilderness in order to prove themselves. Only those with enough bravery to do as much were considered worthy of being admitted. Of course¡­ Even if everyone managed to do as much, that still wouldn¡¯t guarantee admittance. Bravery was only part of it, the rest was subjective to the examiners. It came down to who they thought had the potential to grow based on what they saw. There was only more rule. Regardless of the age someone applied to take the exam, they only had one opportunity. The academy would not accept anyone it had already previously failed or rejected. Both Marcos and Leo¡¯s families didn¡¯t let them take the exam as they¡¯d been worried they wouldn¡¯t be strong enough. Moreover considering that an applicant only had one chance¡­ This put some people in a difficult position. They could send their child to take the exam younger¡­ The more talent and the younger an individual was, the more of a chance he had of rising up in the ranks of the academy. Simply entering the academy meant having a qualitative change of life for their future, but there was a huge divide between those that were in the academy and those valued in the academy. Therefore there was a huge choice to make, send a child earlier and hope for the best or prepare a child as long as possible and send him at a later age. Most families who could afford to teach their children enough to continually let them improve their strength and abilities and sent them in younger. Those who had little they could teach their child even if they showed promise chose to send their children in older. After all, if there was little they could teach their child, then they could at least let them meditate and accumulate as much mana before taking the exam, and then being older and more likely to perform during the practical exam. It was a tough decision to make regardless of what someone chose, there was no wrong choice. Leo hadn¡¯t been able to apply when he was younger and he decided that he was ready this year. Even though he had a good grasp of mana control. He had no idea of how to interact with the elements. It was something he wasn¡¯t naturally gifted at. Leo¡¯s skill came in the form of the sword. He had been trained in the way of the sword since he was 3. His grandfather would pound sword technique into him, beating him silly as he taught him with a wooden sword. Unlike most children at that age though, Leo didn¡¯t mind. Well, he minded getting beaten up without even a chance at getting some pay back¡­ But he enjoyed his training. He enjoyed learning the use of the sword, it felt natural in his hand. Moreover he¡¯d had one desire since he was young. He wanted to become strong! Even as he walked with Marcos, they had to walk for 20 minutes before reaching the little noodle place they wanted to eat at for breakfast. Even though it wasn¡¯t a great place, and the noodles weren¡¯t that cheap or amazing. It held a special place in their hearts. It had been a place they had cherished in their childhood with another friend. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Even as they entered the little shop, both of them stopped at the entrance as they seemed to reminisce about the same thing. When they were children, Marcos, Leo and Lily all used to eat here. It was where they had met Lily and continued to eat. They came here often so they could take a look at the academy gates and talk about how they were all going to be amazing warriors when they grew up. Now years later, they were still pursuing that dream. Except they were pursuing that dream for Lily too. She had tried to train herself by leaving the city¡¯s barrier last year and run into a wild beast. A city patrol unit had found most of her body and both Leo and Marcos had been there when her parents had found out. They had broken down into tears and nearly melted down. It was a huge shock to all of them when it happened. Except in this world. Death was only a step away from a mistake or foolish action. Leo and Marcos had learned from Lily. Regardless of how hurt and shocked they¡¯d been at first, they were warriors who had been taught since early on that death was a way of life. They¡¯d moved past in and decided to honor her in the only way they knew how. They would follow their dreams and achieve what she never had the chance too. They stood in the doorway smiling. Instead of thinking of her death, they thought of her dream, of her ambition and of the good times they¡¯d had together. They¡¯d come here to share a meal in her name before taking the entrance exam. It was Marcos who¡¯d actually suggested it and Leo had no objection. He figured that Marcos was just being a considerate guy, but didn¡¯t realize how considerate he was being. Marcos had suggested it because he did want to pay tribute to Lily¡¯s dreams and memory, but he¡¯d suggested it because he understood Leo¡¯s impulsiveness all too well. He knew telling Leo to be calm and to value his life more than making a good impression with the examiners wouldn¡¯t get through to him. So he¡¯d brought him here, hoping that Lily¡¯s memory would be the reminder that Leo would need in order to keep himself alive. It was just one of the shop employees who greeted them and served them. They ate in silence as they prepared themselves mentally. They were both a little grateful that her parents weren¡¯t working this morning. It may have been more than they¡¯d bargained for if that were the case. After eating their meal and bowing at the door, they made their way back in silence. They weren¡¯t saying anything but they didn¡¯t need too. They were both thinking about the exam and where they would be going and hoping they¡¯d be in the same group. When they reached the academy gates again, the city guards had already showed up and and everyone was gathered waiting for the information to be called out. Even with thousands of people in front of the gates, the large gates still towered over them. The walls and gates of the academy which closed itself off from everyone were over 50 feet high, and they ranged around the entire academy grounds. It was like a small inner area within the city. One of the guards walked up to a small platform that had been put up in front of the gates. Using a magic stone to amplify his voice he spoke out enough that everyone within the vicinity could hear him as their voices were drowned out ¡°Alright! SHUT UP! Listen up. I will now inform you all of where we are going, who is going with who and what the requirements for this exam will be.¡± The entire vicinity of students all quieted down, not a single person was speaking. Everyone was anxious to hear what he had to say as it regarded their futures. Some of the people had even noticed this guardsman had an emblem with three claw marks. That represented a huge position of power. Although not everyone knew exactly what it meant, they knew that to have even one claw mark on their emblems signified that they were special amongst the city guards. ¡°This year we had more applicants who passed the first two basic requirements. It was an unexpected turn¡­ The academy has too many applicants and need to weed out the lot of you. Moreover we have had a population surplus recently, so the academy much less the city itself won¡¯t be too broken up if a chunk of you don¡¯t make it back.¡± pausing for his words to sink in, a lot of the faces in the crowd had grown pale from his words already. ¡°The exam will be dangerous. If any of you believe you don¡¯t have what it takes to fend for yourselves than I¡¯m telling you now. Stay. Don¡¯t waste our time and don¡¯t go, or you¡¯ll end up dead. Now with that said, I will now tell you the destination of the exam, we will be traveling to the Bull-Wind Forest.¡± The moment he¡¯d said the destination the entire crowd that had previously been filled with silence, now held a crowd filled with boys and girls whose mouths were all agape. The Bull-Wind Forest was not only not close from the city itself, but it was normally a training grounds for academy students and new city guardsmen. It was a place wrought with danger and no one had investigated the entire forest. It was a terrifying place. One of the participants squeaked out ¡°How are we even going to pass this test!? It was said that only the queen of death has ever managed to cross the Bull-Wind Forest!¡± Chapter 78 Lumea City - Leaving the City (Part 1) Chapter 78 Lumea City - Leaving the City (Part 1) www.9tribulations.com ¡°PIPE DOWN!¡± The 3-clawed guardsman yelled. ¡°None of you children are being to cross the entirety of the process. You frogs couldn¡¯t make it more than a mile! Hah! Shut up and listen!¡± Even with his shout the entire crowd was in a frenzy even though it was silent for a moment, as the fear had crept into many of their gazes. The entire crowd slowly broke back out into whispers amongst each other with complaints and incredulity clear on their expressions. One of the boys to first speak out in a whisper even dared to ask the obvious question ¡°How can the academy hold this exam in such a dangerous place!¡± Even though it was only a whisper the 3-clawed guardsmen heard it, even though it was only a whisper amongst the crowd. ¡°We will be traveling on foot. It is 100 miles away. Once we arrive we will split off into groups. We have 9,004 applicants who have made it this far this year. We expect that at least 20% of you won¡¯t make it there. Once we enter we each have different destinations we will be heading towards. We expect to lose another 30% of that number before reaching there. Once there the goal for each individual will be to slay a Class C monster. If you can¡¯t do it then you don¡¯t pass. We expect to return with maybe 25% of you. Of those that return maybe 10% of you will pass. You should all make your decision as to whether you will be going or not.¡± The crowd went from whispers to loud murmurs as everyone was shocked by these stringent conditions. It was not only harsh but felt like overkill. Even as the murmurs continued one the 3-clawed guardsmen heard a complaint and answered it while the crowd was talking among themselves ¡°No. If you choose to give up now it counts as a failure. You will no longer be allowed to take the exam for the academy again.¡± The faces of a lot of the children fell. There were a lot of children within the ages of 12-14 who thought themselves geniuses. Some were feeling confident, perhaps even arrogant of their chances within the exam. Others were feeling extreme apprehension. Regardless of whatever talent they may possess. They were still children being thrown into a very precarious position. Both Marcos and Leo were in the back of the crowd and although they¡¯d been surprised by the stringent conditions placed on the exam, their confidence never wavered. They were resolute in their choice to take the exam. There was no backing down now. Turning to each other, they gave each other the same shit-eating grin thinking the same thing. They were both enjoying the show of watching a lot of the others in the crowd waver. After all¡­ The more of them that gave up now¡­ The easier the exam would be for them. After waiting a few minutes for the news to settle in the prompter at the front continued ¡°No need for names to be called, the rest of the city guards and teachers who will be coming are assembling as we speak. Therefore those who want to come, come. Follow my team as we walk towards the outer barrier. Keep in mind that once we leave, none of us will escort you back. Once we reach the forest. We will assign the exam teams.¡± After saying as much the 3-clawed guardsmen walked down off the stage and two his teammates paved a way in the crowd without much effort. Everyone was moving aside and letting them through too afraid to offend them. The crowd slowly started moving, everyone walking at a steady pace. Even as Leo and Marcos walked they were caught in between one person or another. All they could see were the backs of others or the heads of numerous other participants who were either pale and contemplative or hyperactively speaking to others about what might happen during the exam. After walking for half the day at their current moderate pace they finally made it to the edge of the city and they could actively see the border of the barrier. Some of the people had stopped walking as others pushed them aside giving them derisive looks as if they knew that those were the ones too cowardly to actually leave the city. Outside the city there was open fiends and hills, but it seemed to go on forever. While it seemed safe, looks could be deceiving. The areas right outside the barrier still had some inhabitants. Not everyone could afford to live within the city, not everyone had value. Moreover as time passed, the city was now experiencing a problem with over population as more and more people desired the comforts of the city without putting in the risk to their lives of exploring the outside world. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. These were the people least valued and looked down upon by those with any semblance of power. Even so, they had huddled together and created homes outside the city. They were poorly constructed, made of the worst materials. The better ones were made of wood. No one bothered to put any effort or real expense into these homes because at any given moment, a monster or swarm could attack decimating everything. Everyone who lived outside of the barrier had the constant state of mind to retreat back to the city should anything appear that they were unable to handle. Leo could only stare at some of these people as he continued forward with a little bit of sympathy and disdain. It must be terrible to come this far and lose so much pride in front of everyone¡­ But if you didn¡¯t want to be embarrassed you shouldn¡¯t have come in the first place. Marcos didn¡¯t pay them too much attention, he figured it was too early to even bother trying to weed out the competition. Too many people in the crowds. Leo was thinking the same thing, except he was taking it a step further. I know Marcos is trying to figure out who we should keep an eye on but there¡¯s no point. The competition won¡¯t start until after we pass the test. The rest of the people who pass are the real competition. Leo was confident in himself and he had his eyes set on a greater goal than just entering the academy. The first crossing point for the lot of these participants was the barrier. A few people stayed behind and no one even bothered with them. No point sneering at cowards they all thought. The second boundary was as they were walking out of the boundary a few miles away. It was at that point that some of the ones who didn¡¯t have the courage decided to go back while they were still close enough to the city and it¡¯s safety. Seeing some of these people turn tail and go back Leo stopped to look back. He¡¯d never been miles outside of the city. Staring back he could only see a portion of the city but it looked massive. The portion of the academy still stood out the most. Even more so than the formal royal castle. The academy had two large towers that had 100 floors. This encompassed two of their most important buildings. They were made of bricks but had seals on each floor giving it a purple hue. It was even more spectacular this far from the city. Marcos noticed Leo stopping and for a second he hesitated as he wondered whether Leo was having second doubts¡­ ¡°Hey you coming? What¡¯s up?¡± Leo glanced back at him and noticed the look he was giving him as he rolled his eyes and turned back to look at the city ¡°I¡¯m admiring the view. I¡¯ve never seen the city like this from the outside. It¡¯s pretty amazing actually. Even more so¡­ I guess everyone finds the city so safe because of the barrier but¡­ It¡¯s so weird since it¡¯s invisible. From here, the whole city looks so massive and vulnerable all at once doesn¡¯t it?¡± Marcos thought about his words but didn¡¯t read too much into it ¡°Let¡¯s appreciate the view on the way back after we¡¯ve passed the test¡± as he threw his arm around Leo dragging him away. Being dragged away Leo gave Marcos a couple of light jabs at his ribs trying to get him to let go ¡°Jeeze man drop it. I¡¯m coming alriiight¡± They proceeded walking for the rest of the day, just talking lightly about what they might see and what it would be like to go into a real forest. Eventually as the sun was setting they¡¯d walked for over 10 hours and most of everyone was exhausted. The city guardsmen only took 3 short breaks in-between the entire day and anyone who couldn¡¯t keep up was left behind. So everyone had to keep pace, it wasn¡¯t easy for everyone but still the first day. It was a long first day, but everyone was glad to finally get a chance to rest. It was their first night camping out in the wilderness, for most it was their first time ever. Chapter 79 Lumea City - Leaving the City (Part 2) Chapter 79 Lumea City - Leaving the City (Part 2) www.9tribulations.com Everyone was sleeping on the ground. It was warm out and There was no need for tents. Only the city guardsmen had brought some in the inter spacial rings but few chose to use them. Those not on watch duty were the only ones inside of them. Meanwhile Leo and Marcos were talking with some of the other who¡¯d been walking near them. Everyone was a little wary about going to Bull-Wind Forest. It was one of the ¡°danger¡± places that had been noted before, and even with all the expedition teams it hadn¡¯t been traversed all the way through. They talked about the many legends surrounding it. How there were trolls, orges, almas and even some beast men¡­ And these were just the weakest things in the forest! The stronger monsters like the giant beasts and the divine beasts were even scarier! One of the boys, a 17 year old guy named Robert mentioned how the scariest thing he didn¡¯t want to encounter was the evil man eating succubi! ¡°Think about it! What is the scariest thing you could possibly find? No! Wrong! It¡¯s not some ugly ferocious beast. You can just kill those or run away from them! It¡¯s not some evil demon from the abyss, I mean you can just use magic to make those go away! (Everyone was wondering whether there was a screw loose with this kid, making these things sound so easy) No¡­. The scariest thing are the succubi! A super delicious body, with a mind numbingly gorgeous face? If they wanted me to give them my left shoe, right hand, and third leg who could refuse!? I¡¯d die a slave! A slave man!¡± The others were laughing at him and some of them chose to walk away at this point, not wanting to associate with this guy any more ¡°That guy is bad luck¡­ I don¡¯t want his stupidity to rub of on me¡­ ¡° Leo and Marcos were among that group as they walked away. ¡°Seriously though¡­ There are a lot of dangerous things in the forest. We¡¯re going to have to be careful from the moment we enter. No letting your guard down for even a second¡± Leo mentioned to Marcos. ¡°Hehe¡­ Don¡¯t worry¡­ I have a special super secret weapon Leo!¡± Marcos said in a hushed tone with a maniacal smile spread across his lips Leo could only stare at Marcos as if he¡¯d gone crazy. Choosing his words carefully, he whispered back ¡°Okay¡­ So what is it¡­?¡± Leo couldn¡¯t help but feel his heartbeat speed up a bit. Even if his friend looked like a lunatic at the moment¡­ Leo couldn¡¯t help but wonder what amazing item Marcos had bought to make him so confident on this excursion. ¡°Hehe¡­ I bought an extremely rare and precious book¡­ With it, we¡¯ll be able to overcome everything in this forest of death!¡± Marcos almost squealed the last few words as Leo¡¯s heartbeat rose even further as he watched his friend pull out a book from his bosom as he passed it to him. ¡°Be very careful, we don¡¯t want others to see it, and then try and steal it from us.¡± Marcos said in a somber tone as he quickly looked around at the others walking nearby. There really were too many people to keep track of. Leo tried his best to keep the book close to him as he gazed at the title. Leo stopped walking as his mind was stunned. On the cover of the small, book that seemed to have no more than 20 pages, it read ¡°Basics to surviving in scary and dangerous forests¡±. It took Leo a moment as someone bumped into him, rattling his mind back to reality as he raised his eyes to meet Marcos who was still looking around defensively. I¡­ How do I respond to this¡­? Leo was speechless. Leo took a second for his mind to catch up¡­ ¡°Marcos¡­ Have you been keeping a secret from me since childhood¡­ Are you secretly¡­¡± Leo let his words trail off and Marcos hanging on each word couldn¡¯t stop himself from asking ¡°Secretly what???¡± ¡°¡­Stupid?¡± Leo finished his sentence with an eyebrow raised in question. Marcos took a second before punching him in the shoulder ¡°Ugh. I can¡¯t believe I fell for that¡­ Don¡¯t be an idiot man! It¡¯s got a stupid name, but that¡¯s because it was written by a guardsman with a sense of humor¡­ Probably¡­¡± Marcos rolled is eyes at his own words ¡°If you read through, it¡¯s got a description of some of the scarier things in the forest, like things you should definitely avoid. Places that are semi safe. Places like rivers where you should definitely not go, and if you do not for long because trolls gather there. It¡¯s got useful info written by one of the guys who¡¯s been out exploring for the city!¡± Marcos exclaimed in a whisper but clearly excited Leo was a little skeptical but as he opened the book and skimmed some of the pages he couldn¡¯t help but be surprised that the information in the book really was useful! If it was all true, then it was definitely written by someone who¡¯d previously been through the forest. At least parts of it anyways! ¡°Whoa¡­ You definitely did stumble onto a huge treasure here¡­¡± Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Marcos was grinning at him like an idiot ¡°Of course! Your friend here does some pretty amazing things every once in a while right? With this, I definitely believe we can be cautious and make the most of our exam! We may even do better than Damien or Haeru!¡± The top families had skills and knowledge they could pass on to their younger generations making it easier for them to gain some easier insights into the basics as they progressed. Haeru¡¯s family was much the same. It gave the people of their family a significant advantage! Moreover both of them were only 16 and would have probably been able to qualify for the exams when they were younger if it weren¡¯t for the fact that the last exam was held when they were 11 and still unable to participate due to the age restriction. Leo thought about his words. He wasn¡¯t going to respond to the first comment but about the second¡­ Damien came from one of the better families. Everyone practiced mana manipulation and had varying degrees of success. Lots of people in his family have even achieved sufficient success and had high positions. A lot of this stemmed from the fact that they had skill books since it was an old family. This way they managed to learn something without any effort and then build on that knowledge by working backwards. Among them Damien was one of the most talent and most sheltered. He was taught sword skills and was given a lot of information regarding mana and the elements since a young age. Despite this he had shown limited progress regarding mana but had been very adept at his warrior training. While he wasn¡¯t looked upon overly favorably by his own family, compared to everyone else his age he was still at the forefront. Moreover Damien had a cruel streak to him, and on numerous occasions had mocked Marcos. Marcos¡¯s father worked for his family and thus he¡¯d come across Marcos plenty of times and belittled him time and time again. With no ability to retaliate due to his father¡¯s position, Marcos had been forced to simply accept his cruel words and grit his teeth. All these things passed through Leo¡¯s mind as he realized why Marcos was so excited. If they really did better than the others, and placed as well as people like Damien. It would be a huge honor for his family, enough so to even elevate his father¡¯s position. Leo considered the words of his friend and wondered whether it would be possible to really shine and do better than the top recruits during the exam. Originally he was only concerned with passing and doing well enough to rank high, he hadn¡¯t set his ambitions so high as to think he¡¯d rank in the very top. Still, if the book was useful, there were plenty of methods to find and deal with monsters they could defeat, before the monsters knew what happened. It was one thing to get into a battle with a monster, anyone or anything when both parties stumbled upon each other, it was a completely different matter to stalk prey. This would make them hunters! Leo began to seriously consider this as Marcos noted his expression and dropped the topic. Marcos thought ¡°Jeeze when this guy dozes off like this the conversation is just plain over¡± as he shook his head and just laid down on his back and tried to close his eyes and get some rest. Meanwhile Leo had laid down in similar fashion as he rested his head on his hands while staring up at the sky in further thought about this exam. ¡°This is the start of my future¡­ Maybe I hadn¡¯t thought big enough after all¡­ This is the start of how far I can go and the higher up I start the better my odds will be¡­ I am confident in my sword skills, I¡¯ve trained and given it my heart and soul. But¡­ I know how weak my magic skills are¡­ I¡¯ve meditated to gain a better perception of my sword skills and that helped with my mana manipulation but I still can¡¯t use mana in any useful way. I don¡¯t understand and haven¡¯t had the chance to have a good teacher or any teacher help me. This is my chance to start higher and finally make up for that huge weakness! *sigh* Even thinking about this is rough. It¡¯s so weird to think about how hundreds of years ago everything was so peaceful and calm. I can¡¯t even imagine a world like that. I mean¡­ I was born on the 100th anniversary of the awakening. Now I¡¯m 15, so it¡¯s been 115 years since the the world ¡®changed¡¯ and the barrier appeared around the city. My grandpa still tells me stories of the chaos that happened after the barrier was up. The family had declined so much in the good years in terms of power and had only maintained wealth and even that had dropped. Once the world had changed and power became the only real measure of wealth, had it not been for grandpa working so hard and getting as far as he did that may have been it for our family. I can¡¯t even imagine what it must have been like then. ¡®A peaceful world where you can just go wherever you want¡¯¡­ Instead I live in a world where no one has left our city and found another city filled with humans in over a hundred years. A world devoid of the benefits of the gods.¡± Chapter 80 The Hundred Years - Year One (Part 1) Chapter 80 The Hundred Years - Year One (Part 1) www.9tribulations.com (More chapters) After waking up Hannah felt¡­ Different. She couldn¡¯t put her finger on it, but she felt rejuvenated. Lighter. Looking around her, she noticed she was still in the forest. It seemed to be a different location but that was only because she couldn¡¯t see the mist anymore. The truth was it all looked the same to her. Trees jutting out of the ground so high into the sky that finding shade wasn¡¯t an issue. Suddenly, she realized that she felt like she was alone. ¡°Is the god gone?¡± Just as she was about to call out to her, Hannah¡¯s mouth lingered half open as she felt unsure what to call her. ¡°What do I even call her? Just Luna? Wouldn¡¯t that be too informal? What about Miss Luna? Is that okay? Maybe I just call her by her title, but how can I just say ¡®Are you there Moonlight Reaper¡¯ wouldn¡¯t that just sound weird?¡± ¡°Miss Luna? Are you there?¡± she called out lightly, hoping she was being respectful. Nothing sounded out, except a few birds in the trees heard her voice and flapped their wings in haste as they made their escape. Too close to Hannah for comfort. ¡°Am I alone? She tells me I¡¯m chosen and then just leaves me alone? Wasn¡¯t she going to guide me? Wasn¡¯t she going to help me develop my power? Wasn¡¯t she going to help me save Kaden¡­?¡± Hannah felt an overwhelming feeling of being dropped from the highest point, falling and falling with no end in sight as a feeling of despair overcame her. ¡°What if she¡¯s gone? What if she lied and she isn¡¯t going to help me?¡± Instead of moving, checking her surroundings like she felt she should. Hannah huddled herself into a ball. Grasping her knees up to her chest on the floor by a tree just hugging herself like a child. She hugged herself like this for comfort for hours, as her mind spiraled into depression as one thought after another popped up, all of which made her feel hopeless. Despair, hopelessness, weakness, pain, loneliness. She felt each one in spades. As the evening came and the sun left it¡¯s post in the sky giving way to the moons Hannah fell asleep as she lost the energy to think anymore or to even hold herself up. When she woke up she was still alone, she was still in despair but her stomach was rumbling nonstop and her mouth was parched from the heat. Hunger and thirst were consuming her and instead of taking something out from her ring she just laid down against the tree. Unwilling or unable to do anything to help herself. At some point she wondered whether she was going to die of thirst and hunger or if perhaps something would come along and kill her then eat her. ¡°Well.. I guess it wouldn¡¯t be so bad. If I was killed first and then eaten I wouldn¡¯t feel anything bad anymore¡­ I¡¯d be helping that poor creature live¡­ Oh¡­ What if he tries to eat me while I¡¯m still alive¡­? That would probably hurt¡­¡± she thought without changing her expression. Had someone, anyone, come along and seen her like this they would have shivered. She was smiling with all of the muscles in her cheek while pathetically clinging on to life against her own will. The sight was truly pathetic and out of place. After a full day and night without any water Hannah could feel the pain in her throat worsen. Her throat was screaming in pain and her lips were cracked from the heat. Worse yet was the look in her eyes which seemed devoid of life. Hannah gave off the appearance of a corpse. A smiling corpse. Finally on the second day she willed some mana into her ring and took out a jug of water. Gulping it down slowly. Staring at the jug, most of which was spilled without a care in the world. Hannah decided if she was going to drink something, she might as well eat something, as she pulled out some dried rations from her ring. She ate her food slowly, not even tasting it as she stared into space. Once she realized she¡¯d finished her food, Hannah figured¡­¡±Well if I¡¯ve eaten something¡­ Then feeling around her ring she felt Kaden¡¯s corpse and after thinking she was devoid of any more emotion, and dried of her tears, she felt two drops of liquid fall from her eyes. ¡°I can still cry?¡± She thought in surprise as she reached her cheek and touched the tears as she took a look. Sure enough, they were tears. She was crying. ¡°I¡¯m in pain?¡± Hannah had to consciously think about it. She¡¯d been emotionally overwhelmed to the point of a breakdown and only now did she think about why she was in so much pain. So torn up¡­ So devoid of emotion. Finally she took a long look at her life, and at the past few days with an objectivity she thought incapable of. ¡°I lost my parents. Our name and our lives were forever changed. People looked at me with pity and I felt disdain that they would look at me like I was some fragile bird that needed mending¡­ I thought that was the low point of my life. Then the entire town was destroyed and I lost my best friend. I cried and I cried and then realized they were tears of joy. Finally I was no longer tied down to that god forsaken town¡­ I thought anything would be better than being stuck there for the rest of my life. I felt sorry Chloe was dead¡­ But that was it¡­ If anything I felt worse that I didn¡¯t feel bad enough about her death then I actually did about her death¡­ I had to leave my home, my town but I didn¡¯t care. Instead I felt freed. I thought things were perhaps getting better. Then I saw Ava die in front of me and I realized I cared about her. It was as if I was losing someone important¡­ But it was my brother who did it, the last person I cared about. He killed her so she was dead¡­ It was fine. Before I realized it I was powerless, unable to move and at someone else¡¯s mercy. The feeling of being powerless and unable to do anything to save myself was chilling. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.Then he tortured me. He was forced do something that was breaking his heart with every move he made and I hated the monster that made him do that from the bottom of my heart. I wanted him dead. Every ounce of pain I felt I hated that monster more and more. Every ounce of pain I felt I knew Kaden felt it even worse. He was always so¡­ Weak. Then right in front of my eyes Daichi shows up and for the first time I thought I had a slight feeling of hope. Hope he could save Kaden somehow¡­ I didn¡¯t know how but I thought he could and as I was finally ready to let go of all of my burdens, I felt the rug pulled out from underneath me as the person I vouched for¡­ Started to trust took my brother¡¯s life right in front of me. The pain I felt for living at the expense of my brother¡¯s life broke something inside of me. It made me want to kill myself but it made me want to cherish my life even more. I was living at the expense of Kaden. I alive because of him. It was his life keeping me alive. Then he made me feel powerless again. Unable to do anything. Unable to make a choice of my own free will as he throws me over a cliff and I think he¡¯s trying to kill me. I wake up and perversely, I first wonder where he is. Where Daichi is. As if seeing him will give me some sense of solace¡­ Instead I find Ava and I see the object of my brother¡¯s love¡­ Still alive somehow¡­ And it made me hate Daichi less¡­ If only for a moment, I knew I hated the monster that really made everything happen the way it did. But¡­ Daichi is the one that shows up. He shows up and I knew he would, I knew he would be the one to come find me and I can¡¯t help but point my hatred towards him¡­ I even tried to kill him. No¡­ I did try to kill him and I know that he hadn¡¯t tried to hurt me. He didn¡¯t use his skills, he did¡¯t try to kill me when he had the chance. I knew what I was doing was wrong but I hated him so much¡­ I just needed to vent¡­ I couldn¡¯t forgive him for killing Kaden and I killed him. He¡¯s dead now. Then that monster shows up and makes me do it. He made me kill Ava. He didn¡¯t leave me any other choice! Powerless to stop him, powerless to make the choices I want yet again. What¡¯s worse, he tells me that he¡¯d killed Kaden. He made it so that there was nothing that could be done to save him. He made me kill Daichi. I didn¡¯t realize I could hate someone so much. Now I¡¯ve let myself sit here¡­ Like some weak shell of myself for no reason. Why? I don¡¯t need a god to help me. I can save him myself. I can bring him back. I can bring Ava back. I will find a way to even bring Daichi back.