《The Extra's Odyssey》 Chapter 1 PROLOGUE - â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â– â–  Wherever the eyes would wander, one would see auroras. They were vibrant and calming. Sometimes they were red, then white, then yellow. Suddenly they would be colorless, only to regain it in the next moment. They were ever-changing as they switched into a plethora of shades. The scene was as mesmerizing as it was shocking. There was nond, no sky, no earth, nothing. Emptiness epassed everything, solely upied by the auroras. SCRIB-! SCRIB-! But abruptly, there was a sound in this strange ce. The sound was almost inaudible, but in such a ce where nothing existed, it was as loud as a thunder. At the source of the sound was a figure. It was the only thing present in that ce. It was inconceivable how someone was able to enter this space. But what was even more ipressible was the figure''s action. SCRIB-! SCRIB-! Looking closer at the source of the sound, one would notice the figure''s hand was moving in an unusual way. TAP-! TAP-! The figure''s hand trembled from time to time, along with the droplets that damped the pages. SCRIB-! SCRIB-! Yet, the figure''s hand never stopped. "I-I''m sorry¡­.I''ll do anything but please ¡­.e back." Whispers leaked from the cracked lips, as the figure failed to suppress the emotions. The figure kept writing for an unknown amount of time. Yet, in this ce time couldn''t be trusted. asionally missing content, please report errors in time. Chapter 2 The Beginning Of The End "When will that auth- no piece of trash upload again?" Every time I remembered how I could no longer read my favorite novel, rage and fury filled my mind. "Why can''t I enjoy one thing? No matter what I do this trashy luck follows after me. Can my life be even worse?" I shouted at the absurdity of my life. After losing everything, reading was the habit I picked up to elude myself. Gradually it became the only thing that I enjoyed. The world of novels was dazzling and beautiful. Anything one could desire, one would find there, be it adventure, love, money, happiness, orfort. And I had finally found my Eden, ''Saga of Heroes''. Set in the modern fantasy world, it is a ssic of weak-to-strong. It was a clich¨¦ novel about a protagonist''s losing his family and everything else. When he was a kid, he lost everything during the invasion of other races. Yet, he still never gave up. The protagonist strived to be strong to protect others so that no one would have to lose their loved ones. No matter what dangers he faced, he kept on moving forward. And he always seeded. I was captivated by such a protagonist. Now hear me before you start dissing me. I know that the story was your usual clich¨¦ wish fulfillment. But witnessing someone who always stood up against the absurdity of the world, I felt merry. Reading the story filled me with a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction. It was my sole sce. And though he and I were the exact opposite, seeing someone stand up no matter how badly he fellforted me. I was among the top fans of the author, and though the support I could provide was pitiful, I still always bought thetest chapters. He had also written a few more novels, but only his first novel was a sess. In his review, he wrote that this book was the fruition of his frustration and desire to try something new so that he could ignite thest remaining embers inside of his heart. He was writing his final masterpiece. Yes, he ''was''. A few weeks back, he stopped uploading without any news. "I wonder what excuse he is going to this time "Sorry, I had a heart attack"? Don''t let me find you, I swear, I''ll make you bend ov-" SCREECH-! In the middle of my rant, something rammed into me and I flew away like a broken kite. "Arg¡­.ghh." For a moment, I lost consciousness. Regaining my senses, the only thing I felt at the moment was pain, immense pain. My ears kept ringing like someone was ring horns right beside me. Even breathing wasborious and torturous. Moving a muscle never felt so excruciating. It was as if an entire mountain was ced on top of me. Seeing the red pool below me, I realized something. ''Ah, I am dying.'' The thought crossed my mind and as if cold water was pored on my head, I calmed down. The pain numbed, and I was no longer panicked. Thinking of how I no longer have to live this crappy life, I was at peace. I never thought that death could be so peaceful. Looking back at my life filled with regret I wondered if the struggles I went through to continue living were worth it. My life was a cycle of regret. I couldn''t save anything. Even after I killed that bastard, I was only pushed further into darkness. Inwardly, I shook my head and looked ahead. This was the end I shouldn''t be mncholic at least now. ''Is that a truck?'' My mind nked as I looked at object that had smashed me along with the wall. Wasn''t my room on the second floor? But before I could think more my thoughts came to a halt, and darkness covered my vision. And so, I, Nathan died. ****** In a broken castle, a figure was sitting on the throne. The castle was homogenous, spanning a few hundred miles. Only a single wall was standing of the once splendorous castle. Away from the castle, as far as eyes could see, was utter destruction and devastation. Ruins, wildfires, and wreckages were what the entire world contained as if the god of destruction himself had raged. The figure continued sitting on the throne, looking at the world with an indifferent and detached gaze. Suddenly there was a ripple in those unexpressive eyes. Raising his head he gazed at the crimson sky. A secondter a crack, the size of a pebble, formed in the sky. Immediately after, with the crack as the center, the sky began shattering. The crack began expanding rapidly, and within moments a fissure, the length of several miles, was formed in the sky. Stepping out of the fissure, what greeted the world, was another human. His golden eyes swept through the world, witnessing the carnage that had passed. Finally, his gaze rested on the figure sitting on the throne. "Was it you all along?" A powerfulmanding voice reverberated through the whole world. "It was necessary." The first figure answered with a calm andposed voice. The answer was simple but the meaning behind those words was anything but simple. Closing his eyes the second figure finally endorsed the truth he had always been trying to ignore. Then with a snap, his eyes opened, but this time there was unparalleled wrath behind them. The pressure around him increased, ttening hundreds of miles of the area around him. Even after seeing the destruction caused by the pressure alone, the first figure continued sitting on the throne. He merely released his own pressure to stop the destruction from moving further. As their pressures collided the sky started turning dark, tornadoes formed, and thend split. It was as if the world itself was crying with rage from the injustice it had suffered. Raising his head the first figure looked above to see the sky filled with hundreds of lightning bolts, all falling towards him. Massive explosions engulfed the world as the thunder continued to bombard the castle. As thest bolt of thunder fell the havoc stopped and only deathly silence prevailed. But the second figure knew that this was far from enough to do any substantial damage. Suddenly the air began howling again and the dust stirred. From within it, a colossal giant rose. The behemoth imposingly stood at the center of the castle. Inside the transparent behemoth, the first figure was floating at the center of the chest. With the wings behind its back and its regal appearance, the colossal giant looked like the warriors from legends. It raised its hands and a sword began materializing. Seeing its actions the second figure also moved. Combining hundreds of lightning bolts he created a gigantic thunder arrow. He threw the arrow while the first figure shed his sword. Cracks began forming in the sky wherever their attacks passed. Momentster, their attacks shed and a deafening explosion, covering half of the world, was created. *** "What was that?" Groggily opening my eyes I questioned, feeling overwhelmed due to that strange dream. "I shouldn''t have drank too much." Alcohol had to be the reason behind the fanciful dream. Otherwise, why would I have such a childish dream where I was an overpowered god. I was already past that age. I raised my hand to stop the yawn that was about to emerge, only to be stunned. "W-what is this?" My hands looked smaller and a lot softer than I remembered. Panicking, I stood up only to realize that my point of view was also lower than it used to be. Before I could think anything more, memories of what happened before my sleep resurfaced. My face scrunched up. The experience of being smashed by a truck wasn''t very pleasant, to say the least. "Wait, was it really truck-kun?" Connecting the dots, I realized what was happening. "I have been transmigrated!" I joyfully shouted as I realized that my wish had been granted, and I was given a second chance at life. Was I adapting too fast? Eh, who cares. More importantly, I transmigrated! "No, you dipshit. Now shut up before they throw you out." As I was relishing the moment a voice interrupted my jovial mood, followed by a jolt of pain at the back of my head. "Huh?" Only now did I realize that I was standing in the middle of a lobby. Everyone was looking at me weirdly. Some were even snickering as they pointing at me. Turning my head I looked at the person who had smacked my forehead just now. A girl who appeared to be 16-year-old and had ming red hair was ring at me. "Are you trying to ruin your chances of entering Ward!!" She growled while pulling me towards two empty seats. Before I could do anything her strange words registered in my mind. ''I think I just heard something very wrong.'' Sighing I waited for my brain to work properly. There was no way what I heard was real. "This is Ward''s interview we are talking about. Even though our turn is yet toe we are undoubtedly being monitored." I wasn''t transmigrated where I think I was, right? Hahahaa... Yes, of course. I think I read too many novels of this troupe. This must be why I was thinking things that weren''t possible. "Did the tension make this area malfunction? Don''t worry we''ll pass, sister Gwen prepared us plenty." She patted my head. But I wasn''t pay attention to her any longer. "Please pick one bracelet each." That horrific guess seems to be more correct by the second. A robot shaped like a pyramid, with a single wheel at its base, entered. From its side two pipe-like structures were protruding, holding a te. ''Isn''t this¡­.'' After everyone had worn the bracelets, a voice again rang out. This time it seemed more humane. "A hero must always be prepared for every situation. Only by turning the predicaments into opportunities can you prevail." "Remember, every crisis is an opportunity. The tribtions you go through today will be your strength for tomorrow. Good luck" Realization hit me as I felt the floor beneath me vanish. "I''m fucked." Chapter 3 Transmigration Gone Wrong How beautiful does the world look from the horizon? I had always been sickly and mostly stayed inside the house, so I couldn''t answer this question before. But if someone asked me the same question now, I could answer them easily. After all before I could even properly sort my thoughts, the floor of the lobby suddenly vanished and now I was free-falling from thousands of feet above the ground! The clouds obscured the ground as strong gales kept ying Catch with me. As for enjoying the scenery? I would have tried to admire the beauty in leisure, if I was given a parachute. Within seconds, I parted through the clouds and could now see my destination. It was arge ind covered by water as far as eyes could see. Turning my head, I tried to see if anybody was near. ''Will he grow wings if he continued to p his limbs like that?'' But I wasn''t any better myself. I was spinning like the propellor of a helicopter about to take off. Before I could try to see more, the speed increased as I continued to fall. Strong gales made me spin. I was having trouble distinguishing between sky and earth. I could barely open my eyes and my ears felt like they were about to fall from pain. It felt like I was thrown inside a blender. I was barely holding back my breakfast from also skydiving beside me. Not knowing what to do, I did what I could think of and spread my limbs in hopes of stabilizing my descent. ''Calm down¡­..Calm down....'' I didn''t dare say anything out aloud for fear of biting my tongue. Using my arms to shield my eyes, I tried to look around. Now, not even the pping kid could be seen anymore. As my fall somewhat stabilized, I was able to look at my destination more clearly. Now the piece ofnd, or ind, looked muchrger. Its entire surface was covered with heavy vegetation as the rivers flowed through it, with cliffs asionally peeking through it. But the most conspicuous was the volcano at the center surrounded by four peaks that jutted out of thend. The volcano emitted smoke surrounding the sky with ashes. I squinted as I tried to scrutinize more details, but the gales were too fierce and I was too far to make out anything. Nathan had already surpassed 120mph, and his speed was still increasing. Like a bomb dropped from the sky, he was also going to explode if his descent didn''t slow. I felt like my skin was being scalded. The friction was a little too strong. Now that my vision was almost reduced to zero, I could barely see anything. The ground kepting closer and closer. Currently, there were only 5000 feet left. The distance continued to shorten as the winds increased. 3000 feet¡­. 2500 feet¡­. 2000 feet¡­. I could feel my heart ready to jump through my mouth. 1500 feet¡­. 1000 feet¡­. 500 feet! Just as the distance between me and the ground was 500 feet my right wrist shined, and four circles manifested in the air between me and the ground. The circles had a radius of 10 feet and had an intricate design. As my body phased the first three circles, the speed decreased drastically, and my body almost came to a standstill. And after passing through thest circle, my fallpletely broke and was now floating in the air. A fall of a few thousand feet was broken so easily and smoothly. "Haah¡­Haah¡­" I knew I only had to wait, but free-falling from thousands of feet was nheless nerve-wracking. But before I could think more, my body again came under the effect of gravity. CRACCK-! CRACCK-! THUD-! "My ass." I rubbed my ass while standing up. The tree helped me break my fresh fall. But I wasn''t able tond properly and fell in the wrong position. "Thankfully, I didn''t break any bones." After the check, I sat while leaning against the tree. I needed to calm down and collect my thoughts. Thest few minutes had been a little too wild. "If my guess is correct, I transmigrated. That too inside of ''Saga of Heroes''." Even believing in transmigration was unbelievable. But I knew that everything I had felt within thest few minutes was too realistic to be a dream. Though the more shocking, or worrying fact, was that I didn''t transmigrate into any world but the world of ''Saga of Heroes''. "Still, I could be wrong and the previous simrities might be superficial coincidences." I was trying to be optimistic. Finally I took a deep breath and decided to confront the truth. "Status." As words flowed from my mouth, a blue screen flickered into existence in front of my eyes. ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Meta Level : 3 Exp: 300/450 Remaining SP ¨C 00 -->Stats: Strength ¨C 09 Agility ¨C 14 Stamina ¨C 11 Constitution ¨C 09 Aura ¨C 10 Intelligence ¨C 11 Luck ¨C 07 -->Skills: [Pierce [Common-Rank]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. ========= "It''s the same." This status screen was the final nail in the coffin. "Couldn''t I have transmigrated anywhere else?" I shouted with a wronged expression. ''Saga of Heroes'' was indeed my favorite novel, but I never wanted to live in that damned world. Only a masochist would want that! As a reader, I knew the precarious situation this world was in, as well as the cmities that wereing in the future. This world was a modern fantasy world where superhumans, called awakeners existed. Due to the Second Great Disaster and the Third Great Disaster, almost half of the awakeners of this world had died. The story was set in a few years after the Third Great Disaster. As such, the loss of fighting potential of this Earth had greatly impacted its survival chances against invading races. Not to mention, in the future after the protagonist goes through various hurdles and had protected Earth a few times, a full-scale invasion by other cosmic races was going to happen. Unlike the threats that the protagonist had faced before, the scale of this threat was on an entirely different level. It was a war onary level. And this was also shortly followed by a Demon King''s descension. The future of this world was as bleak as it could get. But this wasn''t the source of my current worry. "This is the worst possible timing." After a few minutes of rest, I was able to sort out my thoughts to a degree. As shocked as I was, if my guess was correct, I didn''t have the time to mop around. The current situation wouldn''t allow me to rest. "If I remember correctly, we had to do this and¡­" I began tapping all over my right wrist. After a few tries, I seeded in activating the bracelet. Following this, another blue hologram popped in front of me. ======= Name: Nathan Hunt ID: 210102064 Points : Time Remaining: 120:00:00 ======= "Hmm?" Only now did I realize that my first name was the same as my previous life''s name. Since the girl in the lobby seemed to know me, I knew that I had transmigrated into a pre-existing person. Speaking of her, I felt that I was forgetting something when she came to my mind. Anyway, the coincidence of having same name bugged me. But no matter how much I racked my brain, I couldn''t think of an answer. So, I decided to focus on the task at hand. "I have to survive five days." I had transmigrated at the start of a surprise exam by Ward. Ward was the top military academy in this world, which raised awakeners tobat the growing threats. As a top institution, anybody who entered it would be guaranteed a paved road to sess. But thepetition to enter it was just as fierce. Every year, the entrance test has 4 stages. These were the written test, physical test, followed by talent and potential measurement, andstly, an interview. But this year the executives of Ward had decided to change the content of the exam to find special talents to nurture. As such, they changed thest stage, which is the interview, into a five days survivalpetition. Of course, none of the applicants knew this. Now students had to gather points by killing beasts on the ind while surviving for 5 days. It would take everyone a while to understand this fact. But the biggest problem here wasn''t the contents of the exam but the fact that it was a surprise exam. Due to this, most of the applicants didn''t have the basic resources to survive in the wild. "But I guess I''m not that unlucky." I tried to remember the details of a specific location. "I need to find it before these 5 days are up." I finally picked myself up as I began wandering to look at my surroundings. Chapter 4 Aether And System "Finally." I sighed in relief as a few things appeared out of thin air and dropped to the ground. ====== Time Remaining: 119:28:19 ====== The timer on the hologram had started soon after I fell from the sky. After that, it was continuously disyed on the bracelet. "Not too bad, I guess." I gave myself an imaginary pat on the back as I looked at the remaining time. For thest 30 minutes, I had been trying to control my Aura to open the ring on my right-hand index finger. This ring was a semi-artifact, which could be used to store objects, at least that was what its status said. Aura was one of the derivative forms of Aether, the energy which had arrived on this during the First Great Disaster 150 years ago. Aether had caused the beasts and the nts to evolve. But due to its pure and chaotic nature, humans could not directly use it. As such, humans on this learned to harness Aether into its constituents and use them. One such constituent was Aura. Using an energy, in my case Aura, was likemanding a new limb. As such, to some basic extent, even regr humans could use it to operate devices like dimensional rings. So it was not something weird for me to be able to operate the dimensional ring. Though forget checking out the contents of the ring or bringing a single object out, I emptied the whole ring. This was due to myck of control. But I already expected something like this to happen. Even if controlling Aura was like moving a new limb, learning anything more than simple controls in 30 minutes was absurd. A sigh escaped my lips as I looked towards the content lying on the ground, which were a spear, a dagger, and a few simple snacks. An interview for Ward was not your simple interview, the candidates could also be asked to disy their skills. So most students would be carrying a weapon with them. Not that I knew how to properly wield them. "At least there is some food." Putting everything other than the spear back into the ring, I scrutinized its condition. Storing objects was easier than bringing them out, as I simply had to connect them with my Aura while thinking of it being stored. "Maybe the previous Nathan practiced with it quite a bit." The spear''s wooden handle looked worn, while its metallic tip had several scratches on it. Eventually, I began moving to scout my surroundings. Not wishing to attract any unwanted attention, I was moving as sneakily as possible. As I kept moving from one ce to another, the sun rose a little higher and now shined directly above me. "It''s too hot." I peeked at the rabbit-like beast munching grass while wiping my forehead. It had brown fur and was the size of an adult rabbit. The reason I could instantly tell that it was not an animal, but a beast was due to the horn on its forehead, giving its otherwise cute appearance a menacing look. Looking at the beast my brows knit. As a person who belonged to regr modern society, the most I could do with the spear was a simple thrust and swing. But even so, I was eyeing the rabbit to kill it. I knew about this beast. It belonged to the weakest ss of beasts in any rank. Although average beast were stronger than an awakener of the same rank. It should not be the case for it. Since the whole ind was infested with beasts I knew that sooner orter, I would have to fight. Taking this chance and fighting a weak beast to judge the extent of my capabilities was the most reasonable choice. Leaning the pros and cons I finally decided to fight the rabbit. With the spear raised to use it at any moment, I quietly crept towards the rabbit. As I moved closer, the rabbit didn''t move and kept munching. Suppressing my thumping heart, I kept moving closer to it. Just as only 15 feet were left, the rabbit''s ear twitched, and it jumped. The moment I saw the twitch, I rushed forward and thrust the spear. But, I was a momentte to react which caused me to miss the rabbit. The rabbitnded 20 feet away from me. Before I could even pull my spear back, it rushed towards me. I hurriedly held the spear with both hands and swiped it upward to attack the rabbit. CLANG-! The rabbit had used its horn at thest moment to protect its body causing a metallic sound to ring out. But the sh itself caused its body to stay afloat for a few seconds. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I swung the spear to tear its flesh before it could again move. BANG-! But due to my inexperience what hit the rabbit was the shaft of the spear, not its tip. The rabbit blew away and crashed into a tree. I quickly ran towards it while cursing under my breath. The rabbit hurriedly jumped back up and tried to find its enemy. But because of the previous hit, it was injured and a littlete to move. This time I swung his spear while making sure of the distance and killed the rabbit in one go. [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.3 Greenhorn Rabbit. You''ve gained 30 exp.] I slumped down, trying to catch my breath. Although the fight I was feeling mentally strained. This was why I was reluctant to fight. My inexperience with fighting had caused me to misjudge the distance when attacking the rabbit. If it was any other beast I could have been eliminated then and there. I sighed and called my status to check the progress. "Status." ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Meta Level: 3 Exp: 330/450 Remaining SP ¨C 00 -->Stats: Strength ¨C 09 Agility ¨C 14 Stamina ¨C 11 Constitution ¨C 10 Aura ¨C 10 Intelligence ¨C 11 Luck ¨C 07 -->Skills: [Pierce [Common-Rank]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. ========= The rabbit had earned me 30 exp. With this, I needed to kill 5 more rabbits to levelup. Leveling would give me extra stats points, which I could freely allot into any stat other than Luck. The system, or the status screen as one would call it, had also arrived at Earth along with Aether at the First Great Disaster. It was because of this that humanity found hope at that time and managed to survive. "I have a skill!" Examining the status screen, I only now noticed the skill section. Perhaps due to the stress, I had missed this section before. As I read the skill description my expression slowly returned to normal. "I shouldn''t have expected more." Although having a skill was helpful, amon grade skill was nothing special. Also, not only was this skill a weapon skill, which could only be used with a weapon. It was among the weakest skill among the ones I read in the ''Saga of Heroes''. "I shouldn''t get greedy." pping both my cheeks hard, I reasoned with myself. Although the skill was weak, it was still a system skill regardless. Any skill shown on the status screen would be called a system skill. I only needed to say the skill name and I would be able to use it with perfect mastery. This was the advantage of system skills. For me, this was a great help, as I didn''t need to do anything special to use it. Chapter 5 Spearmaster Vs Drunken Master ''Seems like they are busy among themselves.'' I looked at the two Greenhorn rabbits that were preupied with each other, negligent of their surroundings. After fighting the first Greenhorn rabbit I stored its body inside the ring and began wandering. These Greenhorn rabbits were the first beast I found after dealing with the first Greenhorn rabbit. If it was before I wouldn''t have thought of attacking these two Greenhorn rabbits together. But after searching for a few hours these were the only beast I found. I needed to quickly level up and gain some stats otherwise my chances of even escaping stronger beasts would be slim. ''It should be okay. From the previous fight, it is clear that my agility can keep up with their speed. With the skill, I should be able to fight both of them¡­ Still, just to be careful.'' I began searching around for a stone to throw and distract the Greenhorn rabbits before rushing to them. ''Not this one. Not this. Yes, this is perfect.'' Picking the stone, I aimed it at the tree on the opposite side. THWACK-! The moment the stone collided I rushed at the two startled rabbits. I was able to swiftly cross the distance. But my loud steps alerted them. Nevertheless, the stone had bought me enough time. Thrusting the spear, I aimed at the rabbit closest to me. ? The rabbit only moved at thest second, barely avoiding a critical injury. Expecting to miss my first strike I quickly put more strength in my forearms and the swung the spear towards the other rabbit. The move was unexpected and caught the rabbit off guard. The de of the spear made a gash on its body as it was flung away. By now the first rabbit was ready to rush at my face with its horn ready. Noticing it I also thrust my spear again towards it. Seeing the iing spear, the rabbit quickly got ready to dodge. "Pierce." But before it could do anything, the tip of the spear abruptly elongated and pierced its stomach, killing it on the spot. Just now I had activated the skill I had to kill the Greenhorn rabbit. When I was moving through the forest earlier I used the free time to get familiar with it. The skill ''Pierce'' elongates the metallic tip of my spear almost instantly. This makes it perfect for a surprise attack in close-quarterbat. After a few moments, the spear reverted back to its original size. "Using a skill makes me feel somewhat less energetic and empty." I rubbed my hand over my stomach and muttered. "Hmm, the exp is still not given. Is it still alive?" I looked at the Greenhorn rabbit I killed without using the skill. RUSTLE-! Before I could even think about the sound I just heard, my body moved on its own. As I jumped sideways, I felt something grazing my shoulder. I rolled on the ground causing the dust to jump and cling to my clothes. I hurriedly stood up and looked at the new Greenhorn rabbit in front of me. I unconsciously gulped at the sight of the new Green horn rabbit. This one was twice the size of the previous ones, and so was its horn. This Greenhorn rabbit was at a higher level than the previous ones! Weirdly enough my body had dodged the first attack on my own. But I didn''t even have the time to think about it when the Greenhorn rabbit suddenly dashed towards me. Without wasting any time, I also swung the spear to stop it in its track. When the swing had almost reached its head, the Greenhorn rabbit suddenly jumped! Vaulting to its left, itnded horizontally on a tree''s trunk. Before I could even react, the rabbit jumped again. This time directly towards me! Earlier I used my full strength for the swing. So, now I was unable to quickly stop my body which was moving forward due to momentum. I could only helplessly look at the Greenhorn rabbit''s attack. Even so, I couldn''t give up so easily. I tried to pull my head back while tilting at the same time in hopes of dodging the attack. But the rabbit was a step faster. THUMP-! I sucked in a mouthful of cold air as the rabbitnded on the ground, and so did a few droplets of blood. I waspletely speechless. No, not because the rabbit was jumping like a pro-ninja, but because it hadpletely missed my head! It flew away by almost a foot from my head. But I knew this wasn''t time to think about the weirdness. Turning around I hastily attacked again. The rabbit was still stumbling after thending. This was the perfect chance! The spear moved forward as it sliced the air, aiming to take down its enemy in a single strike. SWISH-! As the swingpleted, I looked at the rabbit''s eyes. With its hazy eyes, it looked toward me, then at the tip of the spear, which had sliced the air three feet away from it. ''.... Did I just miss?'' For a moment, none of us moved as both of us dumbly looked at each other. Abruptly breaking the silence, the rabbit leaned forward and jumped toward me. The time distance was too close for me to use the spear. Looking at the big horn that was about to impale me, fear wed at my heart and my body froze. I knew I needed to move but my body refused to budge. ''Give up. It''s not like you can dodge this attack.'' It felt as if my body was telling me this. Yet, I tried to move my body to atleast defend myself. Finally the my efforts bore fruit and it felt like some chains binding me loosened. My right leg moved and kicked the rabbit square in the face, blowing it away. "¡­.." The process felt wrong but it was okay since the result was good, right? Although it was easier using my body rather than an unfamiliar weapon I still couldn''t praise myself for what just happened. But knowing that the rabbit was still alive, I rushed after it. Only to see something even more bizarre. With its brown fur asionally falling and rising, the Greenhorn rabbit was... asleep. The rabbit appeared so harmless that I doubted that this was the same beast that was trying to kill me moments ago. But I shook my head to clear my thoughts. "I shouldn''t get distracted." Raising the spear, I held it upside down to kill the rabbit. PUCHI-! [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.3 Greenhorn Rabbit. You have gained 30 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.3 Greenhorn Rabbit. You have gained 30 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.4 Greenhorn Rabbit. You have gained 60 exp.] The notifications popped up, signifying the end of the battle. "I won." I didn''t know how to feel about the fight. Ignoring the notifications, I crouched to examine the rabbit. I was looking for something rting to it''s strange behaviour. After carefully examining it for a minute, the only thing I found weird was the purple smudge around its mouth. Remembering its hazy eyes, I could only conclude that it had eaten something wrong beforeing there. "I got lucky this time." A sigh escaped my mouth as I realized the reason behind its strange actions. I felt a little hopeful that I might be able to find whatever this beast ate. I might be able to put it to good use. But I did not dwell on it for long. "I need to get everything that could be useful." Standing up, I circted my aura to bring the dagger out. THUMP-! THUMP-! Looking at the objects my mouth twitched. Everything except the dagger came out. "sigh¡­ I need to work on this too." It took me another minute to bring the dagger out. After which I quickly got to work. *** "Phew. It''s done, two Lvl.3 cores and one Lvl.4 core." Wiping the sweat on my forehead, I stood up while putting everything inside the ring. "It ripped." The red jacket I had been wearing was now slightly ripped at the right shoulder. I was wearing dark blue jeans and a white shirt underneath the jacket. Who wears such clothes for an interview? Maybe the previous Nathan was a happy-go-lucky guy if he wore these casual clothes for something that could make or break his future. "At least the bleeding stopped." The wound on the shoulder had already clotted. This was due to the fact that Aura-type awakeners have good recovery. ====== Time Remaining: 115:17:23 ====== Looking again at the timer, I realized that five hours had gone by since the test started and I still didn''t know where I was. "I need to figure out where I am if I need to go there." "Status." ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Meta Level: 3 Exp: 450/450 Remaining SP ¨C 00 -->Stats: Strength ¨C 09 Agility ¨C 14 Stamina ¨C 11 Constitution ¨C 10 Aura ¨C 10 Intelligence ¨C 11 Luck ¨C 07 -->Skills: [Pierce [Common-Rank]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. ========= "Only one more rabbit to go." Chapter 6 Present Circumstances Currently I was wandering through the forest. Now that I only needed one more beast to level up I was actively searching for them. But even after wandering for half an hour, I didn''t evene across a single beast. "The forest is thinning." Realizing that the canopy was declining, I sped up. After running for a few more minutes, I reached an expanse in the middle of the forest. As I reached the clearing, I slowed down and began walking toward the center. "That''s a nine-tail fox statue?" Proudly standing on a tform at the center of the clearing was a 25 feet tall statue. With its pitch-ck color and silky texture, it looked almost alive. "It''s simr to that." Circling the statue, I began probing it in several ces. But after a few minutes of arduous search, I stood up while disappointingly shaking my head. "Hmm?" As I was looking around I noticed the trees at the edges of the clearing had something dangling high on them. Briskly walking towards the nearest tree, I looked at the berries. "These might be eatable." My total ration were snacks that wouldn''tst me two days even if I ate them frugally. So I was happy at the prospect of finding something edible. As I was about to start climbing I noticed that the tree trunk was scraped a little. Thinking of something I started walking around the area and also looked at the other trees. Finally, I stopped and again looked up at the purple berries. "It was definitely these berries that the rabbit." Since it was sleepy enough to fall asleep in the middle of a battle, it meant that whatever it ate was near. Every tree here had scratches on its trunks. This meant that the Greenhorn rabbits should be regrly eating these berries. So it shouldn''t be poisonous but¡­. "I might get intoxicated or fall asleep after eating them." I grumbled as I remembered the weird behavior of the rabbit. Why didn''t I find something edible rather than this? Earlier, I had thought of using whatever that Greenhorn rabbit ate to use as a trap. But after thinking for a while, I realized a major w in my thinking. I needed to go to the cliff where the snake guardian resided. This cliff was one of the four cliffs surrounding the volcano. "Even if Inded on the adjacent cliff, which I didn''t want as then I would have to somehow climb down then travel through the forest and then climb again, I will have to travel constantly in these five days." I wasn''t going to get too much time to use these traps. On top of that, even setting up a trap would be difficult for an amateur like me. I sighed and went back to the center of the clearing. Lying down on the grass next to the statue, I decided to rx for half an hour while also wait in case a Greenhorn rabbites here for the berries. But even after lying for a few minutes, I couldn''t rx and continued to feel unsettled. "Might as well try a few things and practice." I stood up and brought circted my Aura to use the ring. I wanted to clear the worries guing my mind by moving my body. After all, I was making a gamble by even trying to get through this forest and taking those manuals. *** The sun smeared the world with a golden tinge, as it was getting ready to hide behind the horizon. The rivers, the sky, and the forest mixed into various shades of green, blue and red, giving the world a beautiful contrast. Birds dotted the sky while rivers continued to rest on the ground. Away from any civilization, the scene was a captivating disy of nature that none could resist. CRUNCH-! CRUNCH-! I was looking at such a sight with gloomy eyes. "I should have just kept my mouth shut." Eating thest piece for today, I wiped the crumbs around my mouth and looked below. "Howe I reallynded on this damn cliff?!" My voice automatically came an octave higher at the end as I looked at the chains that extended from the edge of the cliff to the ground. Each metal ring of the chain was almost asrge as me and looked archaic. Earlier, even after waiting for an hour at the clearing, no Greenhorn rabbits ever came. I walked away from there with a disappointed gait while I hoped that I would find somethingter. As much as I was disappointed at that time, it was nothingpared to what I was feeling now. Walking around, I recalled what I had found as I looked ahead withplicated eyes. "Looking at the height of this cliff and the closeness to the volcano. This cliff is one of the four cliffs surrounding the volcano." I shouldn''t have joked aboutnding here. "The sides of the cliff are too steep. So climbing down as it is, is a straight no-go." I wasn''t spiderman nor was I a professional climber. I didn''t have an ounce of doubt of the end result if I tried rock climbing today. "The only way down appears to be these chains, which regrly appear at every 100 feet along the border of the cliff. From among all the chains, two chains don''t go down but connect to the adjacent two cliffs." And this was the source of my headache. "I don''t need to go down and only need to use one of these two chains. But I still don''t know which cliff is the one I need to go, not only that¡­.." I looked at the chain, which seemed to continue forever. "The cliffs are too far away, making traveling on the chain extremely dangerous due to high winds. If I fell...." As much as I like games, I don''t want a leap of faith in reality. I stopped in front of the chain as I tried to find its end. "Now I either try to go down and walk towards the other cliffs through this beast-infested ind. Or, use the chain connected to the cliff and risk falling from 150 feet to my demise." Sighing for the umpteenth time today, I turned and walked back into the forest. "And where are all the fricking rabbits when I''m about to level up? Just one more beast would do." In a few hours, I was going to wish I would have just kept my mouth shut. *** Crossing the forest, I walked for another few hours. Now the forest was fully enveloped in the gentle embrace of a pearly luminescence. Even with the aid of moonlight, the visibility was still low. As such, I was moving at a slower pace. GRUMBLE-! "I need to find something to eat, too. My food will end by tomorrow." By now, my to-do list was only increasing with no solutions. As I was wandering through the thicket, I abruptly halted. "Where was it from?" I was sure I just heard something. Standing still, I tried to focus on my hearing to locate the source of the sound. "There." Turning to my right, I began hurrying with hushed steps. "I finally found a Greenhorn rabbit." After covering a few dozen feet, the sounds turned more discernable. Crouching behind a cover of a tree, I snooped at the scene. There a Greenhorn rabbit was hopping between trees with considerable intensity. It was the same size as thest rabbit I had fought earlier. As I was thinking of how to proceed from now something unexpected happened. CRASH-! Suddenly, the rabbit which was jumping from one tree to another was blown away and smashed to the ground. Jumping to its feet, it again began to hop between trees. ''Wait, it''s not hopping, but it''s trying to..... attack something?'' I noticed that the Greenhorn rabbit was always jumping with its horn facing forward. ''Where is the other beast?'' I looked around as a drop of cold sweat trickled down my back. It was clear that the other beast was stronger than the Greenhorn rabbit. CRASH-! The rabbit again crashed against the ground, but this time it was having difficulty standing. Noticing that the beast was attacking while hiding in the shadows, I gulped. ''I hope it''s not what I think it is.'' Just as these words passed through my head, the rabbit jumped again. But surprisingly, it didn''tnd on the tree nor was it again blown to the ground. It simply froze in the air. Looking closely, I noticed that it was impaled from behind and held in the air by the same thing that impaled it. Following the thing that impaled it, I looked at the shadows. Leisurely exiting the shadows, a pitch ck fox came in front of the dying rabbit. It quietly stared at the rabbit with its yellow eyes that looked bored, even as the rabbit kept trying to w at it. I was no longer paying any attention to the rabbit. The moment the fox came into view, all my attention was focused on it. With its skin as dark as the shadows themselves, it looked exactly simr to the statue I had seen earlier. The difference was this fox was a lot smaller and had only a single tail. ''Why is a shadow fox here?!'' Without wasting any time, I turned and ran back into the forest. Shadow foxes were very famous among the newbie adventurers. The reason behind this was the extreme risk that came when dealing with them. They were regarded as one of the most fatal beasts a solo awakener could encounter. Their ability to hide perfectly under the veil of darkness and to wield their tails like a limb makes them extremely hard to deal with. In a game analogy, if Greenhorn rabbits were the first mobs you encounter on novice difficulty, then shadow foxes would be the first mobs you will encounter on expert difficulty. The jump in difficulty was too high for me! I was cursing my luck as I hastily ran. Chapter 7 Against Shadow Fox "Why did it have to be a shadow fox?" In the sudden fight-or-flight situation, adrenaline began coursing through my blood. My heart intensely pounded against my chest, my muscles contracted and my pupils erged. It felt like my body was brimming with energy and I could now see a little better in the darkness. I would have been happy about these changes if not for the fact the shadow fox might have noticed me. Even running away was proving to be difficult. The roots entangled with each other while the ground was very uneven. It made running at my full speed difficult. I was regrly ncing behind while running. "It doesn''t look like it''s following me." The trees looked peaceful while the branches swayed due to asional breezes. Still, I didn''t want to take any chances and kept running toward the edge of the cliff. I was nning to go down the cliff using the chains. Although it was dangerous it was still better than dealing with a Shadow fox. If I went down it won''t be able to follow me. At least that was what I hoped. As I ran while looking downwards, to make sure I didn''t trip, I noticed that my shadow was distorted. "A tail..." Slowly, I looked above. My eyes met a yellow pair of beastly eyes. Seeing them my throat tightened and my breath stifled. Due to the darkness, the only thing I saw was its eyes. Just as I understood what I saw I jumped sideways. Standing up I saw it, the shadow fox was now only a few feet away. And it was looking at me with a twinkle in its eyes. Its ck fur didn''t even shine a bit under the moonlight, almost as if it sucked the light. Seeing its leisure attitude I realized. It was letting me run so that it could enjoy its hunt. I rose to my feet and gripped my spear tightly as I looked at the shadow fox. With the adrenaline rush, my mental concentration was now at its peak. Now that a fight was unavoidable I knew I couldn''t give it the chance to use darkness. So I did what I could do. I sprinted straight toward the shadow fox! Arriving near it, I thrust my spear forward. But before I could even speak my skill''s name, the shadow fox swung its w and deflected my spear upwards. With a sh, the shadow fox wed at my chest. My hands were still in the air and its ws were going to reach me before I could defend myself. This situation was simr to what had happened with the Greenhorn rabbit when I couldn''t defend myself due to my own momentum. But this time I had a way out. "Pierce!" I activated the skill to stop the momentum and the added weight helped me to quickly swing the spear downwards. Since the attack was abrupt the shadow fox couldn''t be able to avoid this attack. I was hoping that this attack would be enough to fatally damage the shadow fox. CLANG-! But again my hopes were easily betrayed. It blocked my attack with its tail! Before I could think anything else, the shadow fox moved its tail, and shed with it at my chest. The attack had enough force to throw me a few feet away. "Cough¡­cough¡­" I could feel my shirt getting dampened, along with a stinging sensation on my upper body. Despite the pain, I didn''t dare stay lying and quicklybed my surroundings with my eyes. "Dammit." But the shadow fox was no longer there. It had vanished from my sight. Seeing this, I knew I was in a desperate situation. Tightening my grip, I realized that the spear had fallen away earlier. I hurriedly nced at my surroundings and dashed towards the spear. I knew that this wasn''t enough to defeat the shadow fox, so I decided to take a gamble. RUSTLE-! RUSTLE-! The sound of bushes and branches rustling came from every direction, making it difficult to pinpoint its exact location. Nevertheless, I tried to concentrate so as not to lose focus. With my vision adapted, I was able to see better at night. But it was still not enough to find the shadow fox. Suddenly, I swung my spear at a ck shadow I saw from the corner of my eyes. CLANG-! Unexpectedly, it was met with resistance, the tail to be exact. But as I looked for the shadow fox, I realized that it was not there. My eyes followed the tail and realized it went behind me! Twisting my torso with as much force I could muster, I hurriedly swung my spear at the back. CLANG-! It shed with the ws of the shadow fox with a heavy sound. My hands began shaking as I tried to stop the attack and push the shadow fox back. But both of us remained at an impasse. Still, I knew that it was only momentary. The shadow fox would soon overpower me even if I did not attack with its tail. Now was the time. I flicked my wrist against all the resistance. I could hear a popping sound from my right wrist. Yet, I kept pushing. Gritting my teeth, I tried to stay focused amidst the onught of pain. The tip of the spear was now pointing at the face of the shadow fox. "PIERCE!" Abruptly, the tip increased in length and shot straight towards the head of the beast. PUCHI-! My attack sessfully connected. But I wasn''t able to bring the shadow fox down. The shadow fox was able to save its head by tilting it at thest second. Now the spear was logged in its shoulder. Before I could do anything else, I met with the consequences of my earlier action. Abruptly turning my wrist caused the deadlock to break, and the shadow fox easily overpowered me. As I was not in the correct posture I fell with the shadow fox atop me. Its ws which were above my chest dug and further blighted my wounds. Blood flowed more profusely and I began feeling lightheaded. The shadow fox triumphantly stood above me as if dering that its hunt wasplete. But even through the agonizing pain I still tried to concentrate and maintain my focus. ''Please work.'' I raised my hand and it barely reached the shadow fox''s abdomen. Seeing my futile struggles, it was as if the shadow fox decided that its prey could no longer entertain it. It brought its tail near me. The silver tip of the tail was shining menacingly under the moonlight. But before it could attack me I moved. VUPP-! "Pie¡­rce." The de of the dagger that suddenly appeared in my hand elongated and pierced its heart. Slowly its eyes lost their shine and its blood began seeping down the de. The beast fell over me and a string of notifications appeared in my visions. [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.4 Shadow Fox. You have gained 75 exp.] [You have leveled up] ''Pierce'' was a skill that elongated the de of my weapon. The description never said I have to use only a spear. This was a misconception on my part as I was only focused on using the spear. Fortunately, I had only noticed this fact during the time I was going over my status at the clearing. Still, this move was a gamble. On top of making sure that the shadow fox was as close as possible, I had to concentrate to circte my Aura and bring the dagger out. Thankfully, due to the constant use of dimensional ring throughout the day, I was able to bring the correct object out. I began trying to push away the dead shadow fox lying on top of me. The shadow fox corpse was heavy and the pain wasn''t helping much. Whenever I tried to move my arms the pain red. I took breaths as I tried stifling my groans. "I need.. to get away." The most dangerous thing about Shadow foxes wasn''t their ability to hide in darkness or use their tough tails to attack. It was the fact that once you killed even a single one of them the other shadow foxes would begin hunting. I didn''t know if they did so for a fun hunt or for revenge. Nor did I care at the moment. The only thing I knew was that there might be a shadow fox in the vicinity. And this meant that I had to run away quickly. Chapter 8 Predicament "I need.. to get away." I tried to push away the dead shadow fox lying on top of me. I didn''t know when other Shadow foxes woulde here. I needed to get away from this cliff as soon as possible. My injuries were severe, making me unable to put strength in my arms. And the fact that the shadow fox was heavy didn''t help. My constant attempts only proved futile. ''Ah, right.'' I stopped trying to push the corpse away when I remembered the dimensional ring. VUPP-! Finally, the load over my body receded as the corpse moved inside my ring. "Haah¡­Haah...Status." Taking deep breaths to suppress the burning pain, I called the status. I remembered the receiving notification that I have leveled up. But due to the pain, I was not able to see how many stat points I received. ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Meta Level: 4 Exp: 75/600 Remaining SP ¨C 02 -->Stats: Strength ¨C 09 Agility ¨C 14 Stamina ¨C 11 Constitution ¨C 09 Aura ¨C 10 Intelligence ¨C 11 Luck ¨C 07 -->Skills: [Pierce [Common-Rank]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. ========= Strength stat increases muscle mass and density. Agility increases movement speed. It also affects cognitive processing speed. Nathan''s high agility was the reason he was able to react to the shadow fox''s attack previously. Stamina increases endurance to withstand prolonged physical activities. Constitution increases the ability to tank damage and the recovery speed. Aura or Mana, for magicians, was the total capacity of the awakener to store it. Intelligence was the degree of fine control over one''s energy. Luck was the only stat that still hadn''t been defined properly. It was an invariable stat, this meant that it couldn''t be increased with stat points. The only way for it to increase was by using artifacts or increasing your rank. In his current state, Nathan didn''t need to think twice before choosing which stat to increase. [Constitution ¨C 09 --> Constitution ¨C 11] With the increase in the constitution stat, I felt a surge of warmth enveloping my body. As the warmth traveled from one part to another, the pain subsidized a little, leaving a soothing feeling. Feeling thefortable warmth, I continued lying for a few minutes before springing back to my feet. "Ouch." The soothing feeling had reduced the pain considerably, but my injuries were still there. Increasing the Constitution did increase the recovery rate, but 11 points were nothing much. It would take a while for me to heal. Nevertheless, I knew time was running out. Disregarding the difort I was feeling, I began running towards the edge of the forest. But my injuries weren''t my only source of the problem. My head was spinning while I was having trouble running on my wobbly legs. Constant headaches attacked my mind, along with the feeling of dizziness and confusion. "Dammit, using the skill three times was too much." My speed was slow, and I was feeling light-headed. These were the signs of Aura exhaustion. Earlier I hadn''t been able to distinguish Aura exhaustion due to the pain. But even if I had, I still would have used the stat points simrly. Without reducing the pain, I wouldn''t have been able to even move. At least in this state I could run, albeit slowly. "I need to get off this cliff before other shadow foxese." Now I was only a few minutes away from the edge. After reaching the edge, I looked below and skimmed the edge to find the nearest chain. "Huh?" My eyes widened from the shock of what I was seeing. "Where are the chains?!" I madly dashed along the edge. But even after running for a minute, I didn''t find a single chain. By now, the fatigue from the entire day had begun catching up to me. Even moving a single step was exhausting. RUSTLE-! RUSTLE-! But before I could move further, I heard rustling of bushes from the forest. Turning around and I cautiously looked at the forest, as I held my spear in both hands. Its condition was now much worse, and it looked like it would break at any moment. RUSTLE-! RUSTLE-! Before I could examine it more I heard another sound from the forest. Squinting my eyes, I tried to peer through the thicket. But I still couldn''t find anything amiss. "Forget defeating a shadow fox. In this state, I can''t even defeat a Greenhorn rabbit." This was the conclusion anyone would reach after looking at my current condition. Blood seeped through my clothes, turning my pale red jacket into dark crimson. My limbs felt heavy like lead and refused to move. Just reaching the periphery of the cliff had taken my all. As a shadow fox came into the light, my face hardened. Unlike the previous one, it was even bigger. Looking at me, it growled and began moving forward. For every step, the shadow fox moved I moved two steps behind. CLANK-! Hearing the voice, I looked behind. Now I was standing on the edge of the cliff. Looking at the pieces of rocks that fell over, I gulped. A single step and I could be a human ketc- no, let''s not think that. But the shadow fox didn''t give me any time. It kept moving towards me. I looked towards the bottom of the cliff and then back at the shadow fox with a helpless smile. "Leap of faith it is." I again looked towards the shadow fox but this time I was holding the spear towards the fox in a provocative manner. "Did you think of me as a weak game? Come here, you wild mutt. I''ll show you today who is your dad!" Did it understand that I was insulting it or did it feel offended that the weak prey was trying to fight back? It bared its teeth and began running towards me. The distance between us rapidly closed. It quickly reached near me and jumped while raising its ws. Simrly, I also raised my spear to intercept it. The moment we were about to sh, the spear vanished from my hands and I rolled under the shadow fox. "AAHHHH!!!" Just as the shadow foxnded and about to turned around, I rammed into it from behind! Not giving it any moment to rest, I exerted as much strength as possible to push it down the cliff. Since I wasn''t sure about surviving the fall even now, I was going to make the shadow fox jump first. I was a firm believer in team spirit. So if I was going to fall, I would make sure you fall before me. "Kuyi!!!" ''What are you doing, bastard? We''ll both fall at this rate.'' The shadow fox''s shrill cry roughly sounded like this to me. But of course, I wasn''t nning to go down with it. It kept trying to resist the push, but since my actions were abrupt. It hadn''t been able to get a proper foothold. In the state of panic, it raised its paws to w me and get away. Yet it was a mistake! Strong as the shadow fox was, it was still a wild beast with undeveloped intelligence. It had only been moving on its instincts till now. Raising its paw when it was trying to get a proper foothold only crumbled its posture. In that state, it could no longer resist my push. I smirked as it tried to hold empty air and fell. Almost reaching my goal made me rx. That is why I didn''t notice its tail wrapped around my ankle. *** Darkness Darkness was the only thing I could see. I couldn''t tell for much time I had been trapped in this state. I couldn''t feel my limbs, nor could I see my surroundings. Thest thing I remembered was the winds hitting me and the shadow fox that trying to chew my leg while we were falling. Couldn''t it have fallen alone? Why did I meet such a crazy fox? My thoughts began wandering as I drifted in the endless void. ''Did it not cushion my fall at all? Sigh¡­.I didn''t even get to live a single day in my new life.'' I felt saddened that I could not enjoy my new life at all. ''Well, it wasn''t that bad, though. At least I didn''t have a weak body that couldn''t even walk for a few hours.'' As I was thinking, I noticed three white dots covered by mist in the distance. The dots slowly became discernable as the mist shifted away. "Is that moo- Gurgle! Blub! " Suddenly, my lungs felt like they were on fire as something flowed into my mouth. My vision began decreasing rapidly and I could now feel my limbs. I quickly realized my current predicament. I was drowning! I quickly began swimming towards the white dots. I could only hope I wasn''t hallucinating fromck of oxygen. "Pwah¡­" Coming above the water surface of theke, I gulped a mouthful of air. "Haah¡­haah... I survived." Stabilizing my breathing, I joyfully shouted. As I nced around, I noticed the homogenous thing in front, no, above me. "It was a floating cliff." GRRR-! GRRR-! While I was gaping at the sight in front of me, several voices reached my ears. The voices bought an ominous premonition, but suppressing it I looked around. "¡­..Out of the frying pan into the fire." Standing at the edge of theke were dozens or so shadow foxes. Chapter 9 Enma-Rank I was afloat in an enormouske. I looked around at the perimeter of theke that was filled with shadow foxes. It had been a few minutes since I had been swimming in thiske, but the shadow foxes still showed no signs of entering. They were only roaming around the banks of theke. This was a piece of good news, but this also meant that I couldn''t leave theke. I was still having a hard time believing what had happened. "All the chains had disappeared into thin air and there was an enormouske at the bottom of the cliff." The shock I had received when I looked down the cliff earlier was enormous. Since the protagonist had only roamed near the volcano during the Entrance Examination arc, I didn''t know how theke had appeared. The only thing I could think of was that for some reason, theke was invisible during the daytime. "What now?" As I gazed at the surface of theke, I noticed several thick roots from the floating ind almost reaching the surface of theke. My eyes followed one of the roots and traveled upwards. Suddenly, my eyes widened. "That''s a cave!" Greatly astonished, I began swimming forward to get a better look. The root was going inside a cave that appeared on the side of the cliff. As I reached near the tip of the root, I began pondering. "Should I go up or try to find the outlet of thiske?" As I gazed at the perimeters, a helpless smile emerged on my face. "Do I even have a choice?" Theke was toorge to swim everywhere to look for its outlet. Grabbing the root, I began climbing. As an awakened, pulling myself should not have been hard in normal circumstances, but my circumstances were anything but normal. "Haah..haah.." The higher I went, the more strength I had to use to ensure that my grip didn''t loosen. ''How much longer?'' Exhaustion from the whole day was catching up to me as sleep threatened to take over me. All my muscles ached and my whole body felt sore. Every time I pulled myself up, I felt like my hands were about to fall off. Thankfully, the climb wasn''t long or I wouldn''t have been able to muster the strength to continue climbing. THUMP-! The moment I stepped inside, my body fell over. As my bodyy on the rugged ground, my breathing slowly stabilized. "I can''t sleep here. I still don''t know how safe this ce is." Thinking of the dangers that might be present, I tried to stand. I already knew that this ce might be even more dangerous than outside. But between something that was surely impossible and something that might be impossible, choosing wasn''t very difficult. "It''s bright." Unlike what I had expected, the interior of the cave was lit. I walked towards the crystals that protruded from the walls of the cave. The crystals had a rough surface and were giving a dim light. Although I didn''t know how it worked, it was clear that these were the source of light. "There is nothing here." I had been walking for half an hour, yet there was not a single soul in sight. As I kept monotonously walking, I began thinking of my goal here. What I had been aiming for were the Ether manual and a legacy art manual. In this world, humanity had only been able to derive three types of Aether constituents. Only two of these were known to the world, which were Aura and Mana. Thest one was monopolised by the Awakeners Association''s secret unit, Goliath Unit. But even so, none of them even came close to Ether. Not only will the Ether manual upgrade my talent to the highest but I also wouldn''t have to worry Exp assimtion rate even with my low potential. Not to mention the other manual was legacy art. Although I didn''t know what kind of art it was, I was sure that it was at the least as strong as the protagonist''s art. Wouldn''t I get super powerful at this rate? I could almost see myself dominating everything single-handedly. I felt giddy thinking of my prosperous future. My second life was going to be smooth sailing! I just needed to sit ba- THUD-! "Kheuk.." A groan escaped my lips as my knees buckled. I could feel something akin to tremendous pressure smashing me to the ground. My breathing became ragged, and I felt as if the air was getting thinner. Cold sweat poured out of my back like a river, and my body began trembling. GRRR-! The voice sent chills down my spine, and fear grabbed hold of my heart. Slowly raising my head, I looked toward the source of the voice. A few hundred feet away from me was an enormous ck shadow fox with¡­ three tails. ''It''s an Enma-ranked shadow fox!'' Despair sank in at the realization. For shadow foxes, their number of tails represented their rank. This meant that this shadow fox was two ranks above me. In this world, only 7 ranks existed and the strength gap between each rank was enormous. Furthermore, the higher one went, the greater the gap between each rank became. Even after trying to calm myself my trembling didn''t stop. I stayedpletely motionless as I tried to think of any possible way to escape the situation. Yet even after a few minutes, which felt like an eternity to me, nothing came to my mind. But as I kept vigntly looking at the beast, I suddenly realized something. ''It''s not attacking me.'' Even though several minutes had passed, I was still standing. I finally looked at my surroundings to get a proper look. ''It''s protecting that pearl!'' I was standing in a dome with a radius of several hundred feet. The ground of the dome had patterns carved onto it which glowed with a golden hue while the top of the ceiling had arge weird ck te. Many tunnels were opening in this enormous dome. On the ground at the center of the dome, many rootsing from many other caves converged. They formed a stump upon which a pearl, about the size of a basketball, was floating. As Iid my eyes on the pearl, my eyes lost focus and my body began moving forward by itself. But before I could take even a few steps, the pressure descended again, jerking me back to sanity. I finally understood how I reached this ce. Just now, when Iid my eyes on the pearl, my mind became hazy and unnatural thoughts began popping into my head. ''Since it''s not moving, maybe it won''te after me?'' I could think further about the pearlter. First, I needed to get away from here. Slowly, I started backing away while facing the beast. GRRR-! ''It''s working!'' As I kept backing away, the Enma-rank shadow fox growled but never left the pearl alone. Just when I was 50 feet away from the cave, the pressure again smashed into me, almost making me kneel. GRRRR-! The shadow fox''s tails rose in the air and were now pointing their silver tip toward me. ''What?! What happened?!'' The sudden outburst of the beast had bewildered me. I had been backing as slowly as possible to not agitate it. I looked at the shadow fox as thoroughly as possible to find a clue. ''It''s not looking at me, but at my feet?'' Peeking down, I saw that my right foot was on a root going towards the center. I cautiously raised my right leg and saw the tails again lying back to the ground. ''I shouldn''t step on the roots.'' Sighing in relief, I looked back to see where I should ce my steps, only to choke on my breath. ''It''s impossible to not step on a root!!!'' The roots had branched heavily near the borders of the dome. Effectively creating a 30 feet thick perimeter on the dome''s circumference. ''Should I wait for it to drop its focus and then make a run for it? No, it won''t work. I don''t think it will leave me out of its sight.'' My expression turned grim as I looked over the 30 feet thick border made by the roots. ''I can only make a run for it.'' Staying in this ce was the same as suicide. I never knew when the shadow fox would move ande to attack me. The average stat for an unawakened human in every stat was 10, but this didn''t mean I was only 1.4 times faster than an average person. The 14 points in agility should make me almost twice as fast as an average human. Covering 30 feet should take only a few seconds. ''NOW!'' I didn''t wait any longer and dashed ahead. As the distance was rapidly shrinking, I quickly looked behind. 20 feet. GRRRRRRR-! ''It''s not moving!'' 15 feet. The shadow fox looked ready to pounce on me at any moment, but it was still not moving away from the pearl. 10 feet. At the crux of the moment, I remembered a crucial fact. ''Can''t shadow fox lengthen their ta-'' BANG-! My thoughts abruptly stopped as something grazed my sides and mmed into the wall. The attack was strong enough to blow up a portion of the wall. The attack had missed me, but the simple graze was enough to throw me into the air. Sliding into the tunnel, my body collided against its inner wall. "Arrggh.." I could feel a metallic taste in my mouth while my side ribs stung. I couldn''t even tell if I was coughing, howling in pain, or gasping for air as I struggled to breathe. BANG-! BANG-! Yet, even though I was safely out of the shadow fox''s range. It was still attacking persistently. The only reason I was thrown inside the tunnel was that I had already reached the entrance of the tunnel. Remembering the wall being sted from its attack, I crawled as far as I could and hid behind somerge crystals. Slumping down, I pressed my right side rib as I tried to suppress the bleeding. Even through the onught of pain, I was still feeling greatly exhausted. Strength had already left my body and my eyes were drooping heavily. Turning my head slightly, I tried to hear if the shadow fox was still attacking, but sleep overtook me and my body went limp. Chapter 10 Retrospection While not even a day had passed, Nathan had already put his body through substantial suffering. The only reason he was still able to move his battered body was that he was an awakened. After a few hours of soundly sleeping, his fingers suddenly twitched. Slowly, his eyes fluttered open and he tried to stand up. But although the wind shes never hit him directly, even indirect attacks from an Enma-rank were too severe for a Meta-rank like him. With great difficulty, he could only sit while supporting himself with the wall. His bleeding had stopped, but he wasn''t in any condition to move. He decided to rest for a little more time. Nathan nced at his bracelet. "Will it only activate when I am practically half-dead? Or is it broken?" But he already knew that nothing was wrong with the bracelet. They were designed to only activate when the user faced a life-threatening attack. Sighing, he tapped his bracelet. ======= Name: Nathan Hunt ID: 210102064 Points: 08 Time Remaining: 116:42:33 ======= "Not even a day has passed and I am already failing at everything. Can I even do anything, a failure like me?" My expression turned mncholic as I began looking at the previous day. "Even the Greenhorn rabbits that are called the weakest beast for their levels are hard for me to handle." "Can even get the ether manual and the art within 4 days like this? Was I just overestimating myself when I decided to get the manuals?" Blood began seeping through his clenched hands as I repeatedly questioned myself. SLAP-! Abruptly, a sound of pping echoed as I pped myself. "What the hell are you thinking, you stupid bitch? Weren''t you always crying for a second chance? Now that you got one, you are getting cold feet when not even a day has passed?" "You should just go back to the shadow fox if only this level of suffering is enough to hold you back. And why not kill yourself while at it? Then you won''t even need to worry about your future problems." Blood trickled down from my nose and I could feel my cheek swelling. "So what if you can''t fight as well as others? Use your brain. Isn''t that what you are best at? Now get up, you stupid bitch!" Exhaling a long, deep breath, I quieted down. After staying motionless for a few more minutes, I jumped back up and stretched myself. As I looked at my tattered clothes, a chuckle escaped from my mouth. "Those guys would have spent a fortune to get a chance to see me in this state." Too bad for them I wasn''t sane enough to stop just at this level, not that I had a choice either way. Pressing my stinging sides, I walked ahead while also examining the tunnel walls. "Was that pearl an Aether orb? That would exin why the shadow fox was so overprotective. Not that I wouldin. If not for it using a roundabout way to attack me, I would have died many times over if even it just pushed me directly." An Aether orb contains pure concentrated aether. It would give a boost to rank if one could absorb it. For the beasts, it worked like an elixir. Even if the beasts were only close to it, they would be able to grow faster and stronger. Though it wasn''t very effective for humans as they didn''t use Aether. As I remembered my thoughts during the time I was intoxicated due to the orb, I couldn''t help but helplessly smile. Easy future? How could I forget that any character in this novel other than the protagonist could die at any moment? Heck, even every member of the main cast had a very miserable end waiting for them. While I kept talking to myself, my swollen cheek was turning blue and ck. "Is this the only way?" I had reached the exit of the tunnel on the side of theke. Overlooking theke, I noticed a small river flowing through it approximately 200 feet away from me. By now, the number of shadow foxes had almost reached a hundred. I sat at the edge and began recollecting everything I saw up until now. "Sudden disappearance of chains and appearance of ake at the night. Even though there was noke during the daytime." "Shadow foxes flocking to theke. Inside the floatingnd, there is an aether orb which is also ''coincidently'' protected by the same species." "And finally, the tunnels which are a straight pathway to the dome where the aether orb is." I had noticed that many tunnels were opening inside the dome. Remembering the number of roots that reached theke, I naturally concluded that most, if not all, connected the outside and inside. "Theke would disappear by morning and somehow Shadow Foxes would be able to enter the tunnels." This was the conclusion I reached after thinking back on everything that had happened. The shadow foxes wouldn''t flock to theke if they couldn''t enter and bask in the ambiance of the aether orb. All beasts use Aether as such, they would feel an instinctual pull towards the Aether orb. This would make them go towards it. It was this same ambiance that had robbed me of my mind. But since humans themselves didn''t use aether, I was able to regain my rity rtively easily. Otherwise, I might have only woken when I was dying, being impaled by the shadow fox. I shuddered at the thought. Instantly, I shook my head and focused on other things. "I need to get away¡­ again." I sighed as I made my decision. "I can use the river to get away while hiding from the Shadow foxes. The water should also conceal the smell of dead shadow fox on me." But my body was still not healed enough. As such, I decided to wait for a few hours before climbing down. "I should do some preparations in the meantime." VUPP-! Bringing my spear out, I began examining it. "I don''t think it will hold out much longer." I wondered if I could use the dead shadow fox I had inside my dimensional ring. But then I looked back inside the tunnel. "It won''te out after smelling it, right?" VUPP-! With a heavy thud, the corpse of the shadow fox fell to the floor. I straightened its tail and brought out my dagger. But only a dagger with a half-shattered de appeared in my hand. "It must have broken when it pierced through this shadow fox." With no other choice, I used my spear to cut its tail at the base. Just as the tail was removed entirely from its body, it immediately hardened. Examining it, I nodded. Then I used the spear''s tip to remove all the hairs the tail had. After working for half an hour, I looked at the thing in my hand. I had a 5 feet long pole with a silver tip in my hand. Its body was entirely ck and looked like charcoal. If one looked at it now, nobody would be able to tell that this wasn''t a real spear. "Thank you, piece of tras-kheum dear author, for making the protagonist fight shadow foxes when he was weak. Now I have a backup weapon after learning from him." I praised the Author for his hard work and put the corpse back inside my ring. "Status." ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Meta Level: 4 Exp: 75/600 Remaining SP ¨C 00 -->Stats: Strength ¨C 09 Agility ¨C 14 Stamina ¨C 11 Constitution ¨C 11 Aura ¨C 10 Intelligence ¨C 11 Luck ¨C 07 -->Skills: [Pierce [Common-Rank]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. ========= "Should I absorb the cores now? No, it won''t be enough to level up. I should save them forter." I decided to rest for some more time before moving. "How easy would it be from here on if the aether orb wasn''t being protected?" If I could take the aether orb out of here, I could use it to lure that Sky Viper and get the manuals easily. Thinking back to the dome, I remember seeing the golden pattern on the ground. "Was it some kind of magic circle to trap aether enriched air inside the dome? The patterns had golden hue, so the orb''s energy must be the source to keep the circle activated." That would exin why the beasts from all over the ind weren''t flocking here. "But why would somebody bother using so many resources to raise a shadow fox?" Chapter 11 Saving A Damsel In Distress I began climbing down with the help of the roots. Now that dawn was about to emerge in a few hours at most, I was quickly fleeing. "Can''t waste more time by dilly-dallying." Reaching a safe height I directly jumped into theke. The freshwaterke felt cold andforting. I swam quietly while looking around. "If I forget that everything here is trying to kill me. This ce is very captivating." A beautifulke covered by an equally beautiful forest and a floating ind overlooking everything, away from the daily hustle-bustle. Anyone would be happy to live in such a ce. I looked down, trying to see if I could see theke''s bottom. "Was that an eye? Nah, if it was, then the monster would be the size of the ind itself." I again looked down, but only darkness greeted me no matter how further down I tried to peer. "Sigh¡­ I am getting too paranoid." Wonders what a single day could do to a person. Now I was seeing things that even weren''t there. Swimming at a steady pace, I quickly reached near the outlet. I took a deep breath, and I dived. The river was 70 feet wide and 15 feet deep. I was swimming near the bottom of theke. After covering a reasonable distance, I decided to take a quick gasp and dive again. Before I could reach the surface, three shadow foxes suddenly jumped into the river. I hurriedly dived deeper and stuck to the bottom of the river like a lizard. ''Don''t look down. Down look down.'' If the shadow foxes noticed me, I would have no choice but toe out of the river. After which they would smell the dead shadow fox on me and call other shadow foxes. Since many shadow foxes were near, they wouldn''t have to worry about reinforcements. ''Why are they here, anyway?'' Shouldn''t they go where the shadow foxes were gathering? Why were they so far from their group? I didn''t know if the shadow foxes would be alerted if I moved underwater, but I wasn''t taking any chances. I stood motionless like a statue. By now my breath was running out. But the shadow foxes, unaware of my predicament, continued ying with each other. Thinking a little, I brought the Greenhorn rabbits'' cores out. ''I can only use these cores now.'' Beasts always attack humans upon spotting them, but they also attack other beasts. This was because all the beasts contain aether cores. Absorbing cores enabled them to grow stronger and possibly evolve. The only times when the beasts don''t fight amongst themselves is when they are of the same species, a higher power is restricting them or they are sentient. I held two Lvl. 3 cores in my hand as I got ready to throw them. Just as I was about to throw the cores, the shadow foxes finally left the river. But I didn''t celebrate or sigh in relief. By now, my field of vision was already beginning to darken at the edges. I bent my knees as I got ready to reach the surface in go. But suddenly I realized that I couldn''t move my feet. Looking down, I saw that my ankles were tangled in underwater weeds. I hastily bought my spear out and shed it to cut the weeds. [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.3 Hollow Gutweed. You have gained 10 exp.] Seeing the notification, my eyes widened. But before I could move, another weed held my ankle. I shed again. My vision was thinning at an rming pace. [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.3 Hollow Gutweed. You have gained 10 exp.] I again felt something on my feet and I attacked again. [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.3 Hollow Gutweed. You have gained 10 exp.] As the weeds continued to hold me down, I tried to attack them to the best of my ability. Slowly but surely, I was getting away. But my consciousness was also bordering on the periphery of awareness and sleep. *** "Should I look for someone again?" A young, petite boy who was carrying a wand in his hands asked. He was wearing a green cape over his ck suit. He threw another pebble, which crossed the river and hit the tree on another side. "I don''t know! Let''s just get over it." Answering him was a red-haired youth. He had a buffed body which showed his rigorous training. Currently, he was making a camp near the river. "I wish we could do that, but¡­ Hm?" Suddenly, the young man''s posture changed as if he was getting ready for battle. Sensing the change in his demeanor, the red-haired youth also got in a battle-ready stance and vigntly scanned his surroundings. "Hey Lark from where?" Even after searching thoroughly, the red hair didn''t find any sign of an enemy. But Lark didn''t answer his question. He simply walked towards the river with furrowed brows. "There, we already found one." Lark voiced while pointing at the something floating in the river. "Huh, are you sure?" The thing he saw didn''t look like a human in any way to him. Lark patted the red-haired youth on the back and pushed him ahead. With an unwilling expression, the red-haired youth jumped in the river and bought the green swampy thing ashore. He ced it on the bank of the river and got ready to do CPR. He pressed the chest of the body a few times. Seeing no response, he brought his mouth near where its lips should be. Just as he was about to begin, he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Step aside." Lark crouched beside the body and ced his fingers at its neck. His expression remained solemn until his eyebrows twitched. Then he ced his hands above the body''s chest. Sweat quickly began forming on his forehead as he tried to maintain his concentration. After a little time, his palms began glowing in a blue hue. He swiped his hand from the chest towards the neck of the body and finally to the mouth. Then he pulled his hand back. But unlike before, his hand wasn''t empty. There was a blob of water floating on his palm. He turned his hands away, and the glow receded. Following this, the blob of water fell to the ground. "Cough..*deep breath*..Cough¡­*deep breath*" Just as Lark had thrown the water blob, the youth lying on the ground started coughing violently. He took deep breaths in between his violent coughs as he tried to sit. Finally, after a minute or two, he could again breathe properly and his eyes gained a bit of rity. "It really is a person. But what are these things covering him, Lark? He looks more like a monster rather than a human." The red-haired youth grunted while pointing at the weeds and algae that covered him. "I don''t know. And this isn''t the time to talk about this, Ryan." Lark sighed at hispanion''s rude remark but still chose to answer him, as he wasn''t wrong. The person being spoken of was covered in green algae from head to toe. Only his blood-red eyes were not covered with weeds. He looked more like a monster than a human. Rubbing his eyes, the youth looked at the people surrounding him. Near him was a youth who had red hair and buffed body. Slightly away from them was another youth with ck hair, who was wearing a green cape that covered his body. He looked tired from his uneven breathing and he was drinking something from a sk. Both of them looked exhausted. Suddenly, the red-eyed youth jerked his body and rolled on the ground away from them. He took a battle stance as a spear appeared in his hands. Lark and Ryan were both stunned at his sudden actions. "You fucking piece of shit. We saved you and this is how you show gratitude? Fine!" A great sword appeared in Ryan''s hand and he brashly walked forward. "Wait, Ryan. He must be disoriented from being in shock. Please, we aren''t here to fight you. Rather, we are the ones who saved you from drowning." Unlike Ryan, Lark kept his calm as he tried to talk to the stranger with a calm smile on his face. By now, Lark was back beside Ryan. He no longer looked tired. The red-eyed youth kept vigntly looking at both of them with his blood-red eyes. He had furrowed brows as he listened to the Lark. After a few moments, his eyes widened as a look of realization dawned on his face and his mouth opened in a small circle. "Sorry about this. Suddenly seeing unfamiliar faces upon waking up in this ce was a little bit¡­ thank you for helping me." The youth rxed his position as his spear vanished from his hands. He calmly walked toward the duo as he thanked them. "It''s fine, we understand. I am Lark and this hot-head here is Ryan." Lark raised his hand for a handshake. "I am Nathan. And again, thank you for helping me." Both of them shook their hands and smiled gently. Chapter 12 Second Day [Time Remaining : 87:07:15] Standing on a branch 16 feet above the ground, I looked at the group of three boars that were about to pass under me. Each of them were a least 20 feet long. Their gnarly tusks gave them a savage and ferocious appearance. Looking at their hulking bodies, I wondered if they even needed their tusks to kill something. As thest boar was about to tread underneath me, I jumped and aimed my spear''s tip at its head. The branch shook as I jumped down and alerted the boar. "Pierce" But before it could react, my spear lengthened and pinned its head to the ground. Inded without any difficulty. My constitution was high enough to ignore any fall damage from such height. Leaving the spear impaling the boar''s head, another spear appeared in my hand. This spear''s entire body was ck with only its tip having a silver color. Stretching my back to the maximum I unfurled my arm and threw the spear toward the boar in front of me. By now, the boars had heard themotion and were about to turn behind. Still, my attack hit at its mark, at the butt of the boar! The pain made the boar jump as it rammed into the boar at the front. After seeing that my job was done, I started backing away. The boar I hit shouted like a pig being castrated and turned around to find the culprit. As there was no one besides me, it naturally locked onto me. With its eyes that were almost zing, it rushed towards me. But before it could have a chance to attack me, Ryan suddenly appeared from behind it and killed the boar in one swing. Just as the boar died, notifications began appearing in my vision. Ignoring them, I looked behind Ryan to find thest boar already dead, with its head open like a watermelon. ''He already finished that boar in such a short time.'' Using my spear, I shed at the base of Blood Boar''s neck I killed and took out its core. "Let''s move." Lark appeared, then we dashed away. *** "You guys rocked." Lark said with a blinding smile while trying to regain his breathing. As a mage, his constitution and stamina were low. "Wouldn''t have been possible without you." I genuinely meant what I said. Without the strength buff provided by Lark, I wouldn''t have been able to pierce the tough hide of Lvl.6 Blood Boar so effortlessly. ''Though even with the buff, I had to use the force generated by the jump to kill the boar in a single attack.'' The Blood boar group that we had fought earlier was our third group. After they had rescued me, we only had small talks after which Lark and Ryan were about to begin hunting again. Lark had also invited me to hunt together, saying that since I was injured, it should be better for me to hunt with them. Although I was skeptical of them, it was true that I wouldn''t be able to do much alone. "Why do we have to bring this guy with us?" I remembered what Ryan had said while snorting. As much as I wanted to make Ryan eat his words, I could do nothing. Lark and Ryan started by hunting small groups of Lvl.7 Blood boars. But even with the strength buff, my attacks weren''t going through the tough hide of the boars. I didn''t even gain any exp even though we were hunting beasts 3 levels higher than me. After those two fights, Ryan started speaking in a tantly insulting way. Though Lark had intervened before, it escted. "Can you give us five minutes alone?" I didn''t know what Lark talked about with Ryan, but after then he had been acting a little cidly. Thereafter we hunted Lvl.6 Blood boar groups. ''They probably want me to help themter. Since they are already stronger than Lvl.6 Blood Boars, it shouldn''t take much effort for them to help me level up. Not to mention, all Meta-rank beasts give only 2 points in this exam.'' They definitely had a motive to help me. After all there was no free lunch in this world. Even though everyone had a chance to level up quickly on this ind, the clever ones would remember that their main goal wasn''t to level up but to enter Ward. After that, they would get many opportunities to level up quickly. "We should start preparing the camp." Ryan said as he looked towards the setting sun. "Isn''t it too early?" The sun was just beginning to set, so I wondered why they were stopping so early. But Lark answered my doubts. "It''s fine. Blood boars roam in groups, so hunting at night bes difficult." "Let''s eat then." Ryan didn''t show much interest in our conversation and began his work. Ryan bought a boar out that he had stored and began cutting. He looked like a practiced hunter while doing so. On the other side, Lark began setting camp. Since I didn''t have much to do now, I opened the status screen and looked at the previous notifications. [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.6 Blood Boar. You have gained 130 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.6 Blood Boar. You have gained 69 exp.] The exp gained was different for every Lvl.6 Blood boar as it was distributed between all three of us depending on our contribution. "Now the total exp is 330/600¡­. Wait." My brows furrowed as I felt that my exp was a little less. "I had 75 exp before I jumped off the cliff. I gained a total of 199 exp from hunting Lvl.6 Blood boars. Bringing the total sum to 265 exp." The fire produced a popping sound as it continued to flicker. Ryan was still busy cutting the boar while Lark was not around. "In the river for every Hollow gutweed I killed, I gained 10 exp. Even if I only killed 5 Hollow gutweeds, my total exp should be 310 exp. But I definitely killed at least 7 Hollow gutweeds" Now that I was in a safer ce, I was able to think properly. "Where is the exp for the shadow fox I fell with?" I had thought that the corpse had drowned, thus I didn''t think much about the missing corpse back then. I thought that the shadow fox died due to cushioning my fall. Since I was the main cause of its death. I should have gotten some exp even if it ultimately died of drowning, unless¡­.. "Something entirely else was the cause of its death." The shadow foxes around theke never even attempted to enter it. At that time I just thought that they couldn''t swim. But didn''t a few shadow foxes jump into the river? "There was something in theke." At that time, I wasn''t thinking clearly due to the time constraint and the constant pain I was suffering from. But this was still a big blunder on my part. My expression twisted, even more so, when I realized that I didn''t even know why I was spared. There was no way I survived just because of some luck. A beast strong enough to threaten over a hundred shadow foxes wouldn''t ignore someone entering its territory. "Are you okay? You look pale" Bringing me back from my thoughts was a hand on my shoulder. I looked towards the source and found Lark sitting a little away from me. He was looking over at me with a worried expression. I looked at Lark and then towards Ryan, who was sitting in front of me, and finally sighed. "Yeah, I''m fine. I was just feeling a little tired." ''What happened has happened. I should focus on making sure everything goes smoothly.'' Larkughed and patted me on the back while avoiding the area where my jacket was ripped. "That feeling is mutual. Come, let''s eat." ''After all, I can now see a way to get the manuals.'' Chapter 13 Preparations [1] The aroma of smoked meat drifted in the air. The food in front was enough for us for a week. But all three of us were eating with unwilling expressions. Without any voring, it tasted nd. Eating a little bit wasn''t a problem. But stuffing ourselves with tasteless food didn''t feel good. I chewed on the meat and waited for Lark to speak. Since we had to hunt regrly we had to eat enough to make sure we were energized. After waiting for a dozen minutes Lark finally opened his mouth. "So, how did you get those injuries? And how did you reach here." Putting the unfinished piece back Lark questioned me. I also put down my food and recounted my first day. Though I didn''t tell them that the beast I met was a shadow fox. It would only cause unnecessary problems. Besides, after being in the river for almost half a day the smell of blood was already washed away. "You are lucky that younded on a guardian cliff. Otherwise, you might have been eliminated on the first day." "You know where we are?" From the way, Lark spoke it was clear that he knew about the ce. Hearing my question Lark began telling me about the location. "Yes. This ind is called Byzander Ind, one of the very few ruins that appeared during the First Great Disaster. Anybody interested in geology and history would know about this ce. But this ce is even more special as there are no entry restrictions and¡­." Lark''s words trailed off at the end and he looked toward me. Did he want me toplete his sentence, even though it was clear that I knew nothing? I answered while withholding my sigh. "The exp received is quite high." This fact was as obvious as day to anyone after they kill a single beast. "Yes, but the increased exp gain is only for Meta-rank. I think this is what the voice meant that every crisis is an opportunity at the beginning of the exam." Then Lark proceeded to tell me more about the ind''s history and facts. After listening to him for half an hour I didn''t want to hear anymore but looking at his eager face, that looked happy while talking I couldn''t bring myself to tell him to stop. But he did tell me a few important things. Like the cliff, I was on, or the guardian cliff would periodically float and sink into the ground halfway. And when it sinks theke disappears. ording to Lark, it still wasn''t known how or why it happened. But he said that people on top of the cliff won''t realize this action. I quietly listened to him while nodding. On the other side, Ryan was still eating. He didn''t look a bit interested in joining our conversation. Was he as unfriendly as he looked? Help me a bit, will you! But Ryan obviously couldn''t listen to my internal rambling and kept to himself. Finally, after talking for almost an hour Lark spoke about what I had been waiting for. "I see. So, how about we hunt together?" I did know that he was going to ask that but the shift was still too sudden. I nodded my head to show that I was interested and wanted to hear more. "You will have trouble hunting alone due to your injuries. With us, you should also be able to level up quickly and gather points. While for us it will increase our hunting speed. This will be favorable to both of us." Lark''s argument was correct. I had still not recoveredpletely, but even in my perfect state, it would be hard for me to hunt alone. But I still stayed silent to make it look like I still wasn''t convinced. I was waiting for Lark to question why I wasn''t answering. "Also you can see it is better to work in groups." Suddenly saying so Lark tapped his bracelet and a hologram materialized in the air. ======= Name: Lark Smiles ID: 210115562 Points: 40 Time Remaining: 83:14:43 ======= ,m My eyes opened wide as I looked at his points. The gap between us was too big. I had 24 points but more than half of them were obtained when I killed hollow gutweeds. "I think the test is designed to work in pairs. Otherwise throwing beginners on an ind infested with beasts would be illogical. Especially when each awakener is precious. So how about we work together?" Indeed if Ryan and Lark work together they could get these results. Still, the number of points was quiterge if they were hunting beasts of levels simr to their own. I wanted to ept their proposal but I still kept quiet. Lark frowned as he looked at me. Suddenly his brows jumped as if understood why I was still quiet. ''Yes, now ask me what''s wrong.'' Then with a wry smile Lark spoke. "Are you worried that the offer is too good? We can hunt boars with just two of us. But because we are inside their territory, we have to finish the fights quickly. And since I also keep a lookout in case another group ising I can''t fight at my full power. This is why it would be better for us also if we get more teammates." I see so that was their reasoning to get me fully convinced to join. ''But this isn''t what I wanted you to say!'' "Oh, are you still bothered due to Ryan? Don''t worry he is just a little shy. He doesn''t mean any harm." Why is he saying everything other than what I want him to? After that Lark kept uping with more questions and answered them himself. He was looking like a suspicious salesman who appears at your door and won''t leave until you buy their product. He kept bbering nonstop. At this point, I had no choice but to speak myself. "I want to join but¡­" "But? Is there something wrong?" .... Why the hell did I wait for this guy to ask himself? I should just have spoken first. "I have to go somewhere." After that, I told him that I had to meet someone at the nearest guardian rock. I wanted to see how Lark would react Lark started contemting something and finally spoke after a minute. "I see. So you are with someone. It''s fine then! We would also leave with you then. We were already nning to hunt some weak beasts when the exam would enter its final stage." Lark told me about their future ns. A smile dawned on my face as our ns matched. "We are teammates now. I look forward to our cooperation." Both of usughed and shook our hands. Then we continued chatting for more time before going to sleep. We decided to keep watch in order: Ryan, Lark, and me. Finally, we slept after putting everything back in our dimensional rings. We only left our weapons, the campfire, and some necessities like water canteen out. *** "You slept like a log you know that?" Ryan grunted at Lark. "I was just too tired." Both of them were currently hiding behind bushes and looking toward me. I was standing on a wide path while a group of boars was running straight towards me from the front. I was the one who had asked for this. But looking at three hulking figures running straight towards me, I was trying to trace back my thinking process. Was my head not working properly? The pressure from standing on the path of boars was no joke. Still, I stood straight and hurled my spear at the head of the boar at the forefront. I missed. But I quickly bought my second spear out. The boars kept running towards me but this time I didn''t throw the spear and aimed it carefully. ''Let it be a hit.'' Just as my aim aligned I threw my spear. It quickly traveled the distance and hit the boar. I could hear Lark gasp and a smile leaked on my face. The spear hit the boar''s eye killing it in one shot! Although this was a lucky shot I was sure I would''ve still hit its head. I have been practicing throwing spear sincest night and throughout the morning. I was now capable of hitting the boars 5 out of 10 times if they weren''t running fast and¡­. ''Why am I getting proud with such a poor uracy?'' My uracy wasn''t anything praisable by any means but this was something I had achieved on my own. Maybe this was the reason. Wasn''t it weird that in tough times even small things will make you happy? The remaining two boars were now only 60 feet away from me. But suddenly they tumbled. I quickly ran towards them and shed at their neck using the greatsword before they could stand back. I had borrowed it from Ryan just for this time. I had asked Ryan to borrow his weapon without expecting much. But surprisingly he didn''t refuse me but gave me his greatsword. He even told me to be careful if I was going to use its skill. Now he actually looked like a good guy ...who was unlucky enough to be born with an unsalvageable mouth. [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.6 Blood Boar. You have gained 130 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.6 Blood Boar. You have gained 130 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.6 Blood Boar. You have gained 130 exp.] [You have leveled up] [You have gained 2 stat points] I finally leveled up again! This was our third group for today. Since we had hunted the first two groups rtively cautiously I had already reached the maximum exp for Lvl. 4. I had asked them to let me hunt this group alone as I wanted to see if I could do it. I looked towards the thing that tripped the boar, a rope that was tied between the tees. Although I had used Ryan''s weapon and Lark''s rope I was still satisfied with this result. This wasn''t anything impressive to them but it was worth much more to me. I remembered when I had asked Lark why was he carrying a rope. He had simplyughed off the question. Maybe he had some kind of skill rted to it? After all his stigma ability shouldn''t have anything to do with rope. "This much should be enough. Let''s start." Imented as he stored thest boar. Chapter 14 Preparations [2] "Are you sure that this will work?" "Yeah. I''m pretty sure this would work." For someone like me who has read the novel, the greatest advantage was my knowledge. Not to mention this was something that the protagonist had done to farm status points quickly. Of course, I wasn''t nning on doing the same thing he did. I was quite weak to do that. As we were running through the forest, we reached arge clearing. "How did you find it, again?" Lark looked towards the clearing in the middle of the forest and then towards me. "I found itst night during my shift. I was had nothing to do anyway so I decided to roam the ce." Lark looked at me with furrowed brows. It was clear that he wanted to ask me why I was wandering so far from our camp. Although he had been hospitable so far it was not like I could tell him what I was doing at night. "Let''s just get to work" Ryan beckoned us to get started already. Moving to the center, Ryan and I began dumping every boar we had killed today, which numbered 15. The blood boars had the ability to go berserk when they smelled blood above certain limits. In this state, their strength and agility would increase. But if done properly, hunting berserk boars was easier. Due to losing the ability to think, the blood boars would leave their group or attack each other. This would make it much easier to hunt them. The protagonist had to kill arge number of blood boars to make them go berserk. He achieved this by killing them in an enclosed space for many days. Last night when I was talking with Lark, he had asked me if I had any ideas for hunting. After we went off-topic, I mentioned to him about making them go berserk and then hunting them without any hope. Surprisingly, Lark said that he had a way. The result was this n. We were going to collect a dozen corpses and then use them to make the blood boars in the vicinity go berserk. I still wasn''t sure what Lark was going to do. I did know about him, but this didn''t mean that I knew his every skill. But there was still something to be done. "Will you really won''t absorb the cores?" "Rather than won''t, it''s that I can''t. As I told you, my assimtion rate is slow." Sighing, Lark sat beside Ryan on the ground and began absorbing cores. Cores give additional exp this is why they were using them before we start in earnest. I also passed my cores to Ryan and Lark, saying that we needed everyone to be in their top condition. I had a hard time convincing Lark, and he only agreed on the condition that he would return the cores with interest. I also wanted to absorb the cores. But absorbing them was a delicate process, nor did I know how to do that. It would have been suspicious if I asked them about it. So I decided that it would be better to let them have the cores and make them owe me. After everything was done, Lark stood in front of the corpses. Suddenly, his wand vanished and a thick book appeared in his hand. "A Grimoire." Words leaked from my mouth as I saw the book. Now I knew why Lark was so confident. Unlike wands or other essories, a grimoire doesn''t provide any buff, like increased damage, increased chanting speed, or such. Also, Grimoires had only a single function. But it was enough to set off its drawbacks. Grimoires could store spells in them. Of course, the number and rank of spells depended on the rank of the grimoire. And the magician still has to supply their mana, and the chanting couldn''t be skipped even with skills. But the ability to store spells was still nothing to scoff at. Holding the grimoire, a sk appeared in Lark''s empty hand. He gulped down the liquid, which was probably mana potion, and began chanting. "Heed my call, the progenitor of the beginning. Show your might and guide the way of the world through the peril. A strike to make the gods and demons bow alike. " A giant circle with a 10 feet radius appeared above the corpses. "Air Thunder" Suddenly a purple color shed from the circle. For a second, nothing happened then¡­.. BOOM-! An extremely strong explosion happened, strong enough to vaporize everything it struck. Lark''s face had be pale, and his breathing was extremelyborious. His legs were shaking badly and he couldn''t even stand properly. But he was sessful. Every corpse was erased, and now only a red mist was left. I was having trouble closing my mouth. ''A purple lightning.'' This was the second thing I saw after my transmigration that screamed fantasy. ''Did he put all his stat points in Mana to be able to use that spell?'' It was the only way for him to have the mana capacity to use the strongest Rank 1 spell, Air Thunder. Still, Lark''s job was not done. Groggily, he tried to stand and cast another spell. It would still take a while for to mana potion to start showing its effect. "Wind travels through valleys and fields alike. It is the force of bnce and destruction. Move through by will and bend for my desire. Dispersion " Fortunately, he was only casting a low-level spell. Following his chants, a 3 feet circle appeared on the ground. It sucked all the blood-red mist, creating a torrential sphere that kept getting smaller. Droplets of sweat could be seen on Lark''s forehead as he tried topress the air ball as much as possible. Finally, after he couldn''t go any further, he struck the circle. Immediately, the red mist exploded outwards, but it didn''t go above our knees and kept spreading. ''I see, so he was nning to squeeze everyst drop of blood from 15 boars and then make it spread with air. Certainly, this should work.'' Seeing everything, I had to agree that Warriors and Mages had different advantages over each other. A warrior could engage in fast close quarterbat against the enemy. But they couldn''t do long-range attacks efficiently. Mages took time toplete their chants, but the power behind their attacks was higher. Lark had used two of the stored spells. Yet, he was smiling. He was going to farm exp like crazy in return, after all. A whileter, Lark stabilized, and we decided to move. [Time Remaining: 61:21:49] "Two hours should be enough." I spoke while looking at my hologram. "Okay, remember, don''t bete." Then all three of us dashed in three different directions. Lark went towards the east, Ryan towards the north while I went towards the south. As I ran, I could smell the scent of blood which was wafting through the air. I spotted a few groups of blood boars but I avoided them as they were still sane. I was looking for boars that had started going berserk. Possibly those that were near death state due to fighting amongst themselves. I wasn''t going directly to attack any boar, even if it was alone. It would be a waste if I were to engage inbat after doing all the things. It was because of this that we went in different directions. "I don''t need to worry about them. I just saw how capable Lark is. Though I don''t think he will be able to use his grimoire many times now." Since none of us were nning to fight directly, going alone was the best option. After all, we were still in a test and hunting alone wouldn''t lead to exp distribution. "Status." I still had not used the stat points from the previous level up. I was nning on using them depending on the situation. ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Meta Level: 5 Exp: 30/750 Remaining SP ¨C 02 -->Stats: Strength ¨C 09 Agility ¨C 14 Stamina ¨C 11 Constitution ¨C 11 Aura ¨C 10 Intelligence ¨C 11 Luck ¨C 07 -->Skills: [Pierce [Common-Rank]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. ========= Chapter 15 Result [1] I was running while a berserk blood boar chased after me. Its eyes had turned red, and it was throwing its saliva everywhere. It was a pretty disgusting sight for eyes. ''It''s catching up to me.'' The only thing I was better than these mid Meta-rank blood boars was agility. But in the berserk state, their physical ability was reinforced making even their agility slightly higher than me. Putting more strength in my legs, I ran towards therge rock ahead. It was almost 7 feet tall and almost thrice as thick. When I was near it, I crouched and easily jumped on top of it in one single sweep. I still felt weird doing these superhuman feats. THUD-! The blood boar, as if it hadn''t seen the rock, didn''t slow down in the least and smashed its head into the rock. [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.6 Blood Boar. You have gained 100 exp.] The exp was reduced since the gap level had reduced now that I was level 5. I jumped down and pulled my spear away from its corpse. "It broke." My spear was broken into two halves, rendering it useless. It was good that I had crafted a spear from the shadow fox earlier or I wouldn''t had anything to use right now. I attacked it with my spear to practice my throwing skills and getting its aggro at the same time. Around me were 4 more corpses of blood boars that I had simrly hunted in the past hour. Hunting beasts this easily was a blessing. I could finally feel the bliss of having transmigrated. I had a very difficult first day due to having transmigrated at the wrong time. Thankfully, now everything was going a lot more smoothly. I didn''t need to fight the blood boars personally, making hunting a lot easier. Otherwise, I couldn''t have hunted more than one boar in one hour. I collected the core of the blood boar and began roaming to find my new target. By now, the sun was ready to hidepletely. And the evening was about to turn into night. I chuckled as I remembered Lark''s and Ryan''s expressions when I had mentioned this n to them. Since blood boars weremon beasts, both of them already knew about their berserk ability. Maybe because they were born in this world, theirmon sense had made them unable to think of this n. To them, my n must have sounded like inting balloons with a blower. Common sense dictated it can''t be done. After all, in usual circumstances, doing this would put other adventures or hunters in danger. So they must have been unconsciously ignoring this n. But were our current circumstances normal? "We should go with it. The bracelet would protect everyone from any life-threatening attack. At most, they would get injured." Thankfully it wasn''t hard to convince both of them. I felt vibrations underneath my feet as I was running to find other boars. Feeling the tremors, my brows furrowed. "Did the protagonist already blow up the volcano?" [Time Remaining: 59:51:43] "No, it''s too early." There were still a few hours left. KREECH-! "That the sound of ¡­.trees falling?!" I turned on my heels and started running away from the direction of the noise. My expression was turning increasingly worse. I could feel that the noises were getting closer to me. -THRRHRW Within a few minutes the tremors had increased more in intensity. I didn''t waste my time and kept running at full speed towards the predetermined meeting point. "Nathan here!" Ryan appeared on my right and cut a blood boar rushing towards me. ''I could have been in serious trouble if he didn''t appear just now.'' The blood boar had managed to reach a few feet from me. And I was unable to detect it. Ryan beckoned me and both of us ran towards the west. On our way, we encountered two low-level blood boars, which Ryan eliminated without much effort. Both of us reached a tree on which Lark was standing. It was one of the thickest trees I had seen in this forest. "Climb up here. This tree should hold on for some time." We climbed to the top and looked toward the source of the noises. -THRRHRWVDWK The tremors were no longer small. The branches were now visibly shaking. The noises were also increasing in volume. "It''s sta-" "The stampede" But why was it happening this early? A blood boar goes into a berserk state when they smell blood over a certain threshold. This in itself isn''t enough to call blood boars dangerous. But what if it happens on arge scale? Hundreds of blood boars would go berserk. When this happens, on arge scale, they wouldn''t attack themselves. Rather, a stampede happens. This results in a massive amount of damage to lives and property. Even inside dungeons, a stampede was dangerous as it could catch adventures unaware and lead to heavy losses. -THRRHRW ¨CTHRRHRW ¨CTHRRHRW The noises getting louder and louder. It reached a point where we began having trouble hearing each other. -THRRHRW ¨CTHRRHRW ¨CTHRRHRW A nket of dust was rising in the air forming brown clouds. -THRRHRW ¨CTHRRHRW ¨CTHRRHRW Finally, we could see berserk boars with our naked eyes. At first, only three or four boars appeared. Then 10, then 20, then 50. Their numbers kept increasing and increasing. It became difficult to even find a ce to step on the ground. Running away on the ground was no longer feasible. But our problems were just starting. THUD-! CREAK-! A blood boar smashed into the tree we had climbed, making the tree tremble. THUD-! CREAK-! It happened again. THUD-! CREAK-! The tree creaked repeatedly, but it still stood tall. We were holding the tree firmly to not fall off. THUD-! CREAAKKK-! The tree trembled for longer this time. It was only a matter of time before we would be forced to go down. I heard Lark saying something behind me. Just as I turned around¡­ *Push* Lark pushed me and threw me into the stampede. He was smiling gently as he waved his hand. His lips parted, and he spoke something. But his words were drowned between the noises of the stampede. "Wh-" Before I could even speak something, my body jerked. "Hey, snap out of it! Why weren''t you moving?!" Ryan shouted into my ear while holding me as he stood above a boar''s back. THUD-! Lark alsonded on the boar beside us and startedughing like a maniac. "T-That look on your face was pricesle-Pfft.Hahaha I''m sorr-hahaha" Looking at himughing like a deranged person and the fact that Ryan helped mend, I now understood what had happened. Lark must have called me to start moving. But because of the noises, I wasn''t able to hear him. Then he must have decided to pull a prank and so he pushed me down. "..." "Hahaha Your face was screaming ''You betrayed me'' Pfft Hahaha" Ryann ignored Lark, who didn''t look like he would stop anytime soon, and beckoned me. The ground was now filled with rampaging boars. A single step and you would be run over by an army of boars. So how would we move now? Simple: We just have to run on the back of boars. If we only focused on running away by jumping on boars, it was possible to run away. At least in theory. ''Fuck'' I didn''t think running in this way would be this hard. Ryan and Lark were already far ahead of me. I was having difficulty timing my jumps andnding properly on boars. My motor controls weren''t fast enough to keep up with them. I knew time was of the essence. So I swiftly decided to use my unallocated stat points. [Agility ¨C 14 --> Agility ¨C 16] I could immediately feel my body bing lighter. I could now see the boar''s hooves stomping on the ground more clearly. It wasn''t as if I could see things moving slower, but rather I could now follow the movements more easily. Everything was moving at the same pace but now I could see the details more vividly. The world now flowed more smoothly for me. With my newfound rity, I began moving at a pace much faster and more controlled than before. Oveing this night will determine whether I get those manuals or not. Chapter 16 Result [2] Dealing with a stampede requires a considerable number of awakeners. So why did Lark and Ryan agree to this n easily? Firstly, this ind was an important resource for raising Meta-rankers. Awakeners'' association would maintain the number of every species within reasonable numbers. This was more so when Ward''s examination was happening here. This test was surprise for everybody, but every awakener here was a talented person. Any death here would cripple Earth''s already exhausted forces even more. Secondly, if an unforeseen ident happens, the bracelet will make sure nobody dies. I was thinking back to the n while maintaining my bnce on the top of a boar. Standing on a berserk boar wasn''t very easy. The sight of the stampede happening was overwhelming. No matter how well we were prepared, the real thing was above our expectations. Hundreds of boars were rushing forward in a berserk state. Even then only a few were smashing into trees while mostly were avoiding the trees. The boar I was standing on suddenly steered right and collided with another boar, making it fall. Secondster, it was crushed under the horde "Gulp¡­". One mistake and that could be our fate. [Congrattion, you have killed a Lvl. 6 blood boar. You have gained 30 exp.] It seemed that the system judged that I had contributed to killing the boar and gave me exp. Now my total exp was 660. I only have to wait for this four more times to level up. Blood boars are the best! A little farther from me, Lark and Ryan were also jumping from one boar to another. We were moving in the opposite direction of the horde to escape the stampede as fast as possible. It made jumping difficult, but it was safer than going along with the horde. "Huup." I jumped toward the next boar. This was exciting and scary at the same time. Every time I jumped my heart would beat intensely from the tension. The boar I wasnding on suddenly swung its tusks towards me. I was about to be impaled when a ropetched onto my waist and pulled me away. "Are you okay?" Lark shouted, holding the other end of the rope in his hand. He was responsible for saving us if we were to fall. But he couldn''t repeat this many times due to his mana reserves. ''Something isn''t right.'' While I was being saved by Lark, I had a chance to look at the surroundings more clearly. ''The horde is too organized.'' All the berserk boars were running in a single direction. A stampede of berserk blood boars should be a lot more chaotic. If my guess was correct, it was because¡­ "We need to move along the horde. Let''s go forward, not backward." I shouted to get Ryan and Lark''s attention at the same time. "No, that will increase the time to escape and the risk will increase." "I know, but we need to move. I''ll exin while moving." "Exnation first. It''s too dangerous to move¡­." Lark''s words got quieter by the end of the sentence. He was looking at the back of the horde. "You are right. Let''s move." THUD-! THUD-! As if on cue, some trees far at the back were toppled. Cutting through the hoard, arge boar about 12 feet tall was rushing towards us. It had arge brown mane and four tusks. It looked more savage than other blood boars. Unlike all the boars, its eyes weren''t red and still held a semnce of sanity. At its arrival, our faces became iparably solemn. The boar''s appearance made it clear. It was one rank higher than us. None of us could contend against an Iota-rank Blood Boar. Without a word, we began rushing ahead at a faster pace. Unluckily, the same thing as me happened to Ryan. The boar he was about tond collided with another boar and crashed. SWISH-! A rope zapped through the air to catch him. But Lark''s expression turned grim. The rope couldn''t reach Ryan. It fell short by a few feet, but it was enough to make a world of a difference. "Hold on!" Before something unfortunate happened, I jumped while holding the rope. Ryan was crucial to my n. "Thanks." He managed to catch my hand in time. Lark then controlled the rope and pulled us. "Huff.. Huff.." [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl. 6 boar. You have gained 40 exp.] The Iota-rank boar was now 200 feet away from us. It eyes never moved away from us as it chased after us. "Ryan!" "On it!" Ryan stopped and turned back. Standing at the rear, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn''t stop even after a few seconds and kept sucking in the air. His eyes suddenly snapped open, and he released his breath. What came out wasn''t air but¡­.fire. Like a dragon, he blew me and created a wall of fire. This was his Stigma: me Breadth. Unsurprisingly, the fire wasn''t enough to kill boars and was extinguished quickly. But it had achieved its purpose. It startled the berserk boars momentarily. Blood boars nearest to the wall of fire halted. But the boars at the back didn''t. A domino effect happened as many blood boars fell over each another, ultimately creating a living wall of blood boars. "Let''s move... quickly when it c..an''t see us." Droplets of sweat formed on Ryan''s forehead, and he was breathing heavily. Perhaps because he still had low control over his stigma, a wisp of fire came out every time he spoke. This area was solely upied by mid Meta-rank boars. We had expected a high Meta-rank boar to join the horde. But an Iota-rank boar was out of our wildest imagination. [Congratualtions, you have killed a Lvl. 6 boar. You have gained 20 exp.] The abrupt fire also agitated the boars on our side. They started running more disorderly and many more boars collided with each other. THUD-! THUD-! Suddenly, the familiar sound returned. We had moved a few hundred feet away, but the Iota-rank boar was already beginning to near us. The Iota-rank boar was charging toward us more ferociously than before. It was covering the gap at an rming pace. Sighing, Lark suddenly stopped and turned to me. He then spoke in his usual cheery tone as he walked towards me. "That boar doesn''t look like it would leave us. I think we need bait to distract it." SWISH-! A thin ropeunched in my direction. "Pierce!" I was always ready for the possibility of them betraying me. So, when Lark''s temperament suddenly changed, I was ready to defend myself at any moment. My swift action surprised Lark, and he ducked to dodge the attack. But the attack never came. The spear made from shadow tail fox wasn''t a real weapon. This made it ipatible with my skill. Nevertheless, a gap was created when Lark dodged. A gap enough for me to run. The Iota-rank boar had almost caught up to us. If I could stall for a few more moments, they wouldn''t have time to deal with me. *Grab* I was running while making sure I was outside Lark''s range when a hand seized me from behind. I shook my body as hard as possible to escape. But Ryan''s iron grip never loosened. "D-dont.." He raised my body in the air and threw me into the horde. Chapter 17 Result [3] [Time Remaining: 55:23:10] "We are finally out." Lark grabbed the water canteen and emptied it in one go. Heughed out loud. "Why the long face? Wasn''t the rush satisfying?" "¡­." Ryan kept cleaning his greatsword silently. "So, you can also use your head sometimes, huh? It was a good idea to throw that idiot over the Blood boar. It started jumping up and down to throw him off and ran somewhere else." Lark was used to Ryan''s silence so continued unterally. "Betraying him then doesn''t sit well with me. I wanted to use him like the guy on the first day! Though we were lucky to meet that smart idiot. He helpe-" "Where are we going next?" At Ryan''s interruption, Lark''s brows furrowed. But he answered in his cheery tone. "Guess where?" He stretched his words at the end and took a dramatic pause before continuing. "We are going to meet our idiot friend''spanion. A friend''s friend is also our friend. We can''t leave them alone." *** [Time Remaining: 56:23:13] I held my urge to vomit and grabbed the Iota-rank boar''s mane tightly. After Ryan threw me above it. It started darting here and there to throw me off. In its frenzy, it also killed a lot of Meta-rank boars. We were now away from the horde. The boar kept smashing into trees as it tried to remove me. I had no choice but to cling to it. The only way I could think of escaping was by tiring it out. The boar ran to another tree when suddenly it fell. Its body balled over and started rolling. I knew I would get squashed like a mosquito if I came under it. So I jumped. Before jumping, I again looked at my status. ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Meta Level: 6 Exp: 150/900 Remaining SP ¨C 02 -->Stats: Strength ¨C 09 Agility ¨C 16 Stamina ¨C 11 Constitution ¨C 11 Aura ¨C 10 Intelligence ¨C 11 Luck ¨C 07 -->Skills: [Pierce [Common-Rank]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. ========= My body rolled over a dozen feet beforeing to a stop. GRAUU-! Blood curling scream came from the blood boar as it tried to stand "It''s injured." My brows knit as I looked at the Iota-rank boar. There were several cuts on his body, and its front legs were swathed in blood. But that blood had already dried. This suggested it was injured before it attacked us. "This was the reason." Thest of the pieces puzzle came together and finally, the picture waspleted. I could help but grind my teeth at the realization. "Someone other than us was also hunting the blood boars." This would exin why the stampede had happened early. I never thought someone strong enough to kill tens of blood boars was also in the same territory. This Iota-rank beast must have escaped them and joined the horde. Upon seeing someone simr who had injured it, it must have decided to get revenge. This would exin why it was dead set on killing us. "Haah¡­" I knew I couldn''tin about what had already happened. I should be happy that it was at least injured. [Agility ¨C 16 --> Agility ¨C 18] GRAUU-! The boar screamed again as it finally stood up. I held my spear up ....and realized it was missing. "Shit!" It must have fallen during the earlier scuffle. Not wasting any time, I took my broken spear out and held both the pieces in my hands. -THRWKR The blood boar ran towards me. Every step it took made the earth tremble. Before I could get familiar with my newfound increase in agility, it was already upon me. I jumped and rolled sidewards to avoid it at thest moment. CRASH-! It crashed into a tree and knocked it over. Without giving me any rest, it again tried to run me over. The only sound I could distinguish was my heart thumping against my chest as I waited for the perfect timing. Timing my roll, I dodged just before it was about to crush me. But this time I didn''t wait for it to crash into a tree. I jumped to my feet and ran behind it to attack. I thought I could inflict wounds on it by focusing on its cuts. A mistake. The moment I stepped near it, it swung its head and easily flung me away. My body flew and crashed into a tree. "Cough..." The air was knocked out of my lungs. I couldn''t breathe for a few good moments. GRAUU-! Holding back the murky liquid rising in my throat, I stood. ''I shouldn''t attack it recklessly again.'' I needed to stay calm if I wanted to have a chance at defeating it. Ignoring the pain, I tried to find another way to attack it. ''Eyes.'' No matter how strong the beast was, the vital points should be the same. -THRWKR ''Should I throw the spear to attack its eyes?'' I stood rooted in the same ce and waited for it toe to me. ''Or should I try to jump on it and then attack its eyes?'' It didn''t even take a few seconds to arrive in front of me. I settled on the safest approach and threw the wooden part towards its face. The boar closed its eyes to protect them and swung its head. At the same time, I rolled over to dodge it when suddenly I was yanked. The boar''s tusk got entangled with my half-torn jacket! The jacket ripped even more and covered its eye. Losing the vision in one eye, the boar started to swing its head wildly. It felt like my organs were being twisted. Still, I held tight. This was an opportunity in itself! I used my free hand and plunged the spear in its eye. GRAUU-! It prated until only a part of the spear was left out. But the tip still hadn''t reached its brain. The rattling intensified, and the boar howled in pain. I could feel my grip losing at any moment. "PIERCE!" Before the boar threw me off, I used my only skill. CRASH-! I was mmed against the rough ground. "Sh..it" I unconsciously cursed. The skill didn''t activate. Chapter 18 Result [4] -CHIIIII A high-pitched sound kept ringing in my ears while I tried to push myself up. My center of bnce was off, which made standing even more difficult. Finally, after 4th try, I seeded. Amid my attempts, the blood boar was going insane and smashing into every tree. A wooden stick sticking out of its right eye was the reason for its frenzy. GRAUUU-! Finally, only a few trees behind me were left. The blood boar red hatefully at me and screamed again. This time, it didn''t rush at me hastily and kept ring at me. I couldn''t help but close my eyes. What did I do to deserve this? Fighting a dangerous beast on the first day, escaping something that could kill me with a push, meeting backstabbing teammates, and now fighting a beast that was way above my level. Every next thing that happened was worse than before. Don''t those ''Extras'' always get their cheat easily andter be overpowered? Should I me my luck or should I me myself for having hope? "...Hehehe" Do or die, is it? But the bracelet will make sure I won''t die. Then it''s fine, isn''t it? "I need to be there when those guys receive my gift." With a snap, I opened my eyes, and I bolted to the blood boars. ''It''s can''t see on its right side.'' With its maw opened wide, it also charged toward me. Only 50 feet were left in between us when I used my dimensional ring. I threw the Greenhorn rabbit''s corpse towards the boar''s only functional eye. Having lost one eye before, the fear of pain made it dodge the shaft. At that moment, the gap between us finally closed. I didn''t roll and directly slid underneath it! As its forelegs passed behind me, I clutched its thick hide. I clung to it as it crashed into a tree. It rolled its body to shake me off. Timing my jump when its belly was facing toward the sky, I jumped towards its blind spot. I now stood just out of the boar''s range. Before the boar couldpletely stand, I started circting my Aura. I tensed my calves as I got ready to rush towards its head in one go. I threw the rabbit''s corpse that appeared in my hand on the boar''s other side. THUMP-! CRACK-! The moment the corpse fell, I leaped from its blind spot. The boar reacted to the sound and swing its tusk to the ....right side! But it only hit empty air! Jumping down the tree, I punched the shaft of the spear. PUCHI-! The spear moved furtherer and punctured its brain. THUD-! The boar fell before it could even stand. "Cough..cough.." I continued lying while something warm was covering my mouth. ''It''s dead, right?'' [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl. 11...¡­.] [...¡­.] [...] [¡­] Several notifications popped in front of my eyes, signifying the end of the fight. ''I should rest a little before meeting them.'' I closed my eyes to take a little nap. *** [Time Remaining: 54:49:10] "Where the hell did thesee from?" Ryan shouted as he fended against two beasts. His pale figure was illuminated by the burning trees. His clothes were tattered, and he was bleeding all over his body. Behind him, Lark was standing while raising his wand, creating a transparent barrier around them. But the barrier kept flickering in and out of existence as Lark''s mana reserves kept dwindling. They had taken a short rest after the horde dispersed before moving again. As they were walking towards the guardian cliff, they were suddenly ambushed by a group of beasts. Lark was feeling miserable as he chanted a spell. ''Why did it have to be shadow foxes?'' Unlike Ryan, Lark knew about them. He had ordered Ryan to not kill a single beast as they fled. But no matter how far back they ran, shadow foxes continued chasing after them. Unsurprisingly, Lark didn''t have Ryan''s level of stamina. So, they had no choice but to engage the shadow foxes. CLANG-! On their feet were 7 corpses of shadow foxes, leaving only two alive. But Ryan and Lark were also on theirst leg. Lark was barely managing to stand by supporting himself with his wand. While Ryan was struggling to even lift his sword. Dealing with almost 10 beasts at the same time was too much for them "Lark do it. Prepare the spell...And you better not try to trick me." Ryan shouted towards Lark. Lark didn''t say anything, but a grimoire appeared in his hands. Immediately after, the barrier disappeared, and he started chanting a new spell. "Haa!!" Ryan shouted at the top of his lungs and dashed forward. He had not even taken five steps when a shadow appeared behind him and almost bit his neck. Still, he did not falter and swung his greatsword towards the back. Before his attack had even connected, a tail appeared and shed towards his legs! SWISH-! SWISH-! Two trails of blood spilled into the air. THUD-! A shadow fox corpse fell. "Urghh¡­" Ryan groaned as he grabbed the tail which had prated through his calves. He had sacrificed his left leg to kill one shadow fox and capture another! "Lark! Hurry!" ? The shadow fox tried to shake him off, but he persisted nheless. ".e to me. Wind s-Arghh!!!" Lark wailed as his thigh was suddenly pierced. Ryan lost all hope when he thought of the possibility of another shadow fox. But something entirely unexpected happened. "Hello, Ryan." Nathan was waving his hand while holding a spear with another hand. "Did you guys miss me? Because I really missed you gu-" "Arghhh, help me! Help me! HELP ME YOU BASTARD RY-ARGHH" "You know, I hate that habit of yours. Do you have some kind of fetish to cut off others when they are speaking?" Nathan didn''t stop twisting the spear as he spoke. Tears spilled from Lark''s eyes, but this time he kept his mouth shut. "H-How?" Ryan could barely voice out anything due to exhaustion. Yet he was still not letting the shadow fox go. "Here" Nathan didn''t answer him and threw a broken spear toward him. Nathan then pulled the spear from Lark''s leg and ced it on his neck. His meaning was clear. ''Kill the shadow fox or he is eliminated.'' Ryan gritted his teeth as he caught the spear. From Lark''s earlier exnation, he knew that shadow foxes would chase anyone who kills their brethren. Ryan didn''t know how Nathan was here, but he knew he couldn''t let Nathan control the flow. "You will eliminate us either way. So, why don''t I let this shadow fox escape and it will eliminate both of us?" Nathan ignored his unruly tone and spoke in a tone simr to Lark. "You seem to be misunderstanding something. Why do you think the shadow foxes didn''t attack me and only you when you guys used ''me ze''?" Ryan''s eyes shook. From his words Nathan really had been here since the beginning! "This is why you shouldn''t ept anything from strangers." Ryan couldn''t remember anything that Nathan gav- no, there was one. The cores! "You gave us Shadow fox cores!" Ryan had been acting like he wasn''t listening when, in fact, he was always paying attention to Lark and Nathan''s conversation. This was why he quickly remembered that Nathan was injured while fleeing from guardian cliff. But the only beast that roamed in this area at night were Shadow foxes! "Gulp¡­" Ryan realized that Nathan was the reason that the shadow foxes continued chasing them. ''We would have been safe if we had gone in any other direction¡­.'' Ryan''s scalp went numb, and he felt goosebumps all over him. The reason they came in this direction was that Nathan had said his friend was here. Ryan couldn''t believe what he was thinking. Nathan had told them about his friend on the same day they met. ''Since when we had been dancing on his palms?'' Ryan shuddered as he looked back at things. His own thoughts felt far-fetched to him. But everything was too perfect to be a coincidence. Nathan telling them he didn''t knew beast that attacked him. His friend being near the guardian cliff. Him giving them cores saying his umtion rate was low. The only thing that didn''t fit was how Nathan was nning to escape when the shadow foxes attacked them. But the answer he thought of felt even more absurd. They hadn''t used Nathan as the bait on the second day because they needed to gather information about the surrounding territories. Then what about the third day? For a stampede, they needed to kill boars in a veryrge area. So having as many members as possible was the best. Whose idea was stampede? It was Nathan''s. ''He found a way to dy getting backstabbed. While also getting exp, points, and a way to escape.'' If Nathan had tried running during stampede could they have stopped him? Ryan wasn''t sure. The only reason they were able to catch Nathan was because they had moved first. If Nathan had moved first he could have surely fled in the middle of that chaos. Like puppets they had been moving as Nathan wanted them to. The calm smile Nathan had since beginning started distorting in his mind. The smile didn''t feel friendly like before, but a devil wearing human skin. Everything was so absurd that Ryan startedughing. "Hey, will you answer my three questions? Don''t worry, I''ll kill the shadow fox, regardless." Saying so, he killed the shadow fox. "It will depend, but shoot." "Why did you think-no, How did you know we would backstab you? Why didn''t you escape during the night shift? And¡­.why did you save me?" ''As expected of him, he already figured out almost everything.'' Ryan was the reason Nathan had to use such a roundabout way. Nathan decided to answer Ryan. The answers weren''tplicated, anyway. He raised his first finger. "Your points and you knew about the bracelet''s safety function. You used someone as bait on the first day." Their points were indeed too high for a single day. Thinking about the bracelet, a wry smile appeared on Ryan''s face. Nathan had talked about it when they were nning the stampede. The timing and the absurdity of the n made them forget that this fact was never told, and they had agreed that the bracelet was their safety. Nathan then raised his second finger. "Points and exp." Ryan stupidly nod his head. He still couldn''t wrap his head around the fact that someone insane like Nathan could exist. But the next thing Nathan said made him doubt his ears. Nathan raised his middle finger and grinned. "Give me your sword." Chapter 19 Result [5] "Urgh.." A groan escaped my lips when I tried to stand using the nine tails fox statue as support. Unsurprisingly, I had only been acting tough in front of Ryan and Lark. My fingers were broken from when I had punched the spear. Even slightly moving my hand sent jolts of pain across my body. My body was also not in any better shape. To catch up to Lark and Ryan, I had no choice but to use almost all the status points I gained from killing Iota-rank boar into agility. I had only allotted a single stat point into the constitution for temporary pain relief. Looking at the sword in my hand, I remembered Ryan and Lark''s faces as I left. I bet they were thinking, ''If only we hadn''te in this direction.'' But the moment they had ignored Lark''s unusually long sleep, their fates had been sealed. During my night shift, I had gone towards the guardian cliff as close as possible and dumped the corpse of the shadow fox I had. I had asked for my shift to best because at the daybreak the shadow foxes would be gathered at the guardian cliff''s base. But it wouldn''t be the same when night came again. The shadow foxes would find the corpse and venture out to find the culprit. This was the real reason I had given Ryan the shadow fox core. No matter where they ran, they would be chased until the end of the exam. To make sure they were asleep, I had wrung the blue berries from this guardian cliff into their water canteen. Using them was a gamble. But I had nothing to lose. Either I bet everything to get those manuals or escaped empty-handed. This was why they were already trapped when they ignored Lark''s prolonged sleep. As for Ryan, I knew that he didn''t have any means to locate me. Slipping away was difficult only because of Lark''s stigma. Yes, I knew about their stigmas. After all, they were characters that had some relevance in ''Saga of Heroes'', especially Ryan. This was the real reason I knew they would backstab me. And so I also knew how dangerous deceiving Ryan was. He was a genuine threat if he decided toe after me. This made one think, couldn''t I have left shadow foxes to deal with them and they would never know my involvement? Originally, that was the n. I had no interest in making them I was behind their uing misery. But I had to improvise when I saw Ryan''s greatsword. If they were eliminated, a shield would be formed around them until they were brought back. So, I had to take the sword before that, which I did. Then another question arises. Lark had his thigh pierced while Ryan had absorbed the shadow fox core. One couldn''t move, while another would be targeted by shadow foxes even if the smell of blood vanished. This meant that they couldn''te after me now but what about future? Wasn''t I nning to not deal with them because of how dangerous it was? The answer was to this surprisingly easy. I just had to break their will. And make them think I could easily see through their ns. Why did I act all edgy while hinting that I was behind everything? I had to make them think that they were dancing on my palms and shake their mentality. They needed to think I had been controlling them since the beginning. For this, I needed to make them aware of my n, but I couldn''t exin it myself. The impact they would feel after concluding on their own would be a thousand times more than telling it myself. This was why I only hinted of my involvement with the ambush and let them continue their thoughts. From here I didn''t need to do anything. After all, when someone is backed into the corner they would always think of worst case scenario. And I was sure I had seeded. How so? Ryan never once asked me how did I deal with Iota-rank boar or how I escaped shadow foxes after killing them. This means that he now unconsciously saw me as someone who was hiding his strength and always scheming. I had made sure that both of them were physically and mentally incapable ofing after me, neither now nor in the future. "Sigh¡­." Ryan''s sword had caused me too much trouble. ======= Greatsword [Common-rank] A greatsword made by an unknown apprentice cksmith. It has good durability. It has barely qualified as an artifact. -Increases in weight proportional to Aura supplied. ======= This sword itself wasn''t anything special, but with its ability, I had found a way to get the manuals. [Time remaining: 35:13:55] "It''s time." I was lying near the fox statue on the cliff where I hadnded on the first day. I climbed here using chains that had appeared in the morning. "Cough..cough" My whole body shook from pain when I stood up. Still, I tried to focus and stood a little away from the tform upon which the nine tails status stood. cing the sword on the tform, I ced my hand above it and started supplying my Aura. The sword sucked my Aura at an rming pace, making me feel dizzy. No matter how much it weighed, nothing changed when suddenly¡­. BOOOM-! Arge explosion happened in the direction of the volcano. "About the time the protagonist did it." Of course, the explosion had nothing to do with me. GRRRR-! The tform finally began sinking. It kept sinking when it suddenly fell into the cliff. BANG-! A loud noise indicating that the tform had collided with the ground rang. Looking inside the hole created by the tform, I waved my hand at the Enma-rank Shadow fox and shouted. "There, I opened the gate for you. I also took the liberty of inviting a few guests for the inauguration ceremony." Saying so, I ran for the snake guardian cliff. What did I just do? I used the tform to destroy the magic circle which was holding the Aether-rich air of Aether orb from escaping outside. The falling tform had forced the Shadow fox to remove the orb from the stump, cutting the magic circle''s energy supply. The thing that had bugged me most in that dome was the weird ck ceiling. After thinking for a while, I concluded that it was the base of the tform. Why? Because the way to go inside the snake guardian cliff was through the statue on the cliff. Although the fox statue didn''t have a way to go down, I was sure that the ck te was its base. Now all the beasts which were at least peak Iota-rank would rush here. Naturally, the Sky Viper would also leave its cliff! I just had to keep moving on the chains until I found the right cliff while the beast would fight over the Aether orb! As I crawled on the chain, the pain made me remember the Iota-rank blood boar. I knew it wasn''t my fault, but it still left a bad taste in my mouth. The reason I never considered such a possibility wasn''t that it never urred to me. But because the chances were impossibly small. In the novel, it was heavily pointed out that every strong awakener in the first year had never teamed up with anybody during this exam. This fact had forced their first mission to be a team mission from solo. Anyway, I was sure that only a handful of first years could cause the stampede alone. How unlucky was I to have one of them just near me? On top of that, none of them should have any reason to hunt such weak boars when they could hunt beasts stronger than them to level up quickly! "Forget it. I should be happy that I will be able to take those manuals and¡­.." For a moment I doubted my eyes, but shortly I sat on the chain and startedughing. "Seriously? I know it has ''Sky'' in its name, but couldn''t it have gone through the ground?" An enormous three-headed snake with bat-like wings was flying over the chains anding in my direction. The Sky Viper was gliding over the chain! I closed my eyes and waited for it toe. I had given up and was just waiting for the oue. There was nothing I could do now. My body was in pathetic condition because I fought an injured beginner Iota-rank beast and this thing was leagues above that. Suddenly, a strong gale that almost threw me off blew. I opened my eyes and looked around. Only to find Sky Viper far behind me! It was already too far away and moving at an incredible pace. "Haaah¡­" I had thought this might be possible, but it still felt shocking. The Sky Viper probably ignored me because, for it, Aether Orb was more important than dealing with a small fry. With a deep sigh, I hurriedly began moving while trying to calm my heart. *** I was standing in a dark cave. It took me an hour to remember the correct pattern of rocks near the Snake statue to press and enter here. The tunnel''s altitude kept decreasing as I walked until it finally opened in arge chamber. It was simr to the dome in the previous cliff. Ignoring everything, I walked to the center and stood before the stump made of roots. It was simr to the shadow fox''s one, but there was no Aether orb or magic circle. I ced my hands above the stump and recited the words that I had painstakingly recalled. "The only things left in this ruined world are the sorrows of past and the present that has devoured the future." Then I looked down and saw my body turning into dust until it neared my eyes and I lost my vision. *** VUPP-! I regained my vision inside a dimly lit room. There was a door behind me. It should teleport me to the edge of the ind. The room wasn''t very big. I could move from one corner to another in 7 strides. In the middle of the room, three orbs of light were floating. These three orbs were the reason I had gone through so much struggle. "I finally got all thre-wait, three?" Wasn''t it supposed to be two? My hands, which were moving towards the orbs, stopped. "Whatever. I''ll think about itter." At this point, I was too tired to react to every new stimulus. As my hands touched the orbs, they vanished, and three things dropped to the ground. I picked the two books. [You have obtained Ether manual. Would you like to use it?] [You have obtained Legacy Art of the First King. Would you like to learn it?] Looking at the two notifications, I sucked in cold air and then shouted in joy. "I got them. Yes, finally got them!" As I was crying tears of joy, I learned a new lesson ''Look before you Speak''. [Confirmation affirmed. Beginning the process¡­..] "No, wait I never said Ye-ARGHH!AFJASJKFBAJ!" I kept shouting iprehensible words before I lost consciousness due to overwhelming pain. **** BEEP-! BEEP-! "Argh.." I groggily sat and looked around. I was in a small, dimly lit room. BEEP-! BEEP-! Then I looked at myself. I was covered with red paint and there was arge patch of dried paint of the same color under me. "This smell. Is it bloo¡­" My body shuddered as I remembered the pain I felt before losing consciousness. BEEP-! BEEP-! I was thankful that I had lost consciousness or I would have gone insane from the pain. "sigh.. The memory was too weird." BEEP-! BEEP-! "Where is this sounding from?" I irritably muttered. The constant beeping was getting on my nerves. [Time Remaining: 00:00:00] "¡­." SHIT! The test had ended while I was unconscious. I hurriedly picked the object from the ground and ran towards the doors. Chapter 20 Legacy Art [1] "Yawn¡­" I rubbed my sleepy eyes as I tried to stay awake. CHATTER-! CHATTER-! The Entrance Examination ended seven days ago. Right now I was sitting in a gigantic hall waiting for the Entrance Ceremony to start. The hall was filled with students. Everyone was busy talking to the next person. "I wouldn''t havee here if it wasn''t mandatory." CLOMP-! CLOMP-! Sounds of footsteps echoed in the hall as a person walked to the stage. Even though the hall was morous, everyone distinctly heard the footsteps. Silence suddenly descended. The man who stood on stage was almost 8 feet tall with so much hair that one could mistake him for a bear. "Congrattions on entering Ward." A voice loud enough to make me reflexly cover my ears boomed. Even though I was sitting at the end of the hall, I felt like I was next to the speaker during a concert. "I am John Ashdown. Most of you might know me as the Archer of End, a Gamma-ranked awakener and your Vice headmaster." He was an important figure in the novel, but I had no time to think about it. Every time he spoke, it felt like a nail was being hammered into my head. I was beginning to have trouble forming thoughts. "Urghh.." From the groans all around me, it was easy to tell that I was not the only one affected. The loud voice was rattling everybody''s brains. I didn''t doubt that I would permanently lose my hearing if he didn''t stop soon. "You guys have persisted through even the special exam we prepared for. You have the talent and potential to one day be a pir for humanity, the Golden generation. And I have only one word¡­" The faces of students around me were twisted in pain, but they were still smiling. Their pride swelled at being called the golden generation. However, the next words made their expressions drastically change. "¡­pathectic" For a moment, everyone doubted their ears. ''Wasn''t he praising us?'' This was what their faces were saying. The Archer of End chastised us without remorse. "Talent? Potential? Skill? Everything is wasted on you cretins. Can you imbeciles protect Earth when you can''t even work together? Tell me, did any single one of you team up during the special exam?" ''I did.'' I would have raised my hand and answered him if not for the fact I might lose my hand. tant harsh abusive words were being used in the world''s most prestigious academy, by its vice headmaster at that. But no one spoke up. The pressure behind his words, his aura, was pressing us down. He wasn''t here to praise us or ask us a question. At this point, it didn''t matter if what he said was truth or lie. We simply have to ept everything and nod our heads. His eyes swiped the hall, and he left without speaking another word. ''Ah, the irony.'' CLOMP-! CLOMP-! This was just the start of what we were going to face because of what happened in the exam. Although the speech was short, it left an impact on everybody, literally and figuratively. "Sigh¡­" This was why I didn''t want to join the ceremony. My head hurt like hell. TAP-! TAP-! Two students walked onto the empty stage. Standing at the podium was a pair of male and female students. Both of them hadparable looks-no, even better than any model I had seen in my previous life. On the left was standing a girl with waist-length silver hair and blue eyes. She looked like an angel who descended from the heavens. On the right was a youth with blonde hair and crystal blue eyes. His perfectly chiseled face and warm smile had already captured the hearts of many girls in the hall. Seeing him, I felt a sense of incongruity. Something felt missing. "With immense pleasure on behalf of Ward, we wee everyone." The youth started speaking a pleasing greeting. They were Rank 1, Susan Warner, and Rank 2, Cadmus Martel, the members of the main cast. As the speech continued, the faces of students rxed. Cadmus'' friendly nature and way of talking put everyone at ease. Staring at him, I finally found what was missing. ''A white horse!'' Wouldn''t this guy look like a prince from the fairy tales with a white horse? Cadmus was the heir of the Martel family, one of the big three families. He was going to be the best friend and rival of the protagonist. And the future 10th seat of Round Table. When a few minutes passed, my face started turning strange. ''She really won''t say a word, huh?'' Rank 1, Susan, even though it should have been her to lead the speech, she was standing there with an aloof expression. With her unchanging face, she looked more like a doll than a human. -CLAP -CLAP ¨CCLAP After a 30 minutes long speech, the ceremony ended, and I went back straight to the dorms. I wanted to avoid meeting anybody from the main cast for as long as possible. Nothing worth mentioning happened in the ceremony if you ignore my eardrums, which needed a recement. *** POOF-! Inded on my bed face first. The soft mattress hugged my body, and I felt like I was on cloud nine. Everything still felt unbelievable. I died. But not only did I reincarnate, but I also did so inside ''Hero as returned''. Then I went through a shitty five days of hell to get the manuals. After waking up, unlike what I had expected, the test hadn''t ended. Thinking about it more for the past two days, I concluded: "That room was a Stage 1 pocket dimension." Earth was already Stage 2 at this point. This would dilute the time in a 1:5 ratio. Thankfully, I didn''t have to answer why my bracelet''s timer was up. The Byzander ind had a special property that would disable any electronics. Otherwise, students would have been contacting each other or learning survival tips during the exam. This would have defeated the whole purpose of the exam. This saved me from the trouble of thinking of an excuse. Immediately after the test ended, the students who had passed were escorted to the Ward. A wry smile appeared on my face as I remembered the look everybody gave me. Ether manual upgraded my talent. For that, it modified the structure of my body on a fundamental level. My muscles were torn, bones shattered and restructured, and blood redirected. After the process was done, I was soaked in blood. It would have been weirder if anybody would have ignored me. The whole process of the upgrade had left me extremely drained. The moment I stepped into my room, I dropped onto the bed and slept straight for two days. After waking up, the first thing I did was to try ''Armory of Eridu'', my art. The reason I knew about the ether manual and art was because these were supposed to belong to the protagonist. In the mid-part of the novel, the protagonist is ambushed by spies of Elves and Barbarians and the viin organization. The protagonist''s mana core is destroyed by the spies. After the barely escaping the ambush, he reaches Byzander Ind and get these two things. This was the second time Byzander Ind was shown in the novel. The first time was in the entrance examination but it was only for a short period with barely any details about the ind. The second time it was after the protagonist escapes the ambush. But at that time the ind was partially destroyed. This was why I didn''t know properly about the ind''s geography. As for the manuals themselves. The protagonist was only able to use the ether manual not the Legacy art. This was because of the ''Law''. Nobody can learn two arts of same function. A person can have a magic art and a movement art but not two magic arts or two movement arts. It was one of the ''Law'' of universe. The protagonist already had abat art. He couldn''t learn the Legacy art and so I didn''t know what the art was. The only reason I was sure that the Legacy art wasn''t a dud was because it was stored with ether manual. Surely if it was stored with something as important as Ether manual the art must also be important. "I knew it was a legacy art, but this is above and beyond what I was expecting." ''Legacy'' was a grade that didn''t apply to something specific, like potion, weapon, or even skills. These were legacies passed from the Dark age. Anything that was from the Dark age would be Legacy-grade. Anyway, my art could allow me to scan weapons and make copies of them. Remembering the memory I saw when I learned the art, chills went down my spine. A lone man was standing on a destend while hundreds of enemies charged toward him. Yet the man stood unperturbed. He merely raised his hand. Before his enemies could react, uncountable numbers of weapons started appearing in the sky, and a massacre began. Do I need to say what happened next? Wasn''t this something that everyone dreamed of doing at least once? And I could do this! Hooray fantasy! Thinking of my art, I called my status. Every time I looked at it, I still felt shocked, in more ways than one. "Status" Chapter 21 Legacy Art [2] Legacy Art [2] "Status" I covered my face when the status appeared. It was too shocking, and not in a good way. ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Meta Level: 8 Exp: 230/1200 Remaining SP ¨C 00 -->Stats: Strength ¨C 12 Agility ¨C 23 Stamina ¨C 14 Constitution ¨C 15 Ether ¨C 13 Intelligence ¨C 13 Luck ¨C -13 --> Arts: [Armory of Eridu [Legacy]] A legacy left behind by one of the twelve ancient heroes. It''s the ultimate art of weapon creation and summoning. Upon mastery, the user can create an uncountable number of weapons to overwhelm any battlefield. Mastery - Novice -->Skills: [Pierce [Common]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. ========= Yes, my luck changed. Specifically, it reduced. To be exact, it became negative! I''ve never heard of luck changing during level up, let alone decreasing. As for going in the negative? Never, I say. Not even once did I read anything about a stat going in negative. "Is the system broken?" Or maybe the earlier Luck stat was the previous Nathan''s, and this one is mine? Was my shitty luck the reason I transmigrated inside this novel among the hundreds of novels I''ve read? "Haah¡­" Let''s just think that the system is broken. Negative stat doesn''t make sense at all. As for my other stats. They had increased 3 points each because of the hellish torture I went through during the talent upgrade. My Aura stat also changed to Ether. Proof that I was now an Ether user. Ether was the most special type of energy. It was the only variety that contained all the aspects of Aether. This meant that I could use Ether like mana, aura, and every other kind of energy. This opened an endless amount of possibilities for me. I was no longer restricted to using only one way of fighting. I could use magic spells as well as enhance my body at the same time. With Ether, I could build a solid foundation. But this wasn''t the only benefit. The upgrade I went through raised my talent to the highest. Talent referred to the number of stat points one gets after leveling up. The majority of the awakeners get 1 stat point, 2 stat points meant that you were above average and this was a minimum requirement for Ward. 3 stat points meant that you were talented. 4 stat points meant you were a prodigy. 5 stat points meant that you were a monster. Yes, not a genius or genius among geniuses. 5 stat points were regarded as myths. Even throughout history, only a handful of people were said to get 5 stat points, and all of them were legendary figures. And now I also would get 5 stat points whenever I level up. Did this mean that I was bound to reach the pinnacle of humanity even if I did nothing? No, not exactly. Talent and potential were two things that determined the level of strength one could reach at their peak. Most of the time, they are proportional. A person with high talent will have high potential and a person with low talent will have low potential and vice versa. But my new talent wasn''t natural. This meant that I still had the same potential as before. The highest rank I would be able to achieve in my lifetime will be Enma-rank. The ranks in this world were: Meta, Iota, Enma, Te, Hatamoto, Gamma, and Sandra, in increasing order. "Was the author high when he named the ranks?" I stood up and stretched. As the rank increases, the difference between subsequent ranks in power grows. A Meta-rank might be able to win against an Iota-rank, but a Hatamoto-rank won''t be able to win against a Gamma-rank. Sitting at the desk, I opened my diary. This was something I made during the previous days to write and record everything I knew about the novel. From important characters to organizations, their affiliations, location of powerful skills and other perks, and many more. As a scamme-kheum scheme-kneum ....nner, I had confidence in my memory. But being prepared for every possibility was the most basic of basic. "Umbra''s headquarters have the method to increase the potential¡­. And this is the easiest one." Umbra was the head organization of the underworld. Every shady deal behind the shadows was done by them, be it trafficking, kidnapping, illegal dungeons, construction of illegal portals, or anything else. Thewful Aegis, the neutral Umbra, and the evil Illis. These were the trinity organizations. Aegis was the awakener association, and Illis was its counterpart as the viin organization. "Even leaving alive from there would be a miracle." I couldn''t help but sigh. In this world, strength was a basic thing to survive, even more so considering the perilous future. And I needed strength to gain strength. "First things first." My hands itched as I thought of practicing my Art. "Let''s get take a bath first." Suppressing my excitement, I walked toward the bathroom. *** "That was refreshing." I swept my wet bangs aside and looked at myself in the mirror. A 5''7'''' tall boy with blood-red eyes was staring at me. He had faintly visible abs and toned muscles with minimum to no fat. The face in the mirror was looking at me with a weird gaze. "I keep on finding new gains thanks to the talent upgrade, but that pain¡­" My body shuddered. "I should think of productive things.... like at least I''m handsome, even if only from my previous world''s standard." Almost everybody I had seen till now was above average in terms of looks, aspared to my previous world. After admiring myself for a few more minutes, I rubbed my hands together and grinned. "Let''s start training." I knew I was getting excited, like a little child. But being able to use magic was too damn cool! I repeat, too damn cool! Important things need to be said twice! VUPP-! I sat on the bed and brought Ryan''s greatsword out. cing it on the bed, I put my hand on it. "Scan" Immediately, I could see a dot shining in my mind. Shortly, multiple dots began appearing. When the dots finally stopped increasing, all of them shot rays of light toward each other. The rays bent, twisted, and joined with each other and created a frame of a sword. The frame looked like a constetion in the night sky, with the dots as the stars. My brows furrowed as I concentrated and circted ether ording to the art''s instruction. I raised my other hand. "Construct" PHZZZT-! A low static sound resounded as another greatsword began appearing above my hand. Aiming the sword at the wall, I fired it. SWISH-! It flew swiftly and hit the wall. As the sword prated the wall, it broke and vanished, leaving a shallow scar. The entire process took almost 10 seconds. The time was too long, and the weapon created was weak. This was nowhere near useful for fights. But I wasn''t discouraged in the least. Heck, I was grinning like an idiot! "Th-this ...is the best!" This was the result of only a week of training. As long as I continued practicing, the number of weapons will increase and the process will take less time. And I could feel it. Every time I scanned the sword, the projection of the constetion was being imprinted in my mind. "Let''s go!!!" I couldn''t wait for the projection to be a real constetion and trained all night. Chapter 22 Demonstration [1] "Of course, it had to be this ss." I couldn''t help but sigh as I saw the doorte that read ''ss-Katana''. Last night I got too excited while practicing my art and forgot that today was the day the sses would start. In the morning, I hurriedly followed my bracelet''s GPS to my assigned ss. And lo-and-behold. The ss I was assigned was the center of the stage of ''Hero had Returned'' till its middle part and where the main cast will ''study''. "Why couldn''t it have been any other ss?" Was this my -13 luck at work? I was already worried, racking my brain to n my future actions. I needed to make sure the story doesn''t change much while I also take as many as benefits possible to make sure I survive. Now I might get involved with the main cast. Those guys would only bring endless problems and drama with them. My only refuge was the fact that most of them won''t take the initiative to get involved with a low-rank person like me. ''The only problem is her. With her bubbly personality, she would get involved with just anybody. I need to make sur-'' In the middle of my rant, I was suddenly pped on my back. "Yahallo! How are you?" A well-endowed girl was standing beside me with a bright smile. Her apricot-colored hair made a beautiful contrast with her white uniform, which had blue linings and designs. It was the official uniform of the Top 25 cadets. "Too stunned to speak. Haiz.. being too beautiful is a sin too. " She spoke every word with a silly grin while leaning her head towards me. I was stunned. Too stunned to even utter a word. It was because of her appearance, too. ''Fuck, it''s her.'' That appearance, that way of talking, that uniform. It was definitely her! She was Lilith Ashdown. A female member of the main cast. I was just thinking of avoiding her and this happened next. What should I do? I didn''t even do anything, and my ns were already falling apart. ''No, calm down. She only talked to me because she saw my worried look. Just answer her naturally and end the conversation. I need to do this only this much. I can do it!'' But before I could open my mouth, I received another shock. "Look at you. You won''t even greet your friend?" ''Fuck your friend.'' The previous Nathan knew her? Give me back the time I wasted! The hours I spent thinking of ways to avoid them-no, her. "If you stare so fiercely, people will misunderstand." She squirmed as she tried to act embarrassed. This was serious. If she knew the previous Nathan, then she might realize that I was someone else. "I couldn''t even get your namest time, as I had to leave quickly." ''How should I act? It would be a problem if she were to se-Hmm? I never even gave her my name? Wait a minute, could it be..'' It was possible if it was her. Putting the most innocent face I could, I spoke. "Umm.. Do I know you?" The way she spoke earlier hinted that we might have met only a single time and for a short duration, too. Otherwise, it was weird that she didn''t even know my name. ''It''s fine, even if I am wrong. I can just say it was a joke.'' At this point, I was firing shots in the dark. "..What do you mean by that?" ''Dammit, it didn''t work.'' As I was about to reply, her movements halted. "Wait, did I really get the wrong person? Uwa...This is so embarrassing. I''m sorry I mistook you for somebody else." Her ears turned red, and she began waving her hand in a flustered manner. ''C-cute'' I could almost see a tail behind her that stood straight as she darted her eyes here and there. Of course, it was nothing more than my imagination. ''No, what am I thinking? Focus!'' Regaining my focus, I sighed. It seems that my guess was correct. "Someone you know, Lily?" Another person wearing the same uniform as her was standing behind me. ''Cadmus Martell'' "Haha, I was just ¡­.greeting our ssmates! Yes, greeting! Oh, looks like Anna is calling me! See you guyster." She didn''t even wait for our reply and dashed inside the ss. "Don''t mind her. She is always like that. Ah, where are my manners? I''m Cadmus. And you are?" He spoke in a friendly manner that would make anyone rx. ''Look at him, not speaking his rank or surname. Truly a down-to-earth exemry guy.'' Anyway, he was a ''friendly'' person. Avoiding him was easy. "I''m Rank 2169, Nathan Hunt. It seems my luck finally shined on me. I am a ssmate with two top rankers." I shook his hand with enthusiasm, and a pleasant smile stered on my face. "It''s nothing special. I was just lucky to be a top 25." He maintained a bright, friendly smile as we exchanged a few more pleasantries before finally entering the ss. *** The ss was big enough to easily hold 60 students. Everyone was talking to the next person and making new friends. Since most of them didn''t know each other, they were trying to make new friends. All of them were overly enthusiastic. The reason behind it were the 5 top rankers in this ss. Two of which were Rank1 and Rank 2 themselves. It seemed like the administration was putting talented students in this ss. To be put in this ss implied the administration saw them as special too. ''Their reactions would have been theplete opposite if they knew how ''special'' this ss is.'' I was sitting in thest seat in the second row from the door and counting the number of students. Before I could think of where to sit, my feet had already taken me here. Coincidently, this seat was also the furthest from the main cast. "Yawn¡­" I didn''t sleepst night. This made it two continuous days that I stayed awake. "Be quiet. Roll call is starting." As I was fiddling with the holographicputer on my desk, a tired voice echoed in the ss. ''When did she enter?'' Standing on the podium was Mia Eiden, our homeroom teacher. Her disheveled purple hairs were covering half of her face. She almost leaning on the table while scanning our ss with her eyes that oozedziness. Looking at her demeanor, many students'' faces turned weird. They seem to be questioning if their instructor was alright. Without even introducing herself, she started the roll call. "Rank1 Susan Warner" "Present" Rank2 Cadmus Martel" "Present" ¡­ "Rank 9 Anna Kenward" "Present" ¡­ "Rank 13 Ken Ikenak'' "Present" ¡­ "Rank23 Lilith Ashdown" "Present" ¡­ ¡­ "Rank 2169 Nathan Hunt" "Present" I already knew that I was a low-rank cadet from my id on the bracelet. When I had seen my picture I got a little surprise too. Anyway, Ward had 3000 students in the 1st year batch. And I was among the lowest rank in my ss. But the true lowest rank was ''him''. "Rank 2991 Leon Barns" "¡­" "Rank 2991 Leon Barns" "¡­" She repeated herself twice, but nobody answered. As she was about to close the register, the door was opened with a m. "Rank 2991 Leon Barns. Present!" A cadet wearing a ck uniform with gold intricate patterns shouted. His uniform suggested he was a normal cadet, yet he was thiste. Some people clicked their tongues when they saw a normal cadet being this tardy. He had unkempt hair and his breathing was ragged. He wasn''t properly dressed as if he had hurriedly put on the clothes. "If that is average, then what am I? An ugly squid?" The author described his looks as average, but his looks wereparable to or even better than Cadmus, the most handsome person I''ve seen till now. Did the author have rotten eyes or rotten imagination? His golden eyes shined like a fiery sun, and his sharp look made him extremely handsome, even with his disheveled clothes. He had a majestic aura around him that made him appear graceful as he walked. He was Leon Barns, the protagonist of ''Hero has returned'' also called ''Saga of Heroes. Mia Eiden didn''t scold him for beingte and only beckoned him to find a seat. She was sozy that she didn''t even bother to open her mouth. The protagonist, Leon, looked around only to find a single empty seat. ''The rumored protagonist seat.'' Just as he sat next to the window seat at the back, Mia nodded her head and started speaking. "Cadets can now leave for the training ground. The location will be disyed on your bracelet, which everybody got after passing the exam. Also, choose your electives by the end of this week." Saying such, she finallypletely slumped on the desk without even answering the students who were raising their hands. From how her back was rhythmically moving up and down, it seems she was already asleep. The students withdrew their hands with awkward smiles. "We should get moving. I''ve heard that we would have a light spar for today." Everybody''s attention focused on the person who spoke. A top 25 who was also a beauty. She mesmerized the whole ss with her viridian eyes and charming smile. Her looks, which wereparable to Susan and Lilith, drew the attention of every student in the ss. "The seniors said that those who perform well might get the slot before the Dungeon of trials opens next month." Her words made the students boil in excitement and they started moving. ''Is this what we call a natural leader? She shifted the focus of the entire ss with a single sentence.'' She was Rank 9, Anna Kenward, and a member of the main cast. Leon, Susan, Lilith, Cadmus, and finally Anna. This was the main cast of ''Hero has Returned'' and I was going to study with them for the next four years. "Haah¡­ My future looks bleak." Chapter 23 Demonstration [2] The demonstration event was what kickstarted Leon''s journey in Ward. At this point Leon has already met all the female members of the main cast but only Lilith had a favorable impression of him. During the demonstration the whole ss would be asked to have duels in pairs. Everyone would pair up with the people they had familiarized themselves with in the past week and demonstrate their abilities. The only exception was Leon. Most of the students didn''t have a good impression of him due to what happened in the morning as well as the fact that he was amongst the lowest ranking student. To top it off the ss had odd numbers of students. This resulted in Leon being left alone. But as I''ve said this event was what would kickstart his rise as a dark horse in Ward. With no one left to spar thebat instructor of the ss himself dueld with Leon. Of course the fact that he was abat instructor meant that Leon had no chance of winning. Thebat instructor wouldn''t even need to get serious for a cadet of his rank. If he wasn''t the protagnosit, that is. As a veteran awakener he was able to tell that Leon was holding back. So he pressurized Leon to see his true strength. With the danger to his life Leon had to use his sword art. The result? A veteran warrior felt deathing for him and he was forced to protect himself. Of course the attack was easily blocked but the fact that an Enma-rank was felt threathned from a Meta-rank was simply absurd. This event would be the pedestal that would push Leon in the cetnre stage. Now, why was I recounting this event? It was because¡­ "Attentions, cadets. You can pick up spare weapons for this training from there. Quickly start moving and form pairs for duel. I don''t want to see anyone not having a pair because this ss has even numbers." The ss which was supposed to have odd numbers of student had even numbers. This reason for this was pretty obvious too. ¡­It was me. "Why aren''t you guys moving? Should Ie down and kick your asses? Move quickly!" Groups started forming as cadets went to the people they knew. Shortly, almost everybody had a partner. ''Almost'' everybody. The sole exceptions were Leon and me. ''I knew this was going to happen.'' It wasn''t that I hadn''t tried to talk with anybody after entering the ss. I tried but I failed. It seems that talking to only myself for two years has detoriated mymunication skills. Even remembering what happened in the morning was enough to redden my face in shame. This was the reason I had been counting the number of cadents in the ss. "It seems we are going to pair. I''m Leon. Nice to meet you." The protagonasit of my favorite novel walked upto me. Seeing him in flesh made me feelplicated. Truth be told I didn''t like ''Hero has returned'' that much at first. It were the struggles of Leon that kept me from dropping the novel. I wanted to see if he would remain the good and kind person until the end. He was the reason ''Hero has returned'' became my favourite novel. The path he had walked up till now was only filled with misery. His life would only take a turn for good after entering Ward. But all of this was just a precursor of greater hell he would walk through in future. He would find, meet and befriend many peoples on his journey. But no one would be able to walk along with him. The path he has ahead of him is only filled with death, betrayal and loneliness. The path of a Hero. "Haha¡­We should get the weapons." He awkwardly withdrew his hand as I only kept staring and not shaking it. I couldn''t help but sigh as we walked towards the area where the wepons were kept. To me this guy wasn''t just a character of the novel I read. He was my support, my reassurance, my source of encouragement when I was just a husk driven by a single goal. ''I should use my art.'' It wouldn''t matter much because my level of art was still low. Besides in a way this situation was happening only because of me. Although I was not going to stop using my knowledge as an advantage I would still help him whenever I could. This was what I had decided. This was the least I could do for the support he has always given me. Leon picked a katana while I picked a longsword because of its length. ''I''m only using my art because I need to make sure Leon shines. Not because I want to try it, definitely not.'' "You don''t look like someone who uses a longsword." The fact that he could tell this just from a single nce at showed his level of expertise. That or I was too awkard with the longsword. Both of us were standing inside a circr ring with a 30 feet radius. Besides us everyone has already started sparing in simr rings. ''I shouldn''t use my art more than once. Or it might get me in trouble.'' I wasn''t nning on hiding my art. Rather if I wanted to get ''their'' attention I had to show a minimum level of talent at the least. But it didn''t mean that I would reveal that I had a Legacy-grade art. I would disguise my art as my stigma. Stigma were the unique ablility that every human posses but only a few can awaken. Nathan''s eyes were originally green so my red eyes already meant that something happened to me. I will the use the excuse of my red eyes and disguise my art as my Stigma. But this meant that I can''t show a high level of mastery. Because I was supposed to have awakened my Stigma during special exam. A blue transparent dome began covering the ring when a mechanical voice rang. ====== Commencing the duel. Mana Shield deployed. Please fight to your hearts content ====== "Let''s have a constructive spar which would teach us both." I didn''t reply and simply stood at my ce. ''Scan'' Stars began appearing in my mind and constetion in shape of longsword began being constructed. Since I wasn''t moving Leon dashed towards me. 1 second I didn''t try to engage him and kept moving backward. 3 seconds Despite Leon having lower stats than me, he was already catching up. Was it because I was moving backwards? 5 seconds Leon swung his katana in a beautiful trajectory. I barely managed to block his attack. Should have picked a lighter weapon? 8 seconds Leon wouldn''t use his art if the situation wasn''t dangerous. This meant I could safely try to fight him. I swung the longsword towards his right shoulder. He nimbly ducked and closed the distance without stopping. Now he only hand to swing once and he would win. 10 seconds. Time was up. ''Constr-Huh?!'' Leon who had been sparing normally suddenly backed away despite the prefect chanceto win. He was now standing at the other end of the ring and vigntly examining me. ''Did he realize that I was about to attack him there? Is that even possible?'' I don''t think my actions could have given me away. But his demeanor was clearly disagreeing with me. Gone was his rxed and friendly atmosphere when he was fighting me before. His eyes never left me as he ced the katana in the scabbered and made a stance. A stance which was the mostmonly attached with katanas: Iai stance. *Gulp* ''He won''t use his art right? After all the even thebat instructor had to force him to go all out.'' Leon wasn''t a hot blooded person who would blindly use his art. His master had drilled into him the meaning of her sword art. ''Did his instinct warned him that I was about to use something dangerous?'' A legacy art was special even if it was only at the novice mastery stage. This was why I was only nning on using it for a single time. ''What kind of crazy instinct are those? He shouldn''t even know that I have an art let alone a high level one.'' Still, I had no time waste. I decided to take the momentum in my hand and dashed towards him. As I reached him, I swung my sword in a wide arc. Leon effortelessly delfected my sword upwards without cancelling its mommntum. ''I only have a single chance'' "Pierce" The now 9 feet long sword stopped in air. Using the weight I swiftly brought the de down on Leon''s head. Leon eyes widened as if he didn''t think I would use a skill. Still, his body didn''t stop. Like a practicesd verteran he shifted to the right to dodge the attack with mininmal movements. ''Construct'' PHZZZT-! Leon snapped his head in the direction of sound. But it was alreadyte. A sword had appeared next to his abdomen. ''What will you do now, hero?'' "Seventh form¡­" "Oye, tha-" "..Deadline" CLICK-! Chapter 24 Demonstration [3] Sean Drangnauk, thebat instructor of the 1st year Katana ss, was excited. How could he not be? He was going to teach the best among the golden generation, after all. The present 3rd year had the most talented cadets Earth has ever seen. They were strong enough topete with the 4th year. And the 1st years were now being called their seconding. The cadets of the 1st years were almost as strong as the 3rd years when they had entered the Ward. ''The 1st year batch can reach greater heights than the 3rd year''s batch.'' Even Sean didn''t think like this before. The 3rd years were the most talented batch in history. It would be absurd to think that a batch could surpass them. Everyone believed that the 1st year''s batch was inferior to the 3rd year. But it all changed during thebat test. ''Susan Warner. Rank 1 of the 1st year batch. And the daughter of the War Maiden.'' Susan''s talent had been known far and wide for a very long even before. It was rumored that she was even more talented than her mother, the youngest Gamma-rank awakener. But this was only treated as a rumor. Everyone thought that this was a lie spread by the Dawn Guild to protect their rank. After that years passed and many new young talented awakeners'' names started being spread. But not once was Susan''s name brought up. There was no news of her achieving anything noteworthy. This further cemented the assumption that the Dawn Guild was only bluffing about her. But all of that changed during thebat test. ''I still can''t believe that she defeated the examiner.'' The examiners in thebat test were of the same rank as the cadets but they were still a lot stronger. They were veterans who survived and fought for years on the frontline. The fact that a cadet could defeat the examiner was something nobody could believe. Everyone who entered Ward was talented. All of them had a big pride as they had been treated like a prince or princess'' before entering Ward. This was why examiners were of the same rank. To show them the difference between a veteran and a cadet. But Susan Warner defeate-no obliterated the examiner. This was something that was out of everybody''s expectations. Susan was the reason Sean believed that given time 1st year could surpass even the 3rd year batch. "Attention cadets, you can pick up spare weapons for this training from there. Quickly start moving and form pairs for a duel. I don''t want to see anyone not having a pair because this ss has even numbers." He would be lying if he said that he wasn''t looking forward to the duels, but he still had to maintain his dignity as an instructor. "Why aren''t you guys moving? Should Ie down and kick your asses? Move quickly!" The weapons were disyed on arge rack in the corner of the training ground. Sean patiently watched as they chose their weapons and pairs were formed. ''He is challenging Susan.'' Sean got even more excited at what he saw. Cadmus had asked Susan for a spar. Cadmus was the Rank 2 of 1st year. In normal circumstances, Cadmus would have been the Rank 1. He was perfect in every way, be itbat senses, skills, or knowledge. The only reason he wasn''t Rank 1 was because of Susan. She couldn''t be called just talented. She was an anomaly in every way. "This¡­" Sean was left speechless at what he was seeing. Cadmus held his spear in both hands and thrust it like an experienced warrior. His every move seemed like it was direct and straight, but every time the trajectory would change at thest second. The spear resembled a snake in the way it zig-zagged as it moved forward. He was controlling the spear like his own limb. His every thrust and swing were carefully calcted and timed to attack his opponent. But this wasn''t why Sean was impressed. It was because Susan was dodging Cadmus'' every attack effortlessly! She dodged the attacks with minimal movement. She continued to dodge every attack without retaliating. As if she wanted to see the extent of Cadmus'' capability. "If it''s her, maybe we can...." The next second, something even more astonishing happened. Susan suddenly closed the distance and did a low kick. The move wasn''t anything special, but it was perfectly timed to use the opening which was created for a split second. When her kick had almost hit him, she suddenly stopped and looked around. "Bloodlust?" Sean looked around to find the source of bloodlust he felt for a moment. He was sure that just now he felt a thick bloodlust inside the training grounds. But he couldn''t find its source. It disappeared as suddenly as it came. ''Looks like I wasn''t the only one who noticed.'' Sean smiled as he saw the cadets. A handful of them were looking around, trying to find something. As Sean was looking around to find the source, he saw them. In an inconspicuous corner, two cadets were fighting. What drew Sean''s attention to them was their performance. One of them had an excellent form. He expertly handled his katana and each swing showed his years of training. The other was holding a longsword in an awkward position and kept retreating. His way of holding the weapon, his footwork, his breathing, and the way he attacked everything told of his inexperience. Sean found their battle amusing. He didn''t remember their faces or names, this meant that both of them were low-ranked cadets. Nheless, one had skills almost on the level of top rankers among 1st year while the other was unskillful to the point Sean doubted how he even entered Ward. Still, Sean could tell that something was up with them. To him, it was clear that the katana wielder was holding back while the other was trying to do something. The few cadets had also noticed their fights when they were trying to find the source of bloodlust. Now many of them were watching while snickering at the awkward cadet. While few were watching the other cadet as they could tell that he had many years of battle experience. This was why many saw what happened next. A longsword suddenly materialized in the air and flew straight to its opponent. As the sword was about to impale the katana-wielding cadet, the other cadet suddenly jumped back when... CLICK-! A subtle clicking sound resounded. As the sound reached everyone''s ears, the longsword shattered mid-air. Everyone was astonished at the sight in front of their eyes. Nobody saw when Leon attacked. Yet this wasn''t the reason for their bewilderment. "Was that line always there?" Separating Leon and Nathan was a line on the surface of the ring. Every ring was enforced to handle attacks of peak Iota ranks. Yet a line that went from one end to another had suddenly appeared on the very same ring. The speed could have been exined as a skill, but the force behind the attack couldn''t be. Sean was simrly shocked as others, but it was for a different reason. "Seventh Form. Is it thest form or¡­" Sean couldn''t believe what he was thinking. There was no way a cadet could have a sword art of such a high level. Yet for some reason, he couldn''t totally convince himself of this fact either. As the cadets were thinking different things about this incident, everyone forgot about the other cadet who was sitting on the ground and staring at Leon with a dumbfounded expression. *** ''Did you hit your head beforeing here?'' Seeing Leon''s apologetic expression, I wanted to question him while strangling him. Not in the kinky way, of course. Wasn''t into dudes. ''Wasn''t he not supposed to use his sword art until he felt threatened for his life?'' If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn''t have used my art. Leon''s art was taught to him by his master. She had created the Grade 1 sword art for herself. But Leon didn''t use the same sword art but a variant one which was specially developed for him by his master. The sword arts were graded into five grades, from Grade 5 to Grade 1 in the increasing order of strength. Even a Grade 3 sword art was umon. His sword was the reason Leon could fight enemies stronger than him, even though he was currently weak because of his shing powers. "Are you fine?" Leon walked toward me and lent his hand with an apologetic expression. It seemed like he was feeling sorry because he used a dangerous move. Though I couldn''t me himpletely. Anybody would act that way if they were about to be suddenly impaled. I was naively thinking that he would only use his sword art if he fought the instructor. "Yes, it was nothing much. Though I didn''t know that you were so strong." I grabbed his hand and stood up while pointing at the line on the ground. ''Why is he so wary of me?'' Leon didn''t answer me and just scratched his head while smiling. But I could tell that he was still wary of me. I was weaker than even the lowest rank cadet at the Ward, right now. But I was confident in my deduction skills. Leon''s eyes never left me. He was watching my every move. His whole body was strained, even his hand was stiff when I grabbed it. It was clear as day that was ready to attack me at a moment''s notice. I couldn''t help but smile wryly. Should I just tell him that I won''t attack again? "Everyone who is watching other cadets fight. Start running around the stadium with weights. Now!" Thebat instructor''s voice boomed in the training center. Everyone immediately focused back on their duels for fear of being noticed. Not that it worked on thebat instructor. He pointed to the students, who were trying to act like nothing happened, and made them run. Looking at their pitiful expressions, anybody could tell that the weights weren''t as simple as the instructor made them sound. "You really are interesting." As Leon and I were about to spar again, a clear voice resounded in my head. Both of us stopped as we looked around. But it seemed we were the only ones who heard it. I couldn''t tell if the voice directly entered my mind or flowed into my ears. "Did you hear it too?" I nodded as I looked around. That voice felt a little familiar. "I think I''ve heard that voice somewhere before." "¡­.." Yup, I should mind my own business. If this guy heard it, then nothing good wille out of it. Chapter 25 First Constellation [1] Coming back from the training ground, I entered my dorm room. The quality of rooms provided depends on one''s rank. Since I was a low-rank cadet, my room was obviously of low quality too. But frankly, I was more than satisfied with my room. It had a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. This was already good enough for me. "How luxurious will the top 25 cadets'' dorm rooms will be if mine is this good?" I could only shake my head at the thought. Right now I was the weakest cadet in the Ward. "Sigh¡­" I needed to train and get stronger as fast as possible. I decided to start training again. I had decided to stop trying to level up and only focus on my art. In this world, there were three ways to gain exp: killing beasts, training, or absorbing cores. Due to my low potential, my exp would only increase at a pathetic rate from training. So I was going to level up only by killing monsters. Like talent means the number of stat points one''s gets. Potential means the Assimtion rate of a person. Assimtion rate was the amount of Aether one could absorb and convert into their own energy. A person absorbs a small portion of the assimted Aether from a beast he has killed. This was the exp somebody gains after killing the beasts. Let''s say the awakener is an Aura user. After he had killed many beasts, he would have absorbed their Aether. This Aether would go to his Aura core. After reaching a certain threshold, the Aether gained will start shing with the Aura. As a result, the said awakener will stop gaining exp, or the Aether. This was where the assimtion rate came in. A high assimtion rate meant that a person can convert the Aether gained faster into Aura. As a result, he can continue hunting for a long time. While a low assimtion rate meant that Aether and Aura will start shing quickly and he will stop gaining exp. A high assimtion rate meant that one could kill more beasts before their core destabilizes and thus could level faster. This, in turn, would increase their leveling speed. Assimtion rate was the speed at which a person can convert Aether into their energy and hence also called potential. This was why I was stuck in this weird position. I couldn''t gain exp from training due to my low assimtion rate. But Ether had almost all properties of Aether, unlike Aura or other energies that only contain a specific property of Aether. This meant that my core would take longer to destabilize from reaching the threshold, as Ether was very simr to Aether. So I could continue killing beasts for a longer duration unlike other awakeners and have a high leveling speed. But I can''t gain exp from training because my assimtion rate is still low and crossing the gap between ranks would still be very hard for me. It would take a month before I could again start leveling up. "I should try to get reach Proficient-mastery in ''Art of Eridu'' before then." Mastery of arts was divided into five stages: Novice, Proficient, Intermediate, Advance, and Expert. "Scan" I started training again for the rest of the night. *** "By the year 3500 CE, humanity had reached a high level of technological advancement and started colonizing outer space. But on 3527 CE or about 153 years ago, Aether suddenly arrived on our. Aether made nts and animals evolve into being that threatened humanity. Dungeons opened, which spewed monsters." "Yawn¡­" A few days have passed since the demonstration. For this week, everybody was free to try any sses they wanted. Currently, I was sitting in a history ss. Why history ss? Because the magic engineering ss and alchemy ss were above and beyond my understanding. I mean, how would I know why Q particles and Z particles when projected through quanti tunnel makes holograms? Or that 0.26345 gram of ester sand mixed with qualine zack and hicket grass can make an anti-hair loss potion? And this was just basic knowledge in this world. This was why I was out on my journey for easy extra subjects. But s, the road was filled with pits and quagmires. "The advent of Aether changed the existingws. Humanity regressed to primal ages. We had to use vehicles that walked on earth with ''tires'' and use ''televisions'' for entertainment." As the professor spoke, several images of cars and bikes from my previous world appeared on the hologram. ''Isn''t that a Ferrar-cough.'' Just dodged a copyright issue. "Loss of technology heavily impacted Earth and humanity couldn''t fight back immediately. As a result, humanity suffered great losses. This is what was called the First Great Disaster." I wasn''t paying attention to details because I already knew this. Rather I was thinking about what to do from now on. At the rate I was progressing, the constetion in my mind was going to bepleted by tomorrow. "Yawn.." I had been sleeping for only 2-3 hours to train. I needed to work harder now if I wanted to live a good life in the future. But it was easier said than done. I could tell that it was taking a toll on my body. "When the first human awakened, humanity saw a glimmer of hope. After that, many more humans started awakening. It took humanity decades, but we were again able to reach the top of the food chain." The bald professor spoke while patting his belly. The First Great Disaster was bad, but it was nothingpared to the other two. "Although we were still far cry from our peak technological advancement with Aether, we could get simr results. Over the years, humanity started flourishing." I nced around while listening to the lecture. The numbers of students were scant, but everyone was listening seriously. Leon and Anna were also present in this ss. "Year 100 NC, or 100 years after the Great Disaster in the new calendar, Aether levels suddenly increased explosively. Three city-sized inessible portals appeared above the skies of 3 continents. Later down the year, the portals, or Gate as we now call them, opened and..." "Yawn¡­" "You! Get out!" The professor couldn''t ignore the constant yawns anymore and bellowed. "Si-" "Shut up! I said get out!" Cadets snickered as the professor again repeated himself. With no other option, Leon stood. Of course, I wasn''t the one yawing since earlier. Even if I had been sleeping less, my art didn''t need me to do physical training like Leon''s. I wasn''t as exhausted as him. He would daily train while sacrificing his sleep. This was why he is alwayste for the morning sses. Leon''s shoulders dropped as he walked out of the ss. ''tch tch, Poor guy. He sure has it bad.'' At this point, Leon hadn''t gone through a single awakening, so he had to work hard to keep up with his peers. Not that I was sympathizing with him. At least he was guaranteed to be strong and stay alive, unlike me. "And you. Continue from where I left." I nced around the find next poor soul. But nobody stood up. I looked ahead and found the professor staring at me. "Yes, you! Stop looking around and start paying attention or I''ll also throw you out." Why was he so angry? Did his wife not feed him today? Withholding my sigh, I stood up. "Three different races invaded Earth from each Gate. The elves, the demons, and the barbarians attacked without even trying to converse with humans. Humanity engaged in a bitter struggle against the races which were more technologically and magically advanced than us." The only reason humanity hadn''t lost quickly was because of Stigmas, an ability unique to humanity. Every race had its own special trait. Elves had their great magical prowess and spirit magic. Barbarians had gigantification and monstrous strength. While demons could use demonic energy and curse energy, Nether. Nether was the only type of energy that was the antithesis of Aether. Stigma came from the soul of humans. This meant that everyone had a different stigma. Stigmas could vary from absolute control space to farting without sound. They didn''t have a set pattern and nobody could tell what kind of stigma a person would awaken. Unlike other races which had uniform abilities, humanity had bizarre and umon abilities. This was the reason the races couldn''t wipe out humanity quickly. But defeat was still only a matter of time. "It was near this time when pioneers broke through to Sandra-rank. With the prowess of Sandra-ranks, the scales of war were tipped in favor of humanity. Finally, after a bitter struggle of 10 years, humanity managed to push back invaders into the gates." The professor nodded his head and signaled for me to continue speaking. "But the war wasn''t won without losses. It left 3 out of the total 7 continents unhabitable and 30% of the total poption died. The opening of the Gates was termed as Second Great Disaster." The professor kept nodding his head. ''I need to speak more¡­'' Maybe I should have chosen this ss someday else. It was tiring to be the center of attention. "At this point, humanity had realized what it needed to do. Various programs to raise awakeners started, and all countries were dissolved into a single nation, Gia." I took a deep breath and got to thest topic. "But all of it was for naught. Seven years ago, the Third Great Disaster happened. Thebined losses Earth had suffered during the First and Second Great Disaster couldn''t even bepared to the losses suffered in the Third Great Disaster." I was used to being the center of attention. But living peacefully and quietly felt more pleasing to me. Sadly, I was going to do the opposite in the uing days. "The Third Great Disaster whe-" TRING-! TRING-! Cutting me in between my sentence, the bell signaling the end of the ss resounded. I sighed and stopped speaking. Even though the ss had ended, nobody stood up, and they kept quiet. Of course, it wasn''t because I had identally spoken something that nobody knew. I never said that Earth survived Second Disaster only because the enemy Sandra-rank couldn''t cross through the Gates. Mistakingly speaking, an unknown fact was too much of a clich¨¦! The atmosphere in the ss was solemn because of the topic I had just spoken. In the current times, it was harder to find a person who had not lost somebody in the Third Disaster. It wasn''t wrong to say that humanity had almost gone extinct during the Third Great Disaster. The Third Great Disaster was a disgrace and scar on the pride of humanity. "Okay, this is the end of the ss. The topic will be continued in the next session." Chapter 26 First Constellation [2] Leon was standing outside the ss while trying to listen to the lecture. He couldn''t help but feel miserable. When he arrived at Ward, he was confident and excited. Years of training under his master''s tutge had increased his confidence. ording to his master, he was a genius who could lead Earth. Having seen her strength firsthand, he believed that he did have something special if someone so strong was praising him. But he was just a frog in the well. Leon never thought that he would be among the top cadets, but being ranked 2991 was a big shock to him. The first demonstration also helped him open his eyes. "But the war wasn''t won without losses. It left 3 out of the total 7 continents unhabitable and 30% of the total poption died. The opening of the Gates was termed as Second Great Disaster." Listening to the cadet speaking inside the ss, he recalled the first demonstration. At that time, a sudden bloodlust had rmed him. The bloodlust was thicker than even his master''s, but it vanished so suddenly that he couldn''t pinpoint its source. His instincts were ring rm at him, and it hindered his reasoning ability. Then his opponent suddenly used his stigma and Leon unintentionally used his art. "Thankfully, I didn''t use the true form." It was onlyter that Leon realized his mistake. His opponent was too unskilled to be the source of that bloodlust. Had Leon not deviated his attack at thest second, he wouldn''t have been able to show his master his face. The fight also helped Leon open his eyes. Leon realized that everyone must have some special stigmas. This would exin why he was only ranked 2991. "They must have some special stigma. Unlike mine, which only hinders me." Of course, the main reason behind Leon''s low rank was his low level, below-average stats, and the fact that he was a magic swordsman. It was a miracle that Leon was able to even enter Ward. Not that Leon knew about these things. "Yahallo!" Leon looked at Lilith, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and tried to startle him. "What are you doing here?" Leon wondered why she wasn''t in any ss. Even if the sses weren''tpulsory for this week, she could get in trouble for wandering like this. To Leon''s question, she just stuck her tongue out and blurted another question. "Speak for yourself. Aren''t you also roaming yourself? And why do you always have your guard up?" She tsked at the end as she couldn''t surprise Leon because he always remained observant of his surroundings. Leon could only helplessly smile. He couldn''t understand Lilith one bit. She was attentive enough to realize that he had his guard up, even though he was standing in a rxed posture. But she couldn''t deduce that he wasn''t roaming but rather punished to stand outside. Though Leon understood, this was how she really was. For the past two weeks, he was with her. He realized that she was smart only when something rted tobat came up. Leon opened his mouth to correct her, but Lilith spoke before him. "Leon, doesn''t he seem familiar?" Leon saw that Lilith was pointing to his sparring partner on the first day, Nathan. As far as he knew, he never saw Nathan and Lilith interacting. But from her tone, he could tell that she wasn''t joking. He was racking his head when Lilith spoke again. "Didn''t we meet him during the Elza Square incident?" Elza incident was when Leon and Lilith had met even beforeing into Ward. "Really? I don''t remember him, though." "Isn''t he the¡­." *** Every training center in Ward was in the south of the campus. The total number of training grounds was almost 30. And were divided depending on ranks, year, and sses. To the west were dormitories. There were a total of five dormitories, four for each year and thest for the campus staff. Cadets are assigned the floors depending on their ranks, with the lower floor housing low-rank cadets and the top floors housing top-rank cadets. In the east was the research department. Everything ranging from the development of magic devices to alchemy took ce here. All the administrative buildings are to the north of the campus. At the head of the location was arge white building that housed the most important departments. In the middle of the campus was where the sses took ce. Ward was located on Bermuda ind, an artificial ind that was created seven years ago. Outside Ward, there was arge city that covered theplete ind. Ward was over 50,000 acres and taught every type of awakeners, be itbat-type, support-type, engineers, or researchers. I was in thebat department''s Katana ss. In this world, the holy trinity of weapons was Katana, Wand, and a Gun, hence the name of my ss. "What is it exactly?" I was sitting inside themon training grounds. This was a training center avable to 1st-year cadets from rank 3000 to rank 2000. It was long past midnight, so the training ground was almost deserted. In my hands was a ck orb about the size of my fist. This orb was the third object I got other than the Ether manual and ''Art of ''Eridu''. I supplied ether into the orb to use it. ======= Insufficient energy! Insufficient energy! Terminating the Ether connection! User must have 20 stats in Ether! ======= This message appeared every time I tried to open the orb. I have 13 stat points in Ether currently. This meant that I needed to level up twice to reach 20 stat points. "It will take time before I can see what it is." I ced the orb back in my ring and began thinking about other things. "I should be able toplete the constetion today." Unlike what I had expected, the speed ofpletion of the constetion slowed down at the end. I wasn''t able toplete the constetion during the week. The sses were going to start in seriousness from today. I wanted toplete my first constetion before that. CLICK-! CLICK-! I tapped on the panel and selected the difficulty. [Lvl 7 difficult selected] A section on the ground opened. From there, three spheres hovering in mid-air came out. ''Scan'' The stars brightened with even greater luminosity than before. [Begin] Two spheres flew towards me from my left and right while the other one didn''t move. I dashed backward while holding my sword. The spheres covered the gap but with my high agility I was able to stall for some time. The spheres attacked my abdomen and head, respectively. I used the t surface of the sword to block them. The moment they shed with my sword¡­. ''Construct'' PHZZZT-! A sword appeared above them. Without wasting any time, the sword fell on them. "What-!" But the moment the sword was about to cut the spheres, thest spheres appeared and smashed it. Maintaining myposure, I again used my art. ''Scan'' The constetion again began forming. But this time it was different. The lights towards which the stars shot towards each other slowly started turning golden. p The corners of my lips rose as I felt the change. This time, the spheres attacked in unison. I again used my sword to block them. ''Construct'' PHZZZT-! A sword materialized in the air and flew straight towards the spheres. The third sphere again flew to destroy the sword that had appeared when suddenly another static sound resounded. PHZZZT-! Another sword materialized behind the third sphere! Before the sphere could dodge it was already stabbed by the sword. Taking the opportunity, I swung the greatsword in my hand and shed at the two spheres in front of me. The sword cut through them like butter, ending the training. [Training Completed] [User Rating: C] [Leaderboard ¨C Can only be essed in highest difficulty] "Huff¡­Huff.." Listening to the mechanical voice, I plopped down to the ground while gasping. Constructing three greatswords in a short time was taxing. Still, I could feel the corners of my lips rising. I hadpleted my first constetion. "Now I can construct the greatsword without scanning!" This was the result of the constetion turning golden. "Constructing only takes about 2 seconds and I don''t need to waste Ether for scanning." This greatly decreased the preparation time and removed the burden of scanning the weapon. Although this only applied to the greatsword. It was still a big addition to mybat prowess. I could finally say that I was practicing ''Art of Eridu'', the legacy art of the First King in earnest. Chapter 27 Club [1] After recovering enough ether I stood up. ''Construct'' PHZZZT-! Looking at the two swords that appeared behind me, I nodded my head. When the first constetion waspleted, I achieved a small breakthrough in ''Art of Eridu'', thus the number of weapons I could construct at once increased. The increase in mastery also helped me understand my art more. Now I understood how constetions work. For every weapon that I created a constetion, I can construct them without scanning. The constetion acts like a permanently scanned copy in my mind. The number of constetions isn''t restricted by the mastery of art, but it also doesn''t increase my mastery. From what I understood, there were two conditions to reach proficient-mastery. One was to be able to construct five weapons at once. As for the other one, I didn''t know what it was, yet. I knew everything about my art, but I couldn''t understand everything right now. It was like how sometimes you read a sentence but forget to understand the meaning. In my case, the higher my mastery was, the more information about my art I understand. As of now, I only knew that every stage of mastery will have a different ability thatplements the previous abilities. "It''s already thiste." It was 04:00 am by the time I was done with everything. ? The sses would start at 09:00 am so I still had a few hours to rest. But thinking more, I decided against it. "It would be a problem if I didn''t wake up." I was a heavy sleeper, and the fatigue from the previous days was catching up to me. As much embarrassing as it was, the chances were high that I might not be able to wake up on time. After it was revealed that Leon was a magic swordsman, more cadets started pestering him. I was also a low-rank cadet like Leon, so the chances were high that I might also get targeted. It would be better to not bete and get involved with the uing mess when I had my own problems to deal with. "Proficient-mastery in the next four weeks, is it?" I have too much on my te already. *** "Hmm" Nodding her head, Mia left without a word after the attendance was taken. Cadets snickered, and some even gossiped about her. In thest week, cadets were able to know more about her. Mia Eiden was somebody who could be described with a single word zy'', and extremely so. She would never punish cadets when they arrivedte or for any other vition of rules. Normally, this kind of behavior should be punished heavily because of Ward''s strict rules, but she never bothered to even reprimand anyone. She wouldn''t even react when cadets openly talked behind her back. She would only do the bare minimum required of her and always leave without a single word. This was the reason cadets stopped thinking highly of her and gossiped openly about her. Of course, I wasn''t one of those cadets. I wasn''t interested in poking a ho''s nest. "What do you think you are doing?" I could hear noises from the front of the ss. Cocking my head, I saw a ck-haired boy, sporting the top 25''s uniform, intimidatingly standing in front of Leon. He was surrounded by half a dozen cadets who were of simrly high rank, with their rank between 100 to 500. The cadet and Leon were now the centers of attention of the entire ss. ''It began.'' The cadet was Rank 13 Ken Ikenak, and the bully who would annoy Leon till the end of this year. Seeing him looking down at Leon, my face scrunched up. I wanted to p that guy senseless. I couldn''t remember how many times I almost threw my phone in anger because of this guy. He was an annoying prick who would alwayse back and annoy Leon. As a reader who knew of Leon''s true strength, I could barely manage my frustration whenever this guy looked down on Leon. ''You are fucking dead if he fought seriously!'' I always wanted to p this into this prick. "Did I do something?" Leon asked with a confused expression. Being the naive guy he was, he didn''t realize what was happening. It didn''t even ur to him that a high-rank cadet of Ward could try to bully the weaker cadets. A vein bulged on Ken''s forehead. To him, it was that Leon was just azy guy who got into Ward with luck. Furthermore, he couldn''t ept that a low-rank person like Leon was in the same ss as him. In anger, he grabbed Leon''s cor. "How can someone as unbefitting as you attend Wa-" BANG-! "Sorry!" Leon apologized, looking at Ken, who was lying on the ground. The entire ss froze, trying to process what they had just seen. They carefully thought back to what they saw. --> A wild Ken appeared. -->The wild Ken attacked Leon. -->Wild Ken shouted. -->Leon locked wild Ken''s hand. -->The wild Ken was hurled to the ground. Cadets nodded their heads after recalling everything, but they again halted. ''No, wait the fourth and fifth step were wrong!'' ''How the hell did a top 25 got overpowered by a bottom rank?!'' They couldn''t understand how something like this happened. "Y-You!" My shoulders trembled as I tried to rein myugh. This was a typical situation where the protagonist humiliates a young master incident! I didn''t like such clich¨¦ but damn! Seeing Ken being humiliated in front of me felt satisfying. It felt like a wishe true! Ken red at Leon as if Leon has killed his parents. He was trying to show a bottom rank in his ce, but instead, he was humiliated. He couldn''t understand how a bottom rank was able to throw him off so easily. Leon understood he did something wrong and bowed with an apologetic face. "I''m sorry. When you grabbed my cor, my body moved on its own, and ¡­" "Pfft" At this point, I couldn''t hold in myughter. Ken''s face turned red in anger. Leon was essentially dering that he put Ken in such a position without being serious. What made it even worse was the fact that Leon''s tone was as sincere as it could get. "What kind of cheap trick did you use?!" Seething in rage, Ken pounced on Leon. Leon might have overpowered Ken just now. But that was only because it was a surprise attack. No matter what, Ken was a top-rank cadet at the best academy on Earth. His ability was no joke. And at this point in time, Leon, who hadn''t even gone through his first awakening, was no match for Ken. The gap between him and Ken wasn''t enough to dodge the attack. With no other choice, Leon crossed his arms to defend himself. A dull sound resounded as the punch arrived, but the pain never came. "Ara Ara. This isn''t the ce to y, you know." Standing in front of Leon was a young woman with a beautiful and charming smile. Chapter 28 Club [2] "Ara Ara. This isn''t the ce to y, you know." Blocking Ken was a girl that nobody in the ss had seen before. But Ken was already enraged, and he didn''t pay much attention to her. "Move!" He growled as he struggled to go past her. His head was already filled with thoughts on how to kill Leon so much that he couldn''t see the obvious gap in strength. If he was thinking straight, he should have realized that someone with a striking appearance and strength like her was bound to get attention but nobody has seen her before. In his anger, he decided to deal with the hindrance first. He twisted his heel and kicked toward her temple at full force. The attack was fast and precise, and most cadets couldn''t even see it. Before the kick connected, Ken''s figure blurred, and he was smashed to the wall. Ken was struggling to stand when a clear voice flowed into his ears. "Ara, it seems our juniors are quite energetic." Before he could stand, his knees buckled from the pressure she was releasing. The pressure made his mind clearer and he could finally think straight. Still, Ken couldn''t take the humiliation and tried to stand back up. "Stop with this nonsense." A gruff voice echoed in the ss. *** I was looking at the spectacle in front of me with twinkling eyes. Seeing the story you''ve read in front of your eyes gave a different feeling altogether. After another cadet entered the ss, Ken had no choice but to stop. I knew the girl who had entered the ss. She was Tia Maybell, a 3rd-year student and the core character involved in the first event that showed the sadistic tendency of that piece of trash author. She was here due to the Student council''s work. If I had to guess, the other guy was with her and also a member of the Student Council. Tia smiled and looked towards the ss. "Now that the interruptions are gone, so we should start, shall we?" She nced at the entire ss and smiled. Seeing her, I could confirm that her looks were only second to the main cast. Her every action contained elegance and grace. She felt like nobility from the way she behaved. "We are the members of the student council and we are here to exin to you about the clubs." As Tia was speaking, a head popped into the ss through the door. Not many people saw the redhead that was peeking inside the ss. "The clubs are open from today onwards. All of you can find the details and venue in your bracelets." ''Hmm?'' The redhead was heterochromatic with emerald green and a golden eye. It felt like I had seen her somewhere before. "We are here to announce that from this year 1st years can also join the student council." The entire ss began buzzing after Tia spoke. The offer was very enticing. Not every cadet wanted to fight on the frontlines. Joining the student council at the world''s top academy would give them a good record that could set their future. This offer was also good for cadets that would join the frontlines. The student council would allow them to make strong connections in the outside world. ''That red hair and those eyes....'' She kept scouring through the ss when suddenly her eyesnded on me and a smile blossomed on her face. At that moment, I remembered where I saw her. ''She''s the one who was with me before the Byzander ind exam?'' From her appearance, I could also tell she was Isabell Parker. "Haaah¡­" I was already fatigued because of a constantck of sleep but her appearance made me lose whatsoever energy I had. I only felt like giving up. Why Nathan was involved with the most abnormal people? After the exam, there had been no contact between Isabell and me. It was because I never left my room other than going to ss or the training center at midnight. Leaving her no opportunity to find me. Also, if Nathan had packed something for himself, then it hadn''t arrived till now. I didn''t have her or anybody''s contact details, or anything belonging to Nathan. The only way to contact other cadets was to have their bracelet id. It was the reason Isabell wasn''t able to meet me till now. Of course, if I had tried we probably could have met before, but I wanted to dy the meeting. I wasn''tfortable meeting someone who knew Nathan. I knew it wasn''t my fault that I transmigrated into this kid. Despite that, I was a piece of shit, for I was going to deceive his loved ones by impersonating him. I knew this, but I was still going to do that. I let my life be destroyed because I didn''t deserve to live happily after what I did. But this was another world. Here I was, someone different. ''I will live a good life in my second chance, no matter what I have to do.'' The problem right now was Isabell. I was able to recognize her because of her striking appearance and she was an important character. Leaving her hidden identity aside, the most troublesome thing about her was that she was a gag character. Probably because the story had be too dark. That piece of trash added her asic relief. She was someone who would always survive the worst situations in the most senseless andical way. The problem here was how the author showed that the situation was hopeless even though she survived funnily. He always killed the people together with her in a brutal way to portray dangerous situations. And it looks like I am supposed to know her on a personal level. "Haah¡­" I''ve been sighing a lot these days. But I wasn''t at fault. These days, I would asionally find Lilith staring at me in deep thought. She was already troublesome. Now I know someone even more ridiculous. And I can''t deny knowing Isabell. I walked out shortly after Tia and the other guy left. I figured it would be better to talk with Isabell outside. I needed to be calm if I wanted to fool her. "Hey, why didn''t you contact me till now?" The moment I stepped outside the ss, I was pulled by my ears. "Did you know how worried everyone was? Why didn''t you pick up your phone?" "Wait! Wait! Ow! Let me speak! Ow Ow" "Oh, now you want to make an excuse? Good, let''s hear." Although she said so, she never left my ear and kept twisting it. ''Dammit! What kind of interpersonal rtion did Nathan and Isabell have?'' I could hear someoneughing behind us, but I could care less about it at the moment. She was scarily smiling at me. "Isabell, you should stop now. His ears are going to fall off." Following the voice''s instruction, Isabell stopped. "We are going to talk about thister." Isabell whispered in my ears and stood back. "Looks like you finally found him." "Yes, everyone was worried sick because there was no contact from his side. We were only able to breathe easily when Ward''s congrattory certificate came, after a week, that is." Isabell looked at me and continued to smile. "Ara, he doesn''t look like someone irresponsible. He must have his reasons." Wanting to end the fiasco, I opened my mouth before the issue would escte. "I didn''t get my things back, so I wasn''t able to contact you. As for home, cough¡­" I didn''t know that it was only my package that still hadn''t arrived. I should''ve made some friends, dammit. "I forgot the contact details." I could only y dumb for not contacting Nathan''s parents. I know the excuse was poor, but I had no way of contacting them when I didn''t even know their contact details. Hearing my excuse, Isabell''s expression drastically changed. "Isn''t it too much?! Why do you always treat them like this?! They only want what''s best for you!" Without speaking another word, she left. I didn''t know what kind of person Nathan was, but from her words, it was clear that his parents loved him. I could feel the knot in my chest tighten. "Ara, it seems she got angry. You need to treat a girl more gently if you want to woe her." Tia winked and also left after that. Staring at their backs, I sighed. "Give me your contact details!" Isabell suddenly appeared again and snatched my wrist. Typing something on the screen, she again left. ''I can wallow in pityter.'' It was time that I began looking into Nathan''s background in earnest. Chapter 29 Duel [1] "Why did you interfere in their fight?" A gruff voice echoed in the empty hallway along with the sounds of footsteps. "If I didn''t both of them would have gotten hurt. That cadet was ready to counterattack the moment Ken''s attacknded." James'' brows furrowed when he heard Tia''s answer. It didn''t exin why she only attacked Ken. Tia knew what James was wondering, so she answered before he could ask. "Ken''s stigma is dangerous. Solely based on his stigma''s ability, he could have been ranked among the top 5. I had to suppress him before he lost control and did something." Many cadets register their stigma to get extra benefits provided by Ward. So, James didn''t ask why she knew about Ken''s stigma and instead asked another question. "What do you think about them?" The reason Tia provided to the ss for theming there was a lie. Informing cadets about the open seats wasn''t something the student council had to do themselves. The real reason for them personally going was to gauge the abilities of the cadets with their own eyes. "Yes, they are diamonds in rough. A few of them were ready to counterattack had I targeted them. And the Rank 1 was even able to sense my presence when I was waiting for the perfect time to intervene." Tia wanted to know how Susan found her. Susan was one of the few cadets who hadn''t disclosed their skills and stigma, so Tia could only make a rough estimate. "What do you think of that boy whom Isabell was looking for?" James didn''t understand why Tia suddenly asked such a question, but he didn''t even take a moment to think. "Worthless. He is just a power-hungry awakener who will die without achieving anything worthwhile." Isabell hadn''t told them much about Nathan other than he was a diligent person. But what they saw was not a good type of diligence. Nathan had bloodshot eyes, the skin of his fingertips was cracked and his breathing was heavy. These signs weren''t very visible, but they were clear if someone examined him closely. All these signs indicated that he had been using his core energy to the limit for a prolonged time. "He is probably training until aura exhaustion for some revenge. At the rate he is going, he will break before anything else." Tia understood what James meant. She had also seen many people who solely pursued strength and lost their lives because they couldn''t see the bigger picture. Such cases weren''t umon after the Third Great Disaster, when many people lost someone close to them. Both James and her were also someone like that. *** BANG-! Ken punched the vase, shattering it in one go. "How dare they?!" His hair started turning into shades of white as he growled. The cadets in the room flinched as they saw that. "Boss, you shouldn''t get angry over the likes of them. That bastard must have used some underhand method to take you by surprise." ? "That bitch was acting so haughty just because she was born a few years before you. But with your talent, you will easily surpass her soon, boss." The cadets in the room, panicking, tried tofort Ken. Ken was susceptible to losing control due to intense emotions. They were inside one of the penthouses provided for the top 25 cadets. And inside this wide living room, none of them were strong enough to stop Ken should he go on a rampage. Ken stopped and red at his minions. Someone gulped as Ken walked towards them when suddenly someone stepped forth among the cadets. "Boss, please give me a chance. I will make sure to put that trash in his ce." Ken was the son of a board director of Nova corps, thergestpany on Earth. It dealt with potions, dungeon exploration, magic engineering, and many more things. Getting in Ken''s good grace was bound to set their future. Ken stopped and looked toward the person who spoke, someone who was petite and appeared weak, but Ken ignored his appearance as he was a mage. Squinting his eyes, Ken questioned his minion, who stepped forth. "How?" "I will make him challenge me to a duel." A twisted smile emerged on Ken''s face as he heard the answer. The duels in Ward were normal duels except for one fact. The person who gave the challenge can''t surrender. A duel only ends if one of the duelists is knocked out or the referee has to interfere. Ken didn''t want to know how he will make that trash challenge him. It was his job. *** "Shit! How does it even work?" I mmed the thick book to the ground. My mood was quite bad as of right now. Aftering back, I searched the inte again to find any clue regarding Nathan''s background but found nothing. Theplete absence of information was too suspicious. Searching more, I found that it was done by Ward. In their own words, ''This was a policy to protect the privacy of the future pirs of humanity.'' There would still be info about cadets on the inte, but it was only some noticeable achievements, which were purposely left to act as a beacon of hope for humanity. To show them that the new generation was strong and capable. Anyway, I found nothing about Nathan. Now I could only wait for Nathan''s things to arrive or try to get information out of Isabell. Going to Isabell would only be counterproductive. She might get suspicious if I acted too differently from what she knew. "No, she will get suspicious. Even if she was aic relief in the novel, now she is a real person. Considering her special identity, it wouldn''t be difficult for her to notice the dissimrities." I picked up the thick book again and sat down. This was the grimoire Lark ''lent'' me when we parted. Among the things I took from the duo were a sword, a mid-tier healing potion, a grimoire, a wand, a cape that had defensive property, and boar meat. Lark was stuffed with helpful things. "How did he make it sound so simple?" In the novel, Leon had easily learned to channel ether for spells. Ether was different from mana and aura, so way to channel it for the spells and body augmentation. This was also why I wasn''t going to aura or mana usage sses. These sses were notpulsory because some cadets might have learned to use them from their families or they wanted to learn how other kinds of energy worked to learn its weakness. Ward left it to the cadets to choose between these sses. So, I chose neither as I would only be wasting my time. Before anything else, I needed to learn how to channel ether for magic spells. The spells in this world can be used either by channeling mana while speaking the chant, using system-skill, or using a grimoire. When somebody reads the chants in the grimoire, it forcefully channels the mana inside them toplete the spell. I was reading the chants but not calling its name so that the spell wouldn''tplete. In this way, I was trying to see if I could learn how ether flows during a particr spell to learn it. This was how Leon learned to cast spells in the novel after bing an ether user. But I waspletely unsessful. I could feel ether moving inside my body, but it was tooplicated. It was like thousands of fishes were swimming inside water and you had to observe and learn every single fish''s movement. Too fricking impossible! "Is this the difference between a protagonist and an extra?" I knew I shouldn''tin, but I felt like doing it nheless. In a few days, the first group activity was going to take ce when the dungeon of trails will open for the first years and I was nowhere near proficient-mastery in ''Art of Eridu''. At the rate I was progressing, I will only be able to construct three, at best, four weapons. VUPP-! I kept the grimoire back and took out the weapons I was given today. Today, during the ssbat ss, we were given the weapons we ordered for. It wasn''t weird for cadets to ask for different kinds of weapons. So I had chosen 4 ''weapons''. I ordered the number of weapons in moderation because I wouldn''t be able to learn many weapons during the short amount of time I had, and I would stick out like a sore thumb by taking a dozen different weapons. The main cast also chose the same weapons as in the novel. Anna took a wand, Cadmus took a spear, Lilith took a pair of shotguns, Susan took a sword and scythe, and the focus of the entire ss, due to the morning incident, Leon took a katana. I stretched before cing the spear, hammer, and dagger in front of me. "Should I go watch Leon''s and Lark''s duel?" As I had expected, Lark and Ryan had passed the exam. Since both of them were in our ss, like in the novel, Lark would challenge Leon this week. Chapter 30 Duel [2] "What was the biggest reason behind the Third Great Disaster?" A few cadets raised their hands raised upon hearing Olivia''s question. This was a piece ofmon knowledge, so it wasn''t hard to answer. Olivia nced at the numerous cadets and chose the cadet whom she had recently gotten acquainted with. "There were three reasons: Absence of Sandra rankers from Earth, the Gate of Hell, and Royal demons." Anna spoke in a clear and sweet voice. "The devices capable of detecting Gates formation couldn''t detect Gate of Hell because it had been on Earth even before the First Great Disaster, it was the Bermuda triangle." Nobody could have guessed that the myths behind the Bermuda Triangle were true, and it was a Gate. "Demons took the advantage of the absence of Sandra-rank awakeners and attacked Earth. Among the behemoth army of demons, there were many Royal Demons." The Third Great Disaster was when humanity encountered Royal Demons for the first time. "Royal Demons could use cursed energy, Nether. All of our attacks were useless against them and the only way to hurt them was by using abilities of stigmas." This was the same situation as the First Disaster. At that time, humanity couldn''t harm monsters and beasts using their normal weaponry. Cold weapons and stigmas were far more effective in fighting the beasts back then. Unfortunately, the only way to counter Nether energy was Stigma. Only a few awakeners have a stigma special enough to use as central attack ability. Mostly stigmas are only strong enough to act as secondary attack ability or as support. Olivia beckoned Anna to sit with furrowed brows. Anna''s exnation was perfect. Olivia wasn''t annoyed because of her. It was due to the cadet who had his hand raised the entire time Anna spoke. "Do you have something to add?" The cadet who had raised his hand had be famous among the administrative faculty for his notoriety. Ward''s curricr was set to give cadets as much freedom as possible, but not once did they think that someone like him would appear. He skipped most theory sses that were necessary for awakeners like energy cirction ss and energy recovery ss. He didn''t choose any weapon learning courses but was taking magic chanting sses when he can''t even do a spell due to being an Aura user. Because of him, there were already talks to make changes to the curriculum. "Yes, I wanted to ask about a theory I came up with for Royal Demons." Olivia causally nodded her head. She thought that most likely than not, he was just ying around. But she had to listen to him after he spout his nonsense before throwing him out for disturbing the ss. "I believe that reason only stigma abilities could hurt the Royal Demon was due to it using Aether." This was already an established theory behind stigma working. It was because regardless of being Aura-type or Mana-type, every awakener can use a stigma that doesn''t match their type. A perfect example was Ryan. He could breathe fire, even though such abilities should not work with Aura at his level. Researches were already being done topound Aura and Mana together to recreate something simr to Aether. Stigmas proved that the closer the source of energy is to aether, the better it will do against Nether. Olivia thought he was only telling something he had read and using it to be a center of attention. But her thoughts changed when he spoke again. "What if we use demonic energy? Royal demons and Demons are simr except for the fact that Royal demons use Nether and Demons use demonic energy. Demonic energy has exceptional resistance against being devoured by Nether." Demonic Energy was also a constituent of Aether. It was hard to think that it will have resistance against Nether, like mana or aura. TRING-! TRING-! The siren signifying the end of sses red, but Olivia ignored it. She was already continuing Nathan''s theory in her mind. The gears inside Olivia''s mind churned. ''Royal demons are almost entirelyposed of Nether. If demonic energy isn''t resistant against Nether, then it wouldn''t make sense why demons aren''t going insane from being corrupted by Nether.'' Information about Nether was a closely guarded secret of demons. So nobody knew how exactly it worked. Olivia could justify what Nathan spoke with her theory, but there were still ring ws in it. ''He certainly put some thought into this but using demonic energy won''t work. If it did, somebody should have been able to do it already. Besides, even if lesser than Nether, demonic energy still corrupts beings.'' Nathan maintained a smile on his face and spoke for thest time. "If we create a magic circle topound Aether and demonic energy, shouldn''t we be able to create something that is resistant and a counter against Nether?" Olivia disapprovingly shook her head. Using demonic energy was already dangerous, but creating a magic circle to use Aether was even more so. Humanity still hadn''t reached a point to be able to create magic circles for using Aether. She dismissed the ss and walked out. In her mind, she had raised Nathan''s evaluation. Although Nathan''s idea was only correct in theory, it still showed that he had a high-level understanding of various energies and a sharp mind for critical thinking. "If only he was in the research department to make proper use of his talent." *** I looked at the cadets who were simrly walking to their next sses, like me. "It''s done." In the previous ss, what I did was make an impression on Olivia''s mind. She was responsible for quite a few important things in Ward that I would make use of in the future. And she was also going to be the assistant of the future Alchemy King. It wouldn''t hurt to make a good impression on her right now. I was probably already known by many instructors because of the sses I chose. It would be easier to change Olivia''s opinion of me now before it gets cemented as an idiot and attention hogger. As I was walking, my footsteps slowly halted. "Do you need something?" I spoke with a smile to the cadets that were surrounding me. "No, we just wanted you to know you cane to us if you need help. We can help you more than the trash friend you have." My brows furrowed as I looked at Lark. ''Why is heing to me? Shouldn''t he be going to Leon to bully him?'' "I can? Thank you!" I maintained a smile on my face as I thought of what was happening. Smiling was the best method to mislead others while giving a friendly impression. This was something I always used in my previous life and it became a habit of mine. "It''s good that you understand." Lark patted my shoulders and left with augh. It didn''t take me more than a few seconds to understand what was happening. In the novel, Leon only talked with Lilith at this point. But now, because of what happened during the first ceremony, Leon would asionally talk to me. Of course, I always kept the conversation short and curt. But avoiding him wasn''t very easy when both of us were low rank and shunned by the ss. It didn''t help that he was also always at themon training grounds at midnight. Lark couldn''t target Lilith because their strength and status were worlds apart. But now there was someone whom he could target to slowly corner Leon. In the situation, it would be ideal to bootlick them and deny any involvement with Leon. "The problem is Lark." He was most likely using Leon as an excuse to go after me. "If it wasn''t for Ryan, I would have eliminated this bastard during the exam only." Ryan was a very vital character in the novel. To be precise, his death served a very vital role in the story. It was the only reason why the Second hero helped humanity. I felt like crap as the worst-case scenario was happening. Lark would keep targeting me no matter how much I deny my involvement with Leon or bootlick them. He would probably keeping after me. Going against him wasn''t an option either. If I did, Ken would get involved and then the scale of things will be out of my hands. The best option would be challenging Lark to a duel and defeating him. Then bootlicking Ken to get into his good graces so he doesn''t target me for beating his minion. Bowing my head wasn''t something I hated as long as it helped me. Retaliating without anything backing you up was something only retards do. "I can''t fight him." The only way to defeat Lark would include me using my art to the fullest. But this would expose me. After all, stigmas aren''t supposed to grow after you have awakened them. It also wouldn''t make sense if I said that I mastered it in this short amount of time. "Do I have no other choice?" When I had shown myself to Ryan and Lark during the exam, I was ready for this possibility. The way to get out of this situation was easy and simple. Only it was painful, very much so. Chapter 31 Duel [3] I looked at the transparent blue dome that was covering the ring. ncing at the cadets who surrounded the ring, I could roughly guess their thoughts. It has been a few days since Lark came to me. Unlike in the novel, Lark didn''t challenge Leon yet and kept harassing both of us. I waited for a few days to see if Lark would leave me alone, but that didn''t happen. And so I had no other choice but to do what I had thought of: challenging Susan to a duel. I was already being called crazy, insane, or mentally ill. It was only the gossips being blown out of proportion, but I was going to cement those gossips as a fact. Fighting Susan, who could defeat veterans from the frontlines, was irrational. Furthermore, I was the challenger. Susan didn''t need to suppress her rank, and I wasn''t allowed to give up. Why did I do something so extreme? To be left alone. With this, be it Leon, Ken, or other cadets, everyone would think of me as insane and avoid me. No one can predict the behavior of an insane person. There was no knowing what they might do in the next second. They can harm you in one second, then be friendly the next second, and then do self-harm from guilt. Their ambiguity makes people anxious, nervous, and ufortable. I was going too far to make sure Leon and others avoid me. But I couldn''t help it. It was Leon''s fate that anyone close to him will have a miserable future. ''Maybe because I am from outside of the book, this fate won''t work on me?'' ''Maybe there is no such fate, and it was just some bullshit by the author?'' ''Maybe my actions might create a butterfly effect and people who are supposed to die won''t die?'' ''Maybe there was something that wanted me to save somebody from this fate and so it transmigrated me?'' ''Maybe this fate also works for me?'' ''Maybe I was just transmigrated on a whim?'' I couldn''t find an answer no matter how much I struggled to think of one, at least not yet. So this was the easiest way to be alone until I grow strong enough to leave this. If I remained here, there was no guarantee to survive even if I became strong. "Are you sure about this duel?" The 3rd year student council member who hade with Anna to our ss asked Susan. He was asking her if it was alright for her to waste time on such a weak person, me. He didn''t even spare me a nce as he spoke. Since I was crazy enough to challenge Susan, he just never even bothered to try to change my mind. Wasn''t he being too heartless to a junior? I nced around and saw arge number of cadets that had came to watch the duel. The stadium that could house hundreds of people was packed to brim. It seemed that even cadets of other departments and grades hade to watch the duel. ''He is right. Why did she agree so easily?'' Susan wasn''t someone who would pay attention to the weak. I was already prepared to taunt her subtly to make her ept the challenge. But she had epted my challenge easily. I didn''t think much of this, though. Since the story was still in the early chapters, it would make sense that her personality was a little different from what I knew. Not that I was against it. Had she agreed to the duel because of my provocation, she would beat me senselessly without any mercy. She was someone who would kill even a child if it was her enemy. "Then I will begin the match." The senior didn''t question her after she nodded her head. ''I still feel like I wasted my time trying to get Olivia''s attention. But at least with this, Ken and Leon would leave me alone.'' Ken would make sure to avoid anything rted to Susan. She was the reason Ken had a trauma of fire. "Huuuh¡­." A long sigh escaped my mouth as I readied myself for what wasing next. "Start!" Following the short shout, Susan''s figure blurred. Within seconds, her figure as she swung her fist appeared before me. I hurriedly crossed my arms. Yet the gut-wrenching blow easily smashed me against the barrier. My back, which was now leaning against the barrier ached. My stomach felt like a furnace. The pain inside my stomach made me think that searingva was thrashing there. "Haa-Blergh.." The moment I tried to breathe again, I felt something murky fill my throat. I used my hands to support myself as I heaved. The murky liquid sshed onto the ground, coloring its white surface yellowish and reddish. The thick acrid stench filled the cool air. The burning pain made me tremble every time I retched. "Stand up." Ignoring my pitiful appearance, a merciless voice echoed. I slightly turned my head to look at Susan, who was standing only a few feet away from me. Her unfeeling eyes, which looked deep and dark like an ocean, stared at me. Her wless white skin was the same as it was before the duel. There was not even a little dribble of sweat on that pale and perfect skin. p Did I unknowingly piss her off, or is the difference between us so big? One punch from her was enough topletely decimate me. Yet I was feeling relieved. ''It finished.'' "Why aren''t you¡­." I couldn''t hear her properly as my mind nked, and I passed out on the spot. *** Leon was looking at Nathan''s figure, which was about to duel Susan withplicated eyes. For the past few days, he and Nathan were being harassed by Ken''s underling. He had seen far worse things than some pitiful kids bullying others, trying to feel superior. It wasn''t hard for him to ignore such cheap provocations. But the same couldn''t be said for Nathan. Leon could tell that Nathan was being targeted because of him. Before the harassment started, Leon had been trying to make friends with Nathan. He felt something familiar whenever he looked at Nathan. Everyday he saw Nathan going in and out of training chambers on the training grounds. ''It''s because of me.'' He felt anger boil inside himself when he heard the surrounding cadets insulting Nathan. ''He was cornered to this extent because of me.'' Leon understood that Nathan had challenged Susan out of desperation. Getting chased by a bigger fish was better than getting chased by a fish that had malice against you. The presence of the big fish would chase out any other predators weaker than itself. ''The people close to me always get hurt because of me.'' Blood dripped from his clenched fists. He knew that Nathan was a kind person. Nathan should have also understood that he was getting targeted because of Leon. Yet he never once said anything to Leon. He always smiled brightly and said that there was no need to worry about him. ''It''s always because of me.'' Unable to watch anymore, Leon turned around and left. ''I can''t call myself his friend if I don''t even have the courage to avenge him.'' A cold look shed in his eyes as he thought of his next actions. Chapter 32 Mammon [1] Groggily opening my eyes, the first thing I saw was a pristine white ceiling. Massaging my aching forehead, I tried to sit but the pain from the abdomen reemerged and forced me to continue lying. My nose twitched from the stinging smell. The faint but unmistakable scent of blood, the stale air, and the smell of alcohol wafted in the air. Turning my head, I could see that I was lying on a white bed and white sheets hid my surroundings. Through the translucent sheets, I could make someone standing behind them. Forming proper thoughts was hard for me due to the constant headache. It took me a full minute to realize where I was and why. Remembering Susan knocking the living daylights out of me with a single punch, the first thing I did was to check my abdomen. Slightly raising my upper body, I pulled the white gown I was wearing. My entire abdomen was covered with bandages and gave the pungent smell of alcohol. I was sure that Susan hadn''t punched a hole in me. Then why were the bandages used? Still, her strength was otherworldly. I couldn''t even see her move in front of me, and a single punch was enough to bring me to my knees. ''Did she need to punch so seriously?'' Now I knew why she epted my challenge easily. She probably to wanted to make an example out of me to deter anyone from challenging her. A helpless smile formed on my face. "It looks like it might take a while to heal." "Since we used a low-tier healing potion, you should be healed within 2-3 days." Sliding the sheets, a girl with ming red hair stood beside me. After telling me about the stipted time, she didn''t speak anything and kept ring at me. Finally, unable to bear the awkward atmosphere, I broke the silence. "Hi, fancy meeting you here." My words brought faint tremors to her eyes. "Is this what you should be saying right now?!" Like a dam burst open, tears flowed from Isabell''s eyes. "Why did you challenge Rank 1? What if she hadn''t gone easy on you?" Her eyes reflected her raw emotions, even if she didn''t say anything. Rage, sorrow, guilt, regret, it was a spiral of negative emotions. "Even during the exam¡­ The cadet who came entirely covered in blood was you, wasn''t it? Couldn''t you ¡­have waited a little longer for your stigma to awaken?" Sobs echoed in the room. But Isabell continued. "Why do you always go that far? Why can''t you understand that what happened ten years ago wasn''t your fault?" I didn''t know how to answer her. My head had been preupied for the past few days with various things other than Nathan''s background. I stopped thinking about Nathan after I decided to go to his home after the Dungeon of trials event concluded. As I was thinking, Isabell spoke in an icy tone. "Will you not stop?" She had wiped her tears and now there was something different about her that I couldn''t pinpoint. "I see." Taking my silence as an affirmation, she walked out. Listening to the sound of footsteps gradually fainting, I could tell that she had left the infirmary. "Haah¡­" I had only three interactions with Isabell but more than half of those were quite ¡­.intense. Sinking into the soft bed, I thought back to what she said. From how she spoke, it was safe to assume that Nathan was a training maniac. It seems that the reason behind it was something that happened 10 years ago. Hmmm ¡­the Third Disaster happened 7 years ago. It meant that there was something else that made Nathan what he was. Talking with Isabell reminded me that every person here was a living being, not a character inside a novel. The desperation, rage, and regret she showed weren''t something I could see theic relief Isabell doing in the novel. The coincidence of meing into Ward covered in blood and my stigma awakening also made the situation worse. Most of the time, awakeners can awaken their stigma if they waited. But there were also cases they will awaken stigmas veryte in their life or never awaken. A method to increase the chances of awakening your stigma was to put yourself through extreme pressure, both in body and in mind. It seemed that Isabell thought this was the reason behind my stigma awakening. "Why, huh?" I wonder how she will react if I said that I was training like a maniac to survive the Dungeon of trials. Chances weren''t low that I will survive the event if I left everything to luck. But my luck stat was anything but reassuring. "How are you feeling?" As I was thinking about my future, a sweet and clear voice flowed into my ears. ''Why is she here?'' The person who hade was Anna Kenward. Seeing that I wasn''t answering, she waved her hand in front of me. "¡­I''m okay. But why are you here?" Although the question was rude, I couldn''t help it. I had just put my body on the line to make sure as few as possible bother me. Ken would now leave me because of Susan, while Leon would understand that I was an unfriendly prick that was also crazy. "It''s my duty as the ss Representative of Katana-ss." I nodded m head. I had forgotten that she was the CR of our ss. Anna spoke without hesitation to my question. Her charisma, as a natural-born leader, shined in times like this. Yet, I could tell. She didn''te willingly. ''Duty'' She probably had toe as it was her job as CR to look after cadets. Rather than feeling depressed, I felt relieved. It seemed that everything worked out how I wanted it to be. Anna continued to ask more about my health and left shortly after. "One week." Looking at the ceiling, I realized that only a little more than a week was left before the event. This event was one of the two major events that happened in the first semester. If I had to be honest, I wanted to skip it by feigning an injury or a disease. But my lie would be easily exposed. This world''s technology was too advanced than my previous world to be able to skip sses because of some non-existent injury. It would also be suspicious if I was the only cadet who didn''t participate. "Urg.." When I tried to stand up, the pain red in intense waves. Because I was only a Meta-rank I couldn''t use potions above low-tier. The extra energy inside mid tier or anything above will be dangerous for me. It would be like over-pumping a balloon, and my body could burst. I couldn''t help but sigh. Even using good healing potions wasn''t an option if you were weak in this world. "Wait for a little time before moving. The pain killers should start working soon." Looking at the nurse that came to check me, I feltplicated. I knew it was low of me, but I couldn''t help it. Weren''t the nurses in clich¨¦ fantasy novels supposed to be busty and mature, types? Why was my nurse a bald, fat man? It didn''t help that he looked ugly and wore sses. The corners of my lips curled up as I realized what I was thinking. If I could joke in this situation, didn''t it mean that I was fine? Chapter 33 Mammon [2] "Rank 2991 Leon Barns" "Present" It had been two days since my duel. Yesterday Leon challenged Lark and managed to defeat him by a hair''s breadth. Of course, he didn''t use his art he purely won by using magic and pure swordsmanship. Although he won almost, everyone was thinking that he won by cheating. It was because Leon was a mana-user who fought using a sword. Normally, mana users have weak bodies and can''t exert high physical strength like aura users. This gap increases even more as one''s rank increases. Mana influences the world to manifest phenomena, called magic, through chants. While Aura circtes inside one''s body and continuously refines it to perfection. Both of these can''t substitute for each other. So a magic swordsman will have to depend on his stats alone to be able to keep up with Aura users. Also, since most of the stats will be assigned to the body, the magic swordsman can''t use the main advantage of a mana user, using powerful spells from a long distance. This was why it was baffling that Leon could win against Lark, who was ranked 439. Most assumed that Leon used some underhanded tricks and won. But I knew why Leon was so strong. Even if his stigma was still sealed due to not going through the first awakening, he still had his dormant War God physique. This physique, which will awaken after the first awakening, was giving him physical stats boost even in a dormant state. "tch.." Anyway, both Leon''s and Lark''s ranks would see tremendous shifts in the second semester. Although little hups arose like Leon being the one to issue the challenge, which was due to Lark''s more aggressive behavior than in the novel, everything was going perfectly. Leon had stopped talking to me, and Lark was no longer bothering me. Lilith also stopped staring at me long ago. It seems she was finally convinced that we didn''t know each other. Isabell daily messaged me to ask if I was alright and what I was doing, but she never came to meet me. The cadets also began avoiding me. No, it would be more correct to say they treated me like air. Thest two days felt like a wishe true. "I wish it will be always like this." As I was thinking about this, Mia spoke while leaving the ss. "Rank 2169, Nathan Hunt. Come with me." "¡­" If this was a game, I bet something like this would pop up in front of me now. [Achievement unlocked: g raiser You jinx something for it toe true the next second. Ability ¨C Gets you into the immediate danger which you want to escape. Evaluation ¨C If only you didn''t have a mouth to speak, you might live long and peacefully] With furrowed brows, I followed after Mia. Looking at her amethyst hair, various thoughts swirled inside my mind. ''Why did she call me?'' ''Did I do something which I shouldn''t have?'' ''Did she set her eyes on me?'' ''Should I make an excuse to leave?'' Shaking my head, I again looked at her back. A sluggish pace, drooping shoulders, feet which she barely raised and were almost dragged on the ground, continuous sighs, and her obliviousness as she walked without even looking at her surroundings. Anyone who looks at her would call herzy and lethargic. One would think that she can''t even fight a Meta-rank beast. This was how mostly everyone saw her. ''Crazy bitch'' But I knew that all of it was a fa?ade. She was someone who would kill you if you piss her off even slightly. For unknown reasons, she was in the Ward. The only thing I knew was that she was here on someone''s behalf. She was someone who died before we could see her background fully. Readers didin about it, but the author never shed light on her background. The worst thing about her was this crazy bitch would screw anyone over. It didn''t matter to her if the person was right, wrong, good, or evil. Her actions made one doubt if she was working for Illis or Umbra. ''She might actually be working for Illis or Umbra. Many times her actions were too questionable.'' It was dangerous if I was on her radar. This was why I hadn''t been among the cadets who gossiped about her or insulted her. What made her more troublesome were her eyes. She could see if a person was lying! "Don''t wander around." After walking for a dozen minutes, we reached the area where the administrative buildings were situated. I squinted my eyes to look at thergest building. Due to the ss panes that covered the building, the reflecting sunlight made it hard to directly look at it. I had to raise my head fully to see the top of the building. In front of the building were three statues. One was of a woman who carried a Katana. On her side, the two other statues were of a man who wore a cape and carried a wand, while the other wore a long coat and carried a gun in his hand. "The Irregrs." The statues depicted the three heroes, which were the reason that the humanity survived Third Disaster. Following Mia, I walked into a building on the side. Walking on the white tiles, we turned around a few corridors until we reached the one where our destination was. Mia scanned her biometrics and entered thest room in the corridor. Sighing deeply, I also entered the office. *** My eyebrows twitched as I looked at the rhythmic raising and falling back of Mia. After entering the office, she sat at her desk, rested her head on her hands, and dozed off. ''Does she enjoy annoying people like this?'' I knew this bitch was only acting to sleep. And since I knew that, I had to wait for her to ''wake up''. ncing at the room for a moment, I doubted if she wasn''t azy person. The window was covered with thick curtains devoid of the room even a speck of sunlight. A small round disk was circling the room, which was probably a cleaning device. A small ck cat with red eyes was sleeping on the disk, which looked just aszy as its master. There was a screen on her desk showing the outside corridor. On her desk, there was also a cup holder. At the corner of the room, hovering in mid-air, sat a coffee machine. The lights of the room turned dim when she began sleeping. All in all, it seemed like an office customized for making the person in itzy. Half an hour passed, and I was beginning to lose my patience. Finally, I decided to wake her. Just waking her wouldn''t truly anger her because she was only acting. I took a step when her eyebrows twitched. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open to reveal her hyacinth-colored eyes. The moment she woke up, the lighting of the room returned to normal bright radiance. Stretching herself, her dreamy eyesnded on me. She tilted her head as if questioning my presence, and her amethyst hair fell to one side. "You asked me to follow you." She nodded her head as realization dawned on her. Chapter 34 Mammon [3] "You asked me to follow you." Mia nodded her head as realization dawned on her. Thenzily supporting her head with her arms she spoke. "Why did you choose those subjects?" "¡­" It took me sheer fucking superhuman will and facial muscles to keep smiling. This bitch was doing this on purpose! It had been almost a week since I chose those subjects! Even longer if you counted the time when I submitted the application for them and she was asking this now. If she truly wanted, she would have called me the day I applied for them. "You should havee to me if you were confused." I felt the veins on my forehead throb. Come to her when I could lose my head because I sneezed? No, fucking thank you! ''Calm down'' I was getting too heated needlessly. Herzy personality was a fa?ade. There must be another reason for calling me. Mia carefully weaves a of words to imprison her prey. Lengthens the talk with useless questions to hide her intentions and lure the prey. And the moment someone trips the would snap onto the prey and confine it for her to dine upon it. I needed to cool my head if I wanted to deceive her. "I had already thought this through properly and decided on the subjects I chose. So I decided against bothering anyone." She undeniably had a motive to bring me here. I couldn''t afford a single mistake even though I didn''t know her motive...dammit! Mia nodded her head as she looked at me. Then she asked something else. "Is anything bothering you?" "¡­Yes" She couldn''t force me to answer, but then I would only make her more suspicious. Her ability was fearsome. But there was one advantage I had over her. She didn''t know that I was aware of her ability. "Is this why you challenged Susan to the duel?" "No" Mia''s ability detects truth and lies based on the person''s perspective. I challenged Susan because I was bothered by Lark and Leon. But I was also bothered by Dungeon of trails, so it was true that it wasn''t the reason that I challenged Susan. "Why are you so nervous? Is it because of me?" "Can I speak frankly?" Even though I knew about her ability, Mia was a master of the art of deception. Letting her control the flow was the same as serving my head on a silver tter. "Yes, I am nervous because of you. If an instructor who never speaks to anyone singles you out, anyone would get nervous." While I was thinking about why she called me, the corners of Mia''s lips rose slightly. "Someone who is scared so easily wouldn''t challenge Rank 1." ''Fuck, she is too attentive.'' She probably caught on that I was acting dumb. This bitch had too keen senses! "It''s because I believe I can defeat her. Yes, she is stronger than me now. But about 5 years, 10 years from now?" "H-huh?" Taken aback by my sudden outburst, Mia let out a strange sound. ''You don''t believe I''m crazy? Hehehe, let me teach you.'' "Hmm.. Now that I think about it, I might surpass her next year." Seeing Mia''s bewildered face, I smirked in my head. Of course, she would be bewildered. Her ability should be telling her that I believed in everything I was saying. Everyone acknowledged that Susan can surpass the Irregrs who saved the Earth from extinction. And a nameless and talentless awakener was dering that he can surpass her. ''So what if you are suspicious of me? There is no way you can guess that I am a transmigrator.'' Puffing my chest, I delivered the finishing blow. "You can check mybat sses'' scores. It will show you that I am saying the truth." Mia massaged her forehead and picked up the coffee cup. Mia was aware of thebat scores of every cadet in the first year. Hearing the cadet who was setting the lowest records ever seen in Ward use them to prove his potential convinced her of my insanity. "I see. Good luck with that. You can leave now." I didn''t lie when I spoke about my growth. Even if I was an awakener, it didn''t mean that I could use all my body to its full potential from the get-go. I was training hard to get used to moving this superhuman body. The scores were abysmally low for Ward. But for me, it showed that I was progressing. Barely suppressing my smirk, I walked out. "Congrattions on awakening your stigma." "Tha-cough cough" Fuck..I almost said thank you. "Do you need water?" Before I could leave, Mia stood beside me with a ss of water. The moment I thought everything was over, she attacked! I emptied the ss, all the while cursing this bitch in my mind. Had I said thank you, it would have been a gave over! But I was sure this was thest time, so I continued to act. "The weapons I construct can defeat anyone." Answering Mia for thest time, I hurried away with suppressed steps. *** "Haah~~" Sinking in thisfy bed always feels heavenly. It''s like my anxieties are being sucked away. I continued to lie in the same position for a few minutes. Finally having my fit, I turned over. "It seems two years were enough to rust my acting skills." It was scary how she always acted to be asleep, but noticed dispensaries in my action that even I didn''t know of. She had probably called to see if I really was crazy or just acting. "And she was still suspicious, after all that." She was too damn scary. I almost slipped because of that abruptpliment and then she stood beside me with a ss of water, smiling. I almost had a heart attack! "She might be more suspicious due to thatme coughs." ? I wasn''t very worried, though. After all, her ability was a closely guarded secret of her. There was no way for me to know about it. -TRING "Someone''s here?" With a confused expression, I walked to the door. For the three weeks I have been here, none of my dorm mates, even in the same corridor, hade to talk to me. Even the reason I knew the sound of the doorbell was because I had a habit of ringing my own doorbell before entering my ce. "Is it Isabell?" She was the only one who came to my mind. Although she was angry with me, she still messaged me every day, asking about my health. -CLICK Opening the door, the appearance of the ''guest'' surprised me. "Sir, your package has arrived." A robot that looked like a pyramid, with a single wheel at its base, stood outside my door. From its side, two pipe-like structures protruded, holding a bag. It looked exactly like the robot I had seen on my first day in the world. "ZXROR-303 deeply apologizes for thete delivery. ZXROR-303 is still in the testing phase, causing the dy in delivery. Please take this Zuan-resort coupon aspensation." My eyes widened when I heard thepensation. Zuan resort was expensive even for the high-ss society of this world. It wouldn''t be wrong to say that you have to be among the top, even in the top bracket of society, to be able to go there. "Isn''t this too much?" "No, sir. The main AI has calcted thispensation. ZXROR-303 is thetest work of Nova Corporation that is designed to take care of everymonce task. You have helped us in finding a crucial mistake." I nodded my head. If it was the main AI of Nova Corp that decided on thispensation, then it shouldn''t be a mistake. The main AI of Nova corps was no joke. It was responsible for handling more than half of the tasks of the Nova Corp. After the extreme loss of poption from the Second and Third Disasters, humanity had actively started to depend on AIs. "Thank you for your understanding." I swiftly closed the door. I had almost lost hope of Nathan having a package after nothing came for three weeks. "Finally, I will get some answers." *** TAP-! TAP-! In a deep, dark tunnel, the sound of water droplets falling continuously echoed. The droplets falling from the stctites had created a murky pool of ck liquid below it. TAP-! TAP-! The droplets continued to fall, but the size of the pool remained the same. Time passed, and the pool started turning darker and murkier. TAP-! TAP-! As the moment stretched, the liquid turned as dark as a moonless night. Suddenly, the surface of the pool began trembling. The trembling kept intensifying, making even the cave shake. The vibrations made the droplets fall quicker. POP-! With a pop sound, the ck murky liquid abruptly exploded and scattered. But it didn''t stay there and started gathering. Slowly, the liquid merged into something bipedal. First, the feet were formed, then the torso, followed by arms and wings, and finally a head. The monster had no eyes and ears. It only had lips that stretched into an eerie smile, covering its entire face. "GRAAAAA!" Following the monster''s roar, more popping sounds echoed. Chapter 35 Mammon [4] "Was I wrong about him?" Mia curled her finger, and the coffee machine hovered toward her. Her mind was preupied with Nathan. She was confident that he was only acting like a crazy person. "Here I was thinking that he had potential to be recruited. But it seemed he really was crazy." Someone who had the guts to challenge Susan and the wits to fool almost the entire Ward would have been a promising prospect. "I thought he was interesting." BEEP-! As she was sipping her coffee, the inte rang. Seeing the caller ID, her face scrunched up and Mia decided to ignore the call. The inte, which rang for the fifth time, to Mia''s dismay, was automatically answered. Before Mia could run away from the office, a deep voice reverberated throughout the room. "You have a task." "I just remembered that Miss Olivia had called for me." Mia spoke answered without a beat. However, the voice continued,pletely ignoring her. "A team will be leaving for the investigation on the Aether circle that was recently found. Your task is to protect them and investigate the reason behind itste discovery." "That isn''t in the con-" BEEP-! Stopping Mia mid-sentence, the line was cut. "Oh, he cut the line before I spoke?" Suddenly, herzy demeanor vanished, reced by a beautiful smile on her face. "Was being too cooperative?" Feeling the chilly atmosphere, the cat ran away from the office. *** "It''s done." I stretched my back and stood up from my desk. The package that came turned out to be quite helpful. Now I knew quite a bit about Nathan and dare I say, I was able to deduce his personality and behavior. "Looking at his notes, he really would have died. What kind of normal kid makes those ns?" Anyway, it wasn''t important right now. "The bracelet and the book." I looked at the two objects resting on my bed. Among the things the package had, these needed my immediate attention. The bracelet belonged to Nathan. It told me many things about Nathan but the most vital were: Nathan had received a lot of money recently and I now knew how Lilith knew me. The book, though I haven''t touched it yet, I''ve read too many novels to know where this was going. It was a tradition to leave the best for thest. So I had inspected the bracelet first. "My spid-cough My doggy senses are tingling! It''s time for the world to know my greatness!" Hehehe. Finally, my OP cheat was here! Wasn''t it always like this? The extra who reincarnates gets a cheat, which makes him OP. Ether and Art of Eridu were something I got on my own and they weren''t OP, at least not yet. Since my cheat was a book, I had particrly high expectations of its ability. Now it was time to check the book. The book was covered partially with ck cloth. The cover was pitch ck in its entirety, with intricate golden, red, and white patterns on it. Extending my hand, I flipped the book. ZAPP-! DING-! I reflexively pulled my hand back. "What was that?" The moment I touched the pages, a jolt of electricity passed through my body. The jolt of electricity wasn''t very strong. I only dropped the book because it was sudden. I again picked the book and warily opened it. Thankfully, there was no surprise this time. Opening the book, I flipped to thetest page. ====== "I sweated too much today." Leon picked up the soap and started washing. Pushing himself to the limit was a habit that had been ingrained in him. So, sweating wasn''t something that bothered him any longer. If he had toin about anything, it would be his aching muscles and bones. This had been happening since the day he fought Lark. Normally, any injury or exhaustion would heal quickly for him, but since that day, he had been feeling tired. Recovery took more time, and exhaustion never left his body. Yet Leon didn''t think that his decision to fight Lark was wrong. "No, this still isn''t enough. I only won because of that strange surge of power. I still need to train more." Turning on the faucet, Leon began rubbing soap all over his body. He started with his legs. Thoroughly washing his ankles and foot, he started doing his calves. "Should I decrease the intensity of training? We will be allowed to enter the Dungeon of Trials in a few days. I need to be in my top form for it." Leon massaged his thighs while in thought. "I shouldn''t do that. I should try to train as much as possible. Besides, I can feel that I am close to a breakthrough in my art." Shifting his hands upwards, he started washing his thin- ====== BANG-! I mmed the book shut tightly. The book was being written in real-time and it was giving a detailed description of Leon''s every move, too detailed. Here I was waiting to see what I will find in the book and what I found was a detailed description of Leon''s dic-dammit! "Where is bleach?" No, that isn''t enough. I should go for the memory maniption skill, even if it''s dangerous. "I know I am unlucky, b-but this is too much! Which pervert is writing this?" I''ll fucking kill that bastard! As I started raging, I finally noticed the system window which was floating in front of me. ====== Quest :- Find and kill ???? Mammon. eptance Reward ¨C Skill[Synchronization] Clearance Reward ¨C Pandora''s Heart, ???, ??? Failure Penalty ¨C ??? Time Limit ¨C 13 years --> ept --> Reject ====== "A quest?" Was this even possible? I''ve never heard of quests in "Hero has returned". This was my first time seeing one. "Why is there something-Ah!" I realized a potential reason for this quest. Up till now, I had been thinking that a higher being was the reason for my reincarnation. Otherwise, it wouldn''t make sense that I was transmigrated inside a novel. I still didn''t like the fact that it transmigrated me in this novel, but I wasn''t against the idea of living a new life. Rather, I was thankful to whoever was the reason behind my transmigration. "Was HB the one who gave me this quest?" HB was what I had started calling the higher being. "Mammon? Who is it?" Reading the short quest description, I questioned the name. Not only was the information given too little, but it was also my first time hearing the name Mammon. ,m Further reading, I realized that there were many question marks in the quest. Almost everything was a question mark and what it showed was something I''ve never read about. Mammon? Synchronization? Pandora''s Heart? What were these things? "Is there more to the novel?" The hairs on my back stood at that thought. Even the things I knew were already too dangerous, and now there were chances there was something more in the novel. "Shit" Now that I think about it, the author had written the novel only a little bit after the war, before I died. At that point, Leon was the only alive member of the main cast and was rebuilding the human civilization. Most of us expected the novel to end with the war. But from the foreshadowing the author had shown that this was only the beginning of thete stages of the novel. There were stronger beings and many more races. "Is Mammon someone like that, too?" Shaking my head, I denied my thoughts. If Mammon was truly someone on that level, then the quest would have only been about killing him. The fact I was supposed to find it meant it was in hiding. If it was hiding, then it should be weak. Finally calming down, I again read the window, but this time more carefully. I wanted to get as much information as possible. "13 years?!" I noticed the given time limit only now. Understanding the meaning behind it, my heartbeat sped up. HB should know that I knew about future and vital pieces of important information. Using it correctly would make me a powerhouse in the future. This was why I wanted to keep the original storyline as much intact as possible. Although I only had the Legacy-art of the ancient hero and Ether right now, if everything went as I have nned, I would only be a little weaker than Leon 10 yearster. It should be noted that this was a huge achievement. In the future, Leon''s enemies would be powerhouses of other races, races that had ess to aether and system far before humanity, and powerhouses who had the highest strength, talent, and potential in those races. Leon would be able to catch up to them in only one and a half decades. This was who Leon was. A protagonist, a hero, and ¡­..thest ember of humanity. "That piece of trash should have died afterpleting the novel!" I immediately clicked on the reject option. I wasn''t going to do something this reckless and dangerous, even more so when the failure penalty was unknown. DING-! Reading the notification, my face paled. "The penalty will apply if I reject the quest?!" Then at least let me know the penalty! It was scarier because the penalty was unknown. Had it shown what the penalty was, I would have been able to weigh my options. "I should d-Arrrrrghhhhhh!!" The moment I thought about not epting or rejecting the quest, I felt my head split. The pain made me think someone was poking hundreds of needles into my head. Immediately, I thought about making a choice and the pain disappeared. "Huff..hufff.." I had no other choice but to ept the quest. Chapter 36 Behind The Veil [1] "ept" [You have epted the Quest] [eptance Reward Received ¨C Skill[Synchronization] ====== [Synchronization] ¨C Locked --> Temporarily boots your overall rank, skill ranks, and mastery in arts by one rank. --> Synchronize with ??? --> ??? Number of Uses: 4 Unlock Requirements: Iota-rank ====== My eyes widened at the description of Synchronization. Gaining a rank, even if temporary, was nothing to scoff at. There were some skills or artifacts that boost your rank, but most of them won''t be effective from Enma-rank. Enma-rank was the boundary that separated humans and ''real'' superhumans. After crossing Enma-rank the power gap between ranks increases many folds. The biggest boon about the skill was that it had no rank restriction. I could even use it as a Hatamoto or Gamma rank awakener. But the second line in the description bothered me. "What will I synchronize with?" This line was a ring red g no matter how you see it. It didn''t help to lessen my suspicion that this kind of skill was something never shown in ''Hero has Returned''. I racked my brain for any possible answer, but nothing came to my mind. The skill couldn''t have been any more suspicious. It was almost as if someone didn''t want me to use it. "I should only use this skill after knowing what I was going to synchronize with. " Since I didn''t know what I would synchronize with and the number of uses was limited, I decided to not use it until I was sure what it was. "Let''s look at the book first." Flipping the book open, I began experimenting with it. The first thing I did was rewrite the lines. Picking a pen, I tried to write the lines before words automatically appeared on the page. I was able to write in the book, but everything was erased after 10 seconds. The next thing I did was erase the written content. But whatever I did, I couldn''t make any changes to what was already written in the book. "Ah! I should try with ether." Can''t believe I made such a rookie mistake. Circting ether into my palms, I grabbed the book. Unlike the previous times, the moment I touched the book, something different happened. The golden patterns on the cover lit up brightly, while the red patterns lit dimly. Instinctively realising what I had to do, I increased the amount of ether. Immediately, two more lines appeared inside the book. Up-till now, the words were being written in real-time. But the moment I supplied ether, two more lines of context appeared in one go, and after that, more words stopped appearing. Waiting for a few seconds, the words again started continuously appearing. "Is this¡­." I again supplied ether, but this time in a muchrger quantity. The moment I did so, half a page worth of context suddenly appeared. After waiting for a minute, the words again started being written in the book. My lips curled up as I realized what this book could do. Still, I needed to make sure my theory was correct, so I experimented for a few more minutes with a stopwatch. After half an hour, I was lying on my bed while heavily panting. Sweat covered my entire forehead and my clothes clung to my body. Yet there was a smile on my face. "The book can show me the future proportional to the amount of ether I supply." The concept was simr to the web novels I used to read. Ether was the currency I had to pay to read chapters that were not yet released. After I unlock the extra chaps, I had to wait for the regr chapter to reach where I was for the story to continue or use even more ether to unlock more chapters. Only that in this case what I got was more number of lines and not chapters. I felt euphoric. The book actually was an OP item. The ability was very helpful. If used correctly, it could overturn dangerous situations. I could also use the book to see if the story was going on the correct path. I could only see up to two pages worth of future and with the detailed writing style of the book, I doubted if it was more than a few minutes in reality. Yet the potential the book held was unlimited. As long as my ether reserves grew, I will be able to see much farther in the future. Subconsciously, I exhaled a long sigh, and the strength left my body. Finally, after a month of arriving in this world, I felt at ease. This was the first time I got something that was actually useful and had no bacsh I could see. Earlier, when I said that I was getting an OP cheat, I was only half serious. It wasn''t my fault, though. Since arriving in this world, everything was going in a twisted way, no matter how hard I tried. In the Entrance Examination, I antagonized Ryan. After that, I came into Ward thinking that everything will be fine from here. Only toter know that Lilith and Isabell knew Nathan. Also, for reasons unknown to me, Leon was trying to befriend me. Finally, I got an opportunity called Lark, which I used to set my status as an insane person. Now, Leon and Lilith no longer bothered me. But this only led Mia to me. Since the beginning, everything was only a downward spiral. "The Dungeon of Trials is even worse." The massacre that would happen in the Dungeon of trial was dangerous. But it could be avoided if one was lucky. The problem was, for me, the severity of danger didn''t depend on luck. "Nether and Ether are opposite in nature. I will be the first priority of the Royal Demon." I couldn''t tell anybody. I couldn''t ask for help. I wasn''t allowed to skip the test. Many a time, I thought about giving up and running away. After all, I was supposed to survive an unkible being that, should it detect the presence of Ether, would leave everything to devour me. But now, holding the book in my hands, I was feeling a lot calmer. "It''s actually helpful." This book cut my anxieties by a lot. It was the first thing I received in this world that held no demerit. "The skill and the quest are debatable, but if you can hear it, thanks HB." Today would be the first day I could sleep peacefully in this world. *** Around midnight, Nathan was peacefully sleeping on his bed. On his desk rested a ck book that read ''Saga of Heroes''. The book had golden and dimly lit red patterns on its cover. The curtains fluttered from the night breeze, allowing the moonlight to enter. Unknown to Nathan inside his soul, there were changes the moment he received the Synchronisation. At the far end of the void, which couldn''t be brightened by the constetions, there was an enormous ck veil. Hours passed as Nathan''s chest rose and sank rhythmically. Pale moonlight entered the room, basking in the room in its silvery color. Everything was peaceful when suddenly a string of notifications appeared in front of Nathan. [Code ck! Code ck!] [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö found] [Requesting permission to increase the rate of Edna] [Permission granted] [Beginning the Extermination] Nathan''s body twitched once. But it didn''t stop there. One twitch, two twitches, three twitches. Within seconds, his body began spasming all over. He contorted as the spasms increased in ferocity. A groan leaked from Nathan''s mouth and his eyes fluttered open. But there was no semnce of life in his eyes. Hepletely looked like a doll, lifeless. Inside his soul, cracks began appearing. The empty void started shattering, revealing a grey sky beyond it. Large turbulence exited from the cracks wreaking havoc inside his soul. The constetions Nathan had painstakingly created started breaking. Nathan''s body didn''t show any reaction to other than his earlier groan and the spasms. It was almost as if it was a corpse and not an alive person. The cracks began erging at an rming pace. Soon they reached the veil hidden in the corner of Nathan''s soul. The moment cracks touched the veil, something even more astonishing happened. CLANK-! CLANK-! Like a loud thunderp, the noise of the nking of chains reverberated throughout his soul. The noise increased in magnitude and kept steadily increasing. By now, cracks covered almost the entirety of Nathan''s soul, revealing the grey sky, but the veil remained unperturbed. Finally, the cracks touched the veil. CLANK-! CLANK-! Instantly, hundreds of chains erupted from the veil. They extended limitlessly and wrapped around the cracks. Within seconds, a chain was wrapped around every single crack, halting their growth. The rattling of chains echoed as they started tightening around the cracks. Slowly, the cracks started mending. Yet the turbulence exiting them didn''t stop and kept wreaking havoc. Hundreds of new cracks formed every second from the turbulence. Nathan''s soul was the one on the verge of annihtion when suddenly¡­. "Synchronization" A low yet loud voice boomed inside his soul. Chapter 37 Behind The Veil [2] "Synchronization" A low yet loud voice boomed inside Nathan''s soul. Instantly, the veil thinned and thousands of new chains erupted from it. CLANK-! CLANK-! The rattling of chains intensified, drowning the void in a jarring cacophony. They started shimmering in golden re and began wrapping around the cracks ferociously. The cracks started being closed at a swift pace. The overwhelming number of chains cut through the turbulence before it could create more cracks. Outside, in the reality, Nathan''s lifeless eyes turned golden. A string of notifications again appeared in front of Nathan. [Rank: Meta --> Rank: Iota] [Error! Error!] [Interference detected] [Increasing rate of Edna] [Error! Error!] [Energy Insufficient] Soon all the cracks disappeared and Nathan''s soul reverted to its usual empty void state. After mendingrge cracks, the chains started disintegrating. Finally, when the veryst chain disappeared, a tired voice echoed from behind the veil. "One year. Reach peak Enma rank in one year." Like a puppet with strings cut, Nathan stopped spasming and fell back on the bed. ====== Leon was sitting on the training ground to regain his energy. The Dungeon of trails was opening in a few days. He wanted to see how far he could climb on the first day. This was why he had increased his training intensity. Luckily for him, he was also able to get a training partner. Leon was happy that skills that had stopped growing were again starting to grow. He was meditating while looking back at his spars when a cheerful voice entered his ears. "Leon~~ You were quite intense today too~~" His eyes fluttered open to see the person in front of him. A well-endowed girl with apricot-colored hair was standing beside him with a bright smile. Her hairs stuck to her skin, which glistened as the light reflected on them. She was wearing the training uniform and carrying two shotguns in the holsters. She was Lilith Ashdown, someone Leon got close to in the past month. Over the past month, they had gone from mere acquaintances to good friends. Now they would regrly train together in the training ground at the midnight. Her fighting style also taught Leon, who was only good in one-on-onebat, a lot. Every day Leon could feel himself progress further even though he was never able to win against her. He was happy to make friends with someone like her. But there was one thing about her that troubled him. "How can you go on all night without feeling tired~ You are always so intense~" Leon''s face blushed. Lilith was talking about their daily spars, but the choice of words was too suggestive. Her tone as she spoke didn''t help much, either. "Your face is red. Are you sick?" Before Leon could respond, Lilith was already touching his forehead with her forehead. ''T-too close'' Leon subconsciously shut his eyes tight and his blush increased even more. His head was spinning, and he stuttered. "Hehehe.. too easy." Suddenly, Leon heard something. Opening his eyes, he could see Lilith, who was now standing back in her position, giggling like a child. Immediately, Leon understood that she was ying with him. "Do you need to do this daily?" "Did you say something~~" Leon could only grumble as he saw Lilith ying dumb. She would always find a way to tease him. And Leon, whose only contact with females was his master, was no match for her tricks. She was like a little devil that would get pleasure in teasing him. Leon was about to open his mouth when he heard something. It sounded like metals rattling against each other. Looking around, he tried to find the source of the sound. As far as he knew today, only Lilith and himself were present there. As his thoughts reached this point, he remembered Nathan. "He didn''te today." "Nathan?" Leon nodded his head. This was the first time Nathan didn''te to train. Nathan hade to train even on the day Susan defeated him. "Did something happen to him?" Maybe Leon was overthinking it. But he couldn''t erase the possibility of Ken doing something to Nathan behind his back. Leon again heard the metallic sound. "Can you hear it?" Seeing the clueless look on Lilith''s face, Leon could tell he was the only one who heard the metallic sound. ''I should go check on him tomorrow morning.'' For the whole night, Leon couldn''t erase the sense of foreboding he was feeling. ====== "Is he alright?" Dressed in a ck uniform, Leon stood outside Nathan''s room. Only fifteen minutes were left for the sses to start, yet Nathan had not left his room. Leon was in a dilemma. He didn''t know if he should knock or wait for Nathan toe out. He began tapping his foot on the floor. If he had known that this would have happened, he would have asked Lilith about the usual time Nathanes to the ss. "Wouldn''t I look weird if I suddenly went to him without even talking?" Leon shook his head. In his eyes, Nathan was a kind person who wouldn''t bother with such details. But Leon didn''t want to mess up his chances of befriending Nathan. So he decided to wait for a few more minutes. To Leon, friends were a kind of special existence that would stick with you through happiness and sadness, joy and misery, sess and failure, and thick and thin. He was even more excited to make a male friend. There were Anna and Lilith. But he mostly talked with Anna about alchemy-rted things. It greatly surprised Leon when he came to know that Anna, a top ranker and genius mage, was interested in alchemy. Together, both of them hit off in the alchemy ss. As for Lilith, she was also his good friend, but she was ¡­..slightly weird. "Yahallo!" Rubbing his back, Leon looked around to find Lilith, dressed in a white uniform with blue linings, beside him. "Why did you hit so hard?" "Because I felt like someone was badmouthing me~" ''Why me?'' Leon caught the question in his throat. Looking at Lilith, who was smiling at him, a drop of cold sweat trickled through his back. Wasn''t he the one who was badmouthing her? "What are you doing here?" "Why are you waiting here?" Lilith answered Leon''s question with another question. Staring at her eyes for a few moments he sighed, he knew Lilith didn''t like backing down. So he had to be the one to answer first. "I was waiting for Nathan toe out?" Lilith''s eyes shined like a child who found her new toy as she looked at the door. She hopped to the door and began ringing the doorbell, crazily. Leon gulped as he saw her actions. In his mind, the image of him and Nathan being together and away from Lilith changed to him and Nathan being together and teased by Lilith. ''Eh, isn''t it fine if there is someone to suffer together with me?'' He didn''t dislike Lilith. On the contrary, he was very happy to be her friend. But she was a little too much to handle alone. As Leon was nodding to himself, there were sounds of things falling in the room. "Stop! Stop! I aming!" With a click, the door opened to reveal a thin yet muscr youth. His hairs were damp, suggesting he was bathing, and he wasn''t wearing a shirt. The youth shot his guests a surprised, then annoyed look. Leon helplessly smiled. He knew that although Nathan gives everyone a cold shoulder, he didn''t mean bad. "What?" Remembered why he was here, Leon''s face turned serious and he question Nathan. "Did something happenst night? Is everything okay?" Leon hadn''t been able to sleep peacefullyst night. Every time he tried to sleep, he heard the sounds of metal rattling. He couldn''t help but feel that it was rted to Nathan. "Huh?" Looking at Nathan''s clueless face, Leon sighed in relief. It didn''t look like anything happened. "Hey did you remember me now?" "No" Lilith immediately slipped her foot in between the gap before Nathan could shut his door. "There is no need to be embarrassed. I know you love me." "No, I don-" "I''m sorry, I can''t respond to your feelings. I already epted Leon''s proposal." Leon almost spat when he heard Lilith. "He did? Good fo-" "But I know you love me hopelessly and can''t live one moment without me. So, I''ll give you a chance." "No, than-" "Don''t thank me. This became possible only because of your passionate feelings." Nathan kept trying to shut the door, but Lilith didn''t budge. Lilith''s shenanigans escted and she started sniffing Nathan. Yet Nathan stood unperturbed in front of her, still trying to close the door. Watching them, Leon smiled. This was the first time he saw Nathan speak so much. As their banter continued, Leon''s eyes wandered to Nathan''s body. There was a long scar on Nathan''s sides and a w mark over his chest. Seeing the injuries, Leon once again realized that Nathan was a hard worker. He wasn''t crazy or insane, as others called him. "I''m sorry. I''m not interested in dudes." Noticing Leon''s stare, Nathan covered his chest and backed away. "I''m no-" "Leon, how could you? Were those passionate nights we spent together a lie?" "Wait th-" "tch tch unfaithful bastard." Leon felt betrayed. Weren''t both of them supposed to stand against Lilith''s tyranny? Why was he joining her side? The image in Leon''s mind changed again. In it, Leon was fighting against not one but two devils. Chapter 38 Dungeon Of Trials [1] "She''ste." "I can bet she fell asleep on the way." Ignoring the gossip of my ssmates, I continued moving my hand. I was copying the pages I found in the back of the ck book this morning, in the blue diary I had made to store information I knew about the novel. In the morning I came to know that at the end of the ck book there were 7 filled pages. "Can''t believe I missed something so important." ====== Name: Nathan Title: Sessor of the First King, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö Age: 16 yrs (???) Rank: Meta Disposition: Chaotic-neutral Stigma(Awakening-75%) - ??? ** >>Skills: -> [Pierce [Common]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. -> [Synchronization] ¨C Locked Temporarily boosts your overall rank, skill ranks, and mastery by one; Synchronize with ???; ??? Number of Uses: 3 Unlock Requirements: Iota-rank ** >> Arts: [Armory of Eridu [Legacy]] ->Constetions: Greatsword[Common]*1, Longsword[Common]*1, Spear[Common]*1, Dart[Common]*1 ->Understanding Lvl3: Create constetions of weapons in the soul. The more constetions the user creates, the faster new constetions are created. ->Novice Mastery: Scan ¨C Creates a frame of the weapon inside your soul. Construct ¨C Manifest your weapons in the World dimension. ->Proficient Mastery Requirements: The user is able to construct 5 weapons at once, Understanding Lvl5 ** >> Quest :- Find and kill ???? Mammon. Reward ¨C Pandora''s Heart, ???, ??? Failure Penalty ¨C ??? Time Remaining¨C 12 years: 364 days: 13 hours ** >>Items: Greatsword[Common]*1, Longsword[Common]*1, Spear[Common]*1, Hammer[Common]*1, Dagger[Common]*1, Dart[Common]*1, Grimoire[Common](Spells: Wind de*1, me ze*1, Magic Bullets*3, Heal*1), Grey Oak Wand[Common]*1, Leather Cape[Common)*1, Health Potion[Mid-tier], Blood Boar Meat(Slices)*9, Purple Latic Berry*14, Spear(Improvised)*1, Lvl11 Aether Core*1 ====== This was the first page on the back. I still felt dizzy reading it. But there was no doubt the information it provided was more detailed than the system. There were 6 more pages but I couldn''t read them. Earlier when I tried to read them, I started feeling like someone was pouring searingva into my head. The pain was unbearable, and I immediately began bleeding from my eyes and ears. This was why I was bathing again before Lilith and Leon disturbed me. "Do I still smell?" I sniffed myself again, but I couldn''t find the scent of blood on me. Though the scent should still be lingering on me. After all, Lilith was sniffing me like crazy. "Why were they there, anyway?" I knew I couldn''t get any answer thinking by myself. So, I was nning on checking the bookter today. "Haah.." Some of the cadets were giving me weird looks as they saw me staring at empty air and then writing in an unknownnguage. Yes, the ck book was invisible to others, and I was using my nativenguage from the previous world as the temporary codenguage. Ignoring them, I wondered how I could have been so careless. In the morning when I saw thest seven pages, I noticed the number of [Synchronization] was 3. I could swear the number was supposed to be 4. But I understood that it was a mistake on my part. The number should have been 3 earlier. This was because of two reasons. For any skill to activate, we need to call out its name, which I obviously didn''t. Moreover, I couldn''t use [Synchronization] until I was Iota-rank. The System might withhold information, but it would never provide wrong information. I also scrutinized myself thoroughly in the morning, but I looked the same as before I went to sleep. "..Synchronization" Even after waiting for a minute, nothing happened. "I guess I did make a mistake." I massaged my arms as I wrote. I used too much ether yesterday and now my body felt sore. "Attention!" Sean Drangnauk, ourbat instructor, entered the ss. "I will be taking your homeroom ss in Miss Mia''s absence, as she is busy with an important task. Now, I will give a briefing about the Dungeon of trials that will open tomorrow." This was the first time Mia was absent. I didn''t remember anything like this. Then again, [Synchronization] was the prime example that I shouldn''t depend too much on my memory. ''Weak memory in the early twenties? What else is left for me to see?'' But this scenario should have happened in the novel. There was no way my actions could affect Mia''s attendance, which should be directly regted by the Vice Headmaster. Since I didn''t remember Mia being absent, it shouldn''t be anything important. "From tomorrow all of you can enter the Dungeon of trials. It has a total of 100 floors, but you need to clear the 0th floor to be able to enter the main dungeon." Cadets began chattering excitedly. Dungeon of trials was one of its biggest incentives of Ward. "As you all know, Dungeon of trials is a special tower-type dungeon. Before entering, you must remember that there are only three ways to exit the Dungeon: Completing the trial, using tickets, or dying." Dying inside the main dungeon didn''t mean dying in reality. Though this was allowed only 2 times, the 3rd time you will die for real. Dungeon of trial was a legacy artifact and thus different from normal dungeons. "Tickets can only be used from the 10th floor. So don''t be hasty and prepare ordingly." Nobody paid much attention to the 0th floor. Anybody could clear it regardless of strength. "Normally, all of you would be given free rein to enter the dungeon after its opening. But it has been decided that the present first years need to be disciplined and thus some changes have been made." The murmurs slowly stopped when the cadets heard the instructor. Finally, everyone looked at him in confusion, urging him to continue. "Clearing the 0th floor will decide your mid-term practical examination score." The confusion only grew as Sean spoke. Even the weakest cadet could clear the 0th floor. It was suspicious that this would decide their practical score. Nobody was happy or excited anymore. It was clear that this was too easy to be the real test. "Any team that fails to pass the test within the specified time will be barred from entering the dungeon for this semester. More details will be sent to your bracelets shortly." Clearing the 0th floor within a specified time was difficult. The 0th floor was a maze and you can''t decide where you will be teleported after entering. The punishment for failing the test was harsh, too. Not being able to use the Dungeon of trials will be a great setback for anyone and their peers will leave them in the dust. It was clear now what the real test was. Certainly, clearing a maze filled with traps and monsters within a time limit was difficult. They couldn''t cheat too as the maze structures changed daily and modern devices don''t work inside dungeons. "That will be all." TING-! TING-! Everyone''s devices rang at the same time. While I was checking the test details, I felt a few stares at me. Soon the number of stares increased and kept on increasing. ncing around, I could see that the staresing in my direction weren''t very friendly, while some were borderline hostile. Leon and a few others were also the targets of the stares, but most of them were directed at me. All of this was because of the test details. ====== Mid-semester Examination:- Goal: Clear 0th floor Time Limit: 8 hours -->>Details: > Every team will have 5 members. > Only the top 7 teams will pass the exam. > Cadets will be provided the rtive location of their teammates inside the dungeon. > The team rank will be decided based on the individual score of the weakest member of the team. > Points earned by the cadets and the time taken by them to clear the floor will decide their individual scores. -->> Passing Conditions: > Clear the floor within the time limit. > A minimum of 50 points. > All team members are to clear the floor. -->> Points Distribution: > Iota-rank monsters ¨C 4 points > Meta-rank monsters ¨C 2 points > Points will be given to the cadet who has delivered thest hit. -->> Failure Penalty: > Ban on entering the Dungeon of trials for the first semester. ====== I could barely suppress the corners of my lips from rising. The content of the exam was too twisted, after all. Normally, depending on where you were teleported, it can take someone between 6~12 hours to clear the 0th floor. But now every member of a team has to clear the test within 8 hours. p Also, only 7 teams will pass. This meant that, no matter what, 5 teams or 25 cadets will fail the exam. But the worst fact was that for a team to pass, the score of the team doesn''t matter. Only the scores of the weakest member will decide whether the team fails or not. This was a test with only a 60% passing rate. Dungeon of trials entry ban could heavily affect the rankings. The ticket to pass the exam was in the hands of the low-ranking cadets. ¡­.And everyone was worried that a certain crazy person might also hold their tickets. Chapter 39 Dungeon Of Trials [2] I calmly looked at the few cadets that were walking toward me. From their expressions, anyone could guess their intentions weren''t good. I didn''t need to think twice to guess why they wereing to me. They were worried that the crazy cadet, who was insane enough to challenge Susan and yet act haughtily after getting beaten, might be in their teams. They wereing to ''tell'' me that I shouldn''t do anything funny in the test. ''Most probably they want to use me as an example for other low-rank cadets to act as they are told to do but¡­.'' Smilingly, I saw two cadets stopping in front of the grouping toward me, both of them were wearing top 25 cadet uniforms. "You shouldn''t try to do anything funny." A clear and sweet voice admonished the cadets walking toward me. Seeing the speaker, they had no choice but to stop. She was Anna Kenward, Rank 9 and a once-in-a-century genius mage. Despiteing from the Kenward family, a family that had fallen during the Second Disaster, her talent put her in the top brackets even among the golden generation. In the future, it was guaranteed that she will reach great heights as such no one wanted to offend her. As someone who always followed rules, thest thing Anna wanted was another scuffle in her ss. Hence, she had