¡± Standing up for the first time in two days Hannah realized how filthy she was. She¡¯d even facilitated her needs without even realizing it on herself refusing to move or think of anything else at the time. Instead of being filled with horror at herself and the smells she was exuding, she ignored it altogether. Hannah started moving. She started moving filled with a sense of longing for life and a hatred directing at taking a life. Unable to go in a straight direction. Hannah wandered listlessly for months at a time. Running into trolls, ogres, almas, and even demons on numerous occasions. When she could run, she would run. When she could fight, she would kill. On numerous occasions she would get into get into fights she couldn¡¯t win without meaning too. She was chased. Hunted by creatures she had no hope of fighting against and just as she thought she would die. She would lose consciousness. She would wake up somewhere else. Even the injuries she sustained before losing consciousness were completely gone. If there hadn¡¯t been cuts of proof of the battles she¡¯d been in, she would have sworn they were nightmares. Instead she knew it had all happened exactly as she could remember, but somehow she¡¯d survived. Instead of assuming it was luck. She gave it no further thought. It was likely due to her Divine Protection. Except something odd had happened to her. Ever since she¡¯d been enveloped by that light after the goddess Luna had touched her. She could no longer summon her status screen. Hannah¡¯s world had truly been changed, and the previous her would not have known how to adjust. The current her had given it little thought and only moved forward. She gave nothing much thought as all she did was move forward, without purpose or aim she always moved in whatever direction she was facing. After an entire year. She was finally beginning to feel listless. She had long since run out of the food and water she¡¯d had in the ring she carried and had since had to make up for the deficiencies in food by hunting. After months, she¡¯d come to realize the monsters in the forest were slowly getting stronger. She even encountered beasts more than just rarely now. Different types of beasts she¡¯d never heard of, on the rare occasion when she could kill one. She would never just leave it. She would use the knives she still had from the goblins she¡¯d killed to skin the beasts and eat their flesh. Whatever was left over she would store in her ring. Whenever she needed water she would find a stream and when she did, she would make sure there were no trolls around before anxiously getting her fill. She filled up all of the jugs within her ring in order to avoid numerous visits to these dangerous locations where beasts gathered. The water she stored was always enough to last her a month. In fact these bodies of water had become some of the most dangerous places in the forest. The trolls had become some of the weakest monsters in these locations as most monsters and beasts needed to drink water to survive. The trolls had to band together into large groups to protect a few of these areas and even then, most of these large groups of trolls had been pushed away from the territories they coveted. After an entire year, Hannah finally grew listless. Wondering how she could get stronger. After an entire year, her strength, speed, stamina and reflexes all grew exponentially after every kill but her ability had long stagnated and she didn¡¯t know what to do. Finally it dawned on her that not thinking about her future, her surroundings and anything else was the crux of the matter. She had cut herself from the ability to learn by cutting off unnecessary thoughts. Finally having realized this, Hannah had a moment of enlightenment. Chapter 81 Lumea City - Bull-Wind Forest (Part 1) Chapter 81 Lumea City - Bull-Wind Forest (Part 1) www.9tribulations.com Announcements: 1.) I have edited a lot of the issues people were having with the mobile website. I now have the mobile version running for those using their phones or mobile devices (it''s not as practical as the desktop edition, but it will be a lot easier to use, to read chapters and to scroll through information) 2.) I have made some edits so that comments can not only be made, but now I will be on top of things, so if you comment it will appear instantly. I hadn''t realized a lot of people were making comments but they weren''t showing up (over-sight on my end). It has been corrected. 3.) As always, please show your support and visit 9tribulations.com if you wish to stay as up to date as possible on God''s Trials & any other novels I am currently writing. Thank you! :) ______________________________________________________________________________________________ The days passed in succession, each much the same as the one before. Everyone would walk and try to maintain pace. Even though it sounded simple¡­ Even walking at a slow and moderate pace wouldn¡¯t be so simple if having to do it for 10 hours a day and then repeating it the next day and the day after. Everyone had been excited an anxious the first few days, but as the days passed instead of growing less anxious everyone only grew more wary. Everyone of these participants understood one thing which was evident in the guardsmen¡¯s palpable anxiety. The more time that passed without incident, the more likely the odds increased of them coming into contact with monsters or other creatures that would want their lives. Everyday less and less conversations could be overheard, everyone mainly walked in silence trying to maintain their energy. Only those who practiced their endurance everyday still had the energy to complain or carry conversations with their friends or the ones who would at least listen. It had already been 5 days since their departure and they were now closing in on the forest. They could clearly see it. It seemed like they would reach it after only one more day. Some of the candidates were growing restless. They wanted to get there as soon as possible to test themselves and prove their worth and begin their future. For every candidate that had this mentality there were just as many if not more who became more and more wary. Now that the Bull-Wind Forest was within their view each step closer felt like walking one step closer to their own graves. Except now there was no turning back. They had come this far, had already left behind a few and their fates were sealed. They could enter and fight for a chance to enter the most prestigious academy in their city and change their futures by risking their lives or they could stay outside the forest and still risk their lives but for zero rewards. The choice was evident and yet it didn¡¯t change or dissipate their lingering doubts. Leo and Marcos had been faring well. They¡¯d focused their efforts on learning how to wield weapons. Their strength was a practical one, meant to kill and defend and not premised on knowledge. Knowledge being the necessity and driving force behind those who sought to use mana and the elements to wield a form of power greater than their own but weakened into something they could control. At this point most people had grouped off, if they didn¡¯t have friends before the exam then during this long trip they made friends. Very few people were being competitive to the point of viewing everyone around them as competition waiting to be slaughtered, after all everyone was well aware that regardless of what happened from the moment they left the city and continued forward. No one was going to be safe on this trip. A few of them would definitely die during this exam, as there were always fatalities on during the practical examination of the academy. This was a foregone conclusion, so most people were trying to pair up or make friends.. People they could rely on in order to increase their odds of not only passing the exam but simply surviving it as well. During the day everyone would grumble and complain about the heat. Instead of being content that they didn¡¯t have to face a biting cold, these kids complained about the weather itself. A lot of them were still warriors or raised as such and carried weapons on them. The heavy ones taking a huge toll on the ones who didn¡¯t have the strength or endurance to walk this far with a heavy weapon on their back. Moreover since they were warriors, many of them had leather on instead of fine linens were only exacerbated the heat making it a very sweaty and uncomfortable journey¡­ The 5th day had finally ended as the guardsmen and proctors informed the students that they would be stopping for the evening as the sun was setting. Most of the participates sighed in relief. Exhausted from the day, more over no one wanted to enter the forest exhausted and at night, or camp out right in front of it if they didn¡¯t have too. They were more than glad to stop for the night and get one final good night of rest before walking the final leg before reaching the forest. A lot of the proctors were paying attention to the participants at this point. They hadn¡¯t paid attention to anyone up until now because there was no point. There was no telling who would be so cowardly to stop and turn back up until now. No telling who would be so weak as to not be able to make the walk to the forest or would have the battle capacity to fight and survive. Except they had unexpectedly made it this far, five entire days with absolutely no problem. There had not been one single attack on their lives from anything this far. Any experienced guardsmen who had been out more than a few times knew that there was no safety anywhere in this world anymore. They knew that getting attacked was an eventuality not a possibility. Danger lurked everywhere, it was only a question of more or less danger. Therefore not being attacked once, had put them on edge. They were now ready, because they knew that the longer they went without an incident raised the odds of one occurring. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Due to this, they were now eyeing the participates (albeit without much concern) any of them who looked particularly wound up would be noticed by them. The students who looked relaxed and carefree were idiots in their eyes. The students who looked fearful and hesitant were cowards to them. Only those who looked wary and and on guard were taken notice of. If anyone looked interesting, these would be the ones that may get special attention once the exam begun. Unaware of all of this, Leo and Marcos were talking while keeping an eye on the others. They were being very wary of their surroundings because they were discussing the book Marcos had found. During the past few nights they would take the time to read the book together and discuss possible strategies. They discussed how best to survive in a numerous amount of settings. They wanted to increase their survivability as much as possible without letting others know what they had in hand. One of the teachers of the academy was making a visual sweep of the participants and noticed two students. Sitting alone together looking somber and speaking in whispers. They looked serious and focused and very aware of their surroundings. Noting this, she made a mental note of it and decided to add these two students to her group for the exam. She received preferential treatment and got to choose which students were graded by her. All of the professors of the academy did (as opposed to the guardsmen). While their final opinions were valued (as they had to keep watch of participants with no one around) most of the time, the majority of the students that were accepted were those who had been under the vigilance of the professors that came along. Professor Lydia made note of these two and carried on. She had a very cruel system in place for how she determined who would be in her groupings. She chose two types of people. Those she thought could be strong and worthy of her time, and able enough to pass¡­ And those she thought were weak and cowardly and slated to die in a battle of life and death. She used the deaths of the weak to temper the strong ones. If the strong ones couldn¡¯t handle the death of others their age in their midsts, then they weren¡¯t worth raising. Only the physically and emotionally strong were worthy of her notice. She had already examined 3 groups in her 15 years at the academy. Although she was 30, she looked like she was 19. She focused on water magic and had the ability to use mana to rejuvenate her appearance. Although it didn¡¯t particularly keep her from aging, she could at least with her current knowledge prolong her youthful appearance. It was one of the main reasons she had been drawn to practicing magic. She wanted to utilize whatever element it took to herself young forever. Her goal was to become immortal and forever youthful! Meanwhile while talking in whispers Damien had noticed Marcos and Leo and had begun to mock them with his group of friends. Damien had an entitled personality. Everyone is his family was strong and while they had coddled him towards his desires they had raised him to be strong. He had the entitled belief that whatever he desired was his and whatever he wanted he could take, because he could he would! He¡¯d noticed Leo and Marcos two days ago and had slowly grown annoyed by their closeness, he also felt like they seemed familiar. They always talked in whispers and didn¡¯t socialize with anyone else. Perhaps it was due to the fact that they seemed like close friends, but something about them deeply annoyed him even though he couldn¡¯t figure it out. He¡¯d had swarms of people who¡¯d come up to him and asked to be friends and join him during the exam. His family was well known, the Knight family. They had once been knights in the times before, the times of classes. Now they still used it as their symbol and their last name. It was their heritage. Damien Knight had been well known by others. He¡¯d received accolades for helping to defend the city in the previous horde attack. Unlike others his age he didn¡¯t mind monsters. He didn¡¯t care about taking the lives of the ugly or the weak. In his mind they were meant to die, especially if it could make him stronger. With such a well known reputation, it was only logical that so many people had sought him out to befriend him. Even so, he knew. He knew that none of these people were genuine. They all just wanted something from him. Whether it was his protection, his name, his good luck or strength, they were all trying to use him and it made him sick to his stomach. None the less he kept a group of lackeys he deemed worthy of being moderately useful. He¡¯d chosen a few while thinking ¡°These¡¯ll be good meat sacks to stave off weak monsters or food for the stronger ones just in case¡­¡± Tonight when he noticed Marcos and Leo being secretive yet again he finally realized why he¡¯d felt he knew them before. Marcos¡¯s dad was one of the guards posted outside his family home (mansion really¡­) to keep the riffraff out. He¡¯d seen Marcos from time to outside the mansion and had felt a deep disdain for him. Even though Damien had power and prestige, a family name that everyone envied and whatever he wanted. This boy had had more freedom than himself. Clenching his teeth it annoyed him that someone else had something he wanted but couldn¡¯t have. A twisted smile spread across his face as he decided to put this boy down in his place. Chapter 82 Lumea City - Bull-Wind Forest (Part 2) Chapter 82 Lumea City - Bull-Wind Forest (Part 2) www.9tribulations.com ¡°Oy. I know you, your dad is one of our errand boys right?¡± Marcos and Leo hadn¡¯t realized that Damien had even noticed them but when they heard those words directed towards them, Marcos realized who he was. ¡°Hah! What is a bag boy like you even doing taking this exam? You hear to bring me my groceries? You followed me out here just for that? Boy aren¡¯t you committed to your job haha Seriously though¡­ Your father isn¡¯t worth crap, he can barely deal with commoners so why are you even taking this exam? I bet you cheated to even get this far.¡± Damien said those harsh words loud enough for everyone around him to hear. Marcos was already clenching his teeth but he didn¡¯t know how to respond. ¡°If I say something to him it could be bad for my dad¡­ Damn it but how can I not say anything at all when he¡¯s insulting my dad! I¡¯m no coward!¡± Leo would normally say nothing if he was mocked or badmouthed. Even though his family had lost prestige over the years it still meant something so he¡¯d been put into awkward situations before. The commoners didn¡¯t think of him as one of them so they kept away and the kids with power had mocked him from time to time due to his family barely being worthy of what it used to be. Still, he¡¯d never much cared, he always figured he¡¯d prove himself through his actions someday and shut everybody up. Still¡­ This was Marcos! There was no way he¡¯d let his friend get mocked like this for no reason and let the guy get away with it. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your problem is but you can just shut up and go away now.¡± Leo didn¡¯t yell back but he said them loud enough for the people around them to hear. Damien glanced at him and then scoffed ¡°So the cheater has a friend? Why are you even sticking up for this good for nothing? Why don¡¯t you come over here, leave this cheater behind and be friends with us what do you say?¡± even as he spoke the crowd was taking notice. Even with all the space in the vast fields everyone had grouped together closely. No one wanted to get attacked by a random monster far away from everyone else and get killed while sleeping. Leo took a glance at his surroundings as he noticed more people gazing in their direction. Although a lot of these people had taken notice of what was happening no one was saying anything. Some of them found Damien to be overbearingly rude, like an idiot but in their world. If you were insulted then you stood up for yourself. Whoever was strongest was right, if Damien had the strength to do insult these two guys then no one was going to stop him. Leo knew no one was going to step in, and he knew the moment the guy had spoken up and said what he did who he was. Even though he wasn¡¯t someone he wanted to get into a conflict with, he wasn¡¯t going to back down either, especially now that he had insulted his friend in front of this crowd of people who could inevitably turn out to be his future competition in the academy. ¡°No thanks, I don¡¯t like to get involved with mentally deficient people while in the wilderness. Carrying extra luggage in the wild is silliness.¡± Leo responded to him knowing where this was heading. Damien on the other hand was surprised that this kid hadn¡¯t flip flopped to his side in a heart beat, even more surprised he¡¯d just called him stupid ¡°Doesn¡¯t this kid know who I am?¡± he wondered as he frowned. ¡°I am Damien Knight. I am the future of Lumea City. I am the future savior of humanity! I will become stronger than anyone has ever been and conquer every monster and beast on this entire realm of existence! Did you really just call your future king mentally deficient?¡± Damien said nearly growling ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Leo just stared at him agape. ¡°The balls on this dude. I mean wow, I wanted to try and be witty, granted not my strong suit¡­ But I mean¡­ The confidence this guy has¡­ It¡¯s overwhelmingly impressive¡­ It¡¯s to the point of delusion¡­ How many compliments does his mommy give him daily for him to get like that?¡± Leo wondered still staring unable to speak momentarily. ¡°Exactly. Your stunned silence says everything. Apologize now and beg for forgiveness and I will exhibit one of my many glorious traits, mercy and forgive your insolence and chalk it up to poor manners and education.¡± Damien continued as he noticed Leo¡¯s wide eyes and open mouth. He knew this boy had realized that mistake he¡¯d made and was utterly regretting it. No one had ever spoken to him like that before, obviously the boy was raised outside the city in the slums or something. Finally regaining some of his composure Leo looked around at the people around him and pointed a finger at Damien ¡°Okay okay! I get it, this is a practical joke right?? One of the guardsmen hired a clown to perk us all up before the exam right? Oh man, these guys sure are considerate. I don¡¯t know how appropriate a clown is but he sure is funny. He¡¯s a bit over the top though right? What¡¯s up too? If you¡¯re a clown why don¡¯t you have a clown outfit on? Why do you have the clothes of a warrior on? Is that a joke too? I don¡¯t get those high level jokes man, I¡¯m not that bright.¡± Damien was now the one that was stunned at Damien¡¯s words. The people around him were stunned that this kid had the audacity to say these things to Damien. Most of them people knew about his personality and temper. Some of them even subconsciously moved away from Damien a step or two afraid he was about to blow up. This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. ¡°Oh the clown is turning red! Awesome! Is this one of your tricks? If the academy trained a clown to use magic for tricks I gotta say, they sure are committed to their prospective students!¡± Damien had his hand on his sword as his face turned red and everything turned red for a second. Without even thinking he pushed off the ground and moved towards Leo, his one step off the ground propelling him forward over 10 as he closed the distance and pulled out his straight sword to attack Leo. Without regard for the test he took a full slash at him as Leo narrowly avoided the blade pushing himself back a few feet with a step of his own. Leo avoided the slash with ease. Damien had completely telegraphed his move and intentions the moment he turned angry. ¡°Whoa man! This is over the top! There is no reason why the academy should be giving a clown a sword. You should hand that over guy, you could seriously hurt yourself with that. It¡¯s pointy and sharp you know!¡± Damien heard his words and started slashing at Leo with reckless abandon just wanting to cut him into pieces. Leo dodged every slash moving left and right while taking one or steps each time as he watched Damien¡¯s arm and the trajectory of the blade. Every slash was missing him and Damien felt utterly humiliated as he stopped and finally took a moment to inhale and calm himself down. ¡°Utterly humiliating. I was a fool. I got angry at this idiots words and snapped for a second. I am going to kill him.¡± Damien was thinking and even though he was calming down, his desire to kill Leo hadn¡¯t gone way. If anything now that he was calm his entire aura felt different. Leo noticed this instantly and felt there was a sudden premonition of danger. He¡¯d been fooling around with Damien because Damien was angry and wasn¡¯t using any technique or thought behind his sword slashes, but he knew that this wasn¡¯t the extent of his skills. ¡°This guy was raised to be strong by the strong. If I wasn¡¯t strong myself and practiced swordsmanship and movement techniques then he would have already cut me in half as it was. Now that he¡¯s calmed down everything feels different.¡± Realizing this was now serious. Leo finally shut up and put his hand on his sword at his waist as he spoke up ¡°If you come at me, I¡¯m going to draw my sword.¡± Damien ignored his words as he crouched and steadied his position. He was now calm but he couldn¡¯t let this slide after being embarrassed in front of a crowd. In fact even if he was alone and he¡¯d been insulted like this he wouldn¡¯t have let it slide. ¡°I¡¯m going to cut you up into little pieces¡± was the only thought that surfaced in his mind as he prepared to move. ¡°Enough children.¡± Leo and Damien¡¯s mind trembled as they heard those words which weren¡¯t yelled almost directly in their ears in an overbearingly loud tone. Walking out of the crowd was Professor Lydia. ¡°I don¡¯t care who started what, this is an exam. If either of you takes one more swing or attempts to hurt the other while this exam is going on, you fail. Now shoo¡­ Shoo!¡± waving her hands at them as if they were pesky squirrels trying to steal her meal. Leo watched Damien not taking his hand off the hilt of his sword until Damien had turned around and walked away as he sheathed his sword. Watching him walk away Leo realized he just stirred up more trouble with his big mouth. Walking back to Marcos who was looking at him with a grateful but disapproving look ¡°Yeah I know¡­ I said too much. Big mouth. *sigh* This is why I don¡¯t bother with most people. They¡¯re all so sensitive and can¡¯t handle a few words here or there. I was almost surprised that he actually came at me trying to kill me over some words. The guy had the nerve to call himself a god basically!¡± Marcos didn¡¯t know what to say and didn¡¯t think he had the right to nag at him after he¡¯d just stood up for him. Leo had basically just stirred up a hornets nest for him. ¡°I think we should just get some sleep now¡± Leo shrugged ¡°Yeah, we need be at our best for tomorrow. That¡¯s when the action really begins!¡± They both laid down on their backs as they closed their eyes. Away from them Damien had already calmed down as he walked through the crowd with his lackeys behind him. They were a little terrified after his display. Even if he didn¡¯t manage to hurt the other guy he¡¯d moved so fast almost all of them wouldn¡¯t have been able to dodge more than two of those slashes. The other guy was just a freak like Damien! What actually scared them was that Damien looked serene and wasn¡¯t displaying a hint of anger after what had just happened¡­ ¡°Meh. Maybe a wild boar or something will kill him. If not I will after the exam. She said not to kill him during the exam. I won¡¯t kill him during the exam¡± Damien thought to himself. ¡°Thanks¡­¡± Marcos said after finally bringing himself to say it. He had no problem standing up to Damien. He wasn¡¯t afraid of him even if Damien was stronger. He just couldn¡¯t bring himself to say something and possibly have his father lose his job over him. They didn¡¯t have that kind of money and he just couldn¡¯t do it. Leo understood that and didn¡¯t even reply. There was no thanks necessary between real friends. Chapter 83 Lumea City - Bull-Wind Forest (Part 3) Chapter 83 Lumea City - Bull-Wind Forest (Part 3) www.9tribulations.com Chapters 1-93 The Bull-Wind Forest was vast and seemingly endless. It was once a relatively small forest. While it would take around three months to cross it, it was do-able. Now the forest was seemingly endless. Multiple patrols had gone in, and the farther they went the further it seemed. One patrol had been tasked to walk endlessly while reporting back with a magical scroll that could be used a certain number of times to relay a message. They had walked for over two years before their last transmission. After that they were never heard from again. None the less, they were an experienced group of warriors and after 2 years they had seemingly made little progress. The guardsmen were talking early in the morning as most of the participants had only begun to wake up. They were discussing the dangerous areas of the forest and their formations as they saw Crimson walk by. Whenever he did the guardsmen in the area would look at him in awe. Crimson was a 3 clawed guardsmen. This was a large accomplishment as it meant that he had the authority of a third ranked official in the entire city. Only the Queen herself or a guardsmen with more claws could order him about. Of which there were few. The position of guardsmen was equivalent of becoming a warrior for the city. It was a path that most of the students who graduated from Lumea Academy took if they didn¡¯t excel during their years there. Although these men and women had to obey the rules of the city, and perform the tasks assigned to them. They were also given money, housing, and power. Moreover they were given the opportunity to rise in the ranks and get more of everything they could possibly want. The greatest benefit was that although they had to risk life and limb for the city, they were well taken care of if they received injuries. Injuries that could be healed would be healed and injuries that couldn¡¯t be healed and left them crippled allowed them to take a safer position with various benefits. There were near 1000 students taking the exam, as such there were about 80 first time guardsmen who had been brought along for their first mission. Therefore a lot of these guardsmen who were now considered rookies after being at the elder students at Lumea Academy were looking at Crimson with veneration. Meanwhile Crimson had heard of their previous discussion and it reminded him of his theory. He had ventured into the forest numerous times now in order to kill beasts that had attacked the city or to gather beasts for food. Crimson¡¯s theory was that the landscape changed at will. That only when you knew exactly where you were going would the scenery stay the same. Of course he told no one, it would be hard to believe theory and he had no proof. Still, to him it was the only thing that made sense after so many suspicious things had happened. He¡¯d been on patrol one time a day¡¯s walk from meadow land near the city but on his return, he¡¯d taken nearly a month to get back to where he was. It was a truly mystifying experience. This forest contained savage beasts and violent races who were either capable of strong physical damage or magical aptitude. It was safe for no one, even experienced warriors had to constantly be on guard. The number of races people had described were in the forest were numerous. More over, the real inner portion of the forest had rarely been seen but it had indeed been reported that the deeper in to the forest you went, the lower the forest seemed to be. At the most inner and lowest portion of the forest. There was an area filled with a terrifying cold mist that seemed to pulse with life. It was one of the most dangerous parts of the forest that no one dared to venture into. Any warrior who¡¯d managed to see it instinctively knew not to get anywhere near that mist. Most of the guardsmen were discussing these topics seeing as how even though this was an examination for the future would-be students of Lumea Academy. It was also the first mission for a lot of guardsmen. Just as Leo was waking up and stretching his arms and legs Damien and his crew were walking within distance and Damien¡¯s gaze on him made him cold for a second as he reached for his hilt out of reflex. Damien merely snickered as he walked past him with a cold look ¡°I¡¯ll get you back during the exam don¡¯t you worry.¡± he thought as he exercised patience. He¡¯d been too rash the night before and he knew it. Now that he¡¯d had the time to cool himself off he knew that he wanted to get back at Leo he would have to show restraint and wait for an opportunity to hurt him. The entire procession of students continued forward for half the day as they were finally within reach of a forest. Everyone started to get both excited and anxious as they walked within 100 meters of the forest line and stopped. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Professor Lydia walked out to the front with Crimson as he got every one¡¯s attention, and then Professor Lydia spoke up ¡°This is how this exam is going to proceed. We will be breaking down everyone into groups of 50. Each group of participants will have 10 supervisors. Once we get into our groups, we will all teleport into the forest with special rift scrolls personally created by the Vice Headmaster. Although this is not public, the Vice Headmaster has reached the Wizard level of the spatial attribute.¡± After saying these words the students were in absolute awe as the heard these words. Reaching the ¡°Wizard¡± level of any attribute was something only a handful of people in a given generation could do, and with the void element was shocking to hear. Marcos who wasn¡¯t too well versed with the levels of understanding for those who walked the path of understanding the elements and basically wielded magic whispered to Leo ¡°*cough* I know this is a big deal and all¡­ And I have a pretty good idea but¡­ the details¡­ of ya know¡­¡± he said to Leo. Leo only smirked at Marcos, it was rare for him to actually ask about something he didn¡¯t know. He would normally prefer to stay in the dark than say something and look silly ¡°It means he¡¯s basically reached the third level of understanding for his path. The Wizard level means he not only can see the the void particles in the air but can actively infuse void mana into objects. If he were really insightful, he might even have the ability to create skills and manipulate void mana into scrolls to pass that void skill on. Not that almost anyone would. That¡¯s like giving away all of your hard earned work but still.¡± Marcos¡¯s eyes were open wide as he paid attention. He didn¡¯t know they had someone so accomplished in the academy. Although he wasn¡¯t terribly surprised like so many of the other participants. Although it was mostly due to ignorance. Mostly he just assumed that everyone who worked at the academy was some lofty and incredible person, it was only natural to him that the vice headmaster had that level of ability. Just as Marcos was about to ask another question Professor Lydia began listing the groups and everyone turned quiet. After the first hundred or so names, as people grouped together and met up with their guardsmen it became evident to some of the brighter participants what was happening. Those who had been judged to have less talent were being grouped together and given ¡°worse¡± protection by being paired up with new guardsmen. After 4 groups were called, most people had started to notice that their protection didn¡¯t even include an actual professor at the academy. Only guardsmen. It was well known to everyone that while all of the guards were former Lumea students, their word and recommendation would mean far less than an actual professor¡¯s. Leo was paying attention, not wanting to miss his name as instead of hearing his name he head Marcos¡¯s name being called during the twelfth group¡¯s last name. They glanced at each other and both realized they would be so lucky as to be grouped together. Instead of goodbyes or good lucks they just fist bumped and nodded at one another. Neither of them wanted to do any worse than anyone else but they also didn¡¯t want to lose to each other. After all they were close friends and very competitive. Leo was getting a little anxious waiting so long but he¡¯d recognized that the later groups were the better groups. At least Marcos¡¯s group had a professor in it. After nine groups had been called, ¡°Everyone left, you¡¯re in my group. Hurry up and get over here.¡± At this moment a lot of the participants still remaining glanced at one another and they realized this was definitely the best group. The three clawed guardsman that would be going with them not withstanding¡­ The top participants that everyone had been whispering about were mostly all in this group. Some of the participants thought that the whole exam seemed unfair as a few of them voiced their thoughts in whispers ¡°How come all of the guys who seem stronger go in to one group? Doesn¡¯t that just mean they have a much better chance at making it through the exam unscathed compared to us? How is that even fair??¡± Except no one answered that question for them. They would find out soon enough why the groupings were done this way. Leo noticed as he was walking forward that Damien was in his group ¡°Super¡­ This is going to make my life easier hah¡­¡± inadvertently shrugging his shoulders at his luck. Inwardly though he was a little happy, to him it meant that the superiors had graded his skill as good as Damien¡¯s. He thought he was as good, but he couldn¡¯t count on the professors thinking the same thing. With everyone together in their new groups, instead of walking directly into the forest. Each of the heads of their groups (the proctors) opened their rift scrolls by ripping them and then imbuing them with mana. Small portals the size of a door appeared in 20 different locations across the meadow. In single file each participant followed a few guardsmen as the guardsmen would walk in the front and back of the groups and entered the portals. Leo was one of the last ones in his group as he prepared himself, a few feet from the portal¡­ His hand was already on the hilt of his sword as he walked though. Chapter 84 Lumea City - Bull-Wind Forest (Part 4) Chapter 84 Lumea City - Bull-Wind Forest (Part 4) www.9tribulations.com Chapters 1-95 @ 9Tribulations Leo stepped out of the portal with wide eyes as he turned his head to the side and threw up. The moment he stepped into the portal, it felt like all of his organs had been shaken and all of his blood froze for a moment and just as a moment later as he¡¯d stepped through, seemingly back on solid ground instead of weightless he¡¯d felt everything coming crashing back down. Everything he¡¯d eaten rose all the way to his throat and he couldn¡¯t help himself from tossing his cookies. He couldn¡¯t help but get everything in his stomach out as his eyes blurred a little with tears from the exertion of emptying his stomach. When his stomach was finally empty he could finally manage to take a few deep breaths as he finally felt empty enough that breathing in no longer flared up that sensation of nausea that had washed over him. Only now could he finally look around and noticed that most of the others around him weren¡¯t doing much better than him. The acidic smell from the stomach acids of all of the food and beverages that had been regurgitated in the past few minutes lingered in the air giving everyone who inhaled the smell the immediate sensation of wanting to gag. Leo stopped taking any deeper breaths as he covered his mouth and nose with his left arm as he began walking forward. No longer wanting to stay in the same spot, the smell was overwhelming. Everyone in the area who had finished were thinking the same thing as they moved further forward to the area where Professor Lydia was. Next to her were three guardsmen. The three-clawed guardsmen whom they had noticed earlier, he was clearly an important member as even Professor Lydia was paying him some deference, and two guardsmen who looked as young as some of the participants. Noticing that most of the participants were regaining their barrings, Professor Lydia spoke in a calm and even tone as the sound was loud enough for those around her to hear ¡°From this point forward, there will be no screaming or yelling. Any loud noises could attract a catastrophe. The majority of you can hear me, and for those who don¡¯t those who did will relay the information I am about to give out. The nausea you¡¯re feeling is normal and will go away in a few minutes. It¡¯s a common occurrence when traveling through the void.¡± Instead of continuing she waited for everyone to crowd around herself and the other guardsmen as everyone seemed to be present. ¡°We could be anywhere in the forest at the moment. Crimson has explored as much as anyone else in regards to this Bull-Wind forest and therefore he will lead us. If he says an area is too dangerous, you listen and follow. Any instruction that he gives is to be followed immediately if you want to survive. I will personally be taking note of every action and inaction you all make, and it will be based on my recommendations and Crimson¡¯s and to a lesser extent these other two that you will either be granted entry into the Lumea Academy or not¡± Professor Lydia said as she haphazardly pointed towards the other two guardsmen while deeply praising ¡®Crimson¡¯. Leo wasn¡¯t able to make everything out clearly because he¡¯d been in the back at the start but he¡¯d managed to move forward enough to make out enough of what was being said. He was entirely focused on finding out what the requirement for the exam would be, it was the only thing that mattered to him in that moment as his ears strained themselves to catch every noise being made, afraid he¡¯d somehow miss the only thing that mattered. ¡°We will stay in the forest for one month, earlier if the tasks necessary are accomplished before then. Every participant must do battle with 5 creatures and must slay a beast or monster because everyone can leave. We the instructors or guardsmen will only watch and keep a distance and intervene if something goes awry or an enemy that has no business being here appears. Otherwise we will maintain a silence and watch, even if you all get slaughtered. We will not save the weak, and the strong won¡¯t need our will they?¡± with a wink and a shrug at those around her. Professor Lydia stopped talking and started making her ay out of the large crowd desiring some space. Crimson finally spoke up as he noticed Lydia was done with her speech ¡°I¡¯ll keep it short and sweet. These two guardsmen are Flow and Jill. They are new and this is their first mission. Much as this is a test to see if you are all good enough to enter the Lumea Academy this is also a test for them to see if they are strong enough to survive being a guardsmen for our great city. I will make the best decisions in order to keep you all safe, aside from that it will be up to your own skill to keep yourselves alive. Best of luck.¡± Crimson shrugged his shoulders and walked away from them too. Flow and Jill the other two guardsmen stayed in place with shy expressions on their faces as everyone else turned to stare at them. Leo looked at the rag tag group that he was now partnered up with for the rest of the month. A month which would be filled with danger and more for the foreseeable future. Following behind Professor Lydia, Leo decided it would be a good idea to stay near her. It would be good if he could stand out while she was around. Everyone else took their time getting themselves together, but knowing that this was a test and that they were being judged, no one wanted to come off worse than anyone else. This was the group with the most potential after all. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Instead of leading, the group noticed that the professors weren¡¯t going in any particular direction, in fact they seemed to be aimlessly wandering. Finally someone mustered the courage to ask ¡°Where should we be going?¡± Crimson glanced at the boy and answered indifferently ¡°You can go wherever you want. We won¡¯t protect you remember? You can go as a group or alone, but there are only four of us, we will generally be keeping an eye on the biggest groups. If you all want to branch out independently you can do that too, but then know that your odds for survival are that much lower and that you might not get noticed regardless of what you do.¡± Hearing this everyone seemed to reevaluate their strategy as Damien spoke up ¡°Those who want to follow me can follow me. We will find a nest of monsters and we will wipe them out! One month? Why should we bother staying here that long? Let¡¯s do this in three days!¡± his overbearing tone inspiring confidence in the participants around him as Crimson¡¯s eyes darkened. ''Just earlier they¡¯d all been told to keep their voices down and now this idiot is yelling at the top of his lungs trying to sound inspirational?'' Crimson wondered whether this was the type of idiot that ran into battle and got killed or the type of idiot who let others run into battle ahead of him and got them killed. In his mind the boy who¡¯d just shouted could only be one of those two types of idiot. Almost half of the participants gathered around Damien as he set forward ignoring those who hadn¡¯t flocked to him. Meanwhile a lot of the others looked at one another measuring each other up. Leo was paying close attention to all of them, as he noticed a vague mist in the distance. Walking closer to a tree he hopped up onto one of the branches as he lowered his voice so that only those near him could hear as he asked ¡°Is that the mist of the deepest layered area of the forest?¡± Professor Lydia and the other guardsmen¡¯s eyebrows quirked. The information regarding the different layers of the forest wasn¡¯t kept secret but it was still information that didn¡¯t get around. A little interested was piqued and some of the more observant participants that had not moved to follow Damien had noticed the changes in the expressions of Professor Lydia and Crimson. Noticing their changes, they instantly decided to pay more attention to Leo. ¡°Yes.¡± was Crimson¡¯s only response. ¡®Hmm¡¯ Leo thought, ¡®If we go in that direction according to the book that Marcos had, there will actually be less monsters but the danger is somehow much higher. The purpose of the exam is simply to show off our skills and to garner some proof. Moving in the opposite direction where there are more and weaker monsters is the starter decision.¡¯ Leo hopped down off the tree and made eye contact with some of the others before stating ¡°I think we should go in the opposite direction of the mist. If that¡¯s the deepest layer than the weaker monsters should be in greater numbers the further away we go. Even if we want to test our skills¡­ It¡¯s best we start from the bottom and work our way up.¡± Everyone had different opinions to this. Some of them didn¡¯t want to do it because if it did then it would make Leo stand out more. Some of them thought it was prudent to follow his plan because there was no reason not too, there were also only so many guardsmen and clearly at least one was going to follow Leo after he spoke. Haeru had no such opinion and was merely interested by Leo. He¡¯d heard that Leo had gotten into a fight with Damien and was surprised that someone would actually stand up to him. He knew him personally and understood how much of a bully he was just based on how coddled he was inside of his family. It was rare for someone to stand up to him, and it was almost unheard of for someone to do it that he hadn¡¯t even heard of and to come out of it unscathed. Moving forward he offered his hand out to Leo ¡°Haeru.¡± Leo was surprised as he¡¯d heard of Haeru before but he¡¯d never seen him. Haeru¡¯s family was well known due to the mysterious fighting abilities his family was known for. Leo extended his hand and shook Haeru¡¯s as he felt an ironclad grip as his eyes widened for a second before he steeled himself and squeezed back ¡°Leo¡±. The two stood still for a few moments before Haeru let go while thinking ¡®Not bad, normally kids don¡¯t like shaking hands with me for some reason.¡¯ Leo pulled back his numb hand, with the fingers that had been pushed together slightly aching feeling content that he hadn¡¯t flinched ¡®That¡¯s right, you can use all your strength. You can¡¯t intimidate me¡¯. Haeru nodded at him and begun walking in the direction Leo had just suggested. Leo gazed at him for a moment not wasting any more time as he followed suit. Noticing Haeru had decided to follow Leo¡¯s suggestion, most of the participants present were aware of who he was and even those that didn¡¯t had a psychological push after seeing people slowly beginning to follow them. In just a few minutes everyone had split into two groups going in opposite directions. Professor Lydia gazed at both groups and then decided to follow Leo¡¯s group. Noticing her choice, Crimson pointed at Jill who was one of the new guardsmen and signaled her to follow that group as he begun to follow behind Damien¡¯s group with Flow. Chapter 85 The Hundred Years - Ten Years (Part 2) Chapter 85 The Hundred Years - Ten Years (Part 2) www.9tribulations.com Chapters 1-97 @ 9Tribulations.com After an entire year of searching Hannah had finally attained the first bit of insight. In her grief, she¡¯d lost herself and allowed herself to simply endure while doing the necessary with her goals to the side. She was barely living, she was enduring. Now suddenly she felt as if she¡¯d gained an obvious insight she¡¯d ignored. ¡®If I want to increase my strength, I can¡¯t just go through the motions¡­ I need to do what Daichi did. I need to meditate, I need to look at myself and try and be objective.¡¯ Hannah had become cold and devoid of feeling, but only due to her desire in wanting to numb herself to the pain and indignities she¡¯d experienced. It wasn¡¯t objective and it wasn¡¯t useful, and now she was finally realizing that was no way to achieve her goals. After coming to this realization, she had entered a state of meditation that had endured for 9 days. Within these 9 days her mind analyzed every single death, every single life she had taken. She slowly worked her way backwards, being objective in what she had done and how she had done it. Towards the end, she was even able to touch upon how she¡¯d felt while she had taken life. She had not been able to face her own emotions for over a year but now, with this new insight came a courage she hadn¡¯t felt in a very long time. She steeled herself and allowed herself to feel and understand the coldness she felt when she took life. Unable to understand any further and instead of dwelling on what she couldn¡¯t understand, she prepared herself to go hunting. After meditating for days on end with no water or food, a normal human would have died but somehow all the plant life in the vicinity of where she¡¯d been sitting had died out while she meditated. Even Hannah herself didn¡¯t notice this, as she gazed off into the distance looking past what was in front of her, a serene smile covered her face as she thought about how hungry she was. Hannah spent the next six years doing nothing but slaughtering her way through the forest. No longer consumed with desire to leave or with any destination in mind. Hannah would hunt, kill, eat, meditate. This was her daily routine¡­ Even more disturbing was her choice of food, in wanting to pursue a greater understanding of her own abilities and herself. Hannah no longer looked for any specific source of food¡­ Anything she killed, she tried to eat. Naturally she wouldn¡¯t eat these monsters and beasts raw¡­ In fact she took pleasure in the disorderly routine of learning how to skin a variety of monsters. Then dissecting their bones and muscles while taking care to bleed them out and remove the useless organs. She had killed every type of monster that their former group had encountered by now and a large variety of monsters they hadn¡¯t before. Hannah stared at right hand as she ate a a passably cooked troll bicep. Thinking about her strengths and weaknesses in a quantified way had only made her weak before. She had never realized how much she''d been held back by a status window until she''d lost it. When she could no longer view her status window the god she''d met all those years before had appeared and spoken to her once again. She''d informed Hannah that the status window along with a slew of others magics that were permanently employed in the world were things created and managed by the gods. Things that could no longer be managed or sustained by them. It was a wonder why to Hannah now how any of it could be quantified in the first place. After coming to understand how important meditating, understanding herself and her own abilities were she came to understand that the information she saw in the status window was a lie. It was an illusion that only helped the weak. The stronger she became she the less she could be quantified. When the realization first struck her, she finally came to realize what a small world she¡¯d previously been living in. Just as Hannah was about to start a fire she heard a loud bellow that reverberated throughout the forest. Hannah¡¯s heart stilled. This was the first time she¡¯d heard this noise in 6 years. This was a sound she could never forget, a sound that was deeply etched into her heart. Turning to look in that direction, Hannah felt insecure, and afraid as she took her first step in that direction. Shocked at her own movement, her fear hovering on the surface she realized she¡¯d taken another step. ¡®It¡¯s them¡­¡¯ Before realizing it, Hannah was sprinting at full speed in the direction of the loud bellow. She was scared and her nerves were frayed as anticipation and anxiety ate away at her every moment that passed but she couldn¡¯t stop herself from running towards that sound. ¡®It¡¯s them¡­!¡¯ A feeling that she had all but forgotten seeped back in as she realized how badly she wanted to kill the beast making that sound¡­ If they were the divine beasts she remembered¡­ Then killing them would make her heart fill with joy. The opportunity to take away something that meant so very much, to the being she hated so very much¡­ The desire overwhelmed her every other emotion. ¡®I can kill them! I can do what Daichi couldn¡¯t do all those years ago and kill them!¡¯ A small smile spread across Hannah¡¯s face as her features twisted, her hatred evident on her expression making her look even more sinister then the monsters whom she passed as she sprinted through the forest with haste. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. In these past few years every time she¡¯d killed she¡¯d gained a bit of that monster or beast¡¯s essence. Even without realizing it, Hannah had become much more agile and gained the stamina that could only be achieved by living a life of constant roaming through treacherous surroundings. She was stronger than any other human she¡¯d ever met in every aspect except strength. She¡¯d learned long ago that strength was the one trait her body¡¯s constitution was vastly inept at nurturing. ¡®I¡¯m strong enough now¡­ I¡¯m strong enough¡­¡¯ Hannah ran past the brush and surrounding trees as if they weren¡¯t even there, her speed increasing more and more until she was running at a full sprint. She would move in and out of the trees as if running through the forest had become second nature to her. She followed the sound and ran in the direction she heard it. ¡®Damn it! Why aren¡¯t I getting closer!?¡¯ After running a few minutes she heard the same bellowing, the sound causing the ground to tremble and she changed directions yet again following the sound from where she thought it was coming. ¡®You aren¡¯t getting away!¡¯ The sounds of the bellowing continued through the night and Hannah ran, changing directions at every chance she got trying to accurately track the origin of the sounds. She knew the beasts who were making these sounds had to be the beasts that belonged to Tael. She¡¯d tried her best to forget about him, to not think of him, but it was impossible for her. ¡®Damn it!!! STOP TAUNTING ME!¡¯ No matter how much time had passed, whenever she touched her ring on her finger (which had become a habit) she could feel Kaden¡¯s body inside. Still the same as the day he¡¯d died, and the feelings she¡¯d had¡­ The pain, loss and longing would flare up for a moment before she was numb again. Every single time, without fail, her thoughts would drift to Tael and the hatred she had for him. Even numb, her hatred wouldn¡¯t dissipate. ¡®I¡¯m going to kill you! I¡¯m going to kill you!¡¯ Running for the entire night fueled by the fire of getting some form of satisfaction from killing his pets Hannah could only stop an stare at the morning sun peaking into the sky. The moons fading from sight. Staring at the rising sun, Hannah was breathing in deeply as sweat poured down her brow onto her face. Gasping for air after running for hours at her fastest speed. She¡¯d changed directions overtime she thought she was getting closer only to feel like she¡¯d turned in the opposite directions only minutes later. Each bellow a taunt in her mind, the first glimpse of hope for revenge finally peaking through. After a night of running that slight glimmer of hope had faded away, after each step she took only to feel no closer to her prey. Instead of the numbness she was accustomed too she was instead left with a deep piercing pain in her chest. ¡®Failed. I failed. Am I still so weak that I couldn¡¯t even reach them?¡¯ Falling on her knees, the exhaustion and feeling of failure getting the best of her Hannah stayed on the ground kneeling. In pain and lost, feeling so close to what she had all those years ago. Feeling that familiar sense of despair looming over her heart, Hannah stared at herself in a daze. Looking at her body which was cut up repeatedly as she ran through the forest with reckless abandon. She had managed to avoid any fights, trees or serious injuries. That still didn''t allow her to avoid the thorns, the branches, the wild bushes and the thick leaves of some of the more dangerous trees which had leaves as sharp as knives. Hannah stared at her cut and bruised body in a daze ''Worthless so worthless...'' ''I can take life but I don''t even understand it. I don''t even understand pain despite its adamant desire to keep me company.'' Staring at her wounds she began wondering how long they would take to heal, until for the first time in years she made another small break through. ''Heal... Ah... I want to bring Kaden back, that''s why I''ve struggled to move forward. To understand death and myself. How can I understand life when I don''t even understand the things closest to me or about me?'' Her eyes began to shine with a luster that had been gone for a very long time. ''Why have I been so stupid!? Stuck on trying to understand something so large, so vast and so complicated without even trying to find a stepping stone! I''m such a stupid idiot!!!'' Cursing at herself, her mind reeled as she thought about her failures as she felt a slight excitement coursing through her. ''Healing. I should learn something basic, understand something easier. I should start small, small but in the vein of what I want to learn... If I can do that then I can eventually reach my goal. This entire time I''ve been trying to do everything in one go instead of taking baby steps towards my goal!'' A light was shining in Hannah''s eyes as she closed her eyes and started to feel her wounds. Unable to understand anything about healing, Hannah didn''t rush herself or try to find any knowledge inside of herself regarding something she knew nothing about. Instead for the first time in years she exercised the patience she had once had an entire lifetime ago. She closed her eyes and focused on the wounds and cuts on her body and stayed still. Hannah stayed still, focusing on her wounds as the blood started to coagulate and scabs started to form over the wounds. Hannah did not move a muscle for an entire week doing nothing but focusing on her wounds, and how her body healed itself. Inside of this meditative trance, her bodily needs disappeared as her entire focus patiently watched this process unfold. Chapter 86 Bull-Wind Forest (Part 5) Chapter 86 Bull-Wind Forest (Part 5) www.9tribulations.com Chapters 1-99 @ www.9tribulations.com ¡°I¡¯m invincible I¡¯m invincible HAHAHAH¡± Damien began to scream ecstatically as he attained his first minor insight into the element of fire. All around him bodies were littered on the ground and blood was everywhere. The corpses of multiple participants were littered across the grounds, some pieces even high up in the trees. Not dead bodies, but mutilated corpses, pieces everywhere leaving one unable to discern which piece belonged to which person. Their limbs were severed, their heads lopped off, their stomachs shredded and their innards falling out as the stretch of bile and blood reeked throughout the area. Even as he attained this small insight into manipulating fire with mana, Damien didn¡¯t have a chance to continue gloating before another forest imp dashed out from one of the trees at a frightening speed aiming it¡¯s little claws at his neck. Damien noticed just in time as he threw himself on the ground, his sword still in hand as he rolled to the side to avoid another attack from another imp. The imps were everywhere in the trees, and the trees were dense enough, with foliage to cover the sun¡¯s rays. Everyone still alive was trapped as they were swarmed by wave after wave of attacks from these imps. Although small, no bigger than one meter (3 ft) tall, their speed was incredible. Normal humans would have been killed without even seeing their claws nearing them but all of the people here were far from normal. They were the creme de la creme of the boys and girls under 18 years of age of Lumea City. These people were as fierce as untested children could be, and though they were being attacked and killed left and right, some of them still had the will to fight back. Others maintained enough composure to defend themselves, hope still in their eyes. No one had gotten a good look at any of these imps yet, but the moment someone had called out ¡®IMPS!¡¯ earlier everyone in unison had pulled out their weapons ready to defend! They could tell these imps were small and wry, but nothing else. They moved so fast from the trees to the ground and back up, sparing only enough time while attacking in their descent and another attack on their way back up the trees that no one could get a clear look at them. They were being killed off one by one. The imps laughing in the trees as they spewed blood from pieces of the corpses they took with them back to the trees. The blood dripping down, as only 4 people were left along with Damien. Even on the floor, blood around him, on his clothes and now dripping on his face, his determination to survive was near admirable. ¡¯I can¡¯t die here! I won¡¯t! I¡¯m a genius! I just had my first insight into fire! I¡¯m not even 18! I¡¯m a genius! I will live!¡¯ his confidence growing from his own speech to himself as he screamed at the imps in the trees as he wrestled to get back to his feet ¡°Come down here! I will kill you all!¡± ¡­Three days earlier. Damien had walked away from the professor and other participants assuming the majority if not all of them would follow him. In fact, he didn¡¯t look backwards until after he¡¯d walked over an hour, and when he did he was in shock. ¡®Only this many followed me¡­?¡¯ He had expected much more than half of the group to follow him, but that shock quickly dissipated as he noticed none of the professors or guardsmen were around. In that instant a small sense of wariness passed through him before Damien began to assume that they were just sticking to the shadows. ¡®That¡¯s got to be it. Otherwise we would feel too safe. This is definitely to unsettle us¡¯ After coming up with a reasonable explanation as to why none of the guardsmen were around he turned around and began walking again. If he only knew that no one was following him he would have stilled at the thought of being so exposed in one of the most dangerous places known to the residents of Lumea City. Instead, with his confidence quickly recovered he began to move forward. Using he sword to cut the various obstructions in his way, he felt disdain for having to use one of the best swords his family had to offer in such a way. The majority of the other participants didn¡¯t doubt Damien¡¯s ability at all. He came off as a decisive outspoken natural born leader. Albeit he also came off as overbearing and even perhaps spoiled, a lot of them rationalized that as normal considering his family and the manner in which he was raised. In their eyes ¡®How could he not be spoiled?¡¯ They walked and rested for a few hours. Whenever Damien would begin to move again they would begin to move as well. They didn¡¯t set up a formal rotation for who would sleep at different times, but as if they¡¯d been through this together before, some of them naturally stayed awake while others fell asleep. This was only because some of them were too wary to be able to fall asleep in such a dangerous place and some of the others were just too tired to not sleep while assuming someone else would warn them if danger was near. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. It was only Damien and a girl named Karina who was in their group who fell asleep at ease, not because of some simple reason but because they both came to the same conclusion. ¡®This early on, some of them will naturally be too wary or afraid to sleep. Therefore some of them will exhaust themselves by staying up. Naturally later on some of these people will be too exhausted after staying up too not fall asleep, and when that happens those that have previously rested will be too wary to not stay awake. While all this happens, they¡¯ll all slowly get more and more tired. Meanwhile I can ensure that resting at the beginning will be the safest. If I do that, then I¡¯ll definitely be the last one standing.¡¯ They both simultaneously came to the conclusion. Neither was thinking about simply passing the exam, they were both cut throat and from prestigious families. Passing the exam would be too little to award them any merit. They both needed to excel in the exam, and if they couldn¡¯t kill their competition, then they could have the competition killed off with the beasts in the forest. In fact, Karina took this logic a step further. While she was being cutthroat, she was also being pragmatic unlike Damien who was hoping they all died leaving him the sole survivor. Karina was hoping that most would die but if they didn¡¯t and some survived that could be used to her benefit as well. If they survived and it was mainly due to her efforts, then not only could she gain some followers for life, but that could perhaps make her look even more noble to the professor grading them! It would be so much simpler if they could just kill the competition but they definitely could not. Although the competition for survival was fierce within Lumea City due to the limited resources and the ever growing population there was a strict ¡°no killing one another¡± rule in the Lumea Academy. Both for the students, teachers and anyone who had ever been a student of the academy. They were forever forbidden from taking the life of another one of the previous or current students. This rule was set in effect much earlier on when the world was growing more dangerous and the humans in the city had begun turning on one another. One thing had become very clear to the headmaster of the academy, and that was that humanity was on the precipice of it¡¯s demise. If the talented individuals killed one another off, then that could be the end for their city and even more so for their race. Therefore he instituted a rule for all those in the academy, that killing was forbidden. Those who had value to the city and to the human race, were deemed unacceptable to kill. This rule was strictly enforced, and with Lumea Academy being the hub for all things important within the city. It was a rule that held a lot of weight. At the time the only one who openly opposed the headmaster was the Queen of Death. She publicly stated that ¡®Only the strong have a right to live¡¯ but even her influence was not enough to sway the influence of the Academy. Therefore Damien and Karina rested as much as they could whenever Damien who was currently the leader stopped for everyone to rest, and continued whenever he said it was time to move. After three days nothing had happened until the early morning, as they were moving Damien caught sight of a small group of goblins. ¡®Yes! Finally! Now I can start making my name! Hehe, these are even goblins too! Such easy kills!¡¯ There were about 10 of them and the moment he saw them, he gave a signal to the others and haphazardly charged right at them. Unlike the others, Damien had no reservations and was unafraid in the least about engaging in combat with goblins who deemed to be too weak to be considered a threat on any day of the week. Charging right into the group of goblins with his sword in hand he killed one before it even had the chance to fight back by stabbing his sword through its chest. It¡¯s panicked gaze stared into Damien¡¯s eyes as shock filled it¡¯s eyes unable to fully comprehend what had just happened before the light faded from it¡¯s eyes. Over 20 participants changed in behind them and a bloodbath commenced. Fueled by their desire to overcome their trial and the easy kill Damien had gotten. They were no longer hesitant as they moved in behind him within seconds and begun a massacre. The goblins were killed with an ease that would have made their parents proud. Almost at the same, as if by coincidence or fate multiple grounds of people were committing murder after murder. Killing of monsters and beasts throughout different sections of the forest. The forest was being littered with blood, of both humans, monsters and beasts alike. Hundreds of deaths within the span of hours, the tally growing by the minute. While everyone was congratulating one another and wiping blood of their weapons as they celebrated their first victory, in the distance only a layer deeper the mist that had stayed dormant for years and years had begun to churn. As if willed to life it began to spiral, the mist churning and moving counter clockwise as the air around it dissipated creating steam that turn to what looked like mist but was only adding another layer to the mist as it came to life. Chapter 87 Bull-Wind Forest (Part 5) Chapter 87 Bull-Wind Forest (Part 5) 9Tribulations.com Chapters 1-100 @ 9Tribulations.com It''s been a while since I posted an additional message to readers on here, but I can''t help myself considering it''s such a big day. Today I finished and posted my 100th Chapter of God''s Trials. It''s a huge benchmark for myself, as I feel it''s definitely a ceiling for a lot of writers. I don''t know how many writers manage to write 100 chapters and more but I know that from today onwards I''m one of them :) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- While the group around Damien were all celebrating the successful victory of the group no one noticed one of the participants who was off to the suddenly collapse on the ground. A thin red line of blood dripping down his neck. When his body hit the ground, his neck came clean off and rolled a few meters to a near by participant. Looking down at the head, taking a moment to comprehend what it was. The color drained from his face as he screamed ¡°Dan-¡° before his head throat was pierced by a set of claws so small they came out through his mouth and the blur so fast no one noticed. Except by the time the second body hit the ground everyone had noticed and their eyes were alight with fear. Suddenly multiple people were screaming ¡°Danger!