deterred the cadets froming to me. When everyone was back in their seats, another dignified yet friendly voice echoed. "I know everyone is nervous, even I am. The difficulty level of the test is a lot higher than any of us expected. But I don''t think infighting at such a crucial point will help us. Rather, we should try toe up with solutions by discussing with each other." Cadmus'' words brought everyone back to their senses. He was right. They needed to make ns ahead of the test if they wanted to pass with their entire team. The problem was that no one had any idea of what to do. Everyone was trying toe up with something, but no one spoke. The teams hadn''t been told yet. Nobody wanted to tell their thoughts to their potentialpetitors. Amid the tense atmosphere, Anna spoke again. "I suggest all of us follow one thing: No one will attack others inside the dungeon." The rules didn''t forbid fighting others, but doing so would dy everyone inside the dungeon. Anna''s suggestion was a wee one. Having not to worry about being impeded by others was a big help for anyone. Anna was a top ranker and a genius. Should anyone agree now butter attack others, she will make sure to make them pay for betraying them. This acted as a safety, as no one would want to go against her. ''As expected, both of them noticed it.'' Cadmus and Anna were trying to eliminate any possibility of infighting from happening. From Sean''s words, it was safe to assume that the Vice headmaster was responsible for the exam. This was the result of how cadets worked during the Byzander Ind test. But the content of the current test was something that would make the cadets iste low-rank cadets. The most crucial part of being one of the passing teams to pass was to be done by the low-rank cadets. Everyone would put pressure on the low ranks to work properly to pass. A gap was going to open between low rank and other cadets due to the raising friction. This was the Vice headmaster''s intention. With this test, he wanted to see if they worked together toward amon goal or fight against each other foolishly. A hidden test to say, or the real test. This also meant one more thing: Should the cadets fail to meet the Vice headmaster''s expectations, something even worse was waiting for them. As Cadmus and Anna spoke, the atmosphere inside the ss rxed a little. Almost no one was against her suggestion. Yes, ''almost'' "Do what you want. But don''t involve me in your petty tricks." Ken spoke and stood to leave the ss with his goons. "What do you mean by petty tricks?" Rather than getting offended by Ken''s remark, Anna calmly questioned him. "Isn''t ''not attacking others'' a way for you to win? Normally, the weaker team will have to work together to take the stronger ones out, which is you, to get a chance to pass. But you are already tying their hands and feet so they can''t win." Ken walked away without waiting for any response, but his words sowed a doubt seed in everyone''s heart. Indeed, although clearing the 0th floor was possible for weaker cadets, the Iota-rank cadets could use their higher stats to easily traverse the maze and clear the floor. If the weaker teams wanted to have a chance of clearing the test, they had to stop the stronger cadets first. The atmosphere of the ss became taut. No one rebutted Anna, but everyone was having second thoughts about epting her suggestion. Anna had a good head on her shoulders and can look at the situations calmly and objectively. But her biggest weakness was she wasn''t well versed in human psychology. To me, it was painfully obvious what Anna was thinking. Logically thinking what Ken said was true, but if they did not bar attacking each other, the ones who will suffer the most will be the low-rank cadets. Stronger cadets will eliminate the weaker cadets and thus also eliminate thepeting team. Stopping the fights and focusing on clearing the floor was the only way for the weaker teams to win. Since Anna was able toe up with this conclusion, which was more logical, she believed everyone wille to the same conclusion. What she didn''t understand was emotions can easily overpower that logic. And the cadets were being swayed by the strongest emotions: doubt, anxiety, fear, and greed. Ken''s words left a deeper impact than Anna couldprehend. The situation was bing irreversible by the second, but Anna didn''t do anything. Rather, she was confused why no one was agreeing to her suggestion. As the atmosphere became increasingly tense, Cadmus finally spoke again. "I believe we should follow Anna''s suggestion. The 0th floor is aplex maze where meeting our own teammates will prove difficult. Teaming up with other groups andying ambush will be very time-consuming. It''s for the best if all of us redirect our time to find our teammates and clear the exam." Cadmus''s argument was effective. Different from Anna, who was intelligent, Cadmus was wise. He used Ken''s words as a stepping stone to further solidify the veracity of Anna''s suggestion. Suddenly a cadet agreed, and within the next minute, like a snowball effect, everyone agreed. *** "It''s tomorrow, huh?" Looking at the three beautiful moons, I thought about what was going to happen tomorrow. The 0th floor can be cleared by walking to the altar at the center of the maze. The floor did have traps and monsters, but none of them were above mid Iota-rank, i.e. Lvl 16~ Lvl20. Ward wasn''t going to provide any safety this time. Even the bracelets we''ll be given will only show the approximate direction of our teammates. In the future, the cadets were going to fight on the frontlines. There was no point in giving them a safety every time there was a dangerous mission. This was what made the incident inside the dungeon particrly dangerous. Our ss, which will be the first ss to have this test, would fall prey to the Royal Demon that had recovered there. This event was where Leon would bepletely and utterly defeated. The only way to kill Royal Demons is topletely overpower them or use your stigma to kill them. Sadly, nobody will be able to do so and they will be pushed to the corner. At the endpoint, Anna will almost be killed in front of helpless Leon, only to be saved by the Student council which entered because no one hadpleted the test even after a few hours. This event was very important. Why? Because it showed Leon his helplessness and powerlessness. This bes a vital reason for Leon to be able to unseal his stigma. Also, this was the real introduction of Tia Maybell, the one who would kill the Royal Demon. She was going to be the biggest factor for Leon re-awakening his stigma. "Will everything go as it is supposed to be?" I knew that it was only an ignorant wish. My presence was going to mess up the sequence. When found the demon will surely focus on trying to devour me. "Why couldn''t the extra life thing work on the 0th floor?" If I could leave the 0th floor by giving up one chance inside the Dungeon, I would have done it in a heartbeat. But dying on the 0th floor was dying without extra life. TING-! Breaking my thoughts was the sound of an iing notification. Checking my device, I saw that the email was the team members list. "Who are my teammat-What the hell?!" I couldn''t believe what I was seeing. Was my life ying some kind of prank on me? ====== Team 7: > Peter Gill ¨C Meta-rank > Nathan Hunt ¨C Meta-rank > Derek Damse ¨C Meta-rank > Ryan Fraught ¨C Meta-rank > Susan Warner ¨C Iota-rank ====== Chapter 40 Dungeon Of Trials [3] ''That bitch'' Susan was staring at me. ''That fricking bitch'' It was said that the team roulette was random but I for sure knew that Mia was responsible for our ss. She purposely put Susan and me on the same team! The atmosphere of our group, as we stood in a circle, waiting for the test to begin, wasn''t very friendly. Every other team was making their ns, but only ours had such a stiff atmosphere. Peter, a thin guy with a scrawny physique, was trembling while Derek, carrying a shield, sat in the corner with closed eyes. It didn''t look like they wanted to converse with anyone. I understood their sentiments. I also wanted to change my team if possible. But unlike them, it wasn''t because of the icy re Susan was giving me. ''Are you trying to drill holes into me?'' Not for once did Susan move her eyes. If looks could kill, I would have died over a hundred times already. But ignoring her, I continued cursing Mia using the entire vocabry I learned in my past life. No matter how pissed Susan was, I didn''t need to worry about her doing something to me inside the dungeon. The reason was pretty hrious and dumb at the same time. Susan was directionally challenged, abnormally so. ? If I remember correctly, for the entire exam Susan will remain at the edges of the maze, unable to find a correct path. ''Mia had to put Ryan in my group?'' Coincidences can be very scary. Inside the dungeon where there was no surveince, it wouldn''t be weird if Ryan attacked me for questioning. He should have done a background check after the stunt I pulled in the entrance exam. Sadly for him, Nathan was a normal guy with a normal family consisting of an elder sister, a dad, and a mom. There was nothing wrong with Nathan''s family. "¡­." That ¡­.was a g, wasn''t it? "Haah.." Anyway, rather than calming him down, theck of information might have alerted him instead. The 0th floor was the perfect time for him to personally question me. ''Should I kill him?'' Killing one more person wouldn''t change anything. Drowning in sorrow won''t bring anyone back, nor will it reduce the weight of my sin. I will do anything to continue living. But shaking my head, I ultimately decided against the idea. Considering how you look at Ryan, he had 2 or 3 identities. The first was the disguise he was using inside the Ward under orders. His second and real identity was of a spy. A spy of the one who was going to create Round Table, the world''s first official Dark guild. In the entire novel, Round Table only had 12 members, better known as Seats. But the trouble they caused Leon was more thanbined Aegis, Umbra, and Illis, the trinity organizations. Messing with Round Table won''t do me any good. Besides, Ryan, who was a cautious person by nature, wouldn''t attack me in the middle of the test as it could jeopardize his mission. "Get ready. The portal is opening." Every team walked to the vortex that was swirling in the air. Looking around, I could see 12 groups of cadets standing in front of it. The portal that was hovering in the air wasrger than a small house and alternated in every color. Constantly changing, it disyed a magnitude of colors, calming my palpitating heart a little. The air around the portal felt thicker and difficult to breathe. Standing close to the portal, the feeling of foreboding started overpowering me. "Everyone can enter, NOW" Like a tsunami threatening to destroy everything in its entirety, everyone rushed towards the portal. Slowly walking closer to the portal, I entered the ce that could very well be my grave. *** -SPLASH! "Blergh" The moment I felt my limbs again, the first thing I did was empty my stomach. This was the result of going through high Ather concentration gates. After a minute of only retching, I finally looked at my surroundings. A long tunnel made entirely of stones. The stones looked weathered and had several marks and cuts on them. The tunnel looked archaic, yet there was not a grain of dust anywhere. "I expected as much from my luck ¡­but really? Couldn''t I have teleported at the edge of the maze?" In the 0th floor, the better the structure of the maze is, the closer you are to the center. Judging from my surroundings, I could guess I was near the central room, where the main body of the demon was recovering. SPLASH-! Looking below me, I saw a pool of ck liquid. A thin trail of liquid was going in the direction, which I guessed to be the central room. "A minion was created here, and it went towards the main body. " The main body of the demon couldn''t leave the central room. Thus it would use its minion, who didn''t have an official name, and use them to capture cadets. Its minions, who simrly used the Nether, could take control of anyone''s body. The demon will use the captured cadets to recover itself. It would be better for me to leave toward the edge of the maze before the demon takes control over the cadets, leaving me no ce to run. "Let''s move." Walking in the opposite direction of the trail, I again recounted theplete event in my head. As I was headed toward the edge, I skilfully avoided any traps I encountered. None of them were life-threatening, but it would be a waste of time to activate them when I could just avoid them. Finding the traps wasn''t tough. It was a privilege I enjoyed as someone who had read the novel. -GRRR! Suddenly, I heard a low growl from ahead. Stopping my feet, I squinted to peer into the darkness to find the assant. A bipedal creature with fur covering its entire body was the source of the noise. It wasrger than me by a whole foot. Its enormous ws, pointed canines, animal-like snout, andrge ears told me what it was. "A lycan. Judging from its appearance, it''s not Iota-rank nor is it controlled by the demon." Then I could test the result of my month-long training on it. Seeing me standing calmly in front of it, the lycan barred its needle-like teeth. PHZZZT-! A spear began materializing behind me. Lowering its body and the lycan dashed towards me on all fours. With its beastly physique and senses, it swiftly covered the darkness separating us. It howled as it pounced on me when¡­ SWISH-! PUCHI-! THUD-! [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.9 Grey Lycan. You have gained 70 exp.] The lycan couldn''t even react at the speed at which the spear flew and punctured its brain. "¡­." Even I was shocked at the result in front of me. Because the public training grounds were always monitored I never fought seriously with golems. The power of my art was impressive. I understood this was how my art worked. I didn''t need to move a muscle and only needed to concentrate to construct weapons and fire them. But this also meant that should the fight be a close quarter one, I would be in danger. "¡­.I should hunt the monsters thate at me. The Dungeon will be closed for a period after this, so this is the best time to level up." I will finally be able to level up. "I should try to reach peak Meta-rank today." After this, I started actively facing the monsters that came to me, but I didn''t forget my primary goal: Running away from the central room as far as possible. Chapter 41 Royal Demon [1] "Huff¡­ Hufff.." I was lying on the ground, trying to regain my bearings. "Wa..kanda nonsenze izzz ¡­..thzz?" ''What kind of nonsense is this?'' Around me were 5 corpses of Lycans with holes punctured through them. It had been a few hours since I started walking but the number of Lycans I encountered was no less than 12. Defeating them wasn''t the problem. With me now being able to construct 4 weapons at once, I was able to make quick work of them. The problem was my ether reserves. I had already depleted half of my ether reserve. At this rate, I was going to die of ether exhaustion before anything else. "I shouldn''t ¡­. havve choszen..it" I was seriously wondering if choosing ether manual was a correct choice. These monsters were instinctivelying to me because of my ether core. The only silver lining was the fact that only monsters and beasts had such instincts. The demon will only realize I have something different when I attack it. Leaning on the wall, I wondered how much more I needed to wait. By, now the main cast must have gathered together. From here they will march to the central room along with arge number of cadets that Cadmus and Lilith had gathered. "Leon would be at his lowest, huh?" I felt a little mncholic and guilty. He had always been there for me in my toughest times but here I was, with no intention of helping him even though I had said otherwise. Still, feeling a little bitter I shook my head. Leon''s greatest strength wasn''t his stigma or physique but his perseverance. No matter how badly Leon falls, he will always stand back up. "GRAAA!" "Shit!" I immediately sprang to my feet. The maze was already filled with the demon minions. I have been sneaking past them till now but I wasn''t sure how much longer I can continue this. In a few minutes, I reached yet another crossroad, making me curse my luck stat which was working in full bloom. Almost every path I had chosen till now had a Lycan or was a dead end. Resulting in me advancing at a snail''s ce. "GRAAA!" "¡­.The other path it is." Avoiding the path from where the roar came I chose the left path. "I didn''t think the number of minions would be this many." I had already seen 3 minions till now, one of which was a cadet. I felt a sense of apprehension as I realized the pace at which the cadets and monsters were being corrupted was faster than I had expected. "Huuu.." Learning from the previous encounters, I carefully peeked from the corner and saw¡­ ...A 8 feet tall Lycan with wings and an eerie smile stretching on its face. Withholding my breadth I quietly backed away. *** [Congrattions, you have killed a Lvl.9 Grey Lycan. You have gained 50 exp.] [You have leveled up] "Something is wrong." Leon shed his katana in the air, wiping its blood. Looking at the Lycan he killed a frown appeared on his face. For the past hours, he had been gradually closing toward the central room and during that time he noticed one thing¡­ "They are running from something." All the Lycans he found were running away from the central room. And Leon could feel it too, the dirty, murky air getting thicker as he walked ahead. "Status" ====== Name: Leon Barns Rank: Meta Level: 7 Exp: 30/1050 Remaining SP ¨C 00 Physique: ??? Stigma: Full-Frame[Locked] -->Stats: Strength ¨C 10 Agility ¨C 13 Stamina ¨C 09 Constitution ¨C 15 Mana ¨C 19 Intelligence ¨C 17 Luck ¨C 99 --> Arts: [Genesis Style-Variant] Genesis sword art was created by Grandmaster Miyamoto Yui to reach the One True Sword. Genesis Style-Variant is modified from the original version and created solely for the user ''Leon Barns''. Containing a total of 7 forms, it is believed that the peak of the sword art can bend reality itself to the user''s wish. Mastery - Proficient -->Skills: [Clear Mind [Common]] Gives the user small resistance against mental debuff magic. [Hunter Eye[Rare]] User can find the weak points of the enemies. Therger the gap between the user and the enemy, the more mana will be consumed. Cooldown ¨C 30 minutes ========= Leon dumped his extra stat points into constitution without thinking much. Leon''sbat power couldn''t be judged by his stats. He didn''t know if it was because of his physique or his locked Stigma but Leon had great senses. His senses were the reason he could fight against Aura users as a Mana user, even though his body wasn''t tempered by Aura. And his senses were telling him something. "There is something sinister ahead." Leon tightened his grip and took a step. "¡­Light Bomb" A great re appeared at the end of the tunnel. Recognizing the trembling voice, Leon dashed to its source. "Anna!" Turning around the corner, Leon saw a bipedal creature. At the first nce, it looked simr to a Lycan, but on closer look, Leon noticed that it had batlike wings on its back and an eerie smile was painted on its face. Anna had been barely protecting the three cadets behind her. Thinking that help had arrived, she swiftly turned her head. But the moment she recognized Leon, her expression became crestfallen. Gritting her teeth, she shouted at Leon. "Leon, run away! This isn''t a normal monster!" Anna''s stigma [Memorization] also allowed her to remember everything she saw, heard, or felt at least once. She knew about every single monster that had been recorded up till this date. Yet she didn''t know anything about the monster they were facing. Worried that Leon will also get swept in this, she wanted him to escape. Leon didn''t answer her and stared at the monster. "D-emon" His voice quivered when he spoke those words. Leon could no longer hear anything. For him, only the demon existed. Feeling the sinister energy radiating from the demon, Leon''s past shed before his eyes. *** ? "D-emon" Leon stood motionless, petrified even after Anna''s warning. But she could no longer pay attention to him. As a mage, she shined when attacking from the back lines. She wasn''t someone who could engage in directbat. More so, when her attacks were doing almost zero damage. Slowly, Anna was being overwhelmed. The monster swung its ws in wide arcs. Every swipe of it was leaving a trail on the pavement. She was safe because of the defense artifact she had on her, but even that was reaching its limit. The cracks on the shield slowly erged when¡­. "Yahallo! Here is your especiallyrge bullet filled with exploding love!" BANG-! BOOM-! A deafening crack of thunder reverberated and the head of the monster burst. Ignoring the raining blood, Anna felt relief wash over her, as she saw the monster''s lifeless body fall, and simrly plopped to the ground. "Are you okay~" Raising her head, she saw Lilith skipping towards her and Cadmus shortly behind her. Seeing Cadmus'' weary expression, Anna''s brows knit. With his capability, Cadmus shouldn''t have had difficulty in the maze unless¡­. "The maze is filled with them." Cadmus gave them a gist of the situation and what they needed to do. "What about others? You didn''t find anyone?" "¡­.Almost everyone refused to help." "What?! Why?!" "At first we did gather everyone, but then¡­." *** In front of me was a cadet, now minion, growling against a Lycan. The Lycan, which was stronger, started writhing at the minion''s slightest touch. ck patches appeared on the area of contact, which increased in size, seemingly alive. *GULP* Crouching, I slowly ran away from the scene. Every moment in this maze felt suffocating to me. I didn''t know if it was because of the ether or something different, but whenever I saw those minions, I felt my stomach lurch and gurgle. Those ck tendrils felt sickening. Holding back nausea, I continued for another fifteen minutes in peace. "Ahhhh! Leave me! Leave me!" Suddenly, I heard a shout from the end of the tunnel. Feeling a sense of foreboding, I snapped my head in the direction of a familiar shout. A cadet was running in my direction. ¡­.with a minion behind him. "You there! Help me! Please help me!" Without waiting for a moment, I turned on my heels and sprinted away. I had no ns of helping somebody with my own life on the line. "Stop! Help me!" Unlike what I expected, the cadet was quickly catching up. As the distance between us closed, I finally channeled ether into my legs. This was the basic strengthening method for aura users I practiced in the past month. Trying to calm my palpitating heart, I ran faster than ever before. Chapter 42 Royal Demon [2] -SWOOP! I skidded at the turn and quickly peeked behind to see how far I was from that cadet. "Lark" Realizing the identity of the cadet, my face hardened. Suddenly, I felt rage boil inside me. This was the third time I was in danger because of Lark. "Stop! We can take him on if both of us fight!" "How can he keep up with me?" My brows knit. As a mage Lark shouldn''t be able to keep up with my pace. Did he have some kind of agility buff artifact? "I said wait!" I was about to take another turn when something hit me from behind, and I tripped. Unable to stop my momentum, I hit the wall. Hissing in pain, I tried to stand but stopped when I saw a rope in Lark''s hand. "You bastard!" For a moment, I almost lost myself in rage. He was trying to use me as bait to escape. However, I quickly managed to regain my calm. This wasn''t the time for this. Unfortunately for me, by the time I calmed myself, Lark and the minion were already upon me. I couldn''t escape anymore. "No, not yet!" Gritting my teeth, I bought a sword from my ring. Defeating minions with pure physical strength was impossible for me but it was better than using my art. "I''ll live! I''ll do anything to live!" I red in Lark''s direction and swung my arm, aiming the sword at him, when¡­. "GRAAA!" "N-no way" Deep helplessness crushed my heart. In front of me was a new minion, blocking the path ahead. Then, I looked at the other path from where Lark wasing, with another minion behind him. Closing my eyes, I unconsciously bit my lips. There was no longer a way out. PHZZT-! ''Construct'' Two swords materialized in the air behind me. SWISH-! SWISH-! The minions were able to react and blocked my swords. Yet the moment they did, I fired another round. *** PHZZT-! Lark stepped back in fright as he saw what was happening in front of him. Swords were materializing in the air in sets of two and attacking those abominations. Despite their attempts to defend themselves, injuries slowly umted on their bodies. Their deaths were only a matter of time. Yet his expression didn''t improve. It only got worse, realizing that Nathan could hurt those abominations. "Lark" Hearing the voice, Lark felt his blood turn cold. This time, three weapons appeared in the air. Seeing them, Lark unconsciously stepped. SWISH-! SWISH-! SWISH-! Two swords punctured the minions head and the spear¡­ "Arrghh!!!" ¡­Stabbed Lark''s leg. Nathan felt no pity for Lark. After all, now he was going to be hunted until the Royal Demon was defeated. ording to the plot, there was still over half an hour left before the student counciles to their rescue and kill the Royal Demon. This amount of time was enough for the Royal demon. Soon, Nathan was going to get swarmed by minions spread all over the maze. He did have the ability to fight back against minions, but their numbers were overwhelming. It will empty his ether reserves before he could kill half of them. Nathan knew he had to run, but before that, he had to do something. Lark''s wails slowly subsided, hearing Nathan''s steps get louder, and he stared at him with eyes that held no light in them. "If you want to me anything, me yourself." Nathan coldly stared at Lark''s figure. Lark''s hairs were disheveled, his breathing ragged and his eyes were bloodshot while his body twitched every so often. If someone saw Lark, they would think that it was the end of the world. Ignoring his miserable appearance, Nathan raised his sword high. Nathan had enough of him. Up till now, Nathan left him alone because he wasn''t worth Nathan dirtying his hands over him. But this time Lark crossed Nathan''s bottom line. Had Lark tried to help Nathan fight the minions, Nathan might have done something different. Seeing his reflection on the silver de, Lark understood what was about to transpire. This area was a dungeon with no surveince. No matter what crimes they do here, only these ancient walls would be the witness. Closing his eyes, without any resistance, he waited for the sword to fall. "Just do it. Death it better than that." Pointing at the corpses Lark epted his death without any resistance. -SWISH! "GRAA!!" The de stopped inches away from Lark''s neck. Turning to the right, Nathan saw a minion at the end of the tunnel. The time was up. The demon has started its hunt. "You areing with me." Nathan dered. He decided that killing Lark here was a waste. There were other things that he could use Lark for. yfully smiling, Nathan grabbed Lark by his neck and was about to run when he remembered something. Closely looking at Lark''s shoes, he asked. "Is this an agility artifact?" "Urgh" Seeing that Lark wasn''t answering, Nathan tightened his grip around Lark''s neck, following which Lark weakly nodded. *** CLANK-! A chain stopped the minion''s w that was about tond on Anna. Cadmus quickly controlled the chain and pulled the minion back before it could harm her. Realizing that it couldn''t move forward, the minion turned back and tried to attack the next closest prey, Leon. Seeing the sharp ws, Leon ducked and simultaneously shed upwards. Leon bit his lips while he backed away. His attack didn''t do any damage. Looking down at Leon, the smile on the minion''s face stretched. BANG-! BOOM-! But before the minion could move, Lilith appeared behind it, sting its abdomen to smithereens with her shotgun. Confirming the kill, the group quickly started moving. They had been moving as fast as possible toward the central room. But with only 4 of them, the fights were tough. More so when Lilith was the only one capable of injuring those minions. Lilith''s stigma [Blood Bang] allowed Lilith to use her blood as a medium for an explosion. Coating the bullets with her blood was how Lilith made her bullets explode. In their group, only Lilith had the stigma with direct attack ability. Anna''s stigma could only strengthen her brain capabilities, while Cadmus'' had chains with no attack power. Leon looked at the group as they walked. Both Anna and Cadmus were looking exhausted. Dust covered them, and their clothes were torn in many ces. But the worst was Lilith. Her skin was pale and her breaths short. She was barely keeping her eyes open and managing to walk straightforwardly. The symptoms of blood loss were apparent, yet Lilith wasn''t slowing down in using her stigma. Leon had repeatedly asked her to use her stigma less frequently, but she kept dodging the topic. Leon couldn''t bear to watch her like this. "Can we rest for a bit? I''m tired." "No, we can''t. The Royal Demon is using everyone it has captured to recover itself. Wasting time will only reduce our chances." From the corner of his eyes, Cadmus peeked at Lilith, while answering Leon. Cadmus understood why Leon asked to rest, but they couldn''t waste time resting. Every moment they spend moving, the demon was getting stronger. As the group moved further, Lilith slipped behind Leon and whispered in his ears. "Don''t worry, we''ll win easy peasy~ We still have to spend our nights together~" Lilith winked at Leon and went back to the front. Looking at her back, Leon helplessly bit his lips. Lilith was trying to cheer him by joking as usual. Even though she was the one who was shouldering the biggest burden. Blood began flowing from Leon''s lips. ''If only I was stronger.'' Chapter 43 Royal Demon [3] PHZZT-! SWISH-! A dart materialized and hit the minion in the leg, making it stumble. I didn''t finish the minion and rushed ahead. These minions didn''t give any exp upon dying. It was better for me to only obstruct them and keep running till the student council arrives. "GRAA!" From the back, a different minion came. PHZZT-! Turning back I fired another dart at its leg. These darts were considerably smaller than other weapons, two fingers thick and the length of a forearm, thus constructing them uses less ether. "Huff...Hufff" My ether reserves were around 40% capacity. Although I was only using the darts to hurt the minions and run away, their number was still overwhelming. "Are all the Lycans already corrupted?" I only needed to kill two more lycans to level up and get extra stat points to increase my ether reserves. But the speed of corruption was a lot faster than I had expected. "GRAA!!" "!!!" A bulging ck arm suddenly popped from the path I was about to enter. PHZZT-! With my high agility stat, I ducked, firing a dart at the minion''s face, and ran to the other empty path. While running I looked at the hologram that showed the location of the central room and teammates. "Dammit!" The minions were only appearing on paths that were branching away from the path to the central room. No matter how many times I changed paths I was still being led toward the central room. The demon was purposely controlling the minions to make mee to the central room! "I need arge empty area." If I could find it before reaching the central room I could reduce the number of minions by a lot. Sure, it was dangerous. Using arge-scale attack would leave traces of ether behind. But it was safer than going to the central room where everyone was gathered. If I went there it will be easily exposed that the minions were targeting me. Then, the moment we go outside I will be held hostage and tortured to get information about ether. I had no backing, no one wille to save me nor did I know how to develop an ether core. Sensing that no minion was near me, I quickly hid in the small section at the corner. "Urghh.." Lark, who I carrying on my back, groaned. It seemed he was awake after losing consciousness. Staring at him I felt a sense of incongruity. "Why aren''t you killing me?" Lark asked, moments after waking up, with a tired voice. Suppressing the sense of incongruity I felt the rage boil inside me. Still, I yfully smiled and answered. I wanted him to feel as hopeless as I was feeling. "To use you as a bait, obviously~" "I see." The quiet words that leaked from his mouth, before he again lost consciousness, increased the sense of incongruity I was feeling. "Why is he acting like this?" Lark was a haughty awakener who uses dirty means to push his position higher in society. If he was given two ways to solve a problem he will always choose the more malicious choice. But the Lark in front of me was different. He had already given up on living and was only waiting for his end. It was as if.. "¡­The situation is irredeemable." I kept feeling a sense of incongruity. It was as if I was forgetting something very crucial. The answer was on the tip of my tongue but I couldn''t remember it. No, maybe I already did. Wasn''t it why I was waiting for Lark to wake up? -SLAP! "Urgg.." "Why aren''t you with Leon and the others?" Lark answered me in a confused and weak voice. "Leon? Why would I be with him? ¡­If you mean Cadmus, then all of us left him." "All of you?! Why?!" -SLAP! Cadmus was capable of influencing others'' decisions with only a few words. If there was a reason for the cadets to leave then it was something significant. "Answer me!" -SLAP! -SLAP! "Wake up, dammit!" What could be it? What could be the reason they refused to follow Cadmus? Seeing that Lark wasn''t waking, I opened the ck dairy I had been carrying on me since the day I got it. "GRAAA!!!" But before I could read anything I sensed a minion near me. With no other choice, I left Lark and ran while trying to find any clues in the dairy. Reading while escaping the pursuit was dangerous. Dividing my concentration affects the speed at which I can construct weapons but I had to get a gist of the situation. Skimming through the pages I quickly realized that only Leon, Cadmus, Lilith, and Anna were the ones moving to the central room. All of them were battered but Lilith and Leon were in the worst shape. But unlike Lilith, Leon was mentally strained. For minutes I kept running while reading the diary. Finally, I found the reason everyone had decided that fighting the Royal demon was useless. ====== Cadmuspleted briefing the cadets he had gathered. Now, he only needed to find a few strong cadets and they could start attacking the central room. It was a dangerous move but he knew that leaving the Royal Demon alone was worse. He had himself seen that ''thing'' recovering by sucking the energy of monsters lying around it. "No, we can''t do that." Cadmus'' brows knit when Ken spoke. Ken was the only top ranker other than Cadmus in the current group. As such his words weighed a lot. Before Cadmus could stop Ken from further aggravating the situation, someone entirely else intervened. "I also agree with Ken. We should run away and hide for as long as possible." Looking at the person who spoke Cadmus truly frowned. The cadet who spoke was someone belonging to the top 100, Henry Maybell. Everyone was already scared because of the Royal demon''s ability to corrupt and control others. With Ken and Henry speaking against him, Cadmus was losing momentum. Still, Cadmus believed that he could overturn the situation. "Why?" "The student council is outside the Ward for a mission. If we fail and get corrupted, no help wille from outside." Cadmus'' eyes widened in utter shock. If Student Council wasn''t in Ward then the earliest they would be rescued will be after a day. By that time anybody who got corrupted will die. Henry wasn''t someone who will lie in this kind of situation. And Henry''s sister was a member of the student council. This proved the veracity of his statement. ====== THUMP- I shut the dairy tightly in shock. Dungeon of Trails provided more resources and artifacts the higher you climbed. Everyone in the Ward would have entered the dungeon at least once. The current years were the same but this was their first time. Thus, we were the only ones with ess to the 0th floor. The Student Council was responsible for many things, one such responsibility was idents in Dungeon of Trials. The members are forbidden from entering the dungeon so a few should be able to enter the 0th floor but¡­. "Student council isn''ting?" This wasn''t possible. This shouldn''t be possible. Without them intervening the Royal Demon will kill everyone. No one in the group could kill the Royal Demon. We were too weak to fight against it. "Susan! If it''s her it''s possible!" I hurriedly checked her location. She was ¡­still at the edge of the maze. Even if I was able to bring her to the central room it will be toote. Unconsciously, I started chewing my lips. ¡­.Was this how I was going to die? Clenching my jaws and fists hard, I let out a long breath. I couldn''t lose my calm. There has to be something. A way to get out of the situation alive. I needed to be calm to find that way. SWOOSH- I continued running to the central room while using as much ether as I could in one go, to peek into the future. The original n was to save as much as ether possible while avoiding the central room. Unfortunately for me, the very foundation of that n was faulty. ====== BANG-! The boulder hit the ground, raising a curtain of dust, preventing Leon and Anna from seeing anything. Yet Leon was sure, the demon was smashed to oblivion. "Huff¡­Hufff" Strength left his limbs and he plopped to the ground. They had won but Leon''s expression only turned more miserable. He had beenpletely useless in the fight. Leon looked around, through the curtains of dust, at the ck lumps lying spread throughout the room. They were his ssmates who were corrupted and used by the demon to recover itself. The demon was dead but what about the others? Were any of them even alive? Leon looked around, at the craters formed on the ground. In one such craterid Cadmus with his entire body covered in blood, seemingly dead. The only indication that Cadmus was alive was the movement of his chest. Lilith, pale as a sheet, was lying in the corner of the room. She had fainted in mid-battle from the extreme blood loss. "We won¡­" Anna plopped next to Leon. She had used all her mana for thest attack. Now, unable to move a single muscle, she was as helpless as a newborn baby. "If only I was stronger." Leon''s mental condition was on itsst leg. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Today he was again reminded of the day he lost everyone close to him and his powerlessness. Fortunately, no one close to him had died. Otherwise, Leon wouldn''t have been able to handle it. Leon knew that it was selfish of him to think like this when several cadets had died. But Leon was only one person. If nothing else, he wanted his close friends to be safe. "It isn''t your fa-" -CLAP! -CLAP! "Merveilleux! Humanity''s progress in thest 7 years is astounding." Chills ran down their spine when Anna and Leon heard a voice from inside the curtain of dust. Slowly the curtain of dust settled revealing a humanoid figure. It had grey skin, a thin ck tail, and two curvy horns on its forehead. Its pitch ck hair melted into those bat-like wings, bing indistinguishable. CREAK- The sound of doors opening echoed inside the room. "It seems my children are hungry~ Then I won''t stop them any longer. Bon app¨¦tit!" A horde of minions rushed inside the room and started devouring anything alive. But all of them avoided Leon and Anna like a gue. "Don''t worry. You guys are reserved for something else~" SWISH- Immediately after, Leon''s world became dark and he lost any feeling in his body. CRUNCH- "D¨¦licieux~" ====== Chapter 44 Royal Demon [4] Defeating a Royal Demon depends on two things: Compatibility and Strength. Compatibility is being able to harm the Royal demons. Having an attack-type stigma is a type ofpatibility. Strength is more basic. Beingpatible only makes Royal demons vulnerable to your attacks. You still need a minimum level of strength to be able to fight against the Royal Demons. In the current team roster, no one had both of these. Cadmus and Anna had strength but not attack-type stigmas. They were notpatible. Lilith hadpatibility due to [Blood Bang] but not strength. While Leon due to his sealed stigma, only had strength. Adding Nathan to the equation wouldn''t change anything. He does have the highestpatibility, but his strength is also the lowest. Only Susan had bothpatibility and strength. But given her location, by the time she arrives to help, the fight would have been long over. The results were already set in stone. *** BANG-! I only needed a few minutes to reach the central room when suddenly something smashed into my sides. My body skidded and hit the wall. "GRAAA!!" The reason for the hit, a minion, roared while looking at me with an eerie smile. "Fuck!" My left arm, the area where the minion hit, started turning ck. The pain shot up in my arm like fire. The pain was like needles that had been dipped in alcohol had been jammed through my skin, like my arms had been reced with ice and electricity wired straight into my bones. The demon''s ability had started corrupting me. I almost unconsciously used ether to reduce the corruption, only to stop at thest second. My ether reserves were already hitting rock bottom. In this situation where I didn''t know what could happen next, every drop of ether was precious. Also it should take longer for my body, which had been tempered with ether, toe under the Demon''s control. ''''It''s fine. I''m fine. It doesn''t hurt. It doesn''t hurt. It doesn''t hurt.'' Gritting my teeth, I repeatedly spoke those words in my mind. "GRAAA!!" Suddenly, three more minions surrounded me, blocking any path of escape. Watching those smiles, I felt like they wereughing at me. My helplessness to do anything. "Hehehe...Ha..haha..ahahaha..... Are you trying to make sure I can''t fight against you in perfect condition?" Ignoring the minions who kept moving, I spoke in leisure whileughing. I knew that the Royal Demon''s senses were connected to all its minions. It could hear what I was saying. "I didn''t know Royals were cowards. But I understand after all¡­." The minions raised their ws however, my next words caused them to stop moving. "¡­a clone is only inferior to the original." Yes, the Royal Demon inside the central room wasn''t a real Royal Demon. The demon here was a clone of a high-ranking Royal Demon that was sent to attack earth during the Third Disaster. After being injured heavily, it sneaked inside the dungeon and hibernated for 7 years. I also knew about one thing: This clone hated its original and had an inferiorityplex. This was exined when another clone, stronger than this one, appears at the end of the semester and fights against the awakened Leon. KEKEKE- The minions started producing strange sounds when they heard me. But my provocation worked and the minions moved, clearing the way for the central room. Provoking the demon wasn''t the best idea but it was the only way to get a clear path to the central room. I didn''t waste any more time and ran. *** CREAK- Leon pushed open the creaking doors and carefully walked into the room. With him were Anna, Cadmus, and Lilith. Looking around the room, the first thing they saw was a dozen humanoid ck lumps lying on the ground. A thick ck cord was emerging from each of those lumps and congregating at the center of the room at¡­ "Bon travail! I didn''t expect you kids to arrive this early." ¡­.the Royal Demon. It stood proudly at the podium with its wings spread behind its back making it appear regal and sinister at the same time. The moment everyone saw it they got into the formation they had discussed beforehand. Leon and Cadmus took the vanguard. Anna stood at the rear to cast her magic and support others. In the middle of their three-man formation was Lilith, the core of the team. "Ah~ Then I will partake in a small feast before the main dish arrives." "Remember the n." SWOOSH- With Anna''s words as the signal, Leon and Cadmus dashed ahead. "Flow from high to low and strong to weak. The ever-present and omnipresent element. I beseech you to empower me and strengthen my limbs. " A magic circle appeared underneath Leon and purple electricity wrapped around his katana. Feeling the power surging through his sword, Leon, finally reaching the demon, activated his skill. "[Hunter Eye]" The veins around Leon''s eyes started wriggling and his vision changed, quickly identifying the vital areas. "Upper left chest!" SWISH- Leon shouted while swinging his sword. The moment Leon''s words faded, Cadmus appeared behind the demon. "[Giant''s Strength]" Cadmus'' arms bulged and increased two folds in size. Arching his back muscles, he pulled the spear back to the maximum and flung it with all his might, at the area Leon designated as the demon''s weak point. SWISH-! "Weak~" CLANK-! CLANK-! Two whips emerged from the demon''s hand and deflected their attacks. SWISH- Deflecting the spear and the sword, the whips cracked in their direction when¡­ BANG-! Lilith appeared and sted the whips off. At the same time, Anna''s chants werepleted. ", " With the words as the sign, the mana in the air churned, producing strong gales. VROOM- Two magic circles appeared underneath everyone. WIING- At the same time, a deep blue hue burst from Cadmus''s body and covered his spear. His muscles bulged and tensed quickly, sending jolts of aura around his body in quick session. CRACK- Cracks started forming beneath his feet as the hue increased. "Haa!!" With a deep shout, Cadmus dashed and started shing against those whips. Within minutes, they exchanged hundreds of blows. Cuts started forming on Cadmus'' skin and blood dripped from his injuries, yet the demon¡­ ¡­looked bored. Everyone''s face turned grim as he realized that the demon still had not moved a single step. WIING- Cadmus increased his aura to the maximum and started moving faster. His muscles bulged and contracted at a such speed that his sweat directly turned into vapors. "Above!" Before Cadmus could be fully overpowered, Leon jumped from above. CRACKLE- With purple lighting crackling around his katana, Leon swung the sword downwards, adding the energy from the fall behind his de. The demon, looking at Leon from the corner of his eyes, snorted and whipped in his direction. CLANK-! CLANK-! Suddenly, chains emerged from the ground and locked the whips! Cadmus has finally used his stigma! Demon, not faltering in the least, analyzed Leon''s attack. Realizing that it was only a simple elemental coating, a mocking smile appeared on its face. Only that gun-wieldingss could hurt it¡­ "Where is she?" -CLICK! Following the sound of the trigger being pulled, the demon felt dozens of little stones dug into its skin. At that moment, everyone quickly pulled back from the demon and¡­. BOOM-! BOOM-! A chain reaction of explosion started. Cracks started forming on the walls under the pressure generated by the repeated explosions. SWOOSH- Intense heat washed over everyone as they saw the floor near the demon melting from the extreme heat. "Huff¡­Huuff" Cadmus and Lilith were breathing heavily as they watched the spectacle. Cadmus had used over half of his aura reserve to stop those whips from attacking anybody. While Lilith used arge amount of blood to create the series of explosions. Both of them were pale and barely standing. The attack pattern they used now was what they had decided beforehand. Cadmus will act as a tank and bear the brunt of the demon''s attack. Leon will act as bait and distract the demon. Lilith, hiding using Anna''s will be the damage dealer. And Anna will remain at the rear and do her job as a support magician. This was the n they made to get the patibility'' and ''strength'' to deal with the demon. Vigntly looking over where the demon should be, Leon supported Lilith to make sure she didn''t fall. But because Leon was too close, Lilith turned a little red. Turning her head, she pouted, seeing Leon, who wasn''t even looking at her. "Leon, this isn''t the time for this, but if you want~" Acting embarrassed, she shyly hugged Leon back. Hearing her, Leon''s solemn expression almost crumbled. He wondered if the deficiency of blood in her head was making her dumber. "Ow." "You were thinking something rude, weren''t you?" "Stop it. It''s still not dead." Although Anna rebuked them, the corners of her lips were also threatening to rise. Leon and Lilith''s asional squabbles helped lift the group''s mood. "Ah, I can smell it~ It is near~" The demon, licking its lips, walked out of the fire. Other than a little soot covering its face and the clothes that were burned at the edges, it lookedpletely unharmed. WIING- Ignoring the demon''s strange words, a blue hue exploded outwards from Cadmus'' body. At the same time, Leonpleted his chant. "" Purple lightning crackled around him, raising his senses and agility to the maximum. "It''s time for round 2." *** TAP- TAP- TAP- Running with all the might I could muster, I could finally see the central room. Sweat covered my entire body and my ether reserve was very low. My entire left arm had turned ck and wasn''t moving, making it more difficult to run. BOOM-! BOOM-! I was about to reach the room when, like a loud thunderp, sts of the explosion reverberated from that direction. Shielding my face from waves of intense heating from the central room, I continued running. The battle was already undergoing. THUD- I crashed beside the door and peeked inside. Arge fire was roaring in the middle of the room while everyone was grimly watching out for the demon. I heaved a sigh of relief as I realized that everyone was still alive and in a condition to fight. But from their conditions, it was clear that they wouldn''t be able to fight for more than a few minutes. "Ah, I can smell it~ It is near~" The demon, walking out from the sea of mes, spoke while ¡­looking in my direction. SWISH-! I immediately pulled back and waited, trying to calm myself, before peeking again. As the battle started, I waited for the perfect opportunity to act. I had decided what I was going to do. "I need to kill Lilith." This was the only way for me to survive. Chapter 45 Royal Demon [5] The demon looked over Leon and his group, seemingly bored. Then, shifting its eyes, it looked at the doors. "Aren''t youing in? Where did your haughtiness go?" At those words everyone''s brows knit. Was there someone outside? The thought naturally popped into their head. "Don''t listen to it. Demons are known for maniption and deception. It wants us to be careless by thinking that there is a chance of help arriving." Heeding Cadmus'' words everyone again got into the formation. WIING- The blue hue around Cadmus kept increasing and¡­ -CLANK! -CLANK! Chains appeared. But unlike before they wrapped around his arms. The hue around Cadmus suddenly started decreasing was became concentrated around his arms. Everyone could tell Cadmus had used those chains to reduce the area where his aura flowed, and increased the effectiveness of a small area. "Since the main dish has arrived I''d rather not waste any more time with appetizers." -FLAP! The demon pped its wings and shot into the air. Flying mid-air it looked down at Cadmus and Leon and raised its finger. VROOOM- The air churned inside the room as dozens of deep dark orbs formed above the demon''s finger. Feeling the sinister energy from the orbs everyone''s expression turned grim. FLICK- Following the flick of the demon''s wrist, the shape of the orbs changed. Now dozens of spears pointed at the ground. Without speaking anything the demon swiped its hand. -SWISH! The ck spears descended towards the ground. "" Following Anna''s shout, the ground cracked and shifted. Numerous walls rose to act as a shield. ¡­.But the area the walls couldn''t even cover half of the room, leaving most of the cadets unprotected. Leon, standing petrified, despaired as the spears fell¡­. to kill everyone present in the room. GRAB- However, Cadmus grabbed Leon''s wrist and pulled him behind the wall. The walls weren''t enough to stop those spears but it was better than nothing. Nathan, outside the room, looked at the spears. It seemed the demon had changed his attack pattern as it wanted to quickly finish dealing with everyone ande after him. Realizing this Nathan''s lips curled. He had been waiting for a chance. And a chance to ''kill'' Lilith has arrived. ¡­. Leon looked at those falling spears despairingly. He realized how overconfident he was when he thought they could save everyone. The power behind a single attack was enough to demolish them. TAP- TAP- "Lilith ¡­what are you doing?" Suddenly, Lilith walked out from the covers and stood in the open, looking at the demon. Then turning her head, looking at Leon, she winked and spoke. "Make sure to win~" Leon''s eyes widened in horror as he felt something amiss. Yet before he could speak, Lilith raised the pair of shotguns and pointed them at the spears. VROOOM- The mana in the air thrashed making her hair flutter fiercely. A red hue transferred from her hands to the guns as she started turning pale and her skin rapidly shriveled. Smiling at everyone for onest time, Lilith pulled the trigger. -BANG! -SWIISSSSH! The shells of the shotguns met with the overwhelming number of spears mid-air and¡­ BOOM-! BOOM-! BOOM-! Lilith exploded the shells. Loud explosions thundered, creating rapidly expanding st waves resulting from thepressed gases. The pressure created from the explosion destroyed every wall Anna had created and smashed all of them into the borders of the central room. The entire room shook for a while and curtains of dust rose. Suppressing his groan, Leon''s body slid down the wall and he tried to crawl toward Lilith. He moved two steps when a delicate hand grabbed his wrist. "Don''t move. A stray attack might hit you." "But¡­" "Lilith won''t die. She only lost arge amount of blood. If we are quick we can save¡­." -SWISH! -PUCHI! Leon couldn''t hear Anna anymore as he sensed something amiss with Lilith. At the same time, a distinctive whistling of something moving through air and the sound of flesh being pierced resounded. Slowly dust settled revealing Lilith, holding her abdomen, falling to the ground with nk eyes. "Lilith!" Anna shouted and ran to the falling Lilith. Reaching Lilith, her eyes widened, as she saw the area near Lilith''s abdomen turning red. Anna quickly started chanting a healing spell only to stumble the next second. Creating all those walls was the limit of Anna''s mana pool. Before Anna could act her eyes lost focus and she fell beside Lilith. "Li..lith?" Staggering, Leon walked to Lilith. ¡­But no matter how much he shook her, Lilith didn''t move. Seeing her nk eyes something snapped inside him. Raising his head, Leon looked at the demon. ''Kill'' -CRACKLE! -CRACKLE! Golden lightning started crackling around Leon. ''Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill Kill'' *** -CRACKLE! Nathan felt his scalp tingle as he saw golden lightning crackling around Leon. ncing around he found Anna and Cadmus fainted from exhaustion. ''It''s done.'' Leon had awakened. That golden lightning was the proof. It was a lot early than when it should have happened but this was the only way toplete this impossible scenario. Leon''s stigma [Full-Frame] turned his every attack into an aether-powered attack. Now, Leon finally had both the patibility'' and the ''strength''. Fighting against minions, on whom your attacks don''t work with no prospect of help and not knowing when you might die. All this exposed Leon to pressure strong enough to forcefully awaken his stigma. The extreme physical pressure, as Leon was trying to keep up with people higher ranked than him, and mental pressure, as Leon watched Lilith slowly weaken with every shot she pulled, was the ideal condition for his awakening. But Leon still wouldn''t awaken, because his stigma was sealed. Leon needed onest push to unseal his stigma. Nathan remembered reading a certain sentence in the diary. ====== "If only I was stronger." Leon''s mental condition was on itsst leg. He was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Today was something that reminded him of the day he lost everyone close to him and his powerlessness. Fortunately, no one close to him had died. Otherwise, Leon wouldn''t have been able to handle it. ====== Nathan found the answer. Someone needed to die. With their interpersonal rtionships, Nathan decided Lilith was the ideal trigger. After all, watching her slowly bing weaker and weaker to protect others was why Leon was suffering mentally. So, using the opportunity when the sh happened Nathan ''killed'' Lilith. Obviously, Lilith wasn''t dead. The injury Nathan inflicted on her, using a dart, was dangerous but not life-threatening. She had fainted from blood loss and not because of Nathan. But Leon didn''t know this. Leon ''saw'' Lilith ''die'' from the ''demon''s attack''. -CRACKLE! -CRACKLE! The golden lightning slithered throughout the room destroying any traces of corruption it touched. "It''s done." Leon was sessful in unsealing his stigma. "About time you guys came." "GRAAA!!" Using his right hand Nathan patted his clothes and stood on his wobbly legs. In front of him was a horde of minions rushing toward the central room. Leon, having gone berserk, wouldn''t realize if minions entered the room. Using this opportunity the demon will be able to use those minions to recoverpletely. Even for the current Leon, winning against the fully recovered Royal demon was difficult. That was why¡­.. "This is as far as you will go." ¡­Nathan was going to stop the horde of minions. "GRAAA!" The minions barred their teeth and ran at full might. PHZZT-! Four weapons materialized above Nathan and flew into the horde, killing eight minions at the front in one go. "GRAA!!!" The minions, ignoring their fallen brethren, kept rushing. Nathan''s attacks were like a drop in the ocean. No matter how many minions he kills their numbers didn''t seem to be decreasing. But this wasn''t why Nathan was attacking. VUPP- A thick book, a grimoire, appeared in Nathan''s hand. "Purifying power, glow of rising Sun. Force of new beginnings, mes of passion and life.." VROOM- The ether inside Nathan churned forcefully. Holding the book in his right hand, he kept attacking to slow the horde, while doing his best to remain conscious. "..I call you forth to destroy and burn away. Arise from the eternal spark and erupt in manifestation " -SPLINTER! Roaring, a gigantic wall of me rose from the magic circle in between Nathan and the horde. "GRAAA!" The minions growled vehemently but no matter what they did the wall of fire created from ether made them unable to cross over. Nathan had stopped the horde. Nathan''s eyes were dropping heavily and he could barely muster any strength. Before he could lose consciousness Nathan threw the grimoire inside the room. ''If you fail now I''ll kick your ass in hell.'' Chapter 46 Changes [1] Ashes and smoke covered the crimson sky. Plights of help and screams of agony kept echoing. The smoke made it difficult to see even a foot from you. Suddenly, a strong gale passed, clearing the smoke and giving a clear picture of the surroundings for a moment. Humanoid beings with wings and horns dotted the crimson sky. On thend, where only broken houses and buildings remained, many more of them were wreaking havoc. "Sniff..Sniff" Hearing a muffled cry, one of the winged creatures turned its head. Then, licking its lips, it walked in the direction of the cry and stopped before a broken house. -SNAP! -BANG! With a snap of its finger, the entire house exploded, leaving a closet in the middle of the now empty area. "Sniff¡­Sniff" -SNAP! With another snap, the closet burst, revealing a kid. The demon''s smile widened as it saw a young prey. BOOM- However, before the demon could move, arge burly man jumped in between the child and the demon. "Run" Despite his strong appearance, the man''s voice was weak and tired. He had been fighting those creatures for hours now. Now on the verge of exhaustion, he didn''t know for how long he could continue. "Papa!" "RUN!" The child flinched at his father''s stern voice. Not wanting to anger him, the child did as he was told. He ran and ran and ran ¡­until he couldn''t anymore. -FLAP! -FLAP! The child was about to stop when he suddenly heard the pping of wings. Every p reminded the child of what he had witnessed in the past hours, making his heart tremble. Thinking that he would face the same end, standing on his trembling legs, the child tried to run when he heard a whistling sound. Following that, the pping of wings slowly reduced and disappeared. TAP- TAP- Walking through the smoke, the figure of a young woman was revealed. She crouched in front of the child and, with a sweet smile on her face, caressed him. "Sweetie, it''s alright. Everything is alright. Mama is here now" The woman patted the child''s back until his sniffs stopped. "What a touching reunion. Don''t leave the dad out of fun~" -PLOP! Something fell beside the child, but before he could look at it, the woman covered his eyes. Leaning, with a trembling voice, she whispered in the child''s ears. "Sweetie, let''s y a game, okay? You need to hide till the sunes up. If you win mama and ..pa..pa will grant you one wish." The child nodded his head. But as he was about to run, for onest time, he turned and looked at the ground¡­.at the round object. "¡­Papa?" *** "No!" Leon''s eyes open abruptly and his body shot up. Lowering his head and staring at the drenched bedsheets he realized that they were drenched in his sweat. Covering his face in relief, he tried to regain his breathing. "Are you okay?" As he was trying to calm down, a sweet and clear voice flowed into his ears. Turning his head, he saw Anna, dressed informally, looking at him worriedly. "¡­Yes." Anna, noticing Leon didn''t want to continue the topic, decided to talk about something else. "Eat this. Your body is still not healed properly." Leon, confused, picked one apple slice. Thest thing he remembered was healing Lilith in the dungeon before losing consciousness. He was about to speak when Anna stood and bowed. "Thank you. It''s because of only you that we were able to survive that demon. If not for you, I don''t think we could have survived." "¡­Don''t mind it." Anna''s brows furrowed at Leon''s unenthusiastic answer. However, Leon spoke before her. "How is Lilith?" "She is fine. Right now, she is undergoing rehabilitation. " Leon sighed in relief. It seems that the he used on her before losing consciousness worked properly. He felt grateful to whoever that grimoire belonged to. Without it, Leon wouldn''t have been able to use heal Lilith. Clenching his jaws, Leon took a deep breath and asked another question. "How many cadets died?" "Twent-" -CLICK! Anna was about to answer when the door opened, and she was interrupted. "It''s not your fault that others died. You should worry more about yourself. Do you know that if the rescue had arrived a littlete, you might have died?" Cadmus, followed by two people wearing ck masks, entered the room. Listening to him, Leon, biting his lips, didn''t answer and only looked down. "Anna, let''s go out. These people are from Aegis and want to talk to Leon." ¡­.. "Who were those people?" Anna asked, stepping into the corridor as they walked to where the other cadets were being treated. Normally, whoever may it be, Cadmus talks with them in a friendly way, but Cadmus'' tone when he talked with those two people was not friendly but something that held awe, respect, and reverence. "The Huntress and Seer." Seeing the clueless look on Anna''s face, Cadmus borated. "They belong to the Goliath unit. A small, elite unit of Aegis and their secret weapon. Nobody knows the number of members they have or their identities. The only fact known about them is all of them are quasi Irregrs." Anna''s eyes widened. To give aparison, the three heroes that saved earth during Third Disaster were all Irregrs. An irregr is someone whose stigma''s ability allows them to fight awakeners higher ranked than them. Before Anna could ask more, Cadmus stopped her. "We are here." -CLICK! Opening the door, the first thing they saw were the orderly spread beds in the room. The room was big enough to hold 30 people, yet currently were extra beds being used. Entering the room, Cadmus and Anna started taking care of the cadets. This wasn''t their job, but something they had decided to do themselves. The room felt suffocating with the depressing atmosphere. Most of the cadets had recovered physically, but their mental condition was still at their lowest. asionally a cadet would break down into tears, and others will also get caught up in the hysteria. All of them were top talents of humanity, but this didn''t change the fact that they were still kids in their mid-teens. The experience of being robbed of your sense for hours and not having any control over your body isn''t something everyone''s sanity can handle. Whenever they slept, they still felt that they were being dragged into a bottomless abyss, unable to even scream for help. This was the first time they faced a real ''monster'' and it shook all of them to their core. "Why..why did she die? Why didn''t you guys defeat the demon earlier!?" A girl, whom Anna was treating, pushed her away and shouted at her. Looking at the girl, Anna bit her lips. Although it had been only a few weeks since everyone got to know each other, it was enough to develop close bonds. Everyone lost someone they knew. Unknowingly, Anna clenched her fists. The girl was right why couldn''t have they defeated the demon earlier? It was because of her. Cadmus fought the demon in frontal charge to protect others. Lilith almost sacrificed herself to kill the demon. Leon fought the demon and ultimately defeated it. But what about her? She couldn''t even heal Lilith when she needed it the most. She was only a burden till the end. ''What if I was an attack-type mage?'' For the first time in her life, Anna questioned her decision to be a support mage. Being born into a fallen family, her life had been far fromfortable. The people of high societies treated her family as trash and trampled them on the first opportunity to feel superior. No matter where she went, the name ''Kenward'' never left her. She suffered because she was a ''Kenward''. But it was fine at least her family was with her. Society treated her harshly, but her family was always together with her. Her parents loved her dearly and supported her through everything. ¡­.But even that haven was taken after her awakening. The family which always supported her and treated her dearly started seeing her as a tool. A tool to revive their family. Nheless, Anna persisted. Her family was the only thing she had. How was she going to survive in this harsh society if there was no one with her? Thus, she decided to be a support mage against her wishes. But was that the correct choice? Unlike Leon or others, has she achieved anything? ''If only I chose something else.'' "Stop it." "Huh?" "It''s our fault? Who was the one that left us saying that we were fools for challenging the demon?" "Bu-but that because-" Seeing the ever-friendly Cadmus speaking in a cold tone, the girl flustered. "Because? Because what? It was you who decided to not fight. Don''t me your weakness on others. Let''s go, Anna." Cadmus grabbed Anna''s wrist and left the room. She quietly followed Cadmus through the pristine white corridors until they stopped in front of another room. "¡­Thank you." Hearing Anna, Cadmus frowned. Realizing that she misunderstood something, he decided to correct her. "I hate people who never take any action, but when something goes wrong, they immediately start ming others." Seeing that Anna was still deliberating, he decided to change the topic. "Anyway, did you tell Leon about him?" "..No" A deep sigh escaped Cadmus'' lips. From one look, Cadmus was able to tell that Leon''s mentality was greatly impacted. Leon was holding himself responsible for the deaths. If Leon got to know about him, it might leave a lifesting scar on him. "Don''t tell Leon about him. At least not yet." The student in the worst condition was not Lilith or Leon but their friend. ================ Author''s Note :- This is the end of Dungeon of Trials arc. Till now I''ve only published 45 chapters for me, a newbie writer, this feels like a great achievement. This is thanks to all of you who has continued with me till this point. I hope you will continue supporting me in future too. Now onto the important part. Since, the next arc will exin a lot about world building and the characters, I want you guys to give your opinions and suggestions for the story ^^ Chapter 47 Changes [2] ''Where am I?'' Even after repeatedly opening and closing my eyes all I could see was an endless void. Being in this endless darkness should''ve scared me, but strangely enough, I was feelingfortable. For some reason, the darkness felt familiar. Turning my head, I tried to get a look at the surroundings, only to realize something else. ''I can''t control my body!'' Trying to put more force in my legs and arms, I attempted to stop walking. Nheless, all the attempts were in vain as my body kept walking. Realizing that I wasn''t seeing any progress, I decided to wait for something to happen. ''Are Leon and Lilith okay?'' If I had to be honest, I wasn''t very worried about Lilith. I was sure that Leon would have used the in the grimoire I threw beside Lilith before fainting. I was more worried about Leon. This should have been the third time Leon ever used his stigma. The problem here was that his stigma was too powerful for his body to handle. Every time he uses it, his body will start breaking. In that state even taking a step will send jolts of immense pain throughout his body. ''It will be a mess when I wake up.'' The spell I used was also a problem. At that time, I had no other choice but to use the strongest attack I had to stop the horde. But that attack would have left energy imprints of ether. An investigation should already be underway to find the person responsible for that attack. ''Where the hell was the student council, anyway?'' I was feeling frustrated. All the problems wouldn''t have happened if they came as they were supposed to. "What is that?" Squinting my eyes, I tried to get a better look at the endless darkness in front of me. It was simr to a ck veil. "I can control my body!" Realizing that I could talk, I tried to move and found that I have regained control of my body. I looked below and only saw darkness. It was weird how I was able to walk here. Looking up, I found four ''objects'' shining in the void. But they were too far for me to make their shape out. "Where now?" Scratching my head, I decided to walk toward the veil. That was the only thing I could see in this darkness. ¡­.. "How ¡­much ¡­more?" How long has it been? A minute? An hour? A day? Or ¡­a year? For how much longer do I need to walk? At first, I had leisurely walked in the direction of the veil. But no matter how long I walked, it didn''t feel like the distance was reducing. Wanting to get out of here quickly, I started running. To my surprise, I didn''t feel exhausted, no matter how much I ran. But that surprise didn''tst long. Even after running for what felt like hours, I couldn''t feel that the distance between me and the veil had reduced. It didn''t look like I was progressing. (Don''t stop) "Huh?" I was about to stop walking when I heard something. Snapping my head I tried to find the source of the voice but to no avail. (You can only leave if you truly want to.) The voice wasn''ting from anywhere but was directly entering my head. For some reason, it felt familiar, yet unfamiliar at the same time. "Who are you?" I kept waiting, but the voice never answered back. Squinting my brows I asked another question. "Where am I?" (Inside your soul.) To my surprise, the voice answered. But it only increased the number of questions. Why was I here? How was I here? If this was my soul, then what was I currently? For how long had I been walking? Why was there a voice inside my soul? What were those shining stars? What was that veil? Weirdly, I never doubted the voice. Somehow, I could tell that it wasn''t lying. "What do you mean that I can only get out if I want? I''ve been wanting to leave this ce since the beginning." I had too many questions. But my priority was to get out of here. I wanted to feel time again. Maybe I was getting my priorities mixed up but seeing the same thing, for who knows how long, was beginning to take a toll on my mind. The voice, with a hint of mockery, told me the answer. (Are you dumb? I meant what I said. You can''t get out because you don''t want to.) "What do you mean by that? I obviously want to get out." Without wanting to, I shouted back. The tone of ridicule in the voice was too much for my frustrated self to ignore. However, its next words caused me to freeze. (Isn''t that because you are afraid to see the consequences of your own actions? Even though you acted high and mighty now you are afraid to know how many cadets you''ve killed?) ''I only did what I had to survive.'' I wanted to retort, but I wasn''t able to. Words weren''ting to my mouth. I killed all the minions at the end without any hesitation but how many of them were my ssmates? How many people did I kill so that I could survuve? Was I feeling guilty? Why? Because I killed someone? Because I easily used others for my sake? ¡­Or because I was still the same as I used to be? The only thing I could do was helplessly close my eyes, refusing to know more. But the voice still entered my head. Fortunately for me, it didn''t pursue the topic further. (Will you stop acting like that? You need to get out fast, or you''ll be forever trapped here.) "¡­How do I do that?" The voice, sighing, began guiding me. (This is your soul. If you will it, you can do anything here.) My brows knit. The answer was abstract, yet simple at the same time. Following the voice''s advice, I willed to move toward the veil. But I failed. (Keep trying) I tried once, twice, thrice, but all my attempts failed. It took me a total of 13 tries to do as I was told. VUPP- For a moment, I lost all my senses. The next second, I knew I was standing in front of the veil. "Hmm" I had noticed it from afar, but the veil was too dark. The void, my soul, was dark because of the absence of light, but the veil felt different. It was like the light couldn''te near the veil. Any light that touched the veil was sucked in, making the veil impossible to see. (You can go out now) Certainly, I could feel it. From here I can leave with a simple wish but¡­ "What is this?" I had an idea what those stars were, but this veil? I had no idea what it was. But I knew one thing ¡­this wasn''t something natural. I didn''t know if I coulde back here after this. I needed to take this chance to know as much as I could about this veil. Walking forward, I lifted my hand. (Stop it.) The voice sounded panicked. "Why? Because you are hiding behind this veil?" (Stop) I didn''t stop as the voice asked me to and continued. The moment I was about to touch the veil... "I said stop" ...Someone grabbed my wrist. *** "I said stop." Someone grabbed Nathan''s hand, stopping him from continuing any further. "Oh, you are outside the ve-?!!!" The moment Nathan glimpsed at the person grabbing his wrist, words got stuck in his throat. "This was why I didn''t want to show myself." Standing opposite of him was a youth with sharp looks, a chiseled jaw, slightly long bangs, and emerald eyes. That face was something that Nathan had gotten used to seeing everyday. p It was ¡­Nathan. The ''real'' Nathan. "Haah ...Nice to meet you too. You can call me Eth." One look was all it took for Nathan to realize that the entity was the Nathan or Eth as he called himself. "H-how?" Shocked would be an understatement for what Nathan was feeling. For the past two months, he never felt any presence of Eth. Nathan even tried to call Eth and talk to him, but there was never a response. Nathan naturally concluded that Eth was dead. Or so it should have been. Nathan could instinctively tell the identity of the person in front of him was the owner of the body he was using. "Can you go back now? It''s getting dangerous here." Nathan frowned. Eth was talking too casually. It was like he didn''t have anything to say to Nathan about hijacking his body. "Don''t be so confused and nervous. I''ll exin everything, but not now. You need to go back or you''ll never be able to leave this ce." Eth began pushing Nathan on the back. The frown on Nathan''s face worsened. Eth was acting like a child. "Haah ¡­I can talk to you whenever I want to. Happy? Now leave. Shoo..shoo" Although Eth was acting childishly, Nathan could feel that Eth was panicked, for if Nathan didn''t leave quickly, he''ll be trapped here forever. Nodding his head, Nathan willed to leave. Immediately, he began feeling lightheaded, and his body started disappearing. Nathan was about to disappear when he heard Eth''s voice again. "Don''t get surprised by what is going to happen." Eth was speaking in a serious tone. "Every action has a consequence." *** "Urghh.." A groan escaped my lips as soon I opened my eyes. Pale moonlight entered the room through the windows. The familiar white ceiling and pungent smell of alcohol told me where I was. Looking around, I tried to find anything that could tell me the date. To me, it felt like years had passed in that void. I wanted to know what date it was first and foremost. ''Heavy'' My body felt like a sack of potatoes. It wasn''t moving as I intended it to. My movements were awkward and clumsy. And above all, it was friciking heavy. Slightly lifting my head, I looked down. I felt a headache iing when I saw the three idiots sleeping while leaning on me. "What are they doing here?" No, I knew why these three idiots were here. They were probably worried about me and stayed here to look after me. What I couldn''t understand was why they were sleeping here. Can''t they sleep in their own rooms? Heck, anywhere would be fine. Because these idiots were half on top of me, I couldn''t even move my arms. "Huu¡­" Helplessly, I sunk back into the bed. With how weak I was feeling, I needed these guys to move away for me to be able to move. But I wasn''t very keen on waking them. Handling even one of them was a chore. All three of them together? No! Thank! You! Sinking on the soft bed, I thought back to my time in the void. There were too many things I needed to know. ''Eth, are you there?'' (Yup. I''m here, though I don''t think this is the time to talk.) "¡­Nathan, are you awake?" The redhead on my left, rubbing her swollen eyes, awoke. "...Hi, fancy meeting you here." Chapter 48 Changes [3] "...Hi, fancy meeting you here." The moment those words left Nathan''s mouth, Isabell hugged him tightly and broke into tears. "I tho..ought you weren''t going to wake up." "Nathan?" Lilith and Leon also awoke from Isabell''s loud sobs. Their appearance told Nathan that it hadn''t been long since the dungeon of trials event. Lilith''s wless skin was sickly pale and had rashes resembling patches of pinpoint red and purple spots. The signs of blood loss were still evident. Leon was worse. With disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, it looked like he hadn''t slept for a few days. All three of them had dark circles under their eyes. "How are you feeling?" "¡­I''m okay." Seeing them, Nathan''s brows knit. The atmosphere didn''t feel right to him. Sure he had been unconscious, but it was only because of ether exhaustion. With how all three of them were acting, Nathan felt something was wrong, especially Leon. ''Why does he have such a guilty expression?'' "Nathan ¡­can you move your hand?" "Yes? What are yo¡­" Slowly, Nathan stopped speaking. Feeling something amiss with his movements, he raised both of his hands. ,m "¡­." His eyes widened in horror. ¡­he couldn''t move his left arm. Trembling, he removed the nket on his left side. Seeing his arm, his mind was plunged into chaos. His entire left hand was entirely numb and ck like charcoal. Nathan repeatedly opened his mouth and closed it, unable to form words. "Nathan." Only when Isabell ced her palm on his hands did Nathane out of his stupor. "N..no this can''t be happening." He hurriedly used every ounce of energy he could muster to move his left arm, but nothing happened. He used his right arm to support his left arm and move it, but nothing happened. But he didn''t stop. He tried again and again and again. ¡­.but nothing changed. "Stop it." Not being able to see Nathan in such a condition, Isabell tried to stop him. But Nathan, not even lifting his head to look at her, smacked her hand away. Nathan still hadn''t given up ¡­he was desperately trying to deny what he was seeing. -THUD! Nathan''s left arm fell back on the bed. His eyes held on emotion in them as he stared at his arm. No matter how much he tried to move his left arm, he couldn''t do anything. He only lifelessly stared in front. "Nathan, I..I''m sorry." Nathan ignored Leon''s apology. No, it was better to say he couldn''t even hear Leon. "If only I had defeated the demon earlier, this wouldn''t have happened." Blood flowed from Leon''s clenched fists as he bowed. ording to the doctor, Nathan''s left arm had been corrupted beyond repair. He would never be able to move it again. "Leave¡­" Nathan wanted some time for himself. A little bit of time to sort his thoughts. But Leon shook his head. "I will not." Leon himself had gone through the depression of losing something precious. The only reason he was able to get out of it was because of his master. If she hadn''t persisted after him, Leon will never have been able to recover again. This was why Leon understood that Nathan needed support. Nathan could hate him as much as he wanted, but Leon wasn''t going to leave him alone. "Leave¡­" "No. This only happened because of me so I-" "I said leave!" Nathan grabbed Leon''s cor. "Why are you here? Pity? This happened because of you? Get down from your high horse. You are disillusioned. Do you think you are some kind of messiah? Or do you think you are superior to others? This happened because I was weak! It has nothing to do with you." All of them flinched at Nathan''s sudden outburst. Leon could only open and close his mouth under Nathan''s re. Finally, Isabell spoke. "Let''s give him some time to sort his thoughts." -CLICK! Nathan watched them leave before moving. Without speaking another he stood and walked to the window. Supporting himself, he stood at the windowsill and ...jumped. -PHZZT! Nathan''s feetnded on the cold metal of the sword flying in the air. Crouching, he coiled his leg muscles to the maximum and jumped up. -PHZZT! Constructing another sword under his feet when his momentum ended, he continued moving to the top of the building. *** -THUD! I plopped to the ground while breathing heavily. WOOSH- Cold air brushed against my skin, but I couldn''t even feel anything from my left arm. Sitting on the hard floor, I looked at the scenery in front of me. Three moons shined in the night but the lighting from the buildings was even brighter. I could see tall buildings everywhere I turned my head. Standing on top of such a building, the people on the ground looked like ants. A hollow chuckle left my mouth as I recalled how hard was it to climb here. I only had to construct swords and keep jumping until I reached the rooftop. Even if I was exhausted, the activity wasn''t very strenuous. But I almost fell several times because I couldn''t even maintain my bnce. Laying on the floor and kept staring at the night sky. What was I supposed to do now? I had an idea about my condition but I wanted to deny it at all cost after all it meant that I... (Have you calmed down a bit?) I nodded my head in response. (I told you. Every action has a consequence. You can forget about being able to heal your arm.) "Thank you for the encouragement." After answering back in a voice oozing with sarcasm, I stopped speaking altogether. Neither of us spoke for a few minutes. Suddenly I realized something. "Do you know what happened to my left arm?" (It''s as you think. The curse that the demon was supposed to use on Tia was used on you.) I covered my face. It was exactly as I feared. In the story, the demon left a curse on Tia before dying. Using that curse, it was able to partially take over her and make her the main antagonist of the semester-end event. But in that event, Susan was also fighting with everyone. Thus, they were able to handle the corrupted Tia. It was only when another clone interfered and merges with Tia,pletely taking control over her did the situation worsen. It was at this event that Leon was supposed to awaken and ultimately defeat Tia. "But this isn''t how it was supposed to happen." The curse was supposed to be undetectable, unlike how my arm was. (Your body had almost no ether left after you forcibly conjured the spell. In that state, Nether easily corrupted your arm, making you susceptible to the curse.) Was this the price I had to pay for forcibly using Ether? Normally I shouldn''t have been able to use a spell in that state when my ether reserves were rock bottom, but I had a grimoire. A grimoire forcibly channels the mana inside one''s body toplete a spell. When I used the grimoire, it channeled every bit of Ether, even the Ether my body was subconsciously using to support my bodily functions, toplete the spell. This was why I was unconscious for at least a few days, contrary to the norm of being unconscious for a day at most. (But..) "But?" (You don''t need to worry about the curse. The curse on you won''t work on you. The only fact is that your arm will remain forever like that.) "..How do you know that?" Only now did I notice that he knew too much about my condition. (The demon told me.) The demon told him!? Before I could speak, Eth continued. (The curse is Caim''s unique ability. He can move his soul inside one of the beings he has corrupted and devour the being''s soul to take the body''s control. However, he can''t do that with you.) "Why can''t Caim do that?" From how Eth spoke, it seemed Caim was that Royal Demon''s name. (That ¡­Forget it. Once you reach Proficient mastery, you will be able to look inside your soul. You can see for yourself, then. Till then, just know that Caim can''t do anything to you other than what has already happened.) "Stop trying to be so cryptic!" Unknowingly, I shouted. I was getting into a frenzied state, as I had with Leon. Back then, I had no reason to shout as I did. Realizing my mistake, I asked again, but calmly. "Tell me what it is. Why can''t Caim take over my body?" Eth answered in a confused voice. (Because he is ¡­chained?) My brows knit. Chained? Was that supposed to be some sort of code? What did he mean by chained? (I can''t myself understand what is happening in your soul. Only that he can''t take over you. You should focus on more productive things. It will only take you a week or two at most to reach Proficient mastery. After that you can see for yourself.) "Okay" Truthfully, I should be doubtful of Eth from the way he was answering. But as I had said, for some reason, I knew Eth wasn''t lying. "Meow!!!" "Whoa!!" The sudden voice almost made me fall from the roof. Turning my head, I looked at the reason for my fright. A small ck cat with red eyes was sticking to my left arm. A sigh escaped my lips. "Who are you and when did you reach here?" I had lost all senses in my left arm. Naturally, it included the sense of touch and pain, too. That was why I didn''t notice when this ''cat''tched onto my left arm. I tried shaking the cat away, but it didn''t budge an inch and kept chewing my left arm. It stuck like a ko to its mother. I could only look, trying to see what it was doing. "Are you hungry?" The cat stopped its chewing and looked at me. Seeing the cat''s reaction, my eyes widened. "A beast that has a semnce of intelligence? Should I say as expected of Ward?" After the First Disaster, all animals evolved. The unintelligent species that weren''t from Earth are called monsters, and those that are from Earth are called beasts. There were more differences between beasts and monsters, but that depended on the Stage of the monsters'' habitat. Anyway, it was a given that this wasn''t a cat but a beast simr to a cat. What was surprising was that it seemed to have a semnce of intelligence from the fact it understood my words. "Let''s feed you something." Picking the cat with my right arm, I jumped from the roof. *** "What should I do?" Leon''s voice quivered as he thought back to how Nathan acted. ''Why is he always thinking about others?'' Leon was aware of how he looked now. But never did he think that Nathan would notice that moment after waking up. Wasn''t that why Nathan shouted at Leon? To make him think that it wasn''t his fault. That Nathan''s condition was Nathan''s own fault. ''He could have said it isn''t your fault. But he said whatever happened was because of himself.'' Leon bit his lips when he realized that Nathan was trying to take the me on himself. Nathan didn''t want Leon to feel responsible for what had happened. Nathan was rescued near the central room. On medical check-up, it was found only his left arm was corrupted. This meant one thing: the demon never controlled Nathan. ''Nathan met someone and upon hearing someone was going to fight the demon, he came to help.'' This was what all of them believed. This was why Nathan crossed the hordes of minions and came to the central room when he wasn''t being controlled by the demon. This meant Nathan wouldn''t have gotten corrupted if he hadn''te near the central room. "Don''t me yourself." Isabell spoke to Leon. "Nathan¡­he always helps others, but he flips when ites to himself. He shuts anybody out who is trying to help him. ¡­It''s been the same since that day." Looking at Isabell''s sorrowful eyes, Leon realized that maybe there was a reason behind how Nathan acted. "Can you tell us more about him?" "Hmm" Isabell had seen that Leon, after waking up, never once left Nathan''s side. Lilith also came regrly, leaving her rehabilitation, to check on Nathan. Watching both of them, Isabell realized that they truly cared for him. Unwillingly, she nodded her head. Chapter 49 Changes [4] -THUMP! Heavily panting, Inded inside the room. The round trip consumed quite a bit of ether, not to mention¡­. HISS- The cat was hissing at me dangerously. The moment my feet touched the floor, it jumped from my hand and was now ring at me. "You aren''t good with heights?" I chuckled. Earlier when I was jumping down, I could almost hear it cry in panic. "Let''s eat. Ugh.." My face contorted when I saw that there were only apples in my room. I hated apples with passion. GROWL- ..But my stomach wasn''t listening to me. It kept growling, demanding an immediate meal. Unwillingly, I picked the peeled apple slices on the desk by the left side of my bed. WOOSH- "Huh?" Where did the apple slice go? Turning my head, I found the slice in the cat''s mouth. I shook my head and picked another slice. WOOSH- My mouth twitched. The slice wasn''t in my hand anymore. "Can you leave some for me, my queen?" I pped my hands in front of the cat. "Ah!" I forget that my left arm wasn''t working. With only my right arm raised, I stood in a weird posture. WOOSH- This time a slice went missing from the te. "Fine, I don''t need them. You can have them yourself." WOOSH- I blinked. The cat kept stealing slices, not paying me any heed. The moment I picked a slice, it stole from my hand. "Haah.." Should I call someone and ask for food? Nah, one of those idiots wille if I requested something to eat. That will only make me lose my appetite. "Hmm?" Stretching my arm, leaving the te alone, I picked up the ck book beside it. "..How is this here?" I was sure I dropped this book when the minion responsible for corrupting my left arm hit me. At that time, I was tight on time, and the horde was alreadying after me. I had no choice but to leave the book. The book was important, but I would''ve died then and there if I had tried to find it in that upheaval. "Can it be that this dairy will always appear beside me?" If so, what can be the conditions? Willing to recall the book? No, I had tried it before, but it didn''t work. Distance between me and the book? This was possible. I hadn''t tried this method. The dungeon was the only time I ever let the book away. Or an entirely different reason? Deciding that should check the most probable theory, I walked to the window. I pulled my arm back, holding the dairy, and aimed as far as I could. ''What am I even doing?'' I massaged my brows. There were other better methods to check than throwing the dairy like this. "Am I getting too stressed?" (Yes) "You can speak too? Thanks for telling me to not throw the dairy." (I won''t interfere with what you do. It''s your choice to make.) Turning on my heel, I walked to the cat while talking to Eth in my mind. ''You can read my memories?'' From how Eth had been acting, it was clear he knew about the novel. This meant he read my memories. (It''s boring only watching you or staying here. So, I decided to see your world.) HISSS- The cat scratched my palm when I tried to pet it. A frown naturally formed on my face. (I had to say your world is pretty fascinating. Such poor technology, if I had topare, your world is like our world but a thousand years in the past.) Ignoring his nonsense, I asked a question that had been bugging me since earlier. ''Where were you since when I transmigrated here? And why did you suddenly pop up?'' (No, I wasn''t here since the beginning. I only gained consciousness two weeks before.) Wasn''t that the time I got the diary? Was this a coincidence? (Although I gained a consciousness that day, I had barely regained my sense of reasoning. I was improving day by day and I would''ve fully awakened after 2-3 months. But when you awakened your stigma, your soul strengthened. My soul used the extra energy released during that time and I awoke earlier than predicted.) "I awakened my stigma!?" (Yes, but you can check itter. The point I''m trying to say here is different.) (...I can''t remember what I had been doing for the past 10 years.) My hand that was trying to pet the cat froze. "What did you say?" (Everything I had been doing for the past 10 years feels like a blur. I can only remember tidbits of information.) ''Wait. Wait. If you can''t remember anything, then how are you behaving like an adult? Shouldn''t your mental age be 5-6?'' Eth''s behavior was a little childish, but it was in no way simr to a 5-6-year-old''s. (This was why I was watching your memory. No, should I say, living your memories? Because our souls are connected, I can feel your emotions. I am learning through you.) "..You should stop. If you want to remain sane, that is." I slumped into the bed and stared at the wall. Those memories weren''t something someone can go through and remain sane, more so if he was feeling my emotions. (As long as our souls don''t resonate, I or you won''t lose our sense of self, so it isn''t dangerous. Also, I can feel your emotions, but the older the memories are, the lower the degree and intensity of the emotions.) This was good. For both of us. But there was one more thing I wanted to ask. It was going to decide the rtionship between Eth and me. ''Don''t you want your body back?'' I felt sorry for him as how a stranger was controlling his body when he could only watch from the backseat. But I wasn''t going to let myself be killed to give him control back. Not until I find a way to help both of us. Squinting my brows, I waited for his answer. (No, I don''t want my body back. You can live in it.) ''Wh-'' (In return, promise me one thing.) "¡­" (Protect my family and Isabell) ''You saw my memories, right? Do you think I can guarantee someone else safety when I can''t even my own?'' (Just promise me that you will do everything in your power to protect them.) ''¡­I''m no hero. I can''t promise that.'' (¡­.) (..Right) ''Do you want your body back now?'' ''No'' He wasn''t lying. Then why? A deep sigh escaped my lips. ''If you want to protect them so much, then do it yourself. There should be some method to separate our souls and give both of us a body.'' I didn''t know any method like that, but I was sure there was one. After all this was a universe where supernatural beyondmon sense existed. Here, people destroys with a swing, reincarnate, and resurrect the dead. Contrary to these things, our problem was much simpler. That''s one more thing I have to find. "Tch..the mood got too heavy." (Did it? I only remember you having mood swings worse than a kid whose crush rejected him.) ''Isn''t it better than an edgy kid who jumped to fight terrorists only to get his ass whopped?'' (Oye, that''s cheating! I don''t remember doing that!) "Where was it? Hm, here? Here? Oh, found it!" Ignoring Eth, I picked up the bracelet that was also kept on the desk. But I was unable to wear it with only one arm. Ultimately, I could only ce it in front of me to use it. Tapping my bracelet, I opened an article. This article was on something that happened two days before the surprise entrance exam of Ward. And this was also the reason why Leon and Lilith knew me and believed me to be a good person. ====== Erza Square Incident On 02/07/0153 ck t-shirt Gang hijacked a mart. The terrorists quickly took control over the mart and mislead the heroes by hijacking the security system, buying themselves time to capture hostages. After beating a person to the point of death, they were able to ce the seed of fear inside hostages. Fortunately for us and everyone present there, the incident was solved by a genius among the golden generation, Lilith Ashdown, daughter of the Archer of End, and another young unknown awakener. With her marvelous abilities andbat skills, Miss Lilith subdued all the terrorists alive. This incident was the 23rd hijacking case this year. The Central government believes this is the result of the gang wars happening Downtown. To subdue these incidents and encourage young awakeners, the Central government and Aegis have issued several bounties and¡­. ======= This incident was the opening act of ''Hero has Returned'' so I knew about it. This was the first and a very brief meeting between Leon and Lilith. Because of this incident Lilith had a good impression of Leon and thus bes friend with him after both of them again met inside Ward. The photo, depicting the crime scene and the hostages, made me want to pull my hairs out. It wasn''t very clear, but if someone focused they will recognize my face in the photo. This photo was sent to me by Gwen Hunt, Eth''s elder sister. And for some reason, I felt she was angry, very angry. She only sent me the photo, a smile emoji along with money (a lot) for the treatment. ''Eth¡­'' (Yes?) ''Go die.'' (Wait why!? I told you I don''t even remember doing that.) ''So what if you don''t remember? It''s still you. Do you have to y the hero?'' The photo made it clear who I was. ¡­the person who was beaten to death. I wasn''t the young unknown awakener who helped Lilith, but the sacrifice that made Lilith fight against the terrorist. (What do they mean, beaten to death? I swear the new reporters always over-hype things. Can''t they see I am perfectly alive?) "No, they can''t." (¡­) In the novel, Lilith had been hesitating to fight because, unlike spears and swords, guns can kill easily. She didn''t want to kill even the terrorist if possible. Only after someone stands to protect people but is brutally beaten to death does Lilith stand up. To rify, the young unknown awakener was our exemry and dumb protagonist, Leon. Lilith''s dream was to be an awakener who upholds justice like her father. Not only her father, but she also adored every hero in history. But she couldn''t even gather the courage when it was needed the most. This was I, a weak person who stood to protect others, had a good impression on her. This was why Lilith was friendly to me and Leon and me since the beginning in Ward. Avoiding the main cast? It was already rigged even before I transmigrated! As for Leon? This event yed a role, but for sure, the fact that he had literally no friends before this was the reason he wasn''t leaving me alone. "That dumb loner" (Huh? Aren''t you the same? Rather right now, Leon has more friends than you.) "¡­Shit!" I covered my face in embarrassment. An idiot who hade into society after many years of istion had more friends than me. What has the worlde to? Chapter 50 Reason [1] (Why so angry?) ''Shut up!'' (Hahaha..) Hearing hisugh, I was reminded of this morning. I wanted to crawl into a hole and die. He wasughing because of what happened this morning when I started wearing clothes. Because my left arm was useless, it took over dozen minutes to wear the academy uniform. Throughout that time, this kid wasn''t helping butughing at me. Sniff..He wasughing at a disabled person. Where are human rights? Today was the seventh day since I woke up and a day after I was discharged. After waking up, I was able to get a lot of information from Leon and Lilith. Apparently, I was unconscious for almost a week. Leon had woken five days before me and three days after the incident. In that time, after going through several medical check-ups. It was diagnosed that the Nether had seeped too deep into my bones and muscles. As a result, my arm waspletely disabled for life. But this diagnosis was wrong. My left-hand disability was because Caim''s ability worsened the corruption from Nether. Though only Eth and I knew this fact. "The number of cadets was reduced considerably." I spoke while looking at the seats to my left and in front of me. A lot of seats throughout the ss were vacant and the cadet''splexion wasn''t very good. They still had note over the horrors they had seen that day. It was given that a week wasn''t enough to ovee their fears. But I could only shake my head at this. The frontlines were a lot more brutal. They have to mature fast or they won''t survive with this mentality. "Anyway." I touched the desk and something magical happened. At my touch, the entire desk changed from a steel blue color to mahogany grey. Looking at the desk, I marveled at my newfound stigma ability. Before anyone could notice, I pulled my finger back, and the desk reverberated to its previous steel blue color. This was my stigma [Iridescence]. The System doesn''t exin anything else about the Stigma other than its name. This was why everyone needs time to master their stigma. Experimenting for the past few days, I found that I could change the color of objects in contact with me. I was greatly relieved when I got to know my stigma. It wasn''tbat-oriented, but at least it wasn''tpletely useless. At sufficient mastery, I should be able to use it for disguise. Even now I could change my hair, eye, and skin color with a single wish. The corner of my lips rose slightly. Truly, the stigmas were the representation of one''s soul. ''If I had this ability in my previous life, infiltrating the Yakuzas would''ve been a lot easier.'' (They are here.) Raising my head, I looked at the people Eth mentioned. With an annoyed look, both of them stood at the door and gazed at the ss, seemingly searching for someone. Looking at me, both of them shot a smile that didn''t look like a smile walked here. -BANG! Lilith mmed her hands on my desk. "Nathan, didn''t YOU say YOU were going to wait for us?" "Maybe it will rain today?" Laughing awkwardly, I looked at the dark clouds through the windows, avoiding Lilith''s eyes. "Nathan~" To exin what was happening, I have to tell you what happened after I woke up in the infirmary. At that time I was happy because I could rx without fearing about my life. In this semester, only two events were dangerous. One was the Dungeon of Trials event in which I lost my arm but was able to survive. The other was the end-semester event, which wasn''tpulsory for everyone to join. Hooray for me! I could live for a few months in peace! Unfortunately, the peace was short-lived. The next day, before even the sun rose, Leon barged into my room. He was hell-bent on helping me with everything. ¡­That included helping me to dress myself. I had to fight with all my might to protect my chastity! It was more traumatizing than the Royal Demon! Remembering those days still brought tears to my eyes. With only one arm, I was no match for this fiend. I could only swallow my pride and give up. Fortunately, today I managed to turn Leon down by promising that I wille to ss with him and Lilith. Of course, that was a lie. Why would I willingly go with these two idiots? Moreover, this was probably myst day in Ward. From tomorrow, I didn''t need to worry about my chastity being threatened! "Rank 1, Susan Warner." "Present" Suddenly Mia was standing at the podium and doing the roll call. Knowing that she had to go, Lilith''s eyes begrudgingly altered between Mia and me. Dragging her feet, she walked back to her seat with Leon when her feet abruptly stopped. Then, smiling, she whispered something to Leon. "I have a bad feeling about this." The next few seconds proved my words were correct. "Oh, what a coincidence. We are sitting next to each other now?" Acting clueless as I had been, Lilith turned back and spoke from the seat directly in front of me. "Let''s get along." Leon spoke from my left. Seeing both of them, I internally sighed. "Rank 2169 Nathan Hunt" "Present" Calling my name, Mia raised her head, looked at my arm for a moment, and continued the roll calls. "Nathan,e to my office." Saying so, Mia left the ss. "Did you do something?" "No" I frowned at Leon''s suspicious gaze. Somehow, I had a feeling that this guy was cooking some wrong theory in his head. "Are you sure? Thest time Miss Mia called you was when you challenged Susan." My mouth twitched. I didn''t want to challenge that monster either! The monster had knocked the living daylights out of me in one punch! It was more depressing because, ording to the novel, Strength was always Susan''s lowest stat. "Tell us what happened when youe back!" Waving my hand in denial, I walked out of the ss. *** Looking at Nathan waving his hand in affirmation, Leon proudly smiled. Nathan was finally talking with them. "Is it me, or did he be sassier?" "You think so?" Feeling Lilith''s unsatisfaction Leon didn''t understand why Lilith thought so. Didn''t Nathan acting more unreservedly around them meant that he was opening himself to them? Isabell had told them about Nathan and her past. Now, Lilith and Leon understood why Nathan tries to push everyone away from him. Listening to Isabell''s story, they understood that what happened wasn''t Nathan''s fault. But because of his past, Nathan had built a wall around his heart to keep everyone away. He no longer wanted to be with anyone. Leon had gone through something simr. He also med himself for what happened in the past. At that time, Leon always dreamed of killing himself. But unlike him, Nathan remained standing on his two feet and was walking forward. Leon respected Nathan for not giving up. This was why he wanted to help Nathan walk on a better path. For Lilith, her motive in helping Nathan was much simpler. It was her dad''s words. "A true hero isn''t someone who fights, but someone who protects." Lilith always kept these words close to her heart. She lived with those words as her belief. But it was the Ezra Square Incident that opened her eyes. Her belief was flimsical at best. Back when she needed to protect, she couldn''t even move while Nathan almost died to protect the civilians from the terrorist. Nathan was weak and untalented, but he was a true hero. This was the first time Lith someone admired someone around her age. This was why Lilith had decided that she was going to help Nathan ovee the wall in his heart. She didn''t want to see a hero breaking from the inside. But reality is often disappointing. Nathan was hell-bent on staying away from her! How can someone be immune to her charms?! Lilith gritted her teeth as she thought back to how Nathan hung them away this morning. He was too uncooperating. ring at Nathan''s back for a few seconds, as he walked away, Lilith snorted. "Let''s see if you can keep avoiding me." "I am already getting close to Nathan." Seeing Leon''s smug face irked Lilith. Why was he able to talk to Nathan and not her? Now that she thinks about it, does Leon meet Nathan separately? "When did you get close to him?" Upon hearing the answer Leon proudly gave, Lilith''s brain froze. "Nathan asked it to keep a secret. I think he is shy that we are doing it? But it''s getting better! Now he lets me remove his clothes peacefully!" "Se..secret? Doesn''t want to admit? R..remove his clothes?" Lilith''s cheeks reddened as her thoughts went on. "I..I see" "Yup. We do it (helping Nathan change) every morning." She finally understood why her charms didn''t work on Nathan. "Lilith, are you okay?" Lilith hurriedly shook her head up and down. "K..keep it up." "Yes, I n on doing it even if I have to force Nathan!" "I..I didn''t think you were the aggressive type." "Aggressive type?" Leon cluelessly looked at Lilith, who was turning red like a tomato and mumbling iprehensible things. Chapter 51 Reason [2] *Shivers* (What happened?) "It felt like someone was talking behind my back." I could talk with Eth mentally but speaking out aloud was morefortable. Moreover, even if someone saw me talking to myself, they will only think that I''m crazy, which the majority first year already believed. TAP- TAP- TAP- My feet struck the cold road as I navigated toward Mia''s office. Though I told Leon and Lilith I had no idea why Mia called me it was a lie. I had an idea of what was about to happen. Mia was probably going to tell me about my expulsion. As for how I could guess it? It was very simple. I was useless now. With my arm like this and the fact that I am an aura user with low growth potential, I had lost my value. For an aura user, an injury like mine was detrimental to their fighting capability. Ward was the top training facility on Earth and the symbol of humanity''s hope. Naturally, they had abundant resources. This was why they profited even more by throwing me away now that I could no longer fight. Putting more resources on a talented cadet would yield higher results than a talentless person like me who could no longer fight. Even if they pour resources into me, it would only be a waste. Of course, I wasn''t angry with this arrangement. Ward was doing everything in its power to raise strong awakeners to protect the Earth. They were looking for their best interest just like I was. I am also thinking about leaving Earth the moment I find a habitable and peaceful. In short, I was nning to ditch Earth. I wasn''t crazy enough to stay here when I knew about the future. Leon can duke it out all he wants, but I don''t want to be coteral damage when these monsters fight each other. But this was still far in the future. Right now, I had other things to do. "Expulsion¡­." I was still thinking about what to do after this. But there was one thing I was certain about. I was going to be free from the main cast! It was sad that I couldn''t use Ward''s facilities or its vault, but expulsion was for the best. The Dungeon of Trials made me realize that my actions could create very dangerous turns. And since I was the only one who knew about these dangers, I had to be the one to fix them. Losing one arm to save Leon was more than enough for a lifetime. I didn''t know how my actions affected the plot in the dungeon, but it could only have been me. I mean, it isn''t like there will be another transmigrator. If there was, they knowingly or unknowingly should have created at least one obvious ripple in the plot that I could catch onto. But there was none. The story, other than the dungeon of trials and other minor hups that were caused by me, was going exactly as it was supposed to. Though, if possible, I wanted to stay in Ward for at least one year. "Should I create a Guild, a Mercenary group or¡­" ''¡­a Dark Guild?'' I wasn''t nning on getting involved with major fights. But it didn''t hurt to have a backup n. No matter how strong and how be, I still was one person. I can''t fight entire armies¡­ No, wait, maybe I can? Wasn''t my art made for wars? It was perfect for one vs many situations. (Mommy look an arrogant know-it-all young master) "¡­" "I''m not okay. That was only a passing thought. I have no ns to fight until absolutely necessary." I could allow which thoughts to restrict and which not for Eth, and he could do the same. I wasn''t restricting my current thoughts and so he was able to listen to them and give his unnecessary and useless opinion. (Useless like your arm) Unconsciously, I gnashed my teeth. "Wait for me to enter there. Just wait." (As you say Sir Handless) "Haah¡­" Anyway, I was not nning to enter any organization but create my own forces. This was why I was confused about where to start. An official guild will help me create connections, spread my influence, and earn money. In hindsight, it will be suspicious how a talentless person like me can do this. I can lie by saying that I found some skills in a new ruin, but even then I will attract unnecessary attention and trouble. With a Mercenary Guild, I can hide my identity. But it will take time to spread my influence and even longer while creating strong forces if I wanted to hide my identity. The best option is a Dark Guild. I can hide my identity while also creating a very strong force. Right now, the Round Table wasn''t yet created. If I moved quickly, I would be able to recruit its members. But I ultimately shook my head. Creating a guild with those crazy monsters from Round Table was the same as inviting a cat to protect the milk. It wouldn''t be weird if they killed me because it was fun. "What do you prefer?" Entering the building where Mia''s office was located I asked Eth. Having two minds is always better than one. (¡­) "Sire, can you please answer this lowly subject of yours?" (Don''t ask me about the hard stuff. Oh, and take tiramisu cake today from the cafeteria. It''s been too long since I tasted it.) (And don''t be a cheapskate. I know Sis sent a lot of money.) My lips twitched. Here I was thinking about the future and this idiot was nning the lunch. "Are you a-Wait, you can taste food!?" (Not only that, all of our senses are connected. I can feel everythi-) "Sense of pain too?" (Yes?) I smiled widely at his answer. (O-oye, you aren''t thinking of hurting yourself, are you?) "No, of course not. Do you think I''m crazy?" ''But you see, I''m nning to go Downtown for some hunting this weekend. I might get beaten a little, only a little.'' -CLICK! The door of Mia''s office opened before I could knock. Looking around the office, I stepped in, and the light and fresh smell ofvenders instantly rushed into my nostrils. "Miss Mia I''m here." Unlike the previous time, Mia wasn''t sleeping but staring at me. Looking at her unusual appearance, I frowned slightly. Mia nodded her head and passed me two letters. Then, without speaking useless things, she directly spoke. "You are getting expelled." ''As expected.'' It was as I thought. Ward deemed me useless and was expelling me. Though I knew about this, I still put a surprised expression on my face. Can never be too careful with Mia. "B-but ¨C" "The green letter is your expulsion letter. It contains the reason behind your expulsion. The other letter is your admission letter." "Admission letter?" What was she talking about? Yawing, Mia leaned on her left arm and looked at me with droopy eyes. "At first you were going to be expelled, but Miss Olivia intervened. After much discussion, it was decided that you will be expelled from the Combat Department and admitted into Research Department." Seeing my shocked expression, Mia smirked and pointed to my left arm. "Your condition yed a pivotal role in both decisions. It is the first of its kind. Miss Olivia wants you to help her in researching Royal Demons and their abilities. Of course, all of this is on the condition that you can maintain your grades." I nkly nodded my head. My condition wasn''t special because humanity doesn''t have any proper records of Royal Demons abilities. Nobody can tell if my injury was normal or something special. But it was still one of its kind. Was this why Olivia, who researched the Royal Demons, tried to stop my expulsion? Did she want to study my left arm in hopes of some kind of breakthrough in her research? ''Should I agree with this arrangement?'' Being in Ward was the same as being in the eye of a storm. It was the safest ce, but one wrong step and boom. The End. But¡­ ''This is good.'' Ward had too many things I could use to supplement my growth, and I could create my forces while staying here, too. There was no reason for me to disagree. Moreover, the transfer of departments meant a transfer of sses! I would be away from the main cast! ''This does put a smile on my face.'' "Okay." Maintaining the nk expression on my face, I walked out of the office only to stop at thest second. I again carefully looked at Mia''s appearance and unconsciously frowned. Bandages were wrapped around her arms and head. Through her bangs, I could also see a scar on her face. That scar. It wasn''t in the novel. Was it healed in the novel or¡­ Was it rted to why the student council never came? I wanted to interact as little as possible with Mia, but this might be the first clue I can get about the situation. Gulping, I talked to her. "Miss Mia, are you alright? Those injuries look painful." Mia dropped her head on the table and spoke in anguid voice. "Yawn.. This is nothing much. You should worry about yourself." Does everybody have to poke at least once? tch "If I can ask. How did you get these injuries?" At my words, Mia slightly lifted her head and stared into my eyes without speaking anything. She kept staring at me, but I stood unperturbed. I needed to get as much information as possible. I had already asked Isabell about it she didn''t know anything. Thus, I had to look at other ces for my answers. Both of us stared at each other without speaking anything. This continued for a few seconds and when I thought of apologizing, Mia finally broke the silence. "We found an Aether Circle on Byzander Ind. I, along with the student council, was tasked with protecting and supporting the researchers there. I got these injuries there." I sucked in a sharp breath. The information was too much to handle at once. "I hope you get well soon, Miss Mia." Hiding my expression from Mia, I directly left the office. Chapter 52 Reason [3] "Dammit!" Walking down the path to my dorm I inevitably cursed. I finally found out why Student Council never came. ''We found an Aether circle on Byzander Ind.'' Mia''s words kept echoing inside my head. Her words meant Student Council wasn''t able toe to our rescue because they were on Byzander Ind. They were there for the Aether Circle. ¡­The circle inside the Shadow Fox Guardian cliff. Humans couldn''t use aether but this didn''t mean that there was no way to use it. One such way was Magic circles structured for Aether. Aether Circles were a lot more powerful and efficient than magic circles structured for Mana. But Aether Circles were a lost technology from Dark Ages and humanity still wasn''t developed enough to decipher and learn Aether Circles. The only way to find new Aether circles is through Ruins or Special Dungeons. "Wasn''t that Aether Circle already discovered?" I thought that it was a discovered circle. This was why I dropped the statue after the volcano blew. Even if somebody had investigated, they would''ve thought that the statue fell due to the shockwaves from the eruption. And Leon was the one behind that volcanic eruption. He did that by blowing away a core inside that volcano to weaken the beast resting there. All in all, Leon would''ve been the one held responsible for the statue falling. I never thought that the Aether Circle was undiscovered. "How can be the circle hidden? And if it was hidden, why was I able to find it?" Unconsciously, I bit my nails. "Wait!" The beasts around the ind weren''ting to the orb because the circle was hiding the Aether Orb. At least this was what I believed back then. But what if that circle was also concealing itself from everyone? What if the circle''s function was more than that? That Aether Circle was too big. It might have been the circle not only hid the Aether orb but also itself from everyone. This must be why nobody ever found it and the Aether Orb in the open like that. At that time I believed that it was purposely left in open as a hidden prize. "Haa¡­ I know, but my luck is really negative, huh?" I understood how everything went. No student Council to fight Royal demon -> Student council on Byzander ind The student council went for the Aether circle -> A new Aether Circle was found. The concealment of the Aether Circle was lifted -> The Aether Circle lost its energy source The Shadow Fox removed the Aether Orb, the energy source of circle, to protect the Orb -> A statue was falling on the Aether Orb I dropped the statue -> I wanted to make Sky Vipere after Aether Orb and leave its cave I looked at the moon with a wronged gaze. This butterfly effect was too much! How was I supposed to know that this would have happened? "Still, there is one thing I don''t understand." I bit my nails harder. "Why could I find the Aether Circle when nobody else could?" If the Aether circle was concealing itself and the Aether Orb, how could I see it? Closing my eyes, I thought back to everything that had happened back in the exam. There has to be something. Something suspicious that I had glossed over. Think. Think "Dammit." Even after a dozen minutes, nothing came to my mind. Back in the exam, the only strange element was how a top ranker was near me, causing the stampede early. Thinking back, the top ranker might have seen Lark, Ryan, and me running away from the horde, but still didn''t help. Was this person involved with why I was able to discover the circle? "No, it can''t be." I shook my head. The stampede happened after I found the circle. (I think I know why.) Stopping my trail of thoughts was Eth''s voice. (I think it''s because of resonance.) "Resonance? What is that?" This was the second time he mentioned it. The previous time, I didn''t think it was something important. But it no longer looks that way. (Whenever both of us have a strong desire toward a singr goal, our souls''bine. This is resonance.) My feet stopped. "..Our soulbines?" I heavily gulped. What was he talking about? Soulsbining means that the initial souls will merge into a new soul. It could be argued that the new soul was an amalgamation of original souls. But the opposite was also true. If two soulsbined into something new, didn''t it mean that the original souls were dead? If our soulsbined, then was I, no Nathan was already.. (No, every resonance is only temporary. Moreover, during resonance, our souls only partiallybine.) The frown on my face didn''t rx. If everything he was telling me was true, then there were a lot of problems. "How is it rted to discovering the Circle? And... why didn''t you tell me something this important before?" (I don''t know what happened after you transmigrated. But since I am here now, it means even after you transmigrated; I was always here, only asleep.) (Remember, I said I only remember only bits of memories of thest 10 years?) "I know." Why was talking in a roundabout way? We had already talked about all this. (There is one thing I remember clearly. My only goal in those 10 years was to grow stronger. Ward was the best ce for it. I had to get into Ward if I wanted to grow stronger.) My eyes widened. In the exam I had two goals: Get the manuals and go into the Ward. I was able to fight against beasts even on my first day in this world because of my goals. At that time, I kept repeating my goal in my head to get the courage to fight against those beasts. I repeated them to make myself believe that it was the only way. "We had the same goal: To get into Ward. So, Resonance happened." (Yes. And the new soul will be special. It is formed from you whose soul transmigrated after death and mine, someone whose soul still lingers in World Dimension even though I don''t have a body.) "But it isn''t necessary that my soul underwent a change because of transmigration. And your soul not dying can be because this body belongs to you and you never died." (Yes, but it doesn''t change that the new soul is born bybining two souls. It will still be special. And there is one thing that is only affected by one''s soul, it is..) "Stigma" I was slowly understanding what he was trying to say. The new soul will have a different stigma than us. And if we go with our theory that the soul was special, then its stigma will also be special. (I think you were able to discover that hidden Circle because of that stigma.) Thinking about it was weird as how I never awakened a stigma even after going through all that. I had just died, so I was naturally stressed. Then I had to immediately fight, and then run away for my life. Not to mention I was injured badly and many more things happened. Back then, I had thought the requirements were too harsh for the Stigma to be awakened and so I hadn''t awakened it. But what if I did awaken a stigma? No, was that even me? (Yes, that was you. At that time, I was unconscious and my soul was very weak. The majority of control and personality were you.) "Haha..ha¡­Hahahaha" Bellowingugh echoed in the empty hallway of the dorm. "The personality was based on me, so it was me? Do you believe your own words?!" I shouted. "Even if it was me and not a new soul, do you think I can believe you? Should I trust you, you fucker?" I shouted to the point my throat felt sore. At this point, I didn''t care even if somebody saw me. Why had I been pushing myself to the brink of death? Wouldn''tbining with someone else be the same as dying? What was the point of sacrificing my arm if I will one day lose myself without even knowing? "Why didn''t you tell me sooner? Don''t you wan-" (Because I never trusted you.) "What?" (Have you seen yourself? Don''t want to die? Do you think I believe that joke?" "Don''t change the top-" (Despite saying you don''t want to die, aren''t just seeking your death?) Eth''s voice was the same as ever but behind it was rage, frustration, and endless other emotions. "When did I ever do that?!" (Ether exhaustion means death, doesn''t it? Also, in the entrance exam, the bracelets weren''t omnipotent. In the novel, there was someone who died from falling from a height. Then why did you jump from the cliff?) (You just keep bbering how you don''t want to die when instead you are only trying to die.) Eth words stabbed deep inside my heart. Listening to him, I started having trouble breathing. Was he right? Am I trying to die? No, I''m not! I want to live! Yes, I know myself. I will never try to die. Then why was my voice quivering? "N-no, that was because it was-" (It was the only way? You really think that? Of course, you do.) Eth stopped for a second and scoffed. (You don''t want to die. You always repeat it to make yourself believe it when in reality you want the opposite.) Ignoring the Blood dripping from my hand, I stared at the ground. I didn''t know when, but I had started biting my thumb rather than my nails. Minutes passed and I only stared at the ground. "Haa.. " I saw the doors of the hallway open slightly, and many cadets were peeking at me. Acting oblivious to those stares, I slowly walked back to my room. Throughout the way, I thought back to what Eth said. Was I really trying to die? *** CLICK- Opening the door to my room, I was about to enter when I saw something on the floor. The piece of paper, lying on the ground, had a single line written on it. "What the hell?" I closed the door behind me while reading it. || I know your secret. Meet me on Sunday if you don''t want to be exposed. || I flipped the paper but there was nothing else on it. Crumbling the paper, I threw it into the garbage without a second thought. "What secret? Why should I believe this? Even if its true where should we meet?" I wasn''t in the mood to entertain an idiot. Even a prank should be more believable than this. Entering the bedroom, I started changing. "..Eth" (¡­) Eth had been silent since earlier. But I didn''t care about it. "Tell me more about Resonance." (¡­) "Eth" (¡­) Fuck it. If he doesn''t want to talk, then so be it. Dragging the chair back, I sat in front of the desktop. I opened the browser and searched for a particr site. But before the result could be shown, I closed the desktop. "Haa¡­" Today I was nning to contact the future Alchemy King, but I was no longer in the mood. Eth''s words kept ringing in my head. Changing into my training clothes, I went towards the training ground. Maybe if I moved my body, I could clear my mind a little. Chapter 53 Upgrade [1] ''Despite saying you don''t want to die, aren''t just seeking your death?'' -BANG! I punched the wall next to me in frustration. "When did I try to die? Everything I did was necessary." Looking at the path going toward the training hall, I stopped. I left my room to train, but I had forgotten that Leon and Lilith would also be there. Turning around, I started roaming aimlessly. I don''t think I can handle Lilith and Leon in this condition. ''You just keep bbering how you don''t want to die when instead are you only trying to die.'' No matter how much I walked, the words never left my head. Feeling tired, I plopped onto a bench along the path. "What should I do?" I wasn''t sure anymore. Remembering Eth''s words was suffocating. I felt like my entire existence was being denied. What did he mean by that I was trying to die? Thest two years of my previous life were the most painful. Every day I wanted to gouge my heart out and throw it away. Living through a single day was hell. But even then I continued living. I had gotten my revenge. But that same revenge had shattered whatever was left of me. But I continued living. Yes, didn''t I continue living for those two years? Every second of it was hell. Every time I heard my heart beating, I wanted to die. But even then I made sure to keep living, no, I made sure I didn''t die. I wanted to deny Eth''s words, but deep down I knew he was correct because... ¡­I was happy when I died. When my heart stopped beating was when I felt at peace. "Shit" This was the perfect word to describe how I was feeling right now. I felt like a piece of shit. Everything Eth was saying was true. It wasughable. Like how I was trying to kill myself despite saying I wanted to live. How I would have never noticed this fact if not for Eth. "Haaa¡­" Closing my eyes, I listened to the music of the wind. The rustling of leaves, the whistling of cold air, the faint noises of people. Everything came together in a pleasing harmony. I chuckled slightly as I noticed my actions. Music was one thing that always soothed me. If reading books was why I looked forward to another day, then music was what kept me sane through that day. Thanks to Eth, I realized my mistake. I understood where I was wrong all along. I had to change my ways. There were many things to do, but there was one thing that I had to do first. "I''m sorry, Eth." This kid had done nothing wrong. He was suffering because of me. Had I never transmigrated, he would never have lost his own body. Despite being the one who was using his body, I treated him poorly. He must have not told me about resonance because he felt that I might do something crazy. Feeling slightly embarrassed, I scratched the back of my head. How bad was my condition that a kid had to help me stand on my feet? Without Eth''s words, I wouldn''t have realized my own actions were wrong. "Er..Eth?" I felt the connection between Eth and me blocked. This meant he couldn''t listen to what I was saying. It seemed he didn''t want to talk. "I''ll have to wait for him to open the connection or reach proficient mastery in my art to talk to him." I had decided. I was going to help him with everything within my power. This was the least I could do for using his body. Meow~ Suddenly, I heard an animalistic cry. It pleasantly shocked me when I nced at the source of the familiar cry. Looking down, I saw the same ck cat that I met a week back, near my feet. "You again?" This was the second time it appeared when I was sad. Smiling, I bent to pick the cat. I don''t know why, but I felt a little happy when it appeared. Though it seemed that the cat didn''t share my sentiments. MEOW!! I pulled back my hand. The top of my palm now reflected a bright red color under the pale moonlight. "You really are a beast." I chuckled. The area where the cat scratched stung. Ignoring that little pain, I was staring at the cat with curiosity when I remembered why it hade to me the previous time. Checking my pockets, I bitterly smiled. "I don''t have anything to give you today." Meow- Right on cue, it meowed, as if snorting, and leaped onto my thighs. Then it curled itself into a ball and purred. "You are cute." I smiled. Even if the cat was intelligent, it wouldn''t understand everything I said. And as I thought, the cat didn''t show any reaction. Looking at its sleeping figure, I opened my status. "Status" ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Meta Level: 10 Exp: 1500/1500 Remaining SP ¨C 10 Stigma: [Iridescence] -->Stats: Strength ¨C 12 Agility ¨C 23 Stamina ¨C 14 Constitution ¨C 15 Ether ¨C 13 Intelligence ¨C 13 Luck ¨C -13 --> Arts: [Armory of Eridu [Legacy]] A legacy left behind by one of the twelve ancient heroes. It''s the ultimate art of weapon creation and summoning. Upon mastery, the user can create an uncountable number of weapons to overwhelm any battlefield. Mastery - Novice -->Skills: [Pierce [Common]] Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. [Synchronization] ¨C Locked - Temporarily boost your overall rank, skill ranks, and mastery in arts by one rank. - Synchronize with ??? - ??? Number of Uses: 3 Unlock Requirements: Iota-rank >>>[Quest] :- Find and kill ???? Mammon. Reward ¨C Pandora''s Heart, ???, ??? Failure Penalty ¨C ??? Time Limit ¨C 12 years: 354 days: 22 hours ====== Without thinking twice, I allocated the free SP. [Ether - 13 --> Ether - 23] I immediately felt changes in my body. I could feel my ether core expanding at fearsome speed. It felt like my stomach was swelling. The surrounding air churned and raged, waking the cat, as my expanding Ether core greedily devoured the Ether in the air. ,m The process took a few minutes toplete. "Huu¡­" Closing my eyes, I exhaled loudly. I could feel that although my ether core was slightlyrger than before, the capacity had increased almost twice. My art depended solely on my Ether capacity and my concentration. Thus, I decided to increase my ether capacity. Meow~ The cat was looking at me with twinkling eyes. The way it was staring at my abdomen, I almost felt that it was looking at my ether core. Suppressing myugh, I used my dimensional ring and took out a ck orb. This was the same orb that I got with the Ether manual and my Art. Naturally, I had high expectations of it. Up till now, I couldn''t use it because I had less than 20 Ether stats. But that had changed now. Channeling the ether inside my right arm, I activated the orb. I was excited to see what this orb was. FLASH- A bright white light shed from the orb, forcing me to close my eyes. After the sh subsided, I slowly opened my eyes and looked at my palm. "Earrings?" In my hand were two sword-shaped earrings. They were very light and were entirely ck. Ignoring its appearance, I checked its status. What mattered was its function, not how it looked! [User must equip the essory before essing its status.] I immediately wore the earrings. What was the use of waiting for this long if I couldn''t even check its status? Thankfully, they were maic(?) earrings, so I didn''t have to punch holes in my ears to wear them. Then I hurriedly checked the earring''s status. Fortunately, there were no more requirements to see the status. ====== Mephistopheles Earrings [Legacy] (Cursed) These earrings had seen the life of the Ancient Evil until its death at the hands of the Ancient Heroes. Living together with the Ancient evil throughout its life had granted these earrings the status of an artifact. --> Skills: [Domination Decree Lvl1] - As the apex ruler of Evil, anyone with Evil disposition finds it hard to go against your will. - A ruler only reveals their face when they deem it necessary. Without your approval, no one can recognize you. - Requirements for Lvl2: One subordinate with Evil disposition. [Absolute Evil Lvl1] (Passive) - 10% resistance against the physical and magical attacks of beings with Evil disposition - 10% increase in physical and magical damage against beings with Good disposition. - Requirements for Lvl2: 100 Kills --> Curse: The user can never remove the earrings. ======= I felt a lot more excited after reading the status. The skills were very good and useful! Moreover, both of them were growth-type skills. This wasn''t even their final form! As for the curse, I ignored it. It only made me unable to remove the earrings, which wasn''t much. The skills [Domination Decree] and [Absolute Evil] were impressive. [Domination Decree] will make the beings with evil disposition sumb under my ether pressure. Also, with this skill, I wouldn''t have to worry about someone recognizing me if I had to do something. [Absolute Evil] was a passive skill. This meant it was always activated! The perks it gave were also incredible. Passive attack boost and resistance were something anyone would kill for. And I got both of them! Everyone had dispositions such as Good, Neutral or Evil. So, my skill would work on almost everybody. I myself had my disposition as Chaotic-Neutral. But I knew that Neutral disposition was rare. Everyone is inclined toward either good or evil, even if slightly. The Chaotic showed that I wasn''t right in my head. So, my being Neutral was a unique case. *Yawn* I noticed that my eyes were dropping heavily. After I cleared my head thanks to Eth, I was feeling lightheaded. By the time I checked the earring the sleep had already almost devoured me. Before I could leave for my room, I fell asleep on the bench. Chapter 54 Upgrade [2] "Yawn..That felt good." I immediately closed my eyes again because of the bright sunlight. Then I waited for a few seconds for my eyes to adjust whilezily sitting on the bench. Sleeping outside was morefortable than I had thought. Stretching my body, I stood up and looked at the bright blue sky. "Is it noon already?" Scratching my chest from underneath my shirt, I let out another yawn only to choke on it. I again looked at my surrounding slowly. My eyes widened at the realization that it was already noon. I missed the sses today! Without minding my appearance, I ran towards my ssroom. "Why did I sleep so much?" Ward was too strict with bunking sses. And I was sleeping on the bench in broad daylight! I could only pray for what was about toe. "Ah!" I let out a weird sound, and my feet stopped. I again looked at my surroundings. The area was packed with people to and fro. The buildings were only about 5 floors tall and the area wasn''t as well maintained as the area I had been seeing for the past month. I wasn''t inside Ward. Massaging my eyebrows, I slumped back into a bench. "Right, I was here." Ward has given us a two-week holiday after everyone was diagnosed as healed. Since Isabell said my parents weren''t home so we decided to stay in Ward during the holidays. The next day she went somewhere saying that something came up. She didn''t look willing to leave me alone but still left. The tough life of a spy, if I say so myself. Anyway, this was the perfect opportunity for me to go out and get some upgrades. "One hamburger, please." Buying my breakfast for today, I walked on the road. I took a bite of the hamburger while looking at the flying vehicles. In this world, barely any vehicles had tires and were rather floating in the air. This was the 5th day I was wandering the south side of Downtown. Bermuda Ind was divided into four areas. The North, the Middle, the Sides, and the Downtown. The North, covering a total of 1/5th of Bermuda Ind, was under Aegis'' control. This area contained portals going to dungeons all over the world. Naturally, this area was mostly visited by Adventurers and heroes. Equipment, potions, skills, there was a market for everything here. The middle was where Ward was located. This area alone covered 1/4th of Bermuda Ind and was free from the control of Aegis and the Families. The Sides denoted the west and east area of Bermuda Ind. This was a residential area owned jointly by various high-ss families. Though it was said jointly, it was mainly owned by the big three families. The Downtown was located in the south and covered 1/10th of the Ind. This was awless area of the Ind which was controlled by gangs. Yes, gangs. "Why the hell are there gangs in fantasy!?" Elves, Dragonborns, Vampires, Dwarves, Demons, this was fantasy. Not Gangs! I sighed. I knew how small-time gangs, which weren''t even in alliance, were able to take hold of a small portion of Bermuda Ind, the center stage of Earth. The reason was exactly why I was here. "Maybe I should have gone to a Ruin." A few days back, I reached a proficient mastery in the Art of Eridu. My new ability gave me arge boost to my fighting capability. Moreover, my Ether control had improved a lot since the Dungeon of Trials event. Thus, I decided it was time I broke into Iota rank. When Leon killed the Royal Demon, a portion of exp was given to me as I had killed arge number of minions, and I reached Lvl10. Lvl10 meant peak Meta rank. Now to reach Lvl11 or Iota rank, I needed to have a breakthrough. But with my low potential, it would take me at least a few months if I decided to rank up naturally. I needed to reach Enma-rank this year. I couldn''t waste more time in Meta rank. So I decided to buy some herbs to help me break through faster. Although I did have money for the herbs, it would take almost everything I had. I didn''t want to use all my money before I started earning anything. "I can only get herbs for cheaper in the Underworld." ck market, Underground market, Bootleg market these were all the names of Underworld. For obvious reasons, I knew the routes to go there, but this didn''t mean I could use them. Underworld wasn''t some neighborhood market. If I went there as a Meta-rank and nothing backing me I wouldn''t even know how I was sold as a ve. This was why I was in Downtown. The only reason these gangs could exist on this Ind was because of backing from the Underworld. BUCK- I bumped into somebody making my hamburger fall. "Sorry." Sighing, I apologized to the person I bumped into and walked back to the shop. It was good I only bought a single hamburger because I could only carry a single one at one time. As for my left hand, it was glued over my stomach with a cast, that I was wearing underneath so that my arm didn''t il every time I move. "Where do you think you are going, huh?" Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulder from behind. "Are you trying to run without paying for the medical bills, huh?!" The person with a buzz cut spat while pointing to the arm of the person whom I think I bumped into. It was daylight extortion, but everyone around us acted as if they didn''t notice us. This meant that this extortion wasn''t anything new. "Can you stand a bit away? You are spitting everywhere." I spoke while covering my face. It seems they didn''t like my answer as the person who was standing in the middle grabbed me by the cor. "What did you say, huh, brat? Do you know who we are? We are the ck t-shirt gang." I cringed a little at the name. Taking a better look at the three of them, I noticed that they were wearing ck t-shirts with a white skull on them. "Pfft" This time, I failed to maintain a poker face. What was with the childish name and fashion sense of the gang? "You! Come with us." I was about to fight back when I sensed two more people behind me. Without waiting for my answer, I was pulled into a back alley. Chapter 55 Dont Want To [1] -BANG! Miller smashed the person into the wall. "Can''t talk now, huh?" He angrily spat at the blonde in front of him. Behind him were 4 more brothers of his gang. "Bro, we only wantedpensation for the brother whose hand you broke. This is only happening because you didn''t cooperate." Pow-! Grinning, Miller punched after pointing to the person the blonde had bumped into. "Why aren''t you speaking, bro?" Pow-! Pow-! Pow-! He repeatedly punched the blonde. Inside, Miller was feeling ecstatic. He finally caught a big fish! The person in front of him had been roaming their turf for two days. From the expensive clothing to the way he was splurging his money, it was clear he was an heir to some rich family. Miller had spent two days observing if this blonde had any hidden guards, and now he was sure there weren''t any. Without any guards, even if he was an heir to a rich family, he was as good as a rat caught in a trap. ''Only idiots wille into this ce without any security!'' Pow-! Pak-! Suddenly Miller''s fist was caught by the blonde. "Isn''t this enough? This should be more than what I did to your ''brother''." The blonde spoke while staring at Miller with his red eyes. "You are awakened, too? This makes it easier." Miller was an awakener. Thus, it was obvious that the person who blocked his fist was also an awakener. "Give us everything you have if you want to live." Miller stared down at the blonde. All the people whom Miller had bought were awakened. Besides, the blonde couldn''t block his punchpletely and was bleeding from the corner of his mouth. This meant he wasn''t the strength or constitution-type awakener and most probably an agility type. "Or do you think you can fight us all?" The narrow alleyway was a weakness of any agility-type awakener who mostly did a hit-and-run tactic. It was clear who was at a disadvantage. A sane person would back down and do as he was asked. A sane person would. "You speak too much." A dim red hue shrouded the blonde''s hand, and he tightened his grip around Miller''s fist. Crack-! Crack-! Miller quickly backed away and winced in pain. He stared at the blonde in anger and confusion. "What did you do?!" He couldn''t understand how an agility-type awakener break his, a constitution-type awakener''s, bones so easily. "Don''t bother thinking. Your talent only amounts to that much." "Talent, huh?" Miller dangerously smiled. "Brothers, let''s show him that violence can even conquer talent." *** Crack- Crack- I stared at Miller''s face, twisting in agony. My strength stat was low, but it didn''t mean I had no way to increase it. Covering your body in Aura only provides a significant boost from mid-Iota rank. But I wasn''t using Aura. Simr to Aura, Ether could boost the stats of the user but it could do so from Meta-rank. "Brothers, let''s show him that violence can even conquer talent." On Miller''smand, two of his followers rushed at me. Swoosh- At the same time, I crouched, and a red hue began covering my legs. Swords appeared in their hand and both of them attacked from my sides. -Bang! The swords were about to cut through my flesh when I released the tension in my legs and bolted toward Miller. Before Miller could react, I pulled my hand, covered in a dim red hue, back and punched. Bang-! I clicked my tongue as a shield blocked my punch. Quickly twisting on my right heel, I rotated my body and kicked the shield with a 360 spin kick. Bang-! Swosh-! Swosh-! My ears perked at the whistling of the air and I quickly backed away, barely dodging the daggers. "It''s harder than I thought it would be." I smiled bitterly when the person inside my soul didn''t retort. Eth had opened the connection, but he still wasn''t talking to me. "You ain''t half bad. How bout you back away while we still allow you?" I lowered my body and stared at the four awakeners encircling me. The shield guy and the whistling of air were from the daggers thrown by the fourth guy. Both of them were in front of me, while the other two swordsmen were behind me. "Okay, I''ll back away if you give me your valuables." "What are you spou-" Swoosh- Cutting his monologue in between, I dashed to the shield guy. I needed to take him down before attacking Miller. Swish-! Swish-! I was about to attack when I heard the sound of air being cut behind me. VUPP- Twisting my torso, I shed behind me with the sword that appeared in my hand. ng-! A metallic sound rang as I collided with another sword. But the second guy''s attack continued. Dropping the sword in my hand, I rolled to the ground to dodge the attack. Swish-! "Do you only know how to bluff?" I stood while wiping the blood and stared at Miller. Thest attack had grazed my right cheek. "Is that so?" WIIING- A dim red hue shrouded my whole body. Feeling the energy pulsing through me, I grinned. Fighting many awakeners near my Level was dangerous. But if I couldn''t even defeat them, then there was no hope that I could survive in the future. I channeled ether to my shoes, which were agility artifacts, and dashed toward the shield guy. The shield guy wasn''t able to react to my speed, which was double than before. Bang-! I punched at the shield before he had the time to take a stance. The shield flew from his hands, but before I could attack again; I heard the sound of the air being cut. Swosh-! Swosh-! Without moving my legs, I bent my body backward. At that exact moment, two daggers flew inches above me. I was about to stand when a swordsman attacked me. VUPP- In the same position, a spear appeared in my hand. Timing my attack, I thrust the spear toward the swordsman. "[Pierce]" Puchi-! The swordsman, about to counter my attack, was startled when my spear abruptly elongated. My sudden attack pierced his abdomen! Taking advantage of the enemy''s shock, I quickly pulled myself up and punched the shield guy. The time I took to dodge and attack the swordsman was barely 2 seconds. In such a short time, he wasn''t able to correct his stance. Bang-! My fist dug into his face, and he flew straight into the wall! Swish-! I was about to pull my punch back when the second swordsman shed at my back. "Urgh.." A stifled groan escaped my lips. I could feel something warm flowing down my back. Wincing from pain I stared at the two down enemies. This was my chance to attack before they could reposition themselves. VUPP- Another spear appeared in my hand. Pulling my hand back, I tensed my muscles to their limit and hurled the spear at the swordsman. Without waiting for the oue, I ran to the dagger guy. Since he never attacked directly, he was probably an archer who was using daggers because the alley was too small for shooting arrows. Lifting my leg, I kicked him in the stomach. "Urg.." My feet dug into his abdomen, and he groaned. Before he could do a counter, I again punched into his right temple. -Thud! "That''s three do-" Bang-! I was speaking when something hard struck the back of my head. "Did you forget about me?" Fallin onto my knees, I heard Millerughing from behind. My ears started ringing, and my vision blurred. Touching the back of my head, I was able to realize I was bleeding before my body fell onto the ground. -Thud! *** "Did you forget about me?" Miller cackled while looking down at the blonde, whose hair was turning redder by the second. Miller hadn''t thought that the guy would be able to fight against four people at once. It seemed that he had trained a little. "Did you think you can do anything because you are talented?" An angryugh left his mouth. From the fighting prowess the blonde disyed, it was clear that he was near peak Meta-rank. This coupled with his young age, meant that he was high potential. Bang-! Miller kicked the blonde into the chest. The blonde winced and curled his body. It was clear that the attack on his head had made him unable to fight. "Did you think you can catch us because you were a little strong?" The central government and Aegis had issued many bounties due to the increasing coteral damage from gang wars. The blonde wasn''t the first person toe here in hopes of eradicating a gang. If anything, he was the first person toe alone. No matter how Miller thought, it was a foolish move. "Ane..ki" Miller turned and looked at the swordsman Nathan had attacked. He was lying on the ground, pressing his wound while blood profusely fell from his body. Seeing his brother in arms like that, Miller closed his eyes. He thought he should have listened and brought more people to capture the blonde. "Hold on, I''ll call others brothers." Miller sounded a little desperate. He was about to call someone when suddenly he heard a voice from behind. "Don''t rx so early." The voice sent chills down his spine. Before Miller could turn, he was grabbed by the back of his head and smashed into the ground. Bang-! "H..how?" Miller looked at the assant, the blonde who should have been lying on the ground. He couldn''t understand how he was able to stand so quickly. "I wonder how." Nathan grinned while ying with his earrings. Their 10% damage reduction against people with Evil dispositions reduced enough damage for Nathan to maintain his consciousness. These earrings were one reason why Nathan was using his daring n. "Interfere only if you want your ''aneki'' to die." Nathan spoke to everyone and climbed on top of Miller. Pow-! Pow-! He started punching Miller. "Why aren''t you speaking, bro?" Nathan mimicked Miller as he punched. Slowly, the speed of his punches increased. Suddenly, Nathan startedughing. "This is the best! I should have done this as soon as possible." "Man, this is soooo satisfying." Minutes passed, but Nathan didn''t stop. Miller''s face was now mangled. His nose had be crooked and his bulging cheeks had turned blue and ck. Blood kept flowing from Miller''s mouth and nose, yet Nathan didn''t stop. He only looked down at Miller with dull eyes. "Do..on''t kill msh. Plwese shtop" Nathan didn''t stop and only punched harder. Slowly, ck smoke being released from his left arm became visible. The smoke was almost invisible and was hovering around him. "Pl..wes sht..op" Everyone who was watching Nathan shuddered. They wanted to help Miller, but something about Nathan felt wrong. It was like he wasn''t human. Pow-! Pow-! Nathan''s eyes were dull and held no light in them. He only maniacallyughed and kept punching. (Stop! You''ll kill him!) Nathan''s fist, which was directly above Miller''s face, stopped. Slowly, his dull eyes returned to normal, and he stopped punching. *** I stared at my bleeding knuckles and then looked around. The gang members were slightly pale and staring at me vigntly. ''What happened?'' Eth and I hadn''t talked for a week. But he should understand that this wasn''t the time for fighting with each other. (During the fighting, you channeled Ether into your whole body to strengthen it, didn''t you? Ether shed with the Nether in your left arm and some of it escaped. The escaped Nether boosted your negative emotions.) My eyes shook. Unguided Nether can''t heighten someone''s negative emotions. This was only possible if someone was guiding it. ''Didn''t you say that the demon couldn''t do anything!?'' If the demon could control the Nether, then it was only a matter of time before he used his ability to control me. My mind was plunged into chaos at the revtion. (It wasn''t the demon...) (¡­It was you.) ''That isn''t possible. Only Royal demons can control Nether.'' (I don''t know why it was possible, but I''m sure that it was you. You unconsciously used Nether along with Ether and, as a result, lost control of your emotions.) My breathing got heavy. Using Nether entailed a lot of things. Throughout the entirety of ''Hero has returned'' not even Leon was able to do it. Only someone who was dead yet alive could use Nether. "Dha..nhk Lw..ou." I was brought out of my trance from Miller''s croaking. Looking down at Miller''s mangled face, I realized that my hand was trembling. ''Is it dangerous?'' (I don''t know but I think you are fine ¡­at least for now. ) I could only bite my lips and try to calm my trembling. I didn''t even know what was happening to me, and I still had to fight to continue living. What was I even trying to achieve? I didn''t know. I only knew that I should keep living. Keep living as I had promised. "How long are you nning to watch?" Suppressing my quivering voice, I uttered while looking above. This wasn''t the time to worry about what was happening to me. I had to keep moving if I wanted to live. "I was waiting for you to stop." I had to keep moving. ==== A/N :- This was the first proper fight of Nathan. Though I think it was okay but I think it could have been better. Tell me what you think can be improved. (¡¨¡ä?£à) ==== Chapter 56 Dont Want To [2] "I was waiting for you to stop." I stared at the person who was standing at the end of the alleyway. A simple ck suit, a ck tie, and neatlybed hair. He looked less like a gang member and more like an office worker. He was simrly staring at me with curiosity. Though I was inwardly wary of him as he was releasing the pressure of a mid-Iota rank, I kept a calm smile on my face. From here, the level of bullshit I can spout will decide if this trip was a failure or a sess. "Isn''t that bad? What if I had killed your brother?" He flinched. I inwardly grinned as I saw his calm demeanor crumble for a moment. It was only a second, but it was more than enough for me to notice. Acting as if I didn''t notice it, I pointed at the unconscious Miller. "He could use some healing. Let''s talk at your base." Following this, I stood up and wore a white mask. *** Jonathon stared at the person sitting in front of him. Jonathon, the intruder who beat his younger brother and several Iota-rank guards were present inside the meeting room in their base. His younger brother, Miller, was being treated along with the other members that the intruder had beaten. He looked at the intruder, who was now wearing a mask, with a calm smile. As the heir to his gang, Jonathon had been trained to act calm in all situations, unlike his brother. But although he was smiling calmly, internally he was anything but calm. ''Who the hell is he?!'' The moment the intruder had set foot on their turf, all of them had been alerted. In the past few months, numerous heroes and adventurers hade to strike them down to im the bounty. The only thing special about this new intruder was that he appeared to be from some rich family. After tailing him for a few days, they found that he had no security with him. Jonathan cursed himself. At this point, he should have realized that something was wrong. But he foolishly let his hot-blooded brother go and capture the intruder. "I am Jonathan Williamson, heir of the ck t-shirt Gang. What should I call young master?" Jonathan asked while snapping his fingers. At hismand, all the gang members left the room. Leaving him and the intruder alone. The intruder was undoubtedly a member of a high-ss family. It was better for Jonathan to appear friendly until he knew the objective of the opposing party. Ignoring his question, the intruder leaned his cheek on his right fist and asked another question. "How is your brother? His face was damaged pretty badly." Jonathan flinched again. Miller was his biological brother, but the only people who knew this were the leader of his gang, his father, and him. Miller was special. Although he was only mid-Meta rank in 19''s he had tremendous potential. Jonathan did not doubt that his brother would be a feared awakener in the future. Unlike himself, his brother was destined to reach the top and sit among truly powerful people. But in these tough times, everyone wanted a strong awakener in their group. Jonathan was sure other gangs or powerful organizations have poached or killed Miller because of his potential. Thus, his father decided to hide the fact that he had another son and kept Miller in their gang as an ordinary member. Miller was unaware of his true potential and the truth about his family. Jonathan was determined to keep it as such until the gang was strong enough to keep Miller safe after he showed his potential. "How do you know about it?" Did the families have such a big influence? How could they know about something that only two people knew? "About what?" Jonathan frowned at the intruder, who was feigning ignorance. If Jonathan wasn''t sure before, he was now. The intruder had been purposely roaming and splurging his money to lure them out. He wanted to meet with them. The question was, why? Jonathan decided to change his approach. "Why is the young master here?" Hearing himself being called young master twice, Nathan''s face under the mask cringed. "To get the bounty. Why else would I be here?" Jonathan pondered over the answer and quickly calcted everything. Arriving at a conclusion, he probed. "Is the young master''s trial to subdue a gang?" Many high-ss families make their children go through trials or a quest to find candidates for thepetition of heir. Maybe the intruder was here for a trial, contrary to getting fame for subduing a gang, as they had thought before. "Oh, you are more knowledgeable than I thought. This makes it easier. Yes, I have to subdue a gang." Of course, Nathan was lying. Forget about having a backing, he didn''t even know what his elder sister did to have so much money. But Jonathan didn''t need to know that. Jonathan''s frown deepened. If the young master wasn''t going to back away, then it would be a problem. From how high his intel was, he was definitely from one of the top families. Jonathan couldn''t kill or confine him, or his gang would be a target. "Is any gang fine?" Praying in his mind, Jonathan asked further. If he refused, the matter would be a lot more troublesome. "It doesn''t matter which gang it is. Rather, I can help you guys with the Red-Wolf gang you are facing against." Sighing internally, Jonathan interlocked his fingers. It seemed like the intruder had a deep purpose for this meeting. "I don''t want to sound rude, but without the support of your family, you can''t do anything. The number of Iota rank awakeners both of our gangs have is roughly the same. As a Meta-rank, you won''t be able to make any difference in our fights." During trials, the candidates are not allowed to use their family names or support. It meant that Jonathan couldn''t expect anything from the young master. "I know I can''t, but what if I tell you I can help you win with almost zero causalities?" Nathan threw the bait. Now he had to see if Jonathan would bite it. "...Is that possible?" "Yes, it is. But it depends on your choice. Will you agree to my demands or not?" Jonathan leaned forward. If it was possible to win the gang war with only a small price, then they would have already won. He wanted to know what kind of n the intruder had. "Can I know what these demands are?" Nathan bumped his fist inwardly. Jonathan took the bait! "A VIP membership for Underworld, a herb to rank up¡­" Jonathan frowned. Was he trying to scam them? All the things he asked were clearly for himself. "¡­and your brother Urgh." *** "¡­and your brother Urgh" Fwoosh- I didn''t even finish the sentence when an almost tangible pressure smashed into me. My hair on my back stood and breathing becameborious. Lifting my head, I nced around. This pressure wasn''t something an Iota rank could produce. There was another awakener here, and he was Enma rank. "Is this how to treat your guests?" Raising my chin, I spoke with a clear voice. The art of conning was very profound. To deceive someone the thing I had to do was to appear assertive and confident. The moment you show even a hint of indecisiveness, you would immediately fail. "What did you say about my son?" A deep voice, of which I couldn''t find the source, echoed in the room. Slightly gulping, I was about to answer back when I stopped. ''Should I try it?'' This was the perfect time for me to test my new skill. ''[Domination Decree]'' Fwoosh- A deep murky red hue escaped from my body and rampaged in the air. The air inside the room stirred and created gales as my pressure collided against the hostile pressure and countered it to a stalemate. I countered an Enma rank''s pressure! I could feel Ether being depleted at a fearsome speed, but the surprise had still not ended. Jonathan, who had been sitting calmly in front of me, was trembling slightly. He was breathing heavily and sweat covered his entire forehead. Just as our eyes met, he quickly looked below and his trembling intensified. This was a sweet surprise. I didn''t know what Jonathan was feeling, but it was clear that my skill was able to affect a higher-ranked awakener than me. "Stop." The same deep voice echoed again. "Isn''t it a basic courtesy to show yourself and bow if you are asking something?" "Y-You." I raised my eyebrow when I saw Jonathan ring at me. It seems that the skill couldn''t stop himpletely from going against me. ''Well, this is only Lvl1, so it''s understandable." Tap- Tap- From the corner of the room, a man dressed simrly to Jonathan appeared. Chapter 57 Dont Want To [3] Richard appeared from the corner and stood behind his son, Jonathan. Then he scanned the youngling sitting in front of them from top to bottom. ''What was that?'' To say the truth, the youngling''s pressure had made even his heart tremble. He felt as if he was standing in front of the devil himself. That pressure was thick and murky, like a quagmire. At that moment the youngling who was sitting calmly with his chin resting on his hand looked like a devil who wasughing as he gave them an enticing deal. Every cell in Richard''s body was quivering in fear and joy. It was like he had found his ruler, someone he would rule over him. Only when the youngling''s pressure receded did he realize that these weren''t his real feelings but the effect of a skill. ''Legendary-grade skill.'' Realizing the rank of the skill, Richard increased the youngling''s evaluation in his mind. The ranks of the skill were: Common, Rare, Unique, Epic, and Legendary. But only Legendary grade skills can be activated without calling their name out aloud. In the entire earth, the total number of people with a Legendary grade skill wouldn''t even amount to a thousand. ''Maybe he belongs to one of the big three.'' The threergest families on Earth were: Martel Family, Yuan n, and Pendragon Family. If it was an heir candidate of these families, then everything would make sense. Richard squinted his eyes. To make connections with such a person was very profitable. But Richard''s instinct told him that something was wrong. He still didn''t know about the real name of the youngling. Moreover, the youngling was now wearing a mask. Till now, the youngling was wandering without hiding his face. When they looked up his identity, they didn''t find anything and the information about the youngling in the underworld was costly. Thus, they believed it to be his real face. But then, why was he wearing a mask now? Ultimately, Richard inwardly shook his head. The skill was undeniable proof that the youngling had very powerful backing. It wouldn''t make sense for him to lie. Richard bowed and introduced himself. "I am Richard Williamson, the leader of the ck t-shirt Gang. May I know the young master''s name?" "Akako." Richard nodded his head. He knew that Akako was an alias, but exposing his identity would defeat the purpose of the trial. *** I looked at the person who was standing behind Jonathan like a butler. With his gold-rimmed sses and grey beard, he looked more like a friendly neighborhood grandpa than a leader of a gang. I inwardly smirked as I saw him staring at my mask. Though I had changed my hair color with my stigma and disguised myself to look different, if they searched for my info, they should''ve easily known about me. Sadly for them, Ward deletes information about cadets from every database other than the highly secured ones. The mask I was wearing now was to deceive them into thinking that the previous face was a disguise. Now even if they get my info from the Underworld, they will think I was someone else. As always, hiding in in sight was the most secure method. "Akako" I inwardly sighed at the choice of my name. But I quickly erased the thought from my mind. "Why does Mr. Akako want a VIP membership and a herb to rank up? Shouldn''t these little things be easy for you to obtain?" ''No, I don''t have any other way to get them quickly. If it was easy, I wouldn''t havee here.'' I thought as such, but this wasn''t something I could tell them. So, I spoke like an heir to some rich family. "It is easy, but why should I waste my limited budget given to me if I can get them for free while also taking down a gang?" Richard''s eyes widened slightly. But he quickly returned to his passive expression just as quickly. "What does Mr. Akako mean that he wants Miller?" Without minding the pressure that Richard was unconsciously leaking, I answered in a confident voice. "Miller''s talent is only rotting here. I want him toe under me and help him grow." "He is rotting here?" Crack- The edge of the table broke as Jonathan gripped it tightly. It seems he was an overprotective doting brother who protected Miller from behind the scene. Maybe this was why Miller fell into despair when he finally got to know about his family after everyone in his gang was killed. "Look at Miller. He is only mid-Meta rank even at that age. If you hadn''t shackled him in the name of protection, he would''ve been a lot stronger." Not giving them a chance to speak, I continued my barrage of attacks. "Even if he was only an adventurer with nothing to his name. He still would have been living a better life than a life of mugging people in back alleys." Richard closed his eyes, and Jonathan gripped the table even harder. ''Good. It''s working.'' It didn''t matter if both of them didn''t look down on their job. They should still be aware of the war that was ongoing on the frontlines. Restricting Miller''s growth was the same as letting him die if the races invaded again. "What can you do? Wouldn''t your family also use Miller? You people are just hypocrites!" Jonathan burst out. He couldn''t handle how he was killing his brother''s future with his own two hands. "My family doesn''t know about Miller. I don''t want Miller to work under my family, but me." "What?" I grinned. This time, it was Richard who had lost hisposure. As a leader of an organization, he should know that losing one''sposure was the biggest mistake done during a deal. Yet what I said surprised them. "How do you know about Miller if your family doesn''t?" To them, it doesn''t make sense how ''Mr. Akako'' would know about Miller''s ability without using his family''s resources. Of course, I knew because of the novel. Miller was going to get refuge under the founder of Round Table after his gang was destroyed. This was the reason I came to this area. In a few months, the ck t-shirt gang was going to be destroyed by Leon under Lilith''s dad''smand. The reason? Lilith''s dad couldn''t handle that his cute little daughter was with a boy. So, he decided to fuck over Leon by giving him a difficult task as his mission. Unsurprisingly, Leon was able to do it and thus earned his respect. I was here to get the pie(Miller) before the storm(Leon) arrives and the piends in the thief''s(Round Table) hand. "You don''t need to know how I know. Only that my family doesn''t know anything about Miller." Jonathan was about to say something, but Richard stopped him by cing a hand on his shoulder. Both of them looked at each other until Jonathan sighed and retreated. Jonathan was young, so he didn''t have his father''s experience. In this world, everything was possible; you just had to pay the right price for it. This was why he didn''t question my answer. Some things were best left unknown. Of course, in this situation, all of this was bullshit. I was thankful to Richard, who was thinking with experience and calming his inexperienced son. "What guarantee is that you won''t use our son for your own gain?" "There is none, and don''t be mistaken. I will use him for my gains. I am not running a charity to help your son without anything in return." But before Jonathan kicked a fuss, I added. "If he is going to work under me, he will face life-threatening situations. Those situations will be far more dangerous than any gang wars of yours. But I promise. In return, I will help him will grow beyond anything you can imagine." Technically, I wasn''t lying. In no way, they can imagine Miller would be a 5-star viin and the 7th Seat of the Round Table. "What will you do?" I ced my feet on the table and closed my eyes. My heart was thumping loudly. This was my first step to create my own force. Something that would rival even the Aegis and Illis. After deliberating for a few minutes, Richard opened his mouth. "I won''t make any promises. We still need to discuss this with Miller." I was a beatte to understand the meaning of Richard''s words. ''Yes!'' The first step was a sess! I wanted to jump in happiness, but I controlled myself. A few things were still left. "What about the herb and the VIP membership?" "Those will take a few days at least. We will send it to your address." Would you look at this old sly fox? Did he really think I would slip at the end and give him my address? "Don''t want to." I repeated myself. "I don''t want to wait. Bring them within an hour, or the deal is canceled." *** "How is it? Will it work? Will it?" Trevor removed his goggles and looked at the two cadets, who kept annoying him. For the past two weeks, whenever he was going to rest, both of them will magically pop up and ask him about his progress. "Get out or I won''tplete it anymore." Unable to handle the two 1st years anymore, Trevor hollered. He was Rank 2 of 3rd years and the top student in the Research Department. He wasn''t their ve! "Magical Engineering demands immense concentration. Not to mention what you are asking is borderline impossible." The only reason Trevor had agreed to his teacher''s request to help them was that the because of what he was asked to make. The device he was making was simple, yet difficult at the same time. It had ignited his inner engineer, and thus he was working on it. But these two cadets were chewing on his mental capacity more than the actual project! p "It should bepleted within a week or two. Don''te here again if you want me toplete it." Without waiting for them to speak, Trevor kicked them out of hisb -Bang! Standing in the lobby, Leon and Lilith awkwardly smiled at each other. "Maybe we were too pushy?" Sighing, both of them went toward the training ground. These days, they only trained or followed Trevor to make him work faster. "Still, it was a surprise that you were able to get a senior to work on it." The device was something Anna had given them the idea about. From then Lilith used her connections to get someone to make it. "My dad helped me." Lilith snorted smugly. Naturally, when her dad asked why she was doing this, she answered that this was for a good friend. Her dad also looked happy that she had close friends. "We are here." Leon spoke while scanning his bracelet at the training ground. This training ground was only avable to low-rank students. Because Leon couldn''t enter the training ground of high-rank students, Lilith came here. Lilith wasn''t hindering her growth to train with Leon. All the training grounds were equipped with simr facilities. The only difference was that the higher rank cadets had more luxurious equipments and personal trainers, which Lilith did not need. "Hmm? Why is she here?" Leon pointed to the silver-haired girl who was training there. Chapter 58 The Hero Of Prophecy [1] "Why did you agree to his demands?" Jonathan questioned his father. But Richard didn''t reply and quietly picked up the cup and sipped the tea. "Did you see when he fought Miller? He is crazy!" When Nathan was beating Miller, the only reason Jonathan hadn''t jumped in between was Richard, who was stopping him. If not for his father, Jonathan would have fought Nathan then and there for hurting his brother. "Do you really think he can help Miller all by himself!?" -Clinck! Richard finally ced the cup back on the table. "Don''t let anger cloud your mind, John. Tell me, did that youngling seem normal to you?" Jonathan agreed that Nathan wasn''t lying about his family not knowing about Miller. There was no need for Nathan to hide it. But Jonathan didn''t think that a child could n all this by himself. Ignoring Jonathan, who didn''t seem convinced, Richard sighed. "Those eyes of his when he was negotiating with us." "What about it?" "He was bored. He already knew that we won''t refuse his arrangement. No, he made sure we can''t refuse." -Ding! Jonathan was about to speak when his device rang. As his face scrunched up, Richard smiled. "Let me guess. He lost our tails?" Jonathan gave a defeated sigh and slumped on the couch next to his father. "Yes. He usedmon portals to go all over the Ind until our men couldn''t keep track of him." Richard stood up and walked over to the window. As he looked over the hustle and bustle of people, he recalled what the youngling had said before leaving. "Lay low until Ie back." Why did the youngling tell them toy low in between a gang war? If Richard did as he was asked, they would suffer serious consequences. Yet Richard was smiling. "Is he a genius, or he is simply crazy?" Richard decided to bet on Nathan and see what the future would entail. Whether he wanted it or not, the times were changing. They also needed to change if they didn''t want to be left behind. *** "hiss¡­" I sucked in a sharp breath as I sat on my bed. Looking at the two objects in my hand, I smiled. I finally got a VIP membership and the herb that will help me to make a breakthrough. "Were they trying to scam me?" That old sly geezer. Did he think I wouldn''t know that he was purposely dying it? A gang, no matter how small, was still a proper organization. They should have some herbs and other essentials stored. For the VIP membership card, they could just give me their own one. Underworld''s VIP membership doesn''t have anything to identify its owner. This was done to protect the privacy of people. With this, even if someone finds your membership, you can simply deny the ownership. The authorities won''t have any proof against you. "This is going to leave a scar." My back stung whenever I touched it. The attack done by the swordsman still hadn''t healedpletely. When Jonathan entered, I was so into role-y at that time that I forgot to drink a healing potion before wearing the mask. It was a normal wooden mask without anything special. It would''ve been super awkward if I removed the mask again to drink the potion. So keeping my all-knowing, mysterious heir image, I acted as if the wound didn''t hurt. But it hurt like hell! "Hiss.." Again I sucked in a sharp breath from the pain. The wound was slowly closing thanks to the low-tier healing potion I drank while I was traveling from one portal to another. I did this to lose any tail that Richard had left behind me. The ind was toorge, with portals going almost everywhere. A mid-size gang like them wouldn''t have enough resources to keep track of my location throughout the ind. "Why does it taste like an apple?" I opened another potion so that my injury healed faster, but I closed it again. I seriously hate apples. Before going to Downtown I had traveled to North to buy basic necessities. These included poison resistance potion, healing potion, and a few Common-grade weapons. I had prepared for anything that could happen in Downtown. Thankfully, the negotiations ended peacefully. "With this, I changed a major thing in the future." In the novel, Round Table was the world''s first organization that Aegis dered as a Dark Guild. To give aparison, Aegis never recognized Illis, the viin organization on Earth, as an actual organization. This was to show that Illis wasn''t any threat to humanity, despite it being very much so. This showed how much of a threat Round Table, an organization solely consisting of 12 members, was seen as. But I didn''t regret my decision to change the future. Rather, this was just the beginning. The Dungeon of trials had opened my eyes. I already knew that my actions would inevitably cause butterfly effects, but not even once did I imagine that it would be something that dangerous. If the future was going to change, no matter how careful I was, then I might as well splurge with open arms. For now, my current goal was to create a guild or a mercenary group with the people I was going to collect. Along the way, I was nning to weaken the Round Table by collecting as many of its future members as I could. Of course, I didn''t know about half of their current location. But this also meant that I knew the location of another half. Round Table was one of the major reasons why humanity was weakened even before the war started. It would be better to destroy them before they even formed. Destroying Round Table was a gamble. I didn''t know how it was going to affect the future. But things would only change for the worse if I kept sticking to the storyline while shamelessly changing a few things saying that it was inevitable. I wasn''t going to wait for the problem toe and then survive it. I had decided. I will destroy anything that may be a threat to me before it has a chance to grow. Wasn''t this the main point of knowing the future? If I knew the future, then I should use it for my benefit. "Next would be Peter and Tristan." Both of them weren''t members of the Round Table. But they were very vital to the story, especially Peter. Tristan''s role in the novel could be done by any random person, but Peter was different. Of course, this didn''t mean Tristan was useless. If he was I wouldn''t have thought about collecting him. "I hope they search for him." I had asked Richard to search for Peter. If it was ording to how it was shown in the novel, Richard wouldn''t be able to find Peter. Ryan would have made sure that all his siblings were hiding properly. The only reason I asked Richard was to know where I won''t find Peter. Though I already had an idea where he was. "I should focus on ranking up." I shook my head and stood up. It would take a few months at the least to get even a few members. Right now, I should focus on gaining strength. "When would she reopen her shop?" I muttered while preparing things to start the breakthrough. Maybe it was because of the shock of Dungeon of Trials the future Alchemist King wasn''t taking any orders. It didn''t matter, though. At this point in the story, her level of alchemy skills will only be average. The reason I was searching for her shop online was to create connections with her before she became famous. Right now, she should be under difficult circumstances because of her family. It was for the best to help her and make her owe me before the 2nd year started, and she earnestly focused on alchemy rather than her support magic. Meow- "Wua!" I dropped the herb in my hand because of the sudden noise. ncing around, I found a ck cat sticking to the window of my room. My lips twitched. "Did you already smell it?" Zrrr- I spoke while sliding the window open. Before I set foot on the balcony, it jumped inside my room and sat on the bed. Meow~ Then it leisurelyy on my bed and meowed again, seemingly asking for food. "Pffft" What was with its haughty attitude? "Cats really think of themselves as the center of the world, don''t they?" Iughed again, and a can appeared in my hand. "Ta-da. Eat this." When I was outside, I hade across a pet shop. This was something I brought from there. I hadn''t realized but I had begun looking forward to meeting with it. For some reason, whenever it was near me, I felt calm. I opened the can and ced it in front of it. Despite it being canned tuna the smell wasn''t very strong. Meow "What''s with thatckluster response? Maybe I should have bought the spicy one?" I muttered the next sentence under my breath. I had bought in tuna instead of a spicy one on the advice of the shopkeeper. The cat looked at me and then at the can and slowly began eating. Was it me, or did it look reluctant to eat it? Did it hate it that much? I noted to myself to bring something better next time. Watching the cat for a few more minutes, I stood up. It was time I began. "Huu.." Sitting cross-legged on the ground, I breathed slowly. I was nervous yet excited. This was the first time I was going to go through something like this. "Gulp.." I ced the yellow mushroom-like herb in my mouth and swallowed it in one go. Even before it reached my stomach, warm currents of energy started spreading throughout my body. Immediately I started circting Ether ording to the manual. Chapter 59 The Hero Of Prophecy [2] Bang-! ng-! Sparks flew in the air as a sword shed against bullets. The force behind the shots was enough to push Leon by a few feet. "Urgg.." Leon groaned. He could understand that rubber bullets packed such strength because of their velocity, but not how they were so hard. shing at them made Leon think he was shing at a hard metal. "Should we stop? You look tired~" Lilith teased Leon from the other end of the arena. In her hands were a pair of shotguns. Swoosh- Without responding, Leon dashed toward her. "Kyaa! Aren''t you being too aggressive?" Bang-! Bang-! Lilith quickly backed away and shot at Leon. Hearing the sound, Leon didn''t think twice before falling to the ground and rolling to avoid the bullets. Dozens of pellets passed over his head as he was rolling. When thest bullet was over his head, he jumped to his feet. Bang-! Unfortunately for him, Lilith was waiting for this chance. With his body in mid-air, Leon looked at Lilith from the corner of his eyes. The bullets were made of rubber, but the speed at which they were fired made them very painful to bear with one''s body. Leon had been experiencing that same pain for thest week. Clenching his jaw, Leon twisted his body and shed at the nearest pellet. ng-! A metallic sound rang as Leon re-directed one pellet. But it was only one pellet. Fwosh- Dozens of pellets were still moving toward him. ''Not yet!'' Leon gritted his teeth and tried to attack. Thuck-! Thuck-! Two pellets dug into his skin followed by many more. Crackle-! Crackle-! Leon was about to pass out from his injuries when suddenly golden lightning shot from his body. His pupils dted, blood flow increased, and his mind became strangely clear. The world at which Leon looked slowed to a halt. ,m Turning his head, Leon looked at the pellets, which were frozen in the air. He grinned as he saw the golden lighting. He finally seeded in consciously activating his stigma! Looking ahead, Leon raised his sword above his head. ''Dodge'' Leon mouthed to Lilith. He hoped that she was able to follow his speed and will dodge his next attack. Then Leon for the first time used his variant sword style in Ward. "Seventh form: Deadline." Leon shed his sword downward. Swish-! *** Bright sunlight seeped through the window, illuminating the youth sitting in the middle of the room. One can see three scars on his upper naked body. His raven ck hair stuck to his forehead from the excessive sweat. It had been three days since Nathan had started his breakthrough. Unlike what he had imagined, it was a lot harder. To break through to the next rank, not only did he have topress and purify his core, but his left hand was constantly thwarting his attempts. Nether is the direct antithesis of Aether. Nathan''s core was formed from Ether, the energy which is the closest to Aether, the nature''s energy. Whenever Nathan attempted to purify Ether, the wisps of Nether would react and start shing. This was why Nathan hadn''t seeded in his breakthrough. But Nathan wasn''t disheartened. For the past days, he had been constantly trying to circte Ether without touching Nether in his body, and finally, he was about to seed. Unknown to him, Nathan''s control over Ether and Nether had increased many folds during the past three days. Meow A ck fur ball lying on the bed meowed as it sensed the change in Nathan''s energy. Jumping on its foot, it stared at Nathan''s core while licking its paw. Nathan''s hairs iled wildly as the air inside the room stirred with him as the center. Woosh- Suddenly, a small gust of wind expanded outwards from Nathan. The energy around his body was different from how it used to be. Nathan had broken to Iota-rank! "Huuu¡­" Releasing a deep breath, Nathan slowly opened his eyes. A pair of cold, emotionless eyes greeted the world. The dull eyes nced around the room and stopped at the cat. Flinch- The cat flinched as it saw Nathan''s eyes. The Nathan who alwaysined yet smiled wasn''t there. In his ce was someone who had grown bored of the world. It was as if that impassionate gaze had witnessed everything this world as to offer. "Are you still here?" Nathan spoke to the cat. He wasn''t sure how much time had passed since he started his breakthrough. The cat blinked when Nathan. His gaze was back to how it always was and he was back to his old self. Questioning if what it saw was real, the cat jumped on Nathan. Nathan tilted his head at the cat''s strange actions. Did something happen when he was making the breakthrough? Shaking his head, Nathan stood up. Whatever it was, it could wait. He was more excited about his breakthrough! Nathan quickly wanted to see what had changed after reaching Iota rank. Feeling the energy traveling through his body, Nathan punched the air. -Bang! A small ring of wind exploded as he punched with all his might. Feeling enthusiastic, Nathan used his art. Phzzzt- A static sound echoed through the room, and Nathan smiled. Behind him were 8 weapons floating. The numbers were the same as before. But constructing them was a lot easier and faster! "Should I go to a dungeon?" Nathan spoke like an excited child. He wanted to test his newfound strength and gauge his fighting capability as soon as possible. He would have done so in training rooms in Ward if not for the low-rank cadets'' training facilities being monitored. This was even more so, as Lilith was now training there. "Let''s check the da-" -Thud! Suddenly, Nathan''s body stiffened, and he fell onto the floor. Sizzle- A sizzling sound starteding out from his left hand, along with wisps of ck smoke. The sound slowly increased, but Nathan''s body didn''t budge, almost as if it was a statue. His eyes started bing bloodshot, and sweat profusely gushed from his body like a waterfall. Despite these things happening to him, his breathing was slowing down. The muscles on his left hand began wriggling as the sizzling sound continued. Nathan couldn''t move, nor could he ask for help. The pain he was feeling couldn''t be described in words. Only pure whiteness filled his mind. He wanted to shout at the top of his lungs and ask for help. Meow! Thest thing Nathan heard before losing consciousness was a familiar cry. *** "Monster" Lilith punched Leon''s shoulder while grumbling. Staring at the sight in front of her, she was still stupefied. A 3 feet deep gash was running from the middle of the arena to its edge. Unlike what Leon had used with Nathan, the attack he used with Lilith was the true Variant-Genisis Sword style that his master created for him. Leon clenched his fist as he remembered the sensation of using his sword art with his stigma. Now he was sure that what he felt while fighting with the Royal Demon wasn''t wrong. He finally understood why he had never been able to use the fifth movement, or anything above, for that matter. "My art is supposed to work with my stigma." After unlocking his stigma, Leon could feel it. If he gave his all, he might be able to execute the fifth movement. "But when did master see my stigma for her to base the art on it? She should never have seen it. Even I only saw it once before." Leon mumbled to himself. "Leon, what is your stigma?" Leon didn''t know how to answer that question. He wasn''t sure what his stigma did. Not to mention, now he could see his physique: War God Physique in the status window. Though truth be told, he had no idea what it did, either. Moreover, the strength he disyed in hisst was also because of his sword art. But he couldn''t tell that either. Any sword art above Grade 3 was too precious. He was about to make an excuse when he felt something behind him. Meow! A ck cat with red eyes was urgently staring at them. Before Lilith or Leon could even speak anything, the cat bit Leon and started pulling him. "What is it doing?" Sadly, for the cat, it was too weak to pull Leon. Realizing that its efforts were futile, it stopped pulling Leon. Racking its brain, the cat tried to think of another method. "She wants you to follow her." Leon turned his head and looked at the silver-haired beauty that spoke. She had beening to this training ground since the weekend. When Lilith asked why she was there. The silver-haired girl answered that she was here to meet someone she had called. Though nobody came to meet her. If anything, all the cadets stoppeding to this training center. The re Rank 1 gave them sent shivers down their spine. With every day that passed, her expression was growing colder and colder. "Does it?" Though Leon said so, he stood up and started following the cat. For some reason, he started feeling a sense of premonition. Chapter 60 The Hero Of Prophecy [3] Tring- Tring- Leon rang the bell outside Nathan''s room again and again. The ce the ck cat led them to was Nathan''s room. "Maybe he is busy?" Leon himself didn''t believe his words. The Nathan he had seen was a hardworking person who would either always be training or studying in the library. It was worrisome why Nathan wasn''t opening the door when he was present inside. Meow- Besides him the cat kept scratching at the door. "We should break it." "Hmm" Leon stood in front of the door. Every door in the dorm was made of very durable metals. They would have to attack seriously to break the door. Lilith would have to use her stigma if she wanted to break it. With her firepower, it was entirely usible that the explosion would heavily damage the corridor. Thus Leon had to be the one to cut the door. Leon raised the sword with his bruised hands. For the past week, he had been training rigorously. Not to mention using his stigma had drained him. Even he wasn''t sure if he could cut the door in his current condition. "Move" A beautiful and mesmerizing voice entered Leon and Lilith''s ears. Turning back, only now did they realize that the silver-haired girl had followed them. Hesitatingly, Leon stood back and left the girl in front of the door. A scythe appeared in her hands. Holding the scythe with both hands she shed downwards. Swish-! -Thud! With her single swing, the door was cleanly cut in half. Immediately all three of them sensed something unusual and rushed into the room. In the living roomy a young man on the ground with his upper body naked. His damp hairs stuck to his forehead and his eyes despite being open were out of focus. ck smoke filled the entire room. ncing around, they quickly found the source of the murky energy. His left arm. It was no longer producing a sizzling sound but the smokeing out of it only slightly lessened. "Nathan!" Leon and Lilith took a single step and started coughing. The ck smoke went inside their nostrils and made them weak. Their eyes widened as they realized the identity of smoke. It was Nether. They didn''t understand what was happening, only that Nathan was in danger. Covering his mouth Leon started moving forward. Snap- Suddenly, the sound of a snap rang out. Fwoosh- Within a blink, the entire room was engulfed with white mes. The mes, seemingly holy, started devouring the smoke without mercy. Leon and Lilith''s eyes widened in rm only to realize that the me wasn''t hurting them. "Susan" Leon looked back at the silver-haired girl. It had been only a few minutes that he saw her abilities and what Leon saw now wasn''t a thin, beautiful girl but an insurmountable mountain. "We need to take him to the infirmary." Susan spoke while picking Nathan in a princess carry. A thinyer of white mes was covering Nathan''s left arm, stopping the ck smoke from spreading again. "What!?" Leon and Lilith didn''t bother with how Nathan was being carried in this urgent situation. But even their mouth hung open when Susan, opening the window, directly jumped down. In a panic, they ran to the window. Even though Nathan had a low rank his room was still on the 5th floor! "Eh?" Lilith let out a weird sound when she saw Susan carrying Nathan in one hand and using her other hand to dig her scythe into the wall, slowing her descent. *** "Wh..at happe..ned?" Slowly, my eyes were regaining rity. (You took your sweet time toe here, didn''t you?) "Heik!" Hearing someone suddenly from behind I jumped in fright and instantly regained rity. (It''s me you scaredy cat.) I found Eth looking at me with an exasperated expression. Wait, what was with that expression saying ''are you for real?'' Anyone would get scared if someone suddenly speak from behind! (Let''s meet him.) My face turned solemn when Eth looked towards the darkest ce in the void. I understood what he was talking about. VUP- A single step was enough for me to stand next to the veil. VUP- Eth also appeared beside me. Both of us were avoiding bringing up the topic of our quarrel. It was the exact reason why I hadn''te inside my soul immediately after reaching Proficient Mastery. Since that day both of us had talked drastically less. "What happened to me?" (We''ll know after some time. Presently, you are being diagnosed in Ward''s infirmary.) "I see." So, I wasn''t wrong. That cat had a high level of intelligence. It should have been the one to bring help. p "Let''s get closer." VUP- VUP- "What the fu.." I finally understood why Eth previously said that I won''t believe him. I wasn''t able to believe what I was seeing myself! Through the ck veil, which even light couldn''t escape from, came five golden chains and bounded a shadowy figure. Every single chain held unimaginable power, strong enough to obliterate every awakener I had seen in this life. Being cuffed for far too long ck blood trickled from the figure''s wrists and ankles. Through his disheveled hairs, which once shined like a ck night, I could see thest chain bound around his neck. His horns were broken and his wings bent. The clothes he wore were torn and he didn''t even have the strength to lift his head. The demon that once felt omnipotent was now reduced to rubble. ''What happened to him?'' Before Eth could answer the demon spoke in a horse and broken voice. -Oh, hero. Are you fin..ally here? Will you finally grant my wish after this end..less wait? Simr to mine, Eth''s expression turned strange. ''Did he lose his mind? His demeanor took a straight 180 along with his appearance.'' Eth spoke in my mind. (I don''t know. When he first came he was acting normally but with each day he became more worn out until.. Well, he became like this.) ''He isn''t lying.'' The way Caim was speaking was simr to a prisoner who had lost all hope after years of confinement with no stimulus. My brows creased and I focused on what both of them said. ''Can it be?'' With a certain theory in my mind, I spoke to Caim. "Endless wait? It''s only been a month since you were here?" -What!? Caim whose voice was broken and tired suddenly turned sharp. His body quivered and he started muttering to himself. -It can''t be¡­. It can''t be¡­ Only one month. One month?..... It can''t be The few words I could understand from his iprehensible muttering cleared my doubts. ''Time is distorted here.'' This would exin why Caim felt like he had been trapped here for an endless time and why he was broken like this. Even for a Royal demon like him, time wasn''t something that he could win against. ''So, what I felt when I first came here wasn''t an illusion.'' Maybe I did spend years walking here. (What about me, then? I feel like time flows here normally, though.) I stared at Eth. Indeed, if my theory was correct then Eth should have already spent countless years here. Yet, it didn''t seem like he had spent much time here. In the novel, the topic of souls was touched on very briefly. It was entirely usible that I was wrong or maybe something was different about my soul. ''Do you remember that our senses are connected?'' (Ah!) It seems like Eth understood me. Someone couldn''t perceive two different flows of time at once. If Eth''s senses were connected to me as he had said then the flow of time he perceived must have been from my perspective. Before Eth was about to speak I raised my hand. There was one more thing I needed to confirm. "What do you mean by Hero?" For the first time, the demon raised his head. I flinched when I met his dull eyes. Now, I was sure that he had spent uncountable amount of time here. Those dull eyes had lost any light and wore by staring endlessly at the same void. It seemed Caim''s mental health had deteriorated to the point he didn''t even doubt my question. Without any hesitance, he answered. -Aren''t you the hero? The Hero who had been prophesied since the Dark Ages. "Prophecy?" Caim opened and closed his mouth a few times until he started speaking. -The past has drowned in the sorrows and the present will devour the future. - Bound by the chains of misery only ashes remain of once splendorous world. -There is not but one way for the end to arrive. The warrior of the beginning. -The monarch that rules over the beginning and the end. What was this prophecy? This wasn''t something I''ve ever read. I massaged my forehead. With every passing day, new things that weren''t mentioned in the novel kept popping up. But it seemed Caim wasn''t done. -Only the sacrifice of the hero that has defeated time itself can bring a peaceful end. This time it was the end of the prophecy. "How do you know that this warrior is me? I don''t think it mentioned anything rted to me." -The energy youmand. Isn''t it Aether? The source of beginning and creation itself. My eyes widened. Caim was talking about Ether, wasn''t he? In the novel, Ether was said to be the second Aether. From how it was shown I don''t think Ether and Aether were much different. But Ether wasn''t supposed to belong to me. The rightful inheritor of Ether was Leon. At this point, my brows creased. ''Did I fuck up by stealing Ether?'' Chapter 61 The Hero Of Prophecy [4] ''Saga of Heroes'' or the official name ''Hero has Returned'' was my favorite novel. ''Saga of Heroes'' was the unofficial name that a few of us fans decided to give the novel. I mean the name wasn''t wrong. Although Leon was the main protagonist, there were still two more protagonists. ''Hero has Returned'' was the most dubious thing about the novel and dare I say one of the reasons behind its unpoprity. After all, Leon wasn''t a Regressor nor a Returnee. The issue was the author. He wouldn''t change the name no matter how much we told him to nor he would give us a reason behind the name. Only when the novel reaches the war part did the author shed some light on Leon''s ''real'' background. Leon was a reincarnator and not just any reincarnator . During the dark ages, 12 ancient heroes rose to defeat the absolute evil, the Devil. Leon was the reincarnation of the strongest ancient hero and the one who led the charge against the Devil. This was the reason for his stupidly broken stigma and physique. Anyway, why was I recounting this over-the-top clich¨¦? "How well known is the prophecy?" It was because of the prophecy Caim told me. No matter how you cut it, ''the hero who has defeated time'' meant Leon. He had reincarnated after thousands of millennia, after all. I was 110% sure that the prophecy was referring to Leon. The issue was I might get implicated in this. If Caim thinks of me as the hero from the prophecy, it was possible that others will too. I wanted to cry but had no tears. If I knew about this prophecy, I wouldn''t have taken Ether! -The Upper echelon from Seven major races. This prophecy was the reason the conquest of the universe started. Elves, Dwarves, Barbarians, Demons. I lifted my finger for each one. There were more races like vampires, orcs, centaurs, dryads, and many beast human races. But none of these were strong enough to be called a major race. Hmm? Why can I only see 4 races? "Seven major races?" -Elves, Barbarians, Demons, Dwarves, Lizardfolk, Angels, Vampires. Originally, there was one more race during the Dark Ages that could conquest all the other racesbined. But not a trace of them remains now. So, vampires are also a major race? I''m toocking in information about the universe. Guess it was a good thing Caim was here. -Hero, do you remember anything about your past life now? Caim looked at me. He was giving detailed information because he wanted to jump-start ''my previous life memories'' by retelling information about the past. "Why is this prophecy important? And who else can tell that I''m the hero because of my energy?" These questions were the most important. Caim''s answer could drastically change my ns. It shouldn''t be that bad, though. Leon had fought in the war while he had the ether core. So, at the least, the Dwarves, the Barbarians, and the Elves had no way to tell Ether apart. -The conquest of the universe was started to find the Hero. Every race wants to kill the hero. The her- "Stop! Stop! Stop!" Shouldn''t they want to help the hero if he can bring in the end? No wait, maybe they think that the hero might be selfish and wants to kill him to bring the ''peaceful end''? "Why do the races want to kill the hero?" -Because what they pursue is not End but Eternity. -By killing the hero they want to make sure that End never arrives. Wasn''t this prophecy really bad? Was it possible to sweat in my soul form(?) because I could feel an icy trickle down my back. -As for your other question, hero. Only high-ranking Royal demons can sense different energying from you. A deep sigh escaped my lips. At least not everything was bad. -Oh, hero will you now listen to my request? Did want to die that quickly? Though anyone would want to die if they were chained for god knows how long. "What is it?" Suddenly, the nking of chains echoed. Caim was now bowing as deep as he could. -Please, save my. If it is the hero of the legend, surely he can save one from the clutches of the Demon King. I stupidly blinked. Without even thinking twice, I opened my mouth. "I can''t ag-" -In return, I will teach you everything there is about the Nether. I will give you all the knowledge I have amassed through this worthless life. Squinting, I stopped speaking. He will teach me about Nether? Normally, I should have refused him without thinking twice. Only Royal Demons can use Nether. But what had happened in the Downtown proved that I could also use Nether. I didn''t know the reason behind it, nor did I know if there were any limitations. But this was a very good offer. Having one more card wasn''t bad. Secretly, I smiled. "Are you sure? If you help me, it would be going against the Demon King." -Oh, hero. Thank you. Than..k you. Fighting Demon King? Helping his escape from Demon King? Of course, there was no way I would do that. But Caim didn''t need to know that. I was going to use him and throw him away after he fulfilled his need. "Don''t be. Our meeting was a fate. Then me helping you must also be fate. Pita- Pita- [You have gained +1 subordinate with evil disposition.] [Congrattions. Skill[Domination Decree] has leveled up.] ======= [Domination Decree Lvl2] - As the apex ruler of Evil, anyone with Evil disposition finds it hard to go against your will. - A ruler only reveals their face when they deem it necessary. Without your approval, no one can recognize you. - You can conceal Nether in your body. Without your permission, even the most sensitive beings can''t find traces of Nether on you. - Requirements for Lvl3(Max): 100 subordinates with Evil disposition. ======= Ignoring the tears streaming down Caim''s face, I read the notification. It was good that Caim was looking down because I was sure that I was smiling widely. I never expected I would get my first subordinate in this way. Even after being trapped endlessly and having his mind broken, the only thing he asked for was the safety of his home. He cared for his enough to put it before himself. ''He wouldn''t betray me.'' Even the most ungrateful snake wouldn''t bite the hand that fed him when it was famished. ''Well, he can try to betray me if he wants to.'' If he was scheming in this situation when his sanity should have broken, then I couldn''t win against him. You can win against someone stronger than yourself, faster than yourself, and more tenacious than yourself. But you can''t win against someone smarter than yourself. ''Though I won''t even give him a chance to betray me.'' Chapter 62 Resonance [1] The doctor in the infirmary was diagnosing Nathan. Leon was very worried. He couldn''t understand why Nathan''s condition suddenly worsened. Nathan had been healthy for the past weeks. Leon and Lilith had made sure of it by stalki-cough cough. Anyway, they thought it must be rted to when Nathan left the campus all alone. Back then, Nathan had suddenly slipped from under their radar. "Don''t worry Dr. Spindrift is one of the best healers in the world. It was him who diagnosed Nathan before." Leon only grimly nodded his head at Lilith''s exnation. Cutting them in between Susan spoke to Dr. Spindrift. "What is happening to him?" Completing the diagnosis Dr. Spindrift sat and wiped his sweaty forehead. "The Nether in his body is being removed. After his breakthrough, the density and purity of his Aura core tremendously increased. The increase was much higher than what is normally seen. After the tremendous increase in purity, his Aura is now trying to eliminate Nether from his body." Leon and Lilith''s faces shined while Susan''s darkened. From Susan''s point of view, if it was this easy to heal Nathan, then he should have already been healed. Sighing, Dr. Spindrift removed his sses and covered his face. "This wasn''t supposed to happen." "Can you exin?" Dr. Spindrift looked at the speaker and squinted. Was Rank 1 associated with this cadet? "Although it isn''t on Enma-rank level, this kind of increase isn''t supposed to happen in Iota-rank. Now his body is a battlefield for Nether and Aura. His life isn''t in danger, but if he breakthroughs again¡­" The danger to Nathan''s life had already been known. But because of Nathan''s low potential, he could have never reached anything higher than peak Iota rank or, if he used high-grade herbs and elixirs, low Enma rank. As such, Nathan''s life wasn''t supposed to be in danger. Dr. Spindrift wasn''t wrong in his original diagnosis. What he didn''t know was that Nathan had an Ether core, not an Aura core. Ether was an amalgamation of Aura, Mana, Demonic Energy, and many more types of energy. When Nathan ranked up, the increase in density and purity of his core was much higher than the norm. "Does this mean nothing harmful will happen to him now?" Dr. Spindrift looked back at Nathan''s arm, at Susan''s question. "It depends if Aura or Nether wins." Susan turned away and sat in the corner of the room. With her eyes closed, it looked as if she was in deep contemtion. Minutes passed. In the infirmary, only the beeping of medical devices and tapping of Susan''s feet echoed. Suddenly Susan''s eyes snapped open. "I can help Nathan, but all of you need to leave the infirmary." "Protocols doesn''t allo-" "How confident are you?" Lilith, cutting Dr. Spindrift in between, asked. "It depends on how long you take to leave the infirmary." Lilith stared into Susan''s eyes. Susan''s eyes held confidence second to none. Susan held no doubt in her ability. Lilith faced Dr. Spindrift. "Please listen to her. I''ll talk to dad about this." Dr. Spindrift frowned but ultimately agreed. He didn''t give up because of Lilith''s dad''s higher authority, but because he wanted to see what Susan Warner, the daughter of War Maiden, could do. -nk! "Leon, stay here." All three were about to leave when Susan stopped Leon. Nodding at Lilith, Leon stayed back. "What do you think makes someone Irregr?" Susan lifted Nathan''s hand and closed her eyes while talking to Leon. Leon frowned. Why was she asking a weird question at such a time? There is time and ce for everything. But he answered nheless. "Irregrs are people who can disy abilities stronger than their rank. Being Irregr only depends on your Stigma." Even if you have Grade-1 Art or Legendary-Grade Skills, the strength you can disy will still fall under the same rank. Only a stigma, bizarre abilities that defiedmon sense, can make someone Irregr. "Are you sure that is the only way? At least you should be aware of the second method." VROOOM- The air inside the infirmary started moving at high speeds. Leon had to cover his eyes to protect them. Leon squinted and peeked at Susan''s action while protecting his eyes from the strong winds. "H-how?!" Leon''s eyes shook and shock engulfed hus entire being. A magic circle appeared on the ground with Susan at the center! Creating magic circles was only possible with Mana. Not even stigmas can change thisw. Then how can Susan, an Aura user, create a magic circle? "Physique. It is another way to be an Irregr and you. You have both methods. Am I correct?" Leon''s mind was plunged into chaos. Why does she know? How does she know? Does she know about Physiques? Will she tell me if I asked? Is she an ally or an enemy? What does she want? "You must have a lot of questions, but I only told you about this for one reason." Susan stared at Leon from the corner of her eyes. "Having a physique is rare and dangerous. Don''t let the Goliath unit know about it. No, not just them. Don''t let even your closest friends or family know about it if ....if you don''t want to be caged." Susan muttered thest part of her sentence in a barely audible whisper. VROOOM- The air inside the air churned faster, and the magic circle brightened. Leon had to close his eyes because of the extreme brightness. That is why he didn''t see it. On Susan''s back, suddenly another magic circle appeared. After the appearance of the circle, Susan''s output suddenly started diminishing. She began losing control over her magic circle, and her hands started quivering. The magic circle on the ground started flickering. Like a candle being burned on a stormy night, it was about to lose its brilliance at any second. Meow~ Moments after a familiar cry rang out, the magic circle on the ground started brightening again. Susan was still being restricted by the magic circle on her back. But this time someone else was aiding her to control the mana in the air. ''I wasn''t wrong about him.'' Susan secretly smiled while looking at the cat sitting above Nathan''s bed. The cat never moved its eyes and kept staring at him. *** "I''m utterly¡­" (¡­fucked) I was sitting inside my soul while holding my head with both hands. Eth wasn''t any better. We were watching what was happening outside. Eth could see what was transpiring outside, even while I was unconscious. And he was sharing his memory so I could watch live how badly the timeline of the story was fucked over. "Why is showing her Physique out in the open!?" (And why to Leon!) "And why is she helping me?!" (I don''t even know her!) Susan wasn''t doing anything to the Nether inside my body. She should be suppressing my Ether core so that it doesn''t fight against Nether. It was one of Susan''s Physique abilities. Susan was supposed to reveal her Physique to Leon in 2nd year. She did that because she wanted Leon to help her break her cage. As if what was happening because I ranked up wasn''t bad, this was happening! It was already bad that if I ranked up, I would die. The reason? Unlike Ether, which would increase in quality Nether would remain the same. Ether after getting stronger will try to eliminate Nether. Mind you, eliminating Nether is a natural order. Every energy will do the same. "And when did Leon meet the Goliath Unit?!" (When you were unconscious!) "Yes, they met Leon when I was uncon-" I snapped my head in Eth''s direction. "You know about this?" For every step I took, Eth stepped back once. (Look, doesn''t it seem like it will rain today?) "What rain? We are inside my soul." I grabbed Eth''s shoulders over his clothes. "Looks like we have much to talk about." (W-wait I have my reason!) "Oh? I would very much like to hear, Sir. Eth''s reason." (I forgot. Te-he~) My face contorted. Seeing a 16-year-old boy doing a cute girly reaction was disgusting. More so when both of us looked the same. (Your grip! Your grip! It hurts!) I sighed and released Eth. I didn''t release him because I might dislocate his shoulders. Was that even possible with souls? I didn''t argue any further because he wasn''t lying. Thinking more, it wasn''t Eth''s fault. He couldn''t remember majority of the things about his past 10 years. Mentally, he wasn''t even 7 years old. The only reason he was able to behave naturally was because he had seen and learned from my memories. "Leon and Goliath Unit meeting is¡­Fuck! Is it good or bad?!" This never happened in the novel. Goliath Unit is a special unit of Aegis and their secret weapon. All of their members are pseudo-Irregr. This was because they use Prana, the life energy. Unlike Aura, that only worked inside one''s body, or Mana, that only worked outside one''s body, Prana worked on one''s soul. As a result, although none of the Goliath Unit members are physically strong or use magic, their stigmas are strong. Strengthening a soul will strengthen one''s stigma. This was the idea behind the creation of the Goliath Unit. (Huntress and Seer came to meet Leon after hearing that he defeated a Royal demon higher ranked than him all by himself.) "Huntress and Seer, huh?" So, Goliath Unit will already know that Leon was special. They wouldn''t know why or how Leon is special, only that he is. But the issue was even bigger. "I don''t know anything about Goliath Unit other than their code names and a brief outline of their abilities." Goliath Unit in the novel was destroyed even before Leon has a chance to meet them. This will happen a year from now on when they will go to clear the ''Golden Archipgo'', a Stage-0 Dungeon. Only a single member of the unit survives. That too, because at the time of dungeon subjugation she was undercover in Ward. "It shouldn''t be that bad. From what Isabe always told about the Goliath Unit to Leon, they shouldn''t be bad." Sighing, I patted Eth on the head. (It''s not like we can do anyth-Wait don''t touch me!" "What do you¡­Yawn..mean by¡­.that?" I asked, while my hand rested over Eth''s head. "Ywan..I want to ....sleep" I think Eth was shouting something as I fell asleep. Chapter 63 Resonance [2] "Urgg¡­" I sat up while massaging my forehead. It felt like I was waking from a long dream. I stood up while leaning on the tree on my side. Wait, tree?! My eyes widened in shock. Not because there was a tree beside me but because my body phased through the said tree! In shock, I examined my body. My see-through body felt light. So light that my feet didn''t even touch the ground. I was floating! "What the.." A few minutester, I concluded I couldn''t touch anything and could freely fly anywhere. Then I flew high into the sky. Looking down, my shock only grew. A few hundred feet from where I opened my eyes, nothing existed! Navigating my way through, I realized that the darkness was a sort of boundary I couldn''t cross over. I floated back to the ce where I opened my eyes. Maybe I will find some clues there. "Is this a kindergarten?" Little kids wearing colorful clothes were ying with each other. Only a few kids remained inside the 2 story building while most of them were ying outside. A few teachers were looking over them as they yed with see-saws, swings, or slid down a slide. It was a fairly typical kindergarten with nothing extraordinary. "Where am I?" Thest thing I remembered was Eth shouting something. I floated while shouting. But it seemed nobody could see me. "Who is that?" I squinted my eyes. A ck business suit, a light-colored shirt, and a business-style tie. He was dressed differently than other teachers. But I changed my evaluation in the next second. Two ck horns on his forehead, wings on his back, and a thin tail. That person wasn''t human. He was a demon. I was floating over when the demon suddenly turned. He looked straight into my eyes and smiled. Taking a step forward, he unfurled his wings and bowed. "Master, you are finally here." He spoke in a respectful tone as he hung his head down. Did I know him? I again carefully scrutinized his appearance. "Caim?" I had never seen him before properly, and inside my soul, he looked pretty haggard. So, it took me a moment to recognize him because of his now clean appearance. "Do you know where we are?" Only now did I realize that it was Caim was also floating and transparent like me. "I believe I know, Master." I looked at the kid Caim was staring at. ck hair, mean-looking emerald eyes, and the center of the kids'' attention. I unconsciously frowned and moved closer to him. "Then my sis came and wiped the floor with all the bad guys." -p! -p! The kids started pping with twinkling eyes. The mean-eyed kid raised his chin as he was being showered in attention. Then he kept on telling more stories about how his sister defeated bad guys. Most of them were pure nonsense, but still kept the attention of the kids who didn''t know any better. In the middle of his bragging, another kid came and stood in front of him. "Eth, again?" She smacked the mean-eyed kid and pulled him inside the ss. The mean-eyed kid protested, but the girl smacked him again, saying that skipping sses was wrong. "Master, we are inside your memories." I nkly nodded my head. Those kids looked different from what I remembered, but I recognized them. How couldn''t I? I saw those faces almost daily. They were Eth and Isabell. Did this mean I mean I was inside Eth''s memory? But why? I recalled everything that had happened before and reached a conclusion. ''Resonance'' Was this why Eth was trying to stop me from touching him? Dammit! Not only this. What was happening in the real world? I still don''t know what the ratio of time dtion is here. I need to get out of here quickly. "Follow me." I decided to follow Eth. There should be a clue on how to get out of this ce. After that, I kept watching over Eth for the whole day, but nothing noteworthy happened. The only thing I saw was that he was a troublemaker and Isabell had to always apologize after his stunts. Other than this, I also found that this miniature world always moves with Eth as the center. "Since when were you here?" With no clue in sight, I decided to talk to Caim. He might know more about this. "Since master was reborn in this life." My throat constricted. Has he been seeing Eth''s memory since Eth was born? ''Does this mean I need to watch Eth''s entire memory?'' I bit my nails. ''And why is he here?'' Was I seeing this memory because of Resonance? Or because of something else? *** PLACK- Leon changed the flowers on Nathan''s bedside and opened the curtains. It had been only a single day since Nathan copsed, but it felt way longer to him. After Susan did something to Nathan, she left, saying she had to do something. He hadn''t seen her since then. Leon still couldn''t wrap his head around what he saw yesterday. The sight of an Aura user using a magic circle was etched into his mind. "Haaa¡­" He sat on the couch and poured himself a ss of water. Ever since he fought that Royal Demon, nothing had been going his way. Nathan had copsed. Also, his life would be in danger if he tried to breakthrough again. But knowing his personality, Leon didn''t think he could stop him. Though it was wrong of him. Leon wished that Nathan would never reach peak Iota rank. "Why did she tell me about her Physique?" Why did Susan go out of her way to help Nathan? She had been targeting Nathan since day one. Maybe Nathan hadn''t noticed, but Susan had always been watching his actions closely. Leon was certain that she was up to no good. But he wasn''t sure anymore. Was there a motive behind why she kept a close watch on Nathan? Was it connected to why she helped him? "I''m still not sure about this, too." Leon pulled a ck card with golden patterns on it from his pocket. This was given to him by the Huntress, telling him toe to Goliath Unit if he wanted to know about his stigma. Did they know something about his stigma? Or was it some kind of borate scheme? The biggest problem was his Art. He had been training for years, but only now did he achieve a breakthrough in it. Now Leon understood that the reason for his zero progress in his sword art was that he hadn''t been able to use his stigma. But how did his master know about his stigma? Leon had only once used his stigma before the dungeon incident. Back then his master and he didn''t even know each other. How did she know his stigma to incorporate it into the sword art? "Urg.." Leon snapped his head in the direction of the groan. Nathan groaned and moved his hand. Nathan had gained consciousness! "Nathan, are you alrig-?!" Leon, who was rushing to Nathan, froze. Nathan slowly sat up and looked at him while massaging his head. "Where am I?" The way Nathan spoke and acted was different from usual. But this wasn''t the reason behind Leon''s shock. "Nathan, your eyes... They are green." Chapter 64 Resonance [3] "Mom, I can''t find Eth!" A tiny Isabell climbed on top of the chair and stared at her mom. Her mom who was preparing lunch awkwardly smiled. "Maybe he hid in the attic?" The little Isabell didn''t seem convinced and kept staring at her mom. "Caught you!" Suddenly another kid appeared behind Isabell and tapped her back. The little Isabell stared at Eth who suddenly appeared out of thin air and then at her mom. "Mom, why did you help him? That''s cheating!" She stomped her feet on the ground. "You always spoil him. Even today, he fought in ss but you didn''t say anything." Seeing her daughter almost on the verge of tears she decided to soothe her daughter and scold Eth. She picked up Eth and ced him on the table. Then she sternly asked him. "Eth, why did you fight?" "B-but they were making fun of Bell." She smiled when she heard the reason why Eth fought. It had been a year since Eth started living with their family. At first, Eth and Isabell fought regrly but over time they became good friends. Both of them didn''t show it but they cared for each other. "Did you beat them properly?" "They won''t make fun of her even in dreams." Eth proudly answered while raising his chin. Isabell''s mother yed along with him. "Our Eth is so strong. He will be the strongest in the future." Eth giggled as he was picked up and swayed in the air. "Eiek" On the side, the little Isabell was pulling her twin tails. Like always, Eth and her mother ignored her and kept up their weird conversation. Isabell didn''t find their talks one bit funny. ... Seeing Isabell who broke into tears her mother put Eth down and picked her up. Only when Isabell was in the air for double the Eth''s time did she stop crying. "Humanity is truly peculiar." Caim quickly bowed when he realized that his master belonged to that peculiar race. "I didn''t mean it in a wrong way, master. What I want to say is that humanity is different from other races on a fundamental basis." I didn''t speak and stared at Caim. I was still having a hard time adjusting to Caim''s unwavering loyalty and submissiveness. Mistaking my silent as anger Caim borated. "Humanity is the only race that needs to ''awaken'' to get ess to System. The restriction of being older than 15 years to get exp from killing monsters is also unique to humanity." This was the same as in the novel. In it, this was a kind of thing to highlight how strong Leon was. To show that even though he came from a weak, he was still capable of fighting other races'' geniuses. Though since the novel was now reality will there be a reason why humanity was being restricted? "But even though humans have to awaken to get the ess to System, Aether evolved humanity in many ways." Watching how 5 years old kid could hold an intelligible conversation, I could only nod. Even an unawakened has high intelligence and life span after Aether came to Earth. The increase in intelligence meant that kid could learn a lot faster than in my world. A 5 years old kid mentality was same as a 10 years old from my world. "Aether is a blessing." Was it? From how I saw this, it was more of a curse than a blessing. A person''s intelligence slowly increases as they grow older and gain life experience. But what about this world where the children''s experience is a lot less than their intelligence? ... "I want to be in the red team." A little Eth dered. But unlike the norm, where the other kids weed him, all teams rejected him. "No, we don''t want him. Eth is bad luck. We will lose with him." The nursery teachers tried to cate the situation, but the kids didn''t budge. The kids kept saying that Eth was unlucky and refused to team up with him. All of this was because of an incident that happened a week back. Last week, while ying with Eth, a kid fell from the slide and was injured badly. The incident wasn''t anything major in itself. The ident happened because of the caretaker''s mistake. Eth had nothing to do with it but the kids didn''t focus on that. Eth was always the focus of the ss and the limelight. But not everyone liked Eth. They didn''t like how he always bragged about his sister. Why was he bragging when it was not him doing those things? Were they any less well than Eth? When the incident happened, the kid whom Eth had beaten started talking behind his back. "Eth is unlucky. If you y with him, you will also be injured. Thest time Timmy broke his leg, he was also ying with Eth." As a few kids started staying away from Eth, others followed the suit. Everyone was excited as they yed a new game where someone was being ignored. "..okay" Eth, who wasn''t used to being alienated, cowered. With slumped shoulders and heavy steps, he was walking back when Isabell spoke. "Teacher, can Eth and I make a team of two?" The caretaker happily agreed, and the situation ended with Isabell alone ying with Eth. The caretaker didn''t think much of Eth''s situation. Kids usually forget about such things in a few days. Time continued to pass, and the summer passed into autumn. Dry leaves produced a crunching sound when kids stepped on them. Kids wearing mufflers and scarves were ying with each other. In the corner, away from the other, two kids were ying with each other. "Bell, I don''t want to y today. You can go with others." Isabell only shook her head and passed the ball to Eth. Eth only stared at the ball and didn''t move. His eyes were dull, and he had dark circles underneath his eyes. Unlike what the caretakers thought, the kids never allowed Eth to y with them. For the kids, ostracizing Eth was a game. They didn''t do it out of malice. No, they were only doing it because it was fun. They thought of ignoring Eth as a game and nothing much. The caretaker also didn''t do anything. She tried to add Eth to groups but the kids always protested. Being constantly shunned was bing unbearable for Eth. He didn''t understand anything. Why was this happening to him? Did he do something wrong? With thin arms, Eth picked the ball. These days he was having trouble sleeping. He will have nightmares where everyone, even Isabell and her family, ignored him and left him alone. Eth''s parents rarely came home and met him. Eth had more memories with his sister than with his parents. Last year his sister, who was a decade older than him, entered into Ward. Since then Eth had been living with Isabell''s family. In his new home Eth found something that he starved for. The love of family. He loved Mrs. Parker cooking, he enjoyed her jokes, he feared her anger, he looked forward to her night-time stories. Even though it had only been a year, Eth loved her more than his own mother whom he had rarely met. He feared that Mrs. Parker will also ignore him like everyone if she knew he was unlucky. He pleaded Isabell to not tell her about anything at home. Under the stress, he started eating less and less and lost a lot of weight. Mrs. Parker, Isabell''s mother, asked Eth if something was bothering him many times. Eth alwaysughed off her question, saying there was nothing. Eth believed as long as he endured his situation would improve. His situation changed, but not as he wanted. ¡­.. "Make sure to hold each other''s hand." The caretaker reminded everyone. Today they were on an outing to a beast farm. Beasts farms were areas where beasts were reared for the young awakeners. The beasts here were weak, as such young awakeners could train here without going into dungeons. Dungeons give a lot of exp, but they are very dangerous. Beast farm was used as a safe alternative for dungeons. "Don''t wander alone." The children were divided into groups of four. The caretaker used this situation and ced Eth into a group of children that least interacted with Eth. "It will be fine." The caretaker whispered to Eth and patted his back. Eth also thought this was a chance. He had been looking forward to the trip. ''I can make friends again.'' Eth hadn''t given up yet. This was the beginning of bing normal again! "What are you guys most excited about? I want to see a Hammer Hog!" Eth spoke cheerfully to his new group members. With all of them holding hands, they couldn''t ignore him. "Don''t talk to me." The one directly holding Eth''s hand spoke curtly. "Don''t be like that, Wim." A kid in the middle spoke and turned to Eth while shing a smile. "I also want to see a Hammer Hog." "Really?" Eth couldn''t believe it. Someone was talking normally with him! He could make friends again! From there, Grey, the kid who reprimanded Wim, merrily conversed with Eth. Grey changed ces with Wim, and now he was directly holding Eth''s hand. Eth was surprised to find that he and Grey had so many simrities. "Did you see that?! That Smoke Leopard was so beautiful." "We did." Grey pulled Eth, who was standing on the edge for another peek at the beast. The area they were in showed beasts like animals in a zoo, simr to Nathan''s previous world. The two other kids couldn''t understand why Grey was acting like this. Wasn''t he the one who hated Eth the most after Eth beat him? Chapter 65 Resonance [4] "It''s so beautiful." The kids were looking at the beasts with glittering eyes. Seeing different vibrant colored creatures greatly excited them. "Let''s go there." Grey pulled the group, and they sneaked away from the ss. "It''s dangerous. Won''t the ss break?" Eth questioned in a shaky voice as his feet touched the ss. "It is a strong ss and won''t break." Despite not knowing anything, Grey assured Eth and others. They were walking on top of a ss aquarium that held aquatic beasts. The scene of beautiful beasts mesmerized Eth when Grey sneakily signaled the other two. They walked amongst the crowd and stood in front of an area thatcked a protective ss pane. It was a circle-shaped area of a few dozen feet. In the middle of that area was a statue of a giant sea serpent with nine heads. "A nine-headed Hydra. It is a mythical beast that has been found in records of many Ruins. The oldest dated records say that the 12 ancient heroes defeated a hydra in¡­" The guide, standing at the edge of the perimeter, exined to the tourists. Eth and others were also standing at the edge, from where the unprotected area started. Beasts'' farms weren''t created for tourists'' excursions but as hunting grounds for young awakeners. Today was a special day that led the beast farm to be opened for tourists. The management had tried their utmost to add safety measures for today, like adding the ss pane in the aquatic beast section, but not everything was perfect. The Hydra exhibition was one such area. It only had a simple barricade. "What is that in the water?" "Where?" "There, can''t you see it?" Eth moved closer to the edge as he tried to find the object Grey was pointing at. Grey walked behind Eth''s back and raised his hand. "Are you sure there is something there?" "Yes, look closely. It''s just there." Grey raised his hand and smilingly threw his hands forward when- WEEWWWOOOWEEEEWWWOOO- WEWOWEWO- Horns started ring, and red lights began shing from the ceiling. Everyone covered their ears to ear-splitting horns continued. In between the horns, a mechanical voice rang through the speakers. "Code ck! Code ck!" Nobody understood what Code ck meant, but the situation was too abrupt. Everyone looked at the staff for an exnation. Hearing the announcement, the staff turned pale as a sheet and went rigid with fear. An ufortable silence ensued as everyone waited for an exnation. The crowd''s patience was reaching its ending point. "Is something dangerous happening?" Someone spoke from the crowd. Those words finally broke the invisible barrier that kept the crowd from going into hysteria. "What is happening!" "Run!" "Run for your lives!" Like a tsunami rushing to destroy everything in its path, people started rushing out of the aquatic beast section. People pushed others to get even the slimmest chance to escape earlier. "Hold each other''s hand tightly. We can''t get separated!" Eth naturally tookmand of their small group and ordered them. The horde that was rushing like a tsunami was especially dangerous for them because of their small sizes. It wouldn''t be weird for them to be trampled. Eth knew he should be in front to lead all of them, but in this crowd, if anyone left the hand, it would spell disaster. He made Grey walk in front while he was at the end, to make sure no one was left behind. "Don''t stop. Don''t slow down. Don''t let go of each other. Let''s go!" The four little kids ran with all their might as they tried to flow along the tsunami and not get swept by it. People pushed them, stepped on their feet, shoved them, but none of them stopped. Whenever the group slowed down, Eth encouraged them to continue moving. Suddenly, Wim who was directly in front of Eth stumbled. Eth was prepared for such a thing and swiftly picked Wim up. He noticed a thick vine was the cause of Wim''s fall. They had covered one-fourth of the total distance when the ss floor trembled. -Thump! Eth looked below his feet, through the ss. -Thump! -Thump! Beasts with deranged red eyes were attacking the ss pane from below. Extreme panic gobbled the crowd, and the escape turned violent. Sensing the danger much closer to them, they punched, pushed, pulled, and anything else to escape quickly. "Don''t sto-" C..crunch- Grey stopped when he heard the noise. Cr..runch- "Don''t move!" Eth shouted to Grey when a crack beneath his feet started expanding. But even if Grey stopped, the crowd didn''t. Crrrrrunnnnch- A loud screech of breaking ss reverberated when someone mmed their foot near Grey and ran. A horrified expression painted Grey''s face. Eth saw the ss beneath Grey was about to break and his body moved on its own. Eth hadn''t shown it, but he remembered Grey was the one he had fought. Eth was worried sick when he came to know that he was in Grey''s group. However, as if his worries were needless, Grey acted kindly to him and didn''t bring the topic back. "Run!" Eth was thankful to Grey. He pushed Grey before he could fall and threw him off the danger area. Eth was thankful that not everyone was against him. Plunck- Unlike the loud noise from before, the end came swiftly. The ss simply broke and Eth fell into the water. ''It''s cold.'' Eth continued to sink in the cold water. Below the ss, he saw hundreds of feet stomping on the ss, vines that kept extending, and his friends. "Idi¡­t" Eth saw Grey speaking something, but he couldn''t hear properly. His brain was already freezing from the coldness. ''It''s colder than I thought it would be.'' Eth thought as his body slowly began turning numb. Crunch- Through blurry eyes, he looked above. Crunch- Crunch- The ss began breaking at many points throughout the area. Looking at the scene, Eth''s barely working brain processed the information his eyes received. ''The ss is not breaking from the beast''s attack but the ¡­vines?'' Suddenly, the entire ss ne broke, and everyone fell into the water. People started sshing to escape the waters. But all was for naught. The beasts, as if turned berserk, attacked everyone without mercy. The screams of people had anguish and pain sewn into them. Everyone was desperately trying to run. The clear water turned red as the blood flowed. Eth''s consciousness, on the verge of cking out, saw arge beast swallow him whole. ... The mayhem continued to ensue, and the number of deaths skyrocketed. The beasts acted as if they were in a frenzy. Tore limbs, clothes, bones, and entrails filled the water as time passed. "I''mte, huh? Master will shout at me again." A woman appeared in the middle of the water and stood there, sighing. "Damn those long-eared bastards. They are terrorizing the civilians now? Noble race my foot!" She scratched her head through her disheveled purple hair. As she was brooding, the beasts beneath the water cowered. The pressure she was excluding made it clear that she was not someone to be trifled with. But just as they were about to retreat, the red hue in their eyes red and they attacked the woman. Groar- Screech- Flews- Grr- Hundreds of beasts attacked her from all directions. Sensing the movement in the water, the womanzily pulls her katana out of its scabbard. She then slowly, randomly swings her sword as if even moving was a bother. "Fifth form: Thousand Divine sh" Completing her swing, she ced the katana back into its scabbard and everything went silent. Plop- Breaking the silence a red drop fell. Plop- Plop- Then as if the first drop was a cue, a red shower began. Blood was spurting from the fountain from the bodies of beasts, all of which were sliced in half. With a single swing of the woman''s de, hundreds of beats were sliced in half! "Is there someone still alive?" Ignoring the raining blood, the woman peered into the depths of the water. She jumped into the water and dived deep. At the bottom, she saw a kid inside one of the beasts she killed. Looking at the kid, who naturally looked mean because of his eyes, she spoke her true thoughts. "Quite a luck you have to survive in this mess." Chapter 66 Resonance [5] ''It''s him.'' Whispers strewn into the damp air flew into ears. ''The sole survivor of the Aquatic Beast Section.'' ''To survive in that mess? Isn''t he incredibly lucky?'' ''But only a single person survived? Weren''t all the beasts killed?'' ''That''s the real mystery. The aquatic section is thest section in the farm. By the time the rescue section arrived at the Aquatic Section 30 minutes had already passed. But here the real mystery starts¡­'' ''Why the stop? Say it quickly!'' ''The entire area was filled with the dead bodies of humans and beastsbined. Humans were killed by beasts, but nobody knows who or how killed the beasts.'' ''And only this kid survived? Isn''t this suspicious?'' ''What do you mean by suspicious?! Looks at that kid. Does it look like he had a hand in it?!'' ''I''m not wrong, though. An unknown cause of the beasts'' death and only a single survivor. It''s too suspicious.'' Words flowed into Eth''s ears, but he was unable toprehend their meaning. Thest thing he remembered was being eaten. Then he regained consciousness when he was floating in the middle of those corpses. "Blergh!" Eth bent over and retched. Even thinking about that horrid scene was making him shiver. From there, everything felt like a blur to him. ''Eth''s family'', Mrs. Isabell and Bell, came to him and tried to console him. Fortunately, he didn''t have any serious physical injuries and healed quickly. But the same couldn''t be said about his psyche. His rehabilitationsted for six months. Miraculously, Eth was able to get back to his day-to-day behavior within the first week. The only problem he faced was his frequent nightmares. He would mutter things during his sleep like ''I didn''t do anything'', ''Is everyone with me dead?'' ''Only I survived.'' Other than those nightmares, he reduced his contact with others to the minimum and rarely spoke. It was only after 6 months ended that the doctors sent Eth back. On the day of his return, the doctor in charge of Eth advised Mrs. Parker. "In many cases, the patient''s personality changes after going through a traumatic experience. In Eth''s case, it seems the traumaes from his self-me.'' "Self-me?" "That was the most we could find out. It is shameful to admit, but we weren''t able to make him open up to us. If possible, I will like if you take it slow as he fits back into his home." The doctor gave his card to her in case of emergencies with Eth and returned. "Isn''t the movie ''Two Piece: Blue'' releasing today? I think a certain someone will like to watch it. What do you think?" Mrs. Parker talked about his favorite series, but even then Eth showed no reaction. Scratching her cheeks with one hand and controlling the steering with another, she wondered what to do. "As I thought, movies are no good. Let''s go to the Amagi Amusement Park!" She thought that open air and ying around will help him loosen up. ying a calm and rxing song, they drove to their destination. *** -Bang! The shot fired from the toy gun urately hit its mark awarding the shooter with a perfect. "We won!" A young woman with ming red hair cheered as she hugged a little kid. "You''re good." "Of course. It was these skills that mesmerized your uncl-cough cough. What gift should we pick for our dear little Eth?" Albeit barely, Eth started talking to Mrs. Parker. It made her happy. Seeing her n being sessful, she pulled him to every ride and game she could see. She was too happy and let a weirdment slip just now. "That one." Taking the soft toy that Eth pointed at, both of them sat at the nearby bench. Mrs. Parker stared at the beautiful sunset as both of them continued sitting in silence. After a few dozen minutes passed and Eth was sitting in a rxed position, she decided to talk to him. "Is there anything you want to talk about?" "!" Eth''s body jerked and tightened his grip over his little shorts. "It''s okay if you don''t want to talk about it." She slowly spoke, so as not to startle him. Eth had gone through a traumatic experience and required time to readjust. "Isn''t the sunset beautiful? In my hometown, a sunset is called the time of new endings and beginnings ." Mrs. Parker kept talking to Eth slowly, all the while she caressed his head as hey on herp. Her words held no meaning. She only wanted to keep talking to Eth and make him feelfortable. Slowly the time trickled down and she could feel her leggings damping. Ignoring the muffled sobs, she only continued to caress the culprit of the sobs. "I am*hic* sorry*hic*." "It''s okay. You don''t have anything to be sorry about." "If only *hic* I wasn''t *hic* unlucky." "You are my lucky charm. Ever since you came into our family, every day was filled withughter. Bell also loves you." "If only I wasn''t *hic* there. It was because I was there *hic* no one survived." "You are safe. That is all that matters to us." Mrs. Parker didn''t understand why Eth was ming himself. But she continued to answer him firmly yet sweetly. As the warm hand caressed him, Eth continued to bawl his eyes out. Tears containing his fear, anxiety, and guilt fell from his eyes. The game that children yed ''Eth is unlucky'' had driven a deep wedge in his heart. No matter how much he denied it subconsciously, his thoughts always came back to it. He was unlucky. And People stay away from unlucky things. This was why Eth begged Bell to not tell anything at home. He was afraid that Mrs. Parker will also want to stay away from him. If not for the pictures, he couldn''t recall how his parents looked and his memories of his sister were already fading away. This was why he only talked about his sister in kindergarten. He didn''t want to forget her, too. Whenever the caretakers invited parents for meetings, he was the only one who stayed until the end, all alone. It was at this time he met Mrs. Parker. A neighbor whom his parents had asked to look after their son and Isabell''s mother. From then the happiest period of his life began. He no longer ate cold bread in the morning. No matter how much he overturned in sleep, he always found the nket covering him in the morning. Even when he forgot to polish his shoes, he would always find them shining before sunrise. He will asionally find a piece of chocte in his lunch. These little things brightened his whole world. When everyone started calling him unlucky and avoiding him, Eth thought Mrs. Parker will also do the same. He believed that as long as she didn''t know, everything will be fine. "I''m sorry. I''m sorry *hic* sorry." But his hopes were shattered. Grey and others who showed him kindness were all dead. Even though there were hundreds of people who were there, only he survived. Only the area he was present in didn''t have even two survivors. The three people who didn''t hesitate to talk to him were dead. "I''m sorry. I..I''ll leave." He didn''t want to stay with the family who had treated him nicely and bring them trouble. Chapter 67 Resonance [6] "Let''s get going. It''s gettingte." Mrs. Parker looked at the single moon in the sky that illuminated the night. On her side, Eth was wiping his tears with the handkerchief she gave him. Holding hands, both of them walked while enjoying the silence of the night. Eth had poured out all the feelings he had bottled up and cleared his heart. Now he only needed time to recoverpletely. But he had steeled himself. He was going to leave his new family. He didn''t want them to bring trouble onto them. ''Just this once. I''ll leave after this.'' He gripped Mrs. Parker''s hand tightly. Mrs. Parker not knowing the decision he had made, quietly toured the park with him. Eth was feeling relieved and thankful that Mrs. Parker didn''t leave him when suddenly both of them were pulled into the bushes on the sidewalk. "Who is th-Hmph Hmph!" The culprit who pulled them into the bushes covered Mrs. Parker''s mouth before she could make any sounds. Only after she calmed down did the culprit remove her hand and let her speak. "Mia? Is that you?" Mrs. Parker was the friend of Mia''s master. Oftentimes, she will meet Mia when she went to meet Mia''s master, Miyamoto Yui. Through the years, Mia and Mrs. Parker became good friends. Noticing Mia''s troubled face through her purple hair, Mrs. Parker grew concerned. "Did Yui send you here?" With great difficulty, Mia nodded her head. "Master told me to subjugate the Elves who sneaked into this city. I was following their trail and came here¡­" "Is this area going to be a battlefield?" Quickly reading between the lines, Mrs. Parker understood why Mia was having a conflicted expression. Elves'' specialty was spirit magic. Every single Elf was like a one-person army as they were able to control spirits. With their strength, Mia will have trouble fighting them if she were to protect someone. "Should we leave?" Mrs. Parker was only an Lvl15. Awakener. She will be of no help in a battle involving Elves. "Y-Seventh Form: Deadline" Click-! A subtle clicking sound echoed and the next second the tree next to them fell. Arrghh- The tree''s skin molted and grew into a mouth. The tree started shouting before crumbling into specs of lights. "I''ll clear a path to the gate. Run!" Mia instantly vanished and a few secondster, sounds of shes and explosions rang out in the surroundings. Mrs. Parker picked Eth and started running at her full might. Along the way, she noticed that the park was scarcely popted. She realized that Mia had been evacuating everyone before the fight started. Mrs. Parker had taken Eth to a deserted area so that he could rx and talk. Probably this was why Mia missed them as she evacuated everyone. Kriiiee- A 30 feet long bird dived straight at them. Its long talons tore the air and were aimed at their necks. Bang-! A gun appeared in Mrs. Parker''s hand and she urately shot the spirit''s eye. The spirit crashed and disintegrated. "Huff.. huff" Mrs. Parker continued to shoot the spirits that came their way. Realizing that the levels of spirits that reached her were always lower than her, she understood that it was Mia''s doing. Mia was fighting while, making sure that no dangerous spirits reached them. Mrs. Parker''s feet sped up. Elves haverge mana reserves and favor drawn-out battles. The longer they took to escape, the more will Mia''s energy reserves dwindle, further reducing her chances of winning. Whoooo- Arge behemoth spirit appeared before Mrs. Parker. It was in the shape of a mammoth and as big as a three-story building. Bang-! Bang-! She repeatedly shot at the spirit but it covered its eyes every time. Roaring, as if dering murder, the spirit ran to crush them. "Seventh Form: Deadline" Click-! Before the spirit could reach them, it was suddenly beheaded and then disintegrated into specks of light. "You guys ¡­are¡­slow." Mia looked different from earlier. She was breathing heavily, her clothes were torn and blood covered her arms. "Ruby, listen to me. Run to the central area and hide there. With your stigma, as long as you hide, no one can find you. Mrs. Parker was about to protest when she realized that she was holding Eth in her hands. She didn''t want to leave Mia alone in the condition she was now to fend for herself. "Don''t worry about me. There is no way these cocky bastards can kill me." "Don''t lose." Mrs. Parker bit her lips and ran back. "Humans believe inpanionship and team effort the most. But isn''t running away and leaving others to fend for themselves a form of cowardice?" Long brown hairs that touched the grounds, sapphire eyes that looked no different from a holyke, a slender figure that would make anyone drool, and long pointed ears. An elf came from the direction of the exit. "You finally showed yourself." Mia pointed her sword at the elf and held it with both hands. "I don''t have time to deal with you. So, I''ll end it quickly." In reply to Mia, clusters of lights gathered behind the elf. As the clusters solidified, dozens of spirits formed. Mia''s brows furrowed. The spirits were all above Lvl40! Although every spirit was at least mid Enma-rank, Mia didn''t cower and dashed ahead. True to her words, Mia used the strongest move in her arsenal. "Genesis Style, Third Form¡­" Dark clouds gathered in the sky and rumbled. Cluttering of metals echoed as everything flew from the strong gales and¡­. "Thunder God''s Descent" A gigantic thunderbolt descended. *** "You should hide here." Eth grabbed the hem of her clothes before she could run back. Tears gathered around his eyes, and he struggled to hold them back. "I''m sorry. I..It''s because of me." "I told you. You are my lucky charm." Mrs. Parker crouched and wiped the blood that fell from his lips from biting them too hard. "If you weren''t here, I wouldn''t have been able to help my friend when she was fighting strong enemies." She told him why she was leaving him and running back. But Eth understood. The big sister, called Mia, was strong. A lot stronger than her. There was no way she will be of help to her. "N-No, don''t go." He refused to let go of her. Eth med himself. It was him. It was because of him. If only he had chosen not to speak. If only he had chosen some other ce. If only he was not unlucky. If only it was him who died six months ago. -Flick! Mrs. Parker flicked his forehead. "Dummy. I can hide if I can''t help. Don''t look at me with those eyes." Mrs. Parker used her stigma [Reality Veil] on Eth after calming him down. A thin, transparent veil covered him. With her stigma activated, Mrs. Parker was relieved. As long as it was above him, no one could find him. "Be safe and live." She was about to leave when Eth again grabbed her clothes. "You will return. Promise me please, m-mom" Her eyes widened when she heard Eth, but she knew that Eth, who never knew the love of parents, regarded her as his mother. She was happy that she could hear the word from his mouth at least once. "It''s a promise. So, you shouldn''t leave the veil too." Caressing him onest time, she left. Throughout the night, Eth could hear the sounds of explosions and metals shing. Several times, there were great shes of light and horrified screams. He covered his ears and shut his eyes. Tears spilled through his eyes whenever he heard a human scream. Every time his body shook thinking that it was Mrs. Parker. But he preserved through the nightmare. He knew that as long as the veil was there, Mrs. Parker was alive. And as they say: After every dark nightes a bright day. Sun rose through the depths of hell overthrowing the night away. The screams and explosions that kept happening throughout the night were no longer there. "She''s okay." Eth cried in happiness when he realized that the veil was still there. Crh- "Eth, are you there?" At that exact moment, he heard Mia''s voice. He jumped out and ran to her. His body shook for a moment as he saw them. "Mom!" Mia was carrying Mrs. Parker on her back. "E-eth?" Ignoring her confused voice, Eth hugged Mrs. Parker after Mia put her against the tree. "You are okay, mom! Thank god, you are okay!" Tears spilled through his eyes as he cheerfully shouted while hugging her. "Eth." Mrs. Parker hugged him back and spoke to him while caressing his back. "I''m sorry. I ¡­couldn''t keep my pro-mise." "Why are you lying? You arepletely fine. See, isn''t she alright, Miss Mia?" Mia turned her head away as if she couldn''t watch the scene. Tightening her hug, Mrs. Parker continued. "But you will.. keep your promise, right?" Thud- "Miss Mia, why is mom lying? Is it funny to tease a kid? You shouldn''t do something like this to someone who hade out of the hospital." "Mom, you too. Why are you sleeping? Is it because you are too tired?" "Then I will make the breakfast for Bell today. Let''s go home, mom." "I guess you can''t walk? It''s okay, your son will be your legs." "Stop" Mia put her hand on Eth''s hand. But he smacked her away. "What do you mean by stop! Is it that much if she doesn''t have a lower body! I said I will be her legs!" "She''s dead." "She isn''t. She *hic* isn''t dea-d. Mom promised*hic*." A new day dide for Eth. But there was no longer a sun shining on him. Chapter 68 Resonance [7] Eth was crying while holding Mrs. Parker''s corpse. Her corpse which missing everything below her navel. I think it was from this day that Eth''s memories started blurring. Often times this memory world will turn ck for extended periods. Then it will resume while skipping days or weeks'' worth of memories. From the fragments, I saw Eth living his life. If it could be called living. He stopped talking altogether after Mrs. Parker''s death and would often go in a daze. Two weekster Mr. Parker and Eth''s parents returned from their expedition. After knowing what had transpired Mr. Parker left saying he would kill those long-eared bastards. Before when I didn''t know who Isabell''s dad was I would''ve thought it was a foolish move. But now knowing his identity I knew he was not being reckless. As for Eth''s parents, they were devasted after seeing their son''s condition. They decided to retire and took in Isabell. They treated both children with utmost care and love. Thanks to their extensive care Isabell was able to recover from her mother''s death. As for Eth, he also changed. He would always remain in his room and refuse to interact with anyone. His parents and Isabell tried to talk to him but even they had to slow their attempts after the doctor told them that overdoing their attempts could result in the opposite oue. Reluctantly, they decided to leave it to time to heal Eth''s wounds. Many a time I saw Eth staring at knives or the ground from the roof. He wanted to kill himself to end it all. But he would always stop at thest time. He couldn''t break the promise that was herst request. The promise became the chain that protected him while chaining him down. "If only he knew the truth. He wouldn''t have hesitated to kill himself." Maybe it was cruel of me to think this way. But I knew all too well how painful it was to live, unable to kill yourself. It was funny, wasn''t it? Treasuring the very thing that was the reason for your torment. From now Eth will treasure her promise and continue to live. Yet the same promise will make him unable to live properly. "How will he react if I tell him now?" The real reason why Mrs. Parker died. She didn''t leave because she went to help Mia, but because she wanted to protect him. [Reality Veil] only worked on one person at once. This was what I came to understand after observing for the past year. Mrs. Parker left Eth because she thought if the spiritse after her and attacked, then he will get hurt even if he was hidden. Even when she was being chewed alive, she made sure that her stigma remained active. She kept clinging to her life because her death would mean her stigma deactivation. And it would put him in danger. Eth was the reason Mrs. Parker died. *** The memory world kept blinking in and out of the darkness. But as time passed, the duration of the ''ckouts'' started increasing. I started talking to Caim more and more. He taught me a lot about the universe and the races. The more we talked, the more I grew surprised. "It''s good I didn''t chop my hand off." At first, I was nning to chop off my hand if the Nether became too troublesome. But surprisingly, there was a way to fix it, and it was always next to me. "Master, you can control Nether. So you should be able to manifest a curse." This was what Caim told me. Royal Demons use Nether in the form of curses. Each Royal Demon has a curse and can only use the powers of the curse. Curses were like Stigmas but there were two differences. A Royal Demon can only use the abilities that manifest from its curse. They can''t use system skills, magic, or anything else. Unlike Stigma, curses grow stronger as the Royal Demons'' ranks increase. But in exchange, every curse has at least one w that could weaken it considerably. "Master, if you can manifest a curse, you will be able to move your arm again." This was the problem. Royal Demons have their curse since birth. They don''t need to manifest it. But it was different for me. ording to Caim, if I made a seal with Nether on my arm, I should be able to do it. But we still didn''t know if it would work. On that note, I only had a single arm, even in this memory world. Recing my left arm were endlessly gushing ck smokes from my shoulder. Ah, before I forget it. ''Fuck you, HB. Kill Mammon? How the hell am I supposed to kill something like that!'' Caim was the clone of a direct subordinate of a Demon King. His extensive knowledge was a blessing and a curse. Thanks to him, I finally knew how grim my future was. "Eth, let''s go out. Hurry!" The memory world again resumed and Isabell, who was now 7 years old, barged into Eth''s room. Her tone conveyed her urgency and panic. Three years had already passed in this world since I entered it. "It''s today." If what happened two years ago what the turning point for Eth, then today was the turning point for the Earth itself. "The Third Great Disaster." *** The earthquake that started an hour ago still wasn''t stopping. The only thing good about it was that the earthquake started with very little intensity. Giving people time to react and take safety measures. Though none of those safety measures were going to work in front of what was about toe. "The earthquake. Is it because the Gate of Hell is opening??" Caim nodded his head and affirmed my doubts. Mr. Parker, who had returned a few months before, Eth''s parents, and the two kids. All of them were waiting outside in the open. Mr. Parker was wearing a long coat and carrying a gun in his hand. With him present, I didn''t need to worry about anyone''s safety. Vrooom- Suddenly, the air churned, and arge magic circle appeared. Analyzing the circle Mr. Parker realized that it was a teleportation magic circle. One of the highest-ranked magic. Mr. Parker stood in front of everyone to be able to respond to whatever was about toe. "Is that how you greet your friends?" Two people appeared in the center of the circle. One was a woman who carried a katana, and the other was a man who wore a cape and carried a wand. Mr. Parker, realizing who the two people were, rxed his guards and questioned them. "What is happening?" Grandmaster Yui looked at the kids but decided to answer because of the urgency of the situation. "Demon Invasion. A new Gate has appeared in the North Antic Ocean. Some of those demons contain unique abilities and they''ve already destroyed Ward." She exined more about these new types of demons. "It seems spells and arts are barely effective on them. The cause is determined to be the new type of energy these demons are wielding." "What about the pioneers?" Grandmaster Yui didn''t answer. It was because even she didn''t know why the pioneers weren''t moving. "The Elves and the Barbarians ambushed the Earth''s forces in a coordinated attack. The pioneers and most of the Earth''s forces are on the frontlines." Finally, the mage spoke for the first time. He was the one who had exined the current situation to Yui. Because he didn''t have enough time, he hadn''t been able to give aplete rundown to her before. "By the time Earth''s forces return from the frontlines, everything would be¡­" He didn''tplete his words, but everyone understood what he meant. If nothing was done, Earth was going to be conquered. Chapter 69 Resonance [8] At this point, Caim spoke to me. "Normally, races don''t work together to conquer a, but weirdly enough, they decided to work together for an ambush." "And the demons who got this news decided to attack Earth while other races were shing against Earth''s forces on the frontlines?" "Indeed, master. That was what happened." Frontlines referred to areas that were on the other side of the Gates. The Gates that opened on Earth had their other opening somewhere in the vast universe at random. This ce was where the races set their bases and fought. This was the ''frontlines''. Kekekeke- Keke- Kekekekekeke- Sounds of pping of wings and disgustingughing signaled their arrival. Hundreds of demons botched the sky. The demon army had reached near them. "Roy will take care of the Gate and the demons thate through it. Daniel will circle the and kill all the demons that are attacking." Roy, the magician, and Daniel, aka Mr. Parker, stupidly stared at Yui. After struggling for a few seconds, Daniel finally pushed some words through his throat. "Circle the? The!? Are you nuts!" ''So, killing the demons isn''t the problem?'' I wanted to ask him my doubts if he could answer me. Hundreds of demons were present in their city alone. Going by those estimates, there will be millions of demons all over the. "Haaa. Fine, I''ll try." Looking at the innumerable number of demons in the sky, even I was having trouble breathing. It looked like hundreds of angels of death were descending. But the three of them paid no attention to the sky. It was almost as if they couldn''t see the demon army in the sky. "Where is that kid? Your first disciple Mia. She can at least protect some cities alone." Grandmaster Yui''s expression twisted for a second before it quickly returned to her usual calm expression. "She''s no longer my disciple." Feeling something amiss, Daniel decided to drop the topic. Instead, he spoke to someone entirely else. "Where are you going, kid?" Caught as he was trying to sneak away, Eth flinched. Hardening his resolve, he spoke in a quivering voice. "I..I''m leaving." "And why is that?" "If I am here s-something bad will happen." "It isn''t like tha-" "You mean you are some kind of bad luck charm?" Cutting Eth''s parents in between Daniel disappeared and reappeared before Eth and crouched. "Y..Yes." Daniel clicked his tongue when he heard Eth''s cowardly voice. ''Why did you die for someone like him?'' Daniel wasn''t heartless. No, he wasparable to a saint. He was someone who will trade his life to save even one more person. But he was also a human. For him, his family meant the world to him. Yet he was powerless when his family needed him the most. He couldn''t protect the one he swore his love for. ''But I''ll give him a chance since you trusted him.'' "Listen, kid. You are afraid that something will happen to others because of you? Then be strong. Strong enough to crush everything that threatens anyone close to you." Eth was someone who put others before himself. Daniel wanted to use his desire to fuel his growth. Daniel wanted to give him a goal. Maybe then he wouldn''t continue to live like an empty husk. "Look closely, kid. This is what you can be if you truly have the ambition to grow." Standing up, Daniel loaded his sniper and aimed it at the sky. Click- As he pressed the trigger, an energy orb started to form on top of the muzzle. The concentration of Aether in the air dropped sharply. The aether in the air started converging on top of his sniper. The orb slowly grew to the size of a basketball and was still growing. The space around the orb started distorting. Click- Daniel released the trigger, and a ray of light shot up. It instantly covered half of the distance between them and the demons. The demons, sensing the energy contained in the ray, started dispersing when suddenly the ray split. Hundreds of new rays formed and sted the heads of the demons without fail. Even before Daniel ced his sniper back, the headless demons started to drop like flies. 5 seconds. It only took 5 seconds to kill all the demons terrorizing their city. "Is this the power of Irregrs?" I knew the three of them were strong. But this, this wasn''t something one could imagine until one saw it with their own eyes. "Let''s go." Saying so, the three of them vanished. I sighed when I saw the three of them leave and sat on the grass alongside the little Eth. The ensuing silence didn''t tell the destruction Earth was going through. "How could I have been so na?ve?" The history books that I read in this world only told about the greatness of the Irregrs. How the Demon Hunter kept running through the earth while killing all the demons in his path. How the Magi created spears the size of mountains and used them to jam the Gate of Hell. And how the Grandmaster defeated the Abyss Demon. A title that the humans ignorant of Caim''s true nature gave him. But why did I think they achieved all this easily? Grandmaster Yui, Magi Roy, and finally the Demon Hunter Daniel. These were the three Irregrs that were going to save Earth today. I always thought that three people easily repelled the demon invasion. But now I realized how wrong I was. In the novel Grandmaster Yui had a habit of talking more the more she was agitated. Just the fact that she, the strongest among the three Irregrs, was nervous and afraid, showed that they weren''t confident of their victory. "Why did I belittle their sacrifices?" On my side, Caim didn''t speak and only stared at the moon that was peeking through the clouds. Noticing my gaze, he started speaking. "Earth still hadn''t reached the necessary aether concentration. This was why only the clone of the original Caim, the right hand of Demon King Beelzebub, was sent." He spoke as if he wasn''t talking about himself. "Even then, the invading demon army wasrge enough to conquer Earth, even if Earth''s forces weren''t divided. Our victory was guaranteed." A little farther away, Eth sat in a daze. Lost in his thoughts. "Or so it should''ve been. We never could have predicted the tenacity of humans. It was something we never encountered, even among the thousands ofs we conquered." Caim spoke his honest thoughts about what he felt on that day. "Humans sacrificed themselves even without thinking twice. I never thought I would see someone doing suicide bombing of their own free will. Let alone thousands at that." I remembered a sentence I read in Ward''s library. ''Humanity''s progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every moment is proof of our history''s sacrifice, suffering, and struggle.'' He stared at the moon with a nostalgic gaze. "The strangest were those three. No matter how badly I crushed their bones or inflicted a painful injury on them, they didn''t stop. Even when their flesh melted from the Nether mes or their skin was peeled due to extreme coldness, they kept moving." Chuckling, he recounted his thoughts. "I asked them why do to go to such lengths. After all, they were strong enough to run away from a that was on the verge of destruction. Do you know what they said?" I shook my head in denial. "The magician said he liked the food of hisndlord''s wife. The swordsman said she wanted another disciple. And the shooter said he wanted to make sure he doesn''t disappoint his future son-inw after he gave an awe-inspiring speech." "What with those weird answers?" "Aren''t they weird? When I said the same thing to them, the look they gave me made me think I was the one who was crazy." After that, Caim stopped speaking. As I also kept staring at the moon, I realized that it had new craters every few minutes. A few hourster, the moon exploded. There was no sound signifying the explosion, nor could I see what was happening there. All I knew was that there the Irregrs were fighting against Caim. The destruction of the moon signified the defeat of Caim. With their leaders dead, it greatly affected the mobility of the demon army, and the invasion slowed. It brought precious time for the Earth''s forces to return and fight back. But even then, the destruction was unprecedented. Over 50% of Earth''s poption died in the Third Disaster. *** From that day, the ckouts grew even longer. Sometimes there would be no memory for an entire year. Over the years, I saw Eth training single-mindedly. Even though Daniel never came back, he was able to give him hope. Eth ignored everything and trained single-mindedly. He trained even if it rained, even when his callouses stung from the cold, and even when his palms bled under the scorching sun. Many more things changed. Eth''s parents permanently adopted Isabell. To give humanity hope, a new project was undertaken. Under the project, the mountains created by Roy were restructured and named Bermuda Ind. The world finally came to know of the existence of Irregrs. In many ces, riots and protests supporting them emerged. These protests targeted the pioneers who were nowhere to be seen when the Earth was attacked. These protests gained huge traction. With awakeners joining these protests, public safety deteriorated. To quell the rebellions Aegis, the awakener organization came hard down on Illis. Many known viins were captured and new public policies were introduced to pacify the people. Worried about the constant rebellions, Gwen, Eth''s elder sister, asked them to live on Bermuda Ind. She, as an awakener working for Aegis, was able to getnd on Bermuda Ind for her family. After settling on Bermuda Ind, the family no longer had to worry about the constant rebellions and protests. Gia announced the rebuilding of Ward, along with aw saying that every major family will have to send their heir to it. Thisw, along with several others, helped calm the world. The debris of the moon finally settled, and three new moons were formed. Caim would oftentimes do stargazing. From the increasing duration of ckouts and the fact that I was still in this memory world, I concluded that I would get out when Eth''s memory catch up to the present. I also started to train. With nothing else to do, I started training to control Nether and Ether. Chapter 70 Rude Awakening [1] "Here I go." I calmed my breathing and heightened my concentration. Stretching my left arm out, I channeled the Nether in it towards the palm. Slowly a ck orb formed on top of it. Dividing my focus while making sure that the orb isn''t dissolved, I started channeling the Ether in my right arm. Another red orb formed on top of my right palm. I slowly brought my hands together until the two orbs were almost touching each other. ''Please work.'' As if my wishes were answered, for the first time in a few years, the two orbs started fusing. Continuing, I didn''t let my concentration falter until the orbspletely fused. As they started fusing I could feel the space around them distort. ''No No No'' The space distortion was a sign that Nether and Ether were starting to reject each other. On this crucial step that will decide failure and sess, my concentration rose to another level and a few secondster the space distortions died. The energies achieved harmony and I finally created a fused orb. It was a mixture of red and ck color and smaller than its predecessors. One couldn''t even feel any fluctuations of energy from it because the harmony of energies and their opposite nature made it undetectable. I was alone in this dark void and the orb didn''t work on me. Thus, for now, I only knew how the orb worked in theory. This was one of the two tricks I created afterbining my knowledge of Ether with the knowledge of Nether from Caim. This fused orb was an energy EMP orb. As long as I hit someone with it, they will lose control over their energy and be unable to manipte it for a few seconds,pletely rendering them defenseless. A few seconds might seem less but in the battle between awakeners, even a single second can decide the oue of the fight. Making the enemy unable to use their energy was the same as taking the gun away from a shooter. They will be as helpless as a child. Creating something like this was only possible because I was in this memory world and I could manipte both Nether and Ether. The only drawback was that I will be a sitting duck while I fuse the orbs. My attack resembled rasengun from an anime in my previous life as I also need to make direct contact with the enemy for it to work. "If only I could shoot kamehume with this orb. Then I wouldn''t need to worry about getting hit because I was too near the enemy while preparing the orb." This was a real world. There was no way my enemies would wait for me while I fused the orbs. "Congrattions, master you did it after 7 years." I smiled at Caim''s praise. The first 3 years I entered this memory world I tried to find the perfect ratio to fuse Nether and Ether. Because at that time I didn''t have my left arm it was hard to control Nether and idents weren''t umon. My personal record was 73 times. My right arm exploded 73 times in one day because of the wrong mixture ratio. Still, an explosion was a better choice than getting the ratio horribly wrong and my arm melting from extreme corruption. Also, every time I will get my arm back after a few hours. This was a perk of this memory world. It always brought my body condition back to its prime condition. As for the pain. It was ¡­unbearable. At first, I tried to ignore the pain thinking that this was a golden opportunity to grow stronger. I knew whining would do me no good. I had to grasp every possible straw if I wanted to guarantee my survival. But over time pain became the only stimulus that kept me connected with reality. During a ckout, Caim also disappears along with the memory world. I am always alone in this empty world. The ever-stretching silence started gnawing at my sanity. Oops, it got a little dark. "On the bright side, I seeded in fusing the orbs thanks to this memory world!" Other than the pain there were no risks. Wonderful isn''t it! When three years passed I noticed a change. The ck smokes from my left shoulder had reduced considerably. They were reced by a semi-solid ck arm that I could control. I''ll be honest. I have no idea how or why it happened. My only guess was that Eth was doing something in reality which resulted in me getting a somewhat usable arm. After getting my left arm the idents were considerably reduced. The arm acted as a medium and I was able to channel Nether for longer. Giving me more time to attempt the fusion. After getting two arms, my right arm only exploded 2 out of 3 times! And now my left and right arms exploded together. The right arm wasn''t exploding alone! Anyway, the increasing duration of ckouts started making me a little lonely. So, I named my right arm ''Ka'' and my left arm ''Boom'' to have someone to talk to. Failure in ratio meant Ka and Boom going Kaboom. Hehehe, get it? Kaboom! Five yearster, I finally started getting the hang of it and now Kaboom happened only once a day. Hmm? What should I name my new move? Kamehume? Cerou? Spirity Gun? Oh sorry! I forgot I couldn''t shoot the orb, yet. For now, I needed to directly make the orb and the enemye in contact with it to work. "I''ll think of a nameter." Diffusing the orb I watched over Eth who was training with a spear. Now, Eth looked like I remembered him from the reality. Over the years his hope slowly turned into despair. No matter how much he trained and pushed himself to the limits, he couldn''t ovee the limits of his talent and potential. In 4 years he was only able to level up twice. For average potential, one can reach Lvl 4 or even Lvl 5 in four years. And he only got 2 stat points with every level up. Meaning he had average talent. No matter how hard he trains he will never be able to achieve his goal. Efforts don''t equal results. This was the harsh truth of every world. Even I was only able to fuse the orbs because I had means avable for it. This memory world perfectly replicated reality and I couldn''t die here. My path was filled with thorns but at least I had a path to walk on and reach my goal. He didn''t even have that. Despite that, he kept training without cking. Never once did he ck off in his training. Watching him also helped me maintain my sanity and keep working toward my goal. But I knew Eth will never be able to achieve anything and will have his body taken over by me in a few days. This was what was supposed to happen. Then what was I witnessing? "One more time." Ignoring his quivering knees Eth had a ferocious grin on his face. He pulled his spear and thrust it while activating the only skill he had [Pierce]. However, it was vastly different from the one I knew. The tip of the spear extended without even Eth calling out the skill name. It extended over 30 feet and retracted in one short second. Eth again thrust his spear but this time it only extended 3 feet. But unlike the previous time, he was able to use the skill three times in one second. "A..Acquired Skill?" The disbeliefden voice of Caim entered my ears. But I ignored him and watched Eth, who was lying on the ground with a merry grin, with wide eyes. System skills are always activated by System. The user doesn''t need to do anything other than meet its activation conditions. However, this means the one executing the skills is the system, not the user. This was why when someone uses magic skills there is no magic circle. But if someone uses a magic spell by themselves there will always be a magic circle. Nheless, the fact remains that the system uses the user''s body to activate the skill. Theoretically, it was possible to learn how the system manipted one''s energy while activating the skill, copy it, and then reproduce it. If someone could do it then they will be able to tweak the skill however they want. Just like what Eth did when he altered [Pierce] to his requirements. However, there was a reason it was only theory. The system was an entity that defiedmon sense and governed over thews. It had the supreme [Authority] over thews. Even the Common-rank skills are onlymon from the System''s perspective. They contain countless calctions and precise maniption of energy that is humanely impossible. But off chance, someone who defies thismon sense exists and can reproduce a System-skill then the resulting skill is called Acquired Skill. These were acquired skills. Something that was above even the legendary grade skills. On Earth, only three people will have acquired skills. One, was an Irregr, while the other two were people who will shake the Earth to its core in the future. Now I just witnessed the fourth human to ever have an acquired skill. "Ergghh." Suddenly, my head started spinning and intense sleepiness attacked me. I understood that it was the cue for me to return. Yet I couldn''t take my eyes off the kid who had finally tore through the veil of darkness and was basking in the afterglow. Eth couldn''t hear me. But I couldn''t stop myself from asking onest thing before sleep overtook me. "Why was there no mention of you in the novel?" *** "¡­.an ¡­od¡­" I could feel my senses returning. "..tha.. d¡­ge" Was I finally out of that dream world? Before I could drown in sentiments the noises cleared. "¡­.than dodge!" -Thwack! Something akin to a truck smashed into my side and blew me away. I felt my body bounce on a cold hard floor as it skidded from the force of impact before finallying to rest. "Cough..cough" Even covering my mouth to stop the uncontrolled fits of cough felt excruciating. Pain washed over my body in intense waves with my ribs, which were probably broken, as its source. Ignoring the red spit on my sleeves, I scanned my surroundings in hope of understanding the situation. Dozens of feet away a gigantic stone statue in the shape of a knight. It was moving and attacking a boy, around whom golden lightning crackled. Swish- Suddenly, a beautiful girl with waist-long silver hair appeared in front of me. Without even asking me about my condition, she forced me to drink something. I felt cold sensation travel down my throat. Not long after the pain diminished and my ribs slowly started mending. Finally, I was able to examine the situation. After five solid seconds of careful observation, this was what I understood. Leon, Susan and I were fighting against some a Knight Golem in a Colosseum. I was alone with the two people I wanted to stay away from the most! There were many things I had to say about this. But all of them could be summed up in one sentence. "This is one hell of a rude awakening!" Chapter 71 Rude Awakening [2] The Golem Knight was almost 5 stories tall and wielded a sword just asrge. Leon was running between its legs and drawing its attention while Susan tended to me. Susan quickly returned to the Golem Knight after making me drink the healing potion. "What is even happening?" I remembered falling asleep in the memory world for the first time in a decade. The next thing after waking up was getting hit by something and nearly getting killed. And why was I fighting alongside Leon and Susan? (We are in a dungeon.) The voice that I had gotten used to hearing for the past decade and the culprit of my current predicament answered. (I brought Susan and Leon with me to clear a dungeon.) There were a lot of things I had to say to him but there is a time and ce for everything. (How long since I lost consciousness?) I charged toward the Golem Knight. Defeating this monster came before knowing why I was here. Leon was running on the golem''s shin while attacking. But his attacks didn''t have enough power, and the cuts were shallow. The Golem, unable to hit him, kicked the air. The momentum of the kick threw him in the air, defenseless. (One month.) Judging from Leon''s and Susan''s haggard appearances I knew it wasn''t the time to hold back. I quickly made my decision. ''Construct'' Phzzzt- Five greatswords materialized behind me. "Leon!" Leon turned his head and saw five greatswords flying in his direction. Understanding my intentions, he twisted his body midair and using the swords as footholds escaped the golem''s follow-up attack. Fwooosh- The golem''s gigantic sword missed him by hair''s breadth. Leon gulped. If that attack had hit him, even his bones wouldn''t have been left. I was very far from the Golem. Yet I almost fell because of the strong winds produced by the golems swing Phzzzt- Five more swords attacked the Golem. But with its hard surface, my attack hardly did any damage. The first awakening of [Full-Frame] boosts Leon''s stats by 100%. With it, Leon''s attacks were a lot more effective than mine. Thus, I decided to support him. Leon was jumping between the flying swords and attacking whenever he found a gap. With 3D mobility, his attack range became a lot more versatile. Slowly, but surely, our coordination was increasing. Leon was now able to dodge the golem''s attack by arge margin. We were starting to get room to breathe when suddenly the Golem raised his sword toward the sky. It held the sword with both hands and swung it down with full force. "Crap" If that thing hit the floor, we were done for. The sword itself was as big as a 5 story building. The full-powered swing of the Golem with it would demolish the floor. It was an AOE attack. Just the stray debris will be enough to do us in. Before I could even run away, the tip of the sword reached the ground. Booom-! A loud explosion that rattled even my bones took ce. But the flying debris never came. Below the sword of the Golem was Susan, stopping it from striking the ground. Cracks formed beneath her as the Golem pushed harder. Yet she didn''t even budge! She held her sword with both hands and stopped the full-powered strike of the boss monster! Chills ran down my spine as I realized that she faced a strike, strong enough to pulverize me to bones, head-on, and stopped it. "What are... You guys waiting for!" Her shout brought us out of the stupor. And we joined the fray. Leon became the damage dealer with me as the assist. While Susan kept blocking the Golem''s full-powered strikes. With how everything was going, we were going to win without any difficulty. Or so it should have been. Ever since the battle started, there was a feeling of difort. I thought it was because I felt an external stimulus for the first time in years. But I finally found the true source of my difort. The Golem didn''t have even a single scratch despite us being attacking for so long. Thereafter, I noticed more inconsistencies. The Golem had too high a defense for a Golem specializing in Speed and Attack Power. Despite the fact Fire element will be strong against stone Golem, Leon wasn''t using magic to coat his sword. The golem has stopped trying to make the AOE attack. It was beginning to focus on Leon and ignore Susan, who was the biggest threat to it. With a sense of foreboding, I questioned Eth. ''What is this Dungeon?'' (3-star Stage-0 Dungeon, Conqueror''s Trial.) "Dammit" The number of stars goes from 1 to 7. They represent the number of [Traits] a boss monster has. [Traits] were the abilities or skills of monsters. Usually, the number of [Traits] corresponds to the rank of a monster. Meta-rank = 1 Trait, Iota-rank= 2 Traits, Enma-rank = 3 Traits and so on. But this wasn''t the case here. The Golem Knight wasn''t Enma-rank. If it was, even Susan shouldn''t have been able to block its attack. (It isn''t Golem Knight. It''s a Beginner Golem) I again felt that the world was unfair. Conqueror''s Trial, I have been nning to solo this dungeon after I advanced to Iota-rank. It was because this dungeon had a very important skill, and I was confident in clearing it solo. ''Dammit. Why did youe to this dungeon with the two of them!?'' With Leon and Susan here, the dungeon that was supposed to be easy turned almost impossible. This was because of the same specialty of this dungeon that made it easy enough for me to solo it. Conqueror''s Trial made the intruders fight against a monster with their own abilities. The monster will copy the intruder''s rank, stat distribution, and any physical specialty. It doesn''t include Stigmas or Arts as they weren''t physical speciality. If I was Solo, the monster would have been near Lvl 11 with weak traits. But with Leon and Susan here, this was the result. An peak Iota-rank Golem. A monster with superior physical states while being powered by a mana core. But this wasn''t the real issue. It was the Golem''s [Traits]. Swish- Leon nimbly dodged the giant sword and attacked the Golem''s ankles through the gap in its armor. With its ankle broken, the Golem fell. Susan, who was standing below the Golem, thrust her sword at the falling Golem. The Golem would have tried to attack or block Susan if not for its closed eyes. Which it did to protect them from my relentless attacks. Booom-! A thundering explosion urred as the Golem fell to the ground. Through the curtains of dust, Susan returned to the back, along with Leon. "Its core isn''t at its heart. Where should I aim next?" The corners of my lips twitched. Why was she acting haughtily if she was asking for instructions? Both of them didn''t have knowledge about Golems. Thus, I was responsible for leading the charge. That is, of course, by givingmands from the back while asionally firing my swords. No way in hell I am going near that monstrosity until I have a n. Screech- The Golem dragged its sword back from the ground. The sword rubbing on the ground produced a very unpleasant sound. "What''s the n?" The Golem stood again in all glory, fully healed. Its body didn''t show any sign that we''d been fighting it for the past half hour. "I found its traits. It has [Anti-Magic Field], [Regeneration], and another trait that lets it adapt and learn during a battle." [Physique] was a physical specialty that this dungeon counted. The dungeon also gave the monster abilities to either counter or copy them. [Anti-Magic Field] was to counter Susan''s [Mana Blessed Physique]. [War God Physique] allowed Leon to consume any grade of potion without exploding. [Regeneration] was the counter for this ability. Because two of the invaders have a physique, the Dungeon boss rose from 2-star to 3-star and it has 3 [Traits]. The ability to learn during a battle was also one of Leon''s [War God Physique] abilities. "No wonder it''s so strong" I held my urge to punch this guy. How did he have the audacity to say it when two of [Traits] were because of him? "Let''s do it like this." I ignored him and started exining the n I came up with. This Golem can learn from the fights. Sooner orter, it will target the weakest link in our group: me. I have to end it before that. Chapter 72 Rude Awakening [3] In the novel, Leon was the 2nd person to clear the Dungeon, Conqueror''s Trial. At that point in the novel, his physique had 4 abilities unlike now, where he has only 2. The resulting boss monster was a 5-star Hydra. How did he defeat a boss monster higher ranked than himself? To put it nicely. He went Plus Ultra. To put it my way. He got a crazy batshit power-up. Anyway, I was sure he will get another power-up if I recreated the situation from the Dungeon of Trails. Only, two things were stopping me: Was that even possible with Susan, and I didn''t want to. The first reason was self-exnatory. It wasn''t possible to hurt Susan sneakily. For the second reason. I didn''t want to put my fate in another''s hands. Why should others decide if I live or die? No matter what I didn''t want to die. But I equally loathed leaving my survival in hands of some bullshit power-up that might or might note. That was why, even if it was dangerous, I will decide my fate for myself. At least then I won''t regret the result. Whatever it may be. "Make sure you don''t miss the timings." Susan and Leon nodded their head. The towering Golem was still standing. Susan was beginning to get tired while the Golem was getting better and better at fighting us. We have to take it down before it learned even more. "Now!" With my words as the signal, all three of us dashed in different directions. Leon and I ran along the boundary of the Colosseum. Our goal was to get behind the Golem from different sides. Susan dashed straight ahead and shed with the Golem. Both of them swung their swords at each other. They started swinging their swords at each other crazily. Continuous explosions rang every time their swords struck. The ground was breaking just from the shockwaves of their shes. Watching them fight, I couldn''t decide which was a monster. The Golem, despite its size, was swinging the sword swiftly. Each swing was faster than a peak agility-type Meta-rank. Each of those swings could easily tten a tank. Yet Susan was fighting it on equal grounds. Every time she changed her sword''s path at thest second to strike the Golem''s sword in a way that mitigated most of the force behind it. She was fighting against a monster that could fight a party of peak Iota-ranks alone! With her going all out, the Golem could no longer keep an eye on us. But this wasn''t enough. Susan''s breathing wasborious, and her strikes were slowly losing the strength behind them. Her stamina was about to hit its limit. It was taking her all to engage with the Golem. She couldn''t defeat it. Seeing this, Leon and I ran even faster. This was a race against time. -Crack! The ground underneath Susan cracked when she blocked another strike. The Golem''s attack was getting erratic. With it learning from the battles, it understood something was amiss. Time and again it tried to look for us, but Susan''s attacks were relentless and unending. She wasn''t giving it the chance to check on us. The Golem was getting cornered when suddenly it jumped. With its weight, it didn''t go much higher and quickly fell. Timing its fall, the Golem raised its sword and struck the ground. Even Susan wouldn''t be able to block this strike, which had the momentum of the entire Golem behind it. The Golem was adapting at a fearsome speed. It had quickly devised a way to attack all three of us. It knew Susan will try to block this attack and it will result in getting heavily injured. With her gone, it will be able to defeat Leon and me fairly easily. Assured of its victory, the Golem looked at the ground. But Susan wasn''t there. Moments before its sword struck the ground, it found Susan. She was far at the edge of the Colosseum. Boooommm-! ¡­. --Moments after Nathan exins his n and the final attack begins. "Take this." I passed Susan the artifact shoes that I borrowed from Lark. With this, she should be able to make it to the edge of the colosseum when the Golem jumps. "How are you so confident it will jump?" The Golem was like a newborn child with super learning potential. Seeing as how it was trying to do it again and again, it had already realized the destructive power behind a full-powered swing. At the speed of its learning, it will quickly discover that putting its own weight along with the swords will make the strike even stronger. Then it will definitely jump. [War God Physique] was a total cheat alright. Even its copy was this troublesome. "Intuition?" Susan red at my half-assed answer. But I ignored her piercing gaze and continued. "Don''t worry about us. You only need to make sure it doesn''t see us climbing in the air behind its back." My diversion tactic worked, as Susan dropped the previous topic and focused on the new one. ¡­. Boooommm-! The entire Colosseum shook. The floor broke and the debris shot in all directions. Susan, who was at the edge of the colosseum, continued to cut therge piece and dodge the smaller pieces of the flying debris. "Is this far enough?" Feeling the Mana in the air, Leon nodded. We were standing high above in the air, outside the [Anti-Magic Field], on top of my sword. As I was watching Susan dodge the debris, Leon warned me. "It will dissolve into smoke in 2 seconds after entering the [Anti-Magic Field]. Are you sure about this?" I nodded my head at his unnecessary concern. If everything went ording to n, it will not dissolve into smoke but be struck down. Leon''s constantly changing expression betrayed his inner turmoil. It seems he couldn''t understand why I knew his art. Before he questioned anymore, I spoke. "You only have one chance. You can''t miss." Leon''s part was the most important in the n. Susan was already exhausted. We can''t expect her to fight anymore. If Leon missed, it will spell our defeat. I spoke again to hide the nervousness I was feeling. "I''ll buy you 15 seconds. You must finish the Golem during that time." Leon exhaled loudly and got ready. "Huuuuh¡­.Sixth Form: Empty Fade." Leon and I jumped from my sword, directly toward the Golem''s head. Fwoosh- Our bodies quickly tore through the air. I began channeling Ether into my legs to strengthen them. If the strengthening wasn''t up to par, it was going to hurt a lot when Inded. Screeech- The Golem held its sword and looked around to find us. It already found Susan, but we were still missing. It was looking around when it suddenly swung the sword above its head! My eyes widened in surprise at the sudden attack. The Golem was able to predict our location! I again realized its fearsome growth potential. It was growing at a speed that I had never predicted. The surprise attack reached Leon and tore his body, killing him¡­ Just kidding. Swish- The golem''s sword passed through Leon''s body without obstruction. Having taken the Golem''s attack for me, Leon''s clone dissolved into smoke. Now that the Golem couldn''t attack me before I fell on his head, I began my job. A red and ck orb started forming on both my palms, respectively. I was about to begin the fusion when I finallynded on the Golem''s head. -Baaangg! Pain shot up through my legs into my spine. I could almost hear my bones creaking. The stinging sensation quickly traveled through my bones, and I almost lost control over the fusion. Gritting my teeth and I kept my focus on fusion. This level of pain wasn''t evenparable to having my arms explode! Finally, the moment arrived and a reddish-ck orb was floating on my arm. Swooosh- The surrounding area dimmed as if the Sun had lost its brightness. I looked up and realized I couldn''t see the sun. Instead, I saw the Golem''s palming down at me swiftly. I was about to get squashed to death! Holding the reddish ck orb in my hand, I struck the Golem''s head. "Don''t fail me now." The massive palm moving toward me suddenly froze. I quickly realized that it wasn''t just the palm. The entire Golem was frozen stiff! Then, like a puppet with strings cut, the Golem fell. Without looking at the Golem, I quickly constructed swords and fired them toward the sky. "Leon!" "On it!" Leon jumped down. The count down to 15 seconds had begun. 15 seconds¡­ Leon, who was falling, used them and started running toward the ground. The muscles around his eyes wriggled, and he stared at the Golem''s right shoulder. 10 seconds¡­ Landing on thest sword, Leon took a stance. Immediately golden lighting began gathering around him. 6 seconds¡­ He used the seventh form. My spine tingled from the electricity in the air. A giant golden sh came down on the Golem''s right shoulder. 4 seconds¡­ It was so bright that I had to close my eyes. But I could tell. We won. There were still four seconds left. With the attack almost upon its mark, it will be over before the Golem wakes up. 2 seconds¡­ The Golem suddenly moved. 