¡± ¡°Enemy¡± ¡°Watch out!¡± Multiple participants began to stand back to back to one another as they realized they hadn¡¯t even seen who their foe was. Whoever it was had managed to kill two people within the scope of the group without anybody noticing a thing. That very fact was enough to strike fear into everyone of them. Karina stood by one of the largest and burliest participants. Looking down at her, he assumed she was doing so because she was quaking in fear with the others and expected him, a manly-man to protect her. After all, ¡®she is just a girl¡¯ he thought. Of course he didn¡¯t have the presence of mind to detect the disdain in her eyes and that she was using him as a rather large meat shield. Damien was staring at the group unsure of whether he should flee now or wait a while longer to see whether he could fight his opponent. He didn¡¯t at all mind leaving the others behind, but he refused to run from an opponent he hadn¡¯t seen. Before their vary eyes a slaughter began to commence. ¡­ ¡°You sure that¡¯s a good idea Marcos?¡± Keith asked as he began to scavenge the area. ¡°Yeah, if we keep going I¡¯m sure there¡¯s definitely going to be a cave around here. All trolls keep a stash of their belongings around their base. Plus¡­. This one was pretty strong, all of us taking turns to distract and hurt it and it still took hours for us to take him down, no way he doesn¡¯t have a large stash!¡± Marcos said with enthusiasm as his words riled up the group. After Marcos had entered his group, he kept a pretty low profile but due to his amicable personality, he made friends quickly. Unlike some of the higher tiered groups that had participants confident enough to go it alone, most of the other groups did the exact opposite. They decided to group together in order for safety. Unlike Leo or Damien, their priority was passing the exam, but by no means would they even attempt to it at the cost of their own lives. Their group was so large, that just staying put while deciding what to do ended up drawing too much attention causing a group of rage hounds to attack. ¡°Rage hounds!¡± someone shouted. The group was disorganized at first causing some casualties before everyone was fully prepared to even defend, but there were still some people who calmed down enough and regained their bearings in time to fight back and lead a counter attack against this pack of rage hounds. Marcos was one of the first to begin the counter attack, he fearlessly charged forward and singlehandedly killed 3 of them. There were after all only 12. Rage hounds always traveled in packs, they resemble dogs and wolves in their shape except that they naturally draw in more mana from birth which strengthens and develops their bodies. The result is a much stronger and larger physical body, but the cost is that their minds are unable to handle the mana they draw in with their low intelligence, and they go mad. They do nothing but hunt and eat and when they don¡¯t find prey they turn on one another an eat the ones that die. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! While ferocious, they¡¯re beasts who¡¯re constantly on the brink of losing control of themselves. Well trained warriors with weapons and courage and the mentality to handle their own are far from being worthy of being their meal. Afterwards, while some of the wounded were getting patched up by the others, Marcos suggested going towards a nearby stream. He was quickly questioned how he knew the direction of the location but he played it off really quickly that he heard running water. Of course before he arrived, he told everyone to be prepared for trolls. They arrived and a long battle ensued with a group of trolls. The weaker ones were still a match for some of the participants and the weak were quickly weeded out, but even they played a role in dealing with the trolls. Eventually it came down to a long prolonged battle between the troll leader and the remaining 30 participants. Surrounded, they took turns battling it in groups of four at Marcos¡¯s suggestion. They surrounded it in waves and took turns attacking and defending. Even though this troll would have been able to kill any one of them on any given day, and even all of them in general. Marcos¡¯s quick thinking and effective strategy not only helped them kill it, but by the end of the battle everyone was looking at him like their unanimously decided upon leader. After killing the troll, they began looking around for his cave. In the book that Marcos had, it had a passage about how all trolls had a lair where they kept their belongings. Goods taken from those they¡¯d killed over time. Some of them had even managed to get their hands on natural treasures as trolls had a surprisingly long lifespan. They spent a while looking, not realizing that the sky was getting darker even though it was still the middle of the day. ¡­ ¡°I heard you got into a little scuffle with Damien before. What happened?¡± Haeru asked trying to make conversation. He¡¯d decided to follow Leo because he thought that Leo had made a convincing speech earlier, however short. Despite his training and his confidence he also didn¡¯t want to venture out into the forest on his own. In his mind that would be akin to suicide, teens with limited skills wandering into this forest alone? ¡®That would be asking for death! Hah! You could be special, with the best swords and tools and you still wouldn¡¯t make it out alive¡¯ he thought. Leo shrugged while not giving his reply much thought ¡°Nothing much, he said some things that were out of turn, so I said some things back. Apparently he can dish it out but he can¡¯t take it.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Yeah¡­ It¡¯s his family, he¡¯s grown up quite spoiled. I know lots of noble families who raise their children to be warriors, but Damien has had even his warrior skills delivered to him on a silver platter.¡± Haeru said while failing to mention he was raised exactly the same, with the same silver spoon. Most of the others that followed along were too tense and wary. Their focus was on their surroundings without the slightest bit of ease. Haeru wasn¡¯t a warrior like them, he was someone who¡¯s family had raised him to learn and understand mana. Even though he wasn¡¯t a a particularly hard worker, he was quite perceptive. Everything he was taught, all of the small enlightenments his parents had gained over the years were taught to him and he grasped them all. He could already manifest fire with mana as a conduit. He¡¯d even learned a few skills as well¡­ Unlike everyone else, he was as relaxed as anyone could be under their current circumstances, and it left him feeling awkward. Surprisingly and to his delight, even though Leo was on guard and quite vigilant to his surroundings, he was more than willing to have a conversation with Haeru. ¡°I know, my friend¡¯s father works for theirs. I¡¯ve met him before although I doubt he remembered me. Some parents just don¡¯t take the time to teach their kids the things that matter¡± Leo commented while suddenly feeling apprehensive. Haeru was chuckling and about to reply when he saw Leo tense up and reach for his sword. Noticing the change, Haeru started manipulating the mana around his body as he looked around to see what was going on as he noticed a beautiful woman standing on a tree branch not far in front of them. Something about her demeanor looked ethereal but the beauty of her features left him breathless. This woman had an oval face but just a little of baby fat in her cheeks, somehow it made smile seem even more radiant as it made her dimples stand out even more. Her large black eyes with long eye lashes matching her straight and long dark hair that came down past her shoulders completely accentuating her body that looked skinny and frail but gave off an imposing figure. Haeru¡¯s eyes were glued to this woman and while Leo had also been momentarily stunned, as he¡¯d looked at her from top to bottom, he couldn¡¯t help but glance back at her eyes. The smile on her face didn¡¯t seem to reach her eyes. They looked cold and distant and there was no reason or way a woman could just be casually standing around in this forest. Leo felt an overwhelming sense of apprehension as he heard her speak ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come.¡± Chapter 88 Bull-Wind Forest (Part 6) Chapter 88 Bull-Wind Forest (Part 6) www.9Tribulations.com Chapters 1-104 @ 9Tribulations.com Karina no longer able to stand up due to the blood loss from all the deep lacerations on her body finally fell down to the floor onto her knees. Her head was tucked in-between her knees making it seem as if she was preying as a last action before death. Instead she was gathering her mana into her right hand and letting it flow into her sword. ¡®Fine¡­ If I¡¯m going to die then I¡¯m going to die¡­ But¡­ I¡¯m going to kill you. I¡¯m going to kill you if it¡¯s the last thing I do!¡¯ Karina was unattached, it allowed her to let the people around her to be killed off one by one as she felt little to nothing but apprehension for her foe. She was even able to use one of the others as a meat shield. In her mind she didn¡¯t know any of these people, they were competition and nothing more. She was by no means a cold person, but she was certainly cold to those who had no meaning to her. She grew up a commoner for the first ten years of her life. Her family lived outside of the barrier, where life was harsher. She was sold by her parents for enough money to buy food for a week to a group of men who were going to make her a ¡°servant¡±. Except before these men could bring her back into the city, a horde of beasts attacked. A large group of beet wolves attacked the village. Chased out from their own territory by a stronger pack. These savage wolves that had been starved for days devoured every human they came across, and among those people were Karina¡¯s new owners. She escaped death by hiding under some of the corpses at the beginning as they¡¯d fallen on top of her and then crawling her way underneath the foundation of a house. The blood and gore all around the village had dulled the senses of the beet wolves and by the time they made their escape with their new food supply, Karina had hidden so well that she had escaped death. Karina had managed to avoid two fates worse than death that day. She stayed in that hole the entire night until dawn the next morning before crawling out and once she had, she¡¯d already steeled herself to the understanding that this was the world she lived in. One where kindness was an illusion given to few and death and cruelty were an expectation. Instead of feeling hate or sadness for her parents selling her, she felt nothing. Even though she was a child, she¡¯d grown up hungry her entire life. She knew how much food meant to them, and she understood how they would starve without doing what they¡¯d done. She had two other siblings, two brothers and her parents had no way to feed her younger brothers. ¡®They did what they needed to do¡­¡¯ She didn¡¯t go back due to a sense of obligation, or love either. She felt freed. Freed from a life where she was a bargaining tool. A life where her parents love could be measured by money. She had been sold, and her parents had received a sum of money to feed themselves for a week. She had given them enough by not struggling to leave or resisting her fate. ¡®I did what I should have done¡­ That¡¯s enough¡­¡¯ Instead she left for the woods. She began roaming around and avoiding beasts whenever she could. She¡¯d been attacked by weak monsters on numerous occasions but had survived. She was a survivor. She had killed her first creature only weeks after that incident when she was still 10. She had gone from killing goblins with their own knives to deathly apparitions for their swords. Karina had survived a grueling life by using her wit and her strengths to overcome the obstacles before her. She would survive and live in the wilderness because she had no better option, and return and sell what she could in the city for meager earnings whenever she could. When she was 13 she heard from some adventurers who were traveling into the woods to fight and kill beasts about the upcoming exam in a year. The exam for the prestigious Lumea Academy. Even she had heard about that academy growing up, and for a moment she let herself dream of what that could mean for her. A life where she didn¡¯t have to fear for her safety every moment, a life where she didn¡¯t have to constantly be aware of her surroundings and wary that something might kill her whenever she left down her guard. A life with a future. ¡®What a fantasy¡¯ she thought as she put it out of her mind almost as soon as she¡¯d thought about it. Instead she continued living her life, with no hope for the future but a refusal to die. A life focused on the present and not the future for another entire year until she was attacked by a group of commoners in the fields. They saw her and after they got past the filthy clothes, dirt and grime on her face and body. They saw past that to the beauty that couldn¡¯t stay hidden even while she was completely filthy from living in the wilderness. They desired her, and attacked her. Unfortunately for them, she never rested anywhere without laying traps around herself, she had already dug multiple holes with spikes underneath and before either of these two men reached her they had already had their legs impaled. They weren¡¯t deep enough to kill, but these men lost their mobility. Staring at their eyes full of fear, the desire long gone and the anger showing. She mercilessly sliced open their necks and let them bleed out before her. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. These were the first humans she¡¯d ever killed. It was a new experience and what shocked her the most was how little remorse she¡¯d felt. She felt nothing except contempt. That was the day she begun to realize how her life impacted her view of the world. That was the day she begun to think about herself, her surroundings and her beliefs. Instead of focusing on her survival, she had her first thought regarding morality since she¡¯d left the safety of her parents home. Later that day, surrounded by as many traps as she could possibly make, she sat down and begun to think about what she wanted. Even without realizing it, she had begun to enter a natural form of meditation and after realizing she wanted more out of her life than merely to survive, she had finally noticed the mana around her. She begun to draw in this mana and she could feel herself getting stronger. She begun to hunt, survive, and meditate every day without fail. Her body grew stronger bit by bit, unbeknownst to her she wasn¡¯t concentrating her mana into her mana pool, but born from a desire to survive in order to realize what she wanted in life, she had begun to fortify her body with this mana. Every since particle would be infused into her body, into her skin, her bones, her organs, her veins, her blood and every single cell of her body. When she turned 15 she returned to the city, and immediately signed up for the Lumea Academy exam. She never needed to ask directions, the academy towers themselves were a guide as to where to go. She passed the exams with no notice. The examiners themselves thought her aptitude to be only average, had they known she had only begun to practice mana manipulation for one year, and with no guidance¡­ They would have been shocked to the point of bowing and treating her like a prodigy. Instead she stayed below the radar, when she left the city with the large group of participants she didn¡¯t have a single shred of doubt in herself. She was wary of her surroundings, she slept with one eye open, she was tense but not out of fear, but expectation. The confidence and self-awareness is what caught the eye of Professor Lydia, to her it was rare to find a woman even slightly similar to herself and that was enough for her to add her to her group of participants. When Karina saw Damien start his speech, as he rallied a large group of people to follow him. She hesitated for a moment, but followed. Not because she was moved by his speech, thought he could keep her safe or even because she knew who he was. She followed because she had observed enough beasts in the fields to understand group mentality. People would follow Damien, and he would either get them killed or keep them safe, but either way she could use him. There would always be safety in numbers rather than staying around hoping the other half of the participants grouped together as well. When the imps had begun to attack them, and she realized they were under attack, she regretted her decision almost instantly. Seeing the others fall one by one like tofu she came to realize how useless everyone around her was, and how little they would be able to do to distract these creatures. In all her life she¡¯d never encountered such fast creatures. The gore, the blood and the death didn¡¯t faze her, but their effectiveness and intelligence drew an inkling of fear. Unlike everyone else in the group including Damien, she wasn¡¯t under the illusion that someone would step in and save her. She knew better from her previous experiences that the only person she could rely on was herself, if she wanted to live than she had to figure out a way out of this situation herself. She steeled herself and took swings at these blurs, but even she couldn¡¯t follow them with her eyes. Instead she hid underneath the biggest guy in the group and hoped that his size would draw attention away from her as she hoped to use him as a shield. One by one heads began to be lopped off, falling to the ground with blood spewing from the necks of these now corpses. Everyone held it together for the first few but soon after almost everyone began panicking and screaming. Screaming in pain or screaming for help, they were all terrified and half of them were whittled down and killed within a few minutes. Only the ones who could barely follow these blurs would move or dodge out of the way, and only be cut or scraped if they were lucky. before Karina had been noticed her meat shield had been stabbed through the jugular as blood spewed out on top of her head as she glanced up and saw his corpse falling on top of her as she jumped forward. Hitting the ground and rolling forward she a pain in her side as she struggled to get up to see a chunk of her waist missing. Shock evident on her face as she realized what had happened. Another cut. She reacted the moment she felt the smallest tickle on her body, but not matter how fast she reacted and moved she would be cut. They cut her and the best she could do was avoid another deep laceration. After about a minute of drawing in their focus she had finally fallen on her knees. Karina had never had hope, she had nothing but the will and desire to survive and even now that had been whittled away. Instead of feeling dread, there was a slight smile on her face as she gathered her mana into her sword and prepared to kill whatever tried to attack her next. ¡®I survived for 15 years¡­ I hope in the next life I have the opportunity to do more than survive. I hope I get the opportunity to live¡¯ she thought as she prepared for death. Chapter 89 Bull-Wind Forest (Part 7) Chapter 89 Bull-Wind Forest (Part 7) Chapters 1-113 @ www.9tribulations.com Short Announcement: Apologies to readers who follow on here instead of my website. I''ve been swamped with a lot of new developments in my life and haven''t had the time to post on here. I''ve tried to maintain a level of normalcy on my website with chapter posts as well as replying to comments from readers and that alone has been hard to do. I will try and resume posting some chapters on here as normal. If anyone wants to read ahead, feel free to go to my website where the chapter count is up to 113. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the deepest portion of the Bull-Wind Forest, the clouds over the entire region that spanned just shy of a thousand miles was turning darker. Indicating that a storm was coming. While Damien and his group were getting slaughtered one by one, Crimson and Flow were keeping watch from a safe distance. Although he job was partially to keep them safe, it was also to weed out the weak. Crimson was a 3 clawed guard, he could do as he pleased with little to no ramifications and as he watched them get killed one by one a slight look of disappointment crossed his eyes ¡®If they can¡¯t even stay alive in a scenario like this, without even showing any promise¡­ Then they are no better than a commoner. What good are they to the city if this is all they have to offer.¡¯ Even as he was watching, he couldn¡¯t help but look back up at the sky. Something wasn¡¯t feeling right and it was beginning to unnerve him. After the many battles he¡¯d fought over the years, living on the edge of life and death he¡¯d come to trust his instincts without a single doubt. If something felt off, then something was off. Crimson used a small explosion underneath his feet with heat as a catalyst to jump high into the sky all the way to the top of one of the trees. On top he noticed even from their distance a strange phenomenon. He was looking towards what few knew or would understand to be the deepest and middle portion of the forest. That was the portion of the forest that had no life at all. Nothing survived there and nothing dared to enter there. It was strange that anything would be happening there at all. They had continued to make their way through the forest to continue the training mission for the rookies. For some of them this was their first time out of the city, their first training mission for real experience against the monsters and beasts. It was Crimson¡¯s responsibility to take care of these rookies and to stay alert in case any abnormalities were to occur. Regardless of the number of trained soldiers and mages that were on any given mission, their lives were at stake. On numerous occasions various squads had been utterly decimated and on some occasions there would be one or two survivors that lived to tell the tale of the mysterious young man. Crimson was a veteran soldier and he knew better than to discount the smallest thing. The sky darkening over the deepest portion of the forest was certainly an abnormality, but without any information to know what it could possibly mean, he couldn¡¯t tell the squad to retreat when their mission had barely begun. He had continued forward up until now, following the participants without stopping because what he¡¯d sensed still hadn¡¯t amounted to anything. He was alone with Flow but he was waiting until the participants were in more danger before letting him take action. Once he allowed it, Flow would jump in and salvage the situation. It would also be a good opportunity to temper him as well. The training that they did as students in the academy and the training that guardsmen received once they were out of the academy was very different. It was no longer about staying alive and getting stronger. It was about becoming brave enough to defeat beasts stronger than themselves. About being able to save the life of their comrades and being of use to the city as a whole. The most important trait for a guardsmen to have, was the ability to survive long periods of time amongst beasts. Enough to travel far and wide and learn enough, learn anything of use for the people within their city to prosper. The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Instead as Crimson gazed at the darkening sky and the mist which was behaving differently than it normally did. The entire situation was unnerving him even further¡­ Overhead the darkening sky seemed to have reached a peak as a distant rumbling could be heard. Thunder but no lightning. The sky itself was starting to form a huge swirl in the sky, and up above it almost seemed as if the heavens were shaking. Crimson looked down at Flow and giving him a signal, Flow began to force Crimson even higher up, allowing him to slowly ascend into the sky. Crimson was soon hovering half a mile above the ground and in the sky with the help of Flow. Flow was using his mana and understanding of the wind to gently lift Crimson high into the sky, but that was the extent of his ability. Flow himself was straining to maintain Crimson at such a height while keeping track of his own mana. One mistake and Crimson would come falling down from the sky and go *splat*. Crimson felt something was a little off, and as he watched this sight his stomach was turning. ¡°Gods please help us¡­ I shouldn¡¯t have let us wander even further in¡­ This was a mistake.¡± Crimson thought as he stared at the clouds swirling together. Even a fifty miles away and at a higher elevation¡­ There was a pervasive coldness that entered his bones and gave him a chill. The clouds weren¡¯t normal. Something abnormal was definitely occurring. The air around the clouds seemed to be dissipating mist into the surrounding areas. The swirl of clouds seemed to be condensing into a giant tornado hundreds of miles wide. Instead of getting larger it seemed to be getting smaller and smaller as it was coming down, about to make contact with land. The great tornado touched ground and the sky and earth were connected at this moment. Everything high enough in the sky or within a certain range of the ground felt a jolt as the pervasive cold of the mist touched upon them. The tornado of mist looked like it was spinning at a fast velocity enough to create winds that would destroy everything around it, and from a distance that may have been what it looked like. If anyone could have been able to stand anywhere near the giant tornado of mist they would have been shocked at the sight. The mist tornado had no air around it, not a single flutter of wind could be felt anywhere near. If anything there seemed to be a lack of wind, a lack of air surrounding the mist. If the mist deterred life from being near it, it seemed as if it was now actively drawing in the oxygen depriving anything living from being near. The tornado spun faster and the mist swirled getting smaller and smaller, steam dissipating into the air as thunder rung through the sky. The thunder so massive it could burst ear drums. Yet strangely enough nothing outside of the range of the mist would be able to hear this thunder, this thunder that seemed to be coming from a different realm. The thunder rang out as the first bolt of lightning stuck the ground. The lightning was black, and the lightning emanated from the swirling tornado of mist. The lightning so strong that instead of hitting the ground and stopping it continued along the ground destroying everything in it¡¯s path, the trees, the rocks, the ground, every thing in it¡¯s path torn asunder. The lightning seemed to have a mind of its own as it circled back and surrounded the tornado of mist. Compressing the air and mist into a smaller form. Slowly becoming and smaller and smaller as the lightning danced around it until the lightning became erratic and dissipated. The tornado of mist suddenly stopped. Frozen. It began to contract as if it was a beating heart. Thump. Thump. Thump. The frozen mist contracting and stopping¡­ Then expanding and stopping¡­ Before the mist tornado itself seemed to begin spinning in the opposite direction from before. The mist rising the from the ground and spinning in back into the sky, in the clouds as a giant pillar of mist condensed in the sky and came crashing down onto the ground¡­ It made no impact, it made no sound, it made no disturbance. Then out of the mist a young man walked out, a large smile on his face as he walked out and took a long look at the sky for the first time in over a hundred years. The look of joy on his face clear as day as the mist behind him dissipated into the air¡­ Quick Update I''ve been pretty busy doing this and that, therefore I haven''t had a chance to update here. I''ve been having a hard time these past few weeks updating on my own website. A heads up for the readers interested but that haven''t gotten the chance though. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. I currently have Chapters 1 through 133 posted on 9tribulations.com As always, thanks for reading! UPDATED: 2/8/2017: Begun posting GT chapters again (both here) and on my website. 1-2 Regular Chapters a week. I currently have Chapters 1 through 158 posted on 9tribulations.net Chapter 90 The Hundred Years - Seventeen Years Chapter 90 The Hundred Years - Seventeen Years After Hannah gained her first spark of insight into how she could begin to familiarize herself with something other than death, she dove into the deep end. Hannah spent day after day inflicting wound after wound onto herself and taking the time to watch her body healing itself. Even though it was a tedious process, she became fascinated, driven... Obsessed with the process. Without realizing it herself, she had spent years without feeling an ounce of control over her life, her fate, her choices. Hannah changed after the moment she gained the first glimmer of hope into which she could improve herself. She was improving herself, walking down a path not set before her by fate but rather through her own merit. She had no affinity for life or healing but she gained a spark of insight on how to begin walking down that path and she dove head first without questioning herself. Day in and out, it became a routine. It came a ritual. Every wound she would inflict on herself gave her hope, gave her purpose. It even gave her pleasure. A self-indulged pleasure of feeling in control over herself. Every injury she inflicted on herself gave her back a piece of herself she thought was lost. Instead of losing more of herself, she was finding herself. Finding a stronger version of herself she didn''t know she could be. She had formed a routine that had turned into a ritual. This ritual had given her back control, and that control have in turn given her back her sanity, and a personality. Then one day, six years or so after she had begun the ritual of inflicting herself with wound after wound to understand the healing process of her body, she realized she had come to a conclusion. ''There''s a limit to the kind of wounds I can inflict on myself without causing permanent damage... I think I''ve learned about everything I can...'' Coming to a realization that she had reached a dead end. Hannah didn''t have to think too long before deciding what to do next. ''I have to find test subjects...'' Her mind immediately went over the beasts and monsters she knew were in this section of the forest, as her mind settled on either bear beasts or wolf beasts. The old version of herself would have flinched at the very thought. Perhaps she might have even felt disgusted at herself for even suggesting it. Even if only to herself. The idea of hurting other living creatures in order to possibly learn something new... It would have been ridiculous to her. In fact even as she thought about how easy she''d come to this conclusion, she realized that years ago she may not have been able to hurt someone or something else, even if whatever/whoever she was hurting was willing... A giggle escaped her lips as her mind came to that discovery. A wistful smile that made her seem older than she looked. ''I''ve really changed haven''t I...'' Staring into the distance, Hannah remained seated atop the tallest tree in her vicinity at the highest branch giving her a view over miles and miles of the forest. ''I was afraid of a lot of things before... I was even afraid to sleep in a tree.'' Hannah''s smile only grew wider at the memory of her first few days after she''d entered the forest with her family and friends. She had changed a lot. From a closed off girl with a deep feeling of responsibility and love for her family, to a broken husk of her former self. Stripped of everything she''d ever held dear including her sanity. Until now, these past few years had changed her even further. Healed the former throbbing wounds that were as exposed as the day she''d received them to scabs that she could look past enough to appreciate the wounds for what they were, experience and a part of her past. Throughout the year of nonstop self-mutilation, something had changed within her. Every new wound seemed to heal a small part of her soul. The control she''d begun to feel at controlling her body and future. The first inklings of hope had begun to heal Hannah in a way she didn''t think was possible. In fact she didn''t think about it as it happened until one day, she thought about her former life, her brother... Even Ava and Daichi and instead of feeling pain or longing. Instead of hoping for a numbness that would let her escape her pain she felt herself smile. Surprising even herself at the time, she''d been so shocked she''d actually fallen off the tree she was on at the time. It was a low branch which stopped her from breaking her neck on the fall. Bruised and in pain at the bottom of the tree, her face was still covered in surprise. The pain from every wound she caused herself, gave her perspective over her life. It gave her power to face her past and appreciate what she''d had. That appreciation gave birth to an even greater desire than before. A desire to bring her brother back, repent for killing Ava and even make the wrongs of her past right. She couldn''t help but think about what she''d done to Daichi. How foolish she''d feel to turn on the one person who despite not having to help her, had done so at the expense of his own safety. The one thing he seemed to value above all else. Daichi had done something even to this day Hannah still couldn''t understand. She''d thought she understood him, everything he did was to survive. In her eyes, Daichi had been devoid of purpose other than to get stronger and even that had seemed to be for the sole purpose of putting himself in a better position to survive another day. Then he''d risked his life, when he didn''t have too. He''d come back for them when he had more to lose than he had to gain. At the time Hannah had been so lost in herself, so overcome with grief she could only blame him for what had happened to her. To what had been done to her by a monster.