1 second¡­ Time was up. Booooommm! The lightning overheated the stone golem in milliseconds and a thundering explosion took ce. The Golem''s movement stopped and dust filled the area. Despite several seconds passing, the Golem never moved. The ensuing silence marked the end of the battle. Or so I wanted to say. "Shit Shit Shit Shit" I bolted to where the Golem''s core was located. It has to be at the area where Leon struck. Leon''s attack hit the golem as we had nned. But I felt the Golem move at thest second. I parted through the curtain of dust and reached the Golem''s right shoulder. There I saw it¡­. The Golem, staring at me whileying on the ground. It was waiting for its shoulder to heal. This bastard was only ying dead! Its right shoulder was sted off, but the core, which was now exposed, was intact. The Golem moved its left arm and swung its fist toward me. Vrrooom- I also ran to its core while channeling Ether to my limbs. The Golem''s fistnded and shook the ground. I barely managed to dodge it because of the sudden increase in my speed. Its arm started regenerating in front of my eyes. The core was quickly getting hidden behind the regenerating stones. Without thinking twice, I jumped and punched its core. My punch was about tond when the Golem''s armpletely regenerated. -Crack! It healed when my punch was only inches away from the core. As a result, my arm was now struck inside the Golem. My arm that was now inside it creaked. -Crk! -Crrck! My arm was crushed and twisted as the Golem''s regenerating body tried to remove the foreign substance. The pain was enough to make anyone lose consciousness while screaming in pain. Yet I was grinning like a madman. "It''s my win." Phzzzt- I held the dart with my mangled arm. "[Pierce]" Kaching-! The core of the golem was pierced and broken. *** "Cough..Cough" ''Did we win?'' Leon tried to navigate his way through the dust. Hisst attack had exploded the Golem''s arm. He knew that they had won. Yet he couldn''t suppress the growing fear in his heart. Just a few seconds ago he heard a loud explosion. It wasn''t something that Nathan should be able to create. It had to be done by the Golem. Was it still alive? Leon knew that wasn''t true. After all, there was no obstruction to his mana flow. There was no longer any [Anti-Magic Field]. Then what was that explosion? He had to check with his own eyes. "Hehehe¡­ Hell Yeah, that was fun!" Leon suddenly heard something. He used hisst ounce of strength and bolted towards the source. He quickly reached his destination and saw Nathan. Nathan''s right arm was badly mangled, and blood kept dripping from it. Yet there was Nathan. Standing on top of the Golem and cackling with a wide grin on his face. Chapter 73 Rewards [1] The Golem started breaking and disintegrating. Nathan was standing on top of it and continuedughing. Leon flinched at his appearance. The way Nathan was behaving scared him. Nathan''s right arm was mangled, to the point, one can see his bones. Even then Nathan wasughing as if those injuries weren''t there, to begin with. Nathan''s face didn''t show a hint of pain. This appearance of Nathan scared him. "It.. was f¡­un" Nathan''s body swayed and he fell. Leon swiftly moves and catches him. As he held Nathan, he found Nathan''s breathing was getting slower and slower. He touched Nathan''s forehead and found it to be burning. "Did he overuse his Stigma?" Indeed, Nathan had been constructing swords non-stop to act as footholds. He even created a stair of swords for him and Leon after they went behind the Golem. There was no way that the energy consumption was low. Leon realized how wrong he had been. The reason Nathan wasughing wasn''t that he was crazy but because he was relieved toe out of this ordeal alive. The relief must have made him forget about the pain. Nathan must have been over-using his Aura core to fight without even voicing out anyints. Of course, he will be happy after his efforts bore fruit. "Is he alive?" Susan walked to the duo and looked at Nathan''s arm. "Does he have something against his arms?" Leon red at Susan''s irresponsible words but realizing that she was the one holding healing elixirs, he didn''t say anything. "Give me some Healing Elixir. I need to heal Nathan." "I don''t have any left. I had to use all of it when he didn''t dodge and was hit by the stray debris." Hearing her answer Leon swiftly decided on his next course of action. "I''ll take him to the Elixir Pool out of the boss room." Leon couldn''t bear seeing Nathan in that condition. He quickly needed medical attention. Fortunately, there was an Elixir pool outside. An Elixir has miraculous healing properties. It should be able to heal Nathan''s arm. "Wait. You can''t go outside. We need to get the rewards first." Susan stopped Leon from leaving. Leon red at her. Every time Susan spoke he hated her more and more. "Is that even important right now?" Leon went around her. He was adamant about healing Nathan before anything else, even if it meant giving up on his reward. "Listen to her. We should get the ..reward first." Nathan suddenly spoke in a coarse voice. Leon was surprised that Nathan still held onto his consciousness despite the pain he must be going through. But it didn''t mean he was going to agree to Nathan''s demand. He quickly refuted. "You are losing too much blood. We need to get you healed before anything else." "You don''t need to worry about me. First Clear of Stage-0 Dungeon is something that even the pioneers will fight over. You shouldn''t leave your hard-earned reward for me." "But your condition-" "It''s okay I won''t die from this." Leon couldn''t speak anymore. He nodded his head and walked toward the door that appeared after the Golem was defeated. As he silently walked, there was only one thought in his head, ''Why do you keep thinking about others even when you are like this?'' *** "It''s okay I won''t die from this." Leon finally shut up. Does this little shit know that he was responsible for 2/3rd of that monstrosity of a Golem? And now after I worked my ass off to defeat it he is trying to take me away from my reward? Heck no, you thief! ''Why is she ring at me like that?'' From the corner of my eyes, I saw Susan stare at me as we walked toward the door. I was walking with Leon supporting me. ''I guess I overdid it.'' My Ether reserves were down to 5%. I used more Ether than I was nning. It wasn''t my fault though. The feeling of being able to touch things and able to see the result of my training after a decade was too exhrating. The n also went without a hitch except for thest part. My n was pretty simple. Have Susan make Golem use its AOE attack. When Susan is fighting the Golem, Leon and I will run behind it and use stairs created by my swords to climb higher in the air. This was to make sure we didn''t get caught up in the uing AOE attack. After the Golem does its AOE attack, I''ll jump down with the clone Leon that was formed from his art''s sixth form. The clone was a precaution I took. The Golem was evolving at a fearsome speed. It would be good if it didn''t notice that I was jumping toward its head. But there was a chance it will notice. Between Leon and me, Leon had higher priority because he was the main damage dealer of our group. This will make Golem attack Leon''s clone, mistaking it for Leon, instead of me. The clone was only for the worst-case scenario. In case the Golem found me while I was free-falling. Can''t believe it happened so naturally. I really do have -13 in luck. After I willnd on the Golem''s head I will use my fused orb and disable the Golem. Ultimately disabling its [Anti-Magic Field] [Anti-Magic Field] was particrly annoying. Not only does it block every magic in its range, but it also dampers skills and arts depending on Mana. With the [Anti-Magic Field] down 90% work was done. Then Leon will use [Hunter Eye] and find its core. Followed by him using his art in those few seconds to destroy the core. Everything was perfect if not for the Golem waking earlier than predicted. I never thought that the Golem will recover before 15 seconds were up. It seems that the duration of the fused orb I calcted was wrong or had some kind of mistake. I was aware of this possibility, but there was nothing that could have been done. Leon and I have acted as fast as possible already. We couldn''t have done it faster. Moreover, this was the first time I used the orb. I couldn''t have known the error duration. "Urgh.." I groaned, remembering I have to think of some excuses as to how I was able to deactivate the Golem and knew about Leon''s art. ''I''ll think about itter. For now, let''s treat me sweet-sweet rewards.'' Chapter 74 [Bonus Chapter] Rewards [2] ''Conqueror''s Trial'' was a Stage-0 Dungeon anyone above Iota-rank can enter and, depending on their capabilities, possibly clear. Leon was the second person to clear this dungeon. As a reward, he got 2 special skills for this Dungeon. One skill was purely power-focused while the other was utility based. Both of them bes a part of his core skill set. But I wasn''t here for Leon''s skill. What I was wanted was the skill taken by the first clearer of this dungeon. That skill was going to be my absolute defense. To fight, offensive ability is necessary. But my goal was to survive. For me, the defense is just as, if not more, important as the offense. Anyway, this skill was going to belong to Tristan. Someone who will beter known as the center of the Business world and the scummiest viin. For me, though, he was the character responsible for Lilith''s suicide and, if everything went as nned, my future vrade. "Urgh.." I groaned, remembering I have to think of some excuses as to how I was able to deactivate the Golem and knew about Leon''s art. "Are you okay? Does it hurt?" Besides me, Leon asked like the nanny he was. Tired of him, I only nodded my head. Also, was he crazy? Of course, it hurts. Rather, it hurt like hell. Just because I have had my arms explode for a decade doesn''t mean it no longer hurts. The pain is still the same as it was during the first time. The thing that changed was me, or to be specific, how I saw things. Those years that I spent in ckouts were challenging. It was where¡­ ¡­my only warmth was my own flesh that melted from the corruption of Nether. ¡­the only thing that destroyed the silence was the sound of my own arms exploding. It was then that I quickly realized. No matter how many of my bones shatter, my flesh melts, and no matter how much I cry or beg to let me out, there will never be an answer. I was all alone in this world. The only thing I had to depend on was myself. And, finally¡­ Finally, I achieved nirvana. The ultimate truth. ''If you can''t fight it, then enjoy it.'' And so my daily sessions of Kaboom began. It was truly the time I enjoyed. Those blood-pumping explosions were exhrating and¡­..wait, do I sound like a masochist? We digressed. Anyway, what I was trying to say was having my arms continuously explode for years, and I got bored. Reacting, crying, or shouting from pain got dull and monotonous after doing it for years. As I was drowning in my inner monologues, Leon shook my shoulder. He was staring at my face, as if checking me up, with a pained expression. "Why is your expression like that? Does it hurt that much? I should go out to bring the Healing Elixir while you take the rewards, I don''t need them." I could only stare at his face, stupidly. Does he realize that even if he goes out to bring the elixir, I still have to go out to take the Elixir from him? If I did as he says, I won''t have to go from the door of the boss room to the Healing Elixir Pool. He will bring it directly to the door of the boss'' room. But that was only a few minutes saved at most. He was ready to give up his reward to reduce my suffering even if only by a few minutes. This guy¡­ "Haaa¡­" He''s hopeless. -Whack! I kicked him to let my frustrations out. It was this attitude of his that always annoyed me the most. "Why did you kick me?" Was this guy stupid? His reward skill was going to be one of the major help for him during the war. Does he even know that this Dungeon''s boss room can only be challenged once? If he refuses his reward, he can never get it again. "I don''t need sympathy from a guy whose future is even darker than a ck hole." "What did you say?" "I said it was a high-five." Leon came closer and checked my temperature. Then he spoke in the most regretful tone he could muster. "It looks like your fever has made you stupid. We do high-five with hands, not kicks." My lips twitched. I can let someone call me stupid, but not this guy. Not the stupidest person ever to exist! I lifted my hands. "My hands are broken. So I can only do a high-five with my legs." Leon''s mouth opened and closed several times. It seems he couldn''t decide if I was wrong or right. With a smug expression, I walked ahead. "Wee back." I froze at Leon''s words. "What do yo-" Leon cut me in between and spoke while scratching his right cheek. "With you acting like before. I felt I had to say it." "¡­." "Say something! It''s embarrassing if you don''t answer after what I just said!" "Your smile disgusts me." "Why you-!?" *** [Congrattions. You have cleared Stage-0 Dungeon ''Conqueror''s Trial] A giant system screen that all three of us could see popped in front of us. All three of us had our hands ced on the crystal ball in the center of the Reward room. [Calcting Rewards¡­.] [Rewards calcted] [Leon Barns, Susan Warner, and Nathan Hunt are awarded a total of 50,000 Exp based on their contribution.] [Leon Barns: 8,007 Exp Susan Warner: 18,789 Exp Nathan Hunt: 23,134 Exp] I was responsible for disabling Golem and I was the one to deliver the final blow. It was natural for me to have the highest contribution. Leon and Susan also understood this. Besides, the main thing wasing up. [Congrattions, awakeners. You have cleared the trial and achieved the conqueror''s approval. Please choose one of the skills as your reward: -> [Golden Turtle [Unique]] -> [??? [Legacy]] -> [Ugly Squid [Legendary]] You have 60 seconds to make your choice. If you haven''t chosen any skill during that time, your reward will be nullified.] [00:01:00] [00:00:59] The countdown started as it was told in the novel. Before making my choice, I checked the skill list for onest second. ''I don''t remember that skill.'' [Golden Turtle [Unique]] was supposed to go to Tristan while [??? [Legacy]] was for Leon. Till here it was the same as in the novel. But I don''t remember reading anything about the third skill in the novel. It was happening again. There were things different from the novel. First was the ''Mephistopheles Earrings'' now [Ugly Squid [Legendary]]. [00:00:45] I realized I didn''t have enough time to ponder over this matter. Leon and Susan were giving me the first choice for saving them back there. I had to choose quickly. [00:00:35] Thinking about the future of my vision, I chose my skill. [Nathan Hunt has chosen [Golden Turtle [Unique]]] [Susan Warner and Leon Barns. Please make your choice from the remaining skills.] My goal was never World Domination or bing the strongest. I only want to survive. I don''t want anything like a life where a random asteroid almost destroys my. And no, I am not joking. This is will happen in the future. I''d rather take the skill I knew about and let it be my absolute defense. Rather than betting on a skill that might be a dud. There was a reason Greed was one of the seven sins. Unnecessary greed will drown me sooner orter. If I think about it, it''s for the better that there is a third skill. I can use the excuse that I took the weakest skill and increase my shares for the First clear reward. I don''t know what the First clear reward is but it should be useful. Even pioneers will fight over the First clear rewards of a Stage-0 Dungeon. It will be valuable no matter what it was going to be. "Leon, you should take the Legacy-grade skill and let Susan take the Legendary-grade one." "Why?" "Since Legacy-grade only means that it is from the Dark ages, Legacy-grade objects can be a pass or a dud." From the corner of my eyes, I saw Susan showing interest in our conversation. Leon was also dumbly nodding. I continued. [00:00:25] "Without Susan, we would have been defeated within a few minutes. I don''t think we should let her take the fall by giving her something possibly useless." Like the dumb idiot he was, he agreed to take the Legacy skill as if it was a failure and let Susan have the ''better'' skill. I seeded in reeling the fish! "Wait. It''s a reward from the dungeon, so it shouldn''t be a dud. Let me have the Legacy skill if you want to thank me." Leon was about to choose when Susan suddenly spoke. Okay so¡­ What! The! Hell! Why can''t she shut her brain off like this guy and act as she was told? Alright, that Legacy skill was powerful. But even I won''t take that skill if I was given the chance to choose again. It was that important for Leon! Susan, without minding my inner turmoil, moved to choose the skill. "Wait!" [00:00:15] Susan stopped, but the time was almost up. I had to do something quickly. [00:00:10] Time continued to tick, but nothing came to my mind. Susan finally lost her patience. Dammit. I didn''t want to do this. "I''ll let you have my First clear reward. In exchange, let Leon take the Legacy skill." There were many things Caim told me. For obvious reasons, it included the power distribution of the universe. The Seven Major Races were currently working together. But that was only on the surface. Once the Hero of Prophecy is found, eminent wars will break out, with the Hero as the prize. ''And currently, I am that Hero.'' I wanted to cry but had no tears. But I steeled my will. I won''t get involved in cosmic wars, no matter what! I need Leon to be strong enough to cause mayhem in the universe. For that, he needs this legacy skill. Without it, he might die during the war on Earth. He has to be so strong that the major races have no time to look for the Hero! The fake hero, me, has to use the real hero, Leon, as bait. So that the fake hero, me, is not targeted after being mistaken as the real hero. What has the worlde to? Susan chose her reward, and Leon shortly followed. [Susan Warner has chosen [Ugly Squid [Legendary]]] [Leon Barns has chosen [???[Legacy]]] [Congrattion on choosing your reward] [First Clear Reward is being calcted¡­.] [First Clear Reward: 3-star Lesser Golem Core ->Traits: [Anti-Magic Field], [Regeneration], [Evolver] ->Activation Conditions: ???] The first clear reward was the Golem we defeated. Only that it was a lower rank than the one we fought. ''I don''t need the First Clear reward of the dungeon. In the grand scheme of things, this was only a small sacrifice.'' Besides, as I had said, Greed is a sin. Leon nudged me and whispered. "Nathan you are drooling. Do you want it that much?" "¡­No. I don''t want it." The Golem will have 3 traits at Meta-rank. If I could rank it up then it will have 4 traits, then 5 traits, and¡­ No, I don''t want it. Greed is a sin! "You can take it." Susan was giving a victorious grin as she spoke. "I only needed to see if your informationwork was as good as you imed it to be. The way you tried to give Leon that skill means that you know about it. So you pass." Her words made me realize something. ''She was fine with any skill. She hampered Leon because she saw me giving him that skill'' She was targeting me since the beginning. "I don''t need the Golem core. You can keep it. In exchange, don''t forget our deal." I nkly nodded. I got the core so...Yay? Chapter 75 [Bonus Chapter] Reasons [1] Screech- -Thud! The door of the Boss room closed after we stepped out. With this none of us can ever go inside again. "What is it?" Leon was staring intensely into the air, probably at his status screen. He turned and spoke in a questioning tone. "It''s nothing, just¡­ Don''t you find it weird?" "Weird what?" "The Exp. Sure, it was 50,000 and if it was solo clear, then clearer will get all that Exp. For an Iota-rank 50,000 exp is 2 levels and more. It''s just¡­." Again with just. Does is hurt to speak in one go!? "The Exp is less? Honestly, with how highly Stage-0 Dungeons are regarded, I thought we will get at least 100,000 Exp for everyone." ''Did he notice it?'' This was also how he got the hidden skill in the novel. Although he is an idiot, he is a smart idiot. Let''s shoot that thought out of his head. I won''t give up on that utility skill. "You are overthinking it. Though we didn''t get much Exp, we did get a skill of Legacy and Legendary grade." Leon sighed in disappointment at my answer, then muttered to himself. "Stingy" Ignoring him, we walked to the Elixir Pool. In our path, Susan and Leon fought many slimes. I didn''t join because of my injuries. Though, the real reason was that the slimes were below Lvl.10. The exp reward was almost non-existent. Reaching the Pool, I marveled at its beauty. It was so clear that one could mistake it for an empty pit. ''No, it is empty.'' From my side, Susan walked ahead and pressed a stone beside the pit. Immediately, water started gushing out of the walls of the pit. After a few seconds, the pit was filled with crystalline water. Just standing near it made my arms ache less. Originally, the first clearer, Tristan sucked the Pool dry. This is why Leon never got to use it and I didn''t know how to make it appear. "You can go in now." I stared at Susan and Leon. Susan, taking the cue, left the area. Leon, puzzled at her actions, looked at me with a questioning gaze. "I need to dip my body in the pool. That way I will heal faster given that I have injuries all over my body and not just in one area." He was still puzzled, so I had to put it clearly for him to understand. "I need to get buck naked. Can you leave?" "What?" "I am going to get buck naked. If you don''t want me to question your sexuality, please leave." I could feel my cheeks burning from shame as I gave the excuse. A few secondster, a grin appeared on his lips. "Oh my, our Nathan is embarrassed? Isn''t he cute?" I barely stopped myself from punching and breaking his grinning face. ''Endure it. Endure it. An insult of this level is nothing.'' Laughing for a few seconds, he stopped and spoke again. "I''ll go. But¡­" - I am going to get buck naked. If you don''t want me to question your sexuality, please leave. "I''ll go bye!" He brought a phone out and grinned and immediately ran after the recording ended. "¡­.." (Pffft) (He is going to show it to Lilith, isn''t he? Good luck, you''ll need it) Eth''sugh brought me out of my stupor. Promptly, I ignored Leon and focused on more important things. As for Leon. If I don''t make him regret this moment of his life then I''ll change my name! I removed my clothes and entered the pool. ''You up for an exnation? Why am I in a dungeon with them and why is my arm like this?'' My left arm was still pitch ck and I couldn''t feel anything with it. But now white lines were running on it. White lines that one will see on circuit designs were embedded on his arm. If I didn''t know any better, I would''ve thought that it was a circuit board that looked like an arm. (It all started on that day¡­) *** "I can''t believe it works." Eth stretched his left arm high whileying on the bed. It looked the same as yesterday, big ck thick. Okay, not thick, only big and ck. But unlike yesterday, it had white patterns running on it. These lines were made of malleable Aether-conducting metal and were embedded in his flesh. They connected his core to the bones in his left arm. Now, if he uses the Ether from his core, he can directly manipte the bones in his arm. And move it. This was the result of the operation he went through today. His arm became cyberpunk-y. Two days after he got the control of body he received an official mail from the Ward. It said. -The investigation of the terror incident inside the Dungeon of Trails isplete. With the collected evidence and the testimonies of eyewitnesses, Cadet Leon Barns and Cadet Lilith Ashdown, we have concluded that Cadet Nathan Hunt had shown exceptional mettle by trying to save hisrades. We have also received a report of the injuries the Cadet suffered in the said rescue. Taking the merit earned by the Cadet in ount, Ward will be allowing the Cadet to use the new bio-design limbs operation¡­.- Eth knew from Nathan''s memory that Ward wasn''t kind enough to help him. After re-reading the message, he understood why the vice headmaster was helping him. ''Testimonies from Cadet Leon Barns and Cadet Lilith Ashdown.'' They lied, saying that they saw Nathan helping in the rescue even when they didn''t. And the location Nathan was found acted as evidence. "Did she ask her dad to help me?" Despite how strict the vice headmaster acted, he had a soft spot for Lilith. Yes, he never showed her any love. But he will always fulfill her requests behind her back. Eth didn''t think mechanizing his arm will change anything. He only decided to undergo the operation blindly. Since he didn''t have any way to fix he might as well try it. This was what he thought before agreeing to the operation. And this was the result. Eth tightened his fist and punched the air. There was no gust of wind produced or a BANG as he had expected. He recalled what the doctors said after the operation. "I can move my arm, but its stats will remain around an unawakened human." Despite Eth''s concern, the surgery was sessful. He gained a moveable arm now. But it wasn''t all perfect. The speed of his punches was slow, and he couldn''t put a powerful force behind them. Eth could only muster strength and speed simr to the unawakened humans in his new arm. This might not matter much in his daily life, but it will heavily affect battles. For ex- Eth might be able to lift 100KG sword with his right arm but he can only lift around 20Kg sword with his new left arm. His left arm was the same as an unawakened human in terms of strength and speed. But it was still better than before. "At least there is some progress." Rome wasn''t built in a day. Now that it was proven that mechanization works, a path to healing the arm was opened up. Eth didn''t know, but this arm was specifically made for him. It was designed to work with his corrupted arm and it should have had stats simr to his own body. Its developer, Trevor Hollered, Rank 2 of 3rd year and top student in the Research Department, was going crazy in his room. For the past few weeks, Leon and Lilith have chased him to work on it. At first, he refused them, but when they showed him the official request from Ward, he was intrigued. After a brief investigation, he found the unique requirements demanded modifications to the limb. The patient''s arm was corrupted from Nether. It was then he understood why he was asked to create the modified parts to add during the surgery. He had a particr stigma that allowed him to mix all kinds of energies and imbued metals with them. Trevor wanted to see if it will work with Nether too. But it did work as he had expected. The patient had thanked him for the sessful operation, but in his eyes; it was a total failure. The arm added zero battle prowess to its wielder. As such, he considered it a failure. -TRING In his room, Eth continued to stare at his arms when his doorbell rang. Standing up from his bed, he walked toward the door. "Is it Isabell? Or is it them?" He was thankful to them, as they always helped him with everything. But Eth was dead tired of them. He always felt his mental energy leaving his body at the speed of light years whenever he talked with them. Who talks non-stop every second?! They talked too much for Eth, who rarely spoke once a day. CLICK- "Susan?" Behind the door was the Rank 1 silver-haired beauty. She was wearing a white cardigan and staring at him with her aloof face. CLACK- While he was trying to find the reason for her visit, Susan walked in and closed the door behind her. Her presence greatly confused him. But since she had tried to rescue him, along with Lilith and Leon, he knew that she didn''t mean any harm. "Should I bring coffee or te-" Swosh- Bam-! Suddenly Susan grabbed him by the neck and smashed him against the wall. "W-what are you d-cough doing?" Chapter 76 Reasons [2] A/N:-Changing One Month[1] to Reasons [1] *** Third Great Disaster. It isn''t wrong to say that if not for the three Irregrs humanity almost went extinct on that day. But they weren''t the only ones who fought to protect Earth. After everything ended, there was no news of the heroes who repelled the invasion. A few weekster, the investigation to search them was underway when Grandmaster Yui showed up at the gates of Aegis headquarters. She was badly injured and it won''t have been wrong to call her half-dead instead of alive. Then, she recounted everything that happened during the invasion, why they kept their identities hidden, and many more things. In exchange, she made it so that all the information will be highly guarded secret. Thus only the titles of the heroes who saved the Earth were announced. This wasn''t the end though. After the Demon Army was repelled, thousands of awakeners were either reported missing or dead. This was the official statement. The unofficial death toll was many times higher. War Maiden, Earth''s youngest Gamma-rank awakener was one such person. She had fought to protect several countries alone. But because of theck of reinforcements, she was ultimately besieged by the demon army and decapitated. Leaving her husband, Noah Oliver, and her daughter all alone in this world. Noah drowned himself in alcohol after his wife died. Unable to cope with the loss he only stared at her pictures and recounted the memories they shared. As the leader of the Dawn Guild, his absence dealt a major blow to his guild. Dawn Guild, having lost much personnel in the disaster and refusal from their Guild Leader to work, quickly fell off their position of the 1st ranking guild. Finally, the elders of the Guild couldn''t watch anymore and intervened. Slowly, they shifted Noah''s attention from the loss of his wife to revenge against the demons. They believed with this Noah''s productivity will soar and the guild will rise back to its previous position. At this time, a piece of particr news spread in the high-ranking awakener''s society ''The Irregrs are no more. Only a single Irregr survived. Aegis is now starting an operation to create a Weapon that will protect Earth in the future.'' Hearing this rumor and confirming it, Noah decided to help Aegis by providing them with the best material that could be turned into a weapon, his own daughter. Revenge was the only thing on Noah''s mind when he decided to sacrifice his daughter. His wife, the youngest Gamma rank awakened had awakened at the age of 11. Yet His daughter had awakened even though she wasn''t even 10. This spoke at length about his daughter''s talent. He thought, no, believed if there was anyone who could kill those demons and get revenge, it will be his daughter. With her talent, Aegis didn''t refuse and began training Noah''s daughter, Susan. Aegis didn''t hold back in training her. They only had one goal. To create the strongest Weapon. A weapon that no matter what the Earth faces will not bend and cut through everything that threatens it. Weeks after weeks, her body was operated on. She was made to go through harsh trials and made to learn their ideologies. Her freedom was taken away from her, and her will was restrained. Naturally, Susan resisted. But her will to resist was slowly bent. She no longer tried to run away from the training or refused to take the enhancements. She became the perfect puppet that only followed orders. The bird that was meant to soar in the sky was caged. This was what she made everyone believe. Her will to be free was stronger than anyone could have anticipated. Living through the harsh reality, she realized early on that she needed to at least fake obedience if she didn''t want to be turned into a puppet. Each day, she lived while waiting for a chance. A chance to escape. And after seven years, the chance finally arrived. For the first time in seven years, she was let out of the secret facility. Aegis had released her to show the world they were developing. Through the seven years, many high-ranking families, guilds, and heroes have poured their resources on her. They wanted to see the results. This was why Aegis admitted her to Ward. As if the stars themselves were shining on her. Her luck only got better from here on. During admission, Ward''s Headmaster, one of the four surviving pioneers, objected to her admission. She objected that unless every and any type of tracker installed on Susan is removed, she won''t allow Susan to enter Ward. If it was any other person, Aegis would have refused, but she was a pioneer, a Sandra-rank awakener of Earth''s forces. With the pressure from the investors, Aegis finally folded and agreed to the Headmaster''s demands. Susan knew that Ward was her only chance at freedom. She knew that she had to find a way in the uing four years if she wanted to escape. She decided to patiently look for that chance. But she never expected that her chance wille so early. During the entrance examination, Susannded in an area infested by blood boars. She was already Iota-rank and didn''t get any Exp from killing them. But she couldn''t leave the area. No matter how much she walked, she always returned to the same point. At first, Susan thought that she was inside an illusion, but after two days, she had to face the truth. She was poor with direction, incredibly so. Then on the third day to pass time, she decided to massacre all the Iota-rank boars in the area. Susan had been trained to always look back at her battles and contemte methods to improve. When she ended her killing spree, she realized that she didn''t get Exp for one boar. She quickly tracked the escaped boar and found that it had joined a stampede. Watching the stampede, she realized that she will be able to leave the area if she followed it. There was no way she will lose directions if she followed the horde. "That boar doesn''t look like it would leave us. I think we need bait to distract it." "Pierce!" "D-don''t.." It was when she was following the horde she found a group of three examinees. From their interaction, she found that two of them were betraying one of their teammates to escape the injured Iota-rank boar. The Iota-rank boar was the one keeping the horde organized. If in one in a hundred possibilities the examinee managed to kill the boar alone, the horde will disperse without anymand. Susan didn''t want to again get lost in the forest. She followed the examinee and the boar to make sure the boar isn''t killed. The boar stopped running after some time, and they fought. Shortly, the examinee was mmed into the ground. Up to here, everything went as Susan expected. It was from here on that things took an unexpected turn. "...Hehehe" The examinee suddenly startedughing. Susan almost believed that he lost his mind from pressure until he spoke his next words. "I need to be there when those guys receive my gift." The meaning behind those words greatly surprised Susan. ''He knew he was about to be betrayed?'' But the more surprising fact was... ''He prepared countermeasures?!'' It has to be noted that because of the manner they were sent to the ind. Most people who banded together were strangers. The ability to notice that a teammate, whose personality you didn''t even know was going to betray you, wasn''t easy. The pressure to pass the exam and the harsh environment only made it more difficult. But to even prepare countermeasures?! Susan couldn''t believe it. She decided to observe him and see if he really did prepare something or if he had just gone crazy. ''Even if he is crazy, I can use him as a guide instead of the boar.'' Surprisingly, by the time Susan made her decision the examinee had already won! Susan wasn''t surprised, though. She could defeat early iota rank monsters when she was just lvl5. For the next few hours, she couldn''t believe what she was seeing. The examinee wasughing crazily as he ran despite his injuries! She almost regretted her decision to leave the boar to die and take him as a guide. But when she saw how he dealt with his ex-teammates, her thought about him changed again. ''Genius.'' That was all she could call him. From their conversation, it was clear that the examinee was ready for his teammates'' betrayal from the beginning and also prepared for it! This level of analytical ability transcendedmon sense. The way the examinee made decisions on the spot and executed was on the level of topmanders she had met in Aegis. Susan thought that it was the end, but the surprises were only beginning. After dealing with his ex-teammates, the examinee climbed a guardian cliff. She then saw him making the statue fall and leaving for another ce. ''Is that an Aether Orb?'' An Aether Orb was precious, even by her standards. The way the examinee didn''t give the orb another single nce made her consider that the examinee had another goal. And that goal was even more important that an Aether Orb. This made her wonder what could the examinee''s goal be. Byzander Ind had been around for so long that anything of value had been excavated. An Aether Orb was already a very big thing. Not to mention something better than it. Sadly for her, she couldn''t follow him anymore when the Sky-Viper came. Although the sky viper ignored the examinee as he was too weak, the same case wasn''t true for Susan. Susan had to leave, otherwise the beast would''ve attacked her. And given the difference in their levels, she would''ve been defeated. Susan tried to go to the next guardian cliff from the ground to follow the examinee. But she got lost, again. Chapter 77 Reasons [3] After the test ended and they were brought back, the examinee remained on her mind. "Nathan" From how he acted and did things, two things were clear: He had a goal and he knew the Ind. The Headmaster herself has prepared everything for this exam. The only other person who knew about this was the leader of Aegis, as his permission was required to use Byzander Ind. Susan is a top-level priority along with Irregrs and Goliath Unit in Aegis. But even she didn''t know what the exam was going to be. Yet that examinee acted as if he had a clear goal since the beginning. The way he navigated on the ind and used the terrain to his advantage showed that he knew about the Ind from before. ''He knew about the content exam and he knew something that is hidden on Byzander Ind.'' Only a proper organization can have this much information. This greatly excited her. Why? The examinee knew something that even she didn''t know. So, he at least did not belong to Aegis. ? As said, Susan was the weapon created to fight to protect Earth. Aegis made sure to cram information about almost all known organizations in her head. So, the examinee who used the exam to take that ''something'' and entered Ward didn''t belong to any Aegis affiliated organization. If he was, he would have requested Aegis'' permission to enter Byzander Ind in the normal way and take that something. ''He is the one! He can help me escape my cage!'' Susan didn''t give a damn if the examinee belonged to Illis or something worse. As long as she can be free, she will do anything. The next few days only proved her hypothesis. After a brief investigation, she found that when that examinee passed the exam, he waspletely covered in blood. Officially, it was recorded that he gained heavy injuries in a fight. Fortunately, he awakened his stigma and won. Using the stat points he gained by ''coincidentally'' leveling at the exact moment he increased his constitution and survived. But Susan begged to differ. She had seen that his eyes were already red even before she lost his track and till then he never lost so much blood. This meant the blood was from something else. ''Body Reconstruction'' Susan was regrly made to undergo some minor and a few times major operations to improve her body. Her condition was always simr to the examinee after every major operation. On the day of the first demonstration, she saw the examinee using a flying sword. But he never used it during the exam even though he barely won against the blood boar. If the flying sword ''stigma'' was so important that he didn''t use it against the blood boar. Then why was he using it openly now? Susan understood it as this: Nathanpleted his mission on the ind. The reward for the sess was the skill that created that flying sword. ''A Legendary-grade skill as a reward¡­'' It meant that the organization was recourse rich if they can award a legendary skill for a mission. From there, she started following Nathan wherever she could to find a chance to talk to him. But no matter what, she never got a chance to meet him. Unknown to her, Nathan was purposely avoiding everyone from the main cast. Susan was losing her patience when she finally got a chance. ''He challenged me to a duel? Does he want to see the extent of my capabilities?'' From her perspective, it did make sense. If Nathan''s organization knew about the location of the exam, which only the Headmaster and leader of Aegis knew, then they must know about her too. ''If they find my performance satisfactory, will they recruit me?'' Thinking so, Susan decided to perform the best of her abilities in the duel. The result was, for better or worse, unexpected. Nathan was down with one punch even though Susan pulled back it at thest second, seeing Nathan wasn''t going to dodge. ''He lost so easily?! No, he must be acting to fit his persona of a low-ranking cadet.'' His acting skills made her raise his evaluation by another notch in her mind. After that, whenever their eyes met, Nathan would ignore her and treat her as air. No matter how much she stared at him, he would never respond. ''Was my performance not up to par?'' Susan started getting anxious. Then came Dungeon of Trials. When she got to know Nathan was on her team, Susan thought the heavens were rooting for her sess. Sadly, for her, the 0th floor was her worst nightmare. A maze. By the time she managed to reach the central room, where Nathan was, everything had long ended. Inside the room, she found Leon, Lilith, Anna, and Cadmus unconscious along with a dead Royal Demon. Outside, she found Nathan facing outward, and in front of him, a horde of minions burnt alive. ''Did he do this?!'' Susan was dumfounded. ''I knew it. He was posing as weak during the duel.'' She was capable of doing the same, but that was only because she was a ''weapon'' and her stigma was an area type. She couldn''t measure the depths of Nathan''s abilities. Later, when the investigation started, abnormal energy signatures were detected in the burnt horde. Susan, thinking that Nathan must have had to use his abilities because of an emergency, stated that she was the one to take care of the horde. As the energy signature from the burnt horde contained signatures of mana, aura, and others. The investigators believed that it was done by a stigma ability and believed Susan. On the other hand, Nathan thought that the investigation never found anything and ultimately gave up. When in truth Susan took care of the issue. Though even if Susan didn''t do anything, everything would have worked out as Nathan thought. Later, Nathan was found in critical condition and the problem regarding his arm came up. Thinking that something might happen to him before she could get in contact with his organization, Susan finally moved first. She left a note. ||I know your secret. Meet me on Sunday if you don''t want to be exposed.|| Since Nathan seemed to have an excellent intelligencework, she thought that he will easily find the sender, herself, after a little digging. So, she waited for the entirety of Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and more in the Public Training center of low-ranking students but he never came. Later she found after listening to Leon and Lilith that Nathan had gone out of Ward. ''He ignored me? That''s it. I''ll meet him directly when hees back. There is no way any organization wouldn''t want me.'' When Nathan came back, he directly tried to rank up, and the condition of his arm deteriorated. When she heard that he might die if Nether went out of control, it shook the entirety of Susan. She felt as if the ray of light she could finally see in the darkness of her cage was about to be blown off. Losing her cool, Susan did something she was banned from. Using her physique''s abilities. With her [Mana Blessed Physique] she used the mana to suppress Nathan''s core itself and calm the raging energy inside his body. She knew that the consequences of her actions would be great, but she didn''t want to let Nathan die. The only way out of her cage. Fortunately for her, Aegis was too cautious. Despite the headmaster''s warning, Aegis hadn''t removed all her restrictions and tracking devices on her. These restrictions were the reason the magic circle appeared behind her while helping Nathan and suppressed her. This time, Aegis, not wanting to anger the headmaster, truly removed everything. It took several days, and she was absent from Ward for this entire duration. Aftering back, she had a newfound confidence. Why wouldn''t she? Even though there should have been some consequences, fearing the headmaster''s wrath, Aegis didn''t do anything to her. She thought she was getting a lifetime''s worth of luck at once. With her newfound confidence, she decided to face Nathan directly. -TRING ''I need to make sure I set the first impression properly. He obviously looks down at me. I need to make sure he doesn''t look down on me anymore. CLICK- "Susan?" ''His eyes are still like that?'' Thinking as such, she entered and closed the door behind herself. CLACK- ''Remember. Strong impression'' "Should I bring coffee or te-" Swosh- Bam-! She grabbed him by the neck and smashed him against the wall. "W-what are you d-cough doing?" Chapter 78 Reason [4] "W-what are you d-cough doing?" Just when Eth thought that Susan wouldn''t do any harm to him she grabbed him by the neck. He tried to remove her hand, but he was too weak to do anything against the monster called Susan. A few secondster, Susan smug and satisfied with her performance released him. She left the corridor and sat on the couch in the living room. "Tea." "What?" "I''ll take tea." Eth, still unsure of what just happened, dumbly proceeded to the kitchen. "What does she want?" As far as he knew there was never any kind of contact with Susan from his side. He tried to think of any reason that will make Susane to his room to no avail. Ultimately he decided to talk to Susan. "..I don''t remember how to make tea." He had asked Susan out of politeness. But he had forgotten that he had no memories for the past 10 years. "Should I go back like this?" Truth be told, Eth didn''t want to talk with Susan. It was because she was someone who used her fists before and talkedter. What happened at the door was a perfect example. She almost choked him to death without giving a reason. "Tea?" Susan questioned him when she saw himing empty-handed. "There is none." "You don''t have tea?" "Sorry about this. I forgot I hadn''t stocked up on tea leaves after thest batch emptied." Eth thought saying he didn''t have tea was better than he didn''t know how to make tea. It was a more believable excuse. As for if his excuse worked¡­ ''Is he taking me for a joke? There is no way a trained personnel like him will forget it.'' In her eyes, Eth was looking down on her. Hasn''t it been the same for the past month? He always treats her like air. Unconsciously, she clenched her fists hard. Eth, who saw her clenching her fists, flinched. ''Calm downdy, it''s only tea. I''ll order some if you want it that much.'' Susan, who was sitting in front of him, breathed out. This chance was too important to ruin it by getting angry. "I know about your secret." Zero progress for the past month made Susan''s patience test its limit. She knew Eth will only dodge the topic until she addressed it directly. Eth, whose nerves were tense because of what Susan did earlier, froze. ''She knows about Nathan?!'' Despite his internally screaming, his expression on the outside didn''t change one bit. Seeing this, Susan got nervous. ''Still ying me for a fool?'' Susan decided to put irrefutable evidence. "I saw how dealt with your teammates during the entrance exam and what you did after. You already had red pupils when you barely won against Iota-boar. Where was your ''Stigma'' at that time?" When Susan spoke about the entrance exam, Eth almost lost hisposure. ''Was she the high-level examinee who dealt with Iota-rank boars? Did she keep following Nathan after that?!'' Eth had never been more thankful for his neutral face. Ever since he gained control after Resonance, he realized that he barely showed his emotions on his face. He contributed this to his past ten years when he only trained single-mindedly and kept to himself. "Also during the ss examination, you were the one who dealt with the horde of minions outside the central room, weren''t you?" ''What the¡­? She knows even that?'' At this point, Eth realized that he couldn''t act oblivious to escape from this situation. With no way to escape, he decided to listen to Susan. Since Susan hadn''t ratted him out, she must have had something to demand from him. ''I hope it''s not what I think it is.'' "And what if I did? What are you trying to say?" Seeing that Eth epted all of what she said, Susan pumped her fists internally. Cough- Clearing her throat, she straightened her back. From her perspective, the next few moments will decide if she could obtain her freedom. "I want to join your organization." ''Now what in the abracadabra bullshit is this?'' Before Eth could ask what she meant by that, Susan continued. "Your actions were instantaneous and direct during the entrance exam. As if you had a specific goal in mind. It showed that you had knowledge about the terrain and had prepared ordingly." Eth nodded his head. "But only the Headmaster and the leader of Aegis knew about the test location. For you to know about it. You must belong to a powerful organization, a hidden one at that." ''I can''t find a w in her reasoning.'' Eth knew that Nathan knew about the ind from the novel. But normally for someone to have that information, they must have a fearsome intelligencework. Susan repeated herself. "I want to join your organization." Eth finally understood why she hadn''t reported him. Susan, thinking he had powerful backing, wanted to use him to escape. He had seen the entirety of Nathan''s past life memories. He had seen Nathan at his lowest and his highest point in life. Naturally, Eth also knew the novel that kept Nathan going. Eth knew what Susan was going through and what she wanted from him. Freedom. He didn''t think she was in the wrong by trying to escape. Anyone in her situation will do that. But there were too many problems here. ''What organization?! How should I even reply? If I refused, she might report me!'' Even if he said that she wanted to escape, it was obvious whom Aegis will trust. Eth couldn''t agree with her demands. There was no organization, to begin with. If he disagreed, there was a danger of getting reported. ''What should I do?'' Eth was caught between a rock and a hard ce. With no choice left, Eth decided to take the middle ground. That is, dying the issue as long as possible. "No, you can''t." "Why?" Susan''s slender white wrists were turning red from clenching too hard. Eth knew that the next time Susan will really choke him to the heavens if the answer he gave was not satisfactory. In the predicament, he decided to use the Art he learned from watching Nathan''s previous life and his experiences. "You failed the test I prepared for you." The Art of Bullshitting. Chapter 79 Reasons [5] "You failed the test I prepared for you." Susan couldn''t understand what Eth was saying. Was she undergoing a test? "What test?" "Did you think I didn''t know that you were watching my moves all this time?" ''If you did. You are absolutely correct.'' Susan''s eyes widened when she heard him. This was the first time Eth saw her expression changing. ''That''s some otherworldly level of beauty, alright. But you can''t trick me with your charms!'' Eth rested his cheek on his right fist. "You began tailing me after I killed the boar. Since it seemed that I had a n to deal with my teammates, you decided that tailing me would be interesting." Eth spoke without hesitation. But of course, he was lying. Though, this was pretty easy to deduce after knowing her personality andparing it with what happened in the exam. For obvious reasons, Susan could have only followed Nathan by the second day at the earliest, when he met with Lark and Ryan. But knowing her personality, he knew that she wouldn''t have kept watching over them for the whole second day and half of the third day from the shadow. Moreover, she didn''t know about Lark''s stigma [Echo-Location]. She should have been detected at least once by Lark, but that never happened. This stigma was the reason Nathan had to make sure Lark was drugged and asleep before sneaking out. ? Coincidentally, in the exam, there was a ''strong examinee'' near them who was ughtering boars. Eth believed that it was Susan. She must have been bored because she was lost and decided to give up on Exp and only focused on points to pass the exam. He also knew that as a weapon, Susan was trained to leave not a single enemy alive. She must have followed the boar after it escaped. After that, she must have found Nathan interesting when he spoke about the ''gift'' he left and went all ballistic to fight the boar. This must be how she started following Nathan. "You knew?" He nodded his head. Eth knew about the habits nobody other than Susan knew. He used the fact that only Susan knew about her exceptional direction skills and used them to fabricate the lie. ''It''s working!'' Seeing that Susan was getting convinced, Eth decided to push harder. "Even the duel I challenged you to. Tch tch.. must I say how horribly you failed?" Before this both, Nathan and Eth believed that Susan epted the duel to deter anyone else from challenging her. But with the new information, Eth thought like this: She must have thought that Nathan wanted to see if she has the potential to recruit her. When in reality he was only challenging her to escape Lark. ''Nathan, even I pity you now. You paid so much attention to make sure that you don''t get involved with ''main-cast'' but here is Susan, following you from day one.'' "What did I do wrong?" "You patiently waited for seven years to escape. Yet when you found a chance, you couldn''t keep yourselfposed for even a month. From how you acted during the duel, anyone could have guessed that you were targeting me and had something to do with me." Contrary to how Leon had assumed, Nathan was aware of the constant stares from Susan. But Nathan always thought that she was ring because he had pissed her off somehow. Susan''s body shook. ''He knew that I was nning to escape?!'' Eth gloated internally when he saw Susan shake. Of course, he knew about her ns to escape. This was something she exposed to Leon in the 2nd year. "Do you understand why you failed?" Eth spoke again to make sure Susan didn''t question him any more. The two proofs he gave her were all that he could think of to trick her. If she asked anything more, to prove the lie might be busted. "¡­Why?" Eth shook his head to show his disapproval. "Because you couldn''t even wait for me to contact you. Even if you couldn''t wait, you should have at least made sure that nobody makes any connection between us." "B-but the only connection they can make is that I have some grudge against you." "And that is enough for people to doubt me. Why will you someone who was trained to be emotionless is holding a grudge against me?" Susan tightened her fist. She had noeback. ''Phew¡­ I diverted a huge disaster. Hurry back, Nathan! I don''t want to clean up your mess'' -Cr..rack! Eth flinched when he heard the sound of the table cracking. Susan was gripping the table so tightly that the specially made durable table edges were being crushed. Gulp- ''She won''t attack me out of spite, right?'' It is said that even rat fights back when they are cornered. Eth understood this fact. The perfect example was Nathan''s past life itself. If Eth left things as they were, Susan would either report him or attack him here and now. Option 1 meant a slow and horrible death, along with the possibility of torture. While Option 2 meant quick death with his head being popped up like the lid of coke. He had to calm her down and take the middle ground as he had nned. "But¡­" Susan looked up at Eth when he began speaking again. "You have good potential. I might give you a chance." Eth was nning to make her follow all his orders. This way he can stall by saying she was in the testing phase and he will get an OP ve! Susan''s eyes immediately brightened again when she saw that all hope was lost. "Yes, I have potential! I will definitely reach Sandra-rank in the future. I can prove it. You just need to send me to a dungeon and I can solo it." There were three types of dungeons: Stage-0, Stage-1, and Stage-2. Stage-1 dungeons have monsters from Meta-rank to Enma-rank. While Stage-2 dungeons have monsters from Te-rank to Gamma-rank. Moreover, one can only clear a dungeon when a boss monster is killed. Until then, one cannot leave the dungeon. Even for Susan to clear even a Stage-1 dungeon alone was impossible. She was strong, but ranks existed for a reason. The gap between Iota-rank and Enma-rank wasn''t something to scoff at. ''Is she that desperate to escape? There is no way she can solo a dungeon at her current level. I should just tell her to think properly and calm her.'' "I know I can''t clear a dungeon, but if it''s a Stage-0 with monsters below Enma-rank I can solo it. Stage-0 dungeons take a huge amount of resources to clear. This should be profitable for you and I can prove that myself." Stage-0 dungeons were ''unique dungeons''. Unlike normal dungeons that are ssified by their Aether concentration, Stage-0''s can not be ssified. Fighting against an army alone, hunting legendary monsters, Possessing and roleying as someone in the past, finding a treasure within a time limit. Stage-0 dungeon can have anything. The requirements to clear them were just as hard. The system always notifies the dungeon level along with the number of stars and level of the strongest monster inside the dungeon. Susan believed if Eth''s organization knew things like the location of Ward''s exam and her n to escape, they must know the location of many Stage-0 dungeons. This was why she proposed the deal. ''She got me.'' Eth wanted to refuse, saying that it wasn''t possible to solo clear a Stage-0 dungeon. But he couldn''t. He couldn''t say that because the speaker was the ''weapon'' created to protect Earth. As long as it was within her rank, the number of ''things'' that can defeat her can be counted on two hands. ''Should I refuse? No, I can''t'' As Susan had said, the deal was too profitable for ''his organization''. Moreover, Susan seemed to be on the verge of losing it. He didn''t know what she could do if he refused. "Okay. If you are that confident, then I''ll have you clear one dungeon." It was then he saw Susan smile for the first time. The radiant smile which yet had to lose its innocence in this harsh world seemed very bright to him. "Then it''s a deal." Susan''s words broke him out of his stupor and they shook hands. *** "So you are telling me you agreed to bring her here because she was about to go off with your head?" (Yeah, that''s what happened.) "What about the consequences?" (Consequences?) "Yes, she is being tracked, remember?" (The trackers and restrictions were removed from her because Aegis got caught when she suppressed your Ether core.) "Then what if someone followed you guys?" (Leon made sure that no one was tailing us.) I nodded my head. Leon had a very high perception. If he didn''t notice anyone following them then it was safe to assume that everything was fine. "There still could have been consequences that we didn''t know." Susan was the perfect example. Knowing that she had been following me since the beginning was the same as knowing you were 5 months pregnant with your ex-boyfriend''s child. It wasn''t funny. (That''s not my problem.) What was this guy saying? What wasn''t his problem? We were both sharing one body, for god''s sake! (You were the cause of the problem with Susan. She was tailing YOU because YOU messed up. Yet I was the one to solve the problem.) (It''s because of me that Susan didn''t go off with OUR head.) Eth''s tone was a mixture of smugness and annoyance. (You should thank me instead.) He was telling me to deal with future problems because he dealt with mine. "Wow, you are an asshole." (You don''t need to praise me.) "This guy¡­" Where was he learning this shameless behavior? With theck of his memories, shouldn''t be more like a clean te rather than the titled asshole he was behaving as? Chapter 80 What Now? [1] I finally understood why Susan was so smug about tricking me into thinking that she was taking the Golem Core. "She must have felt ecstatic when she could get one up at the person who was causing her stress for the past month." How petty. It seems there is not one normal person in this world. I also understood her reason for giving up on the Golem core. She couldn''t use the core herself because Aegis always kept a tight watch on her belongings. Even saying that Golem Core was the reward from a trial in Dungeon of Trials wasn''t possible. Dungeon of Trials gave impressive rewards but 3-star Meta-rank Golem Core was too much for lower levels. Instead, giving me the Golem core was better. That way she could increase her favorability with me and her chances of getting into the organization. (Ah!) (Susan had asked me for the organization''s name.) "¡­And your answer was?" (An organization that remains in shadow yet has an intensive informationwork. It also has powerful members given how a kid like you is so strong.) He possibly didn''t use that name, right? (It''s ¡­..) (Its name¡­..) (Its name is¡­) "Round Table" (Bingo!) I had many things I wanted to ask, but I ultimately decided against them. "How did you even think that using the future''s biggest viin band''s name for our organization was good?" "You know what? Forget it. I don''t even want to hear your reasons." After talking about Eth, I continued floating in the pool. Floating in this pool made me feel better. It was healing me physically and spiritually. Even the lowest-grade elixir sells for 30 times the price of the lowest-tier healing potion. This was because elixirs have a powerful healing ability iparable to that of potions. The grade for potions and elixirs went like this: Lowest grade< Low grade< Mid-grade< High grade< Excellent grade. Healing potions can only provide regeneration of limbs from Mid-grade. While Elixirs could do so from the lowest grade. I had been nning toe to this dungeon to chop my arm off and regenerate it. Until I found that even my soul had a damaged arm. The currency of this world was Bit or B. Bits were equivalent to dors from my previous life. That is 1 Dor = 1 Bit. The cost of the lowest-tier healing potion varies from 5,000 B to 10,000 B. It wasn''t wrong to say I was swimming in money. "It''s healing me spiritually, too." (Lowest grade elixir only heals physical injuries) "I know." While my injuries were healing, I decided to check my new arm. "It''s slow to move and I can''t put much force behind it." This was the same as the arm I got in the memory world. It seemed the arm I got was because the surgery was done on Eth. (It should have been ssified as a weapon if it worked as nned. But now it is a failure.) "I wouldn''t call it a failure." It was usable to a satisfactory degree. But more importantly, I had spent many years with this arm. Even if the appearance was different, the feeling was exact. This was why it didn''t take me long to adjust to it and I was able to fight quickly. "I wonder if it can still be ssified as a weapon." I stretched my arm and activated a skill. "[Pierce]" Swish- My nails elongated and grew by 5 feet. (It is ssified as a weapon by the System. But why? It''s weaker than even a normal arm.) My skill [Pierce] description was this. [Pierce [Common]]: Extend the tip of your weapon by 5 feet. The System was the one to activate system-skills. As long as the System ssifies anything as a weapon, the skill will work. This was also shown in the entrance exam. The System did not ssify the broken spear I had when I attacked the Iota-rank boar as a ''weapon''. This led to the failure of skill activation at that time. (This can be useful in battl¡­What are you doing?) "Ah~I can finally scratch my back~" Scrub- Scrub- (Haah.. You are already healed. Why don''t you take that skill now?) Heeding Eth''s words, I took a deep breath. Huuuu- Then, I dived into the pool. The pool wasn''t deeper than 20 feet. Reaching the bottom, I began touching the surface and looking for an area that was hard. I had to go above to take in air a few times before I found what I was looking for. Tock- Tock- I tapped at the hard surface to make sure it was actually hard. My hands were bing numb from being in the water for too long. ''Looks like either elixir doesn''t heal numbness or it only heals after a certain level.'' I channeled Ether in my fist and punched. Bam-! The sound was dull because I was underwater. I again punched. Bam-! Finally, the ground showed a crack. After punching a few more times, the crack erged. It was now big enough to put my hand through it. And that was exactly what I did. ''It should be around somewhere here.'' My nose twitched. The sand got into my nose as I was pressing my cheek against the ground while searching for the object. ''There it is.'' Feeling the cylindrical object, I pulled it out. ''The most clich¨¦, yet essential skill of every protagonist in system genre.'' *** "You took longer than I thought. Were your injuries that serious?" I shook my head at Leon''s concern. Then our party of three continued moving out. With me joining in killing the slimes, we were quickly able to leave the dungeon. Finally, we reached arge swirling mass of Aether. It continuously changed its color and continued floating. This was the ''Return Pill''. Obviously, it wasn''t a pill. It was asrge as a three-story building in diameter. While I was admiring the Return Pill, Leon bowed. "Thank you for bringing me along." Looking at him, I remembered that I still didn''t know why Eth had brought him along. ''Why did you bring Leon?'' (I thought Susan will take the skill. I had to bring him to give him that. I was nning to either give up the clear reward to Susan or not give her anything, depending on the reward.) Using Susan as freebor? Nice Ide- I mean this guy getting worse by the day, isn''t he? ''What excuse did you give him?'' (I coincidentally found the dungeon. I was nning on bringing him and Lilith. But Susan caught me and I had to bring her instead or she would expose the dungeon.) ''Let me guess. He believed you in a heartbeat.'' (Double Bingo) Honestly, at this point, I could no longer avoid Leon. I had already gotten involved with him to the point I could no longer pull out. Then, I might as well use him. "It''s nothing much. Of course, I would bring you a friend." Leon smiled when he heard me call him ''friend''. I nodded my head at his smile. "That''s creepy, alright. You should make sure you don''t smile or no girl will evere near you" Leon''s eye twitched. But he ignored my provocation and spoke something different. "You don''t need to worry. I''ll make sure to hide the extent of your stigma" "Thank you for understanding." Leon was the good guy. He didn''t even try to ask why I was hiding my ''stigma''. (He''s too gullible.) I agreed with Eth. I had used my art in front of them and was creating 5 swords at once. I did it to fight the Golem. But I didn''t use my art to its full potential. This was because it wouldn''t have made any difference even if I used it too maximum. The main reason I used 5 swords at once was that Lark had seen me using them during the Dungeon of Trials. He should have already told the news to many. There was no point in hiding my art very much. Rather, it was the perfect chance to slowly reveal its real capabilities. ''I need to deal with Lark too.'' "I''ll meet on the other side." Vupp- With my heart trembling from excitement, I touched the Return Pill. Chapter 81 What Now? [2] Vupp- Coming out of the dungeon, I breathed in the cold air. My clothes fluttered from the gentle morning winds, and the smell of morning dew permeated my nose. "I''m back¡­" ''..after ten years.'' The damp air felt refreshing to breathe. I never thought I will feel thankful for being able to feel the wind brush against me. Vupp- ''Just when I was getting sentimental.'' I turned around. Leon and Susan had also arrived. Leon looked at the sun and then at our surroundings. He confirmed something and spoke. "Only a few minutes passed since we entered the dungeon. How?" "The dungeon was Stage-0 so the time dtion is 1:25." The time dtion ration for Stages was:- Stage-0:Stage-1:Stage-2 = 1:5:25 Earth was Stage-2 while the dungeon was Stage-0. So, although we spend a few hours inside, only a few minutes had passed on Earth. Leon nodded his head at my exnation. Then, waiting for a few minutes, he spoke again. "Why are we not leaving?" At the cue, a string of notifications appeared only in front of my eyes. [You have found the hidden skill.] [You have conquered the Stage-0 Dungeon ''Conqueror''s Trail.] [You hadpleted the task alone.] [Preparing additional rewards¡­..] [Rewards Prepared: +3 levels] The string of notifications was something only I could see. A Stage-0 dungeon has twopletion levels. First is the basic ''cleared''pletion level. Second is the ''conquered''pletion level. Conqueredpletion level is not necessary for a sessful dungeon raid. Also, a Stage-0 dungeon can be conquered only once. For ''Conqueror''s Trial'' finding the hidden skill was needed for conqueredpletion. ''It''s leveling time!'' [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] Feeling ecstatic I answered Leon. "It''s nothing. Let''s go." We began walking down the mountain. This was a no-name mountain in the mountain range that separated Downtown from the rest of Bermuda Ind. The only detail about this mountain in the novel was ''The mountain that has three rivers intersecting at its base'' ''How did you even find this dungeon in this mountain range?'' (We didn''t. Leon did.) (I only told him the description, and that I forgot the exact location. He managed to sniff it out with those clues.) I turned to Leon. Sensing my gaze, he tilted his head. "Is there something you want?" "Your luck." "What?" "Nothing" Thinking I was acting stupid again, Leon returned his focus to trekking down. ''How cruel? Is this the extent of your friendship? I do want you luck!'' I was sweating a lot as we were trekking down. The heat was unbearable. Fanning myself with my hand, I saw the other two. ''Are they carrying an AC with them? Howe they look so fresh while I look like this?'' It wouldn''t be wrong to say I was soaked with sweat. Then, I learned something new. ''Comparing myself with them will only demotivate me.'' Getting exhausted while going down, I decided to check my status as a means of motivation. "Status." ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Iota Level: 15 Exp: 3,200/30,000 Remaining SP ¨C 20 Stigma: [Iridescence] -->Stats: Strength ¨C 14 Agility ¨C 24 Stamina ¨C 17 Constitution ¨C 21 Ether ¨C 32 Intelligence ¨C 20 Luck ¨C -13 --> Arts: [Armory of Eridu [Legacy]] A legacy left behind by one of the twelve ancient heroes. It''s the ultimate art of weapon creation and summoning. Upon mastery, the user can create an uncountable number of weapons to overwhelm any battlefield. Mastery - Proficient -->Skills: [Pierce [Common]] [Golden Turtle [Unique]] [Appraisal [Legendary]] [Synchronization] --> [Quest]: ========= ''It''s good.'' I repeatedly nodded my head. ''This is what I am talking about.'' I finally looked a tiny bit strong. With my current status, I won''t have to worry about dying at the hands of a random robber! ''20 SP from 4 levels. That is 5 SP per level.'' This might not seem much now. But in the future, it will make a huge difference. Consider someone with 2 SP/level. If he goes from Iota-rank to Enma-rank, that is Lvl 11 to Lvl 26, he will gain 30 SP. But I will gain 75 SP with my 5 SP/level talent! ''Hehehe. I can see myself bing the OP side character.'' Then I focused on my stats. ''My Ether stat grew the highest when I ranked up. From 23 to 32.'' ''While my Strength stat grew the least. Only 2 stat points.'' ''Still, the result is good. At least all of my stats incre- no wait.'' I focused on that one negative stat. ''It''s still -13? Shouldn''t luck also increase after leveling up? Why is it the same!'' Cursing at the great-great-great ancestors of the universe, I walked out of the mountain range. "We are going to miss the train!" Leon suddenly shouted while he was checking his watch. Swosh- Then, without waiting for us, he bolted towards the station. Behind him, Susan and I followed the suit. Swosh- Swosh- "The next train?" "There is none. Almost all trains are canceled because of the Great War Anniversary." All three of us ran at our fastest. We began running without minding our surroundings. "Did I just bump into something?!" "I don''t know. And look ahead while running!" Ward didn''t forbid us from going outdoors on holidays. Missing sses because of that, however, was a different case. One month detention, cleaning the bathrooms for a week, meeting the Vice-Headmaster. All of this waited for us if we missed the sses! Thanks to the Annual Great War Anniversary, no vehicles were allowed on the road. The roads were almost empty. The train was ourst option. It was also thanks to the empty road that we could run at our top speed without obstruction." "Huff.. Run slowly.. you are running to.o..huff..fas..t" This was me, by the way. Running at my top speed was draining my stamina at an rming pace. Smirk- Susan turned and gave an irritating smirk when she heard me. Unable to look at that smirk anymore, I looked at Leon. ''I can understand, Susan, but why is he faster than me?'' Leon''s stats should be equal if not lower than mine. But I quickly realized the reason behind his unending stamina and cursed him just as quickly. ''[War God Physique] is a total cheat!'' Running at our top speed proved to be a good choice. We were almost at the station. The problem was I had run out of gas. "Shu..ld I uze ..huff.. Sta.. poin..huff..s" I could barely take another step. WEEOOWEWOWEEWOO- "THE THREE AWAKENERS RUNNING IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. STOP RUNNING. I REPEAT. THE THREE AWAKENERS RUNNING IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. STOP RUNNING." WEEOOWEWOWEEWOO- "YOU ARE UNDERARREST FOR BREAKING RULE UNDER SECTION 420: ALL AWAKANERS ARE BANNED TO USE THEIR SUPERIOR PHYSICAL ABILITIES IN PUBLIC AREAS, AND SECTION 62-1A: AWAKENERS ARE BANNED TO CAUSE ANY HARM TO PUBLIC PROPERTIES UNLESS IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES" WEEOOOWEWOWEEWOO- "THE THREE AWAKENERS RUNNING IN BROAD DAYLIGHT. STOP RUNNING. I REPEAT. STOP RUNNING." The Gia''s AI police, Boogeyman, began ring rms at us. It had a giant metallic body that was tall as a one-story building. Two thin pipe-like arms that had a w at their ends. A round head with a single eye and one tire to act as its base. It was also wearing a ck cap and a ck shirt with the golden logo of the police, an eagle. ''Just my luck.'' We were still a bit far away from the station and the boogeyman was already catching up to us. "What should we do? Should we stop?!" "No, of course not. Run faster!" Getting caught was not an option. Ward was going to make us ''train'' thoroughly if there were any criminal records against us. Moreover, Lilith''s dad should already be eyeing me and Leon because of how chummy she was getting with us. He won''t let us go easily! "Run as if your life is depended on it!" Because it literally did. The pressure was so much that I was already speaking without huffing! "I''ll take care of the Boogeyman! Keep running!" I immediately stopped and used my stat points. [Stamina ¨C 17 --> Stamina ¨C 20] [Agility ¨C 24 --> Agility ¨C 30] I immediately felt my fatigue lessen and my muscles tightened. ''[Domination Decree]'' An invisible pressure descended on the area. Swosh- I turned around and stopped running. ''Construct'' Phzzzt- Watching my movements, the boogeyman also stopped. "SCANNING THE AWAKENER TO GET A MATCH. SCANNING..SCANNING..ERROR! ERROR! NO MATC-" Swish- A one-meter-long spear flew straight for the boogeyman. The attack was sudden and precise. The spear flew to its marks without deviating. Grab- But the boogeyman easily caught it. "AGGRESSION FROM AWAKENER DETECTED. ACTIVATING BATT-" "[Pierce]" The spear in the boogeyman''s hands suddenly elongated and pierced its head! "BAT¡­TLE M..OD¡­." The boogeyman spoke for onest time before shutting down. Swosh- I immediately started running again. The moment I reached the station, I saw the door closing. Fortunately, with my increased agility, I was able to get inside in time. "Huff..Huff.." "Did you attack it?" A concerned Leon asked. Attacking the boogeyman wasn''t simple. If get caught now, our sentence will be at least tripled. We will also have to givepensation for damaging it, which was around 100,000 B. "Yes, there was no other choice." Thump- Leon slumped on the desk with an empty look. It seems he had given up on the future. "Money, money, money,.." Leon started repeating the word ''money'' like a broken trantor. ''He''s overreacting.'' (Because you never said that you took care of it properly.) There was nothing to worry about. When the boogeyman was running after us, it never saw our faces. Also, I used [Domination Decree] before turning. With the skill''s ability to mask my entire being, even the robot wasn''t able to scan me. So, all in all, we were safe. "Money, money, money,.." (What about the cameras at the station?) "Eh?" (Eh?) Crap, I forgot them. But I still didn''t get agitated. I had an OP helper with me! "Susan, can you?" Susan''s eye twitched as she saw me requesting to take care of the issue in case anything happens. But ultimately, she nodded. "Money, money, money,.." "Haaaa.." I slumped beside Leon. -Ting! ¨CTing! I pulled my ringing device. [Note to all Cadets. The mid-term examination will begin the next week.] The notification was about the mid-terms that were going to begin shortly. It reminded me of something. But I didn''t worry. Eth should have done that in my stead. "I didn''t study at all" (Me too.) "What?" (What?) -Ting! ¨CTing! [Failure to pass the exams will result in expulsion] And so began my 7days of hell. Chapter 82 The Calm.... [1] Entering Ward Leon, Susan, and I walked to the transportation hub near the main gates. The transportation hub had many different types of vehicles. Flying saucers, flying boards, flying cars and bikes, and many more. Ward was too big to traverse on foot alone. If I walk on foot it will take me at least a half-dozen hours to go from one end to another. Most of the time Cadets will use the transportation hubs that were evenly spread throughout Ward. I walked to a flying board and began operating it. [Scanning¡­.Scan Complete.] [ID: Rank 2169, Nathan Hunt] [Please choose your destination.] "Library" [Destination Chosen: Library] [Fees: 2 Credits] I tapped my device and transferred the credits. Credit was the currency used inside Ward. It is given based on Merit, Mission Completed, total floors climbed on Dungeon of Trails, Grades, Rank, or given by professors. Credits to Bit ratio was 1:100. We can convert our credits to Bits at the counter at the main gate. Sadly, you can''t convert Bit to Credit. Cadets below Rank 500 get 10 credits monthly. From Rank 100 to Rank 499 one gets 20 credits monthly. To Rank 26- Rank 99, 30 credits were given monthly. While the Top 25 get 100 credits monthly. Also, everything inside Ward costs us credits. That involvesundry, food, and study materials. We have to pay for them from our own pockets. There was a free version for everything too but they weren''t very usable. Once I gave my white shirt into the freeundry section. It waste by a month. Aspensation, they gave me a free service. Now, I have a rainbow-colored shirt in my collection. "You are going to the library?" I nodded. With exams from next week and me knowing nothing, I have to start cramming if I wanted to pass. "I didn''t study anything." Leon who was walking away froze. He had a conflicted expression on his face. "I wille with you. I also haven''t studied anything." I shook my head and didn''t say anything. In truth, he should have studied. It''s just that his grade never goes up no matter how hard he studies. He will always get one mark more than a failing grade and pass. Ward''s entrance written examination is said to be one of the world''s most difficult tests. Leon got 331/1000 in it. One mark more than a failing grade. Then I said goodbye to Susan and stood on a flying board with Leon. While we were flying to the library I decided to use the second trick I learned in the memory world. I started channeling the Ether and Nether and controlled the flow. Fweesh- Unlike what happens during the fusion of orbs the Nether and Ether started flowing backward. From my fingertips to wrists, then to elbows, to shoulders, to diaphragm, and finally near my core. There I began fusing them. Shortly, they were mixed properly and achieved harmony. This harmonized energy was imperceptible. I manipted this harmonized energy and enveloped it around my core in a thinyer. To check if what I was trying to do was done, I turned to Leon. He looked at me and tilted his head. "Did you just be weaker?" "No?" I inwardly smiled. ''It worked. Even Leon is fooled!'' Back in the memory world when I was learning to create a fused orb. I noticed that whenever Ether and Nether achieved harmony I could no longer sense them. Not just them, I couldn''t sense even the harmonized energy that was formed. It waspletely undetectable. A few monthster I came up with an idea. ''What if I wrap this harmonized energy around my core? By controlling the thickness of the wrapping, can''t I control the energy waves that leave my core?'' The energy waves escaping the core is an automatic action and can''t be controlled. It is also what everyone uses to determine one''s rank and level. What I did just now was camouge to hide my level. I leveled up four times this morning. Levelling so many times at once wasn''t normal. Thus, I decided to hide my level for now. Although I doubt I needed it now it was always better to be cautious. *** "Woah!" Leon gasped loudly as soon as we entered the Library. He was acting like a country bumpkin. I wasn''t any different though. Books, carried by small mechanical dragonflies, were being carried everywhere. Almost every dragonfly was of different color and shape. Coupled with the archaic looks of the library and theforting silence, it gave a peaceful ambiance. Despite dozens of the cadets sitting on this floor, there was no noise. This was because noise cancetion and istion spells set were set around each table. From inside your voice won''t go out even if you shout. One has to speak at a low volume for his voice to leave the spell''s effective area. ''Rank-4 magic spells on each table. There are at least a hundred tables on this floor and there are 4 more floors.'' Even if noise cancetion and istion were the easiest Rank-4 spells they still cost a lot. These fields around the tables weren''t pure magic. They were abination of technology and the spells were used minimally. ''But even then it will still cost a ton.'' I was again reminded that Ward was the top institution in the world. Buying only one table from here was enough to make me broke. It had to be noted I wasn''t poor. I had 50,000 B in my ount. "Let''s go there." I chose an inconspicuous corner. Sitting there we typed the books we required on the panel. This panel was for ordering books. [History of Earth: First, Second and Third Great Disaster; Quanti-Mechanics; Three Dimensions and their possibilities; The Void Abyss, Stage-0 Dungeons and their Origins; Green Alchemy; Gold Alchemy; have been chosen] [Please wait for a few minutes while the books are being brought to you by your Quaterfly.] ''Quaterfly'' was the name of those mechanical dragonflies. Each cadet has one Quaterfly assigned to them for the entirety of their time in Ward. I had mine assigned when I came to this library a few weeks ago. "Switch off your device." "Why?" "Just do as I say." Leon powered his device off at my words. I also did the same. ''Good. There won''t be any interference for a few hours at least.'' Bzzzz- Two Quaterflies arrived at our tables. The noises produced by the rapid movement of their wings were so low that I could barely hear them even from 5 feet away. A big golden Quaterfly gave Leon his books and went back. While a small red Quaterfly ced my books in front of me and sat on my head. I opened the ''Quanti-Mechanics'' and started reading. The book exined that¡­ "I don''t understand a word." Closing the book I massaged my eyebrows. For the past fifteen minutes, I was unable to understand a single word. It wasn''t that I was stupid. In my previous world, I was a country topper during my elementary years and middle school years. The only reason I wasn''t the country topper for high school was that I never went to high school. But this world''s science was to advanced! "Should I just cram everything without understanding it?" That seems to be my only choice. "What do you want?" I irritably asked Leon. For the past fifteen minutes, he''s been continuously peeking at me. As if he had been waiting for me to ask, he jumped to answer. "Your quaterfly is so cute. It''s been quietly perching on top of your head. Why is mine like this? It won''t even bring the books I ask. Let alone letting me touch it." I peeked at my Quaterfly. It had its eyes close and was sleeping on top of my head. ''To me, it looks morezy than cute.'' Every Quaterfly has a different AI installed in them. This gave each quaterfly an original personality. -Bang! Suddenly our table shook. "Guys~ I''ve been calling you non-stop why were your devices off?" ''Not even an hour has passed. How did she find us so quickly?'' A few strands of Lilith''s apricot hair stuck to her damp forehead. She probably ran here directly after knowing we were here. It took Eth and Leon two days to find the Stage-0 Dungeon. At that time their devices were switched off and left at another ce to avoid tracking. Lilith''s face was red from anger as she repeatedly banged our table. She was probably worried sick because we''d been missing for the past two days. Bzzz- The big golden quaterfly in Lilith''s hand told me how she found us so quickly. Leon''s quaterfly was trying to escape Lilith''s grip. s, it was too weak to escape. Chapter 83 [Bonus Chapter] The Calm.... [2] "Do you even have any ide-!" Lilith stopped speaking and her eyes widened in surprise. Then, she grabbed me by my shoulders and shook me happily. "Nathan your eyes! They''re red again!" For obvious reasons, Eth wasn''t able to use my art, at least not properly. This along with the green eyes made everyone worry. They thought something serious was going on with me. So, my eyes being back to red meant I was recovering. Resulting in Lilith''s joy. "How did this happen?" "He got hit. Eyes back to red. Can use his stigma." Leon answered in my stead like a tape recorder. ''Can he not lie?'' What was with this disgusting clich¨¦? Lie properly, will you?! EVerything he said was a truth. The only lie was that it happened in the Stage-0 Dungeon while he was supposed to say it happened in Dungeon of Trials. He wasn''t even lying! Yet he could barely form a sentence. Fortunately, Lilith didn''t pay attention to that broken tape recorder. After a few minutes, she calmed down and also sat with us to study. Seeing everything had settled down I decided to question her. "How did you find us?" "I was in the public training center and noticed a quaterfly was buzzing there. Looking closely I found that it was Leon''s." Apparently, Leon''s quaterfly went to Lilith to bring her here. I turned to that big golden dragonfly who was hiding behind Leon. Afraid of Lilith. ''Serves you right. Who told you to bring her, here?'' Then we resumed our studying. "Look¡­." "Hey¡­" "Why not¡­." "No, we should¡­" Leon and Lilith began talking to each other. Leon, who had been worrying about his grades this morning, had a carefree smile on his face. I shook my head when I saw his smile. ''How can he smile? Can''t he see how stressed I am? But don''t worry as your good friend I will share my stress with you.'' I pulled Leon and whispered in his ears. "Name: Lilith Ashdown; Year:1st year; Stigma:[Blood Bang], Overall Rank: 23rd" Leon looked at me with a questioning gaze. I stopped him and continued. "Written examination rank from the entrance exam:4th; Score:1000/1000; Note: A genius. She is the 35th person to get full-score on Ward''s entrance''s written examination since its founding 70 years ago" She was ranked 4th in the written examination because the top3 got more than perfect scores. "Even if she doesn''t study she will get full marks but you on the other hand¡­" Lilith was that one friend who will always waste time ying and partying. Yet will always get a high score. Leon, after listening to me scooted away from her. "We should.." "Maybe that will¡­" "Why aren''t you list¡­. "Leon, listen¡­." From then Leon didn''t give in to worldly desires and focused on studying. ''You are doing good, my child.'' Satisfied with him I also focused on cramming. Dozen minutester Lilith grumpily gave up and also focused on the books in front of her. Several hours passed like this. It was around evening when another ''hindrance'' joined. "Can I sit here?" "Yeah" Cadmus pulled back a chair and sat on it. Unlike Lilith, he quietly began studying. "What is that?" I looked at where Lilith was pointing. A 3 feet long green rattlesnake with a pair of bat-like wings was wrapped around Cadmus'' neck. I inwardly gave Lilith a thumbs up. I also wanted to ask that question since the beginning. "Joe." "Joe who?" "Joe my Quaterfly. I customized it." We nodded our heads at the exnation. It seems changing the appearance of our quaterfly was also possible. *** Cadmus was going through the library when he saw an odd group. Leon, Nathan, and Lilith were sitting at a table in an inconspicuous corner. These days it wasn''t umon to see them together. Though most of the time it was Leon and Lilith who followed Nathan everywhere. As Cadmus walked closer he noticed that all of them were studying. Seeing this he got an idea. ''I need to get closer to Leon. This is a good chance.'' "Can I sit here?" "Yeah" Cadmus pulled a chair and sat. Then he began quietly studying. He knew that it was best to get closer slowly than to suddenly try to talk to him. Then Lilith asked him about his quaterfly. "What is that?" "Joe." "Joe who?" "Joe my Quaterfly. I customized it." Cadmus answered Lilith while caressing his quaterfly. At his caressing, Joe''s eyes lit up. Then it looked at everyone and shook its tail in different patterns. Zzgzgzgzg- Zzgzgzgzg- Zzgz- ''Level 11, Level 11 and Level 15'' The levels were in order of Leon, Nathan, and Lilith. The customization Cadmus had imnted in Joe was a low-level appraisal. Checking Leon''s level Cadmus inwardly grinned. ''I need to recruit him no matter what.'' Leon was already Iota-rank even though he has ''low'' potential. Cadmus had his eyes on Leon since day one. On the day of the demonstration, he was awed when he saw Leon''s perfect swordsmanship. Later, when he saw him defeating Lark, Cadmus was convinced. Leon was special. Cadmus had seen with his own eyes how Leon had defeated Lark. He knew that Leon didn''t cheat to defeat Lark. The final affirmation he got was from Dungeon of Trials. At that time Cadmus had already known. Their defeat was set in stone. But waiting and hiding was worse. If the Royal Demon recovered even the help that arrives will be useless. This was why he brought Leon along with him. Leon was his trump card. It was a gamble but with nothing to lose that was the only way. And the gamble was a huge sess. Leon took down the Royal Demon singlehandedly! ''I shouldn''t smile.'' He suppressed his smile. During the break given by Ward Cadmus had already subdued Ken. After using the ckmail materials against Ken and defeating his alter ego ''Kaneki'', Cadmus has forced him to sign a master-servent contract. Now, he was nning to use him from the shadows. ''The make-up practical exams.'' Only a few cadets knew about this. After the written exampetes a make-up practical exam will happen. Ken will antagonize Leon at this time. Cadmus was nning to befriend Leon by helping him against Ken. Cadmus'' goal was to be the strongest in the world. For it, he was going to make a team that will also be called the strongest. ''I will bring you under me.'' *** ''I will bring you under me.'' I bet this was what Cadmus was thinking. He was trying so hard to hide the grin that was etched on his face. Seeing this I wondered how unlucky Leon was. In the novel, Cadmus slowly realizes Leon''s potential and tries to bring him under himself. He even seeded almost once. Fortunately, Leon declined. Cadmus was the most hated character in the novel. The reason? He always acted kind and friendly towards Leon. He will bring help at the most crucial times and help Leon financially too. Heck, even we, the readers, liked him! Thenes the revtion. It was the third year and the Ward was being attacked by the Round Table. A bomb was about to go off. Leon was struggling to protect it and many cadets had already died. While fighting Leon was desperately searching for Cadmus. Cadmus'' stigma [Chains of Euthymia] could seal things. If they found him the bomb could have been sealed and diffused. Finally, Cadmus arrives. But he was not on Leon''s side. He arrived as a member of Round Table. While Leon was in shock the bomb goes off. Taking down Ward and hundreds of students that were left there. Cadmus'' betrayal hit him hard. ''It hit us readers hard too.'' But Leon being the dumb idiot he was, still believed in Cadmus. This leads him to never give his all in exterminating Round Table. As a result, Round Table does many heinous things. Blowing cities off, Massacring, and Freeing the prisoners of Tartarus. ''If only Leon never befriended this snake.'' Zrrr- While I was contemting over the novel someone pulled the chair beside me. "Susan?" Susan was now sitting beside me. Hearing me, she turned to me. "I went to your room but you weren''t there." Everyone at our table froze at her words. ''Rank 1 who always acts aloof went to meet him personally?!'' This was what their faces were saying. Seeing the interest in Cadmus''s eyes rising toward me I felt cried inwardly. ''What did I do to deserve this? And why are you speaking this in front of everyone?'' I turned to Susan. "You didn''t need toe yourself. I would have brought your books to your room myself." I winked repeatedly. ''Take the hint! Take the hint!'' Whatever she wanted to talk about could wait! If Cadmus set his eyes on me I was in deep shit! Finally the implications of what she just said dawned on her. She just made it known that we knew each other! ''Are you smart or are you stupid too!'' How can she make such a mistake in front of people? Fortunately, she understood my signal and yed along. "I needed to study too. I thought I should take them myself." "I will bring themter." "Hmm" Finally, Cadmus'' interest died and he went back to reading. But the person diagonally sitting across me was staring at me with shiny eyes. Her eyes were literally screaming: When did you two get close?! I decided to ignore her and focused on studying. "A Yawn¡­." A few hours passed by and now it was beyond midnight. I looked around me. Leon, Susan, Lilith, and Cadmus. From the main cast, almost everyone was here. Only Anna was missing. Stretching up I decided to take a walk before studying again. Leon, Lilith, and Susan were already asleep. "I''ll be leaving then." Cadmus stood up and left before me. I was about to go when I looked at everyone again. Susan was sleeping while leaning on the table. Leon was asleep in a sitting position while Lilith''s head was resting on his shoulders. Kachk- Clicking a photo I walked out. "Hehehe, promises must be kept." Chapter 84 [Bonus Chapter] The Calm.... [3] Fwosh- My hair fluttered from the winds. Sitting on a bench I gazed at the three moons. They reminded me of Irregrs. "So, Isabell''s dad was Demon Hunter and Mia is the first disciple of Grandmaster Yui." Eth''s memory gave me a lot of information that wasn''t told in the novel. In the novel, it was only said that Leon was the 2nd disciple and the 1st disciple had been banished. It wasn''t even hinted that Mia could be the 1st disciple. "At least I now know how Isabell got into Goliath Unit." Goliath Unit was filled with monsters. All of them were pseudo-Irregrs. The only odd one in the group was Isabell, who was too weak. I never understood how she even got into the Goliath Unit, given how weak she was. But I finally knew now. "Aegis brought her into the unit thinking that she might have inherited some of her dad''s abilities. They must have wanted to keep a close watch on her." Stigmas can''t be inherited. This was a basicw. But Irregrs had already destroyed themon sense regarding Stigmas. The power they wielded was unimaginably strong. It wasn''t wrong to think that the children of an Irregr might be special too. "It''s weird how the gaps of novels are being filled." The things that weren''t told in the novel. The first disciple, Mia, and Isabell''s dad, Demon Hunter Daniel. It was almost as if the gaps were filled in a way that closely connected them to the story. Fwwooooosh- "It''s too windy. I should head back" I muttered while covering my face, but I decided to check onest thing before going back. "Let''s see what your activation conditions are." I brought out the Golem core from my ring. It looks like a mechanical ball made of gears. I can hear the sound of shifting gears from it. Its status window popped up, but the activation conditions were still question marks. Ignoring the question marks, I used thetest skill I received. "[Appraisal]" Immediately, the question marks cleared up. ====== Golem Core [3-Star] - Traits: [Anti-Magic Field], [Regeneration], [Evolver] - Activation Condition: 100 Iota-rank cores Essence OR 1000 Meta-rank cores Essence ====== After using the appraisal, the activation condition of the core showed up. "100 Iota-rank cores Essence OR 1000 Meta-rank cores Essence? It''s not hard to get, but it will be costly." Essence was the extracted liquid from Aether cores. "I already need to return to the ck t-shirt gang. I''ll ask them to buy the essence for me then." I had to make a deal with them regarding the Elixir pool. The Elixir Pool in ''Conqueror''s Trial'' only gives a limited amount of elixir at once. If I took more than allowed all the Elixir I have will burn out on its own. I''ll be using the manpower of the gang to extract it and save my time and energy. In the novel, the pool was emptied by Tristan. He uses it to step into the business world and be one of the giants there. "I need to find Tristan in the diator Championship, too. If I let him go in search of the dungeon, I''ll lose all his tracks." There will be a diator Championship in the Underworld in a few weeks. Tristan will lose there and then go on a journey penniless. It will then that he finds ''Conqueror''s Trial''. The issue was I don''t know how long it will take him to find the dungeon. I need to nab him before the tournament ends. Fwooooosh- "Huuuu¡­.It''s getting cold." I went back to the library. "They are still sleeping. Should I use appraisal?" Looking at Susan, Lilith, and Leon, I pondered. But I ultimately decided against it. Putting the issue about the person feeling a gaze upon them while appraisal is being used aside, the problem here was Leon. He had abnormally high perception and sensitivity. It wouldn''t be weird for him to feel the activation of appraisal even when the skill is not being used on him. Using appraisal with Leon here just wasn''t worth the risk. [Appraisal] was the utility skill Leon received in the novel. After fighting the boss and getting the legacy skill, he will fall in to pit ''identally''. Then, his head will collide against the hard surface of the pool floor. And vo. He gets [Appraisal]. "Damn protagonist luck. If it was me, forget about getting the skill. I might die from having my head cracked open." This skill was going to be very useful to him. But it wasn''t like Earth will be destroyed or he will die if he didn''t have it. So, I decided to take it. *** Morning came by in a sh, and Lilith and Susan left. Around 10 am, Leon and I left to get fresh and eat something. Later in the noon, we gathered back in the library to study. Lilith and Susan joined in a few hourste. Shortly followed by Cadmus. Theplete main cast, except Anna, and I continued to gather in the library for seven days. My face scrunched up whenever I realized I was with them. Ultimately, though, I didn''t do anything to flee them. I was already dead tired of trying to stay away from them. Haven''t I been doing the same for the past few months? The result? Susan was now thinking of me as a recruitment officer. While Leon and Lilith keeping after me and taking care of me like they are my mothers. ''Fuck ignoring them. I''ll just do things at my own pace.'' Throughout our study sessions, Cadmus also came every day. He wasn''t here to study, but his goal was to get familiar with Leon. Watching Leon talking with Cadmus, I could only sigh at his idiocy. Was Leon not realizing how badly he was shooting himself in the foot? From Cadmus'' perspective on our table, Cadmus, Susan, and I were the Aura users. While Leon and Lilith were Mana users. Lilith, as a mana user, couldn''t keep up with us and had to go to sleep. Yet Leon had been studying with me nonstop. He never slept for even a second in the past seven days. Cadmus wasing here to see Leon''s limit, and Leon was showing it openly. I didn''t intervene, though. I was more worried about myself. Usually, to pass exams, your written and practical scores arebined. But my transfer into the Research Department from the Combat Department was abrupt. As a result, my practicals were canceled. Leon has a chance to do well in practicals and pass. But If I failed in written exams I will fail the mid-terms! Like this, the day of trial finally arrived. Chapter 85 Revelation [1] "You two look like zombies." Susan nodded to show support for Lilith''sment. As one of the two said zombies, I ignored her and went to the bulletin board. It was showing a hologram about the exam''s schedule. Till now no one knew which exam will be first and in what order. Watching Lilith and Susan''s rxed attitude, I knew they hadn''t seen the schedule. Looking forward to their shocked faces, I pointed to the schedule. Lilith looked up with a questioning gaze at the bulletin board. "What is this?!" Susan didn''t shout like her, but the shock on her face gave me simr satisfaction. I could feel my fatigue being washed away. ''hehehe..feel the despair like us.'' "We only have a 1-hour gap between each exam?!" To rify, everyone, irrespective of their chosen subjects, has 8 subjects in total. The exam for each subject was 2 hours long. This meant we will have one exam, then a 1-hour break, then again an exam, and repeat. We will be spending 24 hours giving our exams! Professor Sean, who was Katana-ss'' invigtor for the first exam, came to Lilith. It seems he heard her shouting. "Is there any problem with the exam schedule, cadet?" "Problem? Theplete schedule is a problem. With Ward''s standard, the written exams are already hard toplete within 2hours. We are supposed to continue this for 24 hours? I don''t think many cadets have this level of mental power to hold their concentration for so long." Lilith spoke to the professor fiercely. From where she got such confidence, I did not know. ''No, wait I do. She is the daughter of Vice Headmaster.'' Professor Sean stared at Lilith and spoke. "Are you saying because of continuous exams, students can''t maintain their top condition for the exams? So, we need to show a little leniency?" "Yes, professor." Professor Sean suddenly smiled. "There is a famous story about frontlines." He started speaking loudly. Now everyone was focusing on him. "A young talented awakener was drafted to Elven frontlines. With his great talent, everyone had great expectations of him. True to his talent, he gained merit fast and, with his connections, climbed ranks faster." A semi-circle was formed, with Professor Sean as the center. "After bing a Captain he treated everyone in his squad kindly. Making sure they sleep well, eat good food, and have an enjoyable time. Do you know the current status of their squad?" Lilith shook her head. "Dead. They missed a spy recing their teammate, which led to all of them being killed by the same spy." Sean broke eye contact with Lilith and looked at everyone gathered. "On frontlines, you will have to go on for many days without sleep. With the continuous enemy attacks, you will have to be at your best performance every moment you are awake. One mistake can get you and your entire cohort dead. If you think gettingfortable is the answer. Then you are dead wrong. Think of this exam as preparing you people for it." Gulp- Someone gulped when Professor Sean went silent. A few secondster, Profesor Sean went inside, but the silence remained. "Come inside. The first exam is about to begin!" As we were going inside, I tapped Leon''s back and passed him a vial. "Drink it." Glup- Glup- I brought another vial out and drank it. Immediately, all the fatigue from the week-long sleepless nights vanished. Colour returned to our faces, and our dark circles vanished. "Why are you wasting Elix-" Pow-! I punched him reflexively before he spoke the word ''Elixir''. Even though no one will believe him that we were drinking Elixir to remove our fatigue, it was better to be safe than sorry. Then I went inside and sat at my desk. Professor Sean began distributing the papers, and the trial began. "I t..think I did good!" Leon spoke half-certain, half-anxious. He had a bright smile on his face as we meet during the break. We discussed a few topics before going back in. As I was going back in, I saw that a seat in the front was empty. "Someone is skipping the exam?" But it had nothing to do with me, so I ignored it. Susan, Lilith, Leon, Cadmus, and I met whenever an exam waspleted. Must I say how great of a help Leon was? Looking at him kept me entertained. Every time we met, his expression changed. He went from a bright smile to a dull smile in three exams. The smile turned into a neutral expression by the 5th exam. Currently, minutes before thest exam, he has a carefree smile on his face and his eyes have lost their radiance. (Looks like hepletely gave up) "B..but Sir please let me do a re-test. I amte because I was in the Dungeon of Trials." Inside the ss, a girl was pleading to Professor Sean with her viridian eyes. Broken twigs wereced in her ck hair. Her clothes had been cut in many ces, proving her earlier statement true. She was pleading to let her take the tests she has missed. "Cadet Anna, all the cadets have been informed about the exam a month ago. There was even an inbuilt remainder in everyone''s devices that should have rung a week ago. Your missing the exams is not the responsibility of Ward and solely your own." Anna had no choice but to sit and give thest exam with a crestfallen expression. I turned and sat at my own desk. ''I hope myst exam will go a little better than the ones before.'' (Don''t ignore it!) (What happened to Anna? Wasn''t she supposed to take first ce in the written examination?) ''Why do you think I know the answer? Besides, she can still pass if she gets a high score in practicals. There won''t be much change to the story if doesn''t get first ce.'' I could feel Eth''s frustration, shock, and anger as I paid no heed to Anna''s subject. ''I know what you want me to do and yes, I''ll deal with her issue. It''s just¡­ just that I don''t want to deal with anything for now.'' I was being irresponsible. But I was a human too. ''Just let me take a short break where I don''t need to worry about anything.'' "You can start writing!" Scratch- Scratch- Despite the fact that technology was advanced, we were writing answers in paperback. Immersed in writing, I didn''t even realize when 2 hours were up. "Time up. Stop writing." After submitting my answers, I went back to my dorm. On my way, I saw Lilith, Leon, and Cadmus trying to cheer up a depressed Anna. Meow~ "It''s you. Where you''ve been?" I picked up the ck cat on my way to the dorms. ''(It''s weird)'' As I was caressing it, both Eth and I spoke at once. ''You go first.'' (The cat is weird. It never came to me, nor did it let me touch it when I was in control.) That''s certainly weird. (What were you saying?) ''Doesn''t it look more¡­'' (More?) ''I don''t know. More catlike?'' (¡­do you know how stupid you are sounding right now?) (Of course, a cat will be cat-like) I nodded my head. But I still couldn''t remove the doubt about this cat. It was too smart for a beast. To clear my thoughts, I used appraisal on it. ''[Appraisal]'' ====== Name: Kitty Rank: Meta Level: 3 Stars: 0-star Species: Shadow ck cat Status: Healthy/Hungry/Lazy [Likes your petting] ====== ''Looks like it is a normal cat.'' With this, all my doubts about this cat''s identity were gone. While I was checking the cat, I finally reached in front of my room. -TRING I rang my doorbell before entering the room. -CLICK "Did I leave the lights off?" As far as I remember I have a habit of leaving the lights on. "I was the one to do that." My body froze when I got an answer. Flip- Sound of flipping pages entered my ears. Flip- Sitting on the table was a young, petite boy. He was going through a blue diary and his back was turned to me. The boy rotated the chair and turned to me. His eyes were closed, yet it felt like he could see. ''How did he even get inside without raising rms? No, before that¡­'' I looked at the blue diary in his hands. ''I wrote everything in that diary in my world''s nativenguage. If he can read that, is he¡­'' Flip- "You are quite calm, despite my sudden intrusion." The body spoke while flipping the pages. I shook my head at his words. "No, I''m plenty shocked myself. You see, I have a habit of ringing my doorbell before entering. This can surprise people who are hiding inside and maybe they will make a mistake. But you didn''t get surprised in the least." "¡­I don''t think that trick will ever work." "Yeah, it never worked." This trick didn''t work once, even in my past life. But what can I do? Old habits die hard. "I didn''t get surprised because of another reason though." "Because you sensed meing with your stigma [Echo-Location]?" The petite boy nodded his head. Finally, he raised his head. "Looking at your ns for the future that you made by analyzing the novel, I want to ask one thing." Turning to me, Lark pointed his other hand at my diary. "Did we even read the same novel?" Chapter 86 [Bonus Chapter] Revelation [2] "Did we even read the same novel?" Flip- Lark opened a specific page in the diary and began reading. "Infiltration Target: Umbra Danger Level: 62/100 Minimum Requirements: Appraisal, Golden Turtle, Level 30 or above Goal: Potential-up Elixir, Sword of Eternity Note: Acting as a business partner has the highest chance of Sess." Flip- He opened a new page. "Infiltration Target: Tartarus Danger Level: 95/100 Minimum Requirements: Te-rank, Sword of Eternity, Teleportation Magic Goal: To free Sandman Note: Getting caught as a viin can make for an infiltration easier." Flip- "Target: Delmond Danger Level: Impossible Minimum Requirements: Unknown Goal: Rapid increase in levels and possibly ranks Note 1: Delmond is the ce where the second protagonist will go under rapid growth in a few years. Note 2: With note 1 as the evidence it can be deduced that the target has a high concentration of monsters and beasts to level up. If a secure method can be established a rapid growth in level is possible." Flip- Flip- Flip- "Target: World Tree Yggdrasil; Target: Cadmus Martel; Target: The four Cmities, Target: Third Protagonist; Target: ¡­.." With his eyes still closed, he looked up at me. "What did you do back in our previous world to be like this?" He waved the blue diary that held my ns. "Did you read a novel or a book of mission statements?" I sat across from him on the couch. Glup- Glup- Picking the ss of water I began drinking from it. The words ''same novel'' and ''back in our previous world'' kept ringing in my head. It felt like someone was knocking on arge temple bell right beside me. "Pwah¡­." "Did you calm down?" "Yes" I understood. Denying the reality in front of me wouldn''t do me any good. His temperament, his words, and his actions everything were different. It hammered the fact that this ''Lark'' was different. The blue dairy in his hands had all my ns. At least the basic n I made on the first day. Everything in the diary was written from the perspective that I saw a future vision and gained that knowledge. There was not a single word about my previous world or the novel in that dairy. This made it clear. "You are from my world and you''ve also read ''Hero has Returned''." Lark nodded. Taking a deep breath, I questioned him further. "When did you transmigrate?" He was sitting inside my room without my permission. Yet the rms set up by Ward didn''t go off. Whatever he did to achieve it, I cannot do the same. Lark was strong. At my question, Lark grinned. "I was born here." My eyes widened. Astonished, shocked, bewildered. My current self was thrown into disarray. Gulp- I felt the need to drink another ss of water. "Can you prove it?" "I can''t. Not now" Despite denying me, Lark was sitting calmly. If what he said was true, then¡­. ''I used Lark in the entrance examination and Dungeon of Trail for my go- No, can I say that I was the one using him or¡­.'' ''Was it him using me?'' I noticed several inconsistencies with my actions in the past. I was angry with Lark. I was frustrated with him. I wanted nothing more than to kill him for messing with me twice. But I never did anything. Even during the Dungeon of Trials, I didn''t kill him despite the perfect chance I had. Then, I noticed one more thing. Let''s say Lark was a reincarnator, as he imed. But then why were his actions and behavior simr to the original Lark during the entrance examination? It''s as if... ''He was acting to trick me'' But this shouldn''t be possible, unless¡­. My body chilled at the conclusion I arrived at. Lark, who had been watching me, stood up and refilled my ss. Shaaa- Then, Lark worded the conclusion which I had arrived at. "I knew someone was going to transmigrate into that body." Gulp- -Thud! I drank the water in one go and mmed the ss on the table. ''Calm down'' I was getting pulled at his pace. ''Analyze everything that has happened. If he is here, he must have some kind of goal.'' I can''t let him have the reign of conversation. He was here and answering me. There must be something he needed out of me. His actions of letting me have the manuals said the same. ''Besides, it isn''t definite that he is a reincarnator.'' It is possible that he transmigrated only a few weeks ago. "If you were hiding, why appear now? I don''t think anything changed, no?" "Something is changing." My brows furrowed. "What is changing?" "The main story." Swiiish- Lark threw a piece of paper at me. I caught it between my fingers. ''It''s a picture'' It was a picture of an ind. The ind had a volcano in the middle surrounded by three peaks and barrennd. The entire ind was covered with forest, and rivers ran through it. "That''s the most recent picture of Byzander Ind. The barrennd is what''s left of the Shadow fox''s guardian cliff." I closely looked at the image. "How? Even if all the beasts from the Ind fought over the Aether orb, this isn''t the level of destruction they can do." "The guardian cliff was destroyed when Mia fought the 5-star Kraken resting there." I remembered seeing a giant eye in the pool beneath there. Thanks to that, I didn''t need to ask where the Kraken was hiding. "If I hadn''t ordered Kha''Jol to not fight and back away when humans attack him, theplete ind might have already be inhabitable by now. Don''t you know how important Byzander Ind is for the story?" "I know" Despite the calm answer I gave, I was anything but calm. ''Kha''Jol? Is that the Kraken''s name?'' ''He said ''ordered'' didn''t he?'' (Nathan, I think I know what he wants.) ''Yeah, me too.'' "I let you take the Ether manual and the Legacy Art because they aren''t important in the story. But couldn''t you at least think of the repercussions your actions will have on the storyline?" Leon has an alternative for Ether. This was the reason I took the manuals without hesitation. ''Lark wants to keep the story intact.'' It was better to say he was obsessed with keeping the story intact. I still haven''t found any difference between the novel and this world. That was only possible if Lark had been making sure all of his actions were not affecting the story. It was almost impossible. ''To keep everything the same as in the novel while growing himself stronger. How did he even manage that?'' If he wasn''t strong, he couldn''t order a 5-star Kraken. He at least must have some kind of powerful skill. "You knew I was going to take the manuals. If you didn''t want Miaing to the ind, shouldn''t you have stopped me from exposing the aether orb?" Lark sighed and nodded. "I never thought theing transmigrator will do what you did. How could have I known that someone as crazy as you wasing?" "I don''t think my actions were illogical." "Logical actions? Yes. Sane actions? No." Lark spun his chair. "A normal person will give up and cry. If they are a little tougher, they will try to fight, then either pass or fail the exam. Not like you, someone who ran throughout the forest with broken bones and had enough guts to attract Enma-rank beasts near your location." Lark stopped spinning and spoke to himself. "If only the spell to hide the orb worked on us outsiders, too." "Outsiders?" "People like us. Someone who has read the novel." Chapter 87 Revelation [3] "If only the spell to hide the orb worked on us outsiders, too." "Outsiders?" "People like us. Someone who has read the novel." My throat was parched quickly. "There is someone else who''s read the novel?" Lark ignored my question and stood up to leave. "That''s enough answers for one day. The reason I came here was to give a warning." He walked up to me and patted my shoulders. "Create a harem, be the strongest, open a business, or something else. I don''t care what you do." Coming closer, he whispered. "But if the main storyline deviates because of you. I will kill you." He pulled back and started smiling again. Leaving me there, he went to the doors. ''There''s no other choice.'' I channeled a small amount of Ether and Nether to my eyes. Fusing them, I wrapped the harmonized energy around my eyes. (What are you doing?) ''Making sure he doesn''t detect [Appraisal].'' This was the only way to see if he was a reincarnator, as he imed. ''[Appraisal]'' ====== Name: Lark Smiles Race: Human Rank: Iota(Lvl.11) Stigma: [Echo-Location] Disposition: Neutral-Evil Title: -/- -> Stats(Click to expand) -> Skills(Click to expand) Status: Possessed/Dazed [Lark is under the control of ???] ====== "Motherfu.." "Did you say something?" "Yeah." Lark''s status said all. Lark wasn''t the one who was like me, an Outsider. The real bastard wasn''t even here! "I said I wanted to ask onest thing." ''Looks like the real one wants to hide behind the mask called ''Lark''.'' ''They are smarter than the credit I gave them for.'' With how much information they were given with each sentence, I took them as either crazy or careless. I wanted to check the skills and stats too. Maybe I will find some clues there. Thus, I stalled for time. "Did other Outsiders receive a system quest too? How do you guys¡­." ''¡­n to kill Mammon, one of the 13 Monarchs. Or is yours different?'' I spoke thest part in my mind. Because I made a mistake. Lark has a shocked expression. It made me realize that I had a slip of tongue. ''Do they not know about the System quest?'' "What do you mean by System-Quest?" I didn''t answer. "I Said. What Do YoU MeAN BY SySTem-QUesT?" Lark was beginning to act strange. I stepped back a little, ready to fight at any moment. "tch.." Lark, who was on the verge of losing his cool, suddenly calmed down like a deted balloon. "You must have already used [Appraisal], haven''t you? Although I don''t know why I didn''t feel its usage on me, you still saw it, right?" Lark spoke leisurely. His tone was calm, as if the previous outburst was a mirage. "You don''t know my identity. I can finish you and you wouldn''t even know who did it. So, tell me when I''m asking nicely." ''Liar'' There was no way he will kill me. I let out a small smile. "Then kill me." "What? Do you think I won''t ki-" "Yes, you won''t" I sat back on the couch and put my legs on the table. "You won''t kill me." Lark frowned for the first time. "Why are you so confident about it?" I picked up the empty ss and stared at my reflection in it. "Leon, Lilith, and Susan are already attached to me on a deeper level. If I die, their psyche will be affected. So, yes, you won''t kill me because my death can drastically change their personality, especially Susan''s." Damn, I never thought I will make Leon and Susan my shield in such a way. Lark clicked his tongue when I hit the bullseye. "Let''s do it this way, then. We''ll make a bet." "I''m listening" "If you can find my identity in one year, I will tell you about your transmigration. You must be curious why you were brought into this world." "And if I can''t?" "Tell me about the system-quest you received." I held my chin with one hand and pondered. Making my decision, I spoke. "Let''s change the terms a little." "Continue" "Tell me everything about the other Outsiders you spoke of. In exchange, I will uncover your identity within 3 months." Lark opened and closed his mouth a few times. He couldn''t decide where I was getting my confidence from. "Are you sure you only need 3 months?" "Yup" Sighing, he began speaking about the Outsiders. "''Outsider'' is the term I use for people like us. Other than us, there is one more outsider." I nodded my head. "The 1st Outsider is me. I reincarnated in this world with the memories of my previous world. You are the 3rd Outsider. You transmigrated into this world a few months back. As for the 2nd Outsider, I only know that they want to change the story." I frowned at the vague description of the 2nd Outsider. "And?" He shook his head. "That''s all I know about the 2nd Outsider." "Are you taking me for a fool?" "I''m not. I don''t know even their gender. If you don''t believe me, we can use an Oath when we meet next." Theck of information about thest outsider was troubling. "There must be something, no? A mark on their body, way of behaving, talking, or anything else." "I don''t know. I only met them a few times. Back then, I opposed their idea of changing the novel and they suddenly stopped meeting me. I never heard anything from them since then." "Hmm" "If there is nothing else, I''ll be leaving. I''ll bring an Oath for our deal next time." -CLICK Lark stopped on the doorstep and turned. "My warning still stands. If there are changes in the main storyline because of you, System-quest or not, I will kill you." "It''s fine, as long as it isn''t a major change, yeah?" "¡­Yes." -CLACK Lark finally left. "Haaa¡­." A deep sigh escaped my lips. Just when everything with the novel was going well. "Short break, my ass." (Do you think you can discover their identity in three months?) I stood up and started changing into my training clothes. ''Maybe? Maybe not?'' (What?!) The news was too big of a bombshell for him. His shout almost made me deaf. (Why did you give up the 1-year time limit?) Eth began huffing in anger. Damn, he doesn''t believe in me one bit. (What are the three months for?!) -CLICK Making sure everything was prepared I left my room. ''To prepare countermeasures.'' Chapter 88 Sparring With The Freedom Fighter [1] Chim- The door of the lift closed with a melodic chime. [Please choose your destination] "Top floor." The top floor was where Susan lived. I was going there to train. This was because there was a possibility of X tapping my room. X was what I was calling the 1st Outsider. The one who I met an hour ago. Y was for the 2nd Outsider, and Z was for me. X was obsessed with the storyline and many of my ns were going to affect the storyline in some way. The possibility of us going against each other in the future wasn''t zero. I have to keep my cards hidden. "I hope my guess about X is true. Then I won''t have to worry about fighting them." I also couldn''t go all out for training in the Public training center. Thus, I was going to Susan''s room to train. ,m "X is a reincarnator while I am a transmigrator. Will Y be a regressor?" Iughed at my own joke. Reincarnation and Transmigration still made sense. But Regression? It didn''t. [Permission Denied] A hologram was disyed by the lift''s AI. [Cadet Nathan Hunt does not have an appointment with Cadet Susan Warner] Chim- The door opened back at my floor. It was telling me to get off. I got off the lift and sent a message to Susan. [You: Hi, Nathan here ^-^] [You: Can you permit me toe to your floor?] This was the first time I was texting her. I had asked for her contact a few days ago. Ting- Her reply came in a few seconds. [Freedom_Fighter: Is this regarding that matter?] [You: Nah, I just want to use your personal training room.] [Freedom_Fighter: Then no] My fingers stiffened. Fortunately, I knew the way to change her answer. [You: I was kidding. Yes, I want to talk about that matter.] [Freedom_Fighter: Wait for a second. I will give the permission.] The corner of my lips twitched. "She won''t affiliate with me if it doesn''t involve her goals?" I sighed at her straightforward thinking. "Well, this works for me, too." A rtionship where we only targeted our own motives. This was better for me as well. Ting- [Freedom_Fighter: It says the permission will be given in about fifteen minutes. Can''t youe by the stairs? You won''t need permission with Stairs, only with lifts.] [You: Climb 100 floors?] [You: I''ll wait 15 minutes] Our dorm, I_am_fledgeling, had 10 floors when looked from the outside. When in truth, because of space expansion magic, it was over 100 floors. My knees were too weak for that! I waiting for permission toe up when I decided to check on what Leon was doing. I was nning to gauge mybat abilities with the help of thest page. So I had the ck diary with me. Flip- ======== Leon was still depressed because of his exams. Shaaa- He turned the shower knob and started washi- ======== "Nope, nope, nope. I''m not making this mistake again." Why is he always in the shower? Thinking like this, I emptied half of my ether into the diary. There was no way I will read that again. While new lines began appearing, I sent a message to Leon. It seems he was depressed because of exams. I decided to cheer him up. Finally, the book was updated and showed me future content. ======= CLACK- Leon closed the door behind himself and left the shower. Bathing helped him calm his mind a little. As he was getting dressed, his device rang. Ting- Ting- [Huntress: We are going on a mission this week.] [Seer: It''s your debut mission. Looking forward to working with you!] Leon smiled a little when his device rang again. [Huntress: Sie, pass me a ss of coke] [Seer: Ehhh? Don''t wanna. Pick it yourself] [Huntress: It''s near you] [Seer: It''s literally within your arm''s reach!] [Huntress: This is an order from your superior. Pass the coke Colonel Seer.] [Seer: Fine! Take this!] [Seer: Bully!] [Seer: Don''t be like her, Yato!] Yato was the codename given to Leon. [Hunteress: Colonel Seer, are you indirectly bamouthing your superior? Should I take disciplinary action?] [Seer: Youu...I''m leaving!] [Seer: BYE!] [Seer: Bully!] [Huntress: Bring one bottle of soju when you return] "Pffft" Leon couldn''t hold in hisughter after reading the group chat. When he was first told about the Goliath Unit, he regarded them as a powerful secret group with equally secretive and aloof members. But as they say, Reality is stranger than fiction. The current chats were between Huntress, the Vice-captain of the unit, and Seer, a member who was closer to his age. Leon had joined the Goliath Unit after careful considerationst month. He wasughing when he saw he had a message from Nathan. [Nathan: Don''t worry too much about the exams. You won''t fail¡­] [Nathan: Until the results are out.] Leon blinked once, then twice. Finally, he took another two seconds to understand Nathan''s text. "Damn you, Nathan! I am an idiot for believing that you wereforting me!" Ting- [Nathan: I second that notion] [Nathan: You are an idiot.] "Y-You" ========== "Is this what they call mental therapy? I suddenly feel a lot less stressed." Ignoring the sweat dripping from my forehead, I grinned and closed the diary. I had sent him a message on a timer after seeing him call himself an idiot. Then, I again supplied Ether with the diary. Thanks to that I got to understand a new feature of the diary. After resupplying the ether, the book didn''t continue. Rather, the content was changed, showing the future with my new actions. While I wasughing at Leon, my device rang. [Freedom_Fighter: The permission is given] Chim- "To the top floor." [ess granted.] I got on the lift and went to the highest floor of the building. * "You are telling me this is the same room I saw from outside?" I stupidly stared at Susan. The tour I went on a few minutes ago opened my eyes to my poverty. From outside, her room looked the size of a normal apartment. From inside? Her room contains a spa, a tennis court, a swimming pool, 5 floors, a living room bigger than my dorm room, a kitchen with fully supported AI, and every bedroom has a king-sized bed! ''I want a room like this, too.'' (Didn''t someone say before that they were satisfied with their room?) ''Those must be the words of someonepromising with their poverty.'' I was staring at the ''dorm room'' when Susan spoke to me. "What did you want to talk about?" "I wanted to ask why you came to my room that day." During the exam-prep time, I was too engrossed in my studies. I had even forgotten about eating and sleeping while studying. I missed asking Susan why she came to my room that day. "¡­.That''s it?" "Yeah" Susan took a deep breath to calm(?) herself down. She then spoke in a low voice. "I wanted to ask if I passed your test." Test? Ah, she means the deal about clearing a Stage-0 Dungeon. Doesn''t she? Objectively speaking, her performance was remarkable. I doubt any peak Iota-rank awakener could have tanked the Golem as she did. So if someone asked, she passed? Yes. If she failed, then I don''t think anyone will have a passing grade. ''Though, it''s not like I can say she passed.'' If I said she passed. The next step will be introducing her to the organization. There''s no way I can do that when there''s no organization. ''Let''s bullshit my way through." That always works. I rested my chin on my right fist and ''calmly'' looked at her. "What do you think?" I spoke in the most arrogant tone possible. "You have the guts to ask if you passed after what happened." "¡­." "You merely acted like a tank and did nothing else. If I didn''t intervene, do you think you could have won?" "¡­" To show my disappointment, I even shook my head. "I faked getting hit to give you a chance to prove yourself. That was your chance to defeat the boss while I was watching from the backseat." "..." "And what did you do? You healed me? Did you think I was truly injured?" Susan shook. (Learn a little humbleness, will you? If she didn''t use the Elixir, you would have died right after doing the memory recap.) ''I know.'' Susan''s expression was getting worse thinking of her ''failure''. I decided to give her a breather after seeing that. It was true that she saved my life back then. "If you make such mistakes again, there won''t be a next time." "N-next time?" I nodded. "Congrattions, Miss Susan. Witnessing your battle prowess Round Table has decided to put you into the Assessment" "Assessment?" "Every year, all potential recruits are put under a senior member to see if they are worthy of being recruited. This is the Assessment." "Yes" "The trainees are to follow every order of the trainer. After the Assessment ends, the trainer''s words will decide if we officially recruit the trainee." "A trainer? Can I go under a trainer while studying at Ward?" She asked nervously. Seeing that, I let out a smile. "Luckily for you, there is already a senior member that has infiltrated Ward." I stood up and walked towards her. After standing within half an arm''s distance of her, I let out my hand for a handshake. "Nice to meet you, trainee Susan. I will be acting as your trainer for this Assessment." Chapter 89 Sparring With The Freedom Fighter [2] Thud- I closed the ck diary. The detailed information about me on thest page is very helpful if I say so myself. "I think I finally understand how to use the second technique." I was able to move an ''avatar'' inside my soul after reaching proficient mastery in my art. But that was something I was able to do naturally after reaching proficient mastery. That was not what the actual technique was. I focused on the space surrounding me. ''Spatial Maniption: Space Rupture'' C..crack- A small crack appeared in the air. The crack was the size of a finger. I focused on erging the crack. Droplets of sweat formed on my forehead. C..crck- The crack erged to the size of my forearm. I tried to expand it more, but this was my current limit. "A grey space." I put my hand through the crack into the grey space. But there was some kind of barrier that made me unable to do so. ''Construct'' Remembering what I just read in the diary, I materialized a small dagger. I then pushed the dagger into the crack. "So, this was how I was supposed to use it." The dagger went inside the crack without any resistance. Before reading about this in the diary, I had tried cing everything into the crack, but nothing went inside. "I can only store the weapons I construct inside it." C..crrrack- With a single thought from me, the crack closed. I moved around like that. "It''s following me." Although it was invisible, I could feel that the crack was there and that I could reopen it with a single thought. I decided to move around more to find the maximum distance I can put between me and the crack. Finding it only took a few minutes. "30 feet with me as the center. It''s the same distance inside which I can construct my weapons." I walked toward the center of the white room. This room was Susan''s personal training room. I asked her to let me use it after scamm-cough cough enlightening her about the organization''s Assessment. Whoosh- Two orbs appeared on my palms. I brought my hands together and fused them. Three secondster, there was a reddish-ck orb on my palm. "Three seconds. Not bad." With my only option to use it in close quarters, I had been training to decrease the fusion time. (Is there no way for the orb to be used as a ranged attack?) (Magicians make sure to always keep a distance. But the orb isn''t of much use if you get close to them.) (If you get close to a magician, you can defeat them even without the orb) "Let me try if I can make it a ranged attack" (You can?) "I''m trying" I joined my wrists and held the orb between my stretched palms. Then I slightly parted my legs and pulled my arms closer. Finally, I bent my knees a little. (What are you doing?) ''Don''t disturb me.'' "Huu¡­." I exhaled loudly. "KAAAMEEE¡­" I increased my volume to another notch. "HAAAAMEEEEEH-" CLACK- "What are you doing?" The door to the training room opened, and Susan entered. She had a weird expression on her face. It seems she saw me. I coughed slightly and stood back straight. "Did I not tell you that you shouldn''t disturb me? You interrupted me when I was about toplete my strongest skill." I lied as easily as I breathed. In this world, there are three ssifications of skills. Based on efficiency, they are ordered like this: Acquired skills> System skills > Manual skills. Any move of an awakener can be ssified as a manual skill. A person punching? That''s a manual skill. A person coating their weapon in aura? A manual skill. A person manipting mana to fly? That too is a manual skill! Anything that wasn''t given by the system or an acquired skill was a manual skill. Arts are also a type of manual skill. "Why did youe?" I questioned her while wiping my forehead with a towel. "The details about the practical exam have been released. We need t-" "Climb to the 10th floor of the Dungeon of Trails within 3 weeks. The exam will be conducted there. Is that what the message is?" "Yes" Susan answered, slightly shocked. I internally gloated at her surprise. This information wasn''t very highly ssified, but still difficult to obtain. I just showed her that I had a good intelligencework, even within Ward. I bet my image improved in her mind by another notch. ''Sometimes my genius is... it''s almost frightening.'' "Then I''ll go back." "Wait." Susan stopped at the door. "I need to train. Spar with me." "Why?" Her eyes were speaking ''Aren''t you stronger than me? Why do you want to spar with me?'' (Stronger than her? She can squash you like a mosquito) ''Even if you are speaking the truth, can''t you put it more nicely?'' (You are right. You won''t die like a mosquito.) (You are a cockroach.) Eth was right. No, not about the cockroach thing. He is right regarding Susan''s strength. If I fight Susan, she will easily discover that I was faking my strength. I needed to trick her. "I''m learning to fight with a different fighting style. Don''t worry, I''ll lower my level." I fused ether andher and wrapped the harmonized energy around my core. Maintaining the cover around my core takes focus. I had undone it after entering Susan''s dorm room. "What is your current strength now?" Susan, feeling the slight changes in my energy fluctuations, asked. "Lvl 11. You should also restrict yourself to around this level. With this, the training will be more effective." But of course, I was lying. My strength wasn''t affected in the least. I was only saying this to make sure Susan holds back while fighting and I have an excuse for being weak. "Okay." Vupp- Susan replied, and a sword appeared in her hands. * Susan stood across from Nathan. Gulp- Her whole body was tense. Till now she had no idea about Nathan''s true strength. Was he truly stronger than her? Someone who was trained to be a weapon? "You can start." -Bam! Susan bursts ayer of aura under her feet. Her body shot towards Nathan. Swish- She pulls back her sword and shed. Nathan doesn''t try to dodge. He only pulled his fist closer to his body and lowers his stance. ''What?!'' Susan''s de reaches Nathan''s neck within a second. Phzzzt- ng-! Suddenly, a sword materializes between Nathan''s neck and her sword. At this moment, Nathan punches her face! Susan was too close to dodge his attack. She makes her decision in a split moment. *Grab* She dropped her sword and grabs his arm. Before Nathan can react, she pulls him by arm and started spinning him. Swosh- Swosh- Just as she reached maximum velocity, she turned on her heel and threw Nathan toward the wall. Nathan''s body flew to the wall like a cannonball! He was about to hit the wall when he suddenly twisted his body in mid-air. Phzzzt- A greatsword materializes under his feet. He stops in mid-air by using his sword for footing! Using the force behind Susan''s throw, he bends his knees and channels ether to them. He then copies Susan and creates a concentrated etheryer under his sole. Crack- Crack- The greatsword started breaking under the extreme pressure of Ether. -Bam! He leaps back toward Susan. Susan was getting excited. Nathan''s expression is calm as ake even now. She wanted to see how much more till he is forced to get serious. She decided to get a little more serious herself. Susan started using the strength of Lvl.14. Another sword appeared in her hand. Vroom- Air stirred, and white mes covers her sword. Chapter 90 Sparring With The Freedom Fighter [3] Susan was getting excited. Nathan''s expression is calm as ake even now. She wanted to see how much more till he is forced to get serious. She decided to get a little more serious herself. Susan started using the strength of Lvl.14. Another sword appeared in her hand. Vroom- Air stirred, and white mes covers her sword. She swings her sword downward. Arge arc of white mes shoots out and flies toward Nathan. Phzzzt- -Bam! A sword appeared beneath Nathan, and he jumps in another direction. sh- sh- sh- Susan continues, sending out arcs of white mes. But Nathan continued to dodge in the same manner. No, it wasn''t the same. -Bam! ¨CBam! ¨CBam! Nathan was getting faster. The speed at which he was able to burst ayer of ether under his feet was increasing. He was mastering the technique during the fight itself! In the memory world, Nathan couldn''t use his art. With his body unable to touch anything, he also wasn''t able to practicebat. The only thing he could do was manipte Nether and Ether. To make use of the extra time, he continued training with the only thing possible there. For ten years he only practiced controlling Nether and Ether. Now, his control of energy has reached the level of young geniuses! sh- sh- -Bam! ¨CBam! Nathan was now directly above Susan. Phzzzt- -Bam! He pulls his fist back and jumps down toward her. Susan raises her sword to block. Baang-! Susan''s arm shakes from the sh. The force behind Nathan''s attack almost makes her drop her sword. She bends her knees to soften the impact. "Got you." Nathannds on the ground when she suddenly smirks. Finally, Nathan was close to her. Vrrrroooom- Her hair flutters wildly. Two magic circles appear beneath her. Instantly Nathan''s body got heavy, and she instead feels lighter. Nathan realized what had happened. Susan had debuffed him, and buffed herself! For this, she used double casting and silent chanting. Both double casting and silent chanting were something only Rank 5 mages can do. Yet Susan did it effortlessly! "[Mana Blessed Physique]" Susan ignores Nathan''s muttering. While Nathan is still near her, she kicks toward his temple. Phzzzt- She hears a low static sound. But doesn''t see any sword materialize behind Nathan. "!" She quickly stops her kick and jumps. Fwosh- Fwosh- Two swords pass through where Susan''s head was moments ago. Shends far away from Nathan. "You can you create your sword in a specific range?" Susan had believed that Nathan can only create swords behind himself. Yet just now he created them behind Susan and attacked from there. ''Damn, what the hell is she?'' With a neutral expression, Nathan screams in his mind. He has been fighting with the stats of Lvl. 14. Yet Susan, who was also using the strength of Lvl.14 was overpowering him. But he understood the reason behind it. The stat for his Lvl.14 and Susan''s Lvl.14 were different because of their talent limits. "It''s fun." Susan grinned and crouched. Ready to attack Nathan. ''Someone desperate to escape? All I see is a battle maniac!'' (You are no different) Nathan touches his face. He no longer had a neutral expression. A wide grin was etched on Nathan''s face too! ''I guess that''s true too.'' "Yeah, it is." -Bam! Susan burst the aura under her feet and darts toward Nathan. Phzzzt- Five swords materializes behind Nathan. Fwosh- Fwosh- Fwosh- Fwosh- Fwosh- With a little time difference, all swords flew. They quickly reach Susan. Susan bent her upper body to the right. The first sword flew past her shoulder. ng-! She stopped the second sword with her sword. She ducked slightly forward to dodge the third and fourth swords. Susan swings her sword to block thest sword. "[Pierce]" Suddenly, thest flying sword extends. The tip of the de is aimed at her head. Susan''s eye widens. But her body moved instinctively, and she tilts her head. The sword''s de went past her cheeks, slightly grazing her. But Nathan didn''t stop. He was already in front of Susan. In his hand is a reddish-ck orb. She was about to dodge again when she realized that the orb had no energy fluctuations. Even a normal punch carries small fluctuations of energy. But the orb didn''t have any fluctuation! Her mind started ring rms at her. For an attack to bepletely undetectable. Susan believed that it was one of Nathan''s strongest skills. Vrroooom- Instantly she emptied half of her mana and uses a high-tier agility buff. ''That attack is dangerous. I must dodge it!'' However, Nathan''s next actions shocked her. Nathan suddenly changes his attack''s direction and attacks the ground. ''No, he is attacking the magic circles!'' The orb struck the magic circles and absorbed them in a split second. The magic circles vanished and so did Susan''s buff! However, before Nathan can attack again, she kicks toward him. Nathan, who was kneeling, thrusts his left arm at Susan. But Susan was faster, and her attack was about tond on him first. "[Pierce]" Just as Susan thinks she had won, Nathan again activates his skill. Swish- His nails instantly lengthen towards her neck. This time, she truly couldn''t block or dodge. The nails almost pierce her neck, but they stop before her neck. Nathan knew Susan wouldn''t be able to dodge hisst attack. So he made sure his attack was not life-threatening. He had already calcted the range of his attack! But there was one thing he didn''t calcte. "I w-" Baaam-! Susan''s kick hits him. He is thrown in the air. His body bounces twice before smashing into the wall. "N-no" Susan stutters at her blunder. When she saw Nathan''s final attack was unavoidable, she lost control over her strength. Her instincts kicked in and she tried taking down Nathan along with her. She kicked Nathan with her true strength! Susan runs to where Nathan was. No matter how strong Nathan is he didn''t block her hit. There was no way her strike wouldn''t harm him. "Cough..cough" Nathan coughs slightly and tries to stand. He was bleeding from the corner of his lips and coughing blood. He probably had some internal injuries. Judging from how he was standing, it was clear he had broken some bones, too. Yet his face bore no emotions. No, looking closely Susan notices Nathan was showing one particr emotion on his face. ''He is irritated?'' Nathan irritably dusted his clothes while staring at her. Susan''s body stiffened at such a sight. She had gone through operations for which the doctors had to remove her bones from her body. Yet, even she couldn''t say that she can stand unperturbed if she had the same injuries Nathan had. But Nathan wasn''t only unconcerned about his physical pain. He was irritated at her. ''He is irritated because I couldn''t even control my strength?'' Susan understood the reason behind Nathan''s expression. But she still couldn''t believe how he was causally ignoring his injuries and only had an irritated expression. She has seen people have a neutral expression after getting a fatal injury. So, she knew all of them weren''t actually not feeling pain. But they were doing their all to keep it from showing on their faces. If they rxed even a little, the pain will show on their faces. But Nathan? He had an expression. But it wasn''t even closely rted to expressing his pain. ''Just what are you?'' She was about to apologize when Nathan brings a vial out of his spatial ring. He empties the content of the vial into his throat and speaks. "I''m leaving." As Susan watches Nathan parting back, for the first time, she wonders if it was Nathan who was special or was it the organization he belonged to. * I red at Susan. ''What the fuck? Isn''t she a supposed weapon? Why the hell can''t she even stop her instincts from overpowering herself?'' I didn''t shout at her. It wasn''t because I didn''t want to. I wanted to cuss as harshly as possible. The problem was, I was spewing blood like a fountain from my mouth. If opened it to speak I might die from anemia! ''Fuck, it hurts like hell.'' (Why are so blowing your top off? If it''s hurting, shouldn''t you be screaming in pain and not cursing in irritation?) I sighed at Eth''s words. The real reason I was getting angry was not Susan. It was me. It wasn''t true that I never practicedbat in the memory world. Caim and I did many shadow fights. And this was what I learned from those fights. ''I''m shit in closer quarterbat.'' I can judge and analyze situations very quickly during fights. But I can''t react just as fast. Like the geniuses like Susan and the main cast, I don''t move instinctively. I have to think before making each attack. This dys my reaction time. Vupp- I brought out an elixir vial and gulped it down in one go. "I''m leaving." ----+++++++---- A/N: Hello dear reader! Please check thement I have an important question regarding TEO. Chapter 91 On My Way To Becoming A Millionaire [1] Chim- [Please choose your destination] "5th floor" I chose my floor so that I get a change of clothes before leaving Ward. My training clothes had now bloodstains on them. I couldn''t leave like this. But other than blood stains, the clothes were in perfect condition. Unlike me, who broke his bones, they didn''t have a single tear! "I am weaker than my training clothes?" The spar with Susan showed me my most obvious ws. I understood that I either have to get more skills that support my fighting style or change my fighting style itself. Chim- While I was pondering over the issue, the lift reached my floor. Stepping out of it, I thought back to the increased strength of Susan back in the middle of the spar. True to her nature of battle maniac, she started going wild even though she was supposed to hold back. The reason I had difficulty at that time was because of differences in our talent limit. Susan has a talent limit of 5SP/Lvl. Let''s say Susan was using stats of Lvl.14. While I only got my 5SP/Lvl from Lvl.11. And I was using stats of Lvl.14 too. In this case, Susan, who has umted extra stats from Lvl.1 to Lvl.14, is stronger than me, even though both of us are limiting ourselves to Lvl.14. CLICK- I opened the door to my room and began changing. Unlikest time when I wore catchy clothes when I went to Downtown. This time, I chose casual clothes to blend in with the crowds. Though, truth be told, all of my clothes were normal. The only catchy clothes I had were something I brought myself from the market before heading to Downtown. After changing into my clothes, I checked my spatial ring for two things. ''Okay, I still have my mask. Where is that Aether Core?'' I was searching for the Aether Core I had from the Iota-rank boar in the entrance examination. This was because of my skill [Golden Turtle] ====== [Golden Turtle[Unique]] -Charges left: 0/5 -For every charge, user can block one attack from someone with a lower level than himself. ====== "It''s useful even before being upgraded." The charges spoken in the skill details can be obtained from consuming an aether core of the same rank as that of the user. This was something exined in the novel. The skill description brought a smile to my face. There was no ssification or restriction for the kind of attack to be blocked. As long as I have the higher level, any kind of attack can be blocked. The skill was OP! Vupp- I finally found the aether core. I took a deep breath before I started to consume it. "Here goes nothing." I coated my teeth and mouth with ether and¡­ Crunch- Directly chewed the core. "Itzzz taz..t..lzzz" (Speak humannguage.) Glup- I gulped the whole core in one go. ,m "It''s tasteless. I thought it will be nasty to eat." Then I opened the skill description again. ====== [Golden Turtle[Unique]] -Charges left: 1/5 -For every charge user can block one attack from someone with a lower level than himself. ====== "It works." Confirming that the skill gained one charge, I closed the status. "With this, I''m half set for diator Championship." I was first going to the gang to pick up Miller. From there, we will be leaving for the Underworld to find Tristan. Leaving my room, I entered the lift. [Please choose your destination] "Ground Floor" After reaching the ground floor, I exited the dorm. "I should take a ride to the main gate. I don''t have much time." The diator Championship was going to start next week. I can''t use my art''s first technique because of how eye-catchy it is. I needed to train in the second technique for it to be usable in battle by the day of the championship. The ride I chose, the cheapest one, a flying board, disyed a message. [Insufficient Credits] [Bnce: 1 credit] "Eh?" I''m dirt poor. But this was the same case for every low-ranking student. They are given barely enough credit to sustain themselves in Ward. ''Couldn''t you have cleared a few floors of the Dungeon of Trails to earn credits?'' (Leon and Lilith wouldn''t let me go anywhere near the dungeon.) (They said that I am too reckless. They''ll only let me go after I heal.) (I wonder whose fault is it?) It''s Lilith''s and Leon''s fault, obviously. Why was he asking such an obvious question? I shook my head. It doesn''t matter whose fault it is. What matter now is that I need credits. I opened my device and sent a message to Leon. [You: Leon can you lend me a few credits?] I was thinking of an excuse to give when his reply came. [PushoverNo1: Okay] Ting- [Cadet Leon Barns has transferred 50 credits to Cadet Nathan Hunt] [10 credits will be cut as the transfer fee] "10 credits for transfer fee? Why just my credits suck my blood too, damned Ward." (Why does Leon have so many credits?) "He must have gotten quite a few credits for defeating the Royal Demon." [You: Thanks. I''ll pay you backter. [PushoverNo1: It''s okay. You can pay back slowly. I''m not in a hurry] [You: You sure?] [You: Then I''ll pay back after graduation ^-^] Then was no reply for a few seconds. Then suddenly a string of notifications came all at once.s [PushoverNo1: I only said that out of politeness!] [PushoverNo1: Don''t forget to pay me back!] [PushoverNo1: You''ll pay back, right?] [PushoverNo1: Right?] Thest message came a secondter. [PushoverNo1: ....At least pay them back before our 3rd year.] "tch..tch Leon, you are too big of a pushover. You can''t survive with that attitude in today''s world." I clicked my tongue. "I guess I''ll do my duty as your friend and teach you a few lessons." [You: Of course, I''ll pay you back] [You: I''ll pay after graduation at the earliest] Before my device began buzzing from the iing onught of messages, I turned it off. It only took me a dozen minutes to reach the main gate and then the station. Boarding the train for Downtown, I decided to talk to Eth for a while. ''Eth, how much do you remember about your past?'' I could feel his hesitation as he didn''t answer. But he understood that I had already seen his past just like how he has mine. He took a moment before answering. (I remember everything until Grey died. From there, my memories are a little blurry till her death.) (After that, all my memories are hazy. I can barely remember a day''s worth of memories from there.) ''Do you remember how strong you were?'' (Strong? Me? I remember training day and night. But as far as I remember, my efforts never paid off. I was forever held back by myck of talent and potential.) "huuuu¡­." I exhaled loudly. It seems Eth still hasn''t realized how Mrs. Parker died because of his blurry memories. Nor does he remember his acquired skill. I decided to keep both these things a secret as I have decided beforehand. I suddenly thought of something. ''You can see my memories, right? Can''t you watch your past from there?'' (No) (Just like you, I can''t watch my past from your memories.) This was true. I never saw Eth watching my past in Eth''s memories. Eth also didn''t ask what I saw there. I had already told him about the 7 years I spent in ckout of the total 10 years in the memory world. Since we can feel each other''s emotions, Eth hasn''t been asking about what exactly happened. In a way, this was a blessing. I can''t tell him about the extra tidbits of memories I saw. But if I lie, he will know that it is a lie. I was feeling a little sleepy when Eth asked about my ns. (Are you going to participate in the championship?) ''Yeah'' (But why? There will be an attack during the championship and all the rewards will be stolen. There is no point in participating.) ''Only participants can get close to where rewards are stored.'' (Don''t tell me¡­) ''Why, of course! This time we will be the ones doing the stealing.'' Chapter 92 On My Way To Becoming A Millionaire [2] "Pleasee this way." A petite girl with beautiful blue hair was guiding me. Looking at her soft facial features and sweet voice I believed that she was a few years older than me. We turned at several corridors before reaching a familiar door. The two guards standing at the door nodded at the girl. Then, turning back they opened the doors. Screeech- I walked into the room and sat on the couch. "Master will be arriving shortly." The girl bowed while still standing at the door and left. A few secondster the guards closed the door. I was currently sitting at the base of the ck t-shirt gang. It took me a few hours to arrive here. This was due to the reason I changed my transportation many times to avoid tracking. I picked up the ss on the table and stared at my reflection. A white mask with no opening for even eyes and brown hair. This was reflected in the ss. I was using my stigma [Iridescence] to make my hair brown while the mask was the same as before. "Are you not going to drink?" A deep voice rang in the supposed empty room. Sighing, I put the ss down. "Old man why do you always try to appear mysteriously in the room? Does it hurt to walk through the door? Or do you like peeking at your guests while hiding?" Richard, leader of the ck t-shirt gang, flinched. The previous time I came here I talked with dignity and poise. My current crass behavior, which was directly opposite to before, shocked him. I raised my legs and put them on the table. Then I crossed my legs and rested my cheek on my right fist. "Did you prepare what I asked for?" Richard who was brought out of his stupor coughed slightly. He nodded at my question and ced a stack of papers on top of the table. "These are the Master-Servant Oaths you asked for." Oaths are used to take pledges between two parties with the System as the overseer. If any party breaks the Oath, they are directly judged by the System itself. This serves as the safest guarantee. As a result, the use of Oaths is very widespread in society. "Young master, about what you saidst time¡­" At Richard''s trailing words I threw a piece of paper on the table. Last time I promised him that I will take care of the matter with the Red-wolf gang. Richard, picked up the map I threw, with a questioning gaze. He looked at the location marked on it and spoke. The location marked on the map was pointing at a specific ce on the mountain range dividing Downtown from Bermuda Ind. "Young master, pardon me but I don''t understand what this is." "It''s a Stage-0 Dungeon." Richard stiffened. The total Stage-0 dungeons known on Earth don''t even reach 3 digits. Each one of them is very famous and known widely. But the dungeon I told him wasn''t among the known ones. With a half-uncertain, half-expectant voice, Richard asked. "W-what is the meaning of this young master?" "I''m allowing you to train your men in that Stage-0 Dungeon." Richard sucked in a cold breadth. His face was lit up brightly within seconds. However, his expression quickly turned dull and he shook his head. "I''m grateful for your generosity, young master. But I''ll have to refuse. I''m afraid our gang members aren''t strong enough to clear a Stage-0 Dungeon." Clearing a Stage-1 requires a well build team with at least 3 Enma rankers. For Stage-2 Dungeon, a team with 5 Gamma rankers and 30 Hatamoto rankers was the minimum force required for a clear. But for a Stage-0 Dungeon? No, one knows. It was entirely usible that even a team made of Sandra rank awakeners can''t clear a Stage-0 Dungeon. Richard knew that if the young master was offering this deal then it must be one of the easiest Stage-0 dungeons. But the ck t-shirt gang couldn''t clear even a Stage-1 dungeon. I shook my head at how easy it was to judge Richard''s current thoughts. Truly, losingposure in a deal can deal a fatal blow. I was going to make Richard remember this fact in a few minutes. "Old man you don''t need to worry about being unable to clear the dungeon. So, I''ll only ask it once." Richard looked at me. "Are you refusing the offer I am giving you?" Richards could only open and close his mouth for a few minutes. He couldn''t decide what was that he should choose. Should he ept my offer and aim higher when there was a possibility of losing everything? Or should he be satisfied with what he has? I knew I could persuade Richard if I use [Domination Decree]. But I didn''t. A man without any ambition is a boat without the sails. If he is afraid even after I reassured him then he is useless to me. The story was changing, there was no knowing what butterfly effect was already in motion. There were two more people like me. Who were possibly a lot stronger than me. I have to kill Mammon, one of the 13 Monarchs of the Universe. I was long ahead of the point of no return. From here it was race. A race where everyone was running toward different goals but there could only be a single winner. ''I can''t carry a burden with me.'' If Richard refuses I''ll take Miller with me and search for someone else to form an alliance. The ck t-shirt gang sounded goofy and weak. The only reason I chose them to ally with was that I felt it was better to start from the ground up and build a solid foundation. They were a good option but not a necessary one. Finally, after a few minutes, Richard made his decision. "I thank young master for his generosity. We''ll make good use of the dungeon and increase our forces as fast as possible." A smile blossomed on my face. "Then we will create an Oath. I''ll provide you with the necessary information to clear the dungeon. In return, I will get 60% of the loot." "60%? Young master th-" "70%" "You-" "80%" It seems Richard at least had the wisdom for his age. Immediately after two times, he understood that I wasn''t negotiating. I was informing him what the dividends were. Richard bitterly smiled. It seems that he understood where the faulty. Had he kept hisposure when we were talking a few minutes before and not gotten swept by me, he might have been able to put up proper negotiations. But the moment he lost to my momentum, he already lost any chance at negotiating. "Okay, young master. I''ll bring an Oath shortly." Richard pressed a button on the table and started giving his orders. In half an hour, the door opened again and the same blue-haired girl that guided me entered the room. She gracefully walked to Richard with a tray in her hands. Her scarlet eyes curiously darted between me and Richard as she ced the tray on the table. Taking my eyes off her, I looked up at Richard. He nodded at me and picked up the Oath ced on the tray. I took the Oath from his hand and read it to make sure that it was correct. Then both of us inserted a trace of our energies inside the Oath. Riiipp- The paper flew into the air and got torn into two pieces. One piece flew into me and the other into Richard. The warm feeling inside my soul told me that the Oath was now bound. "See. It wasn''t hard." "Yes, young master. Chloe, will you please return this tray and bring refreshments for the young master?" Richard smiled at my words and respectfully asked the blue-haired girl to bring me something to eat. ''Hol''up, did he just request the maid rather than order?'' Feeling something amiss, I looked back at the two of them. ''Eth, is it just me or does he looks afraid of that girl?'' (He is afraid.) Slightly nervous, I created a little harmonized energy and coated my eyes. ''[Appraisal]'' I used appraisal on the girl to see if something was amiss, and I immediately regretted it. Chapter 93 [Bonus Chapter] On My Way To Becoming A Millionaire [3] ''[Appraisal]'' ====== Name: ??? Race: Human Rank: ??? Stigma: ??? Disposition: ??? Title: ??? -> Stats(???) -> Skills(???) Status: ??? [Haven''t you met her before?] ====== Gulp- "Young master, are you thirsty?" I nodded my head. The petite girl passes me a ss of water. Thanking her I gulped down the water in one go. (Have you met her before?) ''No, I haven''t.'' (But the appraisal says otherwise.) ''I can pass by a random stranger on the roadside. That might also be counted as a meeting.'' I answered Eth. Why was he focusing on the evaluation when there was something else in the focus here? Her name, rank, stigma, almost everything was a question mark. This meant two things. Either she was hiding her status details with another skill. Or she was at least two ranks higher than me. She wouldn''t know I have [Appraisal]. So, she can''t prepare countermeasures for it. This means she was stronger than me. By arge margin at that. I finally understood why Richard was afraid of her. Even if she was only Te rank, Richard was still no match for her. ''Why is someone like her here?'' Anyone above Enma rank can be counted as a properbat force. The gap between Enma rank and Te rank is where most awakeners reach their limit. Screeech- While I was pondering over the issue, the girl left the room, and the door was closed. I looked over at Richard. "What is her name?" "Chloe, she is my adoptive daughter." "She is what?" "She is my adoptive daughter, Chloe Williamson." I didn''t ask since when he had an adoptive daughter. I had already done proper research on them beforeing here. At least this was what I made Richard and his son, Jonathon, believed. And from the novel, I knew Miller had no adoptive sister. The fact that Richard was telling me that he has an adoptive daughter means only one thing. ''He''s trying to bring it to my attention. He is purposely saying that, so I know something is amiss.'' Why was he doing this? His afraid expression answered that. He wanted help. The Oath we took a few moments ago also included that we must not betray or try to harm the other party. Richard was sitting safe and sound in front of me. This proved he hadn''t broken the Oath. So, at least he wasn''t nning something to betray me. Thatss was a danger to him. And she wasn''t on his side. A deep sigh escaped my lips, and I nodded my head. Richard smiled brightly when he saw that I understood his signal and epted to help. ''Just my luck.'' I passed Richard documents that contained detailed ns on clearing ''Conqueror''s Trial'', how he should form teams with his gang members, and the details regarding Elixir Pool. One person can only bring out a certain amount of Elixir at once. Thus, using the manpower of the gang to collect Elixir was the perfect idea. "Take care of everything that I have written here. I''ll see what I can do about the rest." Richard resolutely nodded in his head. The Elixir Pool was my ride to bing a millionaire in one go. "Haaa¡­.." ''Seems like bing a millionaire will take a while.'' ''I''ll have to deal with this ''Chloe'' first.'' Ultimately though, I shook my head. ''I''ll deal with her after Iplete my job in the Underworld.'' Putting the issue of Chloe at the back of my mind, I spoke to Richard. "Old man, let me borrow a room for training. Oh, and bring me a 100 Iota rank cores essence within this week." I stood up and stored the Master-Servant Oaths in my storage ring. "And make sure Miller is the one to bring the essence to me." Richard frowned and nodded. I smiled when I noticed that he didn''t ask anything about the money. Looks like he was trying to get in my good shoes. ''Well, after he reads about the Elixir Pool he won''t think of 100 Iota rank cores essence as expensive.) As I was thinking about such things, Richard guided me to a secluded room. I entered the room alone and closed the door behind me. "It''s training time." *** Knock- Knock- "Come in." Receiving the answer, Miller entered the room. "Boss, I brought the essence you asked for." Miller looked at his ''boss'' while saying so. Brown hair and white mask. Other than that, there was nothing noteworthy about this person. He was slim, not overly slim but also not buffed. He wasn''t very tall or short, just average. He had a normal tone of voice. All in all, he was the definition of average. Yet, the day this person appeared, his life was flipped on its head. A few weeks back, Miller got to know he wasn''t an orphan. Heck, the leader of the gang was his father himself! He then got to know about his potential. Honestly, for Miller, this was shocking. But not something he never expected. The way the gang leader and his son treated him, Miller was already suspicious about their rtionship. He was treated too kindly, and his rise in the gang was also quick. As if someone was supporting him from behind the scenes. Miller was a person who dealt with things when life threw them onto him. Besides, even though his dad hid his identity, Miller lived afortable childhood. Despite living in Downtown he never slept hungrily or was attacked. Now Miller knew the reason behind it. Anyway, the real shock starteding from here. The reason his dad revealed their rtionship was because of the person who had beaten Miller. This person had instructed to bring Miller under himself. At first, Miller wanted to refuse, but after seeing that he was putting his dad in a tight spot, he agreed. Then one week ago, a girl appeared on their turf. Without any warning, she stormed into their base and defeated everyone within an hour. Miller thought that this was the end of their gang. But what happened next shocked him more than the news about his family. The very girl who defeated their gang became his sister the next day. Miller suddenly had a sister. At this point, Miller''s brain short-circuited. He did not have the capacity to even think anymore. Unable to ept or deny the reality, Miller lived in a daze for the week. Then, the person whom Miller was supposed to be working under came. If Miller had to speak the truth, he felt it. This person wasn''t simple. Contrary to how ordinary he looked, Miller thought of him as a storm. A storm that was going to make a mess of his life. And his thoughts were proven correct. This person gave them a Stage-0 Dungeon. There weren''t even 100 Stage-0 Dungeons and all of them were regarded as national treasures. But he gave them it as casually as giving a lollipop! It was due to this his dad epted this man''s request for Essence without objections. The ck t-shirt gang was currently in a financially difficult position. Most of their funds have been used for repair and treatment of damage done by his ''sister Chloe''. Buying the Essence was like kicking in their curb while they were down. But was this the end? Hell no! This person was a storm, a storm! After his dad read the documents given by this person, they came to know about the existence of the Elixir pool in the dungeon. An Elixir was a rare potion type that many won''t even see in their lifetime. Yet, this man had a pool to himself! Miller''s dad almost cried out of happiness at this discovery. Even 20% profit from this deal was going to fill their pockets deep. "What are you gawking for?" His boss questioned him. "Nothing, boss." Miller walked up to his boss and passed him the essence. It was a silver liquid stored in a sk. While Miller was thinking about how to run away from the storm his boss took the essence. A mechanical orb appeared in his boss'' hand and he dropped the essence on it. Chapter 94 Baby Golem [1] ''Spatial Maniption: Space Rupture'' C..crack- A crack as wide as my arm appeared in the air. I grabbed the spear floating beside me and ced it inside the crack. Closing the crack, I backed a little and looked at the empty air. "Hmm 10 cracks. Not bad." Although invisible, I could sense the 10 cracks in the air that housed a single weapon each. The next thing I did was to control the cracks and spread them evenly in the space of 30 feet around me. "Let''s see if this works." I raised my hand. C..crack- Ten cracks appeared all around me. Spears, daggers, swords, and a hammer. A different weapon appeared from each crack. "Huuuuu¡­.." I looked at the ten marks on the wall. And brought my hand down. Fwosh- Fwosh- Fwosh- Thud-! Thud-! Thud-! The ten weapons flew and struck one target each. "Bullseye" Seeing that I didn''t miss a single target, I moved on to the next thing. ''Construct.'' Unlike the usual, there was no static sound. Out of 10 cracks, weapons came out from 8 cracks. Looking at this, I nodded, and a smile leaked onto my face. This was something I recently discovered. I can construct weapons inside the space of the cracks. Fwosh- Thud- "Haaa¡­." I picked up the towel and swiped the sweat from my forehead. Today marked the fourth day since I started training at the base of the gang. During this time, I thoroughly assessed mybat capability. And this was the result. I had 18 constetion and I can construct 8 weapons at once. While the number of cracks I have is 10. Each crack can only store only one weapon. This weapon can be changed after the previous weapon is removed from the crack. I can also construct my weapons inside the crack. This was important. Now, I can use my art at the championship without worrying about getting discovered. Also, when the cracks are closed, they can pass through objects. The only thing they can''t pass through is the other cracks. Currently, the surrounding space within 30 feet of the distance of me was filled with 10 cracks. If I want to increase the number of cracks, I''ll have to expand the range of my art. The range is the distance I can construct weapons or open and close cracks. It is directly influenced by the number of weapons I can construct at once. "Haaa..Everything came back to increase the maximum number of weapons I can construct at once." To store more weapons, I need more cracks. To create more cracks, I need more space. To have more space, I need to increase the range of reach I can influence with my art. For that, I need to increase my constructing efficiency. "Just when the speed of constructing isn''t a problem anymore." I ced the towel back and opened a bottle of water. "Pwah..and all this isn''t even the main problem." The weakest link about my current mastery wasn''t the speed, range, or the number of weapons. "I thought I will be able to construct higher-grade weapons after reaching Proficient mastery, but it''s the still same. I can construct only Common-grade weapons." I can''t even Scan weapons of a higher grade than Common. Let alone constructing them. "Am I missing something?" Knock- Knock- Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. "Come in" The doors were opened, and Miller entered. "Boss, I brought the essence you asked for." He was carrying a sk with silver liquid in his hands. After entering the room, he started staring into the air for a few dozen seconds. "What are you gawking at?" "Nothing boss." At my words, he walked up to me and passed me the sk. ''[Appraisal]'' ====== Aether core Essence(Condensed) [Rare] Condensed Essence of 100 Iota rank cores. ====== "It''s a condensed essence?" Condensed Essence was just what it sounded. Rather than having the essences of many cores, it is condescend into a singr essence. Condescend essence is more efficient than normal essence by many times while carrying the same properties. "Yes, boss." ''I guess this is a gift for giving them a piece of pie called Elixir Pool.'' Vupp- I brought the golem core out of my storage ring and dropped the essence on it. ''I can finally get the Golem.'' As the drop of Essence fell, I dreamt ofmanding a golem that was no different from a war-machine. Drip- Immediately, the Golem core let out a bright light. "Urrgh.." Miller and I closed our eyes. While my eyes were closed, I could feel the core in my hands. [Golem Core is undergoing awakening] Chckklkchkclck- The core started producing noise simr to one hears from machinery because of the turning of gears. [Awakening¡­0%..1%....5%.....10%....30%.....99%.....99.99%] [User''s blood is required for the final 0.01% awakening] Puchi- I felt something stab into my arm. [Ether detected in user''s blood] [[Evolver] has been activated] [Undergoing evolution] [Awakeninng..99.99% ¡­99.99%...99.99%] [Evolutionplete] [Awakening..99.99% -> 100%] [Golem Core has transformed into Baby Golem. [Please give it a name] The blinding light died off, allowing us to open our eyes. "Boss, what is¡­that?" Miller had a confused expression as he looked at the golem. I was the same. "Baby golem?" The appearance of the golem was, forck of a better term, unexpected. -Gru? The golem had a body that looked like it was made by sticking chunks of stone together. It had two armsrge arms, two short legs, and purple glowing eyes. Till here, everything was as one would expect from a golem. The surprising part was something else. -Grrru! The golem, still sitting in my palm, bit my index finger. Yes, the golem was small enough to fit in my palm! It was barely 10 inches tall! -Grruu The Baby golem jumped from my hand andnded on the floor. It walked a few steps but fell quickly. It seems it was learning to walk. As it sat on the floor, it looked up at us. -Grruuuu -Gruuuu Seeing us, it flinched and started crying. The baby golem got afraid of giants(Miller and me) and was crying. Or so I understood. ''Aren''t golem battle machines that give everyone a run for the money?'' ''Is this a golem or a baby?'' Its size could still be ignored. But it was behaving like a baby too! "Boss, i-its cute. Can I touch it?" While I was still trying to connect with reality, Miller asked me if I can let him touch the golem. I absentmindedly nodded. Miller crouched to pet the baby golem. -Gruuuuu! It seems the baby golem didn''t like him. It ran away from Miller and hid behind me while crying even more loudly. "Come here. Come here." Miller, speaking like the uncle who likes to kidnap little girls, went closer to the baby golem. The baby golem cried even harder and pulled on my clothes. It was asking me to make Miller stop. Of course, I was still not over what just had happened. I was trying to cope with reality by shutting my brain off for a few seconds. The awakening process was over the top enough to rise my expectations through the roof. But rather than a golem that will be a war-machine. I got a golem that is more suited to be a mascot! "Come here, little one" -Grrrru! The baby golem finally had enough and attacked Miller. Its tiny fist slowly went towards Miller and¡­ Baammmm-! The next second, Miller was smashed into the wall. Chapter 95 Baby Golem [2] "Uw..gr..h" Miller who was embedded into the wall was producing strange noises. His limbs were broken from the impact of collsion, he was bleeding from all his oricificies and his breathing was reducing at a rapid pace. He was dying. Realizing this I ran to him and pulled him down. "Ar..rg.." He screamed in a low voice to show his resistance. But I still pulled him down. If he wasn''t treated he was going to die in a few minutes. "Drink this" Vupp- A vial of elixir appeared in my hands. Raising his head slightly, I fed him the miracle liquid. Then I ced him back on the ground. (Will he be fine?) ''Other than a possible trauma of golems? Yeah, he''ll be fine.'' Elixir isn''t called the miracle liquid for nothing. Even if Miller had lost his limb, Elixir would have been able to regenerate it. "He will be patched up in a few hours." I picked him up and ced him on the sofa. Then I looked at the baby golem. -Gruu The baby golem was hiding behind the leg of a table. Listening to its low tone it seemed to be sorry for what it did. ''It is also afraid that I will punish it.'' The baby golem was quivering as it fearfully looked at me. A deep sigh escpaced my lips and I sat cross-legged on the floor. "Come here. I won''t punish you." The golem flinched at my words. But a few secondster it slowly peeked at me. Seeing that I wasn''ting to hurt it the baby golem slowly starteding out of hiding. -Gru? "Yes, yes. I''m not angry. I know you didn''t do on pupose." It was weird how I could understand what it was trying to say. But I put that issue at the back of my mind. -Gruuuuu The golem finally deciding that I wasn''t angry came toward me. -Gruu ¨CGruu It rubbed its tiny body at me and made cute(?) noises. "Now let''s look at your status." I picked the golem and willed for its status screen. "Status" ====== Name: -/- Rank: Meta Level: 1 Exp: 0/150 Rating: 3-Stars Trait: [Anti-Magic Field], [Regeneration], [Evolver] -->Stats: Strength ¨C 32 Agility ¨C 8 Stamina ¨C 35 Constitution ¨C 40 Ether ¨C 5 Intelligence ¨C 29 Luck ¨C 45 [Did you give it a name yet?] ====== "A divine beast¡­." The baby golem status shocked me in more ways than one. The stat it had were in no wayparable to Lvl. 1. Heck, it had more stats points than me in some stats, someone who was Lvl.14! But the real shock wasn''t the stats. It was the status screen itself. When a beast or a monster is tamed they also get a status screen. But that status screen is a lot different from what the awakeners use. The biggest difference is the leveling itself. Beasts and Monsters don''t level up with the help of the System. But there are a few exceptions. These exceptions, while being beasts or monsters, can use the leveling system. Of course, the exp they gain is a lot less and their ranking conditions are extremely harsh. Nheless, they can level up. These exceptions are called Divine Beasts. They are immensely strong for their levels and highly intelligent from birth. The second protagonist will have one divine beast, Skardlh, the bone dragon. While the third protagonist has four divine beasts. -Gruu? The baby golem tilted its head as it saw me staring at the air. "It''s nothing." I rubbed the head of the golem and ced it on the ground. "Let''s name you, Little one" -Gru ¨CGru The golem shook its head to show its disapproval of the name. "Ole" -Gru "Gole" -Gru "Lem" -Gruu! The baby golem shouted at me for using ''golem'' for its name. "Okay, let me think of some other names then." The golem copying me also sat cross-legged. "Then, Aby?" -Gru "Bale?" -Gru "Melby-ouch ouch ouch" The baby golem jumped to its feeet and bit me. Seeing this I clicked my tongue. "Can''t fool you, huh?" I had been only rearranging alphabets from ''baby golem'' to decide its name. For some reason, it didn''t like this. Like this, the name-choosing ceremony went on for a few hours. -Grrrru The baby golem snorted and went to the other corner of the room. It had given up any hopes of getting a proper name from me. "Give me a few days. I''ll find the best name for you!" -Gru! ''As if, you failure of a parent!'' The words of the baby golem roughly tranted to this in my head. I wanted to refute that I wasn''t its parent. But I felt like I''ll get the same treatment as Miller so I kept my mouth shut. "Urgh..b..oss?" Miller who was sleeping on the couch looked at me. It seems he had healed enough to speak. "How are you feeling?" I stood up and walked to him. By the looks of his crooked arm, it seems he is yet to be healedpletely. Miller nodded at my question. His gaze shifted to the baby golem who was gloomily sitting in the corner and then back at me. "Boss, you suck at naming." *** "Pick the luggage properly." "But boss why can''t we use storage rings?" "Because I don''t want to." Miller was regretting his choice to make fun of his boss'' naming sense. Back then, two days ago, when he saw his boss talking to the golem casually Miller felt the mist before his eyes clear up. His boss was talking,ughing, and pleading like any normal person. Miller thought that maybe it was wrong of him to set a prejudiced image of his boss. This was why Miller made that joke about his boss'' naming sense. He thought that this might bring them closer as teammates. Oh, boy how wrong he was. Now, the food for his boss has to be prepared by Miller. All three times of the day! If he calls for anything Miller has to report within 5 seconds. Miller has to be the one to clean his room daily. And Miller has to be the one to carry their luggage, too! All this work just because he made fun of him! ''Fuck, he ain''t a storm. He''s a demon too!'' Miller hadn''t gotten a wink of sleep for thest two days. The fog that cleared before his eyes finally made him see the abomination called boss. "Are you crying?" "No..sniff¡­ I''m not..sniff" Miller and Nathan entered a car and. Traveling for a few miles they reached the mountain range. There they began walking on foot. Miller, as someone who lived in present, decided to ignore the past and focus on the future. ''I''ll just have to make sure I don''t piss him off again.'' Thinking like this Miller spoke. "Boss, do we need to go like this?" Both Nathan and Miller were wearing ck robes and white masks. Miller was sweating a ton while dressed like this. "Yeah and make sure you don''t expose your identity once you enter the Underworld." ? Not exposing your identity was the rule of thumb that everyone followed inside the Underworld. But for some reason, Miller felt like the reason behind his boss'' action was different. ''Is he going to create a mess in the Underworld? Is that why he is asking to keep our identities hidden? Hahaha¡­that isn''t possible. Even if he is an heir of three families, he wouldn''t do something like that¡­. Right?'' Suddenly, Miller felt a lot more worried about his future. "We''re here." His boss spoke while looking at the abandoned bridge. Arge rusted bridge was going across the valley. A river ran in between the valley, under the bridge. The duo walked on the bridge until they were standing exactly in the middle point. Gulp- "B-boss, are you sure there is an entrance here?" Despite his boss nodding his head, Miller didn''t feel secure. Strong gales blew, causing their robes to p. His hands were turning white as he gripped the bridge tightly so as to not fall because of the winds. The ground, which was probably a thousand feet below, suddenly felt a lot closer yet farther. Miller heavily gulped, unable to muster the courage. ''No, no. Although he acts all crazy, he never lied.'' Their gang''s future looked a lot brighter because of the dungeon and elixir pool his boss gave them. With them, forget Red-Wolf Gang, in the future, they can conquer all the gangs in the Downtown. It must be true that if they jumped, a portal to Underworld will open up. Despite thinking like this, Miller was not moving an inch. After all, knowing something and implementing it were two different things. "Boss, shouldn''t we take a reg-" -Gruu! Suddenly, Miller felt a soft impact behind his back that pushed him off the bridge. -Gruuuuu As he fell, the baby Golem clutched his shoulder tightly and started shouting excitedly. At the baby golem''s appearance, Miller finally started crying. For the past two days, he obviously resisted his boss'' unreasonable orders. But this little golem always appeared and threatened him to work. "FUCK, YOU SHIT OF A GOLEM! FUCK YOU DEMON OF A BOSS! IF I DIE HERE I''LL HAUNT YOU FOREVER!" A few people heard faint, shrill screams echoing outside the valley. And just like this, the legend of the suiciding overworked employee was born. ======= A/N: Poll in the chapterments! Vote for our baby golem''s name! Chapter 96 Grimoire [1] "From today onwards, you will be responsible for handling negations in eastern and southern wards." A man, in his early 50s, spoke after wiping his mouth with a napkin. "I have high hopes for you. Don''t disappoint me." "Yes, boss." The answer came from a lean young man sitting at the other end of the table. Today was the day the young man had been eagerly waiting for the past years. Finally, he had a suitable foothold toplete in goal. "Lily, you''ll be the one showing his ropes around his job." "Yes, boss" The young woman upying a seat beside the ''boss'' answered. Her brother, who was sitting in front of her, continued eating in silence. "Miss Lily, when should we start?" Lily took her eyes off her uninterested brother and looked at the young man who was sitting at the opposite end of her father. He had a pretty face, a lean body, and a frail constitution. Quite an umonbination for his job, especially thest two. The only thing about the young man that matched his job was his sly smile. "How about now?" Answering such, Lily stood up and left the dining table. The young man, before following her out, bowed to the boss. Tak- Tak- Lily''s heel struck the cold marble, producing a clear, distinct sound. "If you were given a chance to choose the way you die. What will be your answer?" The young man who had already heard about Lily didn''t show any reaction to the sudden question. Lily was famous for being self-centered and egotistical. Most of these rumors came from the fact that no one working under had lived for more than a month. She would always kill them on the pretext of failing at their jobs. The young man was about to answer when Lily waved her hand and told him to shut up. Screech- Lily pushed the door and entered the room at the end of the corridor. A metallic stench attacked the young man''s nostrils as soon as he entered. Maintaining his smile, he looked at the dead bodies and the pool of blood beneath them that had begun to dry. Lily, ignoring the bodies lying on the ground, walked to the center of the room, to the person who was gagged and tied to the chair. "He is the one who was responsible for negotiations before you, the one you are going to rece. Lily, without waiting for the young man''s answer, passed him a pistol. "Shoot him." The young man, seemingly unperturbed by the sudden developments, took the pistol from her. Nodding his head, he aimed it at his predecessor''s forehead. The young man, despite working in their profession for a few years, hadn''t killed anybody yet. Thus, Lily was helping him ''graduate'' before they began the main job. The young man, however, never pulled the trigger. Seconds trickled down into minutes, yet the advice loud noise from the gun never came. Lily shook her head. The young man had no connection to his predecessor, yet his hand that was holding the trigger was shaking. Sighing, Lily was about to pull another pistol from underneath her coat to kill the young man when he suddenly put his gun down. "I''m sorry. I can''t. I''m on a tight budget this month." Lily''s hand stopped, and she looked at him with a questioning gaze, asking him to continue. The young man rubbed the back of his neck and sheepishly smiled. "Can I sell his organs before killing him? I really need some extra money this month." The silence continued for a few seconds. The young man began sweating, thinking he had overstepped his boundaries until Lily''s uncontrolledughter drowned the room. Finally, having her fit, she wiped the drop of tears from the corners of her eyes and questioned him. "You''re interesting. What''s your name?" This time it was the young man who was shocked. He had joined their organization only a few years ago. But his ''public volunteering'' had made him quite famous, or infamous for most, in their organization. He couldn''t understand how Lily didn''t even know his name. Shaking these thoughts out of his head, he reposed himself and spoke with his ever-present smile. "I''m..." ** Vupp- Miller''s knees gave up, and he fell face-first after exiting the portal. Even without removing his mask, Miller started kissing the ground. He thought he was going to die this time. A few seconds ago, when he was falling off the bridge, the portal appeared only a few feet above the river. By then, he had already given any hope of surviving and cursing his boss. ''Wait cursing?'' He slowly turned his neck like a creaking door and looked at his boss fearfully. ''He didn''t hear me, right?'' Miller was waiting for something to happen when he realized that his boss wasn''t moving an inch. "Boss?" After waiting for a few minutes, during which his boss didn''t move, Miller finally shook him. "Y..yeah?" Nathan broke out of his stupor and looked around, only now noticing his surroundings. "Did something happen, boss?" "No... I just remembered something from long ago." Not wanting to borate, Nathan touched the bags in Miller''s hand and stored them inside his storage ring. The reason Nathan didn''t do this earlier was that the portal they used won''t activate if someone was utilizing a storage ring with items inside it. The portal worked like normal only if the storage rings were empty. Nathan didn''t know why using the entry for this portal was cumbersome, but they had to do it. Almost all entry portals to the Underworld were monitored. Considering what they were going to do in theing days, Nathan decided it was better to use a hidden portal that wasn''t being monitored. As for the exit, it was rather easy. Nathan knew the few exit portals that would teleport them randomly within the mountain range. With this, even the method of escape was secured. Nathan again realized how beneficial his future information was. This only made him warier of the two other Outsiders. "What was in those bags, boss?" "Fireworks" "Fireworks?" Nathan nodded his head and began walking in a specific direction. Walking for a few minutes, Nathan stood at a crossroads, trying to remember the specifics of the location he wanted to go. Ensuring his destination, he began walking while looking at the Underworld at the same time. Despite having such an ominous name, the Underworld was different from what one would expect. Bright blue sky, a scorching sun overhead, trees lining at a regr distance for shades, and the shops that didn''t match the environment he had been seeing for the past months. If ''Earth'' had a sci-fi feel to it, then the Underworld had a medieval feel to it. If not for the clothing of people around them, Nathan would''ve thought he hade into the past. The guards were wearing armor simr to those knights in the old generations. Every shop had an antique feel to it and the humongous castle at the far center looked like something that was built for an emperor in ancient times. "Boss, the tournament entrance is not in this direction." Miller finally spoke as he followed Nathan deeper into the alleyways. At first, Miller didn''t want to ask where they were going, but now their surroundings were turning riskier than what miller wasfortable with, so he had mustered his courage to ask. "We''re here to prepare some things." Chapter 97 Grimoire [2] We spent a few hours looking for the shop and found it around sunset. "''Tanya & Alibaba Atelier'' What kind of workshop is this, boss?" Miller asked with apprehension when he looked at the worn-down shop. The boundary wasn''t maintained, the shop''s sign was on the verge of breaking and cobwebs had marked the roof as their territory. "A general shop that dabbles in almost everything awakener rted." Tingle- A metallic chime rang out as we entered the shop. Despite the worn-down exterior, the shop didn''t have a half-bad interior. Weapons and armor were spread throughout the shop for disy. The weapons were on the right side while the armors were on the left. Seeing how everything was left out in the open, it seems that the shop owner was confident in the security. "Hello, there. How may I help you?" A girl, no older than 20, spoke from behind the counter directly ahead. She was wearing a brown apron that would remind one of the cksmiths. Soot and sweat were covering her face. I stopped looking at the weapons and went to the counter. "Is the shop owner not here? I was told I could meet the old man, Alibaba, here." The old man, or the shop owner of Tanya & Alibaba Atelier, was Ward''s headmaster. While the girl in front of me was his granddaughter and the daughter of Olivia. I came to this shop, in particr, because I needed to contact the headmaster. As for why, let''s just say I needed someone powerful to act as my backer. "He isn''t here." "Is the old man in the house? Or did he go on hunting?" On my question, the girl removed her headgear and carefully scrutinized me. From my words alone, one would think why was I asking if the shop owner was in the house when the girl had already refused. But there was a reason for this. The word ''house'' meant earth and ''hunting'' meant going into Gates. There were more codes but I only wanted to show that I knew about the headmaster. The girl took a while before answering me. "He has gone to the basement." At her answer, I inwardly clicked my tongue. ''Basement'' was the code word for Tartarus, the prison where the most dangerous criminals were held captive. ''He probably went to meet his brother ''Sandman''. Ugh¡­this might take a while.'' If the headmaster had gone to the frontlines then, at thetest, he would''ve been back after a month. But I can''t predict how long his visit to Tartarus was going to take. ''Just my luck. He had to go when I have a three-month deadline.'' Later in the novel, this shop was a rendezvous point where Leon used to buy goods at a cheaper price. It was Isabe, thest member of the Goliath Unit, who had told him about this shop when theyter became closer. Also, it wasn''t umon for someone toe looking for the headmaster here. Just the only people who were either close to him or at the very top of society knew about his shop. "Do you want to leave a message for him?" I shook my head at her question. Sighing, I decided to buy some goods. "I want to buy a grimoire." Hearing my request Anya''s, the girl behind the counter, face lit up. Due to the remote location and the substandered exterior, customers rarelye to this shop. Even among them, most of the people onlye to buy the weapons crafted by the headmaster, which he rarely sold. The shop was solely running on Anya''s earnings. This was the condition that she had to follow if she wanted to run a shop in the Underworld. As such, she was always happy to have a new customer. "What rank of spells do you want? Do you need amon-grade or a higher-grade grimoire?" Her eyes were shining like a predator who found her prey. "Common-grade Grimoire with Rank2 spells." Spells can be categorized from Rank 1 to Rank 7. Each rank represents the number of spell forms a mage can weave at once. For example: A Rank 1 mage can weave 2 spells forms, a Rank 2 mage can weave 4 spell forms, a Rank 3 mage can weave 8 spell forms, a Rank 4 mage can weave 16 spell forms, and so on. Weaving, or creating spell forms in simpler words, requires precise mana control and a simr level of intelligence. With my high ether control, I was confident that I could weave at least 6 spell forme at once. Of course, this was only possible if I knew any spells, which I didn''t. But even then, it wasn''t wrong for me to call myself a pseudo Rank3 mage. Pseudo, because I can''t weave spell forms without grimoires. Mind you, even with grimoires, one needs to be the same rank mage as the spell rank for the spell to be to work. Anya passed me a leaflet with spells. The leaflet had over 100 spells in it. All of them were Rank 1 and Rank 2. After an hour-long heated discussion between Anya and me, I settled on 5 spells. "I need X 2, X 2, X 3, X 2, and ." All of these spells except Mud-spikes were support spells. Among these, and were Rank 3 spells. I chose these because they had short chants and high utility. Because Rank 3 spells need Rare grade grimoire, the cost shot through the roof. "Three rank3 spells and seven rank2 spells. Rank 3 spells need rare-grade grimoires so¡­." Anya excitedly calcted the bill and told me the final price. "The total will be 37,000B." I winced at the price, but there was nothing I could do except nod my head. I had chosen the cheapest spells, yet this was the result. "The enchanting will take around half-hour. In the meantime, why don''t you look around if you need anything?" With a bright smile stered on her face, Anya went to the back room, probably to enchant the spells into the grimoire. "This looks nice." I picked a shortsword from the disy. ====== Shortsword[Rare] A shortsword made under the guidance of an expert cksmith. It is among the best weapons in themon grade. -Can shoot the de when energy is supplied. ====== I channeled a small amount of ether into the sword. Fwish- -Thud! The de shot from the base and struck the wall. A few secondster, it returned to the sword. I did it a few times more but this time with my skill [Pierce]. Fwish- -Thud! The result was the same: the de that shot out didn''t extend. I tried activating [Pierce] without shooting the de and the skill activated. "So, I need to hold the weapon for the skill to work." But I remember the skill working with the weapons I constructed. I had to look at the skill description to understand the reason behind it. I quickly found the reason. Apparently [Pierce] only activated with ''my'' weapons. Thus, when the de left my hand, it was no longer ''my'' weapon, and the skill didn''t activate. Whereas, the constructed weapons were purely created from my energy and thus deemed as ''my'' weapons, even after leaving my hands. "Haah.. I want to Scan this sword but there is no point." My constructed weapons are precise replicas of the originals. They have the same durability, attack power, and conductivity as the original. The only thing that differentiated them from the originals was that they didn''t have the abilities of the originals. In this case, even if I created a constetion, the resulting shortsword will not have a shootable de. "I''ll just buy it." Other than the shortsword, I bought a pair of boots and gloves that stick to any surface, a few smoke bombs, a shbang, and a shield. Pulling the final purchase price to 49,000. ''I''m dirt poor now.'' "Catch" I threw the shield to Miller, who had been fidgeting all the while staring at Anya. "Pleasee again.." Tingle- Bidding Anya farewell, we went toward the direction of the stadium where the championship was about to begin. Chapter 98 Know Your Place [1] The stadium in which the championship was going to be held was near the periphery of the Underworld. I pulled the hood closer to my head as I navigated through the crowd. (Are you worried about someone recognizing you?) I nodded. With my different hair color, mask, and thick robes, it was practically impossible to recognize me. But there was one problem. It was my earrings. The [Mephistopheles Earrings] couldn''t be removed. The championship was a yearly tournament that was moderately popr. It would spell trouble if someone recognized me by my earrings. "Coming through." Miller, who was walking in front of me, shouted as he pushed through the oing crowd. While walking to the registration venue, I tried to find any traces of Tristan. Finding Tristan and recruiting him was one of my two primary goals foring here. The other goal was ''Mermaid''s tear'' the 2nd prize in the tournament. ''Mermaid''s Tear'' is a useful item that increases the intelligence of someone by 20 stats. But if it was just this much I wouldn''t have been participating in the tournament. ''Mermaid Tear'' was the easiest to acquire and one of the four ingredients required to create a resurrection elixir. The other three being: Dragon''s horn, Hydra''s heart, and Phoenix''s feather. "Haaa¡­" Just the difficulty of collecting them was off the charts. Forget about creating the elixir itself. I was aiming for the resurrection elixir because I wanted a fail-safe backup. My aim was to survive in this dammed novel. For that, I had decided to intervene in the story to make sure my future wouldn''t be ruined. And because I was going to intervene, I knew. I knew my chances of dying weren''t low. No, rather the chances of Demon King Beezelub descending on Earth by the end of the year were higher. Anyway, Tristan will also be aiming for the ''Mermaid''s Tear''. Not that he will win. He will be eliminated in the under-8 fights. Though, even if he had won, he wouldn''t have gotten the prize. During the under-8 fights, an attack will be carried out on the venue of the tournament. The goal of the attackers was to steal the prize. I didn''t know which prize they were aiming for. The only thing I knew was that the attack was carefully nned. Although the attack only targeted the stadium, the attackers had hijacked the energy core of the Underworld for dozens of minutes. This made almost all security measures running on a constant supply of energy useless, making the heist easier. The room where the prizes are kept can only be essed by the corridors connected to the under-16 contestants'' seats section. This was mentioned in the passing as Tristan remembered the beauty of ''Mermaid Tear'' when it was shown to thest 16 contestants. So, the attackers must also be among the final 16 contestants. When the signal will be given, the attackers hidden among the contestants will move. Fortunately, I knew the time when the attack will begin and the signal for it. (Now that I think about it, who do you think is responsible for the uing attack?) I racked my brain for possible answers. ''It shouldn''t be other races. Then the only organizations capable of infiltrating Underworld are Illis and Aegis. It should be Illis, as Aegis is an alliance with Umbra off papers.'' Eth quieted down before asking another question. (Why do you think the attackers decided to steal? Couldn''t they have simply won the championship and taken the prize?) I shrugged my shoulders. ''Some people simply like chaos.'' Besides, even if there was another reason, I didn''t need to know. "Why are so many people returning? Shouldn''t most go toward the tournament registration venue, not the opposite?" "It''s because the list of the contestants should be up." Miller shouted through the crowd to answer me. "Boss, you know about the registration procedure?" I nodded. To participate in the tournament, the contestants have to get a ticket. These tickets are openly distributed throughout the Downtown. But the distribution stops 6 months before the tournament. The ticket I currently had belonged to Eth. The ticket was among the belongings that I received in Ward. I only understood its purpose after going through the ns that he had written on his bracelet. Frustrated with hisck of progress, he was nning to win the tournament and use the prize to raid a dungeon to increase his level. I could only shake my head at his na?ve thoughts. The tournament allowed anyone below Lvl.25, or peak Iota rank, to participate. There was no way for Eth, who was only Lvl.3 at that time, to win. "The reason we can only register on the day of the tournament is that many people withdraw before the tournament starts." "Withdraw before the tournament?" "Yes, boss. They release the profiles of people who had bought the tickets to the public on the day of the tournament." "Can they track our identities from the tickets?" "No, the profiles include only the name and level registered when buying the ticket. The ticket itself has nothing to backtrack the holder." Ignoring Miller''s smug tone, I agreed. If the tickets could be back-tracked, then it was possible that the identities of the attackers to be tracked, which never happened. "Do you know what type of match will be the first round?" I spoke while going toward the VIP line. The tournament is always held in two stages. For this tournament, the 2nd stage will be 1vs1 fights between 16 people. But the 1st stage wasn''t told in the novel. Miller nodded in affirmation. "The first round is the same every year. It is fr-" "Move" Miller was suddenly pushed away by a person emerging from the crowd. Miller, who almost fell because of the sudden shove, red. "What do you think you are doing, bitch?" "¡­what?" The person, who had almost left along with the crowd, stopped walking. Turning back, he walked to us and stood in front of Miller. "What did you call me?" "Are you deaf too, you blind cockwaffle?" "Miller, stop." The person who had pushed Miller was buffed, too buffed. His arms were thicker than my waist, not to mention therge hammer on his back. Besides, although he wasing from non-VIP lines, in Underworld it wasn''t umon for top-level awakeners to act as normal, unassuming people. The headmaster was the best example. He was one of the 4 pioneers, yet he was posing as an old cksmith here. Knowing my luck, it was best to not antagonize random strangers. "Looks like I need to teach some lessons." He grabbed both Miller and me by our necks and raised us in the air. "H-hey, stop. We can talk d-Ugh" From Miller''s words, it seems he finally understood that he might have messed up. "There is no need to talk anymore." Before I could speak, he tightened his iron grip around our necks. It was bing hard to breathe. I decided to move before he broke our necks. ''[Appraisal]'' A screen appeared in mid-air. ====== Name: Alzak Taco Race: Human Rank: Meta(Lvl.8) Stigma: -/- Disposition: Neutral-Evil Title: -/- -> Stats(Click to expand) Status: Gloating/Excited/Greedy [A random thug trying to loot you] ====== ''Eh?'' The evaluation and status made it sound like this person was trying to loot us by appearing threatening. I checked his stats and calcted. He had 2SP/Lvl with his strength-focused distribution. He didn''t even have a single skill. Finally, I realized. I had be too paranoid. There was no way this person was a top-level awakener. Otherwise, he wouldn''t have been provoked by the meager swearing of Miller. Immediately, I felt the iron w around my neck turn into a so-so massage. "If you want to leave with your life, giv-!!" The massage abruptly ended, and the person fell to the ground. "B-boss, wasn''t that too much?" Miller shivered, covering his privates with his hands as he looked at the person writhing on the ground. I lowered my knee, which had just destroyed the man''s future generations, and went to the VIP register counter. What? This wasn''t a clich¨¦-Chinese cultivation novel. There was no way I would waste time on face pping some random stranger after an argument. If someone weaker than me is trying to mess with me. Then they better pray to god for their safety. If the person was stronger? I''ll run away the first thing after messing up. Only idiots will fight an unwinnable fight. "Boss, sorry about that. I didn''t think through before acting up." "It''s fine. Everyone makes a mistake ONCE in their lifetime. It isn''t anything to be remorseful about. Just make sure it doesn''t happen a SECOND time." Miller, living his life on the streets andter in the gang, had developed the habit of fist first-thinkter. It wasn''t weird for him to act up when someone was looking down on him. But his actions could havended us in serious trouble if that person was a high-rank awakener. Both of us registered. The recipient exined to us about the first round and sent us toward the participant-only area. The room, which wasrge enough to house over a hundred people, was filled to the brim. PARTICIPANTS, PLEASE ENTER THE STADIUM. THE FIRST ROUND WILL BEGIN SHORTLY- I was about to start using appraisal on others when an announcement rang "Let''s go." Along with the dozens of people, we walked through the dim corridor and entered the ground. Chapter 99 Know Your Place [2] Loud cheers, air that was practically vibrating with excitement and nervousness at what was about toe. Among these emotions, I strode to the ground. The metal gate opened up and all the participants entered. I could feel the sand on the ground jump with excitement. Seated in the stadium were thousands of spectators. More participants were entering from the five other gates on the wall, bringing the total number to a little over 300. As everyone entered the stage, the gates were tightly closed shut. This further hammered the fact that now only 16 people will leave this ground alive. -WELCOME TO THE 3RD GLADIATOR CHAMPIONSHIP. WE WISH YOU A BLOOD-FILLED FIGHT- Dumumumu- Dumumumu- The weird words of thementator were followed by dramatic drumming, signaling the start of the first round. However, the participants kept their distance closely, eyeing their respective surroundings. It was natural. Moving first was a sign of confidence. A statement that you were confident of your strength. The first round is always a shit show. There is no strategy, no teamwork, no nothing. It is only killing others until you are among thest 16 standing. It was the perfect time to eliminate stronger threats by ganging up on them. Anyone who will move first will be the trigger, starting the match, as well as the target, to be hunted down. In this ground, where everyone was as still as a statue, someone finally moved. It was me. "Haaah¡­.How long until you weaklings finally start? If you were so afraid, then why even participate?" "B-boss¡­" Miller couldn''t continue his words when the suffocating pressure of dozens of gazes bore down on us. Malicious or not, participants began surrounding us. My words had made it clear. I was someone confident in my strength. Seconds trickled, but no one came forward to attack. Their eyes peeled, making sure none of my actions bypassed their scrutiny. I spread and arms and spoke loudly. "If none is going to start, then I will." Three small cylindrical objects appeared in my hands. "Watch closely. This is how someone strong fights." Secretly pressing the button on top of them, I threw them into the air. The gazes of the crowd, which were trying to make sure that they register my every move, also followed the objects. Without waiting for the oue, I brought the grimoire out of my storage ring. "Miller, close your ears." "What, bo-" -Booooom! * -Booooom! His world was dyed white and he lost his hearing. For a moment, he thought he hade to a different ce. For a moment, that is. CHIIIING- His hearing quickly returned, bringing along a painful ringing sound inside his head. "..t.., ..re.. ..k..y" "..a..o, a.. ..o...." p- "¡­., are you okay?" It hurt. But the p to the back of his head brought rity to his mind. He quickly regained hisposure. This wasn''t the time to be floundering around. Unsheathing his katana, he warily looked around. Dozens of participants were in holding their heads and rolling in the sand. Probably he was also acting like that until the girl, his partner, pped him back to his sense. "Orraaa!" Bang-! Someone jumped at him from behind. But before the attacker could do anything, their head exploded. "Thanks, Sie." He looked at his partner, albeit his senior, despite being the same age. She was wearing grey robes and a ck mask, simr to him. Before she could reply, a loud shout rang throughout the stadium, followed by many others. Participants started attacking each other without restraints. The ground was painted red from blood, severed limbs were scattered everywhere, and shy or simple attacks raged through the stadium. All hell had broken loose. But even in this hell, some ces had more chaos than anywhere else. In one corner of the stadium, three people in ragged clothing were defending and counterattacking every attack thrown at them. Their attire along and the purple crest on their bodies said a lot about them. They were battle ves. Tournaments like these were perfect opportunities for ve traders to show off their ''goods''. And it seems the goods this time were exceptional. Two battle ves defended while thest one, a mana user, kept killing everyone with precise mana bullets. The mana control of the battle ve left him baffled. He prided himself in his high-level mana control, but that ve was at the least on par with him. "N-no, please ..NOOOO!" In another corner, blood-curling screams resonated. A woman with a halberd was smashing heads like watermelons. Her movements were like an untamed beast. Standing in her path only leads to death. Swish- A little away from him, a head flew in the air. The next few seconds, more heads flew. He gritted his teeth. There was an assassin with an invisibility skill near him. Fortunately, although he couldn''t see the assassin, he could sense the general direction of the assassin. So, they were safe from the danger of sudden decapitation. Gulp- He gulped. What were these peoples? Weren''t only Iota and lower ranks allowed to enter thepetition? How could they fight so¡­ skillfully? He felt ashamed. Although he had no talent, he had always believed that he trained harder than anyone else. If the stakes were equal, only a few could best him. But he finally understood that he was only a frog in the well. He skillfully danced on the battlefield, defending his partner and himself from the never-ending onught of attacks. All the while looking at the three ces where the most brutal deaths were happening. "Sixth Form¡­" He started using his art. A copy of his own ran ahead and acted as bait. The most dangerous ce in this hell weren''t the three ces he was looking at. No, it was where he, himself, was standing. He gritted his teeth and shed. Arcs of blood drew in the air, and he could hear the repeated shots of a gun from behind. Most participants were attacking them. The reason? Actually, there were two. First was their attire. Their suspicious clothing made it clear that they were hiding their identities. This only made everyone think that they belonged to some important background. Leading to the conclusion, they must also be strong. So, everyone was trying to kill them, the strong contenders before the 2nd round. Thinking about the second reason, he almost cursed out aloud. The other two people who had been wearing ck robes and white masks were assholes! The leader of that duo hade forward and provoked everyone. Then, when everyone was observing him, he threw a disguised shbang in the air. The bastard purposefully made everyone look at him to increase the effectiveness of the shbang! Then he vanished. He vanished into thin air after provoking everyone! ''Watch closely how someone strong fights'', was it? The bastard had the nerve to say this when heunched a sneak attack and then hid! "We should slow our attacks and increase defense!" His partner shouted so that he could hear her through this orchestra of death. They were starting to get overwhelmed. Still, he didn''t use his stigma. It was too eye-catchy, and he had to save it for- Vupp- -Swiiiiishh! A person with long, unkempt hair appeared high in the air. He swung his hand and the whip in his hand crackled, dismembering everyone within the vicinity. "Hufff¡­Hufff..Yato, are you okay?" He nodded and looked at the person whonded on the ground. Long unkempt hairs, an eyepatch, and a whip in his hand. This appearance only belonged to one person. The Vile Reaper. This person was the reason that most of the participants this year withdrew from the tournament. "Sie, stay back." He walked toward the Vile reaper but secretly scanned his surroundings. ''Only 23 participants are alive. I''ll need to stall him for at least a minute.'' Admittingly, although the Vile Reaper and he were both Iota-rank, he was no match for the Vile Reaper, someone who was at least Lvl21. Golden lightning crackled around him, raising his stats by 100%. And he dashed ahead. Chapter 100 Know Your Place [3] diator Championship. It was a tournament that started in the Underworld two years back. Even though it had happened only 2 times it was gaining poprity at an rming pace. Moreover, the prizes for this year''s tournament were donated by the heiress of the Underworld, the Sword Maiden, herself. Great expectations were held for this year''s tournament. Who would win? What kind of epic battles will we see? How much bloodshed will happen? Everyone was excited, at least until the list of contestants was released. They felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water. Why? Because the Vile Reaper was participating. Vile Reaper was a notorious criminal, famous for constantly slipping through Aegis'' clutches. It wasn''t umon to see a piece of news about a major crime being done by him at least once a month. Moreover, he was rumored to have 4SP/Lvl talent. It was all but confirmed that he was the winner of this year''s tournament. This greatly dampened the crowd''s excitement. Yes, they didn''t know who would end up as runner-ups, but there was no thrill when the final winner was already known. Even the betting event that had always been a major part of the tournament wasckluster. However, despite all this, the crowd was currently excited. They were shouting cheers, bidding fervently, and feeling their blood pumping in great tion. All of this was because of what was happening on the ground. A participant, with golden lighting crackling around him, was holding his own against the Vile Reaper. The Vile Reaper who kills his enemies silently and quickly like a reaper was yet not able to kill this participant. A dark horse has appeared! Ooooooooo- The crowd shouted vehemently as the participant skillfully struck down the continuous whip attacks of Vile reaper. "Yato!" Yato twisted his neck to an unnatural degree, barely dodging the whip. ''30 seconds'' Only half a minute against Vile Reaper, and Yato was already on hisst leg. Vile Reaper''s attacks weren''t only unending, they were unnaturally fast and strong too. Yato wasn''t even able to see the whip that kept attacking him. Yato would have died in the first few seconds if he didn''t have his keen senses that helped him to track and predict the trajectory of the attacks. He was using his stigma [Full-Frame] to boost his stats and was barely able to keep up with the constant onught. ''How much longer?'' Sparks flew in the air every time Yato deflected an attack. He could feel the strength leaving his arms, but he continued swinging his sword. As the whip shed against his sword, he felt as if his entire being was rattling. He nced around and found that the number of constants was now down to 20. ''Good. Only a few seconds more.'' Right on cue, the magic user battle ve fired a rank 3 spell and killed two people. Now he only needed to defend himself until two more participants died. ng-! He swung his sword feverishly. ng-! ng-! ng-! Sometimes more than one sh happens in one exchange. Yet the power behind the whip never reduced. Thus, Yato had to answer in kind and he swung with his full strength every time. His body was screaming in pain, asking him to let it rest, but he didn''t relent. If he slowed even for one attack, he would die. ng-! And so he swung. He swung and swung and swung his sword will all his might, straining his mana pool to its limit. But the end never came. ''Wh..y isn''t it en..ding?'' His limbs were paralyzing, and his eyelids were beginning to droop heavily. If he continued for a few more minutes, then even if he didn''t die at the hands of Vile Reaper, he was going to die from mana exhaustion. He looked around and found that the number of participants was down to.. ''18!? Why are still 18 people left?! Hadn''t it been dozens of seconds since that mage killed two participants?!'' ng-! ng-! Through the constant shes and his thoughts that were beginning to shut down, he managed to arrive at the answers. The other participants were waiting for Vile Reaper to kill him and his partner, Seer. Now that only two people needed to be eliminated, nobody wanted to risk their lives. They wanted to pass the round by letting Vile reaper kill thest two participants. He had to do something and do it fast. Otherwise, not only he, but his partner, would also die with him. Biting his lips until blood dripped from them, he decided to bet everything on the slim chances of survival. "Sixth Form: Empty Fade" Arge portion of mana was sucked from his core, leaving his core almost empty, and smoke exploded outwards from his body. Vile Reaper whipped to split the smoke concealing Yato. The smoke cleared up, but what came out of it wasn''t one but three Yato! Before Vile Reaper could understand the situation, two Yato nked him from both sides. He shed his whip in a full circle and hit the two Yato. But rather than dying, both of them dissolved into smoke. By the time he realized that both of them were distractions, the real Yato was already nearing other participants. Yato had decided to eliminate the other two participants by himself. Seer had been trying to kill others, but as a sniper, she needed a tanker to cover her, for her to truly shine. He could feel his grip losing as exhaustion was taking over his body. But he knew he had no time to spare. Vile reaper will reach him in no time. Since the beginning of the match, Yato had only swung his sword with the intent to defend. Seer had been the one eliminating others. He knew he was achieving nothing by not trying to kill others, but he couldn''t bring himself to do the deed. Yet for the first time, he swung his sword with the intent to kill. This was thest attack and will use all his mana, most probably killing himself in the process. Though at least Seer wouldn''t have to die because of him. "Fifth Form: Thousand Divine -" Vupp- Bam-! Before Yato couldplete his move, Vile Reaper appeared beside him through thin air and punched him in the guts. His body flew and crashed back to his previous position. "Did you think you could run, kid?" For the first time since the beginning of the match, Vile reaper spoke. He took slow steps as we walked toward Yato. "How did it feel when you thought that you had won only to be plunged back into despair?~" He licked his lips with a nasty grin and spoke leisurely. He was in no hurry to kill Yato. Yato, who was lying on the ground, couldn''t hear anything. The symptoms of mana exhaustion had started kicking him, stripping him of his mobility. Vile reaper, who realized that Yato already had a foot in the grave, turned his attention to his partner. Vupp- Grab- Bang-! He suddenly appeared beside Seer and grabbing her by the neck, smashed her head into the ground. "Your partner is no fun, so I''ll be ying with you. Now, which hand should I start with?" Many in the audience grimaced when Vile reaper raised Seer''s left arm. One more reason no participant wanted to enter the first round with the Vile reaper was that he was infamous for torturing his enemies he found fun. He would always start with their hands, then legs, the forearms, then thighs, and slowly move towards the person''s heart. Smiling in glee, he increased the strength in his grip and slowly twisted her arm¡­ "S..stop" Breathing heavily, Yato was trying to stand with the support of his sword. His voice was barely audible, and he didn''t even have the strength to lift his sword. This scene sent chills down Vile reaper''s spine. "Ah ~" His gleeful smile stretched to an unnatural extent as he watched Yato struggling against insurmountable despair. He felt the electrifying ecstasy reaching deep into his bones. Just one finger. O-One finger should do the work, shouldn''t it? These thoughts raced through his mind as he tried to find ways to motivate Yato. Killing Yato? Or his partner? No, can do that! That could wait until they satisfied him! His breathing became ragged as they thought of the pleasure Yato would give him. He grabbed Seer''s finger and snapp- -THE FIRST ROUND HAS ENDED. ALL PARTICIPANTS PLEASE STAND DOWN. THE FIRST ROUND OF THE 3RD GLADIATOR CHAMPIONSHIP HAS ENDED- "Yawn¡­ I didn''t know that they allowed perverts to participate." Azy voice echoed. "Who disturbed my pleasure time!" "Damn, he''s a hardcore pervert, an open one at that. Miller, this is why they say ''A pervert a time will ruin your day thousand times''." ''It''s him again.'' These were Yato''sst thoughts as he saw the ck-robed person, sitting on top of four corpses. Chapter 101 [Bonus Chapter] Know Your Place [4] "Damn, he''s a hardcore pervert, an open one at that. Miller, this is why they say ''A pervert a time will ruin your day thousand times''." I spoke while facing the Vile Reaper. At my feet were 4 corpses. "Which hole did you pop up from?" At his question, I pointed to, a few feet away, the hole in the ground. From his expression, it seems he hadn''t thought I actually came out from a hole. Back when I had used shbangs I had also used the spell in the grimoire. creates a hole in the ground and is often used to set traps. I used the hole to hide underground with Miller. Beforeing, I had checked the rules to make sure what I was going to wasn''t prohibited. I specifically bought as it has a short chant and by hiding in the hole, we would be able to pass the test by hiding. Though if I had to guess, the absence of rule was because the championship was still a small tournament and proper rules had yet to be formed. After hiding, I had hidden the hole with a scrap board I picked from the shop. It wasn''t anything grand, but because everyone was busy attacking each other; we weren''t discovered. "You pray that you don''t meet me in the next round." Vile reaper said to me solemnly and then vanished. ''haaa.... I made one heck of an enemy, if I say so myself.'' (I''m sorry) The gates opened, and a woman, wearing a grey robe and ck mask, rushed into the ground. She picked the girl, whose head had been smashed into the ground by Vile Reaper, and then bolted toward the boy who was on the verge of dying from mana exhaustion. She then carefullyid them down and fed them potions, probably a healing potion to the girl and a mana potion to the boy. Looking at this scene, I sighed. I had been nning to keep hiding and, when only a few contestants remained, to use my art while hiding underground to eliminate others. But I had to scrap that n and enter early when I heard what the girl and the boy were calling each other. Yato and Sie. In the Goliath Unit, everyone calls Seer, Sie, in public and she uses a sniper. What a coincidence someone very simr had entered the tournament. But Eth forced me to face the reality. Wasn''t Yato the codename of Leon? And wasn''t he going on a mission with Seer and Huntress? I kept denying everything as a coincidence, at least until Yato used that golden lightning. I had to ept the truth. That duo was Leon and Seer, aka Isabell. "Haaaa....." I had messed up big time. Vile Reaper had made me a target because I hindered him. And, as my good luck, he was also one of the big viins in the future, the 11th of Round Table. I could have left Isabell and Leon to their own devices and they still would have made it out alive. In the novel, the only person whom even Leon couldn''t match in terms of luck and plot armor was Isabell. In the novel''s fandom there was a famous joke that exined that Isabell was a hidden protagonist. There was no way she was going to die here with her absurd luck. Moreover, Huntress would''ve intervened if they were about to die. I was sure of this because, in the novel, Isabell had said that she and Huntress were like sisters to each other. The only reason I intervened was that Eth started going wild when I said that Isabell had to go through pain for Huntress to be forced to intervene. It was funny how this guy had no memories, yet he couldn''t let harme to her. After all, he shouldn''t remember how much Isabell had looked after him in those years when he was solely focused on training. "Thank You. They only lived thanks to you." The woman who was looking after Leon and Isabell thanked me. Looking at the enormous sword at her back, I concluded that she was Huntress. I snorted and also left the stadium. While leaving, the irregrities about the tournament kept bugging me. Sword Maiden, the 1st seat of the Round table and its founder, should have recruited Vile reaper under her already. Under her Vile reaper should have no shortage of resources. Why was he participating in the tournament? One which was held by the Underworld at that. I knew I wouldn''t find the answer to this anytime soon, so I tried to look for answers that were avable to me. Vupp- A ck diary appeared in my hands. ''Why the hell is the Goliath Unit here?'' * Thup- I closed the ck diary and inadvertently sighed. Leon, Isabell, and Huntress were here to steal the prize for thepetition. ''The attackers in the novel were Goliath Unit.'' I couldn''t help but groan. The details I got to know about their operation weren''t much, as Leon wasn''t told many things due to being a newbie, but it was clear that they had been nning this attack for a long while. I felt cheated at this revtion. I mean, I know it was my fault that Leon was here, but seriously? Why can''t that idiot just keep his ass in one ce?! Although I was feeling frustrated, I didn''t do anything. Even if it was the Goliath Unit, my ns didn''t change much. Rather, although he barely knew any useful information about the operation, Leon''s presence made my ns easier. Knock- Knock- "Sirs, pleasee onto the stage. We are going to hold the lottery for matches line-up." Listening to the receding footsteps, I turned to Miller. "Will you stop shaking? There is no danger of death in the 2nd round as Surrendering is allowed. You won''t die." "But boss, the match-ups will be based on luck. Yo-I mean, we''ve already pissed Viler reaper, *gulp* what if I have to fight him next?" After wepleted the 1st round, they exined the 2nd round in detail. There were two points worthy of notice: Now 1v/s1 matches will happen in a tournament format and the first line-up will be based on a lottery, and surrendering was now allowed. I patted Miller on the back and reassured him to not worry about facing Vile reaper. The chances of facing Vile reaper were only 1/15. One has to be extremely unlucky to get those odds. We walked in silence to the stage. -PLEASE WELCOME THE LAST 16 PARTICIPANTS WHO HAVE SURVIVED THROUGH THE HELL OF THE 1ST ROUND- Wooooooooo- Woooooo- Following the host''s announcement, the crowd cheered passionately. Thementator described the participants with great enthusiasm. "A woman with arge physique carrying a halberd. She is a famous mercenary hailing North Sokovian ins. Mother Mash!" "An assassin with the ability to turn invisible. It is said that he has never failed to assassinate a target once he turns invisible. Silent Creeper!" "Their mixed blood might have stopped them from awakening their stigmas, but their strength is nothing to scoff at. The trio of the three battle ve siblings!" "A young man who is as pale as a sheet and frail. One might mistake him for a patient on his deathbed. But with his ability to turn his blood into weapons, he dominates the battlefield. The unmatchable Kaiser Tristen!" "A notorious criminal who has escaped the Aegis time and again. If hees after you, then wherever you run, he will always reach you. The Vile Reaper!" The shouting of the crowds only increased as time went by and it reached an all-time high with the Vile Reaper. True, people hated his nasty nature of torturers, but who were they toin when they also enjoyed his silent killings whenever he massacred everyone? The air carried the enthusiasm of the spectators and it felt that the cheer wouldn''t get any more deafening. But that was proven wrong when the next participant was called out. "A young man wearing grey robes and a ck mask. His attire makes one doubt his capabilities. But fear not, for he is a skillful master of katana and the god of destruction himself. The Golden Rumbling Yato!" Woooooooooo- Thementator praised Leon to the heavens. He was the dark horse who fought Viler reaper to a stalemate. (Do they not realize that Vile reaper was going easy on Leon?) ''It''s not like that. They are praising him so that more people bet more money on him.'' More betting money meant more profit for them. The authorities must be happy that someone has appeared who can fight Vile reaper, even if it was only in the eyes of the audience. A few more participants were called out and atst, only Miller and I were left. (What''s happening?) The cheering that kept thundering till now had gotten very low. If I focused on my ears, I could hear some booing too. Because so many people were shouting different things altogether, only iprehensible exmations reached me. Slowly, the crowd became organized and began chanting together. "BAN THEM! BAN THE COWARDS! BAN THE RULE-BREAKERS!" It didn''t take a genius to understand what was happening. Among the crowd were hundreds of participants who had given up because of Vile reaper. They didn''t like the fact that I used the loopholes in rules- hiding underground- to reach the 2nd round. "BAN THEM! BAN THE COWARDS! BAN THE RULE-BREAKERS!" I could only shake my head. ''How..'' "...childish" Who were they to ask about my elimination when they didn''t even enter the tournament? "BAN THEM! BAN THE COWARDS! BAN THE RULE-BREAKERS!" "Sir, please wait. We''ll calm the crowd shortly." Thementator told me and channeled aura into his throat to raise his volume. "It has already been decided that Mr. P-" I ced my hand on thementator''s shoulder. "Let me take over." "But sir-" "Let me take over." Iprehensible shouts came from the crowd, but I knew what they were saying. I stood in front and channeled ether to my throat. "It is correct that I cheated." The volume of the crowd''s yells suddenly plummeted, unable to understand what I was getting at. "But won''t it create problems if I leave the tournament now? How about this..." I looked at the crowd that was jeering at me. Most of them were probably participants who were sour about how I passed the tournament. If so, they won''t be able to refuse my offer. "All of youe at me. Whoever takes me down can take my ce." Chapter 102 Know Your Place [5] "¡­childish" Such word escapes Nathan''s lips. Miller who is standing beside him is the only person who hears it. Nathan walks to front and speaks something to thementer. ''Some people simply like chaos.'' For some reason, these words enters Millers mind as he watches Nathan''s back. "It is correct that I cheated." "But won''t it create problems if I leave the tournament now? How about this¡­" "All of youe at me. Whoever takes me down can take my ce." The jeering stops as everyone stares at Nathan, wide-eyed. "Sir, this is not all-" Thementator, about to dismiss Nathan''s ims, suddenly stops. Pressing the inte closer to his ear, he listens to the new instructions. "WHOEVER CAN KILL SIR WITHIN 5 MINUTES CAN REPLACE HIM IN THE TOURNAMENT!" A deathly silence prevails at thementator''s announcement. They couldn''t believe what they heard. Nathan pithily breaks the silence. "Are you guysing or not?" One of the main reason why many awakeners don''t enter the 1st round is because of only 16 can survive it. Nobody wants to enter and die when they know they aren''t the strongest. But now, Nathan gave them a way to enter the tournament without entering the 1st round. It was obvious what was going to happen. Oooooooooooo- A war cry echoes, and someone jumps down from the rails. Many more follow the suit and jump into the grounds. All of them race toward Nathan, who is standing in the center of the ground. Aura-user brings their weapons out and rushes to him feverishly. The ground shakes as they run on it with all their might. Thump- Thump- Everyone feels their heart tremble with excitement at this scene. The number of awakeners rushing is sorge that it looks like a tsunami itself. A disaster that destroys everything in its path. Vrrrooooom- While the aura users are running, the mages stand at the back and weaving spells. With their capability to do range attacks, they know they can kill Nathan before anyone else reaches him. Nobody believes that Nathan can survive. The only question is, who will be the one to kill him? "B-boss.." Miller calls out in a shaky voice. The sight of so many awakeners rushing toward him is enough to overwhelm him. He wanted to run away. He looks beside him and sees that none of the other 14 participants had run away. Some look bored, some tense, and some even excited. But none of them are overwhelmed by the surreal sight presented to them. ''That right, boss always backs his words. He must have something to change the tides.'' Vrrrrroooooom- Suddenly, mana around the area of the participants churns. The battle ve girl raises her staff and begins chanting. ve traders admit their battle ves in tournaments to show their prowess. This raises the ves'' price as people see their worth in battle. For the battle ve mage killing Nathan with her strongest attack is the perfect opportunity to advertise herself. Her two ve brothers also pull their swords out and dash toward Nathan. ng-! Leon and Miller suddenly appear in front of them and block their attacks. "What are you doing?" "Only the onlookers were permitted to attack." Leon is helping Nathan because Huntress told him that the person wearing ck robe and white mask was the reason they passed 1st round alive. Nathan ignores the squabble and wordlessly stares at the battle ve mage. Then he turns to Vile reaper who is looking at the scene expressionlessly. Oooooo- Only a few seconds are left until the first of the pack reaches him. The crowd that is rushing to kill Nathan suddenly halts. With horrified eyes, they look at the magic circle in the air. The magic circle shines brightly as the battle ve continues to weave more spell forms into it. She is sweating heavily, but it doesn''t diminish the worth of the feat she is performing. Shell-shocked, the entire stadium looks at that magic circle that is the size of half of the stadium. "W..what is that magic circle? Why is it so big!?" "Rank 4¡­It is a Rank 4 magic!" Flicker- Giant threads of fire erupt from the magic circle. The fire threads are converging in the air and forming a massive fireball. The participants, who had not bothered to move since the beginning, backs away in dread. A rank 4 attack magic is something that can fatally damage Enma rank awakeners. All of them are Iota rank. A rank 4 attack magic isn''t something they can survive. Being able to use rank 3 magic in Iota rank puts one in the category of genius. For the battle ve to use a Rank 4 spell at early Iota rank proved that she is a genius among geniuses. Every buyer''s eyes shines at this moment. They decide they have to buy this ve at any cost. Although they are excited, they re-focus their attention on Nathan. How is that person going to dodge this attack that can even an Enma ranked can''t overlook? "Boss, let''s run." Miller tries to call out to Nathan, but Nathan only waves his hand, signaling him to get away. Voooosh- The aura users stops running, afraid of getting caught up in the spell''s aftermath, but the mages doesn''t. Mana bullets, icence, fire bolts, Magic spells, and an uncountable number of spells are fired at Nathan. At the same time, the rank 4 spell isplete. "" The enormous fireball falls over Nathan, along with the spells. VOOOSH-! BOOOOM-! The entire stadium shakes from the impact. The gigantic fireball explodes and one-fourth of the ground is covered in the explosion. Amidst the scorching heat and subsequent magic attacks, curtains of dust rise. The explosions finally stop, but no one tries to continue attacking. What was the point of attacking? It will be a miracle if even Nathan''s bones remained intact. As Leon and Miller are grieving Nathan''s death, the fire starts to die down and- "Is that all?" "!!!!" A familiar voice echoes. Thump- Thump- Is he alive? Even after taking on an attack of that magnitude? Everyone gulps as they watch in anticipation. Finally, the dust settles and reveals a young man wearing ck robes and a white mask. His clothes aren''t burned in the slightest, nor have a smudge of dust on them. Deathly prevails as they witness Nathan''s unharmed figure. Not only has he survived the barrage of rank 1 and rank 2 spells and a rank 4 spell. But he came out unscathed? Impossible. It was utterly impossible. That magic barrage will even kill an early Enma ranked. This is what everyone believes. But the truth is in front of their eyes to see. Nathan has sustained zero damage. The crowds can feel the adrenaline rushing through them. Thankfully for them, Nathan has only begun. "Then it''s my turn." Nathan slowly walks to the dozens of aura users who were frozen in stupefaction by his feat. A single wordes out of his mouth. "Kneel" An extremely vile pressure explodes outwards from his body. The pressure sweeps through the entire stadium and wrings the air dry. Fear grips the hearts of people and their bodies unconsciously listen to his words. -Bam!-Bam! -Bam! Against their wishes, their bodies forcibly kneel. The awakeners closer to Nathan try to resist, but as he walks closer to them, the pressure only increases. Tap- Tap- They didn''t hear the slow steps of Nathan. But the steps of deathing to reap their lives. The suffocating pressure makes them dizzy. Unable to handle the pressure, some outright copse, frothing from their mouths. Among the dozens of attackers, only a few handfuls remains unaffected. But even they don''t move when they witness everyone kneeling to Nathan. They don''t understand why everyone is quivering and kneeling toward Nathan. But they fears that if they try to attack him, their fate might be worse than theirs. "You want to evict me from the tournament?" Nathan gazes around himself. "Know your ce." The pressure suddenly intensifies manifolds and bes almost intangible. Those around him start dropping like flies. Finally, Nathan pulls the number 7 from the lottery and walks away. Leaving dozens of awakeners copsed in his wake. Chapter 103 Escaping The Past [1] "Are you guysing or not?" Oooooooooo- At my words, someone jumped down and started running toward me. Following him, more and more people came down. ''Hmm? Isn''t that guy¡­.'' The person who was first to jump down and at the forefront of the pack felt familiar. He had thick arms, thicker than my waist, and a hammer at his back. ''Taco Bell!'' He was that Taco Bell guy who tried to loot Miller and me. (Don''t you mean ''Alpanko Taco''?) ''It the same'' I used [Appraisal] and swept my eyes at the rushing crowd. ''I knew it.'' The majority of the crowd that was greedily rushing to kill me had Evil dispositions. Then again, it would have been weird if the people, who were screaming in joy, watching the massacre that happened in the 1st round, had Lawful disposition. Behind the oing aura users, mages were weaving their spells. I tapped at the round object hidden deep inside my robes and whispered. "Can you use [Anti-Magic Field] at my signal?" -Gru -Gru ¨CGru "Yes, yes, I''ll give a name first thing after the tournament ends." The baby golem couldn''t use [Anti-Magic Field] passively like the 3-star ''Beginner'' golem and had a short range. But in exchange, only magic above rank 3 can be used in its range. In the novel, it was shown that it was a very big feat to be able to use rank 3 magic at Iota rank. It was impossible for Iota-rank t- Vrroooom- The mana in the surroundings churned, and a magic circle formed above the stadium. I looked at the magic circle that was almost half the size of the stadium and blinked stupidly. "W..what is that magic circle? Why is it so big!?" "Rank 4¡­It is a Rank 4 magic!" Sweating profusely, I looked at the battle ve and used [Appraisal] on her. ''Please be lower level than me.'' I sighed in relief after reading her status window and then pondered about her mentioned race. ''Half beasthuman and quarter-elf? But even this doesn''t exin why she can use rank 4 magic.'' Elves have superior magic abilities, but they use spirit magic. They don''t have any racial advantage with normal magic other than theirrge mana reserves. "Boss, let''s run." I waved my hand, signaling Miller to get away. The beast-human mage was Lvl.12. Her attack might be fatal for an Enma-rank, but I didn''t need to worry about it. "" The giant fireball descended toward me. At the same time, innumerable spells were also released. VOOOSH-! I tapped the ball inside my coat, and it thumped. An energy pulse shot out from the baby golem and formed the anti-magic field around me. I also activated my skill. "[Golden Turtle]" Immediately, a transparent golden shell, the shape of a turtle, appeared around me. The magic barrage reached me. BOOOOM-! The fireball shed against my shield, making it quake, and sparks flew into the air. My skill started devouring my ether reserves hungrily. I almost fell when I suddenly lost arge portion of ether at once. Gritting my teeth, I stood straight. If I showed a weakness here, then everything will be a waste of time. -Grrruuuu! The baby golem was also striving to maintain the [Anti-Magic Field]. I red my ether reserves to maintain the skill and looked at the spells. Mana bullets, icence, fire bolts, and every spell that entered the baby golem''s range lost its power and dissolved in itself after having their spell form destroyed. To an amateur eye, it would look like the spells were turning into dust. Both of us struggled to maintain the barriers and burned our energy reserves faster and faster. Thankfully, there were no other surprises. A series of explosions urred after the dozens of spell forms broke down and defected. Huffing, I covered us with a thin etheryer. Thisyer wasn''t useful inbat, but it could, at the least, block the dust from sticking to us. "Good job." I patted the baby golem while trying to bring my breathing under control. In response, it snuggled closer to me and, being exhausted, fell asleep. I slowly calmed my erratic breathing control and stood straight. My performance was yet to beplete. "Is that all?" The dust cleared up and everyone was dumbstruck, seeing as how I was unharmed. Amidst the silence, I slowly walked-because I was too tired-to the group of attackers. "Then it''s my turn." ''[Domination Decree]'' I felt an intangible pressure exploding outwards from me. In a few seconds, the pressure covered the entire stadium. "Kneel." -Bam! ¨CBam! ¨CBam! The people, against their will, started kneeling. "You want to evict me from the tournament?" I gazed around myself. "Know your ce." Looking at the surreal scene where almost everyone was kneeling to me, I inwardly nodded. ''The skill effect after leveling up is same as when I practiced it on Caim.'' Lvl.2 Domination decree could cover the entire stadium. Moreover, I wasn''t even using the skill at full power. Satisfied with my findings, I decided to leave. * "That was interesting." Sitting on a throne at the highest point of the stadium was Sword maiden. Her blood-red hairs, contrasting with her beautiful white skin, flowed down like rivers of blood and gave her the image of a predator. With her eyes, simrly blood red, she stared at the retreating figure of Nathan. Behind her were standing her two most trusted bodyguards. One was a woman carrying a katana on her waist. Despite being the personal guard of the Sword maiden, she was standing with a slumped posture. Not even bothering to fix her posture, she kept yawning. The other one was more refinedpared to the woman. His grey-white hair and golden monocle ented his ck tuxedo as he stood straight. Wooooooooo- The three of them overlooked the crowd that started going wild at Nathan''s performance. "What do you make of him?" "Irregr" The old man was about to answer his master, but the katana-carrying woman interjected. For some reason, the old man red at her answer. "Irregr?! Do you understand the weight of that title? He might have shown some abilities, but it''s too early to judge." The old man was berating the woman, not because of her answer, but because he didn''t like her. For him, her lethargic attitude was a stain on the dignity of their noble job of guarding the young miss. While they were quarreling- it was only the old man- thementator finally announced Nathan. "It seems we have another dark horse, one who might surpass our every expectation. I don''t think I need to describe him after all of us just witnessed his feat that will go down in the history of mankind. The one who easily shook off the rank 4 magic and made everyone surrender to him with just one word. Mr. Pepe!" The crowd that was shouting at the top of their lungs, the old man who was berating his fellow guard, the people who were watching the match on their devices outside the stadium, everyone shut up. They dumbly stared at thementator. Only a single thought popped into their mind. Did we hear that correctly? He registered himself with the name ''Mr. Pepe''? "Pfft-Hahahahaha!" Sword maiden, who hadn''t spoken since the beginning, burst intoughter. She wasughing so hard that tears came down the corner of her eyes. "If he was going to show off as much as he did, why did he register as ''Mr. Pe..p-Pfft Hahahahaha" "M-miss¡­" The woman was left baffled when she saw Sword Maiden Iris,ughing her head off. She didn''t remember when was thest time she saw her master smile, much lessugh so heartily. "Miss, this is the matchup for the second round." The old man, with his vast experience, was able to rpose himself quickly and smiled warmly at his young miss. Iris, suppressing herughter, took the list from his hand. She gave the list one look and jumped down to the stadium. The height from where she jumped was 500 feet above the ground, but the woman and old man stood collected, as if the fall of 500 feet was nothing to be afraid of. Iris'' body tore through the air and reached the ground quickly. Tap- At thest second, her descent slowed down considerably, and she gentlynded. -SWORD MAIDEN! SWORD MAIDEN! SWORD MAIDEN!- The crowd started cheering at her appearance. The cheering she received easily put down the cheering every participant received-bined- to shame. Iris grabbed the air as if gripping the handle of the sword and tapped the tip of the invisible sword on the ground. Plop- The drop of a water droplet falling echoed and suddenly, the noises stopped. The cheering, the pping, the fireworks at the entry of Sword Maiden, everything became devoid of sound. The world suddenly lost ''sound'' itself. Unbothered by the silence, Iris read the match-up list. "1. Unmatchable Kaiser Tristan v/s Deathblow 2. Battle ve mage v/s Aestrix 3. Shooter Sie v/s Imprable Imora 4. Battle ve¡­.." * "6. Milky Miller v/s Vile Reaper 7. Rumbling Yato v/s Silent Creeper 8. Mr. Pepe v/s Mother Mash" The Sword maiden announced the match-ups for the second round. But I didn''t, no, I couldn''t focus on that. My breathing became erratic and my chest tightened. That face, that tone, that attitude, everything was the same as I remembered. "L..ily?" Unbearable pain shot out from my heart, and I copsed. Chapter 104 Escaping The Past [2] A young man was lying on Lily''sp. "Miss, I have to do some wo-" "Say ahh" The young man''s lips twitched when Lily interrupted him and tried to feed him an apple slice. He wanted to refuse, but he knew her. If he refused, she will threaten him saying that if he doesn''t eat it, she will kill him. And with her crazy personality, she might actually kill him just because he refused. Begrudgingly, he ate the slice. "You like apples too, don''t you?" "Why?" "Because I like them." At her words, even he couldn''t maintain his ever-present smile and his expression turned strange. ''What kind of logic is that?'' He wanted to question her but didn''t. He had been working with Lily for a few months, so he knew better than to question her logic. Last time she slit her maid''s guts when she asked who eats apples with citrus jam. He couldn''t help but look back at the past few months andment. Originally, the time he was going to work with her was supposed to be for one month only. The young man''s goal was to kill all of her family with his own hands, but they had too much security. Despite being the mediator for quite a few wards, he had only met the gang leader, Lily''s dad, only on the day of his appointment. Despite Lily''s notoriety for killing every under her within one month, the young man dared to aim higher. He believed that if he could seduce her, killing all of them will be easier. But it was easier said than done. He failed spectacrly. ''This bitch doesn''t have a single piece ofmon sense that makes her a girl!'' With his top-of-the-world seduction skills, or so he thinks, it should have been easy to woo a normal girl! He couldn''t evenprehend how her mind worked. Even now, he had no idea why she was making him work under her after all the one month have long passed by. Besides, she had be¡­ obsessive. Sadly, it wasn''t in the romantic way he had been trying for, but obsessive, nheless. Lily cupped his face and stared into his eyes. "Are you thinking something bad about me?" "No" He broke eye contact and looked elsewhere. Her scarlet eyes were too unnerving to stare at. "Why are you avoiding my eyes? Aren''t they pretty?" "They are." He wasn''t lying. Those blood-red eyes were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. Not that he was going to tell her this. It wasn''t like she would even think of it as apliment with her strangemon sense. Lily, seeing his expression change, smiled. The young man saw her smiling and was thinking about his own ns. ''Should I just kill her? I can make it look like the work of other gangs.'' But he quickly decided against it. It was too risky to assassinate her and, even if he seeded, the returns weren''t worth it. * Wooooooo- The noises of the crowd entered my ears, forcing me awake and my eyes snapped open. "Huff¡­huff¡­Where am I?" I looked around- beds in systematic order along the walls and some medical equipment at every bedside- and felt a pungent alcoholic scent enter my nostrils. "I''m in the infirmary but wh-!" Just as I remembered what happened before I lost consciousness, I retched. Immediately running to the restroom attached to the infirmary, I removed the mask that was still on my face and leaned over the sink. Blergh- A strong citric taste spread through my throat. "Haahh..Haa-Blergh!" I looked back at my pale reflection, but it only worsened my condition. I shut my eyes, not wanting to see my red eyes. They reminded me of Li- Thump- Thump- "Ughhh.." I grabbed my chest. Remembering her eyes only made the pain re. (Wear your mask) "Are you okay?" "!" Suddenly, a voice came from behind me. I fumbled to wear my mask. Even I could guess where I was right now. It would spell a disaster if someone saw my face. Sadly, I was shaking too much, and I dropped my mask. "Hey, don''t be so hasty I''m not trying to see your face!" (Use [Domination Decree]!) ''[d-domination decree]'' "You shouldn''t res-!" The intruder was wearing a grey robe and a ck mask. He stopped speaking and looked around, aware of the change in the atmosphere, but seeing as how he was unaffected it meant the pressure didn''t work on him. Though he shouldn''t be able to recognize me now. While he was warily ncing around, I forciblyposed myself. "¡­what are you doing here? And where is my partner?" "I was just here to check on you. I don''t know about your partner, though." My brows furrowed at Leon''s words, but before I could question him, he continued. "Was it necessary to do that?" "..What?" "Provoking everyone, tanking all those attacks, and then overwhelming everyone with your presence. There is no, it was as easy as you made it look and¡­." He stared at my shivering figure. "It seems I was right." "It has nothing to do wi-" "Though I''m thankful that at least you are okay." My frown tightened. He shouldn''t know I''m Nathan. Why was he bothering himself with a stranger? Wait! ''Did they remove my mask?'' (No, Miller made sure that they didn''t.) ''Then what about my arm? If they saw Nether in it, then I will be exposed either way.'' (They didn''t find any Nether.) (When you lost, were about to lose consciousness you used [Domination Decree] ) (The skill made you unrecognizable and hid the presence of Nether.) I didn''t remember much before losing consciousness but, with my cautious nature, I might have used the skill. But it didn''t exin how I kept the skill active while being knocked out. ''You are saying I kept supplying Ether for the skill the work? That is only possible if¡­.'' (If manipting your energy is second nature to you, to the point you channel it unconsciously. A feat that is only possible by those who have trained for decades.) (¡­.did you really kept training for all those years? Why shouldn''t it b-) ''We''ll talkter.'' I cut the mental connection between us before Eth could ask more. Just remembering my past life was too much for me. I don''t think I can handle remembering what happened back there, too. "I didn''t want to get the person who saved us to be hurt." Leon rified, taking my silence as a question. ''Is he worrying about me because he thinks I''m a good guy?'' "Why do you think I saved you? You believe in others too easily." "Hehe..I just do." "Haa¡­." ''Can someone be more na?ve than him?'' "Besides, why did you eliminate four people if you didn''t want to save us? You could have eliminated only 2 people." T..that was a valid argument. "tch..Anyway, you can see I''m fine. So, can you leave?" "Okay." Leon turned back and was about to leave, but I stopped him. "Wait. I''lle with you." I picked up my mask and deactivated my skill after wearing it. Leon and I left the infirmary together. I chatted with him, desperately, and it helped me forget about the things I didn''t want to remember. A hollow chuckle left my mouth. Even though this was a different world, I was still depending on Leon to keep my sanity intact. ''I am still the pathetic me.'' ''But¡­'' ''This is fine. As long as I can live, I don''t care how pathetic I am.'' Chapter 105 [Bonus Chapter] Pride [1] "..win?" "Hmm?" "What are you thinking?" Leon was staring at me. I shook my head and looked back at the ongoing match. "So, who do you think will win?" In the stadium, two people were fighting. I looked at therge hologram disying their name and the match. It was the first match between Tristan and Deathblow. "Tristan will" "Why do you think so? Aren''t both of them evenly matched?" "There are reasons. To start with, vampires are sturdier, faster, and stronger than humans. Moreover, they have impressive recovery. The stalemate should be breaking anytime now." Leon turned to me. Even though he was wearing a mask, I could tell his eyes must have be saucers. Because of the invasions, humans have a strict policy to capture any non-human race. After being captured, they are killed, tortured for information, or sold as ves. I smirked. "This is why I said you believe in others too easily. If he was anything other than human, he would''ve been caught when he registered." ''Well, if he was the one who registered.'' "Yeah¡­." We talked a bit more and then I left to find Miller. "I hope you win your watch because I will win mine!" Leon shouted while waving his hand from the edge of my vision. He was in the 7th bracket while I was in the 8th. If everything went ording to the tournament, then the winners of our brackets will fight each other. "You are strong! I want to fight you!" "Is everyone here a battle maniac?" I sighed and did a thumbs-up to show that I will. Then he left. "Sorry, Leon, I don''t think we will fight." I was nning to surrender in the next match. Betting is allowed in diator Championship. With the abilities I showed back at the top-16 announcement, I became the likeliest participant, along with the mage, just below Vile reaper, to win the tournament. So, most people will bet on me winning my match, tipping the dividend in my favor. In this case, if I bet on my opponent and lose my match, I will earn a truckload of money. Showing off and then surrendering will earn me easy money with zero effort. I have some extra money, but that was something I borrowed from Miller''s dad for betting. And I''d rather not borrow too much from him. It will decrease my credibility and this can be detrimental to our business. Elixirs will earn a lot, but it will be slow. Selling Elixir was going to take a while with Miller''s stepsister present back at the base. Anyway, the attack will begin when someone under 8-finalists is fighting. So, even if Leon and I win, our match won''t happen, as our bracket will be fighting at the end. Though it seems Leon isn''t aware of when the attack will begin. But this was understandable. The attack will begin when the third member, the one supposed to cut the power supply, will give the signal. Only I know the time of the attack and that too because I read the novel. "Now where is Miller?" It was rather surprising that, with my luck, I wasn''t the one to face off against Vile reaper in the first round. I sighed when I thought that from 15 participants, Miller had to fight Vile reaper. "How do I break it to Miller that he isn''t allowed to surrender?" * "What do I do? What do I do?" Miller was prancing around in the room that was given to him as one of the 16-finalist. He was sweating all over. "Can I surrender before Vile reaper kills me? Y-yes I can. It shouldn''t be difficult." If this was any other participant, Miller could have easily surrendered the moment the match starts. But his opponent wasn''t just anybody. It was Vile reaper himself. Vile reaper has the ability to teleport anywhere within a specific range. Miller feared that he would kill him even before he had the chance to surrender. "What do I do!?" "Why are you nervous?" "Boss!" Miller snapped his neck in the direction of the voice. "Boss, help me, please!" He ran to Nathan, almost tearing up. If it was anyone that could help him, then it would be his boss. After all, the more time he spent with his boss, the more his boss appeared mysterious. The first time his boss met him, he had defeated 4 aura users in head-to-headbat. But in thispetition, he used magic. It was a universalw that you can either be an aura-user or a mana-user, not both. Yet, his boss could do both things. Moreover, earlier his boss simply shrugged off a rank 4 magic even though he is only at Iota rank. And the ability to suppress hundreds of people with his pressure alone wasn''t something even an Enma-rank can do. Yet his boss did! Miller did not doubt that his boss was an Irregr. An existence that is akin to God among humans. Maybe he was over-praising his boss, but the feats his boss disyed were impossible. Each of them was something that anyone, even with a smudge ofmon sense, will deem as impossible. Nathan stared at Miller for a few moments before speaking. "Miller, do you know about your stigma?" Flinch- "W-why are you asking that boss?" ''I knew it. He knows, or at least has an idea, on how to use his stigma.'' Seeing Miller''s reaction, Nathan reaffirmed his theory. Normally, a person can only see his stigma''s name on the status screen. After awakening their stigma, people instinctively know how to use them. Some people know from the beginning how to use their stigma fully, some only know a little bit and learn through practice, while some barely know anything. Miller''s dad and brother seemed to believe that Miller didn''t know how his stigma works. But with his reaction, it was clear that Miller knew how to use it. Nathan stood near the open wall and gazed at the match between Tristan and Deathblow that wasing to an end. "Miller, you shouldn''t surrender. If you do, I''ll cut all my connections with your gang. I don''t need to tell you what will happen then, right?" Miller''s body shook. The ck t-shirt gang had been lying low while waiting for Nathan''s support. This, in turn, made them lose a lot of areas and power. If Nathan pulled back at this point, then other gangs will destroy and devour his gang and everyone in it. "B..but boss, I can''t win against Vile reaper." His voice quivered. In Miller''s eyes, Vile reaper was, by arge margin, the strongest participant, if he didn''t include his boss in the list. There was no hope of his winning. "Then block his attack three times and you can surrender." Nathan stood up and left without waiting for an answer from Miller. Nathan finally gave Miller a way out. For Nathan, Miller was too important to die in the likes of the tournament. He brought Miller to this tournament because he wanted to make Miller use his stigma. Nathan already had an inkling that Miller knew about his stigma. But for some reason, he wasn''t using it. In the novel, Miller started using his stigma when he took refuge under Round Table. This proved that Miller would use his stigma if he had a reason. And what was a better reason than using his stigma as his life was in danger? Nathan understood that Miller must have a reason for not using stigma. From what he knew about Miller from the novel, he believed that it had something to do with his pride. "People always say pride this and pride that. They''ll act like their pride is the most important thing to them. But when pushes to shove, all of their pride crumbles as if it wasn''t there, to begin with." Surrendering here will not change anything for Miller. It will only dy his death and he will die at the hand of other gangs. "I already gave you an easy way out." "And there is nothing more important to a person than their own life." Nathan did not doubt that Miller would use his stigma to save his life. //// Check Chapterment for Author''s Note Chapter 106 Escaping The Past [3] "It''s almost done." I stood up and wiped the sweat from my forehead. Right now, I was preparing for when the attack starts. The attack will start at 3:00 pm, when the sun reaches its peak. Underworld was located inside Bermuda Ind. The sun, the sky, the horizon, everything here was an illusion to make it look like we are above the ground, somewhere on Earth, when in reality we are underground. The day and night were controlled and as such, the timing of sunset or dawn here doesn''t match with the sunset and dawn in reality. I was wearing different clothes with a different mask that I had as spares. In Underworld, almost everyone wears a mask. It was a normal thing here. I had also turned my hair red with [Iridescence] and was using the harmonized energy to make myself disguise as an Lvl.11. All to make sure no one connects me to Mr. Pepe. -THE SECOND ROUND BETWEEN BATTLE SLAVE AND AESTRIX WILL BEGIN- I turned to the hologram that was disying the matches. These holograms were ced in the proximity of the stadium to show the matches. "I''m done here. I should get going." Putting everything back into the storage ring, I moved away from the stadium. My work was going to take a few hours more, around the time when the fifth match will begin. Though I don''t think I will return before my match is about to start. Half an hourter I sat on the bench, under a shade, on one of the busiest roads near the stadium. I brought the ck diary out of my ring. All the participants in top-16 were taken to the prize room when I was unconscious. With the book, I was able to know the path and where the sentries were. "The rough details are the same as in the novel. But with this, it''s easier to know the minor details." Leon had entered along with Isabell as someone who was going to raid this ce. Both of them were carefully scrutinizing little details that might help themter. "The first prize is a skill called [Multiply]. It can increase the number of attacks by 5 times?" My brows jumped at the skill description. "If it increases the number of attacks, will it increase the number of weapons I can construct at once?" All my weapons are of Common-grade. This results in an obviousck of powerful force behind each weapon. Common-grade weapons aren''t all that powerful if I use them as arrows. But can''t Ipensate for power by increasing the number? I can fire 8 weapons at once, 10 if I use cracks, so¡­ "50 weapons. With this number, I can cover for myck of force behind each weapon." I decided to take the skill if it was possible. (What do you think Goliath Unit is trying to steal?) Eth spoke the question I was also thinking. I had re-opened the connection after I calmed down, after talking with Leon. ([Multiply] is powerful but not enough to attract them. Do you think they know about the real use of ''Mermaid''s Tear''?) ''Maybe. But if that''s the case, I''ll need to reach the prize room before them.'' ''We''ll need something to distract them. Something big.'' The third prize was an oval orb that can store energy and act as a portable battery for awakeners. I don''t think it was something Goliath Unit. ''If only they told Leon what they would be stealing.'' (About Iris¡­) Thump- With each beat, the pain in my heart slowly started returning. ''¡­what are you talking about that? I ra-'' (You really don''t believe you can implement your n with the mess your mind is in now, do you?) ''I''m perfectly fine.'' (Among all the shops that were in our path, how many of them were selling Skill books?) ''Three'' (Zero) "Haaa¡­." (You need to sort the issue out before going back.) "And how do you think I do that? Even thinking about her i-is¡­" Thump- (Iris and ''she'' are not the same.) "¡­how?" The pain that was about to be unbearable stopped increasing. It was because I could tell Eth wasn''t lying. (As one of the heirs to Underworld and being Sword Maiden herself, Iris'' every move and decision greatly affects everything.) I nodded. (If ''she'' was Iris, she would have her past life memories. But everything is the same as it was in the novel.) Eth''s voice quivered when he said the word ''novel'', but I didn''t pursue the matter. (''She'' only read the novel a few times, with herck of knowledge. Shouldn''t she have caused at least a few changes?) The pain started slowly dying down. Right. Iris was a character who had high importance in the novel, but as she was a viin, we only knew a few things she did in the background. "Haa¡­You are right" It still didn''t make sense why they had the same face and same voice. But Eth''s argument was also valid. And that was all I needed. Iris wasn''t ''her''. The pain finally left. (Will you go back now?) I turned to the direction of the stadium. "No, I''ll only go back when my match is about to begin." * "Then, I''ll be going." Huntress waved her hand to send Isabell off for her match and turned to Leon. "How is he now?" "He is good, or so would I like to think." Leon answered her and told her about how Nathan had been acting in the infirmary. Due to [Domination Decree] being activated, few people were able to go close to Nathan after he cked out from hyperventtion. The only reason the doctor could diagnose Nathan was that he had a strong mentality and was able to resist the pressure. Though the main reason was that the skill was performing at its minimum intensity. This was because, even if Nathan can channel ether unconsciously, he can only control small amounts of it unknowingly. Channeling and maniptingrge amounts of energy unconsciously was a feat only possible for those who had centuries of experience. -THE THIRD MATCH BETWEEN SHOOTER SIE AND IMPENETRABLE IMORA WILL BEGIN- A transparent blue dome enclosed the ground. It was a mana barrier made to block any attack that an Iota-rank can throw at it. The battles between Iota-rank don''t reach a level that can harm the audience. The mana barrier was ced to give a sense of security to spectators rather than protect them. -SHOOTER SIE HAS SURRENDERED! IMPENETRABLE IMORA WINS THE MATCH BY DEFAULT- "What? Why did she surrender?" Baffled, Leon questioned. Huntress, who was standing beside him, answered. "Sie is very weak in directbat. Rather, her specialty lies in¡­.." Leon''s ear perked up. He wanted to know what ability Isabell had to give her the name Seer. The members of Goliath Unit use Prana to form cores. Because of this, they are weak in directbat and can''t even use magic. But they have another advantage. Prana is the life(soul) energy. Every time a Prana user level up, their soul is strengthened. Soul strengthening means strengthening their stigma. To put it inyman''s terms. Goliath Unit''s members were all one-trick ponies that train their one ability to the extreme. "Sie, can see the ''paths''." "What is that?" Huntress shook her head. "It is an obscure ability and we barely know how it works or what it does. It is because of this that she is ranked as the weakest member of our Unit." "There is a ranking for the Unit? What will be my cement in that?" "Not all members arebat oriented. The ranking is based on the utility of our abilities. As for you, you would be secondst, just above Sie, or thirdst in the ranking." Leon nodded his head. He hasn''t told them about his physique, so they believed that the reason he was capable of fighting aura users was because of his stigma. -THE FOURTH MATCH BETWEEN BATTLE SLAVE¡­- The matches continued. In the next two matches, the battle ve brothers lost. This made the mage, the only battle ve to have won a match. Now it was time for the 6th match. -THE SIXTH MATCH BETWEEN MILKY MILLER AND VILE REAPER WILL BEGIN- The gates opened, and Miller entered the stadium. Chapter 107 Pride [2] Wooooooo- Cheering that wasn''t for him. ''Miller, you shouldn''t surrender.'' Words that disguised themand as advice and¡­. ''Block his attack three times and you can surrender.'' A way out of his predicament. Among these voices, a distinct announcement, one that he wanted to escape but couldn''t, rang out. -THE SIXTH ROUND BETWEEN MILKY MILLER AND VILE REAPER WILL BEGIN- WOOOOOOOO- The cheers erupted in many folds when his opponent, a man with unkempt hair and notoriety that surpassed most, entered. "Surrender, quickly. I don''t want to waste my time with soiled fruits." A transparent blue dome covered the arena. ''First lesson: Attack before your opponent does.'' "W-hy do think I will give up?!" He shouted and ran to attack as the lessons had taught him. Vile Reaper''s eyes widened in surprise when he saw this and a small smile appeared on his face. Ignoring Miller''s shaky voice and quivering figure, he mused. "You are not even peak Meta rank. What makes you think you have a chance against me?" The figure of Vile Reaper vanished and suddenly appeared in front of the rushing Miller. He effortlessly raises his leg and kicks Miller in the stomach. "Ar-" Bam-! Miller''s back arches like a bowstring. And his body is flung away. His body collides against the ground several times and hends dozens of feet away from Vile Reaper. Miller tries to stand but immediately bends over. "Urg-!!" Taste of iron fills his mouth. "Was that shout just to appear strong?" Whip- ''Second Lesson: Never take your eyes off your opponent'' Hearing the shrill sound of something fast tearing through the air, Miller rolls away without thinking twice. Bang-! A whipnds where Miller was a few seconds ago. Miller jumps to his feet and sees the whip thatnded at his earlier position. "Will you give up?" Vile Reaper asks, licking his lips, while his smile begins to stretch. He can see Miller''s eyes that were burning with indignation, resolved to see everything till the end. ''Last lesson: Don''t defend. If have your pride, then take up your weapon and fight, fight until the bitter end.'' "I can let you go if you want~" ''Remember this, Miller, shields are only needed until you are weaker than your enemies. It is a weapon of cowards and weaklings. People will leave you once they grow stronger and no longer need your shield. Carve these words in your mind..'' "No." ''Offence is the only defense.'' Miller raises the bat in his hand and res at Vile Reaper. "Ah~" Vile Reaper''s whole body shivers in delight at Miller''s answer. He wanted to pounce and devour his prey in one go, but he held himself back. ''No, I can''t break him too quickly'' His body continued to shiver in delight, making it hard for him to speak, but he managed to ask something in a suppressed tone. "Will you give up?" "No." Vupp- Vile Reaper teleported in front of Miller. "Please, don''t die too quickly~" With a crazed smile on his face, he punched Miller. * "That bastard!" Leon shouted, looking at the vicious nature of Vile Reaper. In the arena, a one-sided beatdown was continuing. As a Meta rank, Miller was no match for Vile Reaper, but for some reason, he wasn''t surrendering. Vile Reaper simply kept punching Miller in the guts, throwing his dozen feet away and then asking for his surrender. After Miller refuses, Vile reaper teleports to Miller and again throws a punch to his guts. This had continued a few times already. "Why isn''t he giving up?!" Miller was his and Isabell''s benefactor''s partner. A friend of a friend is also a friend. As such, Leon didn''t want Miller to get hurt. "Will you give up?~" Vile reaper asks again, but Miller was no longer able to answer. He was bleeding from all orifices and a part of his stomach had been slightly caved in. But even though Miller didn''t answer, Vile reaper wasn''t stopping. Bam-! Miller skidded and his back collided against the mana barrier. "BASTARD!" Crackle- Leon, who was watching the twisted nature of someone for the first time, couldn''t control his emotions any longer. "Kyaa!" "R-Run!" People around Leon ran when golden lightning started flickering around him. Without thinking anything, Leon held the rail and got ready to jump off. "You can''t interfere." Huntress ced a hand on his shoulder and stopped him from interrupting the match. "But why? Everyone can see that he can''t fight back. Why are they allowing this kind of torture to continue?!" Leon pointed to Miller, who was lying limp on the ground. "Because it doesn''t concern us." "What?" Leon felt a bucket of cold water drop on top of him. He looked at Huntress, wide-eyed. "Aren''t we supposed to help others? How can we leave those in nee-" "No, we don''t help others." Huntress swiftly cut him off and left the spectator area while leaving a few parting words. "If you try to intervene, then you''ll fail your testing phase and be kicked out of the unit. After that, we''ll no longer help you to solve the requests you''ve made." Leon stood rooted in his spot as he gazed at her retreating back. ''Was I wrong about them? Isn''t Goliath Unit made to help humanity?'' He couldn''t help but question himself if he made the right choice by joining the Unit. "Leon, don''t take her words to heart. Sis is only making sure that you remain safe." "How?" Isabell pointed to the blue dome covering the arena. "That mana barrier is made by dozens of rank 3 mages. If you try to break it not only will you fail but¡­" She looked at the highest point in the stadium. "..they might act too." Leon bit his lips and nodded his head. He couldn''t do anything but leave Miller to his fate. * "Cough..cough" Vupp- Vile reaper appeared in front of Miller and, grabbing his neck, raised him in the air. Vile reaper still felt something missing. Something was missing for him to reach climax, the highest achievable pleasure. "Why aren''t you fighting back?~" Miller''s eyes showed the resistance against the despair that Vile reaper wanted but¡­ "Why? Why aren''t you fighting back? Your struggle isn''t enough until you fight back~" He needed that euphoria, the one like Yato has given him, the one someone shows when they fight after giving up on everything. He needed that desperation. Miller was no longer a soiled fruit, but still only unripe fruit. ''I need to ripen him before devouring him~'' Viler reaper licked his lips. "Fight back~" Pow-! Vile reaper''s fistnded on Miller''s face. The mask that he was wearing cracked. "Fight back~" Pow-! Pow-! The white mask broke intorge pieces. Miller tried to hide his face when he remembered Nathan''s words. But there was no need for him to do that. Pow-! Pow-! Vile reaper''s continuous punches embedded the broken pieces into Miller''s face, making him unrecognizable. But he didn''t stop. The pieces of masks burrowed themselves deeper with every hit. With every punch, Miller''s face became more deformed. Blood flowed down his face, and painted the ground red. Miller tried to pry Vile reaper''s grip off his neck, but he was far too weak for that. Slump- Miller could no longer muster any strength, and his limbs fell back. Chapter 108 Pride [3] ---(Around the time Miller''s match is about to start) --- Crunch- "It..*chew*really doesn''t*chew* tastes like anything." I spoke while finishing an Iota-rank Aether core. In the novel, it was said that cores taste different depending on where they came from. Guess I couldn''t taste them due to the skill. Maybe it was directly absorbing the core before I could taste anything? While I was trying to taste the core there was a nail-sized reddish-ck orb hovering above my finger. I focused on the orb. Its size increased, bing asrge as my head. I nodded my head. Since I couldn''t change the density of fused orb to control its output, as changing density needed different ratios ofbinations and it was dangerous to try without prior training, I was trying to control the size of the orb to control the output. It was easy to do. I only had to supply more Ether and Nether, or restrict them, and I could freely manipte the size. It worked this way: Smaller Size=Less powerful orb; Larger size=More powerful orb. The only downside of this method was that it took more time. "I want to breakthrough to the next rank soon." I had finally found a way to solve the no-range problem of the fused orbs. The answer was surprisingly simple. "If I explode the orb it will be an area attack." I only need to make sure the explosion happens because the orb was over saturated with energy and not because the ratio ofbination went wrong. "I can''t believe it. The answer was always beside me." Why didn''t I understand? Everything can be solved with a little explosion. Do you need a diversion? Use an Explosion! Do you need an area attack? Make the normal attack explode! Does your boyfriend doesn''t give you enough attention? Explode! ''Explosion is an art.'' The only downside was that I need to reach Enma rank to create those kinds of orbs. My body didn''t have enough Ether to create them at the moment. Nor do I think my reserves will growrge to that extent in Iota-rank. "Cough..I got distracted." I coughed a little when I noticed that I was getting sidetracked. While practicing the size control I began thinking about what I have to do from here. "Surrender my match and win money by betting on Mother Mash. Then wait for the attack to start." Fighting Mother Mash was pointless when I can earn more by rigging the match. Besides, I only had 3 vials of Elixir left on me. With the attackmencingter today it was for the best to avoid injuries that I would get if I fight. "I need to talk to Tristan too. I''ll do that after my match." "I should also check on that battle ve." Half-beast human and terrifying magic ability. This reminded me of a certain character in the novel. "Is that ve Merlin? But was Merlin a ve before joining Round Table?" I shook my head. Even if she wasn''t Merlin I should try to buy her. Though with many people bidding for I can only hope that she is going to be sold at ater date. It had only been a few days since I made the deal regarding Elixir and I have yet to start making money from it. "In the end money is the problem. Though, I should earn a sizable amount after my match." The money from Eth''s sister had been all used up. My saving now amounted to 10,000B that I borrowed from the ck t-shirt gang. * ---(Present)--- "Will you give up?" ''No'' Miller tried to answer but his throat only produced strange noises Pow-! The punch broke his jaw. "Will you give up?" ''No. I can''t give up.'' Pow-! The teeth in his mouth flew away. "Will you give up?" ''No. He will stop giving support to my family.'' Pow-! The nose became crooked as he bled. "Will you give up?" ''No. If I do they will die at the hands of other gangs.'' Pow-! His cheekbone was shattered. "Will you give up¡­" ''No..'' "Will you¡­.." ''N..'' Vile Reaper kept asking the same question and punching him in the face. He could no longer feel his mouth, nose, or anything for that matter in his face. Vile Reaper''s continuous punches had broken his bones to the point they had more pieces than the total bones in his body. The only reason he was alive was that Vile Reaper was purposely avoiding killing him. This was also the reason why his eyes were still working, showing the twisted smile on Vile Reaper''s face. Finally, when there was no area of Miller''s face intact, Vile Reaper kicked his body and threw him far away. Miller felt his body jerk as it crudely crashed against the ground. Slowly his vision started darkening, signifying hising death. Miller was waiting for the end when Vile Reaper suddenly asked a different question. "Why aren''t you fighting back?" ''Because I''m weak.'' Strangely Miller''s hearing and thoughts were working properly. He wasn''t seeing his life sh before his eyes like what people said. ''Is everyone a liar?'' His thoughts started going on a tangent when realized that he wouldn''t see his past sh before him. "Even if you can''t win why are you not trying to fight? Did youe here to die?" ''Maybe'' Miller didn''t me Nathan for his situation. It was because he understood that Nathan never cared for him. He knew that Nathan was only giving them a deal because he had his own motives. Wasn''t it always like this? There was no kindness in this world. People only help others because of their selfish motives. People helping others because of their kindness? No, it is never kindness. Only pity, sympathy, or empathy. People will help others only when they have plenty for themselves. No one takes losses to help others. He understood this and Nathan was simply no different than others. "What are you trying to even achieve?" ''I wonder that too.'' He already knew that he couldn''t win. If he wanted to live the answer was obvious too, to surrender. ''Block his attack three times and you can surrender.'' Nathan''s words came to his mind. Suddenly he started giggling. ''If only it was that easy.'' Miller''s mind drifted to the ''lessons'' the cloaked figure used to give him back in his childhood. He didn''t know why he was so adamant about following those lessons. What he did know was the clocked figure had taught him how to fight, fed him, and was also the one who suggested joining ck t-shirt gang to Miller. Thinking of the cloaked figure Miller began giggling louder. ''Damn you Aniki, how did you always managed to sneak out toe and look after me? I bet dad must''ve tried to stop you many times.'' Jonathon was the cloaked figure. Miller could bet all his money that his older brother was the cloaked figure, who used toe to meet him on weekends, always bringing him new things to eat and teach. "¡­are youughing?" Miller''s giggles sounded like strange noises because of his crushed throat. But it wasn''t hard to understand that he wasughing from his body movements. "What is funny?" Was it because of the cloaked figure''s lessons that he wasn''t using his stigma? Did he respect the cloaked figure to the extent that we would give up his life to follow his words? ''Maybe?'' Was it because throughout his childhood he wanted to be like the cloaked figure? Kind,passionate, and benevolent? He giggled harder. That benevolent figure was also selfish. He was no different from everyone who only helped because they wanted something from others. The cloaked figure also wanted something from him. To protect his little brother. Miller felt something warm flowing down his cheeks. But the feeling vanished as suddenly as it came. "You aren''t fighting back and now you areughing?" Vile Reaper was no longer smiling in glee and dissatisfaction was evident in his voice. ''Serves you right, pervert.'' Miller felt the name Nathan gave Vile Reaper was perfect. He giggled louder knowing that Vile Reaper was finding it unpleasant. "Even if you cry it''s no fun if you don''t struggle against the ''insurmountable despair''." ''I''m crying?'' It seemed he was crying. Not that he could feel anything on his face for that matter. Still, he didn''t stop giggling. If he was going to die he would at least make sure that Vile reaper didn''t find it enjoyable. "Guess I''ll finish it now." Whip- ''Why didn''t I use my stigma? Not that it matters anymore'' Even if he know the answer it wouldn''t change anything. Miller only closed his eyes and waited for the end. ng-! "I don''t think I gave dying as an option." Miller''s eyes snapped open when he heard the familiar voice. "Ug..grh.." Why was he here? How did he enter the arena? No, what about the enemy? Whatever it was, seeing the blood-red eyes staring at him from above, he strangely also felt relief among all the emotions he was feeling. "I guess there is nock of stupid people in the world." The person fed him a potion that made him feel sleepy. After that, thest thing Miller remembered was hearing a bone-chilling voice that sent shivers down the spines of all who heard it. "Sleep. I''ll take over from here." Chapter 109 Evil James Connor, aka Vile Reaper, was someone blessed from birth. He had talent, potential, skills, and background. He had everything one could dream of. His life was also smooth sailing. He never had anything to worry about. After reaching high Iota rank, with his father''s rmendation, he became a candidate to join the uing personal unit of Sword Maiden. Working under Sword Maiden was the dream of everyone working in Umbra. For she was undoubtedly going to be a pioneer in the future. With everything being served to him on a silver te he became bored. Everything was easy for him. He wanted struggle. He wanted to feel the struggle for sess. To endure hardships while oveing trials. But s, he was gifted. He was someone special. No matter what, he never needed to struggle. He would always win easily. So, he decided to change his approach. "I maybe not be able to struggle, but can''t I can find it in others?" If he made others struggle, could he find satisfaction in that? He, himself wasn''t sure, nor was he optimistic about getting contentment by doing this. But the result pleasantly surprised him. The first time he backed someone to the corner, the opponent fought with his everything on the line. At that moment, he found the desperation, the struggle he always wanted to see. From then on, he started torturing his opponents, before killing them. Torture because it was slow, painful, and the best way to push his enemies into the corner without killing them. Obviously, he had standards. He only tortured those he found fun. Those enemies that never tried to struggle and fight desperately were all killed at once. Why would he bother himself with soiled fruit that has no worth? And that was what he was doing right now. The unripe fruit that he thought would show its desperation turned out to be a soiled fruit in disguise. ''It'' was simply a crazy idiot that hade to die at his hands. Or maybe it broke because of his torture? Whatever it was, he didn''t care. It was now broken and not worth his pte. If it wouldn''t show him struggle, then the only ending for it was death. That was why heshed the whip in his hand to kill the soiled fruit. However, something unexpected happened. ng-! A swording out from the cracked air blocked his attack. The neer didn''t pay him attention and, with his back to Vile reaper, spoke something to the soiled fruit. "How did he enter the arena?" Despite thinking as this, Vile reaper attacked again to kill the neer too. This neer had dared to disturb him twice. A sin only payable with death. It was then that a bone-chilling voice echoed. "Sleep. I''ll take over from here." The voice sent shivers down the spine of anyone who heard, and Vile reaper also froze. Vile reaper felt as if a mountain was ced on top of him and his body refused to budge. "Are you the one who put him in this condition?" The cold voice again rang out. But he answered back with a confident tone. "Who else could it be? Of course, it was me." Although Vile reaper''s body was frozen stiff, it wasn''t the same for his head. Also, with his high mental strength, the pressure was bearable for him. Slowly, Vile reaper was regaining control of his limbs. "I see." The neer picked the soiled fruit and started walking away. "Where do you think you are going?!" Vile reaper, finally able to move, pounced on Nathan to kill him. He teleported in front of Nathan and swung his whip. "Move" A red hue exploded outwards from Nathan and nketed the stadium. Vile reaper felt the pressure on top of him suddenly multiply a dozen times and, unable to bear the pressure, was brought to his knees. The pressure he was feeling now couldn''t bepared to what he felt before. It was like he was chained down and ced in the deepest part of the sea. The force was weighing down on him so much that he started bleeding from his ears and nose. Fear gripped his heart and his instincts screamed danger. He felt that the one infront of him wasn''t a human but an amalgamation of every evil. His body shook and he looked down, not daring to even glimpse at Nathan. The crowd was no different. Half of the spectators had already copsed and were spasming. The other half wasn''t any better. The air itself was wrung dry and they could hardly breathe. Nathan didn''t even nce at Vile reaper and kept walking. He reached the border of the arena where the mana barriery but didn''t stop walking. Suddenly there was a ripple in the barrier when he was 20 feet from it. Without minding it, Nathan kept walking and the ripple only increased in size. When he was almost in front of the barrier, it split open. The mana barrier dome was still standing, but now it had a huge hole in it. Nathan entered one of the gates and left the stadium. As his figure vanished from everyone''s sight, the barrier reverted to its previous state and the red hue vanished, removing the dreaded feeling from everyone''s heart. * "Wh.what was that?" Afraid, Leon, unable to get over what he felt a few moments ago, shivered. "Leon, are okay?" Isabell worriedly asked, but he didn''t answer. Instead, he kept thinking back to what he felt. That neer''s pressure. Leon wasn''t affected by it before. No, he was sure that the pressure didn''t work on him this time too. If it did, Leon would have also fainted like the hundreds of spectators, he did not doubt this. But this time, when Nathan released his pressure without holding back, Leon sensed something. Something horrendous, something with enough hatred that it could drown the world. It was evil. Evil in its rawest form. If someone asked Leon what evil or good was, he couldn''t answer. Naturally, Leon can tell if something is evil or good but, like everyone, he had no urate definition. He could also say that nothing waspletely evil orpletely good. That it was only a matter of perspective. But that feeling. It was unmistakable. It was a will to destroy everything. An unbounded rage. "Something like that shouldn''t exist." Leon''s eyes turned sharp, devoid of their previous thankfulness and friendliness, as he looked in the direction Nathan left. Chapter 110 A New Deal [1] -Is something worrying you? (No) Eth answered Caim and flew a little away from him. He did not want to tell Caim what was happening outside in reality. He closed his eyes to see what was happening. Miller was lying on a bed. He was slowly healing with the help of the Elixir Nathan used on him, and Nathan was wordlessly sitting there. ''This is bad. This is bad.'' Contrary to what he told Caim, he was worried, very worried. It was because of the reaction Nathan showed when he saw the crippled figure of Miller. At first, Nathan had been idling around with no intention of returning before his match. Although Nathan was trying to avoid the ces with the tournament holograms, there was one near him that he onlyter came to know. Nathan was about to leave the area when he noticed that it was showing Miller''s match. Thinking that he should at least look at Miller''s performance, Nathan reluctantly walked to the hologram. Then Nathan witnessed the figure of Miller, who refused to surrender, being tortured. Throughout the torture, Eth didn''t feel a single fluctuation in Nathan''s emotions. They were calm as ake. ''I should have noticed back then!'' Ethmented. Eth thought that Nathan''sck of reaction was because he didn''t think much of Miller. Oh boy, how wrong he was. Just when Eth thought Nathan was going to ignore Miller, Nathan suddenly made a beeline toward the stadium. Nathan used his art to create weapons in midair and, with the weapons as footholds, ran to the stadium on them. He used the technique he learned from copying Susan, bursting ayer of energy beneath his sole, to arrive quickly at the scene. Nathan didn''t even enter the stadium through a gate and directly jumped from above. This was why almost no one saw him when Nathan got into the arena. As for the mana barrier, with the baby golem''s [Anti-magic Field] it might not even be there for Nathan. ''He even used those earrings at full power!'' Hundreds of people copsed. Eth did not doubt that there was barely anyone with Evil disposition who didn''t copse. Only a few handfuls of people with Evil disposition didn''t copse. These people were either above Enma rank or had a strong mentality, enough to offset the intimidation of the skill. ''He isn''t going to blow up, right? Right?'' Eth held his face in his arms. If Nathan blew up now, Eth didn''t want to think of the consequences that it would entail. He knew that Nathan was smart enough to know what would happen if he tried to do something here in Underworld. But he also knew Nathan was crazy enough to enter Yakuzas with nothing on his hand. Back in his past life, Nathan had no sort of protection and was physically very weak. Those Yakuzas were international criminals and were the ruling fraction that controlled several countries from behind the scenes. Yet he infiltrated, intending to kill the head and his family with his own hands. What was crazier was he seeded in killing them and achieved his goal. Eth spoke to Nathan, trying to probe him. (Nathan, you should calm down and think carefully before doing anything. Anger will only cloud your judgment.) "I am calm." Even now, Nathan''s emotions were as calm as ake. One will think this guy wasn''t the same person who almost crippled hundreds of people mentally a few hours ago. Eth already understood that Nathan''s emotions weren''t calm because he wasn''t angry, but because he was suppressing them. ''Why is he even angry?!'' Eth wanted to cry but had no tears. Thankfully, Nathan''s mind was no longer preupied with the appearance of Sword Maiden. But now he became a ticking time bomb with no outlet! ''Who the hell has mood swings as bad as you? Fuck this crazy bastard!'' "Arg..gh" At that moment Miller, who was lying on the bed, groaned. A few minutester, he sat on the bed with Nathan''s help. The first thing he said after getting up was unexpected for Eth. "Boss, I''m sorry. I didn''t follow your orders." "Why didn''t you give up?" Nathan again spoke a few secondster. "Even if your gang doesn''t have my support, the Elixir deal is already made. Your gang should have no problem surviving rather, it will only grow from here, even without me." "Eh? What are you talk-Ah fuck, there was that deal!" The surprise in Miller''s tone told that Miller wasn''t lying. He had forgotten about the Oath Nathan made with his dad. Nathan stared at Miller in amazement. Miller had just shown him a new level of stupidity. Feeling relieved, Nathan slumped in the chair. "So that''s why you didn''t give up." "No, even if I knew I wouldn''t have given up." "..why?" "Boss, I think in this world, everyone is selfish. I''m no different." Miller scratched his cheek as he answered. Nathan nodded, signaling him to continue. "I want to be someone that everyone will look at with awe. Someone whom everyone will look up to." "Is that your dream?" Miller shook his head. "This was something the person who took care of me in my childhood wished for my future. I want to repay them by making their wishe true." The cloaked figure had always taken care of him selflessly. Miller did not doubt that without the cloaked figure, his childhood would have been no different from other slum children. Left to their means and barely surviving by begging, stealing, and then dying to hunger. "But I can''t do that by myself. I''m weak. I have no talent, nor do I have potential. But if I follow you, if I work under you, I think, no, I know I can achieve my goal." No matter how hard he tries, he can''t achieve his dream. Miller had, long ago, already given up after trying many times. But all that changed when Nathan asked to bring Miller under him. With the feats Nathan had shown till now, Miller believed that Nathan could help him. Miller didn''t want Nathan to leave them and stop his support. If he did, Miller would lose his only way to achieve his goal. "Is it rted to why you kept ncing at the top 16 participants'' seats even while Vile reaper was torturing?" ''Miller was looking at the participants'' seat?'' Eth, who heard Nathan''s words was shocked. Eth had overlooked such a small detail, but this detail was the reason why Nathan didn''t immediately leave to save Miller. "Yes" Miller didn''t want to use stigma, but he still wanted to prove himself to Nathan. The only way to show this was to go through the Vile reaper''s torture and show that he was ready to give up his life if he could achieve his goal. "But there was no way you knew that I would intervene and save you." "hehe... From what I understand about you, I felt that you wouldn''t leave those whom you have taken under you to die." Nathan sighed exaggeratedly. It seems Miller was dumber than he thought. "''You felt'' and you gambled your life on those chances?" In response, Miller only gave a silly smile. Although Miller was acting as if he knew that Nathan would intervene, in truth, he wasn''t sure Nathan would. Half of the reason he kept looking for Nathan was that he wanted to see if Nathan wasing to save him. He had almost given up, too. Thankfully, Nathan intervened or he would have died. "tch.. You should be thankful that I want you in my group or I would''ve left you to die." Miller didn''t refute Nathan and only smiled back. In his mind, Nathan was embarrassed to acknowledge that Nathan was worried about him. Knock- Knock- "E-excuse me, the tournament''s organizers want-t to meet yo-ou Eiik, I''m sorry. I didn''t want to disturb you!" Someone entered the infirmary and started speaking immediately. When Nathan turned to look at him, he shrieked, afraid that Nathan was annoyed for disturbing him. The scene where Nathan crushed the Vile reaper with a single word and his pressure alone suffocated hundreds of people was deeply etched in everyone''s mind. He had be a figure of awe and fear for all who hade to watch the tournament. The person who hade to call didn''t want to get on Nathan''s bad side. His fear of Nathan made him stutter and apologize to Nathan. "You keep resting." Nathan advised Miller and got up to leave. Nathan already knew why he was being called. Interrupting the matches was prohibited, not to mention he made half of the spectators copse from suffocation. There was no the tournament organizers didn''t want to meet him. "Thank you, leader." Miller spoke in a small voice as Nathan left the room. Chapter 111 A New Deal [2] "I''ll be going." Leon told Isabell and left to enter the arena. While going through the tunnel to the stadium, Leon''s mind kept wandering back to the show of power Nathan disyed. For some reason, Leon could tell that Mr. Pepe was around his age. Yet the gap between their abilities was as big as heaven and earth. "I''m still too weak." Leon didn''t know why, but he felt that he needed to be stronger than Mr. Pepe no matter what. Remembering the feeling he felt from Mr. Pepe''s pressure, Leon believed that he will be an unstoppable cmity. "I need to surpass him." For the first time in his life, Leon set someone as his goal to surpass. Wooooooooo- "But first I need to win this match." Looking at the mana barrier that covered the arena, Leon''s expression turned determined. * "I-it''s here." The person left me outside a room and hurriedly left. Without minding him, I looked around. There were quite a few people outside the room. All of them had two things inmon: they seemed rich and they were upset. I approached someone close to me to get an update on the situation. The person paled, realizing I was Mr. Pepe, and easily told me everything. My brows furrowed, listening to him. "This is the room of the ve trader of the battle ve that reached the top-16. But why is Iris calling me here?" All these people came here to buy the battle ves. But before bidding started, Sword Maiden and her entourage came and kicked them out. (''She'' is not Iris) (Don''t lose your cool when you talk with her) ''I know'' A deep sigh escaped my lips. Even though I was going to meet Iris, I was strangely calm. I knew this was because Eth proved that Iris and ''she'' were not the same person with his hypothesis. But I knew. I was calm right now, but there was no way I could remain calm when I''ll meet Sword Maiden. Even if they were two different people, their appearance was too simr. ''Eth help me.'' (Okay) I closed my eyes and created a thinyer of ether inside my ears. I then lost my vision and couldn''t hear anything. Theyer of ether was to stop the sound from reaching my eardrums. This was a simple technique that anyone with high mana control can do. It can''t stop any sound attacks, but it can stop normal sounds more than enough. It wasn''t a problem for me to meet someone like this. Eth can see what is happening around me, even if my eyes are closed, and hear everything. (Is this necessary?) CLACK- "Mr. Pepe, pleasee inside. Young miss is calling for me." (The door of the room opened and a butler, wearing a monocle, is calling you inside.) (Fifteen steps to front) I walked to the door. ''It is necessary.'' I need to be calm for the uing discussion because it was most definitely a scheme from Sword Maiden. Sure, I broke the rules by interfering in the match, but this is not something someone with the stature of Sword Maiden should handle herself. It will be below her dignity to deal with an Iota rank awakener. For high-level awakeners, any awakener below Te rank is not worth a bother. Yet, the Sword Maiden called me? Suspicious. It was too suspicious. CLACK- The butler closed the door behind me after I entered. * Nathan entered the room and, guided by the butler, sat on the couch. The room was brightly lit and basking in the golden hue radiated from the chandelier. On one side, a small tform was a small stage. Over the stage three battle ves stoodpletely still as if they were goods being disyed, naked. Two battle ves were male. Other than the countless scars on their bodies, they appeared no different from humans. The third ve, the mage, however, was different. She had two fur ears on her head, and her eyes had vertical pupils. She wasn''t human and her appearance revealed that she was a beasthuman. Nathan looked in her direction when Eth exined about her appearance and frowned. Her appearance and the fact that Sword Maiden appeared here to buy confirmed the battle ve mage''s identity. ''Merlin. Seat 2 of the Round Table and the strongest magician of Earth.'' Though was in the future, when she will reach her peak. "Isn''t she beautiful?" Iris'' words brought Nathan out of his thoughts. Nathan turned to ''look'' at Sword Maiden, Iris. She was wearing a military uniform and had blood-red hair. She had a grin as she stared at Nathan. Behind her stood two people. One was the butler that had called Nathan inside the room. The other was a woman with purple hair who was wearing a mask. Nathan was feeling a sense of oppression from the woman and Iris. This was due to the rank pressure they were releasing unconsciously. Yet Nathan couldn''t sense their ranks. ''They are all at least Te rank.'' Nathan wasn''t feeling the rank oppression from Butler. It wasn''t because the butler was Enma rank or lower. Rather, Nathan couldn''t sense the butler''s presence itself. It was like the butler wasn''t even there. "¡­Yes" "Do you want to buy her? She can help in you many ways." Iris eyed Merlin''s ''assets'' with a sly grin. "¡­No" Nathan directly refused. He didn''t understand what she was ying at but, with her knowing Merlin is capable of casting rank 4 spells at Iota-rank, she wouldn''t let anyone buy Merlin. Iris pped. "Congrattions, you lived. If you had said yes, I would''ve killed you, since I''m nning on buying her, and no one sets their eyes on my things." "¡­Then why rmend her to me?" Iris didn''t answer him, but asked something else instead. "But if you had a chance, would you buy her?" Nathan didn''t answer when Eth conveyed Iris'' words to him. ''Is something wrong with her head?'' (I don''t think that is something you should say.) ''I''m perfectly fine.'' (What answer are you going to give to Iris?) ''My answer is: ''Yes, I would buy her.'' '' (You are sane?) ''Why, of course, I''m sane.'' The smile on Iris'' face dimmed as Nathan was taking the time to answer. She was grinning while talking to Nathan because he seemed interesting. But his hesitation was negatively affecting his image in her mind. Nathan''s action of taking time to answer her, when she had warned killing him if he wanted to buy Merlin, was logical. But for Iris it was uninteresting. "¡­Yes, I would buy her. But since Sword Maiden wants to buy her, I don''t want to her now." Iris'' grin was almost gone. Mr. Pepe may be strong, and may even be a powerhouse in the future, but if he got afraid of a small threat, then he wasn''t worth her time. She was disappointed, at least until Nathan again opened his mouth. "That mage is talented, but not enough that I would go against Sword Maiden in a bidding war." "Oh, why is that? Because you are afraid of offending me?" Nathan shook his head. "¡­.If she was more talented, then I would have bid against you but¡­" "The mage isn''t enough talented for you?" Nathan nodded. Iris'' grin widened at Nathan''s im. Iris was called Sword Maiden because of her strength. She was among the top geniuses on Earth and had met other geniuses, too. She could im without a doubt that the battle ve mage was a never seen genius. Yet Mr. Pepe was saying that she wasn''t talented? In normal circumstances, Iris would call someone like Mr. Pepe delusional. But were the current circumstances normal? Mr. Pepe suddenly appeared today in the tournament. With the feats he showed, Iris knew he had Legendary-grade skills. Iris already had her butler do a background check on Mr. Pepe, but nothing came up. This was his first public appearance and there were no records of him prior to this. Not to mention they don''t even know which portal Mr. Pepe used to enter the Underworld. He knew about the Underworld''s hidden information. All this showed that he had a powerful organization backing him. After all, an Iota-rank is in no way capable of collecting many legendary-grade skills or knowing Underworld''s covert information. It was possible that there were more people, like Mr. Pepe, in his organization. If this was true, then it was a given that in his eyes, the mage wasn''t talented. After all, Mr. Pepe had defended against the very rank 4 spell the mage used on him Chapter 112 [Bonus Chapter] A New Deal [3] While Iris was thinking about the possibility of Nathan, Nathan himself was gloating in his mind. After closing his eyes and ears, he felt that the one he was talking to was Eth and not somebody else. With this, Nathan was able to keep a calm mind and scam Iris. ''I want to buy Merlin, but with Sword Maiden already here, it can''t be helped. I''ll give up on her.'' The reason Nathan refused was that he didn''t want to do anything with Sword Maiden. In the novel, it was never told on what basis members of Round Table were ranked. But Nathan and a few fans had a theory. ''The higher the rank, the crazier and more psychotic the member. So, as Seat 1, Sword Maiden is obviously the craziest of all.'' Iris, who heard his answer, grinned. ''He doesn''t seem to be bluffing. But even then, he has the guts to say that to my face. Isn''t he afraid I''ll kill him if I am pissed? I think I''m quite famous for doing that.'' While Nathan was boasting about his genius mind, Iris was thinking on her own. ''The more I watch, the more interesting he seems. I definitely want him.'' "If I tell you that, I will gift you the mage. Will you agree?" ''Huh? She will give Merlin to me.'' Nathan suddenly felt that things took a wrong turn somewhere. ''What does she want from me?'' "¡­I will. Since the Sword Maiden is being this generous, does she want something from me?" Sweating internally, he probed her. He knew that he had sessfully scammed Iris into believing that he was a big shot, but the problem seems to be something else entirely! "I do actually. How about we make an Oath?" Before Nathan could say something, Iris spoke again. "It''s nothing much. In the next rounds of the top 8, if you win against Vile reaper, the battle ves will be a gift to you from me." "¡­.I trust your words. We don''t need an Oath for this." "Oh, we do. After all, if you lose, you will be working under me." "¡­.If I lose, I have toe under you?" "I''m making a personal unit of elites. You will be joining it if you lose." Iris grinned ferociously. "It''s a good deal, isn''t it? After all ''a big shot like you'' will easily win against Vile reaper." Nathan blinked, and the color drained from Eth''s face while he clutched his head. ''I think I just got fucked by myself?'' (You bet!) ''Oh, that''s bad.'' (Bad? B.A.D and nothing else? That''s all you have to say?) ''Why? Why did it have to be this nut-case who possessed my body?!'' For the first time, Eth wondered if he should have fought Nathan for control over the body. Vile Reaper was at least Lvl 21 and he had 4SP/Lvl talent. Moreover, he is already recruited by Iris. It was as clear as day that Iris was trying to trick Nathan into working under her. It was bad, in a lot of ways! ''We can''t refuse'' Suddenly, Nathan spoke in a serious voice. Although he was joking, he also knew the severity of the situation. Iris had cornered him in a situation he can''t refuse. Also, he was sure that Iris will help Vile reaper behind the scene. The chances of him winning were pathetically low. But even then, Nathan didn''t regret the words he spoke to Iris when she asked about Merlin. All Nathan knew about her personality was that she was prone to killing people simply because they bored her. In the novel, Iris once massacred 4 cities for the reason they weren''t ''interesting''. He didn''t want to risk her attacking him, but he didn''t know if he should agree or disagree. So, he gave a neutral answer. He chose the safest path and answered in an interesting way. (What are you going to do now?) ''There''s nothing else to do.'' "¡­Let''s make the Oath but¡­." "There''s something you want?" Nathan nodded. He was putting his life on the line by fighting Vile reaper. There was no way Nathan was going to leave with only Merlin. "I want a harmonization elixir." "Deal." * "Can I talk to you?" I spoke to Huntress, who was sitting amongst the crowd. With Isabell constantly looking toward her and Huntress herself wearing the suspicious grey robes, it wasn''t hard to find her. Huntress nodded, and after my rmendation, we went to a secluded area. "What do you want?" "I saved those two in the 1st round. I wantpensation for that." ''Agree. Please agree.'' Now that I was going to fight Vile reaper I had to win against Mother Mash if I wanted to advance to the top 8. Sword Maiden said that she will announce that the first match of the top 8 will be between Viler Reaper and me. That is, of course, only if I win against Mother Mash. Losing against Mother Mash will be counted as my loss and so will running away from the match. Putting aside the problem of winning against Mother Mash aside, there was something I had needed Huntress'' help in. Huntress didn''t answer for a long time. I was beginning to worry that she was going to refuse until she spoke. "Speak. Keep in mind, I''ll only agree if it''s nothing too outrageous." "Don''t worry, it''s not too much. You only have to¡­." * "It''s done" I exhaled deeply, looking at Huntress'' departing back. She had agreed to help me. (Why are you smiling?) ''Everything is going perfectly.'' (No, it isn''t!) Oh, Eth, it is, believe me, it is. I was already thinking of how to kill Vile reaper before the attack starts. With his ability to teleport, he was surely going to be the biggest hurdle in my escape. Huntress will be busy against high-level awakeners. I doubt she will have time to kill Vile reaper when she will be blocking Sword Maiden and her entourage. This only made Vile reaper''s teleportation more dangerous. He could decide to chase me and he will have no problem catching up to me with his teleportation. At first, I was nning on using a bomb beneath the top16 seating area to catch Vile reaper off guard when the attack starts, and kill him there. But this n was risky as I would also get caught in the damage radius. I needed to be in that area when the attack starts to reach the prize room before Leon and Isabell. (Your smile is turning weird) ''You jealous of my million-volt smile?'' I got a way to kill Vile Reaper formally. Although the probability of winning against him was low, it was still higher and safer than using the bomb, as I initially nned. But the biggest prize wasn''t this. It was Eth believing that Iris cornered me to make the Oath, and I didn''t want to agree when in truth Merlin and Harmonization elixir were only an added bonus. I would''ve still agreed if I could fight against Vile reaper. This proved that I can lie to Eth. As long as I didn''t say it explicitly he won''t know that I am lying. He wouldn''t know that I lied, as long as he himself arrives at the conclusion that I was saying the truth and I don''t tell him otherwise. There were many things in this world that were suspicious. X, Y, the unknown entity responsible for my transmigration, and¡­. Eth. He was someone who was talented enough to create an acquired skill, yet never appeared in the novel. The gaps in his memory and his strangely intervened rtionships with many important characters. It would be good if Eth was just an unfortunate soul like me. But if he was someone who was orchestrating things from the background or was rted to it, I needed a way to deceive him. "I hope everything turns out well." (Me too) Chapter 113 Place Your Bets! "Please everyone, all of you will be able to ce your bet before the match starts, don''t break the line!" "huuu¡­." Rubbing his cold hands together Tristan closed his eyes. He was waiting in line to ce his bet for thest match between Mr. Pepe and Mother Mash. The betting for the matches only happened after thest match ends, and that match is next. "Who are you going to bet on?" "Are you an idiot? Is that even a question? Mr. Pepe crushed Vile reaper with a single word. Of course, he will win!" "Yeah, back then I felt as if death was staring at me, even though he never looked at me." "He is built differently! We can''t evenprehend why he chose such a unique alias. But there must be a reason why someone great like him will choose that name." Tristan overhead the people behind me talking and he shook his head. ''Noobs, they don''t even understand the basics of gambling.'' Tristan was going to make his bet on Mother Mash winning. So, what if he lost his money when Rumbling Yato won, as everyone had predicted? He was still going to bet on the participant that has a low chance of winning to make it big, rather than betting on someone guaranteed to win and earn marginal profit. Just thinking about the money that he will get if Mother Mash wins made him drool. ''But if I lose¡­" Tristan looked at the money that was hisst saving, but he shook his head and steeled his mind. ''Risks and gambling, go hand in hand!'' Finally, there was only one person left in front of Tristan before his turn came. "I want to bet 100,000B on Mother Mash." Thedy in front of Tristan ced her bet. "Someone bet 100,000B on Mother Mash?" "Hahaha, it must be a snob-richdy who is unting her wealth. Even an idiot knows that Mother Mash will lose." The crowd insulted thedy. 