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. In her eyes that what Tael was. A being who did what he wanted simply because he could, and for no other reason than that. She''d blamed everything on Daichi because she could, perhaps because she had no other choice knowing she couldn''t do a thing to the real monster. The one so far above her that she couldn''t even hope to touch his feet. That knowledge had given her a sense of peace. Instead of feeling regret over what she''d done to Daichi, she felt debt. In her heart though, she couldn''t decide whether she didn''t feel remorse because she was no longer able too, or whether it was because she came to realize she never thought Daichi was dead. Even as she sat atop the tree, staring into the distance ''How could someone like that possibly die just like that? You''re out there somewhere aren''t you? Maybe you''re even coming after me...'' Hannah''s smile only grew wider. ''Would Daichi come after me? Would he get angry and want revenge? Can Daichi get angry? Did he ever care about anything? Was he ever happy? Afraid?'' She''d thought all sorts of questions after she realized she thought Daichi was alive. Then realized how little she really knew about him. Not once had he ever told them a single thing about himself that actually mattered. He''d shared with them his thoughts about what they should do, he''d killed with them, and he''d helped them survive. No one ever pushed for more than that at the time, and so Hannah had only now come to realize that she hadn''t learned a single thing about him in all that time. It was no wonder she couldn''t understand why he''d come back for them, what had she ever really known about him she thought. When she''d first met Daichi, he was reading a book and all but ignored her presence. A boy who''d ignored her presence as if she wasn''t beautiful. As if his hormones weren''t raging and in control of him. She''d thought him interesting and a bit of a curiosity enough so that she''d always kept a bit of an eye on him. More so than anyone else, since no one else was worth noticing. Then when there were only four people left in the entire town including herself, she''d paid him no mind despite how much he stood out. Now years later, she realized just how much he stood out because he didn''t stand out. She spent weeks with him, in life and death situations one after another. In the town they grew up in and then a forest as endless as if it stretched across the world. Four people, together and holding on to each other as if they were the last and only life lines left in the world, and still she knew nothing about him. Thinking about Daichi, Ava and Kaden made her hopeful for the future. Hopeful for the things she was going to do, and hopeful for the things left in store for her. In control of her feelings and herself, she let herself tilt sideways and off the branch as she avoided every branch as she let gravity bring her down moving faster until her legs hit the ground and her ankles caved in under the impact and snapped. The pain traveled up through her body as her mind registered the sensation as she toppled to the ground and her smile grew even wider. A blissful expression on her face which would have made anyone who saw her wonder what joy she must have been experiencing. If anyone saw her expression, there would have been no way they could connect that smile of joy with the image of a girl falling and breaking her ankles, the sounds of bones snapping like twigs and the pain that must have followed. Hannah laid on the floor, as blood seeped out of her legs. The bones had snapped to the sides and bone had broken through the skin revealing parts of her body that shouldn''t have been where they were. Blood trickled out and Hannah laid in silence with that same smile and an ever unwavering patience that she''d never previously possessed. Instead of moving or trying to staunch the blood flow,Hannah only laid still. The blood trickled onto the ground and the smell of copper hung in the air and was carried through the forest as the wind blew by and the breeze carried the scent of the wounded throughout the trees. As Hannah lay on the ground, a funny thought struck her ''I think... I''ve been in this forest for as long as I lived in town... Am I really 34 now?'' Hannah''s smile didn''t waver as she thought about how her life could be split evenly between being in a society full of people and stuck alone wandering a never ending forest with nothing but beasts and monsters and her very presence being no different than theirs... Less than an hour later... Two wavering bears had been attracted by the scent of blood and had meandered over in search of a meal in the form of wounded prey. Hannah recognized them without ever having to look in their direction. She''d run across this type of beast enough times in the past year to recognize the muffled grunting noises they were making to one another as they came towards her. She didn''t know what they were really called, her knowledge of beasts and their names was limited unlike Daichi''s but she had aptly named them "wavering" bears once her previous demeanor had begun to return because they were prone to standing on their hind legs and wavering back and forth like an alcoholic and weren''t vicious enough to attack prey unless their prey was wounded. Otherwise they would prefer to wait for prey to approach them before taking a swipe or two in the hopes of getting a kill and a meal. Hannah kept her eyes closed and stayed absolutely still, until she could hear the rustling of the grass just a few mere feet away from her... Hearing the grunting noises of the bears as they stood on their hind legs, Hannah''s eyes opened wide as she hit the ground beneath her with both hands palms down which pushed her into the air. Her ankles cracked as more blood sprayed as her bones seemed to crack and rearrange themselves as they settled back into place within that same moment.After the bones seemed to rearrange themselves back into place. The skin where the bones had broken through turned pink at the ends as the skin began to reattach itself from the ends forming a scab of skin turning yellow as the skin connected and the scab formed from above the entire patch of skin. Hannah landed on her feet a few feet in front of one of the bears. The scabs on her ankles already fallen off along with other flakes of skin as the skin around the injuries on her ankles seemed to disappear and in their place a hue of pink on newly formed skin. Hannah''s smile never wavered but seemed to turn imperceptibly apologetic as the two large bear beasts in front of her growled with a lack of understanding. ''Sorry bears. Today you aren''t going to be food... I need some help with something new...'' Hannah thought as she let the bears charge towards her, closing the small distance that separated Hannah from the bears and the bears fromfreedom. Chapter 91 Stranger in the Woods (Part 1) Chapter 91 Stranger in the Woods (Part 1) Daichi felt relief, confusion, surprise and excitement welling up inside of himself almost simultaneously! After having been trapped in an endless sky with nothing but his thoughts and the ardent task of increasing his understanding of the universe Daichi couldn¡¯t believe he had finally gotten out. He couldn¡¯t even imagine how long he¡¯d been inside of that mist like state. ¡®I tried to keep track at first, but it¡¯s not as if I had something to mark the passing days, or even a way to tell when a day had passed¡­¡¯ Daichi thought to himself reluctantly as he tried to stifle the emotions welling up inside of himself. In reality, even if he had been able to someone mark the passing of time in a place where time seemingly held no meaning. It would have been meaningless, because every time he entered a deep meditative state whenever he¡¯d touched on the beginnings of an epiphany, he would lose himself in his thoughts. Thinking to that, ¡®For all I know, every time I had an epiphany and got lost in ruminating over one small thing it could have much longer than just a few hours, maybe even days or possibly weeks¡­¡¯ Daichi stopped himself before letting himself think on that any further. He didn¡¯t even want to consider the possibility that he could have, and likely did enter some meditative states which may have lasted even longer than that, months or even perhaps years. Throughout the entire time he¡¯d been in the mist, he hadn¡¯t eaten or drank a single thing. He never had the urge, which was what kept him alive in a state where he had no access to his physical body. It was only just before he had a final epiphany in which he¡¯d managed to tie a plethora of thoughts he¡¯d had over the years together that he came to realize just what exactly the mist was, and how it was keeping him alive. If he hadn¡¯t just now noticed that there were people around which sent his thoughts into a flurry, after searching with his new mana sense he would have likely found somewhere safe and entered another meditative state one final time to consolidate the knowledge he¡¯d pondered for years without the ability to test his theories. The moment he¡¯d sensed people, his priorities had instantly changed. Even though Daichi was not social, and had never needed people around him in order to stop himself from feeling loneliness. After having spent what felt like an eternity without the ability to bounce a single thought onto someone or something else, Daichi had grown starved for the company of others. Anyone or anything. Daichi merely wanted to see someone else, to really let the reality of his situation sink in. That he was no longer alone, that he was no longer trapped, that he was finally free! Instead of being able to feel free though, Daichi realized what a mess he felt at the moment and tried to calm himself down. He had too many thoughts and desires running rampant in his mind at the moment. ¡®I want to see who they are! How can there be people in the forest? Are they lost? Are they survivors? How much time has passed? Has our town been rebuilt? Is it Hannah and Ava? Should I approach them¡­ They could be dangerous. Hah. So what if they are, after everything I¡¯ve learned¡­ How could I be in any real danger? Perhaps I¡¯m being too overconfident though, despite what I learned, the world is a very large place, for all I know it¡¯s still nothing but a drop in the bucket compared to everyone else. Overconfidence will only get be in trouble¡­¡¯ ¡®I¡¯m free! I¡¯m finally free! I can move! I can eat! Oh my god I want to eat something! Wait¡­ Why aren¡¯t I hungry? Shouldn¡¯t I be hungry? Was the mist that incredible? I wonder how long it¡¯ll take before I get to the point where I can create a space like that as well¡­ I wonder what happened to the mare?¡¯ ¡®Hmm¡­ Is Tael around? Before I entered the mist, he wasn¡¯t too far. Hannah is probably gone from here, but that doesn¡¯t mean he is. If he is what I think he is¡­. Then this is probably his home, and even after what I learned that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll even be able to block a single attack from him, even then I got lucky that we didn¡¯t get into a fight. Heh¡­. Those bulls though¡­ If I run into them again, I¡¯ll be sure to burn them up and make some barbecued ribs. I¡¯d love for them to try that fire trick again. Let¡¯s see what happens now.¡¯ If anyone saw Daichi right now they may have mistaken him for a crazy old man. He looked like a young enough teenager, but his facial expressions kept switching between somber, contemplative, amused, frightened, confused, wary, and on the verge of breaking down in laughter in a sinister sort of way. After a few minutes of a non-stop inner monologue where Daichi voiced concern and opinion, one after another to himself. Daichi finally calmed himself down enough to focus and think about one thing. ¡®There¡¯s people. I don¡¯t know why there¡¯s people but it doesn¡¯t really matter. I need answers and regardless of whether it¡¯s dangerous, I should be able to protect myself now. Even if I haven¡¯t tried any of my theories in any practical way, the fact that I managed to leave the mist is proof that my understanding isn¡¯t superficial. I know that what I learned has moved me along the right path. If they are friendly it¡¯ll be useful, and if they aren¡¯t then I¡¯ll just get some experience.¡¯Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Finally settled down, Daichi began walking in the direction he¡¯d felt the humans before. Every step was slow and calm and signaled an indifference and and calm demeanor that were the opposite of his actuals thoughts and feelings. Every step he took made him feel a dreamy sensation he hadn¡¯t felt in years. ¡®Ah¡­ This is so¡­ Amazing¡­ I never thought I would be so happy to actually be able to feel my legs. The feeling of moving them, of feeling anything at all. Hah! Even the ground underneath my feet feels amazing! Every step feels so¡­ Real.¡¯ Lost in his own simple pleasure. Daichi ambled along in the most lackadaisical and relaxed pace towards his goal. ¡­ Throughout the forest, the effects of the mist being riled up and partially dissipating into the surroundings was having a peculiar effect¡­ Even before Daichi had exited the mist, the very action of interacting with it, of triggering a response from it had caused a chain reaction outside of the area of the mist itself. Every beast and monster, and even some humans who harbored any amount of killing intent, of desire for blood and lust or fury was slowly being affected by the mist. Their blood simmering and their minds being riled up as their desire for blood grew. Inadvertently the very action of triggering the mist to release him had released part of the mist itself into the forest. The moment the mist itself had turned chaotic¡­ So had every beast in the forest. Throughout thousands of miles monsters and beasts had turned chaotic and blood thirsty, their desire for blood and death reaching a boiling point where they had begun to turn on anything that moved, anything in their sight. Some unlucky beasts were killed simply for being in the eye line of a stronger monster. Those beasts that were alone and unable to instantly quench their desire for blood began to seek out prey. The stronger beasts and monsters retained enough of their mental capacity to stop themselves from turning on their followers or packs but that was the extent of their self-control. Merely exercising that much self-control had fueled an equally profound desire to hunt and kill. The humans inside of the forest were not immune to these effects¡­ Some of the people with weak hearts would have gone mad or lost themselves to their most base desires almost instantly. Except this forest didn¡¯t allow for the weak to survive for very long, and the only humans within the forest or even close enough to the center were the participants of Lumea Academy. The best and the brightest of the younger generation of Lumea City. In essence¡­ As far as anyone in their city was concerned, the hope for humanity¡¯s future. These children were strong enough to only feel an intensifying desire to accomplish their desires and goals¡­ And all of them were of one mind, their goals, their desires were all focused on one thing. Passing the exam! Becoming strong! Proving themselves! In fact the mist had caused the worst situation for the weak participants who could only hope to gain some experience and go back alive. The situation just so happened to be the opposite situation for the youths who weren¡¯t so weak and weren¡¯t so timid. The participants who had the confidence to pit themselves against the strong with the potential and ability to back up their confidence. The youths who had ideals and ambitions high enough that they didn¡¯t see a reason to limit themselves, these were the youths who had come to test themselves, as for passing the exam, it was but a foregone conclusion. The only thing to be decided was how well they would do. Although this had become the perfect situation for those who wished to truly test their strength and find a stage to possibly shine, the danger of this forest had reached a pinnacle that none of the experienced guardsmen and professors within the groups had ever encountered. The ones who possessed keen senses had become paranoid to their surroundings but still hadn¡¯t acted to stop the exam. ¡­ ¡°Get them away from here! We¡¯re not going to be able to save them if we hesitate any longer!¡± Professor Heintz yelled at the two guardsmen in his group. No longer hesitating they threw themselves into the fray as they began to battle the group of Wavering Bears that had roamed into their camp and begun attacking their students. Professor Heinz had stopped the guardsmen from jumping in to mitigate the situation because he felt the situation and been strange. He¡¯d felt something was off in the forest for hours now but hadn¡¯t been able to put his finger on what. Then these wavering bears who normally never attacked prey on their own had ambled in and begun a fierce attack on the students. Instead of worrying for their safety, Steinz had been fascinated by the strange behavior of the bears. He knew that the children in his group weren¡¯t up to the task of fighting the bears off for long much less killing them, but he still decided to watch the situation a while longer. He figured that if some of them died, it was just weeding out the useless participants anyways. There was no potential in the group he was given so he didn¡¯t pay them much attention. He was even angry at his group for being so incompetent. Somehow his group had run into another group who had a fairly weak but charismatic little leader. The boy looked dopey but he kept pulling out a book, as if he was pretending to be a scholar but would immediately give directions and his entire group would follow him as if they trusted him implicitly. It was something he¡¯d never seen in one of these exams and had made him envious thinking that another professor had gotten so much luckier than him with his group. ¡®Even if it¡¯s only one kid that shows promise it¡¯s already more than mine!¡¯ Just an hour later, their groups had separated and these wavering bears had begun their attack. It was only when the bears had begun releasing waves of mana into the surroundings and begun growing, their physical strength clearly increasing as they grew even more enraged and had begun to eat the participants alive right before their eyes that Steinz had realized what a mistake he¡¯d made. ¡®If everyone gets killed I¡¯ll be in huge trouble!¡¯ ¡­ Chapter 92 - Stranger in the Woods (Part 2) Chapter 92 Stranger in the Woods (Part 2) Haeru was chuckling and about to reply when he saw Leo tense up and reach for his sword. Noticing the change, Haeru started manipulating the mana around his body as he looked around to see what was going on as he noticed a beautiful woman standing on a tree branch not far in front of them. Something about her demeanor looked ethereal but the beauty of her features left him breathless. This woman had an oval face but just a little of baby fat in her cheeks, somehow it made smile seem even more radiant as it made her dimples stand out even more. Her large black eyes with long eye lashes matching her straight and long dark hair that came down past her shoulders completely accentuating her body that looked skinny and frail but gave off an imposing figure. Haeru¡¯s eyes were glued to this woman and while Leo had also been momentarily stunned, as he¡¯d looked at her from top to bottom, he couldn¡¯t help but glance back at her eyes. The smile on her face didn¡¯t seem to reach her eyes. They looked cold and distant and there was no reason or way a woman could just be casually standing around in this forest. Leo felt an overwhelming sense of apprehension as he heard her speak ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have come.¡± ¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t know who you are, but if you would be so kind as to tell us your name and who you are we would be glad to help you in any way we can.¡± Leo finally spoke up as he desperately tried to come off as friendly. Everyone around him was watching the woman, eyes glued to her naked body. She was naked with barely two scraps of rags covering her two most important areas, but even so the skin that showed could make a man salivate. Her pale skin only made all of her exposed skin stand out even further, and as she was standing above them, some of the boys in the group who were a bit on the older side were wishing they were standing a bit closer to Leo and Haeru¡¯s positions. ¡®I wish I was that damn Leo dude right now¡­ Oh my god from where he¡¯s standing¡­ If he just takes a few steps forward he¡¯d be able to see up that rag and see her¡­¡¯ a blush spread across his face but before he could get embarrassed the boy looked around only to find a few of the other participants making the exact same expression likely thinking the exact same things he was. She looked like an exceptionally beautiful woman in the prime of her life, it was only natural that these boys were drawn to her, but the smarter participants who weren¡¯t so easily swayed by beauty or were too young to be sexually aroused into forgetting the obvious were focusing on the more pressing question at hand. ¡®Why is there someone else in the forest? She¡¯s clearly not one of us¡­ How could she survive out here all alone?¡¯ Leo was one of the few staying level headed enough to wonder who this beautiful woman was and whether she was human at all. ¡®Something about her seems so surreal. She¡¯s dangerous¡­Shouldn¡¯t have come? Is she an enemy?¡¯ Leo thought to himself. He couldn¡¯t break his gaze away from her eyes. He wasn¡¯t mesmerized by her beauty nor was he enthralled by the deep pools of her eyes, rather his keen intuition was telling him that he was in a dangerous situation and she was the source. Everyone was was waiting in rapture wondering whether the woman would reply, somehow having ignored her initial words and focusing solely on what her reply would be, so when she finally started moving her lips, some of the boys had to tear their gazes away from some of her other body parts to focus enough to listen to what she had to say ¡°The others you were with are being attacked right now.¡± It took a few moments for most of them to register what she had said, but Leo and Haeru¡¯s gazes darkened after hearing her one sentence. ¡®Is she threatening us?¡¯ Haeru wondered ¡®Is this a trick?¡¯ Leo immediately began trying to contemplate the possibility of this being some sort of trick and whether she was part of a group who were about to attack them. Haeru finally managed to break his gaze away from the woman on the branch as he took a look around him and noticed how mesmerized everyone was. Even the girls had a slightly glazed over look in their eyes, not to mention the boys who seemed completely far gone and lost to the strange woman¡¯s beauty.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Turning his head back to look at the woman in the trees, Haeru started to feel the same apprehension that had struck Leo from the moment he¡¯d laid eyes on her. ¡­ ¡®Dangerous.¡¯ was Professor Lydia¡¯s only thought as she stared at the woman and her group of participants from nearly a mile away. She had followed closely and had been underwhelmed by the performance of the group thus far. Even the stand outs in the group hadn¡¯t impressed her, but she wasn¡¯t too surprised or disappointed in them. They had gotten lucky up until now and hadn¡¯t come across anyone strong enough to challenge them. Although it was lucky for them in terms of their safety, it was a detriment for them since up until this point they hadn¡¯t done enough to impress Professor Lydia. After all their fates were in her hands, if she thought them worthy of entering the academy the doors for them would open up both literally and metaphorically. If she deemed any of them worthy of becoming her own personal disciple then the benefits they would receive would be so overwhelming that you could even say that instead of changing their prospects for the future it would instantly change the quality of their lives from that very moment. On the other hand, if they weren¡¯t up to her standards, they could just as easily be denied entry to the academy. That would be akin to closing the doors to their futures, limiting their potential not only for their quality of life but also the possibility of growing stronger as a whole. Lumea Academy had far too many resources for the students to get stronger both physically and intellectually. The books in their library could be categorized as holding the most important information regarding the worlds geography, the passages of time and methods for increasing strength. The wisdom of the greatest minds and strongest humans had been placed within the library, in the inner floors where the most important books were held, each individual book could be categorized as a treasure that simply couldn¡¯t be bought with money. After the two groups had split up, Professor Lydia had chosen to follow Leo¡¯s group because it contained both Haeru and Leo and some of the other candidates from some families she was aware of. ¡®How could I have expected that these little fellows would get so lucky and avoid every single strong monster in this entire damn forest! Do they know how bored I¡¯ve been!? How inconsiderate could they be?? Ugh. Seriously though, what kind of luck do these kids have!?¡¯ Lydia was particularly incensed because almost as if intentionally, Leo¡¯s group had managed to avoid specific sections were strong monsters had made their territories. Even more aggravating, on numerous occasions they group had been going in one direction or another and just as they would have run into a horde of beasts or the home of some monster their direction would change ever so slightly somehow ending up with them avoiding a potentially life ending battle! The only monsters they had come across had been weak and not even worth mentioning, the fact that they managed to end the battles swiftly and with no injuries were proof (to Lydia) of how mundane these monsters had been and how unimpressed the battles had been. Not a single situation had been worth paying attention too, and she had begun to both be annoyed by their terrible luck and curious whether she would have had a more entertaining time following the group spearheaded by Damien. It was only until she¡¯d taken another glance back at the group that she had noticed their gazes and a woman standing on top of a tree branch. Lydia¡¯s heart immediately started to speed up as she realized she hadn¡¯t sensed her presence at all. Lydia¡¯s specialty was using mana to augment her senses. Instead of using the elements, she¡¯d spent the majority of her life building a foundation. In her mind, she had begun a path and had refused to change half-way. Not until she had reached the end of the road she was on, would she train in something new. It was something she¡¯d made her peace with and had gained various benefits from. That sort of strong willed ¡°refuse to budge¡± mentality had helped her focus and further her progress to the point where in could probably be said some degree of truth that she was the strongest augmenter in all of Lumea City. She had been using mana to augment her vision and hearing from the moment she had begun to follow her group of kids so that she could keep a tight watch on any dangers that might befall them and so that she could monitor them from a longer distance. She didn¡¯t want them to feel too safe and that they could rely on her at any moment, so she did her best to try to keep as long a distance as possible to keep herself hidden. Although she was nearly a mile away, her vision and hearing had been focused specifically on them as she moved along the tree tops with a grace and agility that could never be achieved by a normal person. She had been momentarily lost in her thoughts as she¡¯d questioned whether a single interesting thing would happen today as well when she noticed the group had stopped moving. It was only as she noticed where they were looking that she¡¯d noticed there was someone else. Someone else she hadn¡¯t heard or even sensed. Lydia immediately put the pieces together and realized the woman in front of the kids was masking her presence. Even though she was looking right at her it felt as if she wasn¡¯t even there. When she heard the words the woman had spoken, her guard had been brought all the way and she¡¯d gone from surprised to apprehensive. The woman hadn¡¯t merely spoken, but had somehow infused mana into her voice. The words she¡¯d spoken could only be heard by the ones she¡¯d intentionally sent the message too. Since Lydia had heard these words, her heart had grown heavy as she¡¯d come to realize all of the implications. It meant that the woman whom she hadn¡¯t sensed had somehow managed to sense her instead, despite the distance. It also meant that the amount of control and insight into sound manipulation through mana that the woman had reached was far above her own insight. ¡®Dangerous.¡¯ was Lydia¡¯s only conclusion as she stared at the woman in the distance and hoped with everything she had that it wasn¡¯t an enemy. ¡­ Chapter 93 - Stranger in the Woods (Part 3) Chapter 93 Stranger in the Woods (Part 3) ¡­ Almost as if reading their minds, the woman answered the unanswered question lingering in their minds ¡°No I am not threatening you. I am helping you. I am telling you the truth. I am giving you useful information, what you choose to do with that information is for you to decide.¡± The melody of her voice was mesmerizing and Haeru had to hold himself back from taking a step forward. Instead he focused on what she was saying and the gravity of the words and their meaning. Steadying himself, Haeru finally noticed what was strange about her words. It wasn¡¯t the content but rather that he felt something familiar. Something far more obvious when his dad tried it. Even though he was considered to be from a good family, Haeru better than anyone knew how limited that truth was. He was born under lucky circumstances but his family heritage wasn¡¯t nearly as long as the families that held true power within Lumea City. His father often spoke to him about how lucky they were that his grandmother was so powerful, she was both skilled in the usage of mana towards body enhancement and elemental usage. She was the entire package, it was just a pity that she died in service to the city. She died protecting the people as it was her very nature, that she never got the chance to have enough time to develop her skills. It was his grandmother¡¯s valor and contributions that made his family rise to prominence, and it was up to the future generations to maintain that prestige. Haeru had been burdened with a lot of responsibility from an early age as most noble families were. His father¡¯s skill was more than decent but not enough to make him stand out in a world where humanity was teetering on the edge of annihilation. Therefore his father had poured in almost all of his time and effort once he felt himself reach his limits in power. Once he¡¯d come to the realization that he would only ever get so strong, he decided to spend less and less time during services for the city and more time raising Haeru to have all the advantages he possibly could in order to get stronger faster and younger. Haeru¡¯s father came to understand far too late that while understanding and insight can come at any point in life, training specific elements had to be done early in life in order to get the body familiarized with that element. After a certain age, the body just can¡¯t adjust to having it¡¯s mana forcibly changed into an attribute. Therefore he came to understand that age limits the amount of progress one can make. Only early on in life is every door available to those with talent and potential. He¡¯d spent all his time teaching Haeru the magical skills he knew and could pass on and explaining his own insights. Everyday he would hammer these skills into Haeru, and there was something Haeru was all too familiar with. His father had originally tried to use body enhancing magic like his mother, but his talent was just too limited in that field. Regardless of that, he¡¯d still learned a lot of basic applications for mana, and enhancing his voice with mana was one of the things he did with regular use when he was screaming at him to do something during their trainings. The beautiful woman in the tree was enhancing her voice with mana, on a level so different from his father that it was impossible to compare. Clearly she wasn''t just a nobody, and although he didn¡¯t know who she was, the circumstances already pointed towards the likelihood of her being dangerous. Now he had confirmation that she was more than just a pretty face. The amount of talent in what she was doing was more than he could understand, but a simple thought made things more than clear enough to him ¡®No one that has the ability to use their insights to merge their voice with mana so clearly would be limited to just this¡­ If her insight into something seemingly useless is so high¡­ Her combat skills must be insane¡­¡¯ Haeru didn¡¯t look over towards Leo because he couldn¡¯t help but think that it would be unwise to look away from the beautiful woman but he whispered towards Leo ¡°We need to be very careful. She¡¯s dangerous.¡± Leo ignored Haeru as if he was speaking the obvious. Instead he responded to the beautiful woman ¡°If all you¡¯re doing is being helpful out of the kindness of your heart, then we would be fools not to listen to you. Please, share with us whatever it is you think you know, we¡¯ll be more than glad to hear whatever it is you have to say. Although if you could give us your name, it would go a long way in having us trust what you¡¯re telling us.¡± ¡°Your group of 50 or so humans split up a few days ago. The other group who headed north is currently being attacked. Although they aren¡¯t close they aren¡¯t that far either. Although they are being attacked, it¡¯s a threat they can handle. What they don¡¯t know is that there is an even bigger threat waiting to ambush them and something else heading their way.¡± Finally Haeru and Leo took their eyes off of her as they glanced at one another quickly as if trying to see what the other was thinking. ¡®There¡¯s just no way of knowing if what she¡¯s saying is true.¡± Haeru thought, while Leo was more disturbed by the knowledge that even if what she said was a lie, based on what she said he could tell that she had been keeping an eye on them for days now. Not only had he not noticed anything but the professor or guardsmen who were keeping an eye on them hadn¡¯t done a single thing. ¡®Either they don¡¯t perceive her as a threat and chose not to do anything¡­ Or it¡¯s even worse than that and even they didn¡¯t notice her. If they didn¡¯t even notice her¡­ Doesn¡¯t that mean she might even be stronger than something they can handle?¡¯ Leo wondered, as Haeru had finally started thinking along the same lines and came to a similar conclusion. Even as they both wondered what to do, Leo¡¯s mind came to a halt when his mind seemed to freeze. ¡®Your group of 50 of so humans¡­ That¡¯s what she said right¡­?¡¯ the realization that her wording implied she wasn¡¯t human made Leo¡¯s blood run cold. Mustering up the courage he had, Leo spoke ¡°It¡¯s not that we don¡¯t believe you, but although we are skilled, we are all still young. It¡¯s natural we would be wary of a stranger in the woods. You don¡¯t seem to want to tell us your name and we won¡¯t pressure you to do so, but if we are to believe what you are saying¡­ Then I must at least ask, why are you telling us this? Why are you helping?¡±The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Leo¡¯s words held a very simple implication: ¡®People don¡¯t help other people for no reason, unless they aren¡¯t helping at all¡¯ It was a skeptical view of the world, but one that his grand father had instilled in him because he knew it would serve Leo well. Humans no longer had the luxury of leading such a peaceful life that allowed them to believe that good things happen to good people. That was no longer the world they lived in. They lived in a world where the strong ate the weak and the stronger ate the strong. If someone or something had strength, they would exercise that strength and impose it on others, just because they could. Just because humans were no longer at the top of the food chain. Leo tried to hold the woman¡¯s gaze, but he¡¯d never come across anything that was inhuman but had the same appearance as one. It was both unsettling for him, and daunting. As far as he knew, the only creatures that had a similar if not the same appearance as humans were high races and creatures merely taking the shape of the human at will. If that was what this ¡°beautiful woman¡± was doing, then she could likely kill everyone here without batting one of those possibly-fake-but-beautiful-eyelashes. Each second felt like an eternity for Leo as he waited for a response to his question, as he both hoped for an answer while simultaneously wishing she would just go away. He¡¯d never been in a position where he felt like his life was in somebody else¡¯s hands. Even more so something possibly ridiculously strong that wasn¡¯t human. After what felt like a lifetime, the woman finally responded ¡°I am helping you¡­ Because you smell like someone I used to know. I don¡¯t know why that is, perhaps it is your mana, your smell itself or perhaps I¡¯ve merely been away from humans for too long. It doesn¡¯t matter. I know there are a plethora of humans currently scattered around the forest and they are all part of your group. I chose to help you out of a whim, that¡¯s all. Take it for what it is.¡± Leo and Haeru were both instantly surprised by her answer. Neither of them were expecting her to answer, to answer so thoroughly or the content itself. It was only now that Haeru realized she likely wasn¡¯t human herself while Leo was already two paces ahead of him as he contemplated what kind of power or ability she had to have in order to be able to sense thousands of humans hundreds if not thousands of miles apart. The very notion that she had the ability to do that made him feel even smaller. Instead of saying any more, the woman turned around and seemed to disappear into the forest. Even though they were looking right at her, it was as if she disappeared before their very eyes. Haeru gulped as he processed the information swarming around in his brain. Leo was suddenly very motivated to become stronger. ¡®In the face of overwhelming power, I am just an ant. I need to get stronger if I want to become someone amazing, if I want to travel outside the small bubble I¡¯ve lived in my entire life. I need to become stronger if I want to travel past the small territory Lumea City has been trapped in, I want to get strong enough to face someone like her and be able to keep my head held high!¡± Leo¡¯s fists were clenched, and he didn¡¯t even realize the fiery look in his eyes as he made an imposing expression that personified his desire for strength and the lengths he didn¡¯t realize he would be willing to go through to get it. Haeru took a few seconds as well as he processed everything and turned around to look at the others in the group only to realize they seemed almost hypnotized. Still staring at the spot where the beautiful woman had been, a glazed over look in their eyes. ¡°Hey! Snap out of it!¡± Haeru waved his hands in front of them and snapped his fingers a few times but they didn¡¯t even blink. Finally irritated with the entire situation, he infused his mana into his voice as he screamed at them ¡°Wake the hell up!¡± as he felt his frustration reach a boiling point. Only after hearing Haeru yelling, his mana piercing through their eardrums did everyone around them finally wake up as she looked either shocked or confused and began asking one another what had happened. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°Where¡¯d that beautiful woman go?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± When Haeru asked some of them what had happened to them, most of them could only remember seeing ab beautiful woman and then a second later Haeru had been yelling and the woman was gone. Haeru pieced everything together and realized that they¡¯d all either been intentionally mesmerized or perhaps they didn¡¯t have enough mana to even stand in that woman¡¯s presence. Unlike Haeru who was desperately trying to figure out what had happened, he was less focused on whether what happened to them was intentional or not and more focused on the simple facts. It was a fact that only Leo and himself had heard the words she¡¯d spoken, and it was a fact that the conversation was held strictly between the three of them (even if technically only Leo had spoken). It was a fact that the woman had shared information that was had yet to be proven false and a fact that she had left without causing any harm to them. She claimed she was helping, and all the facts pointed towards that as well. He began to discuss with Haeru ignoring everybody else what they should do. ¡°Even if she wasn¡¯t lying and was telling the truth, there is no reason to assume that the other group wouldn¡¯t be able to handle themselves. Even if they can¡¯t, they still have an instructor and some guardsmen watching over them.¡± Leo pointed out, unwilling to venture through the forest with the aim of helping Damien. ¡°Yeah¡­ But clearly you¡¯re saying that because you have an issue with Damien even if it¡¯s true. Moreover let¡¯s think about this clearly¡­ If what she said is true, then we may be in just as much danger as them. A threat to humans is a threat to us, if they can¡¯t handle it then we might not be able too either by ourselves. Moreover¡­ If we go, we can attack and steal the kills, if we kill some monsters that even the other group can¡¯t or that we might not be able to handle if they were in tip top shape, then we¡¯ll definitely do a lot better. The goal is still to get top marks on this exam right?¡± Leo couldn¡¯t help but grimace. What Haeru was saying was true¡­ Moreover the guy was sneakier than he¡¯d anticipated. ¡®Heh¡­ If I can steal a kill from Damien, make him look weaker, save his life, and make myself look better all in one go¡­ Well I guess that wouldn¡¯t be so bad¡­¡¯ ¡°Okay¡­ Let¡¯s do it!¡± Leo said, finally agreeing even if Haeru hadn¡¯t specifically been pushing for going. It was as if his and Haeru¡¯s decisions alone were the only ones that mattered in their group of near 25. Haeru nodded and began to lead the group with Leo north at a jog¡¯s pace ¡°Let¡¯s move faster. No point in going if we¡¯re going to show up late!¡± What Haeru didn¡¯t say out loud was, after thinking things through and having spoken with the others. He came to the conclusion that while it seemed like Leo and himself were the only ones who heard her words, there was no guarantee that the instructor who was supposedly following them hadn¡¯t heard as well. ¡®Whoever our instructor is, he or she has been following us from far enough that we can¡¯t tell where they are. That means they definitely aren¡¯t weak. It¡¯s entirely possibly that they heard the conversation and if they did, and we choose not to help the others. That might be enough to either label us as cowards or traitors. This is the safe bet.¡¯ Haeru thought. Chapter 94 - Absentee Instructors (Part 1) Chapter 94 Absentee Instructors (Part 1) Karina had never had hope, she had nothing but the will and desire to survive and even now that had been whittled away. Instead of feeling dread, there was a slight smile on her face as she gathered her mana into her sword and prepared to kill whatever tried to attack her next. ¡®I survived for 15 years¡­ I hope in the next life I have the opportunity to do more than survive. I hope I get the opportunity to live¡¯ she thought as she prepared for death. Karina had never had the opportunity to worth any techniques or skills. She had never known the guidance of a loving family member nor the helpful advice of a teacher. What Karina had developed, she had developed for survival. She had fled when she no choice, hid when she was cornered and could flee and killed when she had the opportunity. Staring down the imps she couldn¡¯t see, Karina begun implementing the only ability she knew that could make her stronger. Karina was slowly infusing her mana into her sword, both making herself stronger and her sword sharper. This was something she¡¯d developed at an early age as a self-defense mechanism as she was about to eaten by a beast in the wilderness. Even though it was mana she was infusing into the sword, she¡¯d realized after repeated use that somehow it it made her weaker long term to use this move. She was using an energy she didn¡¯t understand and didn¡¯t know exactly what the effects were, so she had long decided to only use it in a life or death struggle. Damien was in equally bad shape. He was only one of 5 others aside from Karina who were still holding their ground, and the others had only managed so far by either using others as a shielder by constantly moving and trying to dodge any attack preemptively. Although it hadn¡¯t helped them dodge any attacks, it had motivated the imps to attack them last as a moving target is always harder to hit than a sitting duck. Damien had been furious up until moments ago. He¡¯d been furious that they were in such dire danger that multiple people had already been killed, while others were barely hanging on for their lives and the instructors had still not taken action. Staring at the few companions in his group still standing, he¡¯d felt his heart clench and his throat run dry. Faced with overwhelming odds and the inability to counter his opponents with his physical skills as they were, Damien decided to use his trump cards. Although he had only used his sword thus far to attack, Damien¡¯s family were not physical warriors. He had grown up learning all of his families magic skills when he¡¯d met the requirements and trying to glean insight into how they worked and the laws of the elements. Damien himself wasn¡¯t too talented in that regard but his father had pushed him into learning the family way. He was taught a variety of skills from simple to strong but was limited to only using them in actual combat or in front of others until he had gained understanding of the skill itself. If he used the skills otherwise he would be severely punished. Even knowing that he could be punished when he returned home, Damien also figured it would be better to return home and be punished then not return at all! ¡®Besides I might get off just by saying I wasn¡¯t doing it for myself, but I was doing it to save the others that couldn¡¯t save themselves without my help¡­¡¯ That is how the Knight family had maintained such a monopoly on their power, they raised their children under harsh conditions. They coddled them well and allowed them to be arrogant in front of others but it was a right that had to be earned. They had to learn magic and were only allowed to use what they themselves could understand. It was both a method utilized in order to raise their members strength so that they couldn¡¯t simply rely on their elders. It nurtured their own abilities while allowing them all to have some life-saving trump cards if the situation ever called for it. That was why until they became fully fledged mana users they were required to learn how to use some sort of weapon and become proficient at it. Slowly Damien had begun igniting the mana in his hands as he activated his fireball skill. It was a simply skill but one he still didn¡¯t understand in any real way. Even with his father¡¯s guidance he had realized he found it very difficult to understand the elements, he simply wasn¡¯t attuned to them like they were. He w as also born without an attribute, and therefore didn¡¯t have the lucky happenstance to understand and learn with ease. Damien had been angry as a child when such rules had been imposed on him. He was not only arrogant in front of others but also at his home. If others in his family were coddled, then he had been pampered to a different degree by his mother and father. When he¡¯d been told he had to learn to use a weapon when he already had such powerful magical skills he had thrown a fit. He had chosen the sword because he thought it was the strongest weapon. He¡¯d also secretly thought it would look super manly to wield a large sword around. It was only after he¡¯d started learning with his instructor that he¡¯d come to realize how gratifying learning the way of the sword was. Unlike the insights needed to understand the elements, he actually understood the sword. Although it would be as stretch to say that it came easy to him or that he was a genius, he was indeed quite talented. His interest for the sword had motivated him and he¡¯d practiced more than he had too all in the efforts to improve something he enjoyed. This interest in the sword had further delayed his growth and understanding of the skills his family had already given him, making him fall even further behind their expectations. If it wasn¡¯t for his swordplay being so distinguished for others n his age group, he would probably have had quite a few issues within his family and he understood that quite well.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. After triggering the fireball skill in his hands, two small red fireballs ignited and appeared floating on top of his palms avoiding his skin. These were two of the weakest fireballs a practitioner of the laws of fire could create, after all red fire burned at the lowest temperatures. His red fireballs burned at merely around 1,500 F degrees. Without hesitation he threw both fireballs as an imp had chosen that very moment, drawn in by the fire in his hands to attack him at what it thought was a moment of distraction. Both fireballs hit in succession and much to Damien¡¯s chagrin, the imp seemed completely unfazed! It¡¯s path continued as it flew down from the trees at a speed so fast they could only see an unperturbed blur as it slashed at Damien¡¯s arm leaving a few superficial scratches before hitting the ground and pushing back into the trees. The entire attack took a while to explain but the process took less than a second for it to happen! Damien stared in shock as he realized his fireballs hadn¡¯t even fazed it! ¡®How can it be completely unfazed!?¡¯ At best his attack had slightly changed the course of the imp enough so to prevent that slash from dealing the serious damage it was meant to inflict. Damien couldn¡¯t believe that his skill had been completely ignored, and instead of calmly analyzing the reason. He began to utilize the skill once more creating two more fireballs in his palms. Completely disregarding his minor wounds he called out to the imps ¡°You want to challenge me!? Come at me then you cowards!!¡± After being targeted by monsters and having his group dwindled down to such a pathetic state, having his instructors ignore their plight, his sword skills being rendered useless and now his opponent completely disregarding his skill Damien felt that the insults had piled up one after another finally leaving him too aggravated to ignore them. ¡®I won¡¯t let you insult my family¡¯s skills so blatantly! It might be a basic skill, but it¡¯s a skill I¡¯ve worked hard to develop! I¡¯ll make you taste defeat!¡± As if goaded by his words and actions, the same previous imp launched itself from the trees making a beeline towards Damien. Damien launched the fireballs right at it, drawn solely by the slight fluctuation in the trees and the only movement in the area once again hitting the imp with pinpoint accuracy but to no avail. Yet again, both fireballs hit their targets but were completely ignored, seemingly dealing no damage as the imp claws made contact with Damien before inflicting another minor wound before disappearing back into the trees. The rage in Damien¡¯s mind was only fueled by his second failure and he began goading the imps. Unfazed by the growing wounds on his body Damien persisted in using the same fireballs in the same way. Refusing to give up and try something different he was drawn into a repeating cycle that only ended with more wounds each stacking up on top of one another. The other participants still alive and in fighting shape in the group had turned pale faced at the sight. The strongest one among them (based on their perception) had been turned into a laughing stock, wound after wound appeared on his body and his attacks seemed to be doing absolutely nothing. Every effort he made seemed meaningless only making them grow more disconcerted and fearful of their opponents. The only one who¡¯d taken the opportunity for what it was, was Karina. Instead of continuing to fuel her mana into her body and sword, she had stopped and began to use the time to replenish her energy and look for a way out of the situation. ¡®The imps seem to be enjoying the show and have allowed this continue. We should be using this for what it is. A way to buy time! We can¡¯t count on the instructors, if they were going to do something, they would have done it by now. I have to think of something otherwise I¡¯m going to get killed right here. Damien¡¯s clearly lost his head, there¡¯s no way he¡¯s going to be useful anymore¡­ The best I can hope out of him is that he keeps this up long enough for me to think a way out of this mess!¡¯ Fireball after fireball landed on the imp but the only thing that changed was where he got cut by it¡¯s claws. ¡®Damn it! Why won¡¯t my skill work! Why can¡¯t I hurt him! Damn it damn it damn it!¡± Damien¡¯s frustration was growing more and more as he felt the pain from his wounds grow as the blood flow started getting worse as some of the wounds got deeper. His entire chest and arms were now littered with scratches and cuts, his clothes torn no longer providing any protection for the imps claws. It was only now that his anger was giving way to some regret. Earlier after he¡¯d realized his first two fireballs hadn¡¯t worked he could have easily tried another skill e had plenty to choose from, and quite a few of them were notably stronger. Now that he¡¯d used the fireball skill so many times though, his mana was depleted. Regardless of the type of skill, all skills relied on a users mana in order to trigger them, after all using a skill meant using an automatic process. It could only be done through one¡¯s own mana. ¡®Stupid stupid stupid¡­ This is probably the worst thing I could have done!¡¯ Damien admonished himself as the more his wounds deepened and the more pain he felt the more his anger calmed itself as the regret slowly filled its place. Finally calming himself down enough to realize what a mistake he¡¯d made out of foolishness and anger, he was calm enough to realize that the fireballs he was using were clearly useless but he couldn¡¯t stop now. If he stopped the imp would attack with an even stronger move, even if it didn¡¯t, the fireballs were the only thing that was diverting its claws enough to prevent serious damage from each attack. Instead of allowing himself to dwell in his regret, Damien started focusing on his skill. On trying to notice any little detail about the imp when his attack made contact in order to glean any bit of information that could help him dig his way out of this hole he¡¯d dug himself. Instead his wounds only grew. Every a few more fireballs he acknowledged his eyes could barely keep up with the blur of speed the imp was moving at and the only reason his fireballs were making contact was because he could at least catch the blur of movement in his peripherals. That and the imp wasn¡¯t even trying to avoid his fireballs, it was moving through them completely unobscured by them and with no fear what-so-ever of his attack. ¡®Damn it! This is so pathetic! Is my attack really so useless?¡¯ Damien had never been brought to such a pathetic state in his life, his ego was wounded as badly as his body and his dignity insulted in a way he would never have allowed in his home. Shifting his annoyance into his own skill, he began to earnestly analyze it for the first time in his life. Although he¡¯d claimed he¡¯d worked really hard to increase his understanding of it, it was mostly a lie. He¡¯d used it enough times to grow proficient at using it, but he¡¯d never really tried to understand it. He¡¯d been too arrogant to believe that such a weak skill was really worth investing his time and effort into understand and had only tried with the harder and more impressive skills he was taught. Completely disregarding the basic skills he¡¯d been taught, he¡¯d thought so highly of himself as to believe he could learn the complicated before or without the simple. Chapter 95 - Absentee Instructors (Part 2) Chapter 95 Absentee Instructors (Part 2) Facing an opponent who was making a mockery of his skills and unable to do a single thing to change the situation, Damien had finally begin to get serious and focus on the only thing he had any control over. Damien was now wholeheartedly focused on analyzing his own skill. How it worked and what he was doing wrong that was making his attack so ineffective! Damien couldn¡¯t help himself as he began to grind his teeth together in anger at the futility of his effort as he continued trying to persevere in trying to understand his skill. As Damien analyzed his own skill from the ground up, he finally stumbled upon something he¡¯d never given a second thought as his he saw the flames burst apart on the imp as the blur appeared in front of him as disappeared off into the woods again. The blood loss was making his head light but he¡¯d seen the flames burst on impact making him wonder for the first time in his life how he was able to use a flame attributed skill. He had a whole slew of skills in his repertoire due to his family, and a vast majority of them relied on insight into the elements to create wondrous effects. Damien had never stopped to wonder how he could learn something that required insight into something else. He was somehow creating fire but he didn¡¯t know how, he¡¯d taken many things for granted even something as simple as this. Thinking about the flames, he wondered ¡®How can I create a fireball when I have no elemental affinity to fire?¡¯ Finally thinking about one of the most basic questions, he realized his father had explained some of the basic concepts of fire. Now trying to recall that information in a flash, he remembered how fire is is the mana particles moving and running into each other at high speeds generating heat and fire. He¡¯d only ever infused as much mana into the skill as was necessary, but now he wondered whether if he generated even more mana, a lot more mana whether he could alter the skill itself. It was nothing he¡¯d never considered as he was told never to alter a skill unless he completely understood it, but the circumstances were now life and death. Not trying something new now would only get him killed. Grinding his teeth even further, as he clenched his jaw tight. Damien willed the last remnants of his mana into the skill he¡¯d used hundreds of times. Instead of releasing it like he normally did, he actively sped up the release of his mana and compressed it together as he generated another set of fireballs. These fireballs were noticeably larger than all the ones before. He could tell most of his mana was being wasted as it was dissipating into the air, but he ignored the loss and focused on what he could control as he willed the mana to compress even further, somehow enlarging the fireball and increasing it¡¯s heat. The color of the fireball finally changed into two large clear orange balls of fire. Damien had used his mana as an accelerant while activating his skill how he normally did generating a new type of fireball for him. Two notably larger and hotter fireballs burned clear orange as he instantly shot them towards the imp who had unwillingly launched another attack not noticing the change in the fireballs. The imp rushed head first into the two fireballs not noticing the difference in color until they were close enough that the heat emanating from them was to the point where it was impossible for it NOT to notice the difference. The scorching heat of the fireballs made the imp realize its mistake as the first fireball made contact and hit him with more force than the previous ones. The heat was enough to scotch its skin and before it could react or scream in pain the second fireball had already reached it. The second fireball knocked the imp back through the air forcing it to hit the ground at a poor angle as the imp hit the ground head first, cracking it¡¯s neck as it made the most horrific noise. ¡°I¡¯m invincible I¡¯m invincible HAHAHAH¡± Damien began to scream ecstatically as he attained his first minor insight into the element of fire. Karina¡¯s face wavered as she was torn between feeling some joy at finally seeing one of the imps taken down and a slight glimmer of hope and feeling disdain for Damien¡¯s crazy expression of joy. ¡®He looks like he¡¯s lost it¡­¡¯You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ¡°Hey. How many more fireballs like that can you make?¡± Karina spoke up as she steadied her blade once again. Damien had bought them quite a bit of time, enough so that Karina had recouped some of her stamina and was ready to fight again. Damien finally snapped out of his blissful euphoria at making a break through as his face nearly fell. He could tell that most of his mana was drained and at best he could use those kinds of fireballs one more time¡­ ¡°I can maybe use that skill on or two more times¡± he whispered to the people remaining standing as he tried to save some of his dignity. Karina¡¯s near hopeful expression dulled almost instantly as she cursed herself for putting any hope in Damien ¡®This guy is so useless! Why¡¯d I even think for a moment that he could have some extra cards up his sleeve!¡¯ Realizing how dire the situation they were in was, Damien ran through the various options they had left as he realized how limited those options were. Damien calmed himself down as he figured he was in no worse a situation than before ¡¯Time to bet!¡¯ as he moved closer to Karina. ¡°There can¡¯t be that many though¡­ I saw your swordplay. It¡¯s not bad. Let¡¯s conserve my skill as much as possible, I¡¯ll attack one imp at a time with my fireball, and you finish it off. Can you do it?¡± Damien whispered to Karina. Karina didn¡¯t think about it for longer than a second ¡°Yeah. I¡¯m game.¡± while she secretly wondered whether Damien even had the juice to use the fireballs again. She noted that his face looked pale and couldn¡¯t tell if it was because he¡¯d wasted so much mana of the ridiculous amount of blood he¡¯d lost. The blood dripping from his chest was forming a small puddle underneath him. ¡®How is he even still standing up?¡¯ she thought. A slight hint of respect colored her vision as she had to admit it was already a fairly amazing feat that he was still able to stand and fight despite his wounds. Although as she recalled how stupid it was for him to get into a fight and waste all of his mana on an attack that wasn¡¯t working, that respect flowed away almost as quickly as it had come. They waited in position as they finally heard more rustling in the trees and Damien¡¯s hands immediately began to blaze as two newly created fireballs gushed from his hands forming two spirals as he threw them almost as quickly as he¡¯d formed them all in one motion. Karina followed the light of the fireballs without even considering their course and after the first one made contact with its target she was only a moment behind, as her sword cut deep into another imp as she slashed at its torso and up towards the neck in an upwards slash. Using the imp¡¯s body to propel herself forward in the air, Karina dashed towards the second target with an inhuman-like agility. If the imps weren¡¯t so ridiculously fast, Karina¡¯s top speed would have been shocking to every body present. Even with the imps around, after they saw her slash an enemy and the propel herself forward using its body as what could literally be considered a stepping stone, even Damien¡¯s eyes widened at the feat. Karina propelled herself forward using all of the momentum to push herself forward as she used her strength to properly grip her sword and align herself with her target. Instead of using another slash, she allowed herself to smash into her target as she pierced it¡¯s chest with her sword all the way to the hilt. A slight look satisfaction on her face as she finally took in it¡¯s eerie face and the look of surprise and pain frozen on it. She instantly knew she¡¯d made the right decision, after seeing it¡¯s comrade getting hit by the first fireball and then being cut down it had instantly chosen to defend which lessened the damage from the fireball that hit it and would have been able to limit the damage if it hadn¡¯t been stabbed. They fell down 20 feet and Karina held on to her sword as she used the imp¡¯s small body as a slight cushion to lessen the damage of the fall when they hit the ground. Their bodies hit the ground hard and she bounced off it¡¯s small body and rolled through the grassy moss of the ground a few times before coming to a halt. Damien and the four others still standing made a beeline for her. They were all secretly hoping they¡¯d dispatched of all the enemies and as they neared her, one of the guys still alive and kicking in the back had his throat slashed in another blur like movement tumbling to the floor in a heap as the others only realized what had happened when they heard his body hit the ground. Fear gripped Damien as he realized there were definitely more imps and he was all out of mana. He was bleeding badly and just moving to Karina had taken all of the energy he had left. He was completely spent and feeling dizzy as every started to blur around him. ¡®We¡¯re in trouble¡¯ he thought as everything started spinning and he fell to the ground on one knee. Holding himself up with his sword, he felt the world around him spinning as nausea forced him to cough up blood. Karina got to her feet, after only taking some slight damage due to her quick thinking but her sword was gone. It was stuck deep inside of that dead imp¡¯s body. She felt defenseless as she curiously glanced at Damien and wondered whether she hoped he made a quick recovery so he could help some more or just pass out so she could take his sword. Instead what she heard were multiple screeching sounds in the trees as body after body began to fall from the trees. Shock and awe colored her face as well as the other survivors who were seeing this. At first they thought it was some sort of trick, but soon after they realized they were definitely bodies. They were definitely the imps! ¡®What the hell is going on!?¡¯ Chapter 96 Absentee Instructors (Part 3) Chapter 96 Absentee Instructors (Part 3) Haeru and Leo had rushed in the direction that the mysterious woman had told them to go. They¡¯d been skeptical as to whether they should believe her or whether it was a trap, but after they agreed that the power she held was more than enough to kill them without setting up such a petty trap they committed to their decision. They began at a jogs pace but soon realized the necessity for a full out sprint through the trees. Although it seemed like they were really far, these past few days they had been walking very slowly and been trying their best not to make any noise as they made their way through the forest. They had intentionally been trying to create as little disturbances in the forest in order to avoid anything stronger than themselves or even an ambush. They had covered very little ground in the past few days and now that they were running at full speed, even with the trees to slow them down they felt like they are making good time. They weren¡¯t even concerned about running into other monsters because that would be a good as well. If they ran into monsters that prevented them from moving forwards, it would still be a chance for them to prove themselves and a fair enough reason as to why they couldn¡¯t help out Damien¡¯s group. Of course Haeru and Leo had different reasons for not wanting to help. Leo didn¡¯t want to help due to his personal grudge with Damien after he¡¯d insulted Marcos unnecessarily during the exam. Haeru didn¡¯t want to help because he knew exactly how important the Knight family was in Lumea City. Regardless of Damien¡¯s talent, he would be given a lot of special treatment once he entered Lumea Academy. More special treatment for him, meant less focus for Haeru. He simply couldn¡¯t afford to be that generous with someone he didn¡¯t really know or care about. What they didn¡¯t realize was that Professor Lydia had heard the entire conversation and had immediately tried to get into contact with Crimson once she came to her senses. Instead of being able to reach him with her talisman which was also created by the Vice-Headmaster as a means of communication between important members of Lumea Academy she realized something was wrong. There was no reason why he wouldn¡¯t be answering if he had any choice. She used her mana to hear and see as much of her surroundings and figured that her group were safe enough for now and immediately made a beeline for Crimson¡¯s group. Although most of the participants were expendable, the strong support staff of Lumea City was not. Crimson was too valuable for her not to go help him if he was in trouble. Unlike the children below her though, Lydia¡¯s speed was on an entirely different level. She was moving at a break-neck speed as she used mana to enhance her legs and propel herself from tree to tree moving miles in minutes! Although she was moving at an astonishing pace, it was still barely human. She was after all limited in her abilities and understandings of elemental laws and what she could do with mana was limited to her own mana pool. If she moved too fast or pushed herself past what she could do safely, she could hurt herself in the process. Moreover as worried as she was, she was still keeping her own safety in mind. There was no value to her if she showed up faster but didn¡¯t have enough mana to do a single thing to help in a dangerous situation. At best she would be useless and at worst she¡¯d get herself killed. She was far too experienced to make such an inexperienced mistake. Luckily, she was moving at a breakneck speed above the trees. Not a single thing was impeding her path as she moved forward without second doubting herself at all as she focused her senses to their pinnacle and started searching for Crimson. She¡¯d run for less than an hour and her ears had already picked up the traces of multiple battles going on in the forest. The surprise on her face was evident as she kept moving forward but slowed down a bit as she considered her options. ¡®Why are there so many battles going on?? This is crazy. Moreover why are there so many groups in such close proximity to one another? When we used the talismans to teleport into the forest, we should have all been so far from one another that none of the groups should have ever gotten anywhere close enough to catch a glimpse of one another. There is no way that I¡¯ve already passed two groups and they aren¡¯t even Crimson¡¯s.¡¯ Lydia¡¯s thoughts were a mess as she tried to sort out what was happening. Moreover she hesitated a few times as she ran and heard screams of people being mercilessly struck down. ¡®Should I stop and help¡­?¡¯ Lydia was frowning as she considered whether the other monitors were allowing this to happen or whether their hands were too tied to do anything to help.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­ Then Crimson might be in the same situation. Even if I want to help¡­ My focus is my own group. I¡¯m responsible for keeping the talents in my group safe and to help the other instructors. I¡¯ll find Crimson first and we¡¯ll sort things out from there!¡¯ Lydia made her decision and started moving forward at the same pace as before. Despite having made up her mind, she¡¯d unintentionally begun to divert some of her mana from her other senses to further amplify her hearing. In doing so, she couldn¡¯t help but shock herself as she realized just how many groups were doing battle. It wasn¡¯t just their groups as it seemed in some parts of the woods beasts were fighting other beasts. ¡®It¡¯s like the entire forest has gone mad! Everything is so chaotic!¡¯ Lydia¡¯s heart was pounding. She was one of the few professors who could amplify her senses as that was something that required even further control and understanding of mana and the body to do than even amplifying muscles or bones. Therefore she knew that there were few other professors who would know what was going on aside from her. Just as Lydia was beginning to reconsider whether she should branch out and help any of these groups and try to gather some information from one of their professors she saw a flash of light that barely lit up through the trees. ¡®Crimson!¡¯ Lydia wasn¡¯t sure it was him, but she had a pretty good feeling about it. Despite his name and some of the assumptions a lot of the students of the academy made when they first entered, Crimson did not practice anything related to the element of fire. Crimson was just unlucky enough to have a father who drank far too much in celebration of his birth and a mother who drank just as much and just as merrily when they decided to name him. Immediately propelling herself forward in the direction she¡¯d seen the light, Lydia let herself fall from the trees. The trees themselves were around 100 feet high. No normal person could fall from such a height and survive. Lydia was no normal person. Even as she let herself fall her senses were focused on finding any sign that Crimson was around as if completely ignoring her descent as her speed increased. Her eyes finally caught sight of Crimson who seemed to be running from his position as he was given chase by a small black creature whose movement she could barely keep track of even with her vision. Without even thinking about it, as Lydia was falling she extended her hands as she lifted them straight above her head just in front of her face as she caught a tree branch and used the branch to flip herself completely around the branch making a full rotation and using that momentum to shift herself forward instead of down. Having pushed herself forward Lydia began pushing herself through the trees as she landed on one tree branch after another trying to keep up with Crimson and the black blur. Every so often she could make out a little more detail but then the blur would move erratically and she would lose track of it from her vision yet again. ¡®What the hell is that thing!?¡¯ she wondered. It was clearly fast. She couldn¡¯t keep track of it at all even with her fortified vision with mana. It was probably strong too if it had forced Crimson to retreat. He was already using his ¡°light steps¡± technique as he seemed to disappear in a flash of light and reappear further off in the distance. Yet this dark blur was keeping up with him even with his continual use of his skill making Lydia wary as her stomach sank as she considered its speed. She didn¡¯t dare try to narrow down the possibilities of what it could be. In this forest monsters and beasts kept evolving, eating one another, getting stronger and coming and going. ¡®There¡¯s no way I can narrow down what it is. All I know is that it¡¯s very fast. Faster than me. That doesn¡¯t say much¡­ How many creatures in this forest could be faster than me? I couldn¡¯t even name all the races if I tried! Ugh! At this rate they¡¯ll move too far out of reach.¡¯ At that moment Lydia finally realized why Crimson hadn¡¯t answered her call, except soon he would likely have to stop using the flash skill, and when he did she¡¯d be able to contact him again. They kept moving at a faster pace than she could keep up, but with her vision and hearing, she could continue behind them, following in their wake. In just minutes Crimson had finally resorted to running through the ground, probably hoping to conserve some of his energy and gauge the distance between himself and the beast following him. Although she couldn¡¯t see either of them at this point, Lydia could still hear, and she could hear a steadier sound of footsteps coming from Crimson. Using her talisman and seal, she contacted him immediately ¡°I¡¯m following behind you! Double back and I¡¯ll set up a trap. It¡¯s too fast to take head on.¡± Even though he didn¡¯t reply, she could tell he¡¯d heard because his running footsteps came to sliding halt and the depth of the steps took a change. He was heading back her way. ¡¯Time to get to work!¡¯ Lydia thought as she she unfurled a slew of wire from her body. If anyone saw the scene they would have been shocked by the sight, as the skin tight black clothes on her body unfurled into thousands of wires as they wrapped around every tree in the area turning the entire space into a death trap for anything foolish enough to run into her space unprepared! Previous Chapter ~~ Next Chapter Chapter 97 - Absentee Instructors (Part 4) Chapter 97 Absentee Instructors (Part 4) If anyone saw the scene they would have been stumped, curious and quite possibly turned on by the sight as the skin tight black clothes on her body unfurled into thousands of wires as they wrapped around every tree in the area turning the entire space into a death trap for anything foolish enough to run into her space unprepared! ¡®Damn it! About time someone showed up!¡¯ Crimson thought as relief washed over him. He¡¯d been running from this creature for hours now and he¡¯d steadily been running out of mana. He had even been forced into using one of his last resorts, which was one of the seals the vice principle had given him as a reward years ago. Something he¡¯d treasured for years, too frugal to ever use. It was as special void related seal, that once activated on the body would draw mana towards the seal and refill the user¡¯s mana pool. When Crimson had first been told what it was, he¡¯d been shocked that such a thing was possible. He¡¯d been absolutely awed by the vast possibilities of what those who could understand and use void abilities could do. He¡¯d tried to perceive and understand the void on numerous occasions throughout his life only to be left with bitter resentment at every effort and subsequent failure. His effort had bore no fruit despite his tenacity. He just wasn¡¯t suited at all for the element, he just couldn¡¯t grasp its subtle intricacies. That was one of the reasons he came to treasure this gift even more than anyone else would normally have. Except after running into this monster earlier on near his students, he¡¯d immediately recognized the danger and not long after been forced into using it. He¡¯d been looking at the mist as it had gone from strange to turbulent to out of control. The mist had formed into a tornado and begun changing shapes. Something he¡¯d never seen nor thought possible. That mist was the inner most center of the forest, and it had never changed in all the years he¡¯d known it to exist. Except today it had and it had caused such a stir that it knew it would bring trouble. Just as the mist had settled down he had still been in the air using Flow¡¯s magic when he¡¯d spotted something moving through the trees at a speed he could only categorize as amazing. He couldn¡¯t see what it was, but he could see the rustling of the trees as it made it¡¯s way towards them at a speed he was only capable of reaching by using his most powerful skill. He¡¯d immediately ordered Flow to find his partner and get help. They had as special connection to each other and always seemed to know where the other was. He could tell at a glance this wasn¡¯t going to be an easy task by himself. He didn¡¯t even wait for Flow to put him down, he¡¯d used his flash skill in mid air which allowed him to move at a speed similar to light for a very short distance and the most minuscule amount of time at great cost to his stamina and mana pool. It was the most profound skill he possessed. He hadn¡¯t created it but he had improved it. Every time he used the skill he would permanently lose a bit of the mana he¡¯d accumulated throughout his life, it was a skill he never used if he didn¡¯t have too but he had acted decisively and intercepted the monster. He¡¯d tried to fight it but he couldn¡¯t even keep track of the monster with his eyes. After running around like a chicken with his head cut off, he¡¯d turned tail and ran. He knew that the best he could do was to run away and draw the creature away from his group of participants and hope they could survive without him there to hold their hands. He hadn¡¯t ran long before being forced into using his flash skill repeatedly and soon after the treasure he¡¯d held so dearly for years. If not for the treasure, he¡¯d long since have run out of mana and been killed off by this thing, it was only now that Lydia had finally contacted him that a sliver of both relief had surfaced and some hope had washed over him. He¡¯d stopped mid-stride sliding along the grass as his feet dragged along the ground slowing his momentum leaving a trail before he turned around and headed back where he¡¯d come, right at the monster! He couldn¡¯t follow it with his eyes but his gut told him that slight blur of movement in front of him was it! Crimson triggered his flash skill as the creature cut a hole that would have torn through Crimson like paper if he hadn¡¯t taken action immediately. He flashed right past him, seemingly through the creature¡¯s body and reappeared running about 50 feet away without even breaking stride as he ran along the ground. The creature was left momentarily confused as it stared at it¡¯s hand and looked around itself wondering where it¡¯s prey had gone before sniffing the air and realizing that his prey had tricked it! It had gone backwards! Back where they¡¯d been! It began it¡¯s pursuit of its prey instantly as it made up the ground that Crimson had covered in seconds. It followed Crimson, hunger gnawing it as a desire to cut Crimson to pieces and feast overcame it. Without even looking at it¡¯s surroundings it¡¯s only focus was Crimson and the meat it was about to devour and yet again his prey disappeared right before it¡¯s eyes! The creature didn¡¯t stop it only propelled itself forward at an even greater speed as it blurred and seemed to reappear feet in front of it¡¯s previous location.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Right in front of it was Crimson with a big grin on his face as he stood with his arms crossed over his chest, sweat trickling down his forehead as a self-satisfied expression filled up and confused the creature. Crimson stared at the beast that didn¡¯t understand why it couldn¡¯t move as red lines appear all over it¡¯s body. Before it slowly began falling apart into pieces Crimson finally got a good look at the creature that plagued him for hours ¡°Devoid King Imp!¡± His grin only widened as he understood why he was so fast and what a success it was for him to have survived much less killed it! Just moments before, the creature was about to strike Crimson when he¡¯d heard Lydia yell through the talisman ¡°Now!¡±. He¡¯d immediately used his flash skill and reappeared another fifty feet in front of where he was. The creature¡¯s attack had missed and it had foolishly moved at an even greater speed as it moved forward to attack again. It hadn¡¯t seen the wires criss-crossing the entire array of trees, a death zone that had claimed its life without it having ever realized it. This was a trap Lydia and Crimson had pulled numerous times while hunting. They were more than familiar with one another and Crimson held complete trust in her. She¡¯d saved his life more than once and he¡¯d repaid the favor more than once. It was a trap that could only pulled at a moments notice between two people who had complete trust in one another and a familiar understanding of each other¡¯s skills and capabilities. ¡°Close your eyes!¡± Lydia yelled from the forest as Crimson bashfully closed them realizing what she meant. He¡¯d made the mistake of looking once, only to see a heavenly sight before having his sternum cracked in by her fist moments after. He¡¯d spent 3 weeks recuperating in a bed unable to do much of anything except will his mana to heal himself. It was a mistake he¡¯d never make again, even if someone dared him! Lydia reappeared in front of him as she finally asked him ¡°What the hell has happened!?¡± Crimson opened his eyes and almost instantly rolled them ¡°That¡¯s the first thing you ask? Not whether I¡¯m okay? How I managed to survive?¡± Lydia gave him a cold glare and he shrugged his shoulders and with a jovial laugh asked ¡°Meh, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re glad to see me. I¡¯d bet anything.¡± Lydia¡¯s glare seemed to make the air around them drop a few degrees as Crimson finally got serious and began recounting what he had seen. Crimson told Lydia everything from having a bad feeling for days, to what he had seen with the mist. ¡°After the mist started acting up everything seemed to have gone to hell.¡± Crimson explained to Lydia and then followed it up with his recount about the events involving the creature that had followed him. Lydia took it all in without making much of any expression. After Crimson finished his explanation she turned around and stared at the bloody pieces of the corpse at their feet. ¡®It¡¯s ridiculous we could even kill this thing. A Devoid King Imp is near a demigod class creature. It¡¯s speed alone is top tier. The only saving grace that makes this creature manageable is that it¡¯s a failure. It¡¯s an imp that failed to evolve into a King Imp. It¡¯s mind slowly starts to degenerate and it¡¯s speed while greater than a King Imp, is it¡¯s only advantage. It¡¯s body is as soft as tofu.¡¯ Lydia thought to herself before finally saying out loud ¡°The thing that confuses me is how easily we got it to fall into our trap. Normally this thing, with its speed. It could have seen our trap and used its reflexes to avoid the traps at the very last possible moment. It¡¯s top tier like that. It seemed out of it¡¯s mind.¡± Crimson looked contemplative as he spoke up ¡°Yeah¡­ I mean if it had been in it¡¯s right mind, it would have been much faster. It would have easily been able to kill me when I slowed down or stopped using my flash skill. Something made it go insane or something, it seemed to lessen it¡¯s abilities.¡± Suddenly Lydia¡¯s eyes lit up ¡°Was it alone??¡± Lydia¡¯s words struck hard as realization dawned on Crimson. Any kind of imp would never travel alone, it was very likely that even this crazy one had been with a pack. If they hadn¡¯t followed it, then it was very likely that if they stayed put or continued on the course it was on, that they would run into the other participants from his group! ¡°I told Flow to go get help! He¡¯s not with them!¡± Crimson spoke quickly. Lydia nodded and began jogging in the direction they¡¯d come. Although she wasn¡¯t going slowly, she was clearly holding back so that Crimson could keep up. She understood that he must have expended a slew of energy trying to stay alive in his earlier game of cat-and-mouse with the Devoid King Imp. ¡°Can you keep up¡± she asked while running and only glancing back. While Crimson sped up and ran along-side her ¡°I¡¯ll be fine.¡± he said but his expression looked solemn. In front of others, especially students or citizens of Lumea City Crimson was a very stern man. He was a symbol to the people. He had chosen to be a guardsman through and through instead of taking a teaching position in the academy. It was a position that was adrift with more risk and more responsibility and allowed him less time to focus on training himself and increasing his own power. It was a choice he¡¯d made for everyone, he wanted to save lives, to help others. Even though he was a stern man in front of others, he was very different in front of his friends or those he trusted. In front of them, he seemed to revert back to the teenager he was once, a mischievous boy with a penchant for trouble. His current solemn expression in front of Lydia told her how heavy his mind must be feeling. ¡®He¡¯s likely exhausted and on top of that, he¡¯s probably feeling guilty for leaving the kids alone even though it was the right decision. If he hadn¡¯t acted so decisively they¡¯d all be dead. He¡¯d likely be dead too considering what that thing was.¡¯ Lydia tried to focus on the positive, but she was also worried. There were quite a few good unpolished jewels in the group Crimson had left behind. Even though there shouldn¡¯t be anything near the same level as the Devoid King Imp, a regular imp alone was already very fast. It was something that was hard to handle without some sort of ambush, trap or someone with an even greater speed. Although any class of dark imp wasn¡¯t particularly bright, their speed was top-class no matter what level they were at. Kids taking the exam wouldn¡¯t be able to handle them. At least not if the imps were in a group, not unless they were all on par with an imp each¡­ Chapter 98 The Hundred Years - Seventeen Years (Part 4) Chapter 98 The Hundred Years - Seventeen Years (Part 4) ¡°You¡¯re improvement isn¡¯t so bad. Ten years ago I would never have thought you could do what you¡¯ve managed to do in three short months. In fact ten years ago I was second doubting my decision.¡± Hannah ignored the voice of the goddess. Although she hadn¡¯t appeared too often, she¡¯d come to understand that the goddess didn¡¯t take Hannah¡¯s actions, thoughts or even feelings with much consideration of seriousness. When Hannah had first come across the goddess, she¡¯d been floored by the very notion of meeting a goddess. She¡¯d jumped at the opportunity of attaining power enough to reach her goals. It was only recently as her state of mind had finally attained some semblance of peace that she had finally begun to assess her relationship with this goddess. ¡¯She disappears for years at a time. She speaks at me when she wants to, but has never answered my calls. Moreover, when I was breaking down, and reached my lowest point she was no where to be found. She all but ignored me when I could have used a hand.¡¯ Hannah had come to the realization that although she¡¯d been ¡®chosen¡¯ and the goddess had made it seem as if she was special, she wasn¡¯t. At least it didn¡¯t come off that way, the goddess acted indifferently towards her, never aiding Hannah when she needed assistance or even answering her calls when Hannah needed advice. She came and went and never spoke of anything important. If anything she had only recently appeared every so often to assess Hannah¡¯s progress and nothing more. ¡®The only time she showed up and said something useful was when my Status screen stopped working. If she hadn¡¯t told me that the god¡¯s magic that sustained that ability for all humans had been used up. I would have likely thought I was going insane back then.¡¯ Hannah thought briefly. Instead, she ignored the goddess¡¯s words of ¡®praise¡¯ and continued her efforts. She¡¯d cauterized the forest nymph¡¯s vocal cords so she could no longer scream. Hannah was tired of the screams. In the past few months she¡¯d been working tirelessly to further her understanding of how to heal, and had been forced to proceed to the step of using other living creatures to test her skills and further her knowledge. Hannah had sought weak monsters and beasts to the strong alike, realizing that the race of the creature didn¡¯t make much of a difference if they weren¡¯t too different from humans. Healing was a trickier subject than she¡¯d anticipated. After she¡¯d attained a decent understanding of her own morphology she thought she could apply the same principles in order to heal anything else only find herself at a complete loss for words when she¡¯d realized how wrong she¡¯d been. Hannah had come to learn that understanding the morphology of the creature she was healing was paramount to succeeding. The amount of mana used when she understood her subject was infinitely less than when she was healing a creature blindly. Although it didn¡¯t make as much of a difference on a superficial wound, it made a world of a difference with a deep wound that involved the organs. She¡¯d come across various creatures and she¡¯d hunted them down, and begun hurting them from inconsequential superficial wounds to deep life ending wounds. She would hurt and then she would heal. The more she learned the more adept she became at her goal, and inconsequentially she¡¯d picked up a talent she didn¡¯t want. She¡¯d learned how to hurt just as proficiently as she¡¯d learned how to heal. She had never put much thought into the subject, as even before she had focused all her efforts in learning how to heal she had relied on her death attribute and specific Death Follows skill to effortlessly end the lives of her enemies. After coming to understand so much, she now comprehended what a merciful death she¡¯d been providing her enemies all these many years. She¡¯d snuffed out the lives of others without them even realizing it and then they were just gone. Recently she¡¯d been searching for creatures closer to her own morphology, closer to humans so she could test herself regarding how much she had truly learned and whether what she directly applied to herself could be applied to others. She¡¯d come across a gentle Forest Nymph who was protecting her tree, a large oak tree so large and wide that it stood apart from the others. It gave the illusion that the tree itself was the heart of the forest. If Hannah hadn¡¯t been to the very depths of the forest herself she may have even believed it herself. Although she¡¯d been momentarily reluctant, a mere thought, a reminder of her goals and the reasons why she¡¯d begun to walk the path she was on had been more than enough to clear her mind and allow her to do what she felt needed to be done. She¡¯d taken the forest nymph by surprise and had wisely knocked it unconscious. After securing it in place, she¡¯d begun ¡®working¡¯ on it. Hannah had grown proficient at testing her skills. Therefore she¡¯d also developed a habit of ripping out the the neck of her ¡®test subjects¡¯ and then healing the neck while leaving a permanent scar on their vocal cords, forever depriving them of their voices.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. It had taken dozens of creatures before she had begun to do so, but the screams had begun to drive her insane. The repeated screams were all too familiar and they reminded her of her own worst experience. At first it made feel hypocritical to continue what she¡¯d been doing. She¡¯d almost let herself fall back into a cycle of self-loathing but she¡¯d reminded herself of her goals. While ¡®working¡¯ on the first ¡®test subject¡¯ that had some very strong similarities to a human (another forest nymph) Hanna had tried to temper her mind by continuing as if she was unfazed, but the screams were just too much for her to handle and when she realized just how much damage she¡¯d done to the nymph she¡¯d looked at it in horror. She¡¯d subconsciously lost herself in her own memories and begun cutting it just as Tael had forced Kaden to cut her. She was mortified. Disgusted with herself in a way she¡¯d never been and even as she tried to stop herself from throwing up she couldn¡¯t help herself as she turned away from the body. She¡¯d backed away on the floor staring at the blood on her hands feeling like an absolute monster as the nymph made low muffled moans of pain, a look of horror and hate on its face. Hannah had stared into its eyes and momentarily felt as if she had been looking in a mirror. A past version of herself looking at the monster she¡¯d sworn to kill. She¡¯d swiftly taken it¡¯s life with her skill, she knew she couldn¡¯t heal the nymph, it was the only act of mercy she had left in her. She¡¯d hugged her legs and knees to her chest and cradled herself rocking back and forth next to the corpse for hours as she¡¯d tried to temper her mind. Hannah had thought she would lose herself to her pain, but instead came to a deeper understanding. A deeper understanding both who she was and who she needed to be. ¡®The world is a very cruel place. It doesn¡¯t matter what happens to anyone, in the end there is no justice. The only justice is the justice you can make for yourself. What happened to Kaden and myself. That was Tael¡¯s fault for what he did, and ours for being so weak we couldn¡¯t stop him. I need to become strong. Strong enough so that I¡¯m the only who decides what¡¯s right and what¡¯s wrong.¡¯ Until then, she¡¯d been killing the creatures she¡¯d used for subjects. She would damage them, and then heal them until the damage was too much that she couldn¡¯t fix. Then she would end their lives, she believed it to be a mercy on her part. After this epiphany, this change of view in how she saw the world. She¡¯d come to understanding that she¡¯d had a shift in her morality. She¡¯d continued doing what she¡¯d been doing. She needed to improve her insights, her skills. Hannah wanted to become stronger and she was even more driven then before, except she couldn¡¯t handle the screams. So she would permanently damage the vocal cords of her prey at the beginning of her sessions. The difference being that once she was done with her subjects, she would let them live. Some were mentally broken beyond repair while others looked at her in terror and everlasting fear. Those she pitied, while others gave her a look of a profoundly seeded hatred that she understood all too well. Those were the ones she couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with¡­ and hate. Hate because they were so weak and yet they had the audacity to give her a look of hatred they didn¡¯t deserve. They hadn¡¯t earned the right to look at her with hatred so blatantly. She could kill them as easily as she¡¯d let them go, but she did nothing to stop them. She¡¯d come to believe that regardless of whether she let them live while broken and filled with hate or whether she killed them. Either act could be regarded as mercy, but either act could be viewed as torture or evil. ¡®I lived through hell after Kaden¡¯s death. I hurt the one person who¡¯d tried to help me when he didn¡¯t have too. I took Ava¡¯s life in a moment of insanity. I survived for years even when there was only a shell of my former self. It was hell but I lived. There is no right or wrong. It doesn¡¯t matter what I do, it only matters what I can do.¡¯ Hannah had dropped the pretense of allowing her view and actions to be limited by a sense of morality. Staring down at her new prey, she worked vigorously for a few hours. Once she was done, she looked down at a horror stricken and pitiful expression of sorrow on the nymph¡¯s face. her arms and legs gone down to the elbows and knees, the skin perfectly healed over. The nymph¡¯s mouth open as she moved her lips in the oddest of ways to Hannah. Hannah had to wonder whether she was saying the same thing over and over or whether it was still screaming. Hannah looked at it¡¯s pitiful state while admiring her own skills, and finally opened her mouth to ask the Nymph what she believed to be a merciful choice. ¡°I¡¯m going to give you a choice now. I can cut open your wounds, and try to heal your arms and legs. I would be trying to reattach them, if they doesn¡¯t work. I could try to grow them back for you. If I fail you¡¯ll die though. I can leave you as you are. Lastly, I can end your life right now. I¡¯m going to give you ten breaths to decide how you would like me to proceed. Once you¡¯ve decided, I want you to either nod once, twice or three times depending on which option you¡¯ve chosen.¡± Hannah watched it without blinking for the span of ten breaths before asking it ¡°What have you decided?¡± The nymph¡¯s mouth had finally stopped moving, a permeant look of pain etched on it¡¯s face but for the first time in hours a slight look of defiance had finally reentered its gaze. Instead of nodding at all, it closed it¡¯s eyes and waited. Hannah stared but understood all too well. ¡®I understand all too well. I understand what a poor choice you¡¯ve made. Choosing defiance in the face of strength is meaningless. You should have chosen differently.¡¯ Paying it no mind, Hannah left it there. It was the first time she¡¯d done something so extreme but it was a necessity for her in order to test her own abilities and grow. She walked away, no remorse or even a second thought as she left the vicinity of the woods. Instead she continued traveling what she believed to be north. Not for any other reason than she always believed to be walking north. Chapter 99 The Hundred Years - Seventeen Years (Part 5) Chapter 99 The Hundred Years - Seventeen Years (Part 5) She walked away, no remorse or even a second thought as she left the vicinity of the woods. Instead she continued traveling what she believed to be north. Not for any other reason than she always believed to be walking north. Less than an hour later, she heard something odd. Something she hadn¡¯t heard in years so long ago she could barely remember. ¡®Are those voices?¡¯ Hannah¡¯s face was one of surprise. ¡®Voices. Those are words. Could¡­ Could they be¡­?¡¯ Hannah stopped moving as uncertainty crept into her mind. She could hear the sounds of a struggle happening and panic in the voices as they yelled at one another. The sounds were faint, but after years of living in a forest alone, her senses had grown keen. The slightest noise or disturbance would set her off. It had saved her many times when she¡¯d thought herself safe while falling asleep only to be woken up in a hurry under some sort of attack from a poor and unsuspecting creature that hadn¡¯t realize that they had mistakenly ¡°poked the bear¡±. She could hear the sounds of steel clashing and in her mind the pieces started to fall into place ¡®There¡¯s a battle going on¡­ There¡¯s people. They sound like people.¡¯ No longer hesitating, Hannah¡¯s curiosity had gotten the best of her as she began to jog towards the voices. Hannah had gotten used to moving through the woods after having spent half her life surviving in the forest. She could move without disturbing the leaves around her, jump onto tree branches without making the branch twitch at all. She moved with grace and purpose. Avoiding everything that made noise, allowing her to reach the location of the sounds as she stood a distance away on a tree branch looking down. ¡®They really are humans¡­¡¯ Hannah stared at them a little wide eyed. She felt so many memories of her past rushing through her mind as she stared at what seemed to be normal people wielding axes, pickaxes and poorly created swords fighting off a group of orges. She could tell from a glance that urges were weak. Compared to the various creatures she¡¯d come across in the forest, these orges were at the very bottom of the food chain. Except these men seemed to be struggling with a mere 8 orges despite there being over 20 men fighting them off. Even as they fought, Hannah could see the look of fear in their expressions and inexperience in their movements. ¡®Whether it¡¯s the young ones or the older men, they all seem utterly inexperienced¡­ How have they even survived up until now?¡¯ Hannah wondered as she continued to watch the battle in near shock. These weak orges were were barely being held back to a standstill by over 20 men! Hannah couldn¡¯t believe her eyes at how these men had survived until now. ¡®What kind of life had they been living for them to live so long despite being so weak?¡¯ A slight feeling of injustice began creeping into Hannah¡¯s thoughts as she thought about her own hardships she¡¯d faced to make it this far, but realizing where that would lead she firmly stopped her current train of thought. Not allowing herself to get drawn into her old pessimistic cycle of thoughts. Although she was a new and stronger version of herself, she constantly had to remind herself of what her goals were and to stop herself from falling into old pitfalls. The battle continued with the men trying to hold their positions instead of taking advantage of their numbers and overwhelming the orges. In a small skirmish the orges had managed to hurt two of the men by stabbing their chests through with their spears. The orges were adept at mid-range combat and it was hard for Hannah to tell whether these men were just too weak or whether it was fear that was holding them back. With the men only holding their positions and orges being undaunted by their meek strategies they pushed forward, incurring slight injuries to themselves but dealing just as much if not more damage to the men. ¡°Hold your positions! We can tire them out!¡± ¡°What are you talking about! We need to run! We can¡¯t fight them off! These suicidal bastards are just too strong!¡± ¡°No! We need to push forward!¡± A young man yelled. He¡¯d been fighting at the forefront and had already had a deep wound in his left shoulder that was bleeding profusely but even still he¡¯d refused to back down from his position. He would have looked almost courageous to Hannah if it weren¡¯t for his utter lack of strength. ¡®He might be the best one there I guess. He¡¯s young enough that with his personality, he has the potential to get strong. Even if he is a mess right now.¡¯ Hannah thought to herself as her estimation of the young man grew slightly. ¡°We can¡¯t back down! If they make it back here they¡¯ll make it to the village! We need to hold!¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t take them out then if they survive they can bring more back! We can¡¯t let this be like last time!¡± the young man screamed at the men around them anger flashing through his eyes. ¡°We.. We need to leave! We¡¯ll just die for nothing!¡± One of the men dropped his pickaxe and stumbled backwards as he fell on his behind as he turned around in fear and began retreating back through the woods. Hannah watched him in contempt as she felt the sudden urge to end his life, but the young man surprisingly beat her to the punch as he swung his spear around and threw it like a lance impaling the man through the back. He immediately readjusted his position as he took a crude short sword from a his belt behind his back and got back to his position.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°Arghhh! Why!?!?¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need cowards! If you run you die! Whether it¡¯s me or the orges someone will kill you!¡± The other men looked ashen faced but didn¡¯t do anything in retaliation. They understood that whether what the young man did was right or not, the man who¡¯d just turned tail and ran had abandoned them. He was as good as worthless in their eyes. Even though most of them had considered running away or retreating at some point throughout the battle¡­ They refused to do it! There was too much at stake! They ignored the man that had been pierced through the back and was stuck to the ground where the spear had pierced the ground. Instead they used him as motivation to gather the courage to do what they knew they¡¯d needed to do from the beginning! Renewed motivation surged through the men as they acknowledged that their only choice was to kill the orges before them. If the orges survived then they wouldn¡¯t be too long for this world. If they retreated the orges would come for them and worse. Their only choice was to kill! Killing intent washed away the fear as the men valiantly strode forward screaming at the top of their lungs as they tried to conquer their fear and attacked the orges with a renewed zeal they hadn¡¯t shown before. The orges were fighting as individuals while the men had grouped together holding some orges back while ganging up on one orge at a time. They would distract it, parry and engage the orge and its weapon while others would attack it from behind inflicting multiple wounds until the orge just couldn¡¯t fight back any longer and fell pray to their combined efforts. The orges refused to retreat even when as they fell one at a time to the men, their attacks were wounding the men but they simply weren¡¯t causing any fatalities. It was only when there was only one orge left that one of the villagers finally succumbed to bad luck, the young man who¡¯d shown valiance but was ordinary in every other way had been pierced through the chest by the orge right before one of the older men had pierced it through the heard with a short spear that one of the other orges had dropped. The young man fell to his knees and as the men looked around to verify that that the orges were all dead, instead of celebrating they looked over to the young man with solemn expressions. The man that stabbed the final orge through the heart walked over to him and didn¡¯t sugar coat his words even through there were tears in his eyes ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything we can do for you. You¡¯re going to die Taeger¡­¡± Hannah finally decided to make her move. She wanted information, perhaps these people knew of someone or something that would be of use to her in the long run. ¡®They¡¯re all too weak, but they may know of someone who isn¡¯t. I¡¯ve spent too much time along. Perhaps it¡¯s time to interact with the living again¡­ This is a good opportunity¡¯ she thought to herself. Hannah jumped down from the tree making no noise as her feet touched the grass. She strode forward watching the scene of the men gathering around ¡®Taeger¡¯ but saying nothing at all. Hannah finally spoke up and announced her presence ¡°Excuse me. I believe I can help.¡± Instantly the heads of everyone of these men swiveled to stare at her, wide eyed that there was someone else around. A few of them felt even more wary the moment they realized it was a girl. A girl alone in the forest who seemed so nonchalant and had snuck up on them without hinting that she was there. They instantly readied their weapons as the man who was standing with Taeger yelled ¡°Who are you?? How¡­ How did you get here?¡± The man looked genuinely stumped by her presence. ¡®This man seems to be the closest thing to a leader that these men seem to have.¡¯ Hannah thought as she spoke ¡°My name is Hannah. I was wandering by when I heard the sounds of battle and then I heard voices. I haven¡¯t come across any other humans in a while¡­ I was overjoyed to find that there¡¯s actual people around!¡± The men looked at her as if they were seeing the strangest thing in the world. They were all simultaneously thinking the same thing ¡®Does she think we¡¯re idiots or what!?¡¯ All of them were looking at Hannah like they thought she was crazy because despite her words, her expression was serene. There wasn¡¯t anything that could resemble joy or shock in her expression like what she¡¯d just said. Taeger began to cough up blood bring most of their attention back to him, as they their expressions of bewilderment turned sour and some animosity was unconsciously directed towards Hannah. The same man spoke up again, instead of focusing on the incredulity of the situation he focused on the words she¡¯d said ¡°How can you help?¡± Hannah store forward at a steady but slow pace as she moved past the men without looking even slightly perturbed about entering their perimeter. If anything they looked even more wary as if they weren¡¯t sure whether they should be scared or helpful. They were all thinking the same thing, ¡°Why the hell is there a young girl in the forest!?¡± but no one voiced their thoughts as they looked at her silently. Hannah walked straight to the man who¡¯d spoken and gestured towards Taeger. ¡°May I?¡± The man looked at her in confusion but subconsciously nodded. He didn¡¯t want Taeger to die. He was young and full of valor and if he simply had enough time he was sure Taeger could become a valiant warrior. If it weren¡¯t because of where they lived and the circumstances surrounding Taeger¡¯s birth he would have already become an accomplished warrior even at his young age. Hannah stepped over to Taeger and without ceremony pulled out the short spear and tossed it to the side causing blood to immediately gush out and Taeger to cough up more blood as he looked at her almost indifferently. He didn¡¯t blame her, he knew there was nothing that could be done and that he was already one foot in the grave. Pulling out the spear wasn¡¯t going to change anything. ¡®So what if I die a bit faster. Better that then prolonging this.¡¯ The men had already taken a step forward as they viewed her act as one of aggression but the man who¡¯d spoke held his hand up signaling them to stop their movement. He didn¡¯t know what Hannah planned to do, but he had faith that she had something in mind. Hannah placed her hand on the wound and almost instantly Taeger felt a strange feeling all over his body. It was as if he felt himself getting weaker but at the same time the pain he was feeling lessened bit by bit. In a few short minutes he couldn¡¯t feel any pain at all, just a general weakness in his muscles and bones. He felt exhausted and sweat was dripping down his brow as he opened his eyes again and looked at Hannah closely for the first time. The girl was dirty. She looked like she¡¯d been living in the forest or something. Her clothes were in tatters, but they were still reminiscent of tattered pants and what looked like a tank top. Although her hair was matted and their was dirt on her face, it was impossible to hide the beauty of her features. She looked young, maybe even younger than him at 15 or 16 which made him wonder what the hell she doing in the forest and as he finally looked away and looked down at what should have been a hole in his chest. He found nothing. His hands instinctively reached for his chest, then shoulder. There was nothing! No wound! Taeger¡¯s eyes widened as he realized there was no wound! The skin looked brand new like the skin you see right after a scab has pealed over! There wasn¡¯t so much as a scar! His disbelief showed on his face as he glanced at Hannah once more before giving in to the overwhelming feeling of exhaustion that pushed him over the edge of what he could handle and sleep overtook him. Chapter 100 The Hundred Years - Seventeen Years (Part 6) Chapter 100 The Hundred Years - Seventeen Years (Part 6) The men were looking at Hannah as if they were seeing a monster or goddess for the first time. The man by Hannah was slack jawed as he looked at Taeger disbelievingly ¡°Yo¡­You¡­ You hea¡­Healed him¡­¡± ¡°Yes I did¡± Hannah stood up and acted as if it was the most common thing in the world. Although she looked relaxed, she was on guard. She didn¡¯t trust anybody, and just because these people were human it changed nothing in her eyes. She had just employed a new technique she¡¯d been working on from the insights she¡¯d gained over the past few days. If a subject was so weak that he or she couldn¡¯t stop her or if they willingly allowed her (although this took more control) she could use her subject¡¯s own mana to heal him instead of using her own. She¡¯d used this technique instead of her own mana because she wasn¡¯t sure whether these men would attack her, therefore she used Taeger¡¯s own measly amount of mana which was just enough to heal him but had completely drained him and exhausted him all in one go. The men crowded around Taeger and her as they looked at Taeger¡¯s fully healed body as the man who¡¯d spoken this entire time inspected him and verified that everything was as it looked. ¡®She healed him! Amazing! Who.. Who is she!?¡¯ After realizing that the person he was standing in front of was no ordinary young girl. The man¡¯s demeanor changed. He was no longer abreast with concern for Taeger¡¯s life and he finally stood up and introduced himself. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for having been so rude up this point. You¡¯ve even saved Taeger¡¯s life! My name is Ishwin. I am the leader of the warriors of our small village. If there is anything we can do for you please state it!¡± Ishwin then bowed to Hannah and while the other men were conflicted about his actions, they couldn¡¯t disagree that she¡¯d just saved Taeger¡¯s life without having asked anything in return. ¡°Think nothing of it¡± was Hannah¡¯s only reply ¡°Would you like me to heal the wounds of the rest?¡± Ishwin¡¯s back straightened immediately as he gazed at her in wonder ¡°Please do!¡± Hannah began moving to one person after another, using their own mana and increasing her own knowledge as she healed them. They all mistook her look of utter concentration and focus for her expending a great amount of effort and mana to do so. In their eyes she was likely using some extremely powerful or consuming technique! Ishwin watched her the entire time as he wondered who she could be ¡®A young girl. In the forest alone¡­ She didn¡¯t even bat an eye at the corpses of the orges as if it was an every day sight. It¡¯s something most of the men here who aren¡¯t true warriors but just work fields aren¡¯t even comfortable with! Moreover the skill she¡¯s employing and the amount of mana it must take to do what she¡¯s doing repeatedly is absolutely incredible¡­ I don¡¯t know who she is, but she is certainly very important¡­¡¯ When Hannah finished, the men looked more tired than she did. Although Taeger had been the only one with any deep wounds, a lot of them hadn¡¯t escaped unscathed and it seemed as if none of them had a sizable amount of mana which only further surprised her. ¡°Please, if you will. Follow us back to our village. We need to repay this kindness you¡¯ve shown us. We¡¯ll throw a celebration! A feast for you!¡± ¡°Hmm. Okay.¡± Hannah nodded. Ishwin smiled at her as he got two of the men to carry Taeger and two more men to carry the man who¡¯d been speared by him. He wasn¡¯t dead but he was in a lot of pain screaming at them to help. Hannah had ignored him the entire time and hadn¡¯t offered to heal him and Ishwin hadn¡¯t asked her too. What Hannah didn¡¯t expect was that in under an hour not only were they within sight of the village, but the village was in a vast and wide clearing. ¡®It¡¯s almost as if the village is in a plateau instead of a forest.¡¯ Hannah thought to herself as she realized that it actually was. Inhaling a huge amount of air, Hannah gasped as her steps slowed and she keep to the realization she had just stepped through and left the forest. Even though she¡¯d never intentionally meant to leave the forest, she¡¯d never intended to stay in the forest either. The men had continued walking without stopping until Ishwin turned around and noticed Hannah¡¯s reluctance. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡± he noted the strange expression Hannah was making but didn¡¯t know what to make of it. Hannah turned around to look back at the forest and the strangest sensation came over her. An eerie sensation that made her feel as if she was leaving home. ¡®Has this forest truly become my home or something¡¯ she wondered as she stared at the forest feeling¡­ Free. ¡®I¡¯ve left the forest. I¡¯ve actually left.¡¯ Hannah thought to herself. She had absolutely no idea where she was, and after 17 years she knew she could very well have been back where she¡¯d first entered the forest but the concept that she had somehow left the forest felt so foreign to her. A small part of her had begun to wonder whether she would live in that forest for the entirety of her life. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong.¡± Hannah turned back around and continued walking without thinking too much about it as she followed everybody as Ishwin tried not to stare. He didn¡¯t want to leave poor impression on what he considered their savior. They walked towards the village and made it to the vicinity of the homes within under an hour. The village looked simple to Hannah, they were simple homes made of wood resembling Cabins and they weren¡¯t set up in any special formation. Just a cluster of homes, most of which were close to one another. Hannah wondered whether there was a reason they were so close together considering the vast expanse of land around them. A lot of the villagers came to greet them with enthusiasm as they met with their loved ones and hugged them tightly and asked about the excursion and whether they had managed to kill the ¡®evil beasts¡¯Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Ishwin was greeted by a beautiful woman that looked to be in her mid forties. She gave Ishwin a big hug and then whispered something in his ear, as he whispered something back. Her eyes widened and couldn¡¯t help but focus on Hannah who¡¯d been staring. Hannah made eye contact until the woman looked away with a shy glance and the gesture felt so familiar and foreign all at once. ¡®That used to be me wasn¡¯t it?¡¯ Ishwin turned around and then gestured for Hannah to come over ¡°You¡¯ll be coming to my home. My wife will give you some spare clothes and prepare a bath for you clean up and relax in. We should be able to set up a feast in the meantime. Some of the villagers had already been preparing something in case of success. Haha. Some of them had been expecting the worst but had been hoping for the best. Even though plenty of tragedy struck them quite often, they had grown used to it. Instead of focusing on their loses, they were constantly looking for the bright silver lining in any given situation. Hannah only nodded as the wife led her in, she introduced herself but Hannah wasn¡¯t listening. She felt a little overwhelmed being surrounding by so many people. She¡¯d gone too long without hearing or seeing another human that it felt so strange to be surrounded by so many happy and easy going people. Despite their troubles none of them seemed particularly worried, they were going about their lives as if it was all common place. Hannah was led into a room with a small bath drawn in a large wooden barrel. It seemed as if the wife had prepared this for Ishwin but he had opted to allow hannah the privilege. There was no other explanation as to why it was already prepared and the water was already heated as well. Hannah was left alone in the room by herself and given her privacy. It was only then that Hannah noticed herself in the mirror. She hadn¡¯t seen her reflection in years. Even though she could have gazed at herself in the lakes or large puddles she¡¯d come across, she¡¯d never had any interest. She¡¯d been so broken for so long and then so focused on learning. She had completely ignored her appearance. It wasn¡¯t the out of place and shockingly long hair, or the dirt and ripped clothing. She¡¯d long since run out of new clothes years ago. She¡¯d made due with what she had and had preserved the clothes as well as she could considering the terrain of the forest and constant battles she was embroiled in. None of this is what left her staring at herself in a daze. It was her face. She stared at herself and couldn¡¯t help the shock on her face. Her face had barely aged at all. If it had it was barely noticeable! ¡®Why do I look the same!?¡¯ A small part of her was in shock but another part of her was basking in the wonder of maintaining her youth. The voice appeared to answer the thought as a barely perceptible shimmer moved in the air next to her ¡°You were chosen by me. There are various gains in being chosen by a god. You¡¯re fate is now tied to mine to some extent. You aren¡¯t immortal in case your mind leads you there next. You will still age, in case you believe yourself to have attained some form of eternal youth. You will age, just very slowly. Your natural life-span has been greatly expanded, and unless you end up having to expend your own life-force you will live an extremely long life barring an untimely end.¡± Hannah wasn¡¯t even the slightest surprised by the goddess sudden appearance. She had grown accustomed to the goddess appearing when she pleased and replying to unasked questions as if she could read her mind. Hannah had long since realized the goddess was keeping tabs on her which only furthered her annoyance and detachment from the goddess who did as she pleased and only helped when she wanted. If she so desired, she could have long since aided Hannah and given her the help not only to survive, get her revenge, clear her heart, revive Kaden and left the forest. Except this goddess had chosen to do none of those things. Hannah felt the answer was adequate. She would live a long life. Hearing these words felt like a curse to Hannah, and they would stay a curse until she managed to bring Kaden back from the dead. Hannah didn¡¯t ask any more and stripped her clothes off and entered the water. She scrubbed herself off and then cleaned her hair. She then let her long wet hair hang loose as it had grown long enough to reached past her waist as she put on the clothes left for her by Ishwin¡¯s wife. They were simple pants and a tank top. Putting them on, they fit a little strangely but it felt much better than the torn rags she¡¯d basically been wearing up until now. She left the room and didn¡¯t call on or inform anyone. She wanted to walk around and take stock of the village on her own. Walking around she saw everyone mainly gathering at what Hannah guessed to be the center of the village as she surveyed her surroundings. Everyone looked strange to happy. They all seemed¡­ Happy. It was so strange to her to see so many people living so happily despite the mediocre conditions, although even if the conditions and been much better they would have still come off as strange to Hannah. Happiness had grown to be such a foreign concept that she didn¡¯t dwell on it too much as she found someone she hadn¡¯t expected to be walking around so soon. Taeger was being assaulted by a few of the other youths ¡°I can¡¯t believe you came back from the dead! I heard from my dad you were as good as a goner! ¡°Yeah man! Apparently you were even saved by a girl, how¡¯dya feel about that??¡± ¡°I feel lucky! Very lucky!¡± ¡°Eh? You still have that attitude.¡± ¡°In all seriousness. Our village is small, and as glad as I am that you managed to make it back alive man, you must have personally seen first hand how rough it was out there. Not everyone made it back.¡± A man around 20 was speaking, and only then did Hannah notice that he only had one arm. His torso had been facing the other direction when he¡¯d first spoken hiding the other side of his body from her gaze. ¡°Look I know. I know how weak I am and I know what you¡¯ve gone through and that you have way more experience than me but that doesn¡¯t change anything. I won¡¯t become strong if I don¡¯t try and I refuse to not try. I¡¯m going to take the exam. I¡¯m going to enter Lumea Academy and I will change my life! I¡¯ll bring everybody back to Lumea City and force them to let us in!¡± Taeger spoke with a fire in his voice that emphasized both his passion and desire to fulfill his words. Hannah only heard the words Lumea and remembered a conversation long past. ¡®Lumea City¡­¡¯ The one armed man looked at Taeger with resentment ¡°The exam is in one month! Do you really think you can reach the level necessary to pass the exam in one month!? I¡¯m your brother. I¡¯m saying this because I care, because I don¡¯t want you to go down the same path I did!¡± without even waiting for Taeger to respond the man brushed past him and walked away leaving Taeger to look at his leaving back, but unable to say anything. Taeger wanted to say something to refute his words but had nothing to say. Regardless of whatever his brother said, his mind was set and he was determined to either succeed or die trying. The one armed man stopped him but turning back and seeing Taeger¡¯s resolute gaze, the words he was about to speak seemed to have been caught in his throat. The resolute gaze gave him all the answer he needed. He knew he couldn¡¯t change Taeger¡¯s mind and it only served to further frustrate him more. Hannah stood still no longer focusing on them as her mind grew clearer as she thought back to what Lumea City held. She remembered Daichi going on about the marvelous opportunities at Lumea City due to the library and her own interest was finally piqued. She had spent years trying to find the smallest insights into a path she knew wasn¡¯t easy to tread. ¡®How much easier would it be if I could read the insights of others who¡¯ve tried walking down the same path? At the very least I could avoid making the same mistakes others have trying the same¡­¡¯ Chapter 101 - Absentee Instructors (Part 5) Chapter 101 Absentee Instructors (Part 5) After running for hours without a break, everyone had finally had come to a stop. Haeru and Leo and two others were the only ones with enough stamina and physical strength to run that far for that long at a full run without exhausting themselves. Everyone else was drinking plenty of water and they were running low on supplies. Normally the instructor of the group would carry a large portion of their supplies in their storage devices. Since the participants weren¡¯t allowed to carry one with them, they were forced to carry what they could on hand and leave everything else to their instructor, which had turned out to be a detriment for the group. They hadn¡¯t been in contact with their instructor for a few days now, and the last of their supplies had all but run out in the past few hours. ¡®Who knows if we¡¯re going to make it at this rate¡­ All she said was north and I still have no idea how far we are.¡¯ Leo was thinking to himself and Haeru surveyed their surroundings. Haeru was thinking differently, no longer focused on the events from before he was now focusing on the task at hand. ¡®It¡¯d be terrible if we arrive before or even on time but don¡¯t have any way to deal with whatever is happening. If there really is a catastrophe that¡¯s about to happen to the other participants then I need to come up with a plan before we get there.¡¯ Haeru took a look at Leo and gave him another appraisal. In Haeru¡¯s mind Leo was a very impressive guy. He was clearly not weak, he could hold his own in a battle and he¡¯d proven as much thus far. ¡®His skill with the sword is quite impressive considering he probably hasn¡¯t had someone of a high enough level teach him thus far¡­ He¡¯s courageous, doesn¡¯t show fear in the face of danger and knows how to lead¡­. More or less.¡¯ Despite Haeru¡¯s high appraisal of Leo, he also had a feeling that Leo wasn¡¯t the type to plan things too far in advanced. He also seemed limited in terms of his knowledge. Which meant he¡¯d had limited resources back in Lumea City. ¡®Although it wasn¡¯t a great detriment because knowledge could be attained, it gave Haeru the distinct feeling that by himself Leo would at some point fail to notice some small but obvious detail to those who¡¯d been in the know-how. ¡°He¡¯s got incredible reflexes and senses, but some things require knowledge not instinct¡± They didn¡¯t dwell for too long as they traveled at their fastest speed as a group. Their goal to save the other participants and attain an even higher appraisal from the professors not only fueled a fire in all of their hearts but kept them steady even as they grew weary from moving without rest. After a grueling few sprints that covered the distance of a marathon, Leo could tell that they¡¯d arrived. He hadn¡¯t seen anything yet, but he could smell the blood in the trees. Haeru noticed almost as quickly as the others caught on as the came across a group of bodies. ¡°Trolls.¡± Leo said. ¡°Think it¡¯s them?¡± Haeru asked no one in particular as they all wondered the same thing but only moments later they heard a scream not too far from them. Leo and a few others were about to leap forward but Haeru had already moved in front of Leo and signaled the others to stop. He whispered load enough for those close to hear ¡°We move quietly and slowly. We assess the situation first and then move. If it¡¯s simple we go in quick. If it isn¡¯t, we form a plan.¡± Leo and the others immediately agreed with this. There was no actual leader in their group, everyone would simply go along with whatever they wanted. It just so happened that most of them were reasonable enough to agree with any sensible idea and go with the group majority if it that was what it came too. Thus far it had simply been Leo and Haeru speaking up but it couldn¡¯t be helped considering how they managed to stand out time and time again. They slowly moved through the trees and a from a long distance they saw a sight that startled them. A few of the participants were already lying in a puddle of blood. The other participants were huddled around each other as they vigilantly looked at their surroundings. Although they weren¡¯t close they could all make out the situation. ¡®There¡¯s something in the trees!¡¯ They didn¡¯t have to wait long before whatever was in the trees came down and in a blur attacked another one of the participants drenching him in his own blood before it sped away back into the trees in a blur.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. In almost the same moment another participant was struck in much the same way. It seemed the creature¡¯s speed was far above their comprehension but Haeru noticed something the others didn¡¯t the angle from the attack would have meant the creature would have had to move in-between different trees, there would have been rustling from the branches from different trees than the ones that were moved. He was the first to notice that there was more than one creature. At this point his entire group was torn between trying to jump in and help and staying back, most of them realized that even if they jumped in at this moment since they couldn¡¯t even force the creature to fight them on even terms than they really couldn¡¯t do anything by themselves. Even Leo gave a signal to hold back and watch longer. Haeru was pleased by that action but didn¡¯t say anything more. He had long since been keeping an eye on Leo. Once he entered the academy he would have to make friends with others, and who he made friends with would likely determine the allies he would have not only at the academy but for his entire future. After a long period of consideration there had been few people if any that had caught his eye, and Leo was the only one in their group that he had considered. Damien was too brash and none of the others really stuck out. They were either too much like a fly on the wall, people that just wanted to blend in with their surroundings or trying to act tough and stoic throughout the exam. Haeru continued to watch as he analyzed the attacks, but the fight if it could even be called that only turned more brutal making it hard to stomach. Haeru signaled for them to move back and after moving enough distance began to discuss what they should do with the others. ¡°Let¡¯s just all rush in and attack at once. At best we can kill the creature and at worst we can create an opportunity for the others to make an exit with us.¡± ¡°I say we just leave them, we came to help, but we agreed if we couldn¡¯t we wouldn¡¯t.¡± Everyone suddenly had an opinion and it was either make a hasty attack or do nothing at all. Leo watched them all, and although he didn¡¯t like Damien he was also of the mindset that if their best option was to make an all out rush attack then that was what they should do. It simply wasn¡¯t in his nature to stand by and watch people get slaughter by a creature that wouldn¡¯t even fight them openly. Haeru finally decided it was time to step in and show his skills, up to now he¡¯d fought with two daggers and had enhanced them with mana as his fighting style. He¡¯d been holding back, he had always been a magic user but had wanted to save his skills for when he needed them. His greatest flaw up until now was his inability to recuperate his mana quickly enough, and all of his attacks took too much mana to use carelessly. He¡¯d been warned about how dangerous the forest was, and to constantly make sure to keep a few trump cards hidden and since they hadn¡¯t been in the forest long he¡¯d managed to keep all of his trump cards hidden. ¡°Okay. I have a plan. I have an attack that I can launch that will temporarily stun the creatures in the trees. Once they are stunned everyone will make a move at my command and rush in and attack. The only problem¡­. Is that it will take a while for me to ready the attack and for it to work, I need to observe the creatures for a while.¡± A lot of them looked at Haeru like he was crazy. Although some of them had heard of his reputation and the family that he came from, no one honestly thought he could do something as amazing as he was promising. It was Leo that had a strange expression as he pointed out the thing he was most concerned about¡­ ¡°Creatures? Are you telling me that there¡¯s more than one?¡± He¡¯d already been shocked by the creature¡¯s speed, and now he was being told that he¡¯d somehow missed that there were multiple creatures and he hadn¡¯t even realized it? Haeru nodded at him and then asked everyone the question he figured mattered most ¡°If you trust me, we can do this. Worst case scenario we will either have to flee if I fail or rush in and attack carelessly like most of you wanted to do. In fact if I fail then you can either flee or rush in anyways so nothing changes. The real issue is whether you can all sit there and stomach the attacks of the creature as person after person falls prey to it as I prepare my attack.¡± Everyone was either staring at Haeru or looking in the direction of the attacks, although they couldn¡¯t see anyone from here they knew that it had already been rough for some of them to sit there and watch human blood get spilled so carelessly. Not everyone had a strong enough stomach to witness such a sight and continue uncaringly. Leo only took a few moments before speaking up ¡°I¡¯m in. We¡¯ve battled for days so far and you haven¡¯t let us down yet. If you say you can do what you¡¯re saying you can do than I believe you. I would rather try this and fail then leave with my tail tucked in-between my legs like some coward.¡± Although Leo could have simply nodded to show his acknowledgement and willingness, he choose to verbalize Haeru¡¯s worth to the others in order to motivate everyone else to follow along with the plan. The meaning behind his words didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Haeru as he gave him a nod with a half-smile in approval. Looking around he could tell that no one was moving, they were all looking at Haeru with courageous expressions. ¡®It seemed a few words from this guy was all it took eh?¡¯ Haeru thought to himself as he saw the determined expressions on everyone. ¡®I wonder whether I could have had the same effect on everyone here if I¡¯d said the same thing¡­¡¯ Not dwelling on that thought, Haeru nodded back at everyone and moved in closer back to the positions they held before.