100,000B was arge sum of money, more so because diator Championship was a small tournament, and she was throwing all that money down a rabbit hole. "Miss, you seem rich, but it isn''t safe to roam in Underworld with that much money. Let us escort you." A group of people with wicked expressions gathered around thedy. Thedy didn''t react to their provocation, but this only further increased the hooligans'' courage. Tristan didn''t move to help and moved back. Thedy had nothing to do with him and he had a bad feeling about this. The hooligans walked up to her and grabbed her wrist- Swish-! -and the hooligan''s arm was sliced off from his shoulder. "ARghh!!!" Thedy ignored the screaming hooligan and kicked him away. Nobody saw when she moved, let alone how he cut off his arm. She wiped the blood that had sshed on her arm and turned to the person sitting at the counter. "He was the first to attack. So, my response was justified self-defense." The person behind audibly gulped and nodded. Thedy was leaving after cing her bet when Tristan, mustering his courage, blocked her path. "You also want to get a ''handicap''?" "No, can I ask why you bet on Mother Mash?" Thedy, who looked normal at first sight, was at least Te rank. How did he know? It was because of the golden shield emblem on her overcoat. Only officers of Aegis are allowed to use the golden shield emblem. If someone is caught impersonating an officer, they are given capital punishment. Putting the name ''Gwen Hunt'' that was written under her emblem aside, as he didn''t know her, all officers of Aegis are above Enma rank. Above Enma rank, in other words, a ''real'' awakener. There has to be a reason someone like her ced suchrge money on Mother Mash. ''Was I right? Mother Mash will win?'' Tristan wasn''t worried about losing his limbs if he pissed her off. As a vampire, as long he didn''t die, he can regenerate his limbs. Nevertheless, he sighed in relief when thedy wasn''t angry and answered him. "Mr. Pepe will lose. Isn''t it obvious that I should bet on the winner?" Tristan left after hearing her answer, but others flocked to thedy. They wanted to know why Mr. Pepe will lose and then maybe change their bet. They had also noticed the emblem and knew thedy above Enma rank. Underworld was a neutral organization. It was amon sight to see criminals or famous awakeners roaming here. Weirdly enough, thedy patiently answered them. "Is there anybody here who wasn''t affected by Mr. Pepe''s pressure the first time?" "Yes, for some reason, I wasn''t affected." "Me too" "It didn''t work on me too." Three people came forward. Thedy nodded her head. "Did his pressure affect you three the second time he released it?" The three people took time to ponder before answering. "The second time it was difficult to breathe, but I didn''t feel fear or oppression like others." "Now that I think about it, I also didn''t feel fear like others said they did." "I don''t think I did." The crowd noticed the abnormality. Thedy smiled and turned to the crowd. "Mr. Pepe''s pressure doesn''t work on everyone. Or he purposely left the same people untouched both times, among the hundreds of spectators, when he released his pressure." The crowd was surprised. Thinking now they could see not everyone was affected by Mr. Pepe''s pressure and both times they were the same people who weren''t affected. "But that doesn''t mean Mr. Pepe will lose." Thedy shook her head. "His pressure did not affect Mother Mash. He can''t win by making her faint. He will have to fight, and Mr. Pepe is a mage." The crowd shut up at the revtion. Mage and aura users have distinct advantages over each other. Aura users are superior in close-quarterbat, while mages deal massive damage from a distance. The arena of the tournament had a fixed area and nothing to be used as a cover. An aura user can easily defeat a mage before they even chant their spell because of the venue and setting of the tournament. "He used Grimoire to create the hole in the 1st round. The shbang he used was to hide the grimoire he bought out." As a high-level awakener, thedy had better senses than everyone here. She was able to notice Nathan bringing out Grimoire moments before the shbang detonated. "We haven''t seen him using any spell. It doesn''t make sense if he is hiding his ability as a mage when he has already shown that he is the likeliest participant to win." "But that pressure and how did he cross that mana barrier?" "The pressure is probably some kind of skill. This exins its restriction of working on only some types of people. The barrier crossing too." Thedy left while leaving a few parting words. "If I had to guess, he is purposely posing as strong. He is going to bet on Mother Mash so that when he loses, he earns a lot of money because of the high divined." Many were put in a dilemma by her parting words. Indeed, it was weird Mr. Pepe was trying to hide that he was a mage, and thedy''s made sense. Her words greatly affected the betting, and the dividend became 1:2 for Mr.Pepe: Mother Mash. The main reason people trusted thedy was that she was a high-level awakener, and she herself betrge money on Mother Mash. But Mr. Pepe''s feats were undeniable. Originally, many were going to bet on Mr. Pepe. The dividend was predicted to be at least 8:1. But now, if Mother Mash wins, the return will be only double their bid. Tristan, who was standing at the back, looked at the scene with a glint in his eyes. ''Weird. Her words make sense, but why did she tell everyone this? Wouldn''t she earn more if the majority of people bid on Mr. Pepe but Mother Mash wins?'' His gambler''s senses were telling him that something was up. "I will bid on Mr. Pepe." Trusting in himself, Tristan changed his decision and bid on Mr. Pepe. Chapter 114 Battle Mage [1] Woooooooo- Amidst the ear-shattering cheering, I walked into the arena. It was funny, really. These guys were booing at me before but now that they knew that I was strong they were cheering for me. "A world where only strength matters." As long as you are strong you can get everything be it fame, money, or authority. (Do you think you can trust Tristan?) ''Yeah'' I met Tristan at the betting area. He had also bet on me. There I ckmai-cough persuaded him to join my crew. Of course, since I knew about his race and other secrets, the persuasion went well. I also told him about my match with Vile Reaper. He agreed to join only if I manage to fight with Vile Reaper on equal footing. He wasn''t expecting me to win, after knowing the level difference between me and Vile Reaper. (Poor guy, you practically ckmailed him to join. You even used an Oath on him) I shrugged my shoulders. ''Oath is to make sure he doesn''t run away.'' The Oath between me and him was that he has to meet me after the tournament, within one day. If he doesn''t, he has to expose his identity at Aegis headquarters. Finally, I entered the arena. -THE FINAL ROUND BETWEEN MOTHER MASH AND MR. PEPE WILL BEGIN- The mana barrier enveloped the arena and stopped the noises. "You can''t defeat me. Will you give up?" I blink at the question of the woman, who was carrying a halberd that was twice my size. "Why can''t I defeat you?" She snorted at me. "I am the daughter of the chieftain of the Northern Sokovian Tribe. I have years of fighting experience at the Barbarian Gate." I frowned. Sokovian in is near the continent that was destroyed by the Barbarian Gate. The Gates have already been secured, but their presence causes a high number of dungeons in the areas near them. All awakeners in the regions near Gates are battle-hardened; the woman in front of me should be the same. ''[Appraisal]'' I open her stats and skills sheet. ====== Name: Cassandra Mn Race: Human Rank: Iota(Lvl.20) Stigma: [Steel Body] Disposition: Lawful-Good Title: -/- -> Stats: Strength ¨C 28 Agility ¨C 21 Stamina ¨C 22 Constitution ¨C 26 Aura ¨C 16 Intelligence ¨C 08 Luck ¨C 26 -> Skills [Search[Rare]] [Power[Rare]] [Stupefy[Rare]] -> Status: Confident/Hopeful/Disappointed/Boastful [She is confident in her strength and winning against you. Although she was a little disappointed after knowing you were a mage, she hopes that you put up a good fight.] ====== Seeing her status, I threw the idea of fighting close-quarter out of the window. I don''t think I can survive a single hit of that massive halberd, supported with 28-strength SP. ''It will be better if I fight with magic and my art.'' For this match I decided to fight from distance. [Constitution¨C21 --> Constituion¨C25] [Intelligence¨C20 --> Intelligence¨C25] [Remaining SP¨C02] Constitution will help me thank her attacks and fasten my recovery if I get hurt. Intelligence was needed as it increases the magic output. "Are you ignoring me?" Bam-! She dashed in my direction. I bought the grimoire out and started chanting. Crack- At the same time, 5 cracks surrounded Mother Mash. A weapones out from each of them and flew at her. "Ha!!" She doesn''t stop running and swings her halberd horizontally above her head. The halberd strikes the spears and swords and breaks them easily. ''Dammit'' This is why I wanted my weapons to be above Common-grade. Common-grade weapons are fragile unless strengthened with the awakener''s energy. Swosh- She continues her swing and throws her halberd at me. I was yet toplete my spell. Two cracks appear in front of me. ng-! Two swordse out of the cracks and block the halberd in an X formation. I thought using weapons like this I could block the attack, but I had misjudged the power behind her throw. The swords break after stopping the attack for 1 second. Swosh- But 1 second was all I needed. "" A transparent wall appears in front of me and blocks the halberd. "Come" The halberd started spinning and flew back to the woman. "Huff¡­Huff¡­" ''That was dangerous.'' 3 seconds. Only 3 seconds passed from when the woman blocked my first attack and I created the force field. I brought only short chant spells. Yet I barely managed toplete one chant. "Where are you looking at?" While I was looking at my actions, she covered the distance between us. Immediately, she swings the halberd down at me. ''It''s okay, the is still there.'' Thud-! The force field stops her attack. I was about to start chanting another spell when- "[Power]" -The halberd shines and the power behind it suddenly increases many folds. "Ha!" Mother Mash swings her shining hammer with a loud shout. Before her strikends, I throw a cylindrical object in the air. Crack- Bam-! A sword appears in front of me but it was of little help. Mother Mash''s attack breaks the shield and the sword. Boom-! I was mercilessly blown away and my body crashes against the mana barrier. At the same time, the shbang I threw explodes. It robs Mother Mash of her vision and hearing. "Cough..Cough" ''That was bad if the sword and shield hadn''t slowed her attack it could have been fatal.'' "To use a shbang in that short window, so that I can''t do a follow-up attack. You are quick with your head." Even with the shbang exploding in her face, she was calm. She wasn''t panicking. It showed that she was a seasoned warrior. I don''t answer and start chanting another spell. This spell was shorter, so I quicklyplete it. "" [Agility¨C30 --> Agility¨C30(+3)] The reinforcement spell was a rank 2 spell. It only gave a 10% boost. "Too bad you are fighting with me.[Search]" Grid patterns appear all over the arena ground. "Found you." Fwosh- Mother Mash suddenly throws the halberd. It was aimed at me! This time I was ready and even had my agility boosted. I nimbly dodge the spear and begin chanting another spell. "I order thee earth, heed mymand ¡­" * "He used a reinforcement spell on himself?! How?!" Leon asks incredulously. Mages can''t use reinforcement spells on themselves. Their bodies can''t handle the burden ced because of the spell. It ismon knowledge, just like how aura-users can''t use mana. A support mage using reinforcement spells on oneself was groundbreaking news. "It looks like he doesn''t only have legendary-grade skills but a useful stigma too." He nods at Huntress''s words. Something like support mages using reinforcement spells on themselves can only be possible with the bizarre nature of stigmas. "Then Mr. Pepe will win, won''t he?" Huntress took her time to answer Isabell''s question. "If this is all he has to show for him, then no. Even aura-users can have only one reinforcement spell cast on them at one time. Mr. Pepe can''t use another reinforcement spell with the agility buff and speed alone isn''t enough to win against her." "What is he doing?" Nathan dodges the halberd thrown at him and runs. "mand by nature''s hand. By craft. By art." His next few moves felt oddly familiar to Leon. Chapter 115 Battle Mage [2] "Where are you?" Mother Mash regained her vision and hearing. She looked around but there was no sign of Nathan. "[Search]" The grid pattern again appears on the arena. She carefully looks around, holding her halberd closely in case Nathan suddenly attacks, as she walked. Shortly she shook her head and finally stopped searching. "You again hid in the ground. So this is why you used the shbang but-" Swosh- "-''[Search]'' detects pits and traps too!" Bang-! She suddenly smashed her halberd on the ground! The brown wooden board covering a pit was sted to bits. The halberd doesn''t stop and smashes ''something'' hiding inside the pit. Mother Mash sighed and pulled back the halberd. "You shouldn''t have used the same trick twice." "I agree" "Wha-?!" ng-! Nathan, falling from the sky, swings the greatsword in his hand. Mother Mash barely blocks the attack at thest second. The added weight from the fall makes it difficult to block but with her high strength, she manages. Swish- Suddenly three spears fly out of the pit and attack her. She couldn''t block the spears as she was blocking Nathan. What Mother Mash hit inside the pit were weapons Nathan left there. Out of all the weapons, he left. Only these 3 spears were not broken. ng-! A yellow hue covers Mother Mash''s body. The spears bounce off her skin as if it was made of steel. "As I thought, your [Steel Body] can''t be hurt with Common-grade weapons." "If you know the-" "Catch" Nathan throws a cylindrical object in the air. Mother Mash reflexively closes her eyes to protect herself from vision impairment because of the shbang. Fwoosh- However, it was a smoke grenade. Thick smoke spreads in the arena. It became impossible to see farther than a foot. Mother Mash''s expression turns serious. Nathan''s fighting method was too unique and unconventional. She has never seen an awakener using shbangs and smokescreen to fight. Slowly, Mother Mash is losing herposure. "What are you ying at? I can use my skill to find you." "Then do it." Swish- Swish- A greatsword and a longsword attack her from behind, but they bounce off without harming her. "[Search]" The grid pattern spread, but no response came. Crack- Crack- The sound of cracks openinges from all over the arena. She throws her halberd repeatedly but continues to miss. Finally, after missing 5 times, she stops. "Why aren''t throwing your halberd? Is the skill not working? Use it again. Maybe it will work, or are your aura reserves already low?" Swosh- She swings her halberd from where the voice came, but there was already no one there. Mother Mash''s expression turns rough. Nathan''s words hit the mark. [Search] detects the objects connected to the ground. This was how she found the pit, by detecting the wooden board covering the pit. Nathan was using his weapons to stand above the ground. [Search] won''t detect him. She bought [Search] recently in case Nathan does what he did back in the 1st round. She didn''t have time to look for a proper skill. She had to buy a skill with high energy cost. Though she can still use [Search] a few times, she is trying to save aura for her other skill. Moreover, recalling her halberd also consumes aura. It is the halberd''s weapon skill, to go back to its master. ''Does he know about my skills and stats? No, it shouldn''t be possible, but then why does his every move feel so ¡­calcted.'' Swish- Swish- Swish- A dagger, a hammer, and a spear attack Mother Mash from three different sides. However, the oue was no different. Mother Mash swats the hammer away while the dagger and spear bounce off her skin. "Can''t find me?" Swosh- The halberd again passes through the empty air. Unlike Mother Mash, Nathan wasn''tpletely helpless in the smokescreen. He was using his art to find her location. Nathan cannot open his cracks if they are being obstructed. He can''t open the cracks inside objects. He had spread the cracks all over the arena. The area where he couldn''t open the cracks was Mother Mash''s location. Mother Mash tightly grips the halberd and decides to wait. The smoke was already thinning. It won''t take long for the smokescreen to be lifted. "Are you thinking of going on the defensive until the smokescreen lifts?" Gulp- ''Is he nning to do something in hiding? Dammit, I shouldn''t have underestimated a mage'' Mages don''t fight in close quarters, but there are a few minorities who do. They are all called battle mages. Battle mages depend more on tricks and mind games than on spells to win. Mother Mash knew a few battle mages, but none of them use such unconventional means to fight. "So, what? Aren''t you also using these petty tricks? Do you think you stand a chance after the smokescreen is lifted?" "Okay, then I''ll do as you say." Nathan agrees to her provocation. Mother Mash suspects that it is another trick of his. Surprisingly, Nathan doesn''t attack and waits for the smokescreen to lift. The smokescreen lifts and Nathan waves at her. He starts chanting another spell and dashes toward her. ''Isn''t he a mage? Why ising in close quarters?'' Mother Mash bes vignt at his strange actions. She tries to focus on her ears, to see if she knows what spell Nathan is casting, but Nathan''s voice is too low for her to discern anything. Mother Mash increasingly bes agitated. She suspected Nathan prepared traps while hiding in the smokescreen. ''I must finish him before he can do anything!'' She pulls her halberd back and waits. Nathan''s spell ispleted, and he shes with Mother Mash. "[Power]" "" "Wha-?!" A water sphere surrounds Nathan. ''He was chanting a defense spell!?'' Mother Mash was caught off guard. His confidence and immediate dash made her believe that the spell was going to be something more lethal. She expected Nathan to use anything but a defense spell! Blop-! The halberd hit the water sphere. The water sphere acts as a cushion and absorbs arge portion of the force behind the strike. Swish- Mother Mash is looking out for traps when Nathan suddenly attacks with a shortsword in his hand. Chapter 116 Battle Mage [3] --(A few minutes ago)-- "Can''t find me?" Swish- Mother Mash swings her halberd, but I was already standing on another sword. Swish- Swish- She repeatedly attacks, only to hit empty air. Opening the crack produces noise. Mother Mash can locate me with it. But that works only if I open one crack at one time. Crack- Crack- Swish- Cracks appear at random ces to confuse Mother Mash. With only a single weapon, she can''t attack many ces at once. ''Good. She is losing herposure. Only a little more.'' "Are you thinking of going on the defensive until the smokescreen lifts?" "So, what? Aren''t you also using these petty tricks? Do you think you stand a chance after the smokescreen is lifted?" Mother Mash roared back at my provocation. I smiled, knowing that she was beginning to get nervous. "Okay, then I''ll do as you say." I stand near the mana barrier with the grimoire on my left and a shortsword in my right arm. The shortsword was the rare-grade weapon I bought today. It should be able to pierce through her [Steel Body]. ''I only have one chance.'' If I missed Mother, Mash will be aware that I have a rare-grade weapon on me. She then won''t let mee closer. The smokescreen finally lifted. -Bam! I kicked the ground and started chanting, In 5 seconds, the chant waspleted and I shed with Mother Mash. A magic circle appeared beneath me. Swosh- "[Power]" "" Blop-! The water sphere absorbed arge amount of power behind her attack. "Wha-?!" Mother Mash was surprised. She must have thought I was going to use anything but a defense spell. After all, who runs straight into the enemy, only to use a shield? But despite that, she was scanning the surrounding. Looking out if there are more surprises. At the moment, where her attention was divided¡­ Swish- I swung the shortsword at her neck. The sword dug into her neck and I was about to behead her when- "[Stupefy]" -My body suddenly froze for a split second. Pow-! In that split second, Mother Mash''s punch dug into my stomach! "Cough.ough" The power behind the attack made me kneel. I started coughing blood. "Huff¡­Huff..The reason you didn''t attack in the smokescreen was to set up a feint? So, that when I''m looking out for traps, you will do an attack from where my guard is the lowest, the front." Mother Mash was putting pressure on the wound, on her neck, with her left arm. "Cough..Coughh.." My head was ringing, and the coughing wasn''t stopping. "You are talented. Sadly, that talent isn''t in fighting but in strategizing." Speaking such words, she held the halberd overhead and- "[Power]" -bought it down. Crack- Thud-! Bang-! A heavy blow struck Mother Mash from behind, making the halberd miss my head by a hair''s breadth. Before Mother Mash could react, 10 cracks opened behind her. This time, there was only one type of weaponing out of each crack. A hammer. "If I*cough*can''t cut you, then I''ll just have*cough*to hammer you to death." The 10 hammers flew out and shot at her. She swings her halberd and destroys 5 at once, but the remaining hammer struck her. Thud-! Thud-! "It¡­doesn''t hurt?" Mother Mash blinks. The blunt damage from the hammer was only enough to slightly push her body. It wasn''t enough to injure her. "I almost thought it was something dange-" "[Pierce]" The shortsword elongated and pierced her abdomen. "You!!" ''I missed'' Mother Mash moved at thest second, and the elongated shortsword failed to pierce her heart. She grabbed the de and pulled it out. I was still on the ground coughing and unable to stand. I was holding the shortsword with my left arm. So, although I was still able to move my left arm, it didn''t have enough strength to resist her pull. "Arghh!" She pulled the de out and turned to me. Holding the de in front of her face, she was crushing the de with her bare hand. There was arge grin on her face even as blood dripped from her hand. "Good! That''s good! You put up a good fight more than I th-" Swish- Puchi-! Abruptly, the de of the shortsword shot out from the handle. It punctured her brain through her eye. Thud- Mother Mash''s lifeless body fell to the ground. "Cough..next time do the monologue after you win." The de flew back from her head and got attached to the handle of the shortsword. While coughing blood, I stood up. -Mr. Pepe has defeated Mother Mash!- Wooooo- Cheers erupted and the mana barrier was released. * "H-How?" Tristan knew he should be happy that he won tons of money. But he was more stunned than anything. A mage won against an aura-user that too when the aura-user had the higher level? What was more astounding was how natural the fight felt. The person who was trying to recruit him had yed Mother Mash on his palm the whole time. Tristan wouldn''t be shocked if he was told that Mr. Pepe had [Precognition] as his stigma. Not only did Mr. Pepe use abination of trickery and frontal attacks to confuse Mother Mash, but also prepared countermeasures in case he failed. "Don''t be surprised just yet. You still haven''t seen leader at his full power." "He wasn''t fighting seriously?!" "He was but...." Miller shook his head. "You know what? Just see how leader will fight in the next match." Miller himself didn''t understand why Nathan didn''t fight in close quarters and used magic. ''It''s like...'' "He is trying to conserve his energy." "But isn''t his next match 1 hourter?" Miller nodded at Tristan''s words, but he still felt that Nathan was trying to conserve his stamina. It didn''t make sense that, throughout the match, Nathan didn''t try to get a single punch in. "Is he trying to pose as a mage? But why?" Miller whispered to himself. Nathan''s physical capabilities were no less than aura-users. He could''ve hurt Mother Mash if he tried to use punches or kicks. "Did you say something?" Miler was about to answer when thementator made another announcement. -ARE YOU GUYS ENJOYING THE TOURNAMENT?- YEAAAAAA- -DO YOU WANT TO SEE MORE?- YEAAAAA- -THEN YOU ARE LUCKY. DUE TO MAJORITY DEMAND WILL WE BEGIN THE NEXT ROUNDS IMMEDIATELY!- "What are they doing?! Leader''s match will be the first, but he is yet to recoverpletely!" WOOOOOO- -BUT THIS ISN''T ALL THERE IS A BIGGER SURPRISE ONE THAT ALL OF YOU WILL LOVE!- -THE FIRST MATCH WILL BE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE!- WOOOOOOO- The crowds erupted in a frenzy. The top contestants to win the tournament were going to fight! "Did he predict this?" The color drained from Miller''s face, and he finally understood why Nathan was trying to conserve his stamina. -THE BATTLE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE WILL BEGIN!- Vile reaper teleported inside the arena and the mana barrier was activated. * -THE FIRST MATCH WILL BE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE!- WOOOOOOO- Iris actually didn''t give me the time to rest and immediately began the real match. "I don''t if I should be happy or sad." Happy because she acted as I predicted or sad because I was injured badly. -THE BATTLE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE WILL BEGIN!- I only have 2 elixirs left after using 1 on Miller. I need to save at least 1 elixir in case of an emergency during the uing attack. I also need to keep the other one to heal myself after my match with Vile reaper. There is no way I was going to walk out of this uninjure- Vupp- Bam-! Vile reaper teleported beside me and kicked at my ribs. I felt a few ribs break. But this was only starting. Vupp- Bam-! Next, he teleported in front of me and punched me in the guts. Vupp- "How was that for a greeting?" He teleported away from me and grinned. "Don''t worry, I won''t kill you immediately. You disturbed me two times. Death will be a merc-" ''[Domination Decree]'' "-Argghh" I held my stomach and watched Vile reaper struggling against the pressure. "C-can''t you do s-somet-t-" Vupp- Bam-! "-something else Mr. One Trick Poney?" He kicked me in the back and my body flew halfway across the arena. "h-how?" I could feel that his attack just now broke more of my ribs. But even then I didn''t stop using my skill. So, how was he standing unaffected by the skill? Chapter 117 Fight...[1] --(Before Vile Reaper and Nathan''s match is announced)-- "It''s done, miss." The butler, Albert Connor, had given the mental barrier skill to Vile reaper as per his young miss'' instructions. "I hope that intimidation skill wasn''t all you had." Despite her words, Iris was grinning. The mental barrier skill would allow Vile reaper to resist Mr. Pepe''s skill. With this, Iris would finally see what Mr. Pepe was capable of. At the same time, the match between Mr. Pepe and Mother Mashes to an end. "He won! Old man, give me my money!" The woman elbowed the butler ecstatically. "Here you go." The old man operated his device and transferred 800,000B to the woman. "Albert''s predictions were wrong?" Iris was more surprised that Albert was wrong than the fact that Nathan won. As an assassin, Albert is very good at judging the opponent''s strength at one nce. It was a sweet surprise that Albert was wrong for once. Iris didn''t want the person she found to be interesting to be weak. Albert''s expression worsened when he thought that his young miss was disappointed in him. "I''m sorry for this failure, miss." Iris waved her hand and asked him why he thought Nathan would lose. "Mr. Pepe is not a seasoned warrior, no, I think he has rarely fought much, let alone him being a warrior." "Why?" "It''s the way he carries himself. His posture, the pitch of his voice, the tension in his muscles when he is sitting in an unfamiliar environment, everything shows hisck of experience. Forparison: Any warrior gets injured or hurt when they fight, and this makes them, through years of experience, subconsciously protect those areas, but Mr. Pepe doesn''t have anything like that. He doesn''t have real experience in fights." Albert looked at the corpse of Mother Mash and continued. "On the other hand, Mother Mash has years'' worth of battle experience." "But he still won." Albert red at the woman for disturbing him. But eventually sighed and nodded. "Mr. Pepe won because he used Mother Mash''s battle experience against herself." As a battle-hardened warrior, Mother Mash has honed her instincts to a high level. She can react to sudden attacks even if she is startled. But Nathan used that against her. If the enemy is hiding, then they are preparing for an attack. If the enemy is rushing towards you, then they are attacking. All of these are the basics ofbat, and every warrior has a different way of dealing with them. However, Nathan''s actions werepletely out of the norm. He used the smokescreen but never set up a trap. He, at the end, rushed to Mother Mash as if it was the final sh, only to use a shield. His uncanny actions made Mother Mash''s battle experience useless and, in a startled state, Mother Mash wasn''t able to keep up with his follow-up attack. -THE FIRST MATCH WILL BE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE!- "But there is a limit to what can achieve with trickery." * --(Present)-- "Your skill isn''t working?" Vupp- Vile reaper teleported in front of me. He whispered to me. "If you lose, we will be working as teammates, but don''t you think a trash like you don''t deserve to work on the same level as me?" Bam-! His toes struck between my ribs, making me stifle. "Let''s see the precious face you are hiding." He stretched his arm. I wanted to fight back, but my head was still ringing. I wasn''t able to focus. *Pulls away* "What is this? Are you using a skill to hide your face?" Crack- Vupp- A crack appeared behind Vile reaper, forcing him to teleport away. (Are you okay?) ''Right forearm is probably cracked, 3 broken ribs, and a slight concussion. Yeah, never been better.'' I forced myself to stand straight. At the other end of the arena was Vile reaper perfectly fine and jolly. "Huuuu¡­.. Teleportation is a cheat ability." "Right? It''s something that only someone blessed like me can get." Teleportation was a cheat. Even a barrage of simple punches and kicks became nearly unavoidable whenbined with teleportation. Though I may have a way to fight it. ''Eth'' (I''m on it) "Let''s get started!" Vupp- (Right) Bam-! Vile reaper''s punch hit my shoulder, nearly dislocating it. Vupp- (Behind) Swosh- Immediately, I kicked behind me. If I hesitated now I wouldn''t be able to hit Vile reaper. Before I felt the impact, Vile reaper again teleported. Vupp- (Lef-) Bam-! A solid punchnded on my chin. Thankfully, I pulled my head back at thest second, or it would''ve been an instant knockout. ''It isn''t working'' I grimaced. I knew from where Vile reaper was attacking, but I can''t react fast enough to counterattack. Theg between Vile reaper''s teleportation, Eth''s instruction, and my counterattack was almost a second. It was too short of a window to attack. If only I could attack him at a single thought¡­ * "What is this? Are you using a skill to hide your face?" Crack- Vupp- A crack appeared behind Vile reaper, forcing him to teleport away. ''It''s weird. How is he still standing?'' Vile reaper thought to himself. He didn''t pull his punches when attacking Nathan. Why was then Mr. Pepe yet to be knocked out? Nathan, with a hand over his ribs, stood up. "Huuuu¡­.. Teleportation is a cheat ability." "Right? It''s something that only someone blessed like me can get." "Let''s get started!" Vupp- Vile reaper teleported and was about to punch Nathan''s shoulder when- -Nathan turned towards him. Bam-! ''He knew where I was going to teleport?!'' Vile reaper was shocked as Nathan has turned to him before he could attack. ''No, it must have been a fluke.'' But Nathan wasn''t able to block his attack. Vile reper thought that he was only lucky to turn towards him. Vupp- Next Vile reaper teleported behind Nathan only to get shocked. Nathan kicked to the back! Vile reaper quickly understood that Nathan had a way to detect his teleportation. He decided to be a little more serious. Vupp- Bam-! Before Nathan''s kick couldnd on him, he teleported to Nathan''s side and hit his chin. ''So, what if you know where I''m going to teleport? You still cannot block my attacks.'' Blood dripped from the corner of Nathan''s lips. No one could see his face, but the puddle of blood beneath Nathan and his panting figure were clear for all to witness. "Don''t surrender yet. This is only the beginning~" Vile reaper had a crazed grin on his face as he started teleporting. Vupp- Bam-! He kicked Nathan in the guts, making him puke. Vupp- Bam-! Nathan staggered as he was hit hard in the head. Vupp- Bam-! Whenever Nathan would try to retaliate, Vile reaper would teleport again and attack him. Nathan wasn''t able to defend himself, let alone counterattack. Over time, Nathan stopped defending. "Wrong! It isn''t worth it if you don''t-" Vupp- "-fight back!" Bam-! Nathan''s body skidded across the arena. He no longer had the strength to continue standing. It was the perfect time for Vile reaper to begin his torture. But Vile reaper didn''t move. "H-how?" Vile reaper looked at the dagger, the dagger that was stabbed into his abdomen. On the other side, Nathan was trying to push his body with his arms to stand. His arms were shaking, and he had lost too much blood from continuous bleeding. Yet, he was grinning like a madman. "Didn''t expect that?" Vile reaper''s eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared. "How dare you hit me?! A trash like you isn''t allowed-" Vupp- Bam-! "-hit me!" Vile reaper kicked Nathan while he was down but at the same time, another dagger lodged into his shoulder. His eyes widened when he realized that he had been hit again. At the same time, Nathan cackled. "Hehehe¡­one dagger for one hit. Let''s see who will go down first." Chapter 118 Fight...[2] --(Nathan''s POV)-- "Hehehe..one dagger for one hit. Let''s see who will go down first." I wiped the blood from the corners of my lips and turned to Vile reaper. His eyes had turned bloodshot, and he was dangerously ring at me. ''So much for wanting your opponents to fight back.'' There was one dagger stabbed in his abdomen and one at his shoulder. It would take them a few more minutes before they disintegrate. (Good, we''ll win at this rate!) ''No, we are losing.'' The dagger stabbed at Vile reaper''s shoulder was aimed at his neck. He had somehow, at thest second, managed to dodge. On the other hand, I was heavily bleeding, had more than a few broken bones, and was exhausted. ''Should I use [Synchronization]?'' I thought of the easiest way to win the match. But then I immediately denied the idea. The rulers of the universe, the 13 strongest beings, the Monarchs. That shit quest from the equally shitty system was telling me to kill one of the Monarchs in mere 13 years. To reach that level, I will have to repeatedly fight beings far stronger than me. If I''m going to use [Synchronization] now, for someone who wasn''t even 10 levels above me, then it would be better for me to give up on everything. Thinking of my god-awful future, I couldn''t control myughter. Indeed, Vile reaper was stronger than me. Heck, he can kill me in one move if I made a mistake, but¡­ "I can win." "¡­you, what did you say? Do you really think you can win!" Vupp- (Above!) Vile reaper teleported above me. He had his one leg raised to do an axe kick. Crack- On Eth''s instruction, the crack that was above my head opened and a dagger flew out. At the same time, Vile reaper''s kick hit my shoulder. Bam-! Puchi-! The dagger stabbed his right thigh while his heelnded on my shoulder. "Urgh.." Vile reaper teleported away. He groaned as blood flowed profusely from his thigh. I could also feel that my shoulder bone had cracked, but I didn''t let out a single utterance of pain. No, I was smiling. The pain was making all the unnecessary thoughts go away. With my head clear and light, I could think more clearly. "Is that all you got? Come on, I can do this all day!" I opened three cracks beside me and fired daggers at Vile reaper. Swish- Swish- Swish- Vupp- He was forced to teleport away. The pain was hindering Vile reaper''s judgment-making skills. He was teleporting at random to dodge the attacks and wasting his aura reserves. While Vile reaper was dodging, I controlled the 7 free cracks and focused on reducing their size. Firing weapons stored in cracks went like this: Create crack->Store weapon->Open crack->Shoot weapon. A smaller crack takes less time to open and I can use my art with a single thought. These two thingsbined made the counterattack possible. All 10 cracks were covering my body. With this, I can attack the moment Eth tells me Vile reaper''s location. "YOU! FUCKING! BASTARD!" Vile reaper roared and teleported in front of me. Swish- A whip appeared in his hand and he shed with it. Crack- The crack above my abdomen opened, and a dagger flew out. Vile reaper changed the direction of the whip mid-attack. ng-! The whip hit the dagger and threw it away. However, it caused Vile reaper''s attack to dy by one second and it was enough- Bam-! -for my fist to hit that fucker''s face! Vile reaper''s neck turned unnaturally from the impact. Before he could react, I attacked again. Four daggers flew at him. At the same time, I twisted my heel and spun to do a tornado kick. Puchi-! Puchi-! Bam-! The dagger impaled his abdomen and forearm. He managed to dodge the daggers aimed at his vital areas with his high agility. The kick, however, struck his head. "Urghh¡­" Vupp- He quickly teleported away before I could follow up with more attacks. * --(3rd person POV outside the arena)--- Leon was feeling overwhelmed as he saw Mr. Pepe fighting. When the match started and Vile reaper absolutely thrashed Mr. Pepe, Leon felt a little happy and relieved. Mr. Pepe wasn''t as strong as he first appeared to be. In fact, it was clear that Mr. Pepe was weaker than Vile reaper. This made him realize that the gap between Mr. Pepe and him wasn''t as big as he first thought it to be. But the situation gradually changed. Vile reaper teleported in front of Mr. Pepe and punched him, sending him flying away. "W-what?" Leon couldn''t believe his eyes. There was a dagger stabbed in Vile reaper''s abdomen! However, it was just the starting. what happened next shocked him even more. Mr. Pepe suddenly gained the upper hand and began counterattacking! Leon wasn''t able to understand how Mr. Pepe was suddenly able to hit Vile reaper. Chills ran down his spine at the crazedughter of Mr. Pepe and his unshrinking deration. "Hehehe..one dagger for one hit. Let''s see who will go down first." "What is he doing?!" Leon couldn''t believe his ears. As a mage, Mr. Pepe was bound to lose the exchange if both of them struck each other every time. WOOOOOOO- On the other hand, the crowd was going crazy. The match was filled with ups and down. The crowd finally went into a frenzy when Nathan finally got a hit in. Bam-! His fist kissed Vile reaper''s cheek and rattled him. Vile reaper hurriedly teleported away before Nathan could continue attacking. The spectators were on the edge of their seats to see what will happen, even a second earlier. Mr. Pepe was bleeding and panting. He was barely able to stand straight. On the other hand, Vile reaper had four daggers stabbed into his body. VILE REAPER! VILE REAPER! VILE REAPER!- MR. PEPE! MR. PEPE! MR. PEPE!- The onlookers chanted the name of the fighter they wanted to win. Almost as if they could hear the crowds chanting their name, Vile reaper and Mr. Pepe moved at the same time. Vile reaper started teleporting around Mr. Pepe. However, he kept his distance this time. He understood that if he went too close, he wouldn''t have time to dodge the daggers after they came out of the cracks. Nathan bought the grimoire out and started chanting the spell. Leon, who was able to hear the chants, frowned. "Rank 2 spell ?! He can use an attack spell too!?" Vile reaper also recognized the chant and teleported far away. The spell itself wasn''t dangerous. What shocked Vile reaper and Leon was the fact that Mr. Pepe could use attack spells too. A support mage cannot use an attack spell. However, Mr. Pepe was speaking chants for an attack spell. This revtion stunned all those who recognized the chants. It was a universal fact that support mages can''t use attack spells. If they do, the output will be almost negligible while also consuming arger quantity of mana. Yes, it was a universal fact. But since the beginning, when did Mr. Pepe''s action make sense? Never! Nathan''s actions always suprised them! Gulp- People gulped. Would they see a mage using both support and attack magic? "The 5th Irregr¡­" Someone spoke, but no one denied it. No, they felt their excitement shooting through the roof! They were witnessing the birth of the 5th Irregr! * Vile reaper teleported away from Nathan. He also recognized the chants. ''He can tank damage from me, use a support spell on himself, and now use an attack spell too?!'' His vignce peaked, and he made his decision. ''I need to kill him. If not, he will kill me after joining the team.'' Vile reaper knew that Nathan held a grudge against him for torturing Miller. If not, why was he still fighting when he was bleeding all over and his chances of winning weren''t high? Vile reaper was hurt, but he was still better than Mr. Pepe, who was a mage. Vupp- Vile reaper started teleporting and attacking him from a little distance. Each time, he had to divert his attack or teleport before his attacknded, or the daggers would impale him. Vile reaper could attack Nathan but he didn''t want to take the risk of taking more injuries. From Mother Mash''s match, he knew that it was best to y safe. ''I don''t need to worry about the spell. I should focus on attacking him.'' Magic circle appearance always precedes spell activation. Even if the spell can hurt him, it wouldn''t matter as long as he avoided the magic circle. At that moment, Nathan''s chant waspleted. "¡­drown the fields.." Vile reaper looked below to check the location of the magic circle. "What?!" However, what he saw shocked him to the core. Chapter 119 Fight...[3] ---(While Nathan was fighting Mother Mash)--- In a room with dim lights, two people were conversing. "You will be fighting against Mr.Pepe in the next match." "Won''t it create problems with the audience, da-¡­Sir?" The old man wearing a monocle red at Vile reaper at the word ''dad''. "That''s not for you to worry about. Take this. It''s a mental barrier skill." He threw a scroll to Vile reaper. "You can''t kill him. Miss wants him to join her unit." "But that guy is too suspi-" "You only need to do what is asked of you without questions. Do I need to remind you?" "N-No" The old man left. Vile reaper exhaled deeply. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Bam-! He kicked the table beside him. "What makes you so great that makes you can give me orders? Just wait, I will eventually outgrow you and then I''ll make you my bitch, ''young miss''. Then we''ll see what you can, old man." Vile reaper licked his lips. -THE FIRST MATCH WILL BE BETWEEN VILE REAPER AND MR. PEPE!- "That''s my cue." Vile Reaper walked out of the room. There was a malicious grin on his face. "One inch from death is also alive." * --(Present)-- Nathan''s spell was about to bepleted. Waiting for thest moment Vile reaper got ready to teleport. He looked below to check the location of the magic circle. "What?!" However, what he saw shocked him to the core. The entire ground of the arena had turned white! The white color of the ground camouged the magic circle and Vile reaper couldn''t find the spell''s location! Before he could find the circle, Nathanpleted the spell. "¡­drown the fields" At this moment, when Vile reaper didn''t know which area was safe to teleport to, his battle experience kicked in. In that split second, Vile reaper understood that, with the location of the spell hidden, the ground wasn''t safe anymore. Vupp- He instinctually teleported to the next safest and closest location to Nathan. A few dozen meters away from Nathan mud spikes protruded from the ground. However, they only struck empty air. "Too bad it didn''t work!" Whip- Vile reaper teleported above Nathan and shed his whip! Nathan''s trick might have worked if Vile reaper wasn''t able to teleport in the air. If the ground wasn''t safe, he only had to teleport to the air. The whip tore the air and headed towards Nathan''s head when- "[Pierce]" -the daggers stabbed in Vile reaper''s body extended! Puchi-!! Bam-! Vile reaper froze from pain and the whip missed, striking the ground. He fell and rolled on the ground. Vupp- However, before Nathan could do something else, he teleported away. He couldn''t understand what happened in that split second. How did Mr. Pepe attack him? ''No, I should heal myself first.'' Vile reaper was at the edge of the arena while Mr. Pepe was at the center. It would take Mr. Pepe a dozen seconds to reach hi- -Bam! "Why are you running?" Nathan figure suddenly vanished and reappeared in front of Vile reaper! Vile reaper hurriedly tried to teleport again. But the pain from the daggers made him unable to focus, and he was slower by a second. Swosh- A reddish ck orb levitated above Nathan''s palm. Before Vile reaper could react, he attacked him with it. Thuck-! His palm attack broke Vile reaper''s bones, and the orb was absorbed into his body. Vile reaper bent and coughed blood. ''I need to teleport.'' He tried to ignore the pain and teleport away. Only to get shocked. "Huh?" He couldn''t use teleportation! A few secondster, he realized he couldn''t use Aura at all! "W-what did you do?" He looked at himself but no longer felt the power coursing through his veins. He felt empty. He felt weak. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!" Vile reaper suddenly went into a frenzy and pounced on Nathan. Nathan easily dodged him. Thwack- Nathan kicked Vile reaper in the guts. "Did you go insane the moment you lost your power?" "GIVE IT BACK!" Mr. Pepe''s words made it clear he was responsible for his condition. He shouted and swung his fists at Nathan. Nathan looked at Vile reaper and sighed. "I guess words aren''t working with you." Puchi-! Puchi-! Puchi-! Puchi-! One sword stabbed into each of Vile reaper''s limbs and impaled him to the ground. "ARghhh!!!!" "How about now? Can we talk?" * --(Iris 3rd person POV) Iris looked at the Vile reaper who was impaled with swords with unmoving eyes. "I''m sorry, Miss. I will take full responsibility for this failure." Iris denied the butler''s im. "You aren''t responsible for your son''s mistake. He lost because he overrated himself. Besides,¡­." Iris stared at Nathan. "..he wasn''t a mage with good physical stats but an aura-user who could use magic. He hid the fact till the end so he could catch Vile reaper by surprise and seeded in winning." The unnatural strong defense, the burst of speed at the end, everything was still fresh in her mind. Although to most it looked like he had disappeared and reappeared at the edge of the arena, Iris was easily able to follow his movements. "He can use any spell from a grimoire." This would exin why Mr. Pepe was able to use support, as well as attack magic. The woman and the butler nodded. The butler couldn''t help but speak. "If there aren''t limits to the type of spell he can use. Then he will be the-" "5th Irregr." The butler didn''t get angry at the woman for cutting him in between. The matter of Irregrs was that important. This fact only made them apprehensive about the organization Mr. Pepe belonged to. Back when they met with Mr. Pepe, he had hinted that there were more people of his caliber in his organization. This increased Nathan''s evaluation in their mind by another level. Just when they thought the match had ended, Nathan spoke to Vile reaper. "How about now? Can we talk?" * --(Nathan''s POV)-- It took a few minutes and a few more swords for Vile reaper to calm. Fortunately, Vile reaper wasn''t a 3-star Iota-rank Beginner Golem. The effect of the [Zero Orb] wasn''t going to end anytime soon. [Zero] was the name I had given to the fused energy formed by Nether and Ether. In the meantime, I drank half the vial of an elixir to heal myself. I swayed the remaining half in front of Vile reaper. "It''s an elixir. You can regain ''Aura'' after drinking this." Of course, this was bullshit. He would recover his ability to manipte Aura in a few minutes by himself. "Pl-lease.." Vile reaper didn''t have the prideful look on his face anymore. The dried tears on his mud-stricken face made him look ugly, not that he was handsome before. Not being able to feel his ''Aura'' anymore must have shaken to him the core. It would be the same for anymore. [Zero Orb] cuts the connection between the energy core of the user and them. Right now, Vile reaper must be feeling extreme weakness, like he was back to being a normal human. For someone drunk on his power like him, losing that power is their biggest fear. And he was currently experiencing it firsthand. Too bad for him. This was only the beginning. There is much toe. Chapter 120 Buying The Battle Slave [1] --(3rd person POV)-- Vile reaper looked at Nathan with fear in his eyes. Whatever Nathan had done he could no longer use Aura. He couldn''t even use his skills or stigma. "N-no!!" A weak coarse scream left his mouth. The swords stabbed into his limbs were making him unable to move, or he would have tried to run away. "Will you shut up?" Vile immediately shut his mouth at themand of the ''being'' in front of him. A body shrouded in darkness, a smiling face, and two ruby-like eyes. Just looking up at ''him'' was invoking nigh unimaginable terror in him. ''It'' wasn''t human. ''It'' was ''Devil''. Vile reaper felt foolish that he assumed he could kill ''him''. He couldn''t believe he was thinking of torturing ''him''. He finally understood why he lost. There was no way he could defeat ''him''. A mortal can''t defeat the ''Devil''. Vile reaper''s figure shuddered intensely as ''his'' gaze bore down on him. * --(Nathan''s POV)¡ª "Will you shut up?" I raised my eyebrow at Vile reaper, who instantly quit down at my words. He was intensely shaking which only confused me more. ''Why is he acting like this? I don''t think losing Aura should affect him this much.'' ''Hmmm¡­. Can it be?'' I crouched and spoke to him. "How does it feel now that your skills aren''t working?" "H-how did you know?!" He flinched and tried to back away, only to scream again when the swords tore his muscles. ''Whatever skill he was using against [Domination Decree] was an active skill, not a passive one.'' This would exin why he was so afraid of me after I used [Zero Orb]. Without a constant energy supply, all the active skills would stop working. He was afraid because [Domination Decree] was now working on him. I stood up and decided to let him bask in the pressure of my skill before starting. In the meantime, I looked back at my battle with him. The had been the feint that I used with my stigma, [Iridescence] to surprise Vile reaper. Back then, I was touching the ground with one hand while holding the grimoire in the other. After that, I only had to use [Pierce] on the daggers struck in his body. Although the daggers didn''t hit any vital area, they still damaged him critically. That gave the opening. In that short opening, using the technique I learned from Susan, I quickly arrived in front of him and attacked. He could have easily dodged my attack had he ''known'' I was an Aura user. But because he believed me to be a mana-user, he was startled and couldn''t dodge [Zero Orb]. (This is the first battle where you used everything, isn''t it?) I nodded and sighed. ''And even then, I barely won.'' My injuries had healed quite a lot because of Elixir, so I turned to Vile reaper. "Do you want this elixir?" * --(3rd person POV)¡ª "Do you want this elixir?" Vile reaper gulped at the sight of Elixir. Even though he had never used an Elixir before, that was how much rare they were. He knew that he would heal if he used Elixir, but he couldn''t bring himself to ask for it. He was afraid. Afraid that the being in front of him was nning something. However, he gulped again. Even though he didn''t want to, for some odd reason, he agreed to the request. "Y-yes." The smile of the being in front of him stretched. "Then answer my question and I''ll give it to you." Gulp- ''He'' whispered in his ears. "Which prize are you aiming for?" Flinch- ''He'' stood back and walked around him. "There must be a reason why you were made to join this tournament, no?" Vile reaper couldn''t understand why ''he'' was asking this. Talking about this in front of everyone was the same as exposing that Sword Maiden was trying to get the prizes for herself. That something was going on behind the scenes. Letting the public know this would tarnish the image of Underworld and Umbra. And for their business, trust was the most important thing. Vile reaper was still questioning if he should answer when¡­ Crack- "Arghh!!" Nathan crushed the fingers on his right hand with his foot. "Are you not going to answer?" "T-that-" Crack- "-Agghhh!!" Nathan mercilessly trampled on his fingers, then moved to his left hand. "I heard about your torture methods. ''First break the fingers, then the heels, then the forearms, then thighs and like this slowly move toward heart'' was it?" Crack- Nathan crushed the left hand too. He then moved toward Vile reaper''s legs. -VILE REAPER CAN NOT FIGHT ANY LONGER AS SU¡ªUGHHH!!- The mana barrier was lifted and thementator''s voice flowed. He was about to end the match by dering Vile reaper''s defeat when Nathan turned to him. -M-MR. PEPE P-PLEASE STOP- Thementator struggled under Nathan''s pressure. He barely let the words out of his mouth. ? "What are you trying to do?" -V-VILE REAPER CAN NOT FIGHT ANY LONGER, SO I-IT''S YOUR WI- "He hasn''t surrendered yet. The match is still going." Nathan spoke in a cold voice, cutting thementator in between. -P-PARDON? BUT A-ACCORDING TO R-RUL-UGHHH- Thementator copsed when Nathan increased the pressure on top of him and copsed. Then he turned to the highest point of the arena, where the Sword Maiden was, and spoke. "I don''t think there is a rule like that. After all, didn''t my teammate ''fight'' until the end?" The butler who was standing behind Iris stepped forward and dered in an equally chilly tone. "Your teammate refused to surrender. As such, he was allowed to ''fight'' until the end." He released his own pressure against Nathan. Their pressure shed, chilling the atmosphere even further. Nathan shook slightly as he couldn''tpletely cancel out the butler''s pressure. Fortunately, [Domination Decree] was now Lvl.2 or Nathan would have lost the exchange at the first sh. Nathan took a deep breath and stood straight. Even though the butler''s pressure was overwhelming, it would still take him a few minutes before he could bring Nathan to his knees with his pressure alone. "Then if Vile reaper says he wouldn''t surrender, will our match continue?" "¡­Yes" The butler''s eyes sharpened, as he couldn''t understand what Nathan was ying at. But he knew that Vile reaper would foolishly refuse to surrender. Nathan turned to Vile reaper and concentrated his pressure on him. Then he spoke in an authoritative tone. "You don''t want to surrender, do you?" "No" Vile reaper''s eyes lost focus for a few seconds and heplied with Nathan. He regained his senses just as quickly. But he had already given his answer. Vile reaper flinched when he realized the words that hade out of his mouth. "See?" Nathan smiled and turned to the butler. Albert''s eyes widened when he heard Vile reaper''s answer. He didn''t understand why Vile reaper gave that answer, however; the words were already spoken. Albert looked at Iris from the corner of his eyes and stepped back. Crack- Nathan continued crushing Vile reaper''s bones without minding the murmurs of the spectators he could now hear after the mana barrier was lifted. Vile reaper tried to answer Nathan amidst the pain and fear. But every time Nathan crushed his bones just before he could answer, sending him into a flurry of screams. In between, he used [Zero Orb] twice to keep Vile reaper from controlling Aura. Finally, after he had entirely crushed Vile reaper''s limbs with his foot, he spoke. "Were you saying something?" Vile reaper''s entire figure was disheveled, covered in blood and injuries. He didn''t even have the energy to question Nathan and began answering. "Y-yes, about the q-question you aske-" "Ah, that! I totally forget about it while giving you the massage. So, will you answer me?" The pain that he had experienced for the first time in his life, and the unknown fear he was feeling from Nathan made him easily spit the answers. "Y-yes! I j-joined the tourn-" Yawn- "You know what? I don''t think I''m interested in finding the answer anymore." Nathan yawned and chucked down the remaining half Elixir. He then started walking away. Vile reaper''s eyes widened, but he didn''t try to stop Nathan. Even without Elixir, he could still be healed. As he looked at the back of Nathan, his lips rose a little. ''That''s right. No matter how haughty he acts, he still can''t kill me because I work under Sword Mai-'' Puchi-! A de without a handle suddenly impaled Vile reaper''s head. "Ah, my hand slipped, sorry." The de flew out of Vile reaper''s head and connected to the sword handle in Nathan''s hand. Chapter 121 Buying The Battle Slave [2] --(3rd person POV)¡ª "Ah, my hand slipped, sorry." Mr. Pepe apologized and casually left the arena. Leon stared at the departing figure of Mr. Pepe. He then turned to the Vile reaper. Vile reaper''s limbs werepletely crushed. There was a puddle of blood gathering below him and a hole in his head. Vile reaper was dead. Leon''s grip over the handrails tightened. He reaffirmed his resolution. "I was right about him." Mr. Pepe was not a good person. Till the end, Mr. Pepe yed with Vile reaper by giving him hope of living only to kill him ruthlessly. "I need to be stronger." As he was now, Leon doubted he could defeat Mr. Pepe. Leon could hardly fight against Vile reaper. Although at that time his mana reserve was almost empty, he doubted he could have won even if his mana reserve were full. Yet, Mr. Pepe was able to win against Vile reaper. "Stronger" * "Wee, Mr. Pepe. I must say your performance was better than I expected." Iris spoke to Nathan, who was sitting in front of her. After his match had ended, Nathan had been called by Iris. Now, he was sitting in the luxurious and spacious room of Sword Maiden. On the side of the room, there was no wall. It was so that Iris could watch the match from the room. The wall had spells casted on it that made it impossible to see inside the room. Behind Iris were her two guards, the butler and the purple-haired woman who was wearing a mask. "¡­I''m happy that I was able to entertain the Sword Maiden." Nathan answered curtly. He had broken the rule again by threatening thementator. Though Nathan knew that this wasn''t why Iris had called him. "Mr. Pepe, I think this belongs to you." The butler quietly stepped forward and passed Oaths to Nathan. Reading through the Oaths, Nathan realized that they were the Master-servant Oath for the battle ves. Nathan nodded and held the Oaths one by one. He passed his ether into the Oaths, and they were absorbed in his body. With this, the ownership of the battle ves now belonged to him. The battle ves were in the ve trader''s room, yet Nathan could feel the connection that had formed with the Oath. Suppressing his joy, Nathan talked. "¡­I''ll apologize for taking the Sword Maiden''s time for such a small matter." Iris smiled and spoke without hesitation. "Don''t mind it. Rather, we have already made a deal shouldn''t we be close enough to call each other by our names? You can call me Iris." "¡­Thank you, Miss Sword Maid-" "Iris" "¡­Miss Swo-" "Iris" There was a smile on her face as she corrected Nathan. Nathan unamusedly agreed. "...Thank you, Miss Iris" "Without ''Miss''." Nathan didn''t speak anything for a few seconds. This silence wasn''t because it was taking time for Eth to exin to him what was happening, but because he didn''t understand what Iris was trying to do. Nathan had thought that Sword Maiden would try to ask him why he questioned Vile reaper about joining the tournament or demandpensation for breaking rules twice. Why was she trying to get him to call her by her name? ''Could it be that she is..'' Nathan stopped his trail of thoughts before they could continue and shake his mind. Instead, he forced himself to think differently. ''She might ask those questions after this.'' Maybe these small talks were only to confuse Nathan. She must be trying to confuse him to get answers out of him. "¡­Thank you, Iris." "You already know my name. Isn''t it a proper courtesy to give your name too?" "¡­I''m afraid I can''t do that." Iris didn''t back down and continued. "Giving your first name shouldn''t be a problem, no? It''s not like we can find you with it." Nathan thought for a bit and agreed with her. There won''t be any problems by giving only his first name. "¡­Leon" "Isn''t that your real name?" "¡­Yes" Iris didn''t stop smiling, however, the same couldn''t be said about her eyes. They were coldly staring at him. (I think she knows we are lying) ''You bet'' Nathan still didn''t give his real name, though. There was no way he was going to give his name to anyone, let alone the Sword Maiden who kills people for entertainment. Iris suddenly spoke in a cold tone. "Isn''t it time we decide about thepensation for the rules you broke? I''ll be generous and let you continue, but threatening thementators is the same as challenging my authority." ''There it is.'' Nathan sighed in relief. He was almost worried that she was going to let him go scot-free. ''So, all of before this was a causal talk, with no meaning behind it.'' Nathan wasn''t a kid. If someone is letting you go without any repercussion after you kicked them in the curb, then that person wasn''t good but dangerous. ''Be thankful to someone who helps you and doubtful about someone who unconditionally helps you.'' (It''s not like that! You are just too paranoid!) ''Yes, yes'' Eth, who heard Nathan''s thoughts, sighed in resignation. Ignoring Eth, Nathan took a deep breath before answering Iris. "¡­I''ll give up on the championship." * --(Nathan''s POV)¡ª I sunk into the sofa of the room provided to me. "That was dreadful" Being in the room with three high-level awakeners, even if they weren''t releasing their pressure, was suffocating. Our discussion wrapped up pretty easily after I said I''ll back down from the championship. Iris was interested in why I was giving up on the tournament now that my chances of winning were high. To that, I answered that I had entered the tournament to gain real battle experiences. I didn''t need the prizes now that I have defeated the strongest participant. The only reason I won the match was that Eth can see and hear all around me, telling me about Vile reaper''s location, and my art allowed me to attack anywhere within my range. If not for these two things, I didn''t doubt that I would have lost. Knock- Knock- "Come in" The door opened, and Miller entered. Behind him were Tristan, Merlin, and two other battle ves. Chapter 122 Crew "Sit." At my words, Miller stood behind me. Tristan sat across the table and the three battle ves sat on the ground. Suprised, I looked around. ''They are a lot more organized andposed than I thought they would be.'' Tristan wasn''t looking at me with the suspicious gaze as before, rather he was looking at me with¡­ reverence? Miller, for some reason, was smug as he stood behind me. The battle ves had their heads hung, not daring to look up. [09:13 am] I looked at my watch and decided to finish things quickly. First, I spoke to the three battle ves. "What are your names?" "We don''t have one." A male battle ve spoke. The two male battle ves looked simr to each other. The one who spoke was slightly bigger than the other one. Both of them were covering Merlin behind themselves. It didn''t seem like they were pushing her back, but¡­ ''Are they trying to protect her?'' I cocked my brow at their actions. ''Protect her from what? Me?'' A small smile appeared on my face. "I see. Anyway, from now on, all three of you belong to me. This means that you have to follow all my orders unconditionally." "Yes" The male battle ve, who was slightly bigger than the other one, was the only one who was answering. It seems he was the group representative. On the other hand, Merlin was covering behind those two. "Then, here is my first order. Stand outside the door and guard it." I waited for the three battle ves to leave before passing a slip of paper to Miller. "Take the route marked on the paper and leave the Underworld with all of them. The route will take you to a portal that opens randomly at the mountain range. After that, follow the further instructions written in it." Miller apprehensively took the slip. Given how we have been hiding our identities, Miller should already know that I was going to do something in the Underworld. "Leader, what about you?" "I''ll follow you guyster." I didn''t worry about Iris or someone else following them. In the Oath with Iris, I had included the condition that if I won, Iris would unconditionally let me and my group leave the Underworld and won''t try to track us as long as I don''tmit a crime. Even if they were followed, after using the portals to leave Underworld, it will be impossible to track them. Lastly, I passed a vial containing red liquid to Tristan. "Leave together with them. Also, I don''t think I need to remind you of the Oath in case you want to double-cross me, do I?" Tristan nodded while staring at the vial. "Use this to find me in case I don''te to the rendezvous point by tomorrow." "Leader, will you be fine?" I spoke casually to reassure Miller and pointed at the vial. "I will be. That is only insurance." Miller slowly nodded. "Now, leave." Following my orders, Miller bowed and left with Tristan. CLUCK- I locked the door and trudged back to the sofa. "Haaa... fuck" I knew no one was watching me oring to meet me, so there was no need for me to keep acting tough. I cursed while panting slightly. Despite how unbothered I was acting, I had taken a lot of damage from my back-to-back fights. Low-grade Elixir, the ones I have, doesn''t heal instantaneously. They are a lot faster than healing potions, but not instantaneous. I was able to stand tough was only because of my high pain tolerance. If not, I doubted I could have calmly talked with so many people. The reason I hastily sent Miller and everyone away was also this. Even if I had a high pain tolerance, there was still a limit and I have to recover before the attack starts. Calming my breaths, I brought out the Harmonization elixir. A vial with sparkling blue liquid appeared in my hand. This was Harmonization Elixir. It is an alchemy material that is used tobine things more easily. After much discussion with Caim, we hade to a judgment that, to create my curse, I need a royal demon core, haki-spiritual grass, mandrake, and a few more alchemy materials. I had already nned out where I was going to get everything. Royal Demon Core from the Caim that Leon was supposed to defeat, after awakening his stigma, at the semester''s end. Other things were alchemy materials that I could get with money. Harmonization Elixir wasn''t something I had nned to get, as Umbra had a monopoly over it and it wasn''t necessary. But since this was a chance to get it, I decided to ask for it. With this, the chances of failure will reduce considerably, or at least it won''t have a negative effect. "I have 800,000B now." I had won 200,000B from my fight with Mother Mash. It could have been more had I not shown off so much, but at least I got this much. Though I have to thank Huntress for it. She was able to persuade the gamblers, and quite a lot fewer people bet on me after that. "I wish I could have seen her real face." Back then I was trying to find Tristan and couldn''t go to see when Huntress was persuading the crowd. What was sadder was that Tristan was with Huntress at that time. Anyway, I got 1,000,000 with my fight from Vile reaper. Many believed that Vile reaper would have prepared something to counter my pressure. Coupled with the fact that I barely won against Mother Mash, most bet on Vile reaper. Of the total 1,200,000B, I gave the authorities 400,000B along with backing down from the tournament aspensation to please Iris. "I doubt she will let me go with just this." I shook my head, though. Even if Iris was displeased with how I went against her authority by breaking the rule twice, she will have to wait until the tournament ends. diator Championship, although a small tournament, is still under Umbra. I doubt Iris will try to disrupt the tournament, as it might anger her brother, the acting head of Umbra. Besides, by the time the tournament ends, I will be long gone. "Let''s focus on recovering." I sat crossed-legged on the ground and mediated. Since there was no Ether potion yet, I can only refill my ether reserves naturally. I sat in the same position for a few hours while waiting for the attack to start. A few hours passed, and I opened my eyes. "Huuu¡­.." Exhaling deeply, I checked my ether reserves. "Around¡­90%. This will do." CLUCK- Opening the door, I went back to the seating area while checking the ck diary. I circted a bit of ether into the diary. "Let''s see how things are going to start." Checking till my ether reserves were down to 65%, I reached the seating area for top-16. As soon as I entered, all the contestants'' attention was on me, and they whispered amongst themselves. Ignoring them, I sat at the seat farthest from the front edge and mediated. Chapter 123 Duck! --(3rd person POV)-- "Is this the right way?" Tristan asked Miller with concern as they walked down a worn path in the Underworld. He wasn''t worried about himself, but about Miller. The area in which they were walking was a hub for criminal activities in Underworld. Miller was weak and Tristan didn''t want to meet Mr. Pepe to tell him that Miller was attacked in this area. Tristan walked at the back of the group to guard them. He looked at the strongest person in their group, the demi-human mage. Tristan wanted her to protect the group along with him. But he didn''t ask her after seeing her pale visage. The mage was frightened about what was going to happen to her. All of them had seen how brutally Nathan tortured Vile reaper. What was worse was that after torturing and killing, he acted as if nothing had happened. The mage, having tried to kill Nathan earlier, was fearful of what her future held for her. Tristan wasn''t very worried, rather he was looking at his deal with Nathan in a positive light. Physical capabilities simr to aura users, being able to cast magic spells, self-casting, and many diverse abilities. Nathan had essentially proven that he was an Irregr. Today, the world had seen the 5th Irregr. It wasn''t wrong to say this was one of the biggest news of the decade. Tristan thought Nathan might be able to fulfill his end of the deal. Moreover, joining the crew of an Irregr was an opportunity that he, as a professional gambler, wasn''t going to miss. Miller looked back at all of them and shook his head. He could see the greed in Tristan''s and the fear in the battle ves'' eyes. He wanted to tell the battle ves that Nathan wouldn''t punish them for what the mage did. His leader had already told him to look after the mage properly, as she was special. However, Miller kept his mouth shut. He believed that to settle the authority of leader in their mind they must also fear him. Miller had vowed to serve Nathan faithfully when he saw how much Nathan bled to give him justice. Nathan had fought Vile reaper even though he could barely stand. Why else would his leader fight Vile reaper to the end without giving up when he was nning to surrender earlier? Miller didn''t know why leader had to fight Vile reaper, but he thought that the organizers must have forced him after Nathan broke the rules to save him. People are never kind. Miller knew this. However, he wasn''t valuable enough for Nathan to put his life on the line to avenge him. Yet, Nathan did. ''I will follow him until the end.'' Miller vowed to himself. "We are here." Miller spoke as all of them stood in front of a shabby shop. While everyone was doubting if they hade to the correct ce, Miller knocked on the door twice and spoke. "The shield protects all those who live in the shade beneath it. But nothing is safe, shield only stops the rain, not the wind. To protect oneself, one has to outgrow the shield or wither from the wind. All things change. The question is, will you change for better or worse?" He read the phrase Nathan had written on the paper. After waiting for a few seconds, the door slid open. The inside of the shop was pitch ck and nothing could be seen. Hesitant, all of them entered, and the door closed behind them. Everyone except Miller took a battle-ready stance when they felt the spike of mana in the air. Vrroom- They rxed when they realized that the mana fluctuations wereing from the portal that suddenly started. Dim lighting from the portal illuminated the interior of the show. However, it was still too dark to see the wall. Miller knew from the instructions that were awakeners watching them from the shadows. He ushered everyone to go inside. Everyone stepped inside the portal and vanished. Vupp- Miller looked around for onest time before going through the portal. * Leon stood beside Isabell. The arena was being ''repaired'' after Nathan''s fight. Vile reaper''s corpse was taken away and a few mages used and to cleanse the arena. A few dozen minutester, the arena was restored, and the matches resumed. -IS EVERYONE READY TO CONTINUE- True to being professional, thementator was back to their job as if nothing has happened. -IN THE LAST MATCH MR. PEPE WON CONTRARY TO EVERYONE''S PREDICTION. ARE YOU READY TO SEE MORE?- The crowd agreed with their shouting. -THEN I WON''T TAKE YOUR TIME ANY LONGER. LET''S BEGIN- -FIRST MATCH: UNMATCHABLE KAISER TRISTAN V/S BATTLE SLAVE MAGE- Woooooo- The crowd chanted their names, but no one came to the arena. Fifteen minutes passed, and nothing happened. Shortly, a fewmands came to thementator''s inte. -UNMATCHABLE KAISER AND BATTLE SLAVE MAGE HAS WITHDREW FROM THE TOURNAMENT DUE TO UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES.- -BUT WORRY NOT FOR WE WILL BEGIN THE NEXT MATCH WITHOUT DELAY- The crowd cheered again, but with a lot less enthusiasm. Many were looking forward to seeing more capabilities for the battle ve. Leon thought that someone must have bought the mage and decided to get her to drop out of the tournament. Many others also believed the same. -SECOND MATCH: IMPENETRABLE IMORA V/S KAIJU KABLE- The match continued, but given the intensity of Nathan''s matches; it was a lot less interesting. After fighting till the end, Kaiju Kable won. In the break that took ce, Nathan returned to the seating area. Leon was about to go to him, asking if it was necessary for what he did to Vile reaper when Nathan ignored the participants and began meditating in the corner. -THIRD MATCH: SHARPSHOOTER ROBIN V/S RUMBLING YATO- Finally, the cheers erupted again when Leon''s match was announced. Leon, having already discussed with Huntress, told thementator. "I''ll forfeit the match." The response that came to his forfeit wasn''t very weing. The crowd booed and jeered at him for chickening out. Thementator reaffirmed if he was going to forfeit. Leon stood firm in his decision. Their mission was about to start in a few minutes, he had to remain in the top-16 seating area. As for the jeering, Leon ignored it. Even if he fought, it would be to gain experience not to provide entertainment for others. Thementator was about to announce the next match, however¡­ CLACK- ¡­the world turned dark. It wasn''t a metaphor. Everything literally lost light. The sun in the sky, the lighting of the arena, the sky itself, nothing was exuding light anymore. When the lights didn''te back on, the crowd started shouting in panic and terror. Amidst the mass panic, Isabell held Leon''s hand and passed him night vision goggles. The attack had begun. They have to infiltrate the ce before the energy supply came back. A few people started bringing their devices out to provide what little illumination they could. Leon and Isabell turned on their heels and ran to the door when- "!" -a sudden chill ran down Leon''s spine. He jumped and covered Isabell under him. "Duck!" Nobody understood why Leon was shouting until the mana in the air suddenly spiked... BOOM-! BOOM-! BOOM-! BOOM-! ...and a series of explosions covered the entire stadium. ------------------ ------------------ [Ryukurou]: My exams are still going on so I can''t promise regr updates. Though, I will upload all the chaps(excluding the bonus chaps) I have missed by the end of the next week. I hope you guys understand. Chapter 124 Perpetrator "U..ghh" Crackle- -Thud! Leon activated his stigma for a few seconds and pushed the rubble, on top of him, away. "Cough..cough" His body screamed in pain but without minding his condition he checked Isabell. "Cough¡­are you..cough..okay?" "Yes" Isabell looked at Leon through her night vision goggles. He was shaking when doing even the smallest movement from pain. Blood covered his head and he was coughing with every breath. Compared to his battered figure Isabell was almost unharmed. Leon had covered her at thest second and took the brunt of the damage from the falling debris. "How did you know about the explosions?" "I was..cough..able to sense the spike of mana earlier." Leon covered his mouth, only to notice that he was coughing blood. Silence and chaos existed all around them. The explosion urred at 4 ces at the stadium, one of which was the top-16 seating area. Without the energy supply, the Underworld had been plunged into darkness. The stadium was no different. The explosions scared the spectators, and they started running, even in the darkness. Leon clenched his fists as he thought of the people who had died from the explosions and will die from the ensuing chaos. He was about to ask Isabell when their inte rang. -Phzzt¡­Yato, Isabell, are you two okay? "Yes" Isabell answered after pressing the button on her earpiece. Leon''s condition was already rough. She didn''t want him to burden himself by talking too much. -Good..Phzzt¡­because we can''t stop the mission. "Do you know anything about the explosions?" There was a short silence on the other side before the answer came. -No, but the explosions happened in areas near the stadium. Both of their eyes widened, and they looked at each other. "Someone is crazy enough to bomb Underworld? ....But did no one detect the bombs earlier?" Leon muttered to himself. -Because of Sword Maiden. -The explosives used were probably the..Phzzt..new kinds that are being used in gangs'' wars. These explosives cause only a little mana spike until they are about to explode. Although the gang wars were mostly contained within Downtown, these new bombs were still an emerging threat. These bombs were the reason why Aegis had been issuing bounties to clear gangs. "How is Sword Maiden responsible for this?" -The little mana spike..Phzzt..caused by these bombs can be masked by the energy fluctuations of arge number of people, making them perfect for ces whererge masses gather. The tournament caused many people to gather and the presence of Sword Maiden only increased the crowd. -I doubt this was intentional on Iris'' part but her presence..Phzzt..only helped the perpetrators to use more bombs. "Perpetrators?" Huntress continued briefing them. -The explosives weren''t nted by us and Umbra wouldn''t be behind this. "Cough¡­can it be Illis? Maybe the information was leaked?" -No, it isn''t Illis. Huntress answered back with absolute certainty. -It''s probably a fourth party. One who knew about the ''item'' and intervened. "Then what about our mission?" Slightly nervous, Isabell asked. If there was another party infiltrating beside them, then things might get messy, unlike how it was originally supposed to be. -No, this is the perfect time. Because of the bombs, whatever security was going to be inside, after I start attacking, will definitely leave ande out. The infiltration just became easier. -With the Phasing suits, you will reach the destination earlier than predicted. Take the ''item'' and escape before the other party reaches there. "Okay" "Cough..cough..okay" Both of them were nervous, but it was true that sentries will leave their post to investigate the matter. They looked at each other and nodded. -Isabell, you will continue infiltration as originally nned. Leon, you will..Phzzt..go to the escape portal and secure our escape route. "But..cough..that wasn''t the original..cough..n." -There..Phzzt..are chances that the other party knows about our n. Currently, you are the only member who is avable to secure the escape route. "Bu-" -And given how you are coughing each time, you are no longer in the condition toplete the mission. "Leon, you should listen to Sis. You are hurt and even if you don''t have a problem now, it might be detrimental to our escape. Leon wanted to disagree, but he knew they were right. "Will..cough cough..you be okay?" "Don''t worry, before you were recruited, I was supposed to do the infiltration alone." Isabell shed a smile before standing up. She removed her robe and activated the suit she was wearing beneath. Whizzzz- The suit whizzed to life before going silent again. The Phasing Suit was a piece of technology developed by one of the Goliath Unit members. It allowed the wearer to pass through objects. Its only limitation was that it can''t pass through objects'' continuing energy(Aura, mana, prana, etc). But with the direct energy supply of Underworld down, it wasn''t a problem. -Hurry "Bye" Isabell waved and ran into the wall. She didn''t collide with the wall but rather phased through it. Leon also stood up to leave. However, his feet came to stop quickly. "An unknown perpetrator." His eyes scanned the area for someone in particr. To nt the bombs in the top-16 seating area, the perpetrator has to be among the top-16 themselves. "Is it him?" Leon scoured the area. A few minutes passed, but he didn''t find the one he was searching for. "He was here a few minutes before the explosion. Did he leave just before the st?" All the other participants in the seating area had died from the explosion. Leon and Isabell were lucky enough to be able to walk without any potion. Leon''s doubt increased. His search didn''t produce any results, and he was about to leave when he heard a groan. He walked closer and noticed a hand peeking out from under the rubble. From how the hand was hardly moving, it seemed the victim was barely conscious. Deciding to help the person, Leon activated his stigma. Crackle- "URghh!!" He moved the piece of rubble and threw it away. "It''s him!" His eyes widened when he found the person he was searching for. "Hey, Mr. Pepe, are you, alright?" Mr. Pepe''s robe was in tatter, and he was bleeding all over. Fortunately, it didn''t seem he had broken any bones or had any fatal injury. Leon pulled him up and ced him against the wall. While checking him, Leon realized that he couldn''t see Mr. Pepe''s face. Mr. Pepe''s mask was broken, but Leon wasn''t able to recognize how he looked. "If he can use his skill, or whatever it is, in this state, I don''t think he needs help." Leon stood up and left the area. Usually, Leon would have been the first to save people, but he left Mr. Pepe unattended. A small part of him didn''t want to rescue Mr. Pepe. Ignoring his guilty conscience, Leon left with heavy steps. Chapter 125 [Bonus ] Psychic --(Before Huntress contacted Leon and Iris)-- "What did you say?" -There is another party..Phzzt..searching for the ''item''. In an underground ce with heavy machinery, anky person talked into his earpiece. "How did the information leak? The number of people who know about the ''item'' can be counted on one hand." -Phzzt..I don''t know. Hearing Huntress reply, the man massaged his brows. Behind him was arge sphere made of mechanical gears hovering in mid-air. Currently, none of the gear of the sphere was moving. The sphere was the source of energy that supplied the energy to the whole Underworld. The man was ''Psychic'', the 3rd ranked member of the Goliath Unit, after the captain and vice-captain. Due to his ability to read, control and manipte minds, he was the one responsible for infiltrating the location of the Underworld''s energy core. In front of him was a floating disc. This disc was the energy EMP responsible for preventing all the devices from running on backup power throughout the Underworld. "This is why I said we should have bought more members." -It wasn''t possible to bring more..Phztt..members. Umbra would have been alerted otherwise. Stealing the ''item'' was the easiest task of their infiltration. The other two tasks, namely drawing attention and shutting down the energy core, were the real hurdles. Their three-man squad having Huntress, the vice-captain of the Unit, and himself was the most suitable for this job. As for Seer, although she wasn''t strong in directbat, with the suit made by ''Techno'', she shouldn''t have problems doing her job. "So, you want me to find the other party?" -Yes,..Phzzt..remove the limiter. His brows further furrowed. Indeed, that way, he could easily read the mind of everyone present inside the Underworld. Moreover, with the energy supply shut down, there won''t be any interference, but¡­ "Are you sure?" -Phzzzt "Fucking static." He muttered under his breath before asking Huntress again. Their earpieces were working on a special frequency to avoid being shut by the EMP disk. Techno had said that the earpieces would work properly, but it seemed it wasn''t true. -I will take all responsibility. Remove your limiter. Psychic sighed deeply. "I''ll be going offline then." He removed the earpiece and crushed it under his foot. -Bang! The door to the room was blown away, and a dozen people entered the room. They were wearing clothes with Underworld insignia. "Hands up! One move and we will blow your head off!" Psychic''s gaze swept at the marksmen, mages, and warriors who were threatening him to surrender. "Hands up! This is yourst warning!" Ignoring the warning, Psychic pressed one finger over his forehead. Immediately, a mechanical voice resonated in his head. [Psychic is requesting to remove the limiter.] [Waiting for permission] [Permission denied] [Huntress has intervened with the decision-making AI. Permission has been forcibly given.] Snap- "Fi-!" Themander of the squad suddenly froze. Amidst the confusion of his troops, he turned around and¡­ Tuk-! Tuk-! Tuk-! Tuk-! Tuk-! ..fired firing at his own troops! However, the next events were more shocking. The troops didn''t stop themander but started attacking each other! All of them had hazy eyes and kept attacking each other until theirst breath. "This will do." Psychic mumbled as he saw the troops that hade to catch him killing each other. After creating a mental barrier around the room, he closed his eyes. "Let''s start." Immediately, awork of bright lights starting started forming in his mind. All these lights were the minds of the people present Underworld. In a dozen seconds, his mind was able to scan the entire Underworld, creating a massivework in his mind. Without minding the ear-shattering noises, he focused on the area where thework was most unstable. He focused at a certain point. The lights in the area were blinking randomly, showing the unrest the people were in. He quickly found the brightest light and zoomed into it. He found himself watching a group of three people. One was a woman with purple hair and wearing a mask. One was an old man with a monocle. Thest was ady with red hair flowing down her back. "Is that the rumored sword maiden¡­." He was about to focus on Iris'' mind when- -she turned at looked at directly him. "Holy shit!" Psychic zoomed his focus out in a split second. "Huff..huff..did she look at me? Is that even possible?" He tried to deny it as it wasn''t possible, but he was sure, Sure, that those blood-red eyes looked at him. A thin line of sweat gathered on his forehead. "I should be careful" He again focused on that area, but this time, he kept away from Iris. Even if he was a Pseudo-Irregr he didn''t want to go against Iris, the Sword Maiden, and 4th Irregr. He quickly swept the mind off the people at the arena. After removing his limiter, he was able to go through the memories of multiple people at once. But nothing came up. There was no one who knew about the possible perpetrators behind the explosives. He was looking around as fast as possible when he found someone. "Mr. Pepe..." He saw Mr. Pepe''s feats in the memories of the spectators and knew the possibility of Mr. Pepe being an Irregr. Even if he wasn''t an Irregr, he decided to check his mind to find the information about the organization that raised him. "Pardon the intrusion." Saying so, he entered Mr. Pepe''s mind. * "What the fuck is this ce?" Psychic spoke aloud as he looked around himself. An infinite space, dozens of stars far away, and the light-sucking wall of darkness. Every soul is different and but not once has he ever seen a soul like this. "Unending" This was the only word that came to his mouth after looking at Nathan''s soul. Souls normally take the most memorable memory of the person. It can be a memory of ying in the park, a memory of your loved ones, or the image of the goal you strive for. But in every case, the person''s mind, or soul as most call it, is limited. Crossing the edge of the mind is what allows Psychic to read someone''s memory. However, the current situation confused him. This was the first time he had seen a soul that seemed infinite. "Where the fuck is the Soul core?" A soul core was the manifestation of a person inside their soul. It is the physical appearance of one''s stigma inside their soul. However, Nathan''s soul was too big that he doubted he could find the soul core. Touching the Soul core is what allows Psychic to leave the mind of the person. He massaged his brows as he realized the predicament he was in. "What should I do?" Time inside the soul flows differently, but it still flows. With no other choice, Psychic went toward the wall of endless darkness, the Veil. Vupp- His figure disappeared and reappeared in front of the Veil. Standing in front of the Veil, he realized that it was pitch ck. The Veil was sucking all light that was present inside the soul. "Here goes nothing." Firming his mind, he stretched his hands and walked to the other side. Chapter 126 {Chains Of Order} Psychic walked through the ck fog. The fog was thick enough that he couldn''t even see his arms. After walking for a few minutes, he finally stepped out of the fog. "Am I still inside his sou-?!!" Psychic was questioning the authenticity of what he was seeing when an unimaginable amount of information bombarded his brain. ~Are you reading that book again? ''Hero has returned''?~ ~What do you wish for?~ ~You are funny who wishes for death?~ ~No, you idiot Leon! Kill that snake! Why are you leaving him alive?! Cadmus is not someone worth saving!~ ~Lilith did suicide, Susan sacrificed herself, Anna has to be killed by Leon and Cadmus betrayed him. Wow, this author is a sadistic asshole.~ Many voices started speaking. The amount of information gradually increased to the point his eyes and ears started bleeding. Psychic could read thousands of people''s minds at once and he still wouldn''t be overwhelmed, but something was wrong with Nathan''s soul. Psychic fell to his knees and clutched his head. Screaming in pain, he closed his eyes, trying to stop the inflow of memories. However, it didn''t help, rather things turned for the worse. Closing his eyes, he felt as if he gained ess to Knowledge. Omniscient Knowledge. ~Why are you trying to bring an unrted soul into this matter? Even we can''t handle the bacsh from interfering withw of time!~ ~If I can save everything by sacrificing a single being, I will dly do it~ ~I am the ''Hope'' and you are the ''Spear''. Yet we could never do anything, but you think someone from a bygone era can do it?!~ ~All of us have failed. Now the only way ahead is to create the 13th. I will create the ''Evil''~ Psychic soul was being strained to its limit. He could feel his soul being shredded in exchange for gaining Knowledge. He couldn''t control the Omniscient Knowledge. nk- Just as he thought he would die for reaching to something beyond his reach, he heard the rattling of chains. [??? is using his Authority [Chains of Order]] nk- nk- nk- The chainsbined, merged, twisted, and created a hollow sphere with Psychic as the center. They created a barrier and protected Psychic inside them. Finally, the downpour of knowledge stopped. Breathing heavily, Psychic tried to open his eyes, only to realize that he could no longer see. He was now blind. Psychic was trying to make sense of events when the sound of the system resonated. [??? is staring at you] "You are lucky that you only lost your sight after seeing those." Psychic immediately turned around as he felt the presence of someone behind him. He realized that there was someone else with him inside the hollow sphere made of chains. Digesting the being''s words, Psychic was shocked. He had only seen whaty on the other side of the Veil for a split second. All this knowledge was gained with a single nce. He paled when he thought of what would have happened to him had he not closed his eyes. "Where am I?" He asked in a shaky voice. He believed that the being was the manifestation of Nathan''s soul, his soul core. If the person had a strong soul, the chances of a sentient soul core were not zero. It was rare, but not impossible. However, this was where he was wrong. [??? looks at you with an apathetic gaze] "I saved you because we used to know each other. But that doesn''t mean I permitted you to talk to me so casually." The being answered in an authoritative tone. Sensing the being''s presence, Psychic felt as if he was in front of a king. Without wanting to, he slightly lowered his head. "I-I''m sorry. But can you please tell me where I am and how to leave?" Psychic no longer thought that he had entered someone''s soul. All he could guess was that he had somehow reached another ce. [??? takes pity on you and decides to answer] "This isn''t somewhere you can leave and go as you wish. You might have entered this ce through a shortcut, but you can forget about leaving. After all, this ce is¡­" * --(Top-16 seating area)-- "U..ghh" A groan leaked from Nathan''s lips, and his fingers twitched. However, he didn''t regain consciousness. Blood flowed down his head and soaked his robes. His battered figure continued lying while his breathing kept slowing down. Suddenly, his robe rustled. The rustling intensified until something fell out from inside the robe. -Gru The baby golem rolled over the floor while protecting the item in its hand. Colliding against a piece of debris, its body stopped rolling. -Gru It slowly stood up and looked around. Broken walls, burnt corpses, and the metallic smell of blood. Ignoring the destruction, it turned toward Nathan. -Gru! It shouted in panic when itid its eyes on the bleeding figure of Nathan that was slowly losing his breath. Hurriedly, the baby golem recalled what Nathan had told it and ran to him. Holding the vial in one hand, it used its free hand to climb Nathan''s body to reach Nathan''s head. -Gru -Gru The baby golem was trembling as it tried to open Nathan''s mouth and feed him the elixir. Finally, after a few tries and falling, the baby golem was able to do it. Nathan unconsciously chugged down the elixir. When Nathan had emptied almost half of the vial, the baby golem pulled the vial away. It was Nathan''s instruction to only feed him half of the elixir. -Gruuu The baby golem gave a low cry when it shook Nathan, but he didn''t respond. Even after a minute, Nathan didn''t wake up. The baby golem looked at the blood covering Nathan and steeled its resolve. It again started climbing over Nathan to feed him the rest of the elixir. Even if Nathan would scold it, it would be fine as long as he woke up. -Gruuuuu It pushed open Nathan''s mouth with its shaking hands and tried to feed him the elixir. "T..thank you but i..t''s okay." However, a warm hand stopped the baby golem. ************ [Ryukurou]: Check chapterment for Author notes. Don''t miss it, its pretty important. Chapter 127 Race Against Time [1] "I..it''s fine, really." I patted the baby golem to reassure it. Though seeing how it was stuck to my body and wasn''t leaving me, it didn''t seem it was reassured. "Here you go" -Gru! The baby golem shouted when I tried to pry it off my leg and keep it inside my robe. -Gru! "You want to stay outside to protect me?" The baby golem nodded. A small smile leaked on my face and was about to tell it that it wasn''t strong enough to do that when I remembered its stats. The baby golem had higher stats than me in Strength, Stamina, Constitution, and Intelligence. "Stay here then" I ced the baby golem on top of my head. It was stronger than me. The baby golem, despite being Lvl.1, was stronger than me. -Gru It happily agreed and grabbed my hair for support. I groaned slightly when I tried to stand up. My bones were creaking, telling me to let it rest before moving. However, I didn''t have time to let my body heal. Almost 10 minutes had already passed since the bomb exploded. I had to start moving. I took onest nce at the stadium before moving toward the path to the prize room. The only people who survived in the top-16 seating area were Leon, Isabell, and me. I already knew I was going to survive thanks to the ck diary, but I have to admit it. That freaking hurt! My body was hurting all over. Even though I hadn''t broken any bones, it didn''t feel like all my internal organs were the same. If not for the fact that seeing me half-dead will remove any type of suspicion of me being behind the bombs, I wouldn''t have stayed here. Though, I can''t deny that pain helps. "At least I can think more clearly with pain." I don''t know if it was because of the time I spent in the memory world, but now whenever I was in pain, I could think more clearly. Vupp- I brought out the boots and gloves I brought from the headmaster''s shop and wore them. Next, I wrapped a thickyer of [Zero] around my core to stop any energy fluctuation from leaving it. "I should look like an unawakened now." This should also reduce my presence. Thest thing I did was use my stigma. I, using my stigma, colored myself pitch-ck to match the surrounding darkness. Then, I wore the night-vision goggles I brought alongside the explosives. Since the Underworld was underground, without a power supply, the entire Underworld had been plunged into darkness. My stigma will help to camouge myself in the darkness. -BOOOM! Suddenly, the ground shook furiously, and a loud booming sound echoed. "Looks like Huntress also started. I should hurry." It seemed Huntress has also begun attacking to draw the attention of sentries. "Huuuu¡­Let''s go" -Gru! * "Hurry, we are under attack!" "Watch your steps!" Several sentries shouted to each other as they hurried outside. A few of them were carrying primitive torches made of burning cloth on a piece of wood. The torches were crudely made and barely produced light, but they were made in a hurry, so nobodyined. Chaos ensued when the power supply of the whole Underworld was cut-short. It was already hard enough to get the sentries together, but now an attack had started outside. -BOOOM! ¨CBOOOM! The building shook whenever the sound of explosions echoed. A few of them shivered. They knew the fight happening outside produced these explosions. Gulp- And they were going there to provide support. "Who is crazy enough to attack when he has Sword Maiden on our side?" The sentry carrying the torch irritably muttered. They were a group of 6 guards, where 2 were carrying torches as they walked down the corridor. For some reason, even devices with batteries were not working. Unable to get in contact with their security captain, these 6 were a ragtag bunch of guards that had somehow managed to reach each other. Phzzzt- Suddenly, the guard who had spoken earlier perked his ears. "Did you hear something?" "Huh? What are you talking about?" "..Static?" "It must have been the sound of the shes." -BOOOM! Right on cue, the building again shook. "Look out!" Bam-! The guard at the front pushed the one behind him away. At that moment, debris fell from the ceiling and crashed at the previous location of the second guard. The second guard thanked him and looked up. "Can''t they repair this building? The ceiling is breaking without even being attc-!" However, his eyes widened when he saw a ck creature with four limbs clinging to the ceiling upside down. "What is th-?" Swish- Puchi-! He tried to shout when a dagger pierced his head at high speed. "We are under attack!" Swish- Swish- nk-! nk-! Puchi-! Five more daggers attacked the others, but with the warning, they were able to block them. "W-what is that?!" The creature was coated in pitch-ck darkness and it wasn''t even releasing energy fluctuations. They would''ve thought that it wasn''t even Lvl.1 but it had killed one of them so easily! "Get in formation!" The guard at the front, Seth, shouted. nk-! nk-! Seth was using his rapier to block the dagger. Blocking daggers raining on them, he looked at others. The mage in their group had a cut on his sleeve, however, the injury wasn''t fatal. He was chanting a spell, while the other three were protecting him. Suddenly, the shadow of the creature turned into two arms andunched at them. Watching the two shadow arms slithering on the walls, Seth felt a sense of emergency. "[Thrust]" He used his skill to attack. The de of his rapier shined and a ray of light shot out. "[Golden Turtle]" ''It can speak?!'' The creature spoke, and a golden shell materialized around it. Bam-! The ray of light collided against the shield. The shield blocked the attack, but the ceiling couldn''t bear the impact of the collision. -Bam! The piece of ceiling under the creature''s foot broke and fell. The creature also fell to the ground. The shadow hands suddenly vanished. At the same time, the mage''s spell waspleted. ".." A magic circle shined, and ice appeared above it. The pieces of ice quickly turned into a dozen icicles and shot at the creature. Seth was still shocked, seeing the creature speak humannguage, and couldn''t do a follow-up attack. Splitter- The icicles suddenly froze in the air and turned into dust. All the sentries were shocked when the creature spoke again. "sigh¡­this isn''t working." It stood on two legs and¡­. Phzzzt- ..five greatswords materialized behind it. Swish- nk-! nk-! They tried to block the barrage but, unlike the daggers; the greatswords were too heavy. "Urgh..what is this?!" The sentries shouted in panic as not only greatswords but even spears and hammers were being shot at them. The creature, Nathan, who was using his stigma to coat himself as a disguise, grimaced. "My ether reserves are already at only 70% and now this too, ugh." Crack- Crack- Suddenly, five cracks appeared above behind the guards'' heads. Puchi-! Puchi-! Swish-! Spears shot out from the cracks and killed almost everyone. "Who..ar-e you?" Seth, who had barely dodged the spear at thest second by turning his head, and the only one alive, spoke. 10 cracks appeared around Seth, and spears shot out from them. Seth twisted his body at an extreme angle and tried to dodge. However, the number of attacks was too many and too close. Puchi-! His chest was pierced along with his throat. With his fading consciousness, he heard the creature''s answer. "Someone who you won''t meet again." Chapter 128 Race Against Time [2] I crouched and quickly looted the weapons from the corpses. With one weapon I can only create one constetion. I need more weapons to increase my arsenal. After being done, I looked at the 6 sentries and clicked my tongue. Among them, only one was Iota-rank while the rest were high Meta-rank. I have to end the battles fast or other sentries might be alerted, but constructing bigger weapons needed more ether. This was why I was using daggers. I can now construct daggers fast enough that by the time someone notices the noise, the daggers would be flying at them. However, due to their lightweight, they were also easier to defend against. "I should stop using these gloves and boots." Although with these gloves and boots I was able to stick to walls and walk on them, I had to supply ether to use them. I bought them because I thought infiltration would be easier if I walked upside down on the roof, but it seems I had forgotten that this was a different world. Hiding like that didn''t give me as much advantage as I thought it would. I took a deep breath and started walking. It took me only a few minutes to arrive at a crossroads. I quickly choose the path leading to the prize room and started sprinting. The tremors were slowly increasing in intensity. The battle outside was beginning to heat up. None of the security functions were activated as I kept moving forward. The only sound I could hear was the faint breathing of my own. "Were all the security measures running from the direct power supply?" If so, it was better for me. I could disable them using [Zero] but depending on their level, I might have to empty arge portion of my reserve. It went on like this until I finally found another group. It was a group of two sentries. "Ah, darn it! Let''s go quick!" "A-are you sure? I d-don''t think we can survive out there." "So, what? Move, bitch!" "Y-yes!" I leaned on the wall and peeked out into the next corridor. ''One is a mage around Lvl.18. The other one is Lvl.15 and agility focused aura-user.'' I used [Appraisal] on them and checked their stats. This was the fourth group I encountered. I was able to hide from the first two groups by sticking to the roof. Unfortunately, the third group found me because of the debris falling from the roof. ''I don''t think I need to worry about the mage. I''ll deal with the other one first.'' I ced my hand on the wall. [Iridescence] My stigma had also strengthened after I had reached Iota-rank. This was because of ether. I was now able to use it on objects that were not in direct contact with me, though the distance couldn''t be more than 0.15 feet (5 centimeters). It was a negligible improvement, but an improvement, nheless. This allowed me to use my stigma even while wearing gloves. The wall around the tips of fingers grew darker and four shadow arms formed on the wall. These arms had zero battle prowess. Their only task was to look threatening and act as a decoy. "There''s someone here!" "W-what are those arms!?" The shadow arms slithered along the walls and rushed at them. The panicking mage tried to cast a shield while hiding behind the other sentry, while the warrior was warily looking at the arms. At the same time, I tensed my calves andpressed ether on the sole of my foot. -Bam! I released the tension in my calves and bolted in their direction. "There!" The warrior with his high agility registered my appearance, but by then I had already arrived in front of them. I raised my right leg and kicked at his knee. "Arghh!" His leg bent in the wrong direction, and he hollered in pain. Vupp- I bought my shortsword out, and before he could shout even more loudly, plunged the de into his neck. ng-! He swung his sword blindly but managed to deflect my attack. "..give me the blessing of the sun, form the unwavering pact.." From the corner of my eyes, I saw the mage chanting a fire spell. A magic circle appeared underneath his feet. Slowly, three fireballs were forming above the magic circle. Shifting my focus, I moved the shortsword to my right arm and kicked the warrior with my left foot. Bam-! The kick wasn''t very strong, but it still did its job. Destroying the warrior''s bnce. He was barely managing to stand straight with his broken leg, but my hit had shaken that bnce. Swish- I swung the sword at his neck and finally beheaded him. Thud-! "..," The magepleted his spell, and three fireballs flew toward me. Sizzle- The debris melted from the heating from the fireball. shot three fireballs at slow speed but had high power. The mage had purposely sacrificed his partner to get a confirmed hit. I was still in an awkward posture due to my attack. Even if I moved now, I couldn''t dodge that attack. The mage smirked when the fireballs almost struck me. Unfortunately for him, there was a reason I didn''t kill him despite him being higher level. -Gruuu! An energy pulse shot out with my head at the center. The fireballs immediately crumbled away when they came in contact with the pulse. "W-what?!" The mage shouted in surprise at the inexplicable phenomena. Not giving him any time, I bolted in his direction. The mage stepped back when he realized I wasing for him. "Please spa-!" Thud-! The de passed through his neck and his head fell to the ground. "Huuuu¡­" I exhaled loudly and looked at the two corpses. This battle was better than my previous one, as I had used a paltry amount of ether. Moreover, with my high agility, these sentries weren''t a problem as long as I detected them first. ''It shouldn''t be a problem as long as I don''t encounter arge group.'' I didn''t linger for very long. Collecting their weapons, I started moving ahead. This time I didn''t encounter any group. "It seemed that the bombs worked properly. There were not many guards in my path¡­" My voice became lower and lower by the end of the sentence. ''The first three groups I encountered. Howe they didn''t find each other?'' I eliminated everyone in the third group, and the second group was ahead of them by a few minutes of walking distance. The distance between the first and second group was also the same. Was it a coincidence that they didn''t encounter each other? ''Yes, it''s possible that they didn''t encounter each other because of the darkness. Also, the continuous shes outside are drowning the sounds.'' Shaking my head, I started moving forward, but more cautiously. The inside of the arena was quite big, and I found myself on my fork roads many times. As I paced myself so that I didn''t deplete my stamina quickly, I observed the corridors. Needless to say, by now, the corridors had broken quite a bit. The bombs I used weakened the structure of the arena and due to the extreme shockwaves urring from the fight happening outside, the building was crumbling rapidly. It took me a few more minutes to reach the vicinity prize room. In the meantime, I didn''t encounter any more sentries. Rather than getting rxed, I was bing restless. Was I discovered, and the enemy was preparing for an ambush? Or did everyone leave, and I was worrying needlessly? Tuck- Walking ahead, I ced my right foot on the floor, and suddenly the floor sank. A subtle sound echoed prompting the activation of an unknown mechanism. ck- ''Shit! There was a manual trap?!'' Phzzt- Four greatswords materialized around me to protect me from traps. I waited for the trap to activate and the attack toe. I hadn''t thought that security would use manual traps in this day and age. However, no attacks came. Even when a few dozen seconds passed, nothing happened. Finally, I noticed that the walls were trying to move and there were arrows loaded in crossbows behind them. The problem was the debris and the broken building. It seems that the mechanism had also broken and the traps couldn''t activate. "It seems it is broken." """""" Swish- Swish- Swish- Bang-! Suddenly, I felt a heavy impact on my back. My body collided against the wall from the force of the three Earth needles. Despite being called needles, each of them was thicker than a fist. Air was knocked out of my chest and I struggled to breathe. Suddenly, I heard a voice. "Finally caught the rat." I clenched my teeth from pain and looked at the source of the voice. Two people were standing a few dozen feet away, while there were 3 more sentries behind them. "Finally dropped yer guard, eh?" "How did you find me?" I asked as I stood with the support of the wall. "You think you are in the position to ask questions?" "Doesn''t er seem familiar?" While they were conversing with each other, I secretly used [Appraisal]. ''One is Lvl.18 and the other is Lvl.15. The three behind are mages with Lvl.13,Lvl.13, and Lvl.12. They must be the ones who used the magic spell.'' I quickly analyzed them and got ready to fight. Their attack only hit because the baby golem wasn''t using its [Anti-magic Field]. Baby golem can''t use it continuously because of its high energy consumption. So, it only uses it when I ask for it. ''I can ignore the mages and engage inbat. Although they seem experienced, taking both of them together should be doable.'' Even if I was a lower level, I still had 5Sp/Lvl talent. ''I need to be quick'' I secretly channeled ether to my whole body. These should be thest guard remaining inside the building. If I eliminated them, then I wouldn''t have to worry about saving ether. "I''m notte, am I?" From the path I had walked here, four people emerged. Looking at their clothes, it was clear that they were also sentries. Fuck Chapter 129 Race Against Time [3] "I think the n was to stall as long as possible?" A man over 8 feet spoke. He was carrying a shield and leading the three more sentries. Looking at the four sentries, that came from the same path as me, my eyes widened in shock. ''Those guys are the 1st and the 2nd group that I didn''t fight.'' That shield carrier was Lvl.21 and belonged to the 1st group. I remember him because of his level. But why are they here? They should have gone outside. "Kukuku..Looking at yer face it seems that ye can''t understand how we caught ye, eh?" "Stop speaking before you give him more information." ''These three¡­'' [Appraisal] ''The one with the weird ent is Lvl15 and agility-focused. The other one is Lvl.18, and a bnced fighter and the neer is Lvl.21 and a tank.'' The two behind the tank were archers and thest one was a mage. ''It had to develop into a worst-case scenario?'' I don''t remember triggering any rm and considering how the 1st and 2nd sentry groups had returned; they were already aware of me. ''No, they were aware that someone is infiltrating.'' That would exin why they didn''t attack me till now. They were being cautious in case the intruder was stronger than them. ''Dammit! I know Isabell is clumsy and has higher luck than Leon. But if she tripped at some rm, why am I the one who is getting caught?!'' "You are surrounded by 10 awakeners. It would be best if you surrender." The Lvl.18 warrior took the lead to instigate my surrender. ''What should I do?'' I quickly thought of the possible oue while trying to stay as calm as possible. A head-on fight will waste arge amount of ether. Even then, the chances of winning weren''t guaranteed. But I don''t think I can run away now. I didn''t consider surrendering one bit. I had already pissed Sword Maiden, and I didn''t want to know what she will do to me after getting caught. I stood up and stopped using my stigma on myself. "You!" "See, I told ye he''s looked simr!" "Mr. Pepe" My robe was torn in many ces and I was wearing a mask, but everything was what I was wearing during the tournament. Moreover, my art left no doubts about my identity. "So? Do you want me to surrender now?" "T-that''s¡­" I secretly channeled ether and circted it to my whole body. There was still one way to get out of here. "Without magic, you are a normal aura-user. If you could win, you would have already attacked." The tank, despite having the highest level, didn''t speak much. It was only the one except the Lvl.18 who talked to me. I already knew they weren''t going to let me leave, but I still hoped they would. [Domination Decree] I increased the output of the skill, however, nothing happened. "Ah, we have cast on us, if you are wondering why yer skill isn''t working." strengths mind against illiusion skill. [Anti-Magic Field] wouldn''t work against support magic. After support magic is deployed, it bes a real phenomenon and not magic. This was the biggest difference between support magic and attack magic, which was a simted phenomenon using mana to work. The spell would wear off after a few minutes, but¡­ ''Till then what?'' I only now noticed that there was one more mage behind the three mages that were supporting the Lvl.18 and Lvl.15 warrior. The tank had two archers backing him, and their mage was standing behind them too. ''Are those mages at the very end because they are support mages?'' Each group had 1 support mage. The group in front had 2 warriors, 3 mages, and 1 support mage. The group behind me had 1 tank, 3 archers, and 1 support mage. ''It can''t get any worse, can it?'' I tensed my calves and covered them in ether. "Is that so?" -Bam! Releasing the tension, I bolted toward the front. The agility warrior moved a littlete and thrust his sword at me. Fwosh-! A water jet shot out from the tip of his sword. Swosh- I nimbly ducked and swung my fist toward his face. Swish- Swish- At the same time, I shot two daggers toward the other warrior. ng-! ng-! He blocked the daggers. However, he had to stop rushing to me to block them. The other guy barely managed to dodge my fist and backed away. "Ain''t ye being hasty?" Both the warriors stood a safe distance from me. They were able to dodge my attacks, however¡­. Swish- Swish- Swish- ¡­they weren''t my target. The three daggers shot swiftly toward the mages behind them, who were holding the torches. The only sources of light for the sentries were the torches. If I could remove that source, then I would get the upper hand. Puchi-! ng-! ng-! The first dagger pierced the head of the mage however, a glowing shield that appeared out of thin air blocked the other daggers. The tank that was leading the group behind me was holding a simr but smaller glowing shield in his hand. I quickly understood why he wasn''t entering the fight, even though he was supposed to be the tank. ''He can create shields'' I shouldn''t have asked if it could get worse. At least this exined why the tank wasn''t fighting at close range. "We are still here." Schwing-! The Lvl.18 warrior appeared behind me and brandished his sword. The de tore through my robe and left a deep gash. "Hufff..shit" I cursed under my breath and immediately turned to face them. Now, there were three mages behind me while everyone else was in front of me. Both the warriors attacked me again. Schwing- Schwing- I narrowly dodged them and tried to counterattack. ng-! A shortsword appeared in my hand and I blocked the Lvl.18 warrior. At the same time, the other warrior thrust his sword. I burst ayer ofpressed ether and jumped away. The pain red in my back and blood dripped from the injury. However, I only felt my mind bing calmer. ''I can''t use my left hand in closebat, so fighting them at once is out of the question.'' ''Although I am blocking the other one with swords, I''m not fast enough to construct bigger weapons topletely block him.'' I fired four swords as I was backing away. They easily dodged them and kept attacking me. Swish- Swish- ng-! ng-! Two daggers appeared above both their heads, but two small, glowing shields blocked them. The two weren''t leaving any openings for me to use, and if I tried to use attacks by deliberately creating an opening, the tank blocked them. The only blessing was that these two were fighting at close range, leaving the archers no chance to join the fray in fear of friendly fire. "Keep attacking. Don''t give him any chance to use grimoire." I pulled my body back, however, because my left arm wasn''t moving fast enough to keep up with my body, it had many cuts on it. The rest of the body wasn''t much better, though. I had cuts on every part of my body, and there was a deep gash on my back. The robe was ripped everywhere and it wouldn''t be weird for it to fall over. ''It''s harder than fighting with Vile reaper.'' I was able to defeat Vile reaper by getting hit to get an opening to attack him, but that only worked because it was a one-on-one fight. My back stung every time I had to make extreme maneuvers to dodge. Despite that, I kept thinking for a way out. ''Even if I manage to kill these two, I will only be giving the archers a chance. I''m too far from the tank and the archers behind him. If they start attacking, I won''t be able to get close to them.'' Chapter 130 Race Against Time [4] --(Manabu''s POV)¡ª ''He is good.'' Manabu kept his eyes peeled to make sure none of Nathan''s moves goes unnoticed. As the tank, his job was to block all long-range attacks from Nathan. ''Maybe we can defeat him before the Captain returns!'' When they became aware of the existence of an intruder who was trying to steal the prizes, they created this n. Manabu will leave the building first to get out and call for reinforcements. While Tress and Sean, the two warriors Nathan was fighting, will stay to hinder the trespasser. The sentries Nathan fought were unaware of the n. Tress and Sean left them as bait to gauge Nathan''sbat abilities. By roughly analyzing the time it took Nathan to defeat each group, they were sure that he wasn''t Enma-rank. ''Well, the prizes aren''t important enough for an Enma-rank to try robbery in Underworld.'' Manabu had returned after leaving one sentry to call the captain. The captain of the arena''s security forces was Lvl.45 and an ex-veteran from the Elven frontline. ''Though there are rumors that he ran away from the frontline, he should be able to subdue Mr. Pepe fairly easily.'' At least, that was the original n. Stalling until the captain returns. However, seeing Nathan struggling against them, his greed inted. What if¡­ ''I can catch him before the reinforcementes? Wouldn''t I get a lot of rewards for it?'' Catching the one who was being hailed as the 5th Irregr. Can there be a better achievement than that? Irregrs, the wielders of powers defyingmon sense. For bottom feeders like him, their existence was akin to Gods. And today he would be the one to catch a God. Manabu made his decision. "We should defeat him before the reinforcements arrive." Manabu made sure to speak loudly. How would Mr. Pepe react if he knows that reinforcements wereing when he is barely fighting against them? ''He will make a mistake.'' Fear was a primal emotion. No one is free from its clutches. ''We need to strike fear in his heart and use that to get an opening.'' He was never more thankful for his stigma, which was a perfect counter against Mr. Pepe. He felt as if the heavens had given this chance to him. "Someone wasing, huh." Nathan asked while fixing his mask that was about to fall off. This news was enough for him to finally make his decision. Tress and Sean pulled back along with the mages and retook their stance. Manabu wasn''t worried that Nathan knew about the reinforcements. If he had a smidgen of brain, then he would eventually figure it out given how they weren''t attacking him with all of their forces. "Yes, so shouldn''t you surrender now?" Sean quickly understood Manabu''s intention and tried to corner Nathan mentally. Manabu smirked as he looked at Nathan''s figure. Bloody cuts from his legs to his torso and arge gash on his back. He was injured and out of breath. ''I don''t know how he can fight in that condition, but there''s no way he can counterattack.'' The only thing on Manabu''s mind now was that the captain only returns after they have defeated Nathan. "I have around 50% ether left. If the reinforcementes, I don''t think I can handle them even if I use all the ether." Nathan mumbled to himself. "If you surrender, then we won''t do anything to you." If nothing else, Manabu had to acknowledge that Mr. Pepe was much more dangerous than just being an Irregr. Even now, he was standing as if those injuries weren''t there to begin with. Seeing this, Manabu warned Tress and Sean. "Now that he knows about the reinforcement, he might start resisting in a frenzy to defeat us before backup arrives. Don''t buy into that and stay on the defensive." Then he whispered to make sure only the two of them hear him. "Don''t worry about his attacks and use the opening that wille your way. I will block all his attacks on you." "I guess I need to finish you guys before that." Nathan spoke out aloud. Manabu smirked. Everything was going as he had nned. Just as he thought that Nathan did something unexpected. Nathan crouched and ced his hands on the ground. He brought his right foot a little forward and ced his left foot behind. ''Why is he getting into sprint start posture?'' Nathan stopped covering his entire body in ether and took a deep breath. Vrooom- Phhzzzzzt- Suddenly arge amount of ether exploded outwards from Nathan and 8 swords materialized in the air. Raising his hips, Nathanpressed the ether to his limit and used everyst drop of it to cover the sole of his feet. Everyone tensed as they saw the amount of energy Nathan was emitting. "[Pierce]" All 8 swords grew in length and their des extended. Without dy, Nathan fired them. Swish- Swish- The swords quickly reached Tress and Sean. nnggg-! nnggg-! Manabu used tworge shields to block the onught. The shields trembled from blocking therge amount of force generated by the swords due to theirrge sizes. Manabu''s arms shook as he struggled to maintain the shields. However, he kept his eyes on Nathan. Nathan was in same position. He thought that Nathan wasn''t going to move when¨C -Bam! ¨CNathan''s figure vanished from his ce and reappeared in front of them! "That ain''t allowed!" Tres was the only one who was able to react in time. Brandishing his sword, he swung at Nathan. Yet another wave exploded outwards from Nathan. "!" Tres, along with everyone, froze. Yes, they had cast on them, and [Domination Decree] being an intimidation skill, the effect will decrease the more aware that it ising. However, that was only if Nathan wasn''t using the skill at its full power. The effect was only for a spilt second, but it was enough for Nathan to kill Tress and Sean. Manabu could block attacks for one person, but not for both of them. Both of them prayed that it wasn''t them who will be attacked. -Bam! Nathan ignored them and bolted towards Manabu himself! Manabu created a dome of shields to protect himself. At the same time, 10 cracks opened in the air, and weapons shot at him. CLANG-! Blood flowed out from his nostrils as he burned Aura to maintain the shields! His arms shook greatly, but he kept holding on. If he could hold on for a few more seconds, then Tress and Sean would arrive to his help, he just had to¡­ ''Where is he?'' The dome of shields obstructed his view. Allowing Nathan to slip out of his vision. He didn''t know where Nathan was. "Are you looking for me?" A chill ran down his spine when he heard a voiceing from behind him. Puchi-! However, before he could react, Nathan thrust the sword through the gaps at the shields'' attaching area and pierced his skull. Manabu''s eyes lost their shine and his body fell. Everyone watched in shock as they lost the shield that was stopping Nathan. Chapter 131 Sometimes Life Doesn’t Go The Way You Want It To The dome of shields that the tank created, to protect himself, wasn''t imprable. At the areas where the two shields met there was a small gap. ? Using that gap, which wasn''t thicker than a few inches, I thrust my sword and stabbed his skull. The shields started dissolving after their owner died. I didn''t wait for others to recover and swiftly moved. Phzzzzt- Swish- Swish- I shot two swords at the warriors, while I ran toward the archers and mages. Even though I had killed the tank, it was still very hard to kill those two warriors. Besides, the archers will skew me alive while I kill them. I had to kill the archers now. While everyone was shocked due to the effect of skill and the tank''s death. Fwish-! Fwish-! The archers swiftly pulled back and shot arrows at me. "No, you don''t" Phzzt-! Two greatswords, pointing downwards, materialized before me and blocked the attack. The archers'' attack was simple due to them being startled, so I was able to construct the greatswords in time. I swung my arm and threw the sword in my hand. The archer dodged the sword. However, it pierced the support mage, who was standing behind him, killing him on the spot. Phhhzzzzzzzt- 5 swords materialized near the ceiling and shot down. The archers had to look up to defend. Simultaneously, I constructed 4 daggers near the floor. ng-! ng-! The two archers managed to block while also shooting arrows at me. Puchi-! ng-! I only blocked the arrows aimed at my vital areas and didn''t stop running. "Got you." I grabbed their heads and bashed them into each other. Covering my arms in ether I tightened my grip and swung their head at the floor. Puchi-! But, suddenly, a thin stream of water pierced my abdomen. Before I could eliminate the archers, the other warrior also attacked my neck. I hurriedly rolled onto the ground. "Fuck¡­" Blood flowed through the hole in my abdomen from the attack of Lvl.15 warrior. I used my left hand to put pressure on the wound. "Did you have to give up the chance¨C" Two daggers again shot down from the ceiling. Puchi-! Puchi-! Before the warrior could end his sentence, the archers were killed. "¨Cof surrendering¡­." I stood up and dashed at them. I didn''t need to worry about the mages, and I was still pressed for time. Eliminating the warriors was the utmost priority. Both of them stood with their back stuck to each other. ''I guess I can''t attack from behind.'' The Lvl.15 warrior was facing the other direction while the other warrior was facing me. Despite their quick thinking, their legs were quivering. Fear seeped into their hearts when the tank died. Even the one who was supposed to block me died at my hands. The death of theirrades had opened a crack in their mentality and it was enough for [Domination Decree] to work. The warrior blocked my attack. Thud- I raised my leg and kicked him in the chest. Both of them fell over. Their movements were rigid, and they weren''t able to retake their stance quickly. "[Pierce]" The tip of my sword pierced the Lvl.18 warrior''s neck. "You!!" The Lvl.15 warrior shouted in rage and thrust his sword. A thin stream of pressurized water shot out. I twisted my waist and dodged the stream. He swung his sword in a frenzy. His movements were rigid, and he was attacking in fear. It wasn''t difficult to block someone like that. Schwing-! Finally, after a few shes, my de passed through his neck, and he stopped moving. I looked around and found that the mages weren''t here anymore. "Did they run away?" Their attacks were harmless to me, so it wasn''t a surprise that they decided to ditch the battle. The best choice would be to follow them and kill them before they could alert someone. However, I wasn''t in the condition to follow after them. (Use the elixir and chase after them) I shook my head. The reinforcements were already on their way. There was no point in stopping the mages. ''I haven''t even taken the ''Mermaid''s Tear'' yet. What if I met the reinforcements while running away?'' There were several paths to leave the building, but the chances that I''ll meet them while escaping on a random path weren''t zero. (Can you move in that condition?) ''Yes'' My condition was bad, no, it was very bad. But it wasn''t something I couldn''t bear. Besides, it wasn''t affecting mybat capabilities. I should only use Elixir if I get an injury that is detrimental to my battle prowess. As I looked at the corpses, I was reminded of the battle. "Being calm in every situation is the key to victory." I smiled in relief. Thement best described the reason behind my victory. "Let''s go. That''s was only warm-up if I don''t hurr-" p- p- "Calling that kind of fight a warm-up. Should I say as expected of an Irregr?" The torches lying on the ground illuminated someone. A man wearing a slightly different sentry outfit came into the light. "Will you also call me a warm-up?" Thick energy exploded outwards from his body. Sensing the energy, my face lost all color. "High Enma-rank" I was once again reminded of one fact. Sometimes life doesn''t go the way you want it to. * --(Huntress POV)--- "Why aren''t theying?" Huntress''s expression turned grim when she realized that only a few sentries hade out. "Did Seer trip on some traps?" But Huntress shook her head. She had thoroughly instructed Isabell about the traps. Also, Isabell was incredibly lucky. The only way that Isabell activated a trip or rm was if she did that on purpose. "But why would she.." Huntress''s eyes widened. "Is she thinking of using the sentries to corner the other perpetrators?" She grew tense as she realized that this was the most possible answer. "Why is she doing something so dangerous?! That will only make the infiltration longer!" Schwing-! Boom-! Huntress brandished her bastard sword. With a single swing of her sword, a 10 feet deep and 70 feet-long gash appeared on the ground! She ignored the splitting of ground, as if it was somethingmon, and increased the intensity of her next attack. Huntress had been slowly increasing the intensity of attacks to call the sentries out. So far, she had been unsessful, as only a few of them came out. However, she knew that Isabell wasn''t in danger. Besides, Isabell could use her inte to call for help. The only time Isabell wouldn''t be able to call for help will be when she was facing someone so strong, that before she moves her hand to activate the inte, she would already be captured. Huntress was getting worried because of Psychic. "Why isn''t he responding?" Now that there was no device working in Underworld, Psychic was free from obstructions. His job was to maintain a link between every member and he shouldn''t have problems without the obstructions. This way, even if Leon or Isabell couldn''t use their inte due to some reason, Huntress would be able to know about it. The only one who didn''t know about this was Leon. Huntress wanted him to do his best, thinking that there was no backup. But Psychic had gone offline ever since he removed his limiter. Schwing-! ng-! Suddenly, someone blocked her attack. "I didn''t know Miss Huntress would being here herself." An old man with a monocle over one eye and a butler uniform. "Iris'' butler? Why are you alone?" "Mdy is asking you to stop creating a ruckus in her backyard." Huntress'' eyebrows twitched. Iris'' attitude was as shameless as she remembered it to be. "Then ask her toe here and it herself!" Boom-! This time, the butler was forced to dodge, as the strike wasn''t something he could block. Huntress decided to focus on her job. Creating a divergence and stalling for time. Chapter 132 Underwhelming ''Can I run away? If I can stall him and then use a random path I might be able to lose his tail.'' ''But he already knows I''m aiming for the prizes'' "Why aren''t you attacking? I''ve always wanted to see what makes the Irregrs so great." The man spoke to him with his deep voice. I tried to stall him as I attempted toe up with a n. "Why don''t you start with that intimidation skill of yours? You can even use your grimoire." ''Why is he being so confident?'' Though I didn''t refuse and increased the output of the skill. Red hue shrouded the entire corridor and the mages behind him started quivering. The man frowned and looked at his hands. "Your skill amplifies the target fears and projects you as them. Not bad." He was standing unbothered and indifferent. His arched brows were the only sign that he was in difort. Gulp- I unconsciously gulped. I knew that one day I will face people who would be able to stand against [Domination Decree]. But I didn''t think it would happen so early. "Don''t be too shocked kid. Frontlines are a ce that will crush your greatest fears and take its ce, but it will also force you to stand against them daily." The man spoke as if he was talking to a little kid. "Besides, your skill is working." The man swung his fist at the wall. Boom-! The corridor shook. Webbed cracks formed around the fist that was imprinted on the wall. "See, I can only use around 50% of my strength." He rubbed his chin in thought. "Maybe, this is better? It will serve as a handicap." I raised both of my hands. "How about we settle this through negotiations? I can pay you better than what you currently are being paid. Besides haven''t you heard ''Violence is thest refuge of the ipetent''?" "Sorry, kid work ethics." He disappeared and reappeared in front of him. I raised my right arm before his fist hit me. Bang-! I was blown a dozen feet away and crashed into the wall. Opening my eyes, I immediately rolled away. Boom-! The man appeared and punched the wall, missing me by a hair''s breadth. Phhzzt- Three swords materialized in a line to act as a shield. I stopped rolling and stood when his kick suddenly dug into my abdomen! The swords didn''t even stop him for one second! Bang-! My body rolled on the ground a few times beforeing to a stop. (Nathan, use the elixir you are bleeding too much!) ''I don''t think he will let me'' Vrrrooom- My hair floated wildly as I used ether to its limit. [Iridescence] Shadow hands appeared all over the walls and rushed at the man. Utilizing the time brought by my stigma I used my art. Phhhzzzzzt- C..crack- C..crack- Ten cracks appeared all around me along with eight swords that materialized in the air. -Bam! The man jumped in the air while running to avoiding in contact with shadow hands. His figure quickly arrived as he moved forward due to the momentum of his jump. "[Pierce]" The 10 spears and 8 swords increased in size. Swish- Swish- Swish- The shower of weapons akin to a storm flew. The man pulled his arm back and punched with arge swing. "[Power]" Boom-! Arge shockwave erupted in the air that threw the weapons off course. The shockwave canceled his jump, and hended on the ground. "Were these shadow hands only for distraction? Impressive." As he evaluated me, I grabbed a few pieces of rubble and a bunch of things on me. Swosh- Swinging my hand, I threw everything at him. The man only moved his head to dodge the rubble and looked at the cylindrical object mixed in between. "A shbang?" Fwossh- The smoke grenade detonated. ''That was myst grenade. I need to finish this now." Phzzt- I spread the cracks to track the man''s movement and stepped on my sword. Kicking the sword, I pushed my body upwards and climbed higher in the air. "I can''t sense your position. Do you have a skill to hide your presence?" With [Zero] wrapped around my core, I would ''feel'' simr to unawakened humans to others. The higher the rank of an awakener is, the more energy they have to deal with. Due to this, unless they have a high perception, they would have difficulty sensing those with much weaker energy than them. "If I can''t find you, then I''ll have to attack everywhere at once." ''Huh, what is he doing!?'' I sensed that he looked below and raised his arm. "[Power]" Boom-! The corridor shook heavily and debris shot at great speed from the floor. The wind thrashed wildly from the impact. It created a few empty areas that were devoid of any smoke. Unfortunately, I was also in one such area. The man found my position when an open path in the smoke screen opened between us. -Bam! He jumped toward me and again punched. I dissolved the sword beneath me and dropped to the ground. Boom-! The rubble fell, and I had to rush away. I scanned the corridor before the man attacked again. ''Found it.'' -Bam! I kicked the ground and rushed ahead. The man fell back to the ground and dashed towards me. He attacked without a break. Bang-! My back arched in the wrong direction and was sent crashing near the mages. Crashing, I moved swiftly. "Stop!" I shouted, and swords appeared in the air, pointing at the mages. The man stopped a few dozen feet away. My body shook, and I was barely managing to stand. A metallic taste filled my mouth and I could feel something warm flowing down my lips all the way to my chest. However, I looked him in the eyes. "Move and they die." His gaze alternated between me and the mages who couldn''t move because of my skill. He fell deep into thoughts before making a decision. "Do you know? I¨C" He suddenly covered the distance between us. "¨Cdon''t care." Bang-! His fist dug into my stomach. My back collided against the wall, and I spat a mouthful of blood. Like a lifeless doll, my body fell back to the ground. "That was much more underwhelming than I predicted." ---------------------------------- [Ryukurou]: 2/12 missed chapters uploaded. My exams are finishing on Tuesday so expect multiple releases from Wednesday. Also thank you for sticking with TEO even though I barely uploaded it this month(Don''t worry! I''ll upload every chapter I missed!) Chapter 133 Defeat Tap- Tap- The man walked with an unhurried gait. As a high-ranking sentry, he should have been in a hurry to eliminate me and go outside to help. But he knew. I couldn''t fight anymore. Even if I could fight, he just has to defeat me again. Hadn''t he already defeated me without even breaking a sweat? No, was that even a fight? I snickered and shook my head. The pain was allowing me to think clearly a bit too much. "..are youughing?" I raised my head. "Y''k..now" Vrroomm- The air thrashed wildly. Ether exploded outwards in a never seen amount. My lungs were on fire, and my vision blurred. It was like a great force was crushing me to the ground. Nevertheless, I burned everyst drop of ether to stand. "Oho, you can move in that condition?" "I thought of something about you after h..hearing you speak." My chest stung whenever I breathed, and my throat felt constricted. Speaking never was so arduous. But I continued speaking. "D..din''t you say you earned your mental str..ength from the frontlines? But I t..think you were lying." His feet came to a halt. "You ran away from the frontline didn''t y..you? That must be why you h..ave to work as a mere sentry at a s..mall tournament." "You¡­" I gritted as I tried to stand. There was no need for me to stand. I could keepying if I wanted to speak. But I stood up. "The t..thing about your strength being reduced to 50% was also a lie." He red at me in silence. Did he think he could lie me into believeing that an Enma rank could break reinforced walls with only 50% of his strength? His re only made my grin bigger. "Also, you were already here when I was fighting earlier with the sentries. You were gauging my strength to see if you could defeat me before fighting me." "What are you trying to say?" I stood up and pointed at him. "I''m guessing why you are trying to kill me." "Humor me." "You ditched the frontlines after going through the Elves'' and Barbarians'' ambush. You ran away because you were scared." "What happened after that?" He answered back with aposed tone. However, I saw his nails dug into his arms so tightly that he bled. "After you returned to Earth, the memories of that ambush became a trauma for you. Oveing that trauma is the reason behind your high mental strength." "How is that connected to me killing you?" He smiled calmly. But I knew it wasn''t a sincere one. His was a calm before the storm. "To prove yourself. The shame of running away and the envy toward the Irregrs who saved the Earth from a greater disaster at the same time." I smiled back. "You want to prove yourself by defeating an Irregr. To prove that you weren''t wrong. And defeating me, a weak Irregr, will do that. A twisted sense of reasoning, if I may add." p- p- "Bloody fucking correct!" The man apuded. He dropped his act and revealed his true self. "Everything you spoke was on point. There was just one mistake. The reason I didn''t bring anyone with me wasn''t that I wanted to prove myself but because I will get more rewards this way." Cough- Cough- Suppressing my coughs, I opened my thumb. "But you only attacked me because I was weak, isn''t that?" He looked at my hand, specifically, at my finger gun, as he nodded. "Correct. As a prize, I will make your death as painful as possible." He grabbed my head and raised me into the air. True to his words he slowly increased the strength behind his grip, trying to kill me by squashing my head. However, I didn''t cry in pain or beg for my life. "Why are youughing?" "You see, there are no weak Irregrs. Bang." Producing a sound, I made a motion of firing a gun with my finger. He immediately twisted his neck to get away from the path of my finger. However, nothing happened. No bullet flew out of my finger. "You and your tricks to the en-" Pop-! The man was shouting when he realized I was ying mind games with him, however, his head suddenly exploded. His grip lost strength, and I fell back to the ground. Some white liquid sshed onto me. I could see the pieces of his cerebral vortex all over the ce as his body fell. Yet I didn''t avert my eyes. I watched everything without looking away. This was the consequence of my choices. It was my job to see this to the end. Thud-! The headless body fell to its knees, marking the end of his life. -Gruu! The baby golem jumped down from his back and rushed at me. -Grruuu! It leaped into my chest, nearly knocking the air out of me, and cried heavily. I stroked its small body. "Don''t cry, I''m fine." However, the baby golem wasn''t having it. -Gruu It kept crying, and I plopped to the ground with my back against the wall. At the same time, Eth began shouting. (Use the elixir!) ''No, I can still fight in this condition. I only need to rest for a few minutes.'' (You have broken ribs and other simple fractures in your forearms! You might even have ruptured an organ! Use the elixir!) ''Eth, calm down. You are overreacting.'' (¡­I''m overreacting?) ''I''m already having difficulty fighting in close quarters due to my left arm. It will be better if I fight from long range with my art. In that case, a few broken bones wouldn''t hinder me.'' Eth stopped speaking. Was he convinced? Pain can make it difficult to use techniques or arts as it disrupts your concentration. But strictly speaking, the pain wasn''t to the point it was hindering me. Besides, as I won''t be fighting in close quarters, I can focus more on my art, which in turn will increase the constructing speed. -Grrruuu Stroking the crying baby golem, I decided to rest for a few minutes before moving. Since that Enma-rank man didn''t bring more reinforcements, it was safe to say that this was the final battle for today. With my back against the wall and one arm stroking the baby golem, I used my free arm to put pressure on the wound I got from the Lvl.15 warrior. I gritted my teeth and tore my robe. Using that piece of cloth, I roughly patched the wound to stop the bleeding. Even if I could grit my teeth through the pain, I was no longer in the memory world. My injuries won''t heal by themselves and I could die from blood loss. To distract myself, I thought back to the earlier fight. Back when I used the smoke grenade, rubbles weren''t the only thing I threw. I also threw the baby golem. Rather than using rubble to hide the smoke grenade, my aim was to use the smoke grenade to hide the baby golem. At first nce, the baby golem''s body appeared to be made of stones. This made it easier for it to be disguised as rubble. From there, I only acted to stall the man. To allow the baby golem to sneak up on him. "Haaa¡­" Puchi-! Puchi-! Puchi-! Covering the baby golem, I killed the three mages who were convulsing due to [Domination Decree]. Standing up, I brought the baby golem to my eye level and dragged my feet toward the prize room. "Why did you kill him? I think you agreed that if I call for your help, you will only hit someone hard enough to, at most, knock them out." -Gruu¡­ "Even if he was strong, as long as you distracted him for a few seconds, I could have killed him myself." -¡­. The baby golem looked down. I unconsciously bit my lips. "Please¡­ you don''t need to taint your hands just for me." I don''t care what I have to do myself. It''s my selfishness that I kill without remorse. I knew it was hypocritical, but¡­ "You are only a child." I didn''t want to taint the small hands that looked at me as its parent. As I hugged the baby golem, I felt relief wash over me. That I had someone who cared for me. That I wasn''t yet abandoned. Chapter 134 We [1] I hurried to the prize room. The shockwavesing from outside had gotten a lot more disorganized. Was Huntress fighting Sword Maiden? I did not know the power level of Huntress. Even if she was strong could she hold back Sword Maiden and her two aides alone? Sword Maiden is an Irregr. Although her powers have yet to bloom at this point in story, she should already be crazy strong. But thinking more, I realized I could do nothing about it. I could only leave it up to Huntress to hold everyone back. By the time I came out of my thoughts, I reached my destination. I pulled the security ess card that I took from the Enma-rank man''s corpse and tried to see if the door was working. "As I thought I have to destroy the door to enter." The security functions were down thanks to the loss of power supply. This locked the door forever. The problem was, as an Iota-rank awakener, I was too weak to break this door. I doubt even that security captain could put a dent in it. But I wasn''tpletely helpless. I was aware of the possibility of such a thing happening and prepared for it. I brought out the rope from my ring and tied it around my waist. Then I passed its free end to the baby golem. "Can you pull me back when I give you the signal?" -Gru The baby agreed happily. I ced both of my arms on the door and concentrated. As I was about to begin, I felt the smug stare of baby golem on me. I looked back. -Gru? "¡­Nothing, just wanted to see if you were ready." -Gruuu ¨CGru My lips twitched at its remark, but I tried to ignore them. -Gruuuuu ¨CGruuu ¨CGru But I finally couldn''t ignore his constant smug tone. "I did not cry! It was only you who was crying!" I agree that I lost control of my emotions a bit back then, but I sure didn''t cry! The baby golem exaggeratedly sighed and spoke. -Gruuu ¨CGruu "What do you mean by you understand? No, it''s not okay! I did not cry!" No matter what I said, the baby golem continued its act of superiority. I took a few deep breaths to calm down, and an idea popped into my mind. An evil smirk fell onto my face as I thought of how to get back at it. "I thought of the perfect name for you. Since you always cry how about ''Crybaby''? Doesn''t it ¨C" -Bang! A piece of rubble flew a few inches away from my head at high speed and crashed into the door behind me. I looked back and then ahead. -Gru? The baby golem was already holding another piece of rubble. "Hahaha¡­it was a joke, a joke. Let''s get out of here quickly and give you a beautiful name." ''I think I shouldn''t joke around with its name.'' I felt a cold sweat running down my back as I saw the debris baby golem threw, broken into fragments from the impact. Laughing, I tried to ignore the cold stareing from the baby golem. I secretly smiled and got back to my work. cing my palms of the hand on the door, I readjusted my breathing. What I was going to attempt to break the door was easy, but not easy at the same time. I channeled both Nether and Ether and fused them into the door. As the two energies seeped into the metal, I began the fusion. It only took me a few seconds to form perfect [Zero]. However, this wasn''t my goal. Slowly, I made sure it retains the property of [Zero] while destabilizing it. A few minutes passed, but I was still in the process of making the perfect ratio to melt the door. A thin line of sweat formed on my forehead, and I was reminded of the time when I only focused on manipting and learning about these energies. Destabilizing it wasn''t very hard. It was even easier than havingher and ether produce an explosion. The issue was the fact that only a poorly stabilized [Zero] contains the property of corrosion. It works like acid and immediately corrodes anything thates in contact. The rate of corrosion is faster than what Nether can achieve individually. However, it also res up when it is produced. The destabilized [Zero] might stter on me. I was creating it inside the metal door so that the explosion only melts the door and doesn''t reach me. Giving the baby golem the rope was a precaution in case I messed up and the power of the outburst was higher than anticipated. I didn''t let my focus waver as I continued. I didn''t want to experience being dozed in a pool of acid again. Sizzzle- The metal door started melting. The hole slowly opened in the door. The molten metal slid down due to gravity and the speed of corrosion increased. I was about to pull my hand back when the bubbles formed in the molten metal suddenly burst. It happened so abruptly that I wasn''t able to react. Fortunately, the baby golem reacted when it heard the sound of bubbles popping and pulled me back. -Bang! My body crashed into the wall. The baby golem had pulled with too much force. My body screamed in pain from the impact. My bones were creaking with every movement, but it was better than having my skin melt and my organs spill out. I patted the baby golem and calmed it down. This wasn''t the baby golem''s fault, but mine. I had noticed the bubbleste. If the baby golem hadn''t pulled so strongly, I might have gotten into danger. If it was a momentter, then the destabilized [Zero] would havended on me. Watching how it was crying because it crashed me into the wall, I sighed. It was acting like this and then it would throw rocks at me for calling it a crybaby. The door kept melting as the destabilized [Zero] ate its surface. It took a few more minutes, but the corrosion died down. I stepped inside the room through the hole that was half my height and twice my width. Even if it was small, I couldn''tin. Controlling the output of destabilized [Zero] was even harder than perfect [Zero] and the risks it carried were even bigger. The room was empty save for the altar at the center. There was an enormous magic circle carved on the floor, which was presumably thest security measure to protect the prizes. However, it wasn''t excluding any light. It wasn''t working. "Thank you, Goliath Unit. I couldn''t have done it without your cooperation!" I was even more excited when I saw that all three prizes were still in the room. "Where did she even go? She activated some traps and went somewhere else?" It wasn''t impossible. Isabell was clumsy and as she had to go through rooms and not the passage to reach here, she might be having a hard time navigating through an unfamiliar route. "Let''s not think about that." I hurried to the tform and saw all three prizes. A scroll at the center, a purple vial, and an oval-shaped ck orb. "This orb must be the reason behind the Goliath Units intervention." The skill wasn''t very important. They wouldn''t know about the recipe for Resurrection Elixir, so going by process of elimination, this orb must be their goal. As I thought about the orb, my hands kept moving. I picked the skill scroll. The skill was [Unique] rank. It could earn me a hefty sum if I sold it. However, money wasn''t the immediate problem for me, as much as was myck of powerful moves. If this skill worked in tandem with my art, then I would have a lot more freedom. The skill scroll shined for a moment before dissolving in the air. [You have learned [Multiply [Unique]] ====== [Multiply[Unique]] - Increases the number of your attacks by 5 times. Doesn''t work with physical attacks. - Energy cost for the extra attacks is reduced by 50%. Cooldown ¨C 5 minutes ====== I read the skill description. "Doesn''t work with physical attacks? My weapons are made with ether so it should work with my art." My cheeks rxed, and I couldn''t help but feel excited. It works! It works with my art! I was about to pick up the purple vial containing ''Mermaids Tears'' when I felt something cold touch the back of my head. "How are you here? Since I triggered rms, the guards should have known about intruders and ambushed you. How did you reach here before me?" Standing behind me was Isabell, with her sniper pointed at my head. Chapter 135 We [2] "Are you going to speak or should I blow your hea-It''s you!" Isabell shouted in disbelief when she finally saw me. It muste havee to her as a shock that ''Mr. Pepe'' was also an intruder. However, she quickly regained herposure. "Raise your hands and don''t move." I did as I was asked while secretly using my art. From the corner of my eyes, I saw her cing a small bluish metal te over the ck orb. The metal te shone brightly for a second and started expanding. Small metallic pieces appeared from inside it incasing the ck orb. Isabell picked up the orb and ced it inside the satchel she was carrying. She pressed the inte over her right ear. "I''ve secured the item. Also, I''ve caught the other intruder. How should I proceed?" I still couldn''t believe how lucky she was. If I take into ount what she said earlier, the rms were purposely triggered by her. However, since barely any devices are working right now, she must have wasted a lot of time to find them. The time it took her to return, from god knows where she went, I was looting the ce and she caught me red-handed. "The intruder is¡­Mr Pepe." Time was running out but with a gun pointed at my head, I had to move carefully. And I had to move fast. "He is injured severely. I don''t think I would have problems capturing him." C..rk- C..crack- Five cracks appeared behind Isabell, each with a spear inside it. "What are you doing?" I slowly turned around with my hands still raised. "Trying to negotiate." Isabell was wearing a ck full-body suit. The suit stuck to her figure enting her curves. ''Are those magic circles?'' An intricate design of looped magic circles was carved densely on her suit. I could only marvel at the knowledge of its creator. This suit was a cumtion of magic technology. Magic technology, thebination of magic and technology, the only weapon which humanity weilded better than anyone. After giving Isabell a full minute to digest what was happening, I again spoke. "I don''t want the ''item''. My goal here is something else. There is no need for us to fight." "And that is?" "I can''t tell you that." Isabell contemted, probably waiting for Huntress'' instruction. The only reason I spoke so confidently was because, after picking the ck orb Isabell didn''t even look at the ''Mermaid''s Tears'' or question about the missing skill scroll. She wasn''t even considering the fact that I was here for ''Mermaid''s Tears''. Truly, one man''s trash is a treasure to another. "I don''t think you have a choice. You are in critical condition while I''m in perfect condition. You have no chance of winning if we fought." I walked toward the altar with a calm gait. Even if she didn''t know she might take the ''Mermaid''s Tears'' if she got suspicious. I could not allow that. Absolutely not. Reaching the altar I leaned on it. However, I did not take the blue vial. The tension between Isabell and me was taut. One sudden move and a fight might erupt. "But can you guarantee that you wille out unscathed?" I picked the purple vial and yed with it. If I wanted to steal it before her eyes it has to appear ''natural''. Even though she was wearing the headgear I knew she was looking at the vial in my hand. To distract her I threw the security ess card of the Enma-rank man in front of her. "It''s from someone I met along the way." She picked it up. She was going through the card when her body suddenly trembled. The card had the man''s identity and rank on it. She got a lot more vignt knowing I defeated an Enma-rank. However, that wasn''t my goal. The moment she trembled due to the revtion I quickly stored the vial in my storage ring. Then slowly, without any sudden movements, I ced the hand behind my back and used it to lean on the altar. "Why are you showing me this?" "I only want you to understand that I do not want to fight. However, if you still want to have a go then I won''t refuse." Isabell raised her hand to use the inte and contact Huntress. But my weapons inched closer to her and stopped her before she could use it. "Uh-huh. It''s rude to a third person when someone is speaking to you." From her tense shoulders and tight grip over the sniper, I knew that she was thinking hard about her next actions. However, I could not have her contact Huntress. There was a possibility that Huntress after knowing that I could defeat an Enma-rank might think Isabell was in danger ande to her rescue. Isabell took a good minute beforeing to a decision. "Okay, there''s no need to engage in a needless fight. I need to get out of her quickly too." "See that wasn''t hard, was it?" Watching Isabell lower her hands a small sigh escaped my lips. I had zero confidence in winning against her. ZERO. In the novel, many-a-times her opponent slipped and bashed their heads, killing themselves. Or someone came to her rescue. Or, some other lucky coincidence happened and saved her. Isabell had the ultimate plot armor, luck, on her side. Besides, fighting her I might have to go all out and it would be a pointless waste of Ether. "I''ll be leaving then." I kept my eyes on eyes on Isabell and slowly walked towards the door. ''Let''s get out of here. I''ve already defeated all the sentries inside the building so there shouldn''t be any more problemsing up.'' Isabell also kept her eyes on me and waited for me to leave. I guess she didn''t want me to see her suit''s abilities. I was about to reach the door when I sensed someone on the other side. The next moment there was a sudden spike of energy outside. Schwing-!!! Hundreds of red lines appeared on the door. In the next second, the door burst into thousands of pieces, and debris shot out. Boom-! Dust covered the entire room. I was crouching behind the altar along with Isabell. Both of us rushed to hide behind it when we felt the spike in the energy. Tap- Tap- ''From the footsteps, there are two people'' I signaled to Isabell. The neers broke the door, that even destabilized [Zero] couldn''t damage easily, in one move. It said a lot about their strength. Isabell nodded. This was no longer the time to fight. The only one who will appear here beside us would be on Underworld''s side. Both of us were thieves. We had to cooperate or get taken out individually. She was about to use the inte when the sword again whistled. Schwing-! A horizontal red line appeared on the altar. Suddenly, the portion of the altar above the red line slid away and fell to the side. Tap- Tap- "You are not part of the Goliaths. Why are you working with her?" Ba..dump- Ba..dump- My heartbeat sped up when I recognized the voice. Finally, the dust settled and revealed the neers. "Is it that shocking that I came here?" Why is she here? ''Why Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?'' No, they only look alike. ''No, it''s not her. It''s not her. It''s not her. It''s not her. It''s not her. It''s not her. It''s not her. It''s not her.'' I need to calm down and escape. ''I need to escape. I need to escape. I need to escape. I need to escape. I need to escape. I need to escape.'' My head was drowned in a jarring cacophony. Thousands of voices were speaking to me. Each having their own opinion. Everything felt like a blur to me. Was Iris talking to me? Why is everyone looking at me like that? Eth, are you trying to say something? I need to escape I can''t waste my time. But why are Iris and her aide here? Shouldn''t they be fighting Huntress? Should I talk to Iris? Why does she resemble Lily? Will she know the answer? What should I do? Isabell, why are you shaking me? Ah, you are speaking? "Hey, what happnnnneeeeeee..." Her voice suddenly stretched and her movements slowed. ''No, it''s just not her.'' Iris and the woman behind her were also moving slowly. I could see Iris blinking in slow motion. ''What is happening? No¡­'' I realized one more fact. ''I''m okay?'' I was looking straight at Iris. I knew whom she resembled but this time my emotions were a lot calmer. My head felt clear. Almost as if I had two heads to make use of. Chapter 136 We [3] The world returned to its normal state. "¡­to you?" I looked at Isabell then back at Iris. She was frowning as she looked at me. My brain quickly assessed the situation. ''Iris and that woman did not go to Huntress. Were they aware that someone was going toe here?'' ''I need to escape'' It was strange how Iris felt familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. One part of me recognized her while the other didn''t. ''Resonance'' ''Eth, are you there?'' No reply came. Despite the strange situation I only felt an overwhelming desire to escape. "I didn''t expect you toe here, Iris." I raised both my hands. I immediately gave up the idea of using force to escape. A high ranker can kill me dozens of times even before I knew, and the one standing against me was a monster even among them. This was not a fight I could win. Nevertheless, losing was not an option. "I don''t think I gave you permission to call me by my name." When Iris entered there was a smirk on her face as if she had won. Yet, now she was frowning while looking at me. Her strange behavior was unexinable. At the same time, I was looking at Isabell from the corner of my eye. She was the only one who could save us from this situation. The only chance we had was Huntress. However, Isabell could not use the inte in front of them. There was no way to call for help without alerting them. "Would you mind telling me what are you doing here, Mr. Pepe?" "I didn''t know where to go in this darkness. Before I knew it I was here." Iris was releasing her pressure. It slowly wrapped around us, constricting our movement. In a few seconds, Isabell and I will be rendered immobile. Then even if Isabell wanted she wouldn''t be able to call for help. A dangerous n started appearing in my head. It was a gamble but I knew that it was my only chance. "What about the dead guards on the way here?" "They attacked me first." The pressure suddenly increased by many folds. My knees almost gave out. This was myst chance. "Are you a pathological liar? I''ll ask onest time what are you doing here?" "¡­I guess I can''t lie." Fwosh- I turned toward Isabell who was only at an arm''s length from me. Grabbing her hand I pulled at her. When her bnce was in disarray, I swept my leg below her feet causing her to trip. She fell quickly. I moved to her back and grabbing her other hand I twisted it behind her back. Bam- Isabell fell onto the cold hard floor with me pinning her to the ground. My sudden actions made Iris raise her eyebrows in surprise. "What are you doing?" "What I came to do here¡­." I looked straight into Iris'' eyes. "Catching the ones responsible for stealing ''item''." Isabell growled at my response. "Y-You! When you said that you didn''t want the item but something else, you meant this?! Is that why you came here?!" ? She tried to shake me off but I was using my body weight to keep her pinned down, making her efforts useless. Iris'' gaze alternated between me and Isabell. With one hand I was pinning Isabell''s arm behind her back. My other hand was near her right ear as and I was pressing her head against the ground. ''Please, don''t use biometrics to work.'' Secretly, I pressed the inte in Isabell''s right ear. Praying that the inte could be used by anyone and Huntress could hear me now, I spoke in a loud and clear voice. "I knew about the raid that the Goliaths were going to do today. This was the reason I came here. To stop them and help you, the Sword Maiden. This is why I caught Seer." Isabell understood what I was trying to do. She started using less strength to shake me off, just enough to make it look like she was trying. I was about to speak again when Iris cut me off. "Haaa¡­stop it. I don''t want to hear whatever crap you are going toe up with." She pointed to the woman behind her with her thumb. "Her stigma allows her to detect lies." That was all she said but it was enough to thwart my entire n. ''Dammit, I wanted to say that my goal was to establish an amicable rtionship with Sword Maiden by helping her catch the intruders.'' Swoosh- Iris disappeared and instantly appeared in front of me. A droplet of blood slid down my throat onto the de that was pressed against my neck. "How about we start with the introductions again?" I nodded. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! ''I don''t even know if the inte was activated and now the only way I came up with to stall time was busted!'' I had no other choice but to obey her. "First of all, how about your name Mr. 5th Irregr?" ''Why is she asking for my name? Can she find my real identity with it?'' I was looking for a way out when my eyesnded on the woman who came with Iris. Something about the fact that the woman was hiding her face bugged me. ''Is she ''Mordred''? The only Seat that didn''t show up in the novel?'' It was said that she died on a mission while Leon was in his 2nd year. It was after her death that Iris became a proper viin and Round Table truly became a Dark guild. However, she felt ¡­familiar. Purple hair,zy attitude, katana, the stigma to detect lies, and dies next year. I knew a person with all these qualities. That person was teaching in Ward. Also, the only thing I knew about her from the novel was that she was in Ward on behalf of someone unknown. ''Mia.'' Mia was going to die on a mission issued to her by Ward and Aegis. ''Is that woman Mia?'' Gulp- Iris increased the force behind her de. "I don''t like to ask twice." ''Fuck! If she is Mia then I''m busted the moment she hears my name!'' Mia knew about the ''stigma'' I was using in Ward. Moreover, when I first interacted with Mia, I essentially dered that I could surpass Susan by next year. At that time she dismissed my im as rambling from a crazy person. Or so I believed. ''Is that why Iris only asked for my real name when we first met?'' I felt a chill crawl up to my spine. This whole time I was only inches away from having my identity busted. Gulp- "My name is Nathan¡­" ''It''s all or nothing.'' "¡­Nathan Meights." Iris turned towards Mia. "He is saying the truth." It was only for a moment but I saw Iris having a confused expression. That definitely meant that they were suspicious of my real identity An inaudible sigh escaped my lips. I wasn''t 100% sure that my name from my previous life would work. But it worked. "Remove your mask. We are going to have the face reveal next." Just as I was sighing in relief Iris released the next set ofmandments. Chapter 137 Worst-Case Scenario [1] I didn''t move. Isabell kept struggling under me. Yet Iris was looking only at me. Schwing-! tter- The two halves of my mask fell onto the ground with a light tter. "If you are trying to get on my nerves, then you are doing a very good job." Iris who saw my face spoke with a hint of annoyance. Due to [Domination Decree] my face was unrecognizable. Of course, the intimidation effect must be working on her too but the gap between our ranks was too big for any effect. "Stop hiding your face." She pressed her sword against my neck. Splosh- Splosh- Droplets of my blood fell onto the ground. Isabell who I had pinned suddenly jerked with a powerful force, strong enough to throw me off her. I was thrown a few feet away. Isabell, who was now free, spoke in a surprised tone. "H-how? I don''t think I used that much strength?" ''Of course, you didn''t. It was me who loosened my grip.'' Using the timing when she would use a somewhat powerful force, I loosened my grip, enough for her to throw me off. ''Please don''te after me. Interrogate her, who hase to take the item!'' Tap- Tap- As if to pour cold water on my hope, Iris ignored Isabell and strode toward me. ''What should I do?'' I can''t get caught. Even if Iris was crazy, she should hesitate a bit before killing me, an Irregr with unknown origin. Originally, my n was to get caught if escape became too difficult. As long as I consumed ''Mermaid''s Tears'', using a special method, I couldter take it out to use for Resurrection Elixir. The slip I had given Miller had instructions on what to do in case I got caught. It was to get in contact with Urek, the leader of Illis, and ask for help. The oue would have been a lot unpleasant but not a worst-case scenario, like being caught by Iris. ''Iris is suspicious about my identity. If I get caught, they will have numerous ways to confirm my identity even if I hid my face.'' I couldn''t meet Headmaster, and now there was no point in asking Urek for help. Way to have my backup ns thrashed. "You know I think¡­" Iris looked to the side. "tsk, we gotpany." She kicked my chest, and I flew into the wall. Just when I was confused by her actions, a loud st transpired. Boooom-! The room was cleaved into half¡­ along with the entire stadium. Tap- "I didn''t know you enjoyed bullying kids." I felt relief wash over me when I recognized the voice. Huntress was here. I was safe¡­. ''Fuck! She will also attack me, won''t she?'' Before the dust settled and I became her target too, I dashed towards Isabell who was still disoriented from the earlier shock. She was coughing badly as she was also blown to the wall by the shockwaves. Huntress must have been in a hurry if she used just a rough method of entry. A shortsword appeared in my hand and I ced it over Isabell''s neck. ''Sorry, but please bear with it.'' "Huntress block Sword Maiden or I''ll kill Seer!" My voice traveled through the thick dust and alerted everyone. Swosh- Swosh- ng-!! A loud shockwave exploded that almost blew me and Isabell away. "You have the guts to ckmail me?" With her back toward me, Huntress was blocking Iris with her bastard sword. ''Iris must have known that Huntress will help me, so she tried to move earlier'' I felt my stomach churn. Earlier, Iris kicked with just enough strength to knock me out without killing me. Fortunately, the [Absolute Evil] reduced the damage, and I didn''t lose consciousness. "Just do as I say, and I won''t harm her." I pressed the de on Isabell''s neck. Mia was not moving, and Iris was being blocked. I moved with haste. "Wasn''t Albert supposed to hold you back? Where is he?" "Did you actually think he could hold me back?" Sparks flew into the air as they remained in a stalemate. "Come with me." I dragged Isabell with me toward the opening in the wall that Huntress had created. This was the quickest way to escape. Gulp- My body shivered when Iid my eyes on the destruction Huntress had caused. The earth was split in two and I couldn''t even see its depth. She had carved a deep trench into the Earth. This was the power of Huntress, Vice Caption of Goliaths. Swosh- I jumped with Isabell. Using my weapons as footholds, I quickly moved toward the ground. "Don''t move or you''ll fall to your death!" "Then I''ll take you with me!" We almost entered into a scuffle midair as Isabell tried to get away from me. ''Just a bit more and I''ll be out of here'' Thud-! Both of usnded on the ground. "Fool" I was about to move toward the escape portal when a soft voice entered my ears. "Huh, Sword Mai-!" Bam-!!! Heavy pressure descended on me. Like an insect, I was crushed to the ground. Air escaped my lungs and I could tell that I was being crushed alive. Blood poured down from my ears, eyes, and mouth like a waterfall. Tap- Tap- Tap- "tsk tsk, why do think I left Seer alone? She is quite protective when ites to Seer." Iris sneered at me. I moved my eyes and saw Isabell perfectly fine beside me. Only then did I understand. If Huntress and Iris fought in that closed area, Isabell would have definitely gotten hurt. Huntress used me to bring the fight outside. She allowed me to escape. "You shouldn''t over-reach your boundaries." Huntress'' gaze bore down on me. Cracks formed on the ground as sheced her energy into her rank pressure. I felt death reaching me when I looked into her eyes. She was serious. She didn''t care if I was an Irregr, she was going to kill me. I used [Domination Decree] to the maximum. A red hue shrouded my body and attempted to fight against her. However, it was breached. It didn''t even take Huntress one second to suppress my pressure. "Well, that''s enough." A different pressure descended into the arena. Air started howling as two opposite pressures started shing against each other. The deathing for me took a step back. "What are you stopping me?" Iris answered back in a light tone. "Shouldn''t I be the one asking that? I''m the one who is supposed to kill others while you should be stopping me from killing a new Irregr." ''It''s ¡­not ¡­enough...'' Blood flowed from my body and seeped into the cracks in the ground. I couldn''t speak or move. My limbs started convulsing and my consciousness was escaping from me. I was beginning to lose my grasp on reality. ''It''s ..not enough...'' My ears drums burst and it felt as if my eyes were about to burst. Iris was trying to save me from Huntress, but that was just another hell waiting for me. This was the worst-case scenario. Closing my eyes, I resolved myself. ''It''s not enough...'' [Synchronization] "..to make me give up." Ding- [Rank: Meta --> Iota] The air around me rushed towards me and wrapped me in its gentle embrace. I felt a rush of unending energy rampaging through my body. Ding- [Stats will be temporarily readjusted] [Strength ¨C 14 --> 50(locked)] [Agility ¨C 30 --> 50(locked)] [Stamina ¨C 20 --> 50(locked)] [Constitution ¨C 25 --> 50(locked)] [Ether ¨C 32 --> ???] [Intelligence ¨C 25 --> 50(locked)] My muscles tightened, my vision improved, and I could again breathe. I felt power coursing through my veins. Ding- [Temporarily raising every skills rank by one] [Pierce[Common] --> Pierce[Rare]] [Golden turtle[Unique] --> Golden turtle[Epic]] [Appraisal[Legendary] --> ???] [Multiply[Unique] --> Multiply[Epic]] [Domination Decree Lvl.2 --> Domination Decree Lvl.3] [Absolute Evil Lvl.1 --> Absolute Evil Lvl.2] A deep crimson hue rose from me. It rushed outwards, seemingly endless, and mmed into everyone. I felt the pressure easing on my body, and I tried to stand. My knees quivered as I tried to stand against the pressure of a Hatamoto-rank. My bones stretched. My arms turned into lead and threatened to fall against the monstrous pressure. Blood flowed down my body as if a dam had burst. And finally¡­ Ding- [Temporarily aiding to increase user''s art mastery] [Armory of Eridu[Legacy](Proficient) --> Armory of Eridu[Legacy](Intermediate)] I stood up. Chapter 138 Worst-Case Scenario [2] "..to make me give up." Huntress and Iris turned to the source of the voice. There they saw Nathan, forcing his body to stand against everything. His arms were iling as if had no strength to control them, his body was shaking from the burden ced over it, they could hear the snapping of his bones, yet his golden eyes shone brightly to show their defiance. Like a tsunami, a red hue emerged from Nathan and collided with them. At the same time, the air sparkled with a golden hue and circled him. Their eyes widened when they sensed his current rank. Huntress and Iris nodded to each other and faced Nathan. He had only reached Enma-rank, possibly using some kind of forbidden skill, they could face a hundred of Enma-rank without breaking a sweat, but something about Nathan was different. The way golden air sparkled around him or the way his pressure suddenly intensified by hundredfolds, it felt ¡­ominous. Nathan raised his arm. He didn''t have much time. Second Technique: Spatial Maniption ¨C Space Rupture Ccrraaack- Ten cracks, each having a different weapon, appeared in the sky. It wasn''t anything grand or mystifying. Everyone sighed audibly and felt they had misjudged the struggle of a corned rat when¨C "[Multiply]" ¨Cthe sparkling air around Nathan rushed into the sky. Suddenly, the sky was filled with 300 weapons, all pointing to the ground. Nathan coughed blood as he lost arge chunk of Ether in one go. However, he stood his ground. ''Not yet ¡­this isn''t enough.'' His body was breaking from handling power beyond itself. Yet he didn''t stop. He raised his other hand. Third Technique: Folding Vroooom- The hundreds of weapons buzzed, Ether wrapped around them inyers andyers, until only arge golden ever-changing mass shone in the air. Huntress, Iris, Mia, and Isabell, everyone found the source of trepidation they felt earlier. The golden air around Nathan was condensed Aether. The giant gtinous mass was like a sun shining over the earth, brightening the entire Underworld. Two thick streams of blood flowed down Nathan''s eyes. He clenched his jaw andpleted the third technique. Shiing- A spear appeared as the giant mass condensed. The spear was simrly golden andrge enough that it touched the top of Underworld with its base. Without waiting a moment, Nathan brought the gigantic spear down. Woooshh- The residents of Underworld looked at the gigantic spear in horror. No matter where they were, everyone could sense the condensed energy inside the spear. That attack had far surpassed the realm of Enma-rank. Tap- Tap- Mia walked to the center of the arena, to the area where the spearhead would firstnd. The spear quickly covered distance. Iris looked at the bleeding Nathan, who was trying to maintain the attack. "Do you know why we didn''t act until now? That is because¡­" Mia bent her knees and took the stance, cing her hand on the scabbard of the katana, she audibly breathed and- Click-! -the giant spear was bisected along its shaft. "It''s more fun this way." The spear shattered into millions of pieces and scattered, creating an ethereal scene where a curtain of stars fell to earth. The curtain was thick and bright, enough that it temporarily blindly everyone. Huntress denied Iris. She had finally calmed down. "Speak for yourself. We wanted to collect data on him, in case he really is an Irregr. Though, I think there''s no doubt anymore, rather¡­" Huntress turned to where she could sense Nathan. He was still standing with his arms raised in the air. "He might surpass his predecessors." The condensed Ether had almost returned to the air, clearing their view. "I-s t..hat so?" Suddenly, a voice answered them. One they didn''t expect. The remnants of the spearpletely died down and exposed Nathan. "¡­What is that?" A giant reddish orb was resting over his hands. They grew restless as they realized they didn''t sense Nathan preparing for another attack. The orb was bigger than three floors, yet none of them had sensed it. "Stop him!" They moved- Swooossh- -however, it was toote. The orb copsed in itself until it was norger than a nail, red and ck tendrils ran all over its surface, then it expanded. Everything happened so fast that no one could react on time. Reddish ck waves passed through everyone and reached the edge of the stadium. "Huff¡­huff¡­" Nathan was breathing loudly. His robe felt heavier than himself after absorbing all his blood, ck smoke rose from his left arm and he felt exhausted. He had used his entire Nether and the Ether that came with [Synchronization] for hisst two attacks. Huntress, Iris, Mia, and Isabell, all four looked at their bodies. They didn''t see any injury on themselves and for a movement believed thest attack to be a dud. It wasn''t a surprise that Nathan failed due to his injured and exhausted body. However, their faces paled in the next second. They couldn''t use their energies. The sudden loss of energy hit them too hard, and they were disoriented. C..crack- Between their shock and bafflement, Nathan brought out five more weapons into the sky. Third Technique: Folding Ether thickly covered the weapons, until they could no longer be seen, then the mass shrank and what appeared was a beautiful 50 feet big spear. The spear moved ording to Nathan''s instruction and aimed at a far distance, as far as possible from the stadium. C..crack- C..crack- C..crack- Weapons appeared out of the air. Using them as footholds, he ran toward the spear. Amid his climb, he looked below. His vision was painted red from blood and he could hardly see anything. However, with the rank increase in [Appraisal], he could see their cores. ''10 seconds.'' Hended on the spear and grabbed hold of it tightly. Finally, he fired the spear. Boom-! The shockwaves created by its speed destroyed everything in its path and it only kept speeding up. "¡­He escaped?" Isabell was left stunned. "Not yet." Iris grabbed Isabell by her cor while Huntress was having trouble standing straight. "You!" "Let''s chit-chat after we catch him. We can''t let an Irregr who fought against Umbra and Aegis alone escape." Iris passed Isabell to Mia. Isabell was a hostage to stop Huntress from escaping, while Iris was catching Nathan. Huntress bit her lips because she knew Iris was right. The spear, although powerful, could be brushed off as him being Irregr, but hisst attack couldn''t. Even the anti-field attacks only existed for mana. They were no all-energy anti-field attacks. This was also mentioned in the records found in the ruins. If he escaped, there was no guarantee when he will reappear. He was strong enough to harm them now. But they didn''t know what heights he would reach in the future, they couldn''t guarantee they could stop him if they fought against him again in the future. He had to be caught or eliminated, and it had to be done this time. Huntress decided that dealing with him was more important than securing the item. Exactly 10 secondster, they regained control. Iris grabbed an invisible sword. Air wrapped around her and lifted her in the air. "Don''t fall behind." Whoosh- Iris and Mia, along with Isabell, zoomed into the distance. Huntress crouched and tensed her calves. Sensing the trail of energy left by Nathan''s spear, she adjusted her direction and released the tension in a short burst. Boom-! Chapter 139 Worst-Case Scenario [3] Whoosh- Something flew out of the arena and went in direction of the spear. Boom-! Shortly, there was another explosion and I saw a small dot moving in the air. ''They took the bait.'' Supplying Ether to my gloves I remained glued to the outer wall of a shop beside the stadium. ''I think I broke my left arm in that jump.'' The moment the spear was no longer in their field of vision, I had jumped down from the spear. Thud-! I stop using Ether and my body crashed to the ground. A groan escaped my lips as I fell from the second floor without a propernding. ''I need to move. It won''t take them long to realize that the spear was only to bait them.'' It should take them a few minutes to find my position after catching up to the spear, but that wasn''t much. ''Fuck'' My head felt like it was being poked by thousands of needles, moving made me think that I had wet sandbags in ce of limbs. My eyes were barely working and I couldn''t even see my feet. Blood covered my eyes and red color dominated my vision. ''Eth, are you there?'' [Synchronization] had ended I had to move before its bacsh came. -Gru! "St..tay inside" I pushed back the ball of stone that had been trying to get out since the beginning. ''Eth'' (Y-yes?) (Wait, what happened!?) (You look like you already have half a step into the grave!) Finally, Eth responded. ''I''ll have both steps into the grave if you don''t help me.'' ''I can''t see. Tell me the path to the portal beneath the stadium.'' From there Eth dictated where I had to go and I ran. I tripped, hit against the wall, hurt myself, but I didn''t stop. I didn''t even know when I was going to lose consciousness, I had no time to rest. ''10 seconds'' I used everyst drop of that seemingly endless ether andher and that only bought me 10 seconds. The amount of Nether and Ether in my body increased by many folds, far beyond Enma-rank, with [Synchronization], and that bought me only 10 seconds. That massive [Zero] explosion barely worked on them. They couldn''t follow me only because they were disoriented from the sudden loss of energy. Mia and Iris use Mana, while Isabell and Huntress use Prana. All four of them are awakener types who are heavily dependent on their energies, unlike aura-users. Had [Zero] worked properly, with the amount of Nether and Ether I used, mages and prana users should be knocked out for at least 2-3 hours. Bang-! I kicked the door open and moved down the stairs. In the middle of my descent, I missed a step and slipped. My body rolled down the cold hard stairs, painting them red, and I reached the room faster than I would have if I walked. Screechh- The rusted door creaked upon my push. The energy in the room gushed out. I dragged my feet toward the ce I could sense the portal. Screech- Thud-! The door closed behind me and¡­ ''Wait the door closed behind me?!'' "Stop" The lighting from the portal dimmed. The person who closed the door was standing in front of the portal, blocking my path. "I said stop." That voice¡­Leon? I didn''t know if I was hallucinating or if he was actually here. I couldn''t even understand what Eth was telling me. Crackle- A golden light entered my vision. A tinge of golden entered my crimson vision. Escaping never felt so close yet so far. I had no ether left, not even enough for a single weapon. All I felt was if I used more ether I would lose consciousness. But there was no other choice. Tap- Tap- "Stop moving or I''ll attack." Tap- Tap- I raised my right fist and punched. Thud-! "¡­what are you trying to do?" The punch had no strength behind it. It was likely that he didn''t even bother to dodge. Finally, my legs gave up and I fell. "Wait!" Leon caught me and my head rested on top of his shoulder. "..k.." My body was screaming in pain. "What?" It wouldn''t move. "..k." But I still had to. "I can''t hear you." So ¡­. "Ka-" Boom-! My right arm exploded into a gory mist. Both Leon and I were thrown off our feet. "Ar..gh" I heard someone groaning. The explosion was a small one, however, both Leon and I took it at point-nk range. I tried to stand only to fall back. With my right arm missing, i couldn''t push my body up. Using what little ether I could maipte, I controlled my left arm and dragged my body to the portal. My biggest weakness became my only method of reliance. My left arm was no better than unawakened humans and needed ether to move, but this also meant that as long as I had ether I could move my arm. It didn''t matter if my bones were broken or crushed, a little ether and it would muster the strength of an unawakened human. Splosh- "Argh!" My hand hit something wet and I heard a scream. The sshing wasn''t stopping no matter where I moved my arm. Was this blood? But I came from the back so it should be¡­ ''Leon!'' rity instantly returned to me at that horrific possibility. (Nathan, can you hear me!) (Nathan!) (Leon is dying!) ''W-what!?'' (That explosion blew a hole in his stomach!) ''W-what should I do Eth?'' I can''t save him. Did I kill Leon? N-no what sh- (Calm down) (Use the Elixir potion) Yes! I still have Elixir! Vupp- I held the vial above Leon''s abdomen and crushed it. C..runch- (Wait, save it for yourself too!) Crunch- The vial shattered, dropping its content over Leon. I sipped what little Elixir felt onto my hand to relieve my throat, then used it to wash away the blood from my eyes. "I''m ¡­not r..returning the cr..edits*cough cough* I¡­ bor-rowed from you." Leon''s physique was amplifying the Elixir''s effect. His wound was closing up at a rate visible to the naked eye. Making sure his breathing was stabilized I started moving again. (..why didn''t you use the Elixir on yourself?) ''¡­'' (I know you can hear me.) ''My injuries will take a while and the real issue is Ether exhaustion'' (You always-! Haaaa¡­.forget it) I pulled my body at a snail''s pace. It took me a while but the distance was a mere 10 feet. As long as I touched the portal I will be teleported randomly anywhere in the mountain range. I did it. ''Just a bit more.'' Crackle- (Nathan, I think we have a problem¡­. A very big problem) I didn''t have the strength to lift my head but I heard the sound of the roof breaking. Crackle- (He is awakening the skill we helped him get from the dungeon.) "I was wrong about you. You only know how to hurt others" Crackle- My spine tingled from the lightning he was emitting. "I won''t make the same mistake again." (Iing!) Fwosh- A giant fist descended on me. "[Golden Turtle]!" Bang-! The room shook and I almost cked out. Thud-! A heavy silence descended as quickly as it came. (I think that was hisst attack. He lost consciousness) (You should move.) (¡­Nathan?) (Nathan!?) ''Don..t shout'' (..can you move?) I tried to move my left arm. However, I was no longer able to focus. It had been years since I felt Ether exhaustion and I had forgotten that it made thinking harder. My goal was within my arm''s reach, not even 3 feet, but I wasn''t able to manipte Ether. Booom-! Light entered the room from above. "Is that the other kid you brought with you? Whatever he did earlier made it easier to find them." "Leon! Are you okay!?" Someone alsonded beside me. "Are you alive?" Thud-! Thud-! "Can''t he feel himself being kicked? Should I try shing? That way he ought to give a response if he''s alive." "..ier.." "Oh, you''re alive? Let''s take yo-" "[Pi..erce]" My nails grew and touched the portal. "Shit, not again!" Schwing-! Iris tried to cut my arm off but it was already toote. My body was sucked into the portal. Chapter 140 Leader Of Illis, Urek Thud-! My body fell onto the rugged ground. The night vision goggles fell from my head and sunlight seeping from the canopy, forced me to close my eyes. Despite the rustic taste in my mouth, I could also taste a bit of fresh air. The moment I closed my eyes, I felt sleep taking over me. -Gru -Gruuuu Someone was shaking me. I tried to ignore whoever it was but the shaking wasn''t stopping. (Nathan!) -Grruuuu "W..who?" I tried opening my eyes. The first thing I saw was a ball of stone over my chest, pulling my cor, then the pool of blood beneath me. "H..how long?" (You were out for 30 minutes) I looked around. "Wh..ere?" (Don''t you remember? You escaped from Underworld and teleported somewhere in the¡­.) I felt like Eth was saying something but I couldn''t understand him. I didn''t have the capacity. My head was clouded and I was having trouble forming thoughts. The baby golem kept shaking me. Ah, it wasn''t shaking me. It was trying to move me to tie a cloth around the stump below my right shoulder. Was it trying to stop the bleeding? Don''t tell me it learned that by watching me once. Despite my numbed state, I could tell that it was worried. I tried to caress it, to tell it to not worry, but my body wasn''t budging. Sleep was again overtaking me but I knew it would keep worrying about me if I didn''t assure it. "Si..nce we are outside. H..ow about ¡­your na..me? I t..thought of a g..ood name¡­" I stopped speaking, for a moment to breath in, so that the name woulde out without breaking. I didn''t want the name, which the baby golem would hear for the first time, to be broken. "Nerael" Was it excited? The baby golem started shaking me with more strength. I couldn''t confirm it as I lost against the all-powerful sleep. * ---(Underworld)--- "tsk, we lost him." Iris looked in annoyance at the portal in front of her. They reached the spear''s location in a few minutes. However, unlike what they expected Nathan wasn''t there. Quickly realizing that they had been fooled, they started searching for him. It didn''t help there were quite a few secret portals throughout the Underworld. The only reason they found him was because of the strange energy wavelength and the ethereal giant that appeared over the stadium. Iris turned to Leon who had lost consciousness. "That giant wasn''t that almost as strong as the spear Mr. Pepe created?" Huntress quietly picked however, feeling Iris threatening pressure, she knew Iris would attack if she didn''t answer. Even for her, fighting would be difficult if she has to protect two people. "We can''t be sure that it was him who was responsible for the giant." Lightly dodging the issue, she turned to Mia, asking her to return Isabell. Iris walked towards Mia and took the satchel from Isabell. "You broke the rules by trying to steal the item and Mr. Pepe couldn''t have escaped if you didn''t have interfered. How will you answer¡­" She stopped speaking when she pulled the item the Goliaths were trying to steal. "Hahahaha, when did he do this?" Iris burst intoughter while holding an Aether core that was there in ce of the item. * --(Outside Stage-0 Dungeon Conqueror''s Trial)-- "Are you sure this is working?" "Yes" Tristan sighed when Miller asked the same question for the umpteenth time. In front of them was a magic circle carved onto the ground. Standing at its head Tristan was holding apass whose needle was made from Nathan''s blood. This was the reason Nathan had given his blood to Tristan. At their side, a grey-haired girl was feeding the magic circle her mana. Upon closer inspection one would notice cat-like ears on top of her head, indicating that she wasn''t human. Thepass and the magic circle had been prepared by Tristan. These would locate Nathan the moment he enters the mountain range. The needle inside thepass that was currently resting indicated that Nathan wasn''t yet here. Tristan, who was extremely pale because of losing arge amount of blood, sighed. The detection wasn''t perfect, it needed the target''s permission beforehand and consumed arge amount of his blood. It would take him a month to regain the blood and he had more tasks toplete. "Do you what he is doing in the Underworld?" Miller shook his head. Tristan, who couldn''t contact anyone inside the Underworld felt an ominous premonition, he hoped that the person he was hoping to work under wasn''t responsible for it. Simrly, Miller was also pale from tension. The note, he received from Nathan, mentioned going to the nearest portal service near Ward''s northern entrance if he didn"t return by tomorrow. There he had to find a person employee named Urek. The note wasn''t anything special at least until the next part. [''Oath of three brothers'' say this to him, tell him that I''m caught by Umbra, and then show him this note.] Miller sweated heavily at the part that said the leader was caught by Umbra. ''He definitely created a mess there.'' Yet the note wasn''t done. [Sir Urek, I know about the real reason why you have be the leader of ''that'' organization. Also, I know about your brother, Roy''s whereabouts. I hope that you can rescue me within two days of receiving this letter. If not I might give in to the torture andmit suicide. Ps(to the person to whom I entrusted this letter''s delivery): Don''t be a dumbass by going yourself to deliver this letter. Use a proxy, it will be alright if it reaches a dayte to Sir Urek, he can still get the job done in one day. Right, Sir Urek? Yours truly, The 6th Irregr] ''Is the leader asking for help or threatening this person to help!?'' Miller couldn''t make head or tail of the situation. He only understood that if Urek could save him from Umbra in one day, he must be one of the strongest awakener on Earth. "Ugh..just when I thought he was responsible he goes and does this." However, he shook his head. "No, I should believe him." "I got a response!" The needle of thepass rotated crazily before pointing in a certain direction. Tristan then looked at the magic circle''s flow of mana and his expression turned grim. "He is in critical condition." In a heartbeat, Tristan brings out two daggers and makes a cut along his shoulder des. The blood flowing out of his back wiggles and stretches, turning into bat-like wings. "I''ll be going ahead." With a p, Tristan takes flight. Chapter 141 The Extra(?) V/S The Protagonist ---(After Leon was told to secure escape route and Isabell alone went ahead for the infiltration)-- Leon dragged his body to the stairs. He felt pain coursing through himself every time he moved. He coughed blood with every step he took. Despite that, he moved downstairs. Screech- Opening the door, he entered the room, which had the portal they were supposed to use for their escape. This portal belonged to Underworld. They knew about a few more of these portals thanks to their spies working in Umbra. The device Goliaths used to shut down battery-based devices throughout the Underworld was fine-tuned to not interfere with portals, this was so that they could use any other portal in case of emergency during the mission. However, this created an issue that not all battery-based devices would be shut down. He closed the door behind him and sat with his back against the wall. Breathing heavily, he brought out a vial in his hand. "Should I have used it?" Looking at the elixir he couldn''t decide if he made the correct decision by not using it earlier to help Mr. Pepe. He was reluctant to use it. If Seer or Huntress came to know about the existence of Elixir, he would be forced to tell them about the Stage-0 dungeon. He was reluctant to break his promise to Nathan of keeping it a secret. This was why he wasn''t using it on himself too. "But what if it was someone else and not Mr. Pepe?" Leon buried his face in his arms. He didn''t understand why he was against Mr. Pepe to this extent. "What should I do?" Ever since he lost his family he had relied on his instincts, but for the first time, they were making him hate a person he didn''t even know. He bit his lips. The only thing he hated was Demons, who killed mercilessly without reason, but why? Why was he acting this way? He buried himself in his thoughts. Leon only reacted when he felt Huntress doing a big attack above the ground. From there the intensity only increased, making him doubt if he should provide help. "No, what can I even do?" He could tell that whatever was happening above the ground was beyond what he could handle. Finally, everything stopped and he no longer felt any signs of an ongoing fight. While he was waiting for Huntress and Isabell to return he heard the sound of someone tumbling down the stairs. Leon was about to rush outside but the door opened and he saw Mr. Pepe entering the room. He immediately unsheathed his katana and took a stance. ''Why is he here? Shouldn''t beying unconscious in the top-16 area?'' Leon realized that Mr. Pepe was walking half-consciousness. He hadn''t even recognized that there was another person in this room. His guilt from earlier made him unable to stop Mr. Pepe. Mr. Pepe''s current condition wasn''t helping him in reducing his guilt. There was a bloody gash on his back. Injuries ran all over his body, making rags look better than his robe. Leon felt a gust of wind would be enough to make him fall over. -Yato..Phzzt¡­can you hear me? "Seer?" Leon whispered. -Leon, you should escape alone. We are following Mr. Pepe, he atta-hey give it back! -Phzzzt. "Seer?" He tried to call her again however, he couldn''t connect with her. He routed his inte to Huntress. "This is Yato. Huntress, can you hear me?" -Phzzt "Huntress?" -Phzzt Huntress wasn''t replying. Leon wanted to ask about the situation, but he couldn''t connect with Huntress too. At the same time, Nathan kept moving toward the portal. "Is he running away from Huntress? Is that why he is injured?" Leon made his decision. Screech- Thud-! Leon closed the door and moved in front of Mr. Pepe. "Stop" He raised his katana and took a stance. "I said stop." Yet when Leon saw how Mr. Pepe couldn''t even tell his location and was using his arms to find him, he couldn''t put strength into his hands. Mr. Pepe was walking like a corpse, barely remaining conscious. He still didn''t realize Leon was standing in front of him. Crackle- He activated his stigma to bring Mr. Pepe out of his stupor. "Stop moving or I''ll attack." No matter how injured Mr. Pepe was he, escaped from Huntress, Leon knew he had to remain vignt. Nevertheless, watching his figure, which appeared like a dying me amidst a storm, he couldn''t bring himself to attack. That is why he didn''t dodge or block the punch, which even a 9-year-old could have dodged. Thud-! "¡­what are you trying to do?" Suddenly, Mr. Pepe''s knees gave out and Leon instinctively held him before he could fall. "Wait!" "..k.." Mr. Pepe was trying to speak something. "What?" He moved closer to hear him. "..k." "I can''t hear you." Suddenly, his instincts warned him of danger. He tried to move away from Mr. Pepe, however- "Ka-" -he couldn''t get away in time. Boom-! An explosion ensued, throwing both of them away. "Ar..gh" A groan leaked from Leon''s lips when his body crashed to the ground. Blood seeped from his body and started painting the ground red. He unconsciously moved his arm and felt that a part of his abdomen missing. Immense pain followed. His head nked and he couldn''t think of anything else. He tried to move, but that only increased the pain. He felt as if he was being skinned alive. Someone was digging into his flesh while forcing him to remain conscious. Leon kept thrashing around, but he quickly lost the energy to even do that. His throat was on fire from all the shouting. Splosh- Abruptly, something grabbed his abdomen, and he finally lost consciousness from the pain. * ''Again, I failed again'' A kid was sitting in a fetal position. ''Mom and dad died but I couldn''t do anything'' Tears flowed down his eyes as he gazed into emptiness. ''Anna was about to be killed but I couldn''t even move'' Sobs leaked from his throat and echoed. ''Lilith was driven to the point she decided to sacrifice herself and I was helpless.'' His buried his head deeper into his arms. ''Nathan was about to die yet I was powerless to help him'' His nails dug into his skin as he clenched his fists hard. ''I''m never strong enough to save anyone.'' ''I can''t help anyone'' "Do you want strength?" "Huh?" Startling the kid was a loud voice. Suddenly, he was standing in an unknown ce. Mountains that pierced the sky, clouds that hid the sun, and¡­ Crackle- Omnipresent lightening, destroying everything that stood in its path. "Do you require strength?" He turned to the source of the voice. "What!?" He fell backward as he tried to look at the face of the being speaking to him. The being was taller than those mountains, two regal wings adorned his back, and he was carrying a sword in his hand. Orbs of lighting floated behind the giant''s back that the kid could see through his transparent body. "Do you want strength to defeat that person?" The kid quickly realized what the giant was talking about. That person, the one who defeated him with one blow, blowing a hole in his abdomen. "I..I don''t know." The kids answered back. This ce was his soul. Outside, he might have tried to suppress himself with the reasoning, but here he couldn''t hide his true self, the self that wanted to protect as many as possible. The giant plunged in sword beside the kid in anger. Tens of mountains were blown to smithereens as the lightning raged. "Do you know why you feel repulsion to that person?" "You know the answer to that?" "That person is carrying the legacy of Mephistopheles, the Devil who plunged the Universe into the Dark ages and drove everything to the point of extinction." The kid''s eyes widened. "How is that rted to me?" "Your origins are greater than anybody. You are the Saviour, the ''Sword'' that cuts through all evil." "W-what?" The kid couldn''t understand what was happening. He was the Saviour? The Sword? "We don''t have much time. You only need to know one thing." The giant crouched and looked down at the kid. "Do not let that abomination grow. It will only bring forth destruction. Do not let your kindness stop you, for it is the personification of Evil itself." The kid clenched his fist. The giant ced his knee on the ground and brought its face in front of the kid. "Do you want power?" Leon didn''t know what to believe. He couldn''t understand what was happening. However, he knew he what needed. "Yes." He needed strength * Outside, in reality, Nathan crushed the vial of elixir. He watched Leon healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. Ding- [''Desire'' has been detected. Conditions have been met.] [???[Legacy] is awakening] "I''m ¡­not r..returning the cr..edits*cough cough* I¡­ bor-rowed from you." Nathan dragged his body toward the portal. [Raikou Lvl.1 [Legacy] has been awakened] Crackle- Lightning emerged from Leon''s body. Crackle- An apparition started forming in the air. A skeletal shield appeared around Leon as lightning kept condensing near him. Above the ground, Aether moved in the air and crackled. The awakening of the skill resulted in the phantom of Raikaku, the giant Leon had met, being formed. "I was wrong about you. You only know how to hurt others" Leon''s eye were out of focus. He wasn''t in his sane mind. Crackle- Underground, more bones appeared and formed a single arm connected to the rib cage covering Leon. "I won''t make the same mistake again." Leon felt power coursing through. In his hazy state of mind, his body moved on its own. Fwosh- A giant fist descended on Nathan. "[Golden Turtle]!" Bang-! The room shook. Chapter 142 The Beginning Of The End [2] Rustle- Tristannded at the location thepass was pointing. Looking around hisplexion turned grim. Beast carcasses were rolled out everywhere. Remembering that Nathan was in critical condition a horrible possibility came to his mind. "Shit!" He ran to the ce he could smell human blood. Through his path, he encountered more and more beast corpses. "Were they attracted to this ce due to human blood?" Not good. He pped his wings and took flight. It took him a minute to find Nathan in this thick jungle with help of his strong vampire nose. p- He found the one he was searching for. "N-No way¡­" Nathan was missing an arm. There was not a part of his body that wasn''t covered in blood, it was to the point the ground beneath him had been soaked in his blood, turning red. Wounds andcerations were more visible than his skin itself. Tristan dived down and quickly checked Nathan''s pulse. "Did he kill all these beasts in this state?" Broken entrails, sted body parts, crushed limbs; the corpses around Nathan were brutally skewed. The scene sent chills down his spine, all these beasts were killed in one hit. "He''s alive¡­" A sigh escaped his lips when he felt a weak but unmistakable pulse in Nathan. He carefully yet swiftly picked him and unfurled his wings. Even if Nathan was alive, it wouldn''t be the same a few hourster, until he was treated. Rustle- Bang-! Suddenly sensing a movement on his left, Tristan used his wings to form a shield. Momentster his body was blown away along with Nathan. "¡­What is that?" He supplied more blood to his wings which were destroyed in one hit while scanning his surroundings. "A child?" A human child was ring at him with tears-stained eyes. The child''s fists were covered in beast blood, making the identity of the killer of the beasts clearer. Tristan was about to strike the child, mistaking him for a beast when the child spoke. "Help¡­Papa¡­" His body jerked and he stopped. He squinted his eyes and saw the child looking at Nathan. ''Did that child protect him until now?'' "Papa¡­hurt¡­" ''Papa? Is that child his kid? But when I tasted his blood, I was certain that he is a human.'' Human kids can''t awaken until after they grew a decade old. This made it clear that the child in front of Tristan wasn''t human. Tristan wanted to ask more about it but he knew this wasn''t the time for it, the person in his hand was dying. "I''m here to help your papa. He asked me toe before." "Nerael¡­remember¡­uncle¡­" "Nerael? Is that the kid''s name? It knows me?'' ''Whatever, this makes it easier.'' "I know a way to help papa. Will youe with me?" With great difficulty, the kid nodded its head." * p- Tristannded in front of everyone. "Leader?!" Miller paled when he saw Nathan''s current state. "H-How d-" "I''ll exinter." With another p, Tristan directly entered the dungeon and rushed to the Elixir pool. Reaching the pool, he gently lowered Nathan and put him inside it. Shaaaaa- Smoke began rising from the pool. A few minutester Miller, Merlin, and her two brothers reached the pool. Tristan asked them to sit before giving any exnation. He, himself, was confused about what was happening. He was about to begin speaking when something flew out of Tristan''s cape and leaped into Miller''s chest at breakneck speed. Bam-! The impact was so strong that Miller''s body rolled a few times before stopping. "Brother¡­papa¡­hurt¡­" Before he could make sense of what was happening, he heard someone sobbing. Looking below he saw a child crying on his chest. It had grey hair and purple eyes. Yes, the child was ''it''. The child was neither a boy nor a girl and given the amount of its strength it probably also wasn''t human. Tristan helped Miller sit and wrapped the piece of cloth that the child dropped when it rushed to Miller. Watching the confusion in Miller''s eyes, Tristan sighed and opened his eyes to exin. Throughout that time the child stuck to Miller''s chest and, calling him big brother, refused to budge. For some reason, Miller also didn''t try to remove the child, not because he was looking after the child but because he felt afraid to refuse it. While they were conversing with each other, blue screens appeared in front of the unconscious Nathan. [User Health has reached sufficient levels] [User is no longer in critical condition] [Conditions have been met] [Beginning Synchronization] *** ---(Nathan''s Pov)--- "Hah!" I jumped to my feet. "huff¡­.hufff¡­.I''m alive?" Patting all over my body I found that I had been healed already. Did Miller put me in the Elixir pool as I had asked? "But shouldn''t the scars have remained?" Questioning theck of scars I walked out of the ce. It took me a few seconds to reach the door and step out. "What the¡­ Am I dreaming?" I quickly pinched my cheeks but nothing happened. I did not wake up. However, I knew that the sight in front of me wasn''t possible. Destroyed buildings, fires engulfing the neighborhood, cobwebs on top of the brokenmppost, and a crimson sky. It was a ruined world. It wasn''t my world. Before jumping to a conclusion I decided to check a few things. It only took a few minutes. "Yup, this isn''t real." There was no corpse even through this utter destruction, I couldn''t look at my reflection, and I was unable to use ether. Was I dreaming? But this was too realistic to be a dream. I was trying to calmly look for answers when- Ccrrrackk- -the sky shattered. The ear-shattering noise reverberated, and a crack started forming in the sky. By the time the noise stopped the crack was already touching the horizon at both ends. The distance between me and the crack was too big for me to determine its size, however, I knew that it wasn''t something I could even fathom. Through the crack, a human stepped into the world. He calmly gazed at the world. His gaze that swept through thends and ruins momentarily stopped at me, nevertheless, he quickly ignored me and looked somewhere far away. With his gaze fixed on that ce, he opened his mouth. "Was it you all along?" Chapter 143 The Beginning Of The End [3] "Was it you all along?" A powerful,manding voice reverberated through the world. "It was necessary." An answer came. The first figure closed his eyes in response. Momentster, he reopened them. However, he wasn''t the same anymore. He was enraged. The ground began splitting, fissures formed, the earth upturned and destruction spread. The ruined world was being driven to annihtion. My body froze from fear as I witnessed the end of the world. In front of his pressure, Huntress'' pressure seemed like child''s y. His anger alone was enough to drive a world to annihtion. Just when it seemed that this was the end, a different pressure erupted, the pressure of the second figure that had answered earlier. As their pressure shed, the sky turned dark, tornadoes formed, and thend split. Cracks started forming on the ground, magma spewed from the earth, and oceans dried up. The first figure summoned thousands of weapons, each having a lightning attribute, and wreaked havoc. By the time he used hisst weapon, only silence remained. However, momentster, the air started howling and a colossal giant rose at the far end of the world. The behemoth stood imposingly, allowing the world to prostrate before its majestic figure. Inside the transparent behemoth, at the center of its chest, the second figure was floating. With the wings behind its back and its regal appearance, the colossal giant looked like the warriors from legends. It raised its hand, and a sword began materializing. At the same time, the first figure also moved. Combining hundreds of lightning weapons, he created a gigantic lightning arrow. "No, that''s a¡­ spear." The spear was bigger than the tear in the space through which the first figure entered this world. Swosh- Both the figures attacked. The scene felt eerily familiar to me. I was trying to recall where I had seen this when the figures finally shed. BOOOM-! Intense shockwaves erupted from the point of collision that generated massive winds. The entire town where I was standing was uprooted and blown away. BOOOM-! The figures kept shing, but I could no longer watch them fight. I was being flung further from their battlefield by the winds each time they shed. BOOOM-! Finally, after what felt like hours, I reached a ce unaffected by the ongoing battle. The battle continued on the horizon, its scale only increasing. With each attack, the space was being torn apart. The first figure levitated mountains and flung them at the second figure. The second figure wielded his sword without any shy move. Nevertheless, he was tearing the very fabric of reality with each swing. Standing up, I turned around and tried to get away. They will also destroy shortly this ce if they continued to battle at that intensity. Thud-! My feet, however, were tangled, and I tripped. I stood up in a hurry and spared a nce to see what the cause of tripping me was. "W-what!?" My eyes widened in horror. It was a corpse. I found the first corpse in this ruined world. BOOOM-! The shockwaves finally reached this ce, prompting me to cover my eyes and start moving. But I didn''t move. I couldn''t. My feet refused to budge as I witnessed the scene in front of me. The number of corpses increased with each sh. Each time those two behemoths shed, the number of corpses grew. By now, I was standing in the middle of mountains of corpses. Nevertheless, this alone wasn''t what shook me. It was the identity of the corpses. A few of them had their faces burned, some were missing half of their bodies. Dust covered their visage, making it difficult to discern their identities. Yet, I knew them. It was a face I saw every day. It was my face. BOOOM-! The first figure crashed through the mountain of corpses and struck the ground. Flying down, the second figure came out of the giant and looked down at his bloodied enemy. "Why won''t you give up? You can''t defeat me." In response, a burst of deafeningughter echoed. "Hahahaha¡­ give up? Do you think we can give up? WHY DON''T YOU ASK YOURSELF WHY WE CAN''T GIVE UP?!" The second figure looked at the mountain of corpses. "No matter how many times you try, you can never win. Stop your pointless struggle. Come with me. If it''s together, we can save everything. We can create the Utopia." The first figure stood up. However, he no longer seemed invincible. He was bleeding, his body was battered, and he couldn''t even muster enough strength to move. Yet, his eyes shone fiercely. "Everyone else can be damned! We can only achieve our goal after killing you." The second figure closed his eyes in regret. "So, be it." Schwing-! Puchi-! With a sh, he plunged the sword into the first figure''s heart. The first figure was dying, yet he startedughing. "Doesn''t it get boring? In the end, it''s always only the two of us. Why don''t we try something new, something different?" The second figure''s brows furrowed at those ominous words. "What do you mean by that?" Seeing the anxiety in his eyes, the first figure''sughter only increased. Suddenly, the corpses around us also beganughing. -Hahahaha -Kukukuku -Kekeke -HAHAHAHA Before the second figure could ask again, the corpses and the first figure spoke in unison. "OH HERO, LET THE NEXT ROUND BEGIN!" Boom-! An explosion erupted and blew away the mountain corpses. Schwing-! The second figure swung his sword and cleared the dust. The explosion had destroyed everything in the vicinity. The only thing still standing were the second figure and me. Looking around, his gaze stopped at me. "When will you stop? How many times do I have to defeat you for you to understand?" His figure blurred, and he reappeared before me. Without giving me a chance to understand what was happening, he grabbed me by my neck. "No matter what, you cannot defe-" Abruptly, he stopped speaking and stared at me, wide-eyed. "You, who are you?" Chapter 144 Goliath Unit And Round Table "¡­.who¡­" Groggily sitting up Leon rubbed his eyes. He looked around in a daze as he tried to remember where he was. The room had silver walls and a metallic floor. There were no windows, but the roof had a projection of an open sky to ease one''s mind. Several AI bots were running around trying to fix the messy room. "Did you have a good dream? You were sleeptalking." "It was ..a¡­dream¡­.?" "Your expression is making me curious. Was it something important?" "I was fighting someone. The battle never ended, but something unexpected happened at the end, I think. Honestly, I don''t remember anything in detail, only that the ending was surprising." While listening to him, Isabell passed him a cup of coffee. Being in the same age group, going through the ordeal at the diator Championship together, things like these helped Isabell and Leon get closer quickly. Leon was still unable to get over the fact that someone he knew had been working as a member of the Aegis'' secret unit for a few years already. It made him wonder if he also knew Mr. Pepe. ''Hah, as if! What are the chances of that happening?'' Slurp- He slurped the coffee while exploring such absurd possibilities. "Yato, what are you thinking about the proposal?" "I''m still not sure¡­" The possibility Isabell spoke about was the offer Goliaths have given Leon: Bing the face of Goliaths. The majority of Goliath Unit''s members have voted for the idea to enter the Guild and Mercenary business with an alias. It had many benefits as well as disadvantages. Most of the members were famous in one way or another, and as such, only a few victi-cough a few options were avable to act as the face of the cover they were nning on creating. Leon was a rising star in Ward and had no background. He was the most suitable for this job. "Don''t worry, we''ll handle everything else. You only need to deal with troubleso-erm important things." Seeing the smile stered on Isabell''s face, Leon had an inkling that he was being duped to deal with troublesome things, however as a newbie in these matters he had no other choice than to believe his seniors. Sigh "When will the meeting start?" "It should be starting in half an hour." The answer came from his right. Turning their heads, both of them looked at the wall on their right. A vertical line appeared in the middle of the wall and the wall split. Stepping inside the room, Huntress checked on Leon. "We''ll be meeting a few guests too. Don''t let them get on your nerves." Leon nodded, slightly confused. ''Shouldn''t I be meeting other members? Why does she mean by guests?'' Huntress looked haggard. It had been two days since the failure of their mission. Huntress has been busy giving reports and meeting the higher-ups. The news about a new Irregr had shaken the entire upper echelon of Aegis and Gaia. It did not help that this new Irregr knew and took advantage of Goliaths secret mission that only a handful were supposed to know. Huntress grabbed a coffee and slumped on the couch. Only two people knew about this fact on Aegis'' side: Psychic had gone missing. During thest mission, after removing his limiter, there had been no further contact from his side. Time passed as the three of them rxed and it was finally time for the meeting. Despite thinking that it was a drag, Huntress begrudgingly took out a mirror and made herself presentable. They moved and went to the meeting room. This ce was one of the luxurious hidden bases of the Goliaths. It did notck any facilities and was strong enough to hold out against a 5-star monster for a few days. Tap- Tap- Leon sensed the presence of a few people in the next corridor, and he turned to greet them. Walking down the next corridor were Iris, her butler, a purple-haired woman, and a kid with long bangs covering his sunken eyes. Crackle- Schwing-! Leon activated his stigma and unsheathed his katana without a moment''s dy. "Huntress, Seer, we are being raided!" He raised his stigma output to the maximum and got ready to use his new skill at a moment''s notice. The skill was still not usable inbat, but he did not have the luxury of being picky in his current position. Iris looked at Leon with a raised brow. She turned to Huntress and pointed at Leon. Huntress massaged her brows and looked at Isabell, who was trying to suppress her giggles as she saw Leon getting ready to fight. She immediately understood. Isabell had not told Leon about the guests. Sighing, she told Leon to stand down. "Yato, there''s no need to be on guard. Umbra and Aegis have a non-aggression pact signed. They are here to discuss the matter of the incident two days ago." "But didn''t we raid them two days ago?" "Fighting itself isn''t prohibited, killing is. And as I said, they are here to discuss the raid itself." Baffled, Leon backed down. Before a conversation could start, Huntress turned away and went ahead to the meeting room. She thought she had escaped when someone spoke next to her ears. "Dark circles? Is that a sign of an overworked employee that I see?" Huntress'' eyes twitched, but she didn''t answer back. "Your hair is also not done properly, as if you were in a hurry. Don''t tell me you were trying to hide them from me?!" Iris simply walked beside Huntress and spoke to herself. "tsk tsk, you should leave Goliaths ande under me. Where can you find a boss that will treat you so nicely?" Those words brought a few memories back to Huntress and prompted her to refuse swiftly. "I''m not working under you. Never ever!" "Ah,e on! I might have treated you harshly, but that was back then. I''ve improved since then." Leon who was looking at the fearsome Sword Maiden talking so casually had a weird expression on his face. He leaned to Isabell and whispered. "Do they know each other?" "They are¡­ friends?" Isabell herself wasn''t sure. Huntress always refused to borate on their past, saying that they were only ex-ssmates, while Iris would always act as if they were best friends. Other than with Huntress, Iris never spoke openly with anyone else. This gave ims to her statement. As the group interacted with one another, they finally reached the meeting room. Screeech- Opening the door, Leon found arge conference table in the middle of the room. Looking around, he saw a few people already upying some seats. However, his gaze faltered when he a young man sitting at the head of the table. "Gamma-rank" Chapter 145 Stormweaver The man had a cold look on his face and looked young. In fact, he looked like a young student who had just entered the university. He was wearing a ck cloak and leather armor with a longsword hanging from his waist. He had the same eyes as Iris, but they seemed more serious than hers. Under the man''s gaze, who looked exceedingly simr to Iris, Iris returned to her previous demeanor. Mia, Albert, and Peter followed Iris and upied one side of the table. Huntress saw this exchange with furrowed brows. Clicking her tongue, she beckoned Isabell and Leon to follow her. The three sat on the opposite side, where three more people were sitting. When everyone was settled, Huntress opened her mouth. "This is the 3rd meeting of this year, two more than the fixed quota. The previous meeting was to discuss the ''item'' as well as the dungeon break in the north." Umbra and Aegis were not friends by any means, however, there had been many instances where they worked together. Tak- The man sitting at the head of the table tapped his finger on the armrest of the chair. His cold gaze swept through the six Goliaths before he spoke. "Miss Huntress, before we begin, can you rify the decision that was made regarding the item?" The man''s identity was not something Huntress could ignore. He was one of the strongest beings on Earth. He was Zion, the acting head of Umbra and a peak Gamma-rank awakener. Huntress tapped a button in front of her, and a hologram appeared in the air. [Code Name: Item Excavation Site: Stage-2 Gargoyle Dungeon Identity: Divine Beast Egg A divine beast egg was discovered in the Stage-2 Gargoyle Dungeon owned by Aegis. However, the moment the egg was moved from its ce, a dungeon break urred. This was the 8th Dungeon break ever since the First Great Disaster. As a Stage-2 Dungeon, its outbreak could have resulted in a great loss of property and life. Due to the absence of Pioneers, a team of Hatamoto and Gamma-rank awakeners was made. Result: 1/3rd of the team perished and 2/3rd were fatally injured. Umbra has been contacted for backup.] This was the 8th dungeon break ever since the First Great Disaster. A dungeon disappears after clearing it a few times. This can vary from 1 time to 10 times. In case of a dungeon break, all these monsters are released in one go. To top it off, this was the first time a Stage-2 dungeon break urred. The first two dungeon breaks transpired during the First Great Disaster, while the next five happened before the Second Disaster. All these dungeons were Stage-1. Studying these cases, it has been proimed that dungeon break only urs when Earth''s Aether level passes a certain threshold, putting it into the next ''Stage''. Currently, Earth was still a far cry from reaching Stage-3. As such, it would be an overstatement to say that Aegis, or any other organization for that matter, was prepared for a dungeon break, much less a Stage-2 Dungeon break. [Umbra has agreed to help in exchange for the Divine Beast Egg] It was not that Aegis did not have awakeners, but that they were busy on the frontlines. By the time help from the frontlines arrived, the damage would have been astronomical. The Gargoyles were all 4~5 star monsters, with the boss'' being 6 stars. With their ability to fly, it was extremely difficult to stop them from spreading or escaping. In that situation, Aegis had no choice but to ask Umbra for Zion, better known as Stormweaver. [Negotiations with umbra have been done. Result: The owner of Divine Beast Egg will be decided by diator Championship being held by Umbra] The tournament, being small-scale, ensured that both organizations wouldn''t lose any strong awakeners while still keeping the news about the egg under wraps. It was a fair deal. It was supposed to be. Tak- Zion''s gaze bore down on Huntress. "I agreed to the negotiations on Headmaster''s proposal. But¡­." The furniture in the room began cluttering from the gales running throughout the room. The table creaked, and the walls were cracked and splintered. Leon, Isabell, and Peter started hyperventting as Zion''s pressure leaked into the room. Tak- "¡­what is the meaning of the infiltration? Should I take it as Aegis dering a war on Umbra?" The tension in the room grew taut. The situation was slowly beginning to near the breaking point of a conflict. This time Aegis has overstepped their boundaries and, with the absence of Pioneers, Zion was trying to get an upper hand with force. Huntress and Iris wrapped Leon, Isabell, and Peter in theirbined pressure. If they did not, the three could have died from energy oversaturation. Seeing the two working together, Zion increased his pressure. "What are you doing, brat?" Suddenly, a chilly atmosphere engulfed the room. Screeech- Two neers entered the room. Seeing them, Huntress sighed in relief. The situation would no longer turn for worse. Tap- Tap- Two people entered. An old man was at the forefront. Behind him was a man with slumped shoulders andnky eyes. He was wearing a long purple robe with a hood over his head. It wasn''t that he hid his face from view; rather, it just seemed like there were no features visible behind the dark shadow of his hood. The man was Techno. Together with Psychic, he was the brain behind Goliaths. However, no one paid attention to him. Everyone was looking at the old man. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with an air of authority about him. His hair had been cut short to his chin, but still showed off his age with a few white streaks. He was wearing a white suit beneath a white topcoat. A frosty breath escaped his lips every time he breathed. With each step, the floor beneath him froze, and sat at the empty head of the table. The entire hall was frozen solid as well, except for the table and the figures sitting around it. The strongest awakener on Earth has arrived. Chapter 146 Headmaster "Yes, little Zion. You are right. We should be discussing the infiltration." The headmaster of Ward spoke amicably. However, no one in the room was fooled by his warm expression. Even Leon could tell that he was dangerous. His instincts were ring rms at him to get away this instant. The times Leon felt vulnerable to this extent could be counted on one hand. The only person who made him feel so helpless was his master. Zion looked at the Headmaster with narrowed eyes and retraced his pressure. The Headmaster the world knew was Tanya Gietti, a woman known for her ideals and righteousness. Only a few knew about the truth. Seven years ago, the Headmaster of Ward died in the Elven and Barbarian ambush while helping her fellow pioneers return even a minute early to help Earth. The Earth had already suffered due to the Third Disaster and the morale of the masses had hit an all-time low. In that situation where chaos could''ve erupted at any time and thewless were running rampant, it was decided to hide the news about the death of the Earth''s strongest awakener. Her husband and the next strongest pioneer took her ce. Yet, he was the exact opposite of her. Unlike her, he was ruthless, someone who wouldn''t hesitate to take any measure to bring his enemies down. Zion, who knew a lot more than others, frowned. Headmaster was supposed to stay at least a few more months away. Scanning the room one time, Headmaster opened his mouth. "Aegis will give Umbra three Stage-0 Dungeons." "What!? This wasn''t wh-" Techno stopped speaking when he looked into the Headmaster''s eyes. Those eyes weren''t asking for their permission, but giving an order. Knowing that the faulty with them for breaking the rules, he had no choice but to back down. Zion also didn''t refute. No one knew how to hatch or raise a divine beast egg. In exchange for that, getting three Stage-0 dungeons was a better deal by arge margin. Wrapping up the discussion, Headmaster signaled Techno to start the real meeting. A new hologram appeared in the air. Everyone who saw its content leaned closer to get a better look. It was the scene where Huntress crushed Nathan in the arena until the point where he used [Zero]. By the time the video ended, almost everyone had a dazed expression. "¡­That''s an Iota-rank?" Techno uttered in disbelief. This was also his first time watching this clip. "He looks strong." "Nah, no way that''s someone with Iota-rank can do. But that isn''t the clutch here¡­" Knuckle and Tempomented on their opinions. Tempo, who was rying the video on his device, gave his honest opinion. "The reports say he turned into Enma-rank mid-battle. But solely going by the ability he has shown hisbat ability reaches at least low Te-rank." The room was plunged into silence. The people present in the room were among the best of the best. In their respective specialties and rank, they were at the top of the world. It was rare that such a gathering would ur, but when it did, the matter discussed affected humanity''s survival. Yet at this moment, they could not believe what they were witnessing. Fighting one rank higher is known to be almost neigh impossible, yet Mr. Pepe had jumped two ranks. Albeit his increase in fighting prowess was only at low rank and it came from his diverse abilities, it was still shocking. Techno disyed more details on the hologram and continued. "To top it off, he knew everything about our n. From the timing of our attack to our escape route." "Is he working with others?" Techno gulped before answering Zion. "From my analysis: No, he is working alone." The video paused at a few different scenes and zoomed in on Nathan. "He was fatally injured and on the verge of being captured. If he had backup, then it should have arrived long ago. Yet he kept fighting until the bitter end, going to the extent that he forcefully increased his rank andbat ability by two ranks." "What about his diverse abilities and how did he know about the infiltration? It shouldn''t be possible if he is by himself." For the first time, Iris spoke. Her doubts were correct. Mr. Pepe shouldn''t be working alone. He must have someone supporting him from behind to have so many skills. The answer came from Zion. "[Foresight]" Techno nodded. There had been a few cases simr cases in the past. But all of them had a very low level of foresight. Only a single awakener had a high level [Foresight] and she was the one who told the first three Irregrs to hide their abilities. In the end, her predicted future came true and Irregrs saved humanity from extinction. "Headmaster and I believe the same. This will also exin why he had a weakpanion with him. He is most probably gathering future powerhouses. The question is¡­" He looked into everyone''s eyes before speaking up. "Is he on our side or not?" No one answered. The situation with Mr. Pepe was perplexing, to say the least. If he was an Irregr, why had he been hiding till now? Was the divine egg important to the extent that he decided to reveal himself? Or was there another motive for exposing himself? However, this wasn''t the source of their worry. ''What if he is nning to go against humanity?'' ''What if he has a simr reason to past Irregrs to hide his identity?'' Thest two questions made them nervous. Whatever the answer was they knew one thing. A change wasing. And it would affect the whole of humanity even if it wanted or not. Headmaster passed his decision. "Aegis and Umbra will stop their existing tasks and focus theirplete manpower on locating the 5th Irregr." He stood up and walked to the door. "The existence of 5th Irregr can be detrimental to Earth. As such, if either of you two does not cooperate, I will take it as a direct opposition to my authority." Chapter 147 Seen Through [1] "Ergh" Opening my eyes, I sped my neck with my own two hands. "Dammit¡­ What was that...." The dream was the same, or rather the continuation of what I saw after my transmigration. Back then, I had simply disregarded it as nonsense. "Who were those two figures?" The first figure used something exceedingly simr to my art, but wasn''t I the only one who was the First King''s sessor? And the second figure¡­. Was it¡­ Leon? "No, a giant apparition, although scarce, isn''t exactly unique." I was trying to upy my mind. To not think about that, however, I couldn''t help but recall those corpses. Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! A natural question popped into my head when I recalled those innumerable corpses. Am I a regressor? "No, that doesn''t make sense! I have no memory of any past lives other than my original." Besides, the second figure was shocked when he saw me. From their conversation, I could tell that what the second figure had faced many times was the first figure, not me. The second figure remained calm, even though he must have faced the first figure many times. However, at that moment, when he saw he was shaken. He didn''t know me. "Didn''t that first figure say something about the next round being different? What did that mean?" I felt like I was missing something. (Nathan?) (¡­Nathan?) (Nathan!) A sudden shock came from my left. Turning my head, I found Eth''s fist connected to my shoulder. Only now did I notice that I was inside my soul. (What are you mumbling about?) I opened my mouth to answer, however- "Was it fun?" -a loud voice boomed. We were brought to our knees as two goldenmanding eyes appeared behind the veil. "Arghh!" (Urgh!) The moment I got up with a groan, the voice that had been heard from the other side of the curtain was suddenly right in front of me. However, its owner was still on the other side. "Was it fun to waste the power I gave you?" I could feel his overwhelming presence. It was like he was standing directly behind me and looking at me with his sharp gaze... That gaze... It was the gaze of someone who''d seen through everything about me. "W-who¡­" The voice ignored us and stared at us with an apathetic gaze. "You had prepared to lose, to be caught. You never intended to use the power I gave you." My soul was shaking with each word from him. The power he was emitting with his presence alone was enough to shatter me. "Yet that was a farce. You were looking for a chance, a safe but desperate situation, but it also needed to give you an advantage, no matter your sess or failure." "I¡­ d-don''t know¡­ what you''re¡­ talking¡­ about" My mind was freezing, and my body was stiff. It wasn''t only the pain that I was feeling. No, it was something more primal. It was fear. "Is not that why you jumped into a mission that could have fatal bacsh?" "H-How?" (Nathan¡­ what does¡­ he mean?) I felt numb. He knew. "You wanted to see if the power I gave was reliable, to see if you could depend on it when it was truly needed." I felt a chilly breeze crawl up my back. How? I made sure that none of my actions gave me out, even going as far as masking them with other goals. I thought it looked natural, that I was forced to use [Synchronization]. nk- nk- Suddenly, I heard the rattling of chains. "You wasted my generosity on such a menial thought?" Shaaa- A wave of energy pulsed from the veil. Fissures started appearing on my soul as it began cracking. "Rejoice. You have destroyed your only chance at survival. You have not much but 8 months to live." Just when I thought the power pouring out from the veil would kill me, it abruptly disappeared, and so did the fissures. "Lament, as you suffer the consequences of your choices." With those words at the end, the golden eyes too disappeared. Eth and I began huffing as we tried to stand. Our bodies were finally free. However, I had no strength to stand. ''Did I make a mistake¡­.'' (Nathan!) Eth tried to help me stand. But after seeing that I was deliberately not standing, he stopped trying. (Who was he? What was he talking about?) "¡­I don''t know who he is, though if I had to guess he is the one who brought me into this world" I decided to talk. It wasn''t like it was a secret anymore. "He was talking about how I purposely set myself in a situation where I had to use [Synchronization]" (¡­You did what?) "¡­" (Why?! You almost died back there!) "I needed answers." I turned on my back and floated in the void. "The presence of Outsiders and them having an advantage over me. Our conflicting views. A book that is showing me the future. [Synchronization] that seems too good to be true." "What is their purpose? Why do I have such a big disadvantage among all 3? Can I trust [Synchronization]?" "There are too many questions, but no answers." (How is it rted to [Synchronization]?) I pointed to my head. "Reach Enma-rank in one year" (Huh?) "Since the day I got the diary, there had been a thought stuck in my head. Get to Enma-rank before one year." I was looking at the giant Spear constetion inside my soul. Now, it was the only constetion present. (But you never expressed anything rted to it.) "I was acting oblivious. To make it look like I didn''t get the message." To fool your enemies, you must fool your friends first. If the being inside my soul wanted to harm me with [Synchronization] it could have told me to use [Synchronization] or to solve a dangerous situation, that would force me to use that skill. However, it told me to be Enma-rank. Chapter 148 Seen Through [2] I was already nning on reaching Enma rank by the end of the year. The path would be arduous, but not impossible. If the being felt the need to warn me, then it meant two things. One, it has no desire to make me use [Synchronization] because reaching Enma-rank wasn''t something that needed me to do extremely dangerous things. Two and most important, something was going to happen by the end of the year. The problem was¡­ I did not know what this something was. Nothing wasing up this year that, if I wanted, I couldn''t ignore. The threats in Leon''s 1st year were still manageable. Sure, the 2nd half of the 1st year will be dangerous, but I wasn''t even nning to go with them. It will be from the 2nd year that the threats will be so dangerous that ignoring them could lead to instant death. However, there was one thing that could change that estimation. Outsiders "At first nce, it seemed ''it'' was trying to help me, however, given the tense situation between Outsiders, I couldn''t be sure about that." X wanted to follow the story. Y wanted to change it. While I was doing whatever helped me the best. Although I could work with at least one of them, it was also very dangerous. Why bring Outsiders when they might fight amongst themselves? The being was nning something huge. And it most definitely involves me, too. "I needed more information and given [Synchronization] description, I thought I get some answers from it." There was still a chance that the being was trying to set me up while acting friendly. I made it look like I had to use [Synchronization] unwillingly when in truth it was something I nned. It was to catch the being off guard in case it tries to stop me or interfere. From the earlier assumptions, where the being wasn''t forcing me to use [Synchronization], it was also possible that it actually didn''t want me to use the skill, at least until a specific time. Maybe I was being paranoid. But, when I didn''t even know my enemies, being prepared for every possible scenario was the least I could do. A hollow chuckle left my lips. Catch it off guard? It hadpletely seen through me. "So much for having a n for every situation." (But how did you know?) "Know what?" (That you will be forced to use [Synchronization]?) I sat up while still looking at the only constetion left in my soul. "When the infiltration began and bombs went off, due to the Aegis-Umbra non-aggression pact, Iris and everyone else would know that there was another party interfering." "Naturally, the first candidate as the culprit will be Mr. Pepe, the neer with an unknown background who suddenly appeared for the first time and had unknown motives." "It was already suspicious that someone like Mr. Pepe was participating in a small tournament." This was why I acted out and drew attention to myself during the tournament. The bombs were never to get the security thinned. They were to tell everyone that there was another party trying to steal and that they needed to protect the item. I also purposely broke rules and annoyed Iris to make sure that she sends someone strong to catch the culprit red-handed. The appearance of Isabell was unexpected, but it ultimately helped. (Nathan¡­) I stood up and patted my clothes. (Why are you rushing everything? Couldn''t you have gotten answers from X even without [Synchronization]?) I turned to Eth. "It''s a gut feeling. It''s telling me that¡­" Facing Eth, my breath stifled. His green eyes had a golden shade to them as he stared at me. (What?) His face distorted. (Hey, what''s wrong?) His skin cracked, his nose and ears melted, his cheeks sank, and dust covered him. He became the corpse I saw in that dream. I felt a chill run through me. What is this? Why did he be like this...? My throat dried up. I tried to move, but could only fall to my knees. (What!?) However, Eth caught me before I could fall. Gathering courage, I looked at his face again, only to find everything normal. There were no golden eyes, no dposed face, nothing. (Why are you spacing like this?) Speaking like this, he quietly muttered to himself. (Was the shock too great for him? Despite his high mental strength, he easily falls when ites to his weak points.) (His mind is in shambles.) Eth helped me sit with a worried expression. It took me a few minutes to calm myself. "I''m sorry¡­ I''m still not over the skill''s effect." I decided to not tell Eth about the dream I saw, at least not yet. Before Eth could speak, I pushed to shift his attention. "We should meet Caim. He would be shocked, if nothing else, due to what happened earlier." As of now, I had told Caim that I don''t remember much from my past. Eth was a piece of soul from the original soul and the chains were a defense mechanism against mind-reading abilities that I couldn''t yet control. Although the lies weren''t exactly believable, he still bought them. Eth kept staring at me without answering. Taking a few moments, he sighed. (You should go outside and take a rest. I''ll talk with Caim.) "But-" (No buts. You aren''t thinking properly right now. It would spell a disaster if you slipped up in front of Caim) Eth was right. Even if Caim was chained, he was still an important source of information. Also, if possible, I didn''t want to harm him, not anymore. Nodding my head, I took onest look at the giant spear constetion and left. I had yet to ask what happened to Eth while I used [Synchronization], but I left without asking anything. Chances were that he didn''t remember anything. But I didn''t ask. I was running away. Trying not to look at the clues in front of me. Chapter 149 Nerael My eyes fluttered open. Ssh- Cold warmth spread across my body as I felt myself floating. Rugged rocks appeared in my vision while my eyes wandered to the roof. [Synchronizationplete] Ding- ====== [Synchronization] - Temporarily boosts your overall rank, skills grade, and mastery in arts by one rank. - Synchronize with ??? - Temporarily borrow [Chains of Order] Number of Uses: 2 ====== Reading the system prompt I felt my motivation dwindling further. [Chains of Order]¡­ If I had to guess these were chains locking Caim. Each of those chains held unfathomable power. Whenever I would step closer to them, I could feel a sense of oppression weighing down on me, and now, I would be able to use them 2 times. If I had been given the skill in order to achieve something, then whatever it was, it wasn''t good. "Haaa¡­.." ''You have only 8 months to live.'' ''Suffer the consequences of your choices.'' The being''s words came to my mind. From his words, it was safe to assume something was going to happen to me by this year''s end. It said that this was a consequence of my choice. Does it mean that it was a butterfly effect created by me? Can I trust his words? "Leader!" Ssh- With a tug, I felt my body being pulled. Taking me out of the elixir pool, Miller gentlyid me on the bank. "Leader! Can you hear me?" "Don''t shou-!!" I tried to push Miller''s face away, which was too close forfort, when suddenly jolts of pain ran across my body. As if I had been electrocuted, several needles pricked at me like needles were being stuck all over my back. It wasn''t just one needle though; there were many small needles. They didn''t have any meaning or existence on their own, but they were still extremely painful. I bit my tongue before a scream could escape. The pain came too suddenly to ignore. "Leader, I''ll put you back in the pool." "N-no¡­I''m fine." Taking a short breath, I stopped Miller. Right now, I needed something, anything, to distract my mind. The pain wasing from muscles that were torn due to excessive power that coursed through my body, other than that all major injuries had healed, only leaving scars. My arms shook from weakness as I tried to touch the area of my abdomen with slightly pinkish skin. This was where the sentry had blown a hole. Thankfully, the water jets he shot were thin, otherwise, it could have been a lot worse. "How¡­ long was I out¡­ for?" I was having difficulty speaking too. Healing so many injuriespletely drained me. While I was trying to sit up with Miller''s assistance, he answered. "It has been 12 hours since we found you." Miller was pale as he tried to help. His movements were awkward as he struggled to help me up. His cheeks were slightly sunken and there were soft dark circles underneath his eyes. He must have been worried sick, thinking I might not make it out alive. It was justified. After all, my death would create problems for his ga¡­ ''No, he was probably genuinely worried about my well-being.'' "Papa!" I opened my mouth to ask how much stress he had to get that kind of face in one day when something abruptly flew into my chest. Bang-! Unable to handle the powerful impact, my back arched and my body shot like a cannon, crashing into the wall. The sound of bones cracking came from all over my body and I began seeing stars. "Papa¡­papa¡­ papa¡­papa¡­papa¡­papa¡­" Like a broken recorder, the child(?), burying its face in my chest, repeated the same words. In between, the child kept breaking down in sobs while trying to hold back its tears. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Miller and a girl with ashen-grey hair and cat-like ears running toward me. Miller quickly fed me an elixir after he re-aligned my left leg in its correct position. Throughout the exchange, no one questioned the identity of the child, nor did they try to remove it from me. "Don''t cry¡­" I gently picked the child up and made it sit. ''She'' had short silver hair, reminiscent of the moon, and mesmerizing purple eyes. Tears and snot mixed ran down her chubby cheeks. Her eyes trembled when she realized what she had done. The small body shook, and I could sense a rush of foreign sadness and sorrow pouring through my mind. "My Nerael looks¡­.shooo beautiful¡­" I lightly pinched her cheeks. At the same time, new emotions began brewing in her mind. Relief, happiness, delight, and all sorts of positive emotions burst forth as she jumped in joy. "Papa¡­ recognizes¡­ Nerael!" Opposite to how she acted, the wordsing out of her little mouth were slow, as if she had to think carefully before speaking. I felt myself being injected with that bright smile on her face. "Papa¡­smiling!" "I''m always smiling, though?" "Different¡­smile¡­" She exaggeratedly shook her little body while denying my im. Laughing a bit, I turned to Miller. "Where are others?" "Tristan is guarding the dungeon''s entrance while the two twins¡­" Miller turned to Merlin. Both of us waited for her to speak. However, she only kept nervously fiddling with her thumbs. Her gaze was locked on her feet and she saw sweating. Finally, Miller spoke himself. "They entered the boss'' room." I frowned. Although I never barred them from using the boss room, they hadn''t waited for my permission to use it. Nevertheless, I did not question Miller. I wasn''t nning on limiting any of their actions as long as they followed a few rules. Moreover, this was for better. It was good that those two still held their free will despite living as ves until now. While the one who was my focus couldn''t even lift her face due to fear and nervousness. Gently picking up Nerael by her underarms, I passed her to Miller. I had been away from Ward for over a week. It was high time I returned. But before that, I had to settle a few matters. "Call Tristan." It was time I dealt with the ''Blood Prince''. Chapter 150 Blood Prince [1] --(Past || After Tristan ced his bet for Mother Mash v/s Mr. Pepe)¡ª Two people were sitting across from each other in a tavern while a waitress noted down their orders. "Sir, what will be your order?" "We haven''t eaten anything since the morning, so¡­" Tristan sat with a smile while Nathan''s gaze ran through the menu. ''Why did he suddenly call me to have lunch together?'' Tristan''s whole body was tense as he tried to guess the reason why Mr. Pepe requested a meeting with him. "Two wontons serving with green garlic sauce and chili garlic sauce, Sheet Pan Lemon Garlic Salmon, Garlic Mushroom Pasta, and finally ck Garlic Chocte Cake." Listening to the order, Tristan tried to interfere. He was a vampire; garlic wasn''t on the list of things he wanted to try. However, Nathan spoke before he could. "Since I was the one to call you, let me treat you." ''That isn''t the problem. Why garlic? Who likes that¡­ that abomination?'' Tristan nodded his head with great difficulty. He felt sour that Mr. Pepe liked garlic a bit too much. ''I have no savings left, the championship seems impossible to win and my first proper meal in weeks is filled with garlic.'' Lamenting his luck, Tristan was engaged in small talk by Nathan until the food arrived. The aroma of dishes tickled his nose, his mouth watering, and he watched with anticipation as the young woman set up their tes. "Please." Nathan asked Tristan to begin. Tristan gulped. His hands moved swiftly yet elegantly as he picked the knife and fork up from the table,id them down neatly beside each other, and then carefully ced his napkin on top. His eyes were fixed straight ahead of him, his mouth slightly open to help him breathe in deep breaths through his nose. The slight aroma of garlic pricked his nostrils, but he showed no signs of hesitation. ''Beggars can''t be choosers.'' Besides, with his pure bloodline, garlic was at best a slight irritation to him, like the pungent scent of human sweat. Although it felt unhygienic and nauseating, the aroma of food was enough to overpower it and make his stomach rumble with hunger. ''tasty~'' The food melted the moment it touched his tongue. He was so hungry that he could have eaten a full-grown horse with ease, but he ate slowly because he wanted to savor each morsel as much as possible. Nathan watched him with interest. Tristan must have been hungry for a long time. In the novel, before finding the dungeon, he was barely eating once in three days and even the amount was paltry. Yet, his beautiful dining showed his upright upbringing. Even famished, he was eating dignified, chewing every bit slowly to savor his taste. The two ate in silence until the end. Finally finishing the dessert, Tristan opened his mouth. "Before we start, can I have another serving of dessert?" He knew Nathan must have something to talk about with him. Although he didn''t know what it was, he still shamelessly used the opportunity his fill his belly. His pride as a prince? He already lost that pride on the day he ran away with his tail between his legs while his was being massacred. "Yes, please feel free to order more. Excuse me, can we have one more serving of ck Garlic Chocte Cake!" ''Again with garlic?'' Tristan''s eyebrow twitched, and he wondered if the human in front of him was doing this purpose. However, he knew it wasn''t possible, his disguise skills were perfect. Even at this moment, if you took his hair and blood samples, they won''t match his original results. Nathan calmly watched Tristan as he ate. ''I''m sure of it now.'' From the corner of his eyes, Tristan also kept scanning Nathan. ''I can see his face, but for some reason, I can''t create his image in my mind. It''s like meeting someone unfamiliar in dreams. You know how they look, but you don''t at the same time.'' Licking the bowls clean to the point they reflected even the dimmest of light, Tristan wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I must say, that was a delicious meal." "I''m d you enjoyed it. We should thank the locals who rmended this ce." Tristan internally frowned. He felt it was suspicious that someone with unknown origins, like Mr. Pepe, was trying to meet with me. With a businessman-like smile on his face, his gaze swept through the tavern. The ce was lively, but that wasn''t surprising given it was just after noon and half of the Underworld''s popce were making their way to lunch or taking a break from their work. That said, the crowd gave him a sense of security. In a ce like this, should Mr. Pepe try to harm him, he could get help immediately. Nathan, noticing Tristan wasfortable, decided to get to the topic at hand. "I heard that you were looking for ''Klytarn''?" tter- "Excuse me." Tristan picked up the cutlery he had dropped. "Klyntarn? Who is that?" Nathan smirked when he saw Tristan ying dumb. Klyntarn was the parasite that lead Tristan''s to destruction. It can take over dead bodies and gain all their memories and abilities. The parasite would find a new, kill its habitant and host the corpses by dividing itself, and build its forces until it could take over the. By the time it takes over the, it had already consumed every life force on the. After this, it will leave the hosts andbine, and then move to the next. Currently, Klyntarn was on Earth. This was the reason Tristan came to Earth despite having the means to go anywhere in the universe. Tristan had wasted his one chance to move to any location in the Universe, given by his family artifact, to follow after Klyntarn. "Is that so?" Nathan nodded to himself before standing up. "I think I got the wrong info. Sorry for taking your time." Nathan walked to the counter to clear the bill and ultimately leave the tavern. Watching Nathan leave like it was no big deal Tristan''s mind was plunged into chaos. ''How does he know about Klyntarn?'' ''Is he really leaving?'' ''Doesn''t he know about Klyntarn? Given the fact his could be devoured by Klyntarn, shouldn''t he be more desperate for information?'' ''He is only acting tough. He''lle back any second.'' Nathan finished clearing the bill and started walking to the door. ''Any second now'' He reached the door and opened it. ''Now, he''ll turn back and ask if I''m sure about¡­'' Nathan stepped out of the tavern and left without so as much as sparing him a nce. "He left¡­" Tristan mumbled to himself in a daze before suddenly springing to his feet. "Wait!" Tristan himself had been desperately trying to find any information on Klyntarn. This was the first hint he got in years! He couldn''t let it go! He jumped out of the door and swiftly swept the surroundings with his gaze. "Where did he go? I need to fi-" "Are you also leaving, Mr. Kaiser?" A familiar voice came from behind. Turning around, Tristan saw Nathan standing beside the door with a light smirk. At that moment, he realized. He had been had. Chapter 151 Blood Prince [2] Tristan and Nathan were sitting in a different tavern. Like the previous one, this tavern was also crowded, rather it was livelier than the previous one. Nathan ordered two garlic teas and offered one to Tristan. Tristan, who by now wanted to burn all the garlic in the world, had his lips pressed into a thin line. In his previous stupor, he had failed to realize one crucial fact. Even if he had been looking for Klyntarn''s traces for a few years, given the fact he always used a disguise and even now had a different identity, how did Mr. Pepe find him? It was at this moment Tristan knew he had fucked up. The person in front of him had an unknown background, his strength was unknown, and the extent of his intelligencework was unknown. What was worse was that he also possibly had a method to track Tristan. Tristan sipped the tea. He wasn''t in a hurry about getting information about Klyntarn from Nathan. In his eyes, if anyone understood about the parasite''s threat, they would''ve already fled the by now. Klyntarn was a cmity that could devours. With its ability to host corpses, Klyntarn also could use them to monitor even the remotest ce. The parasite would gain the corpses'' memories and abilities, bing indistinguishable from the original. Yet, Nathan had been causally waving Klyntarn''s name out in the open. Mr. Pepe or his associates probably stumbled upon that name by chance. They did not know the weight it carried. Tristan immediately tried to trick the information out of Nathan. He didn''t think Nathan would''ve much information, anyway. "Yes, I''ve heard about that name. But before we begin, can Mr. Pepe tell me how he knows about Klyntarn?" Nathan, who saw Tristan taking him lightly, smirked. Tristan was hooked. It was now time for line and sinker. Nathan hunched over the table and whispered. "My source wants to remain anonymous. Besides, I have something better for you. Don''t you want to know Klyntarn''s location?" "I doubt you would know that." Nathan smiled and brought a piece of paper out. "Then how about we make a deal?" "Continue¡­" Nathan passed Tristan the paper. It was an Oath. Nathan had written Tristan''s name, background, and goals in Oath. This was enough to tell Tristan that Nathan knew about him, a lot at that. Suddenly, Nathan stopped speaking in a jovial tone and a cold voice came from his mouth. "20 years¡­ I will kill Klyntarn in 20 years. In return, work under me." Tristan''s brows jumped, but they quickly returned to their normal shape. He sighed. He had wasted his time on a madman. 20 years weren''t even enough to reach Klyntarn''s rank, let alone being able to kill someone unkible. "I don''t know where you heard that name, but I would advise against using it out in the open. Even walls¡­." His voice slowly came to a halt as he further read the Oath in his hands. Tristan''s brows were high in shock. Nathan, ignoring his surprise, spoke leisurely. "Isn''t that too harsh for someone who has the same goal?" Clutter- Clutter- The table started shaking heavily. No one was touching the table, but it continued to shake intensely. Tristan raised his head from the Oath and looked Nathan in eyes. "How do you know about me?" His intense bloodlustbined with bloodline abilities started going wild. It was to the point Nathan, who was calmly smiling on the outside, was freaking on inside. His blood was trying to rampage and move against its natural flow under Tristan''s influence. It was trying to break his nerves, his flesh, his muscles, and go to the ruler in front of it. To the Blood Prince. Nathan''s body was drenched in sweat. He was coating his body in ether to stop any outside influence from having control over him. However, with Tristan''s racial abilities, it was proving difficult. ''He can influence the blood of others. He''s at the least a Virtuoso.'' This news only made Nathan happy. If he could bring Tristan under him, he would gain a powerful ally. "Does it matter? What should matter is that I can help you get your revenge." Revenge. Tristan gnashed his teeth. His grip crumpled the paper, almost tearing it apart. Being reminded of his hatred and past, he was losing himself to his rage. Before Tristan would do something, Nathan warned him. "I wouldn''t cause more trouble if I were you. Don''t forget where we are." Nathan''s voice made him return to reality. Looking around, he saw the whole tavern had quieted down. Everyone was looking here, at the source of oppression. Tristan breathed heavily and tried to calm himself. "I''m sorry. I got excited while we were talking." After Tristan apologized, the crowd dispersed. Fights in taverns weremon, and both of them were wearing a different sets of clothes. However, he could feel the vignt eyes watching him. "So, what will be your answer?'' Tristan red at Nathan. "You don''t need to be that angry; you can refuse if you want. Just that, as an upright citizen, I have a duty to report ''foreigners''. Though I can always make an exception for my friends." "I can report you, too." Nathan scoffed. "For what? Feeding you garlic?" Tristan''s arms shook, and he fell into a dilemma. He could agree to Nathan''s demand. However, that was no different from bing his ve. Besides, with his ability to divide himself, killing Klyntarn was close to impossible even for those in the same rank as him. It wasn''t for nothing that dozens of races had failed to kill Klyntarn. Tristan weighed his options. However, he could only gulp at the results. He couldn''t refuse Nathan, or he would be reported. He could work under him for 20 years, till Nathan got killed for notpleting the Oath. But that way he would be wasting 20 years. In that time, Klyntarn would only get stronger. Tristan was already far weaker than Klyntarn, he needed every little advantage he could get. He could not waste even a year, let alone 2 decades. Watching Tristan''s contemting figure, Nathan decided it was time for the sinker. "If you are so much fence, how about this." Nathan passed the Oath he prepared beforeing to find Tristan. "¡­what is this? Are you sure about this?" The Oath dictated that Nathan was going to fight Vile Reaper in the uing tournament. As long as Tristan finds Nathan''s performance agreeable, he has to join Nathan''s crew. "Do you seriously think you can win against Vile reaper?" Vile reaper was famous for his evil deeds. He was a regr criminal with many major crimes. Ignoring his sadistic tendencies, hisbat ability was the real deal. With his ability to teleport at a thought, he could dispatch his enemies before they could react. While Mr. Pepe, a mage, wouldn''t even be able to keep up with normal aura users. The scales of the battle were tipped heavily against him. There was no way to win. ''But if he can¡­'' Tristan closed his eyes. He didn''t want revenge. There was no point. He could never defeat a monstrosity like Klyntarn. No one could do that. Especially not an Iota rank within 20 years. It wasn''t possible. He knew that. Just like how he knew his disguise skills were perfect. Like how he knew that all those who knew about him had been killed by that parasite. Tristan chuckled. It seems he didn''t know a lot of things. "Fine, I''ll do as you say." The Oath shined as Tristan injected his energy into it. ''I''ll take this damn gamble.'' His chuckles turned into full-blownughter when he realized that at some point he had entered too deep into the rabbit hole of gambling. This time he was gambling with his past, his present, and his future. Looking at Tristan bellowing, Nathan didn''t see a dignified prince but an addicted gambler who had decided to gamble his everything at the chanceing his way. ''Hook, line and sinker.'' Chapter 152 Monarch Of... Nathan and Tristan were walking toward the stadium where the tournament was taking ce. "Ah! Do you have a Blood concealment potion?" Tristan almost fell due to Nathan''s remark. Blood concealment potion would temporarily disguise your gics. During this duration, even if your hair, blood, or any other bio-identification test is done on you, the result will be different from your original result. Also, if your blood or hair is taken during the time the potion was active and testedter, the result would still be different. Needless to say, the value of the potion was astronomical. The only way to get one was either to ask high-ranking bloodline vampires or hope to get one from dungeons. Admittingly, Earth did not have vampires. Their only choice was dungeons. "Yes" Tristan sighed. As usual, Mr. Pepe was waving around the name of such a precious potion openly without any worries. "Give me one tomorrow, then." "You don''t need it now?" Tristan thought Mr. Pepe wanted the potion, as he might shed blood during the tournament. If Mr. Pepe had a famous identity, then his blood might expose him. Nathan only answered with a small smile. He didn''t need one now, and he doubted Tristan was carrying such a preciousmodity on himself. Blood concealment potions were highly sought after and dealing with them needed considerable strength or background on the seller''s side to protect the goods. Due to these restrictions, Tristan had not been selling them to earn money. Although it was also reinforced by the reason that it was very difficult to create them and needed arge amount of his blood. Finally, they separated after reaching the stadium. When Nathan was almost out of Tristan''s sight, he shouted to him. "If I were you, I wouldn''t use the restrooms on the first floor! Go to the ones on the second floor. They will be less crowded!" "What?" Tristan frowned, as he did not understand what Nathan was trying to say. A few minutester, Tristan felt a great disturbance in his stomach. The garlic was beginning to show its magic. Remembering Nathan''s advice, he promptly rushed to the 2nd floor had managed to save his dignity as a member of society. *** --(Present || Nathan and Tristan beside the elixir pool)-- Nathan sat on the edge of the pool with his feet dipped in. Tap- The sounds of steps alerted him about the presence of the one he had requested for. With his back facing Tristan and his feet sshing in the pond, Nathan spoke. "You saw me fighting, and you got a day. This much should be enough for you to arrive at a conclusion." Tristan took a deep breath. He had thought about it for the entire time since his meeting with Nathan. Thinking about it hard and weighing his choices, he had arrived at a conclusion. However, he still needed to know something. "Will you tell me the Klyntarn''s location if I join your group?" Ssh- Nathan''s feet stopped and the ripples in the pool slowly died down. Heavily silence descended in the passageway as Tristan waited for the answer. There were too many mysteries surrounding the person in front of him, but Tristan couldn''t give up on Klyntarn. Even if he had to antagonize Nathan, Tristan would do so. His aim was Klyntarn not to be someone''s ve. "I will." Tristan''s brows jumped, and he felt his emotions bursting forth. However, Nathan soon poured cold water on those emotions. "However, for that, you need to be strong enough to handle Klyntarn. I can''t have you dying needlessly after going through the trouble of recruiting you." Nathan''s message was clear. He had taken over the job of handling the parasite. If Tristan wanted to interfere, he wouldn''t stop him, but Nathan would only allow him when he was capable of killing Klyntarn by himself. "Alright, that''s good enough for me." Tristan knew he couldn''t be impatient. He needed time to grow, and the person in front of him had the potential to reach the apex. Besides, revenge was a medicine best served cold. He wanted to make sure to crush Klyntarn and take everything from him like how he did with him. He needed to be patient for that. "Anything else?" "No, but if you can answer¡­ what is your goal?" Nathan slightly turned his head and looked at Tristan. The dim light inside the dark cave fell on the side of his face, making him look sinister. Tristan shivered when he saw his cold red eyes in the dark. "Monarch¡­ That is my aim." Without another word, Nathan stood up and walked to him. Tristan unconsciously backed when he saw Nathaning toward him. Gulp- His aura around him was as cold as it was threatening, like a dagger that could cut even the thickest of metals with a single swipe. "That should do it, no? Let''s meet our other crewmates and announce your arrival! Ah, there aren''t restrooms here; you should know that, in case of emergencies." Suddenly, the atmosphere around Nathan changed to jovial. He casually put his arm over Tristan''s shoulder and jokingly teased him. The sudden change in Nathan''s temperament was too swift and too natural. If he didn''t see him earlier, he would''ve believed that this was his real personality. A happy-go-lucky human who didn''t think much of his actions. But there was no way someone who was aiming for a ce among Monarchs could be like that. Monarchs were the 13 strongest beings in the Universe. The apex of all creatures. Monarch of Virtues ¨C Seraphiel the Seraph Monarch of Sanguinarian ¨C Adrasteia the Blood Primogenitor Monarch of Demise ¨C Oddfinnur the Spirit King Monarch of Creation ¨C Nemredilth the Dragonborn Monarch of Conquest ¨C Norak the Battlekeep Monarch of Forges ¨C Gylledha the Hammerthane Monarch of Anguish ¨C Lucifer the Sin of Pride Monarch of Life ¨C Asmodeus the Sin of Lust Monarch of War ¨C Beelzebub the Sin of Gluttony Monarch of Ruination ¨C Satan the Sin of Wrath Monarch of Wealth ¨C Mammon the Sin of Greed Monarch of Jubtion ¨C Belphegor the Sin of Sloth Monarch of Ivory ¨C Leviathan the Sin of Envy Only 13 Monarchs can exist at once. To be a Monarch, there was only one path to take. Defeating one of the Monarchs and recing them. "Seriously?" Tristan could only mumble to himself. He finally understood why Nathan wasn''t afraid of Klyntarn. His ambition was far higher to be afraid of the likes of Klyntarn. Chapter 153 Founding Members [1] "Do you have the Blood Concealment Potion?" "Yes" I took the potion from Tristan and stored it inside my storage ring. Passing him the Oath for joining, we went to the area where everyone else was resting. "This is no different from a ve contract¡­" I ignored the mumbling and looked around. We did not have a ce to serve as our base as of now. This was why we have been using the Stage-0 Conqueror''s Trials. However, in the long run, it was extremely inefficient. Putting aside the problem of the ck T-shirt gang visiting it in the near future to extract elixir, this ce did not have any facilities to act as a base. The passageways were dim enough that I had to stare fiercely to see everything properly; the ground was rugged, and these were only the basic necessities. There was one issue after another in using this ce as a base. ''Should I take ''Mother''s Embrace?'' ''Mother''s Embrace'' was a moveable Ruin. Ruins were mostly pocket dimensions and had various benefits. Byzander Ind was also a Ruin, and it could raise the Exp gained from Meta-rank beasts. Though it wasn''t a pocket dimension, but an ind. Mother''s Embrace can be obtained as a prize in Dungeon of Trials. Next year, a first-year cadet will clear the 4th Trial and choose it as the reward. Later it will be a big help to Leon and the main cast. Knowing that if I let the kid take the Ruin it will only help Leon, I decided to take it for myself. Leon was already very strong. He had awakened his stigma a few months earlier. This would hasten his growth and, as a result, he could challenge tougher enemies and grow even more powerful. What was worse-cough, the only thing better was that Leon awakened [Raikou]. Just like my art, [Raikou] was a legacy left behind by an ancient hero. Moreover, it was the legacy of the strongest ancient hero. It was the legacy of Leon himself. [Raikou] was a growth-type skill that will awaken from its user''s emotions. The emotions were ''Desire'' for Lvl.1, ''Denial'' for Lvl.2, ''Sorrow'' for Lvl.3, ''Wrath'' for Lvl.4, and ''Guilt'' for Lvl.5. In the novel, he awakened Lvl.1 in a fight while he was breaking through a siege. Lvl.2 when Lilith died, Lvl.3 when he epted that Cadmus had turned evil, Lvl.4 when Susan died, and finally Lvl.5 when he killed Anna. Although there were more levels, these were the only ones shown in the novel. The requirement, along with the restriction that only Leon can use the skill, was the reason why I didn''t take it. While I was sorting my thoughts, we reached the door of the boss room. Nerael, Miller, and Merlin were sitting outside. Nerael was ying with Merlin while Miller was standing away from the two. From his sweaty forehead and clenched fists, it seemed he was still afraid of Nerael. They turned towards us, and I waved my hand. "Leader, are you done?" "Papa!" This time, having learned from previous asions, Nerael didn''t demolish me with her leap. I caught her small body and held her in my arms. ''Thinking about it now, how did she get a human form so early?'' "Where are the others?" I asked about the location of the twins. Miller was about to answer me when the door of the boss'' room opened. Screeeh- The two twins stepped outside with unsteady steps. Their faces were still pale, and their eyes were unfocused. The bigger of the twin turned to me. "We werete... Sorry for holding you up..." "We were just talking a little. It''s fine." They weren''t making any sense, but I let them off the hook since they looked like they were on the verge of copse. They probably had some sort of hard time in there. The two of them went over to Merlin''s side and hugged her. They looked like heavyweight championships with their physique. I almost blurted out that they shouldn''t kill Merlin by crushing her. Suddenly, the two of them started crying and broke down into sobs. Their snots mixed with tears, and their faces were red as they hugged each other tightly. They didn''t even notice that we have been looking at them from a distance for quite some time now. With their intimidating appearance, no one would ever dare to approach them, let alone try to console them, but Merlin didn''t back down. "Was it difficult?" Like a motherly figure, Merlin kept speaking to them and patted them. My gaze met with Tristan and Miller. Watching their awkward expressions, I could tell that I wasn''t the only one who felt that we were disturbing them. I was about to give them some time when I noticed a little silver head bobbling next to them. "Don''t¡­ cry¡­.don''t" With her sweet, angelic voice, Nerael patted their feet. The two saw her and their wails got louder. I pinched the bridge of my nose. ''This is going to take time.'' * We were all sitting on the ground in a circle. To be honest, it felt more like we were on a pic than at the first meeting of our crew. ''I''m taking the pocket dimension first thing after returning to Ward.'' It took the twins longer than I anticipated to calm down. However, if you would look at them now, you would think they were war veterans returning from the war. Their faces were taut and drawn with fatigue, but their eyes shone with a fierce light as if to say that even though there was no life force left in them, they would still fight again. Had I not seen them crying earlier, I would''ve been tricked! I felt like a fool for thinking that these two were good for challenging the boss! ''Though, even if they cried, the fact still stands that they had the courage to challenge the boss'' room.'' Nerael was sitting on myp. Tristan was on my right and Miller was on my left. On Miller''s left was Merlin, the smaller twin, and the bigger twin, in order. The twin had several injuries over their bodies. Although they didn''t have any fatal injuries, I gave them an elixir to heal. Looking at the five people who were going to be the first members of my group, a smile leaked on my face. However, I quickly wiped it off my face and spoke. "I''ll start by introducing myself. I''m Nathan, an aspirant awakener, and from today¡­" This was just the first step among the countless steps I was going to take. Nevertheless, it didn''t diminish that it marked an achievement for me. "¡­the person all you will be calling captain." Chapter 154 Founding Members [2] Heavily silence descended. Everyone was looking at me. (Do you perhaps like acting cringe?) (''From today the person all you will be calling captain.'') (Couldn''t have been more cringe even if I tried) "Cough¡­cough¡­ anyway, shall we start with introductions?" "I''ll go first." Tristan stood up. "My real name is Kaiser Tristan. My specialty is disguise and infiltration. Besides that.." Tristan tore the skin mask he was wearing. Everyone''s eyes widened at such a technology. Skin masks weren''t possible for various reasons. But the greatest hurdle was that they needed to be undetectable, which wasn''t really possible, as awakeners could easily see them with their high perception. I was also shocked. The reason for my shock was different though. ''Is it me or was it real skin?'' (I think it''s two of us.) (That seemed like human skin.) While everyone was still trying to digest the skin mask, Tristan dropped the bomb. "I''m a vampire." He opened his mouth, and his canines grew. Other than me and Nerael who was sitting on myp, everyone swiftly backed away and bought their weapons out. Merlin started chanting a spell, and even Miller took out the shield. The twins were standing behind Miller, ready to rush forward and attack at a moment''s notice. Their eyes lost their previous friendliness, and they were ready to bring down Tristan at a moment''s notice. Tristan had a helpless smile on his face. ''I knew something like this would happen but this is worse than what I imagined.'' A fact that had been instilled in every human''s mind since birth was: Every alien race is an enemy, all of them are invaders. Common sense begged to differ. The Universe was too vast, and Earth was too backward for everyone to care about us. But when every race that had ever contact with us immediately waged war,mon sense no longer remainedmon. Enough with the nonsense. Tristan raised his hands to show that he was harmless, but the others didn''t take it. Merlin fired her spell. "" Pieces of rock jumped from walls and stuck to each other. The magic circle shined fiercely and the earth bolt shot out. From the time Tristan revealed his identity, not even 10 seconds passed, and the fight broke out. Sighing, I called out to Nerael. "Nerael" She understood my intentions through our connection and, without a moment''s dy, deployed [Anti-Magic Field]. The earth bolt turned into dust and finally, everyone looked at me. "Sit back" "B-but leader he''s a vampire!" Miller was shaking, and his eyes kept going back to Tristan. The twins and Merlin were also nervous and anxious. "I know. So, sit back." The air in the room became heavy with tension. It wasn''t that those three were trying to go against me. It was the fear and suspicion against other races that was stopping them. The situation showed no signs of calming down. Just when I thought I would have to do something, Merlin came forward and sat down. The twins tried to stop her; she was shaking more with every step she took closer to us but she still didn''t slow down. With a light thump, she was sitting in her earlier position. Shortly, the twins looked at each other and came back. Only Miller was left, however, he also sat down when I patted Nerael and she smiled at him. All of them were back to their earlier position. "Tristan is someone I know and can vouch for. You don''t need to think of him as an enemy." The three nodded their heads but I could see the hesitation in their eyes. Nevertheless, this was all I could do at the moment. It wasn''t easy to stop following what has been instilled into you from birth. Eliminating their fear of Tristan would take time. It was something that would happen naturally as they would together go through hardships. "Then, we should continue" Taking the cue, the bigger twin stood up. "We are battle ves who have been raised by the merchant. My brother and I are twins. While sister isn''t blood-rted she was the one who helped us grow and took care of us. Also¡­" ''I see. This is why they look different from her.'' But even that didn''t exin Merlin''s timid personality. I wanted to check if she was acting or if this was her original personality, however remembering how her personality was in the novel I stopped. If this was her original personality then good. If she was acting then even better. Please keep up your act and don''t reveal your true colors. I know you can''t harm me but I''m still afraid of you. "..we don''t have names. Master, please give us names!" The bigger twin banged his head on the forehead, which was immediately followed by the other two. "Please, master we will d-" "Elliott, Emmett, and Evelyn" "W-what?" I frowned. "Since you are siblings I chose matching names. You don''t like them?" "Y-yes, we do!" ''Why are banging your head if you like your names? That makes me think you hate it so much that you''d rather die.'' The siblings were happy and relief washed over their faces. It seems that giving names to ves was a big deal. Though it didn''t matter to me as Evelyn, or Merlin, was too precious to ignore. She was going to be my goose thatys the golden eggs. The twins were also not bad. They have better than decentbat skills and still held room for growth. Finally, Miller stood up. "As all you know I''m Miller. If you want to know anything else then all you need to know is that I''m the first member, as such I''m everyone''s senior except and directly under Leader." He spoke with his chest out and bragged about his non-existent rights. Miller too had worked hard in the tournament. Taking that in mind I decided to let him enjoy being a senior, for at least now. After finishing the introductions, the group engaged in small talk. Tristan was still a little isted. Evelyn was talking with him and trying to bring him into conversations, not that it helped much. She was stuttering with every sentence. The others were also trying to push themselves and mingle with him. "I will be leaving for a while then." I stood up and excused myself. It was time to check my sweet loots from the tournament. Chapter 155 Lucky! Reaching a remote area of the dungeon, I got to work. "Status" ====== Name: Nerael Rank: Iota Level: 11 Exp: 341/10000 Rating: 4-Stars Trait: [Anti-Magic Field], [Regeneration], [Evolver], [Gigantonomia] -->Stats: Strength ¨C 51 Agility ¨C 29 Stamina ¨C 46 Constitution ¨C 61 Ether ¨C 32 Intelligence ¨C 41 Luck ¨C 45 [I sincerely pray that the child doesn''t take after you] ====== Examining Nerael''s stats, my eyes almost popped out of their sockets. She must have reached the Lvl.10 in one go after killing the Enma-rank. Thereafter, she broke through to the next level in the forest. "I knew divine beasts are strong for their level, but this is something else." With these stats, she could go against an Lvl.50 that had 5Sp/Lvl. And she was only Lvl.11. "Isn''t she stronger than the divine beasts shown in the novel?" She had 4 traits at Iota-rank. None of the beasts had that. [Gigantonomia] was the trait she gained after reaching Iota-rank. Although she did not know what it was, we''ll know more sooner orter. "Her human form¡­ is it because of [Evolver]?" That was the only exnation. Normally, divine beasts will gain human appearance after reaching Te-rank. Everyone goes through evolution after breaking through to Lvl.51. For divine beasts, this gives them a human appearance. Though, unlike Nerael, other divine beasts prefer to stay in their beast form. Rubbing my chin, I closed the status screen. After she reached Iota-rank, a connection formed between us and we could now sense each other''s emotions and general thoughts. I could also check her status screen as long as I was within a certain range of her. The connection between divine beasts and their partners is something that the beast can only form once in their lifetime. It forms when both sides ept each other and they grow intimate. Nodding my head, I checked my loot. Vupp- Two objects appeared in my hands. A purple vial and an oval-shaped orb rested in my hands. The purple vial was the ''Mermaid''s Tear'' while the orb was¡­ The item Goliath Unit was trying to steal! Hehehe¡­ Since the orb could not be put in the storage rings, Isabell had to carry it on her. How could I have passed on such a wondrous opportunity presented to me? It was like the orb was begging to be stolen. And so I did! I reced it with a monster core when I jumped with Isabell from the prize room! Storing Mermaid''s Tears, I decided to check the orb. Although I could use the tears to increase my intelligence, I had a better use for it. "Let''s see what you are to make Umbra and Aegis fight over you." I held the orb in front of me. "[Appraisal]" ======= Dragon Egg [Legacy] The only dragon left after the dragons were ¡ö during the Dark ages. Status: Dead ====== "It''s a dragon egg¡­ dragon egg¡­ dragon¡­ DRAGON EGG!" Did Goliath and Umbra know that it was a dragon egg? Probably not. If they did, even pioneers might have entered the field to take over. If I had to guess, they only knew that it was an egg, maybe even that it was a divine beast egg. That would exin why they sent Goliaths to take it. The fact that it was dead was a little downer, but it didn''t decrease its value. The ways I could use it were uncountable! Weapon enchantment, potion making, rank boosting, there was no end to the benefits! Thinking back, there was only one dragon in the novel. "The divine beast of the Second Protagonist." Peter, the second protagonist, was a necromancer. His divine beast was a bone dragon. That dragon was one of the 4 cmities that almost destroyed Earth. A few yearster, the bone dragon would spring up from Aegis'' secret facilities and start wreaking havoc. Due to its abilities, it would be very difficult to defeat it. At that time, Peter will return from Delmond. Having progressed in his necromancy by arge margin, he will bring the bone dragon under his control, essentially gaining a divine beast. "Wait a second; the bone dragon came from an Aegis facility and¡­." I looked at the egg in my hand. "If I didn''t interfere, Goliaths should have been able to take the egg." My eyes widened. "This is the bone dragon!" If I couldn''t see the connection between the two, then I must be blind. The dragon was dead and since it had been dead for a very long while, it couldn''t be resurrected, at least notpletely. Necromancy in ''Hero hasn''t returned'' wasn''t very special. You could even say the elves'' ability to use spirit magic was necromancy. The spirits are lingering souls with bits of consciousness. Elves were essentially necromancers with their ability to contact spirits and use them to fight. If the Aegis, knowing that the dragon was dead, tried to use necromancy on it¡­ "A dead dragon should have been born." This made me even more excited. I could get the bone dragon too! What''s better was, although unknowingly, I stopped a Cmity! You could say I saved the lives of millions of people who would''ve died when the bone dragon goes on a rampage. Hehehehe¡­. "This counts as helping Leon, right? I took care of such a precarious task for him shouldn''t I bepensated?" Leon, I understand. If you knew about how I put my life on the line to save millions of people, you would''ve been moved. You would then tell me to take a few of your future cheats in exchange for mymunity service. Sniff "Don''t worry Leon. I''ll do as you say." Agreeing with Leon''s wishes, I put the egg back. I didn''t have a way to deal with it at this moment. However, it didn''t mean I wouldn''t have one in the future too. Muhahaha.... my lucky star is finally shining on me! The trip to the Underworld was a massive sess! Not only was I able to put all of my ns in motion, but I was also able to recruit Tristan and Evelyn, and I got everything I wanted to steal with an added bonus at that! "I think I used my lifetime''s worth of luck." I sneaked nces around. Why do I feel like something extremely unlucky was going to happen to me? A sigh escaped my lips. What has my lifee to? I got lucky for once, but my bad luck has traumatized me to the point I''m scared of what wasing. "tsk" Clicking my tongue, I decided to stop fooling around. I still had onest important thing to check. "The diary" Bringing the diary out, I checked it. That dream and the confidence of the being when he spoke about the consequences of my past actions sprouted a seed of doubt in me. That only led me to think of an absurd theory. "What if¡­ the dairy wasn''t showing me future bu-" ZAP- Suddenly, an electric shock zapped from the diary, and it flew out of my hands. Chapter 156 Second Sequence [1] My right arm twitched due to the electric shock. It felt heavy and I couldn''t move my fingers at all. Yet, I couldn''t focus on my arm at all. I was looking at the ck diary floating in the air. The diary opened with a p, and the pages started moving rapidly. It moved so fast that it seemed to be flipping through hundreds of pages. I watched for several minutes before I realized what was happening. The pages were reducing! The book was shrinking until it was about the size of my hand. Soon, the whole thing was gone, and I was holding only a spiral notebook with an old-fashioned cover. Steeling my nerves, I opened the diary. "Ughh.." I felt needles poking into my head. Poking, stabbing, piercing, and scratching ¨C a painful headache! I flipped straight to the first page. Fortunately, I could read it. ====== Name: Nathan Title: Sessor of the First King, ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö, Pseudo Ego Weapon (Cursed) Age: 16 yrs (???) Rank: Iota(Lvl.15) Disposition: Chaotic-neutral Stigma - Iridescence * >>Skills: -> [Pierce [Common]] -> [Synchronization] -> [Golden Turtle [Unique]] -> [Appraisal [Legendary]] -> [Multiply [Unique]] * >> Arts: [Armory of Eridu [Legacy]] ->Constetions: God Killing Spear(???) ->Understanding Lvl14: Create constetions of weapons in the soul. The more constetions the user creates, the faster new constetions are created. ->Novice Mastery: Scan ¨C Creates a frame of the weapon inside your soul. Construct ¨C Manifest your weapons in the World dimension. ->Proficient Mastery: Spatial Rupture ¨C Create a tear in spear to store your constructed weapons ??? -Intermediate Mastery: Folding ¨C Using other constetions as the base form the pre-programmed constetions used by the First King. (Spears Unlocked: God Killing Spear) ??? ->Intermediate Mastery Requirements: The user is able to construct 50 weapons at once, Understanding Lvl30, 100 Spatial Ruptures * >> Quest :- Find and kill the Monarch of Wealth, Mammon, the Sin of Greed Reward ¨C Pandora''s Heart, ???, ??? Failure Penalty ¨C ??? Time Remaining¨C 12 years: 254 days: 21 hours ** >>Items: Shortsword[Rare]*1, Bastard sword[Rare]*1, Shield[Common]*1, Rapier[Rare]*1, Greatsword[Common]*4, Longsword[Common]*1, Spear[Common]*4, Hammer[Common]*1, Dagger[Common]*6, Dart[Common]*1, Grimoire[Rare] (Spells: *1, *2, *1), Magic Wand[Common]*7, Mephistopheles Earrings[Legacy] ====== The title ''Pseudo Ego Weapon (Cursed)'' meant that I was being ssified as a weapon. This was why I could use [Pierce] on my left arm, although the skill was only supposed to work with weapons. My arts messed up stats were because of [Synchronization]. When I reached Intermediate mastery, I was able to ess new information regarding my art. At that time I was in a hurry, thus I ignored the new techniques of Proficient Mastery and Intermediate Mastery and only essed the technique that could act as a distraction. This was the result. I was back in Proficient Mastery, however, the knowledge I gained didn''t disappear, and thus I could use a technique from higher mastery. But this wasn''t shocking. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" I flipped the diary and counted the number of pages left. My body shook, and I hoped that what I was thinking wasn''t true. However, my hopes were shattered mercilessly. "Seven pages" I plopped down on the ground. The diary had only thest seven pages left. These were the same pages that had something written on them, but I wasn''t able to read all of them. Nothing was being written about what was happening with Leon. I channeled ether hastily, wishing for anything to happen. Anything that showed that the diary didn''t lose its abilities. Nevertheless, nothing changed. There were no pages left to have anything written on them. The other pages, except thest seven, disappeared without a trace. I could no longer see the future, nor could I watch Leon''s present or past. "Dammit" I sped my face with my arms. Truth be told, the loss of the diary''s abilities didn''t worry me too much. Instead, this proved the hypothesis going in my mind. "Why at this time?" What affected me was the timing of this event. This was the worst possible timing. With what happened in the Underworld, I painted a target on my back. One that every organization would try to get their hands on. Losing the diary''s abilities, I lost my way of getting insider information on the hunt for me. I had been nning to use the diary and respond as the situation asked for it. ¡­But I lost that shortcut. I was like a sailor stranded in the middle of a storm with nond in sight. The dairy''s abilities were my guidance and without them, I was lost. "Is there no other choice?" A helpless smile appeared on my face. My only choice was blindly going all in. It was dangerous. If I messed up, death would be a mercy. However, the returns will also increase. I sighed heavily. If I knew this was going to happen, I wouldn''t have been so bold during the tournament. "I can''t decide if this is I should be happy or sad." The dream I saw after [Synchronization] hinted at countless regressions. The confidence of the being inside me when he spoke about the consequences of my actions. They sprouted seeds of doubt in me. The conclusions I arrived at gave me an absurd answer. "The dairy wasn''t showing me the future but the past" To be specific, it was showing the past of the previous timelines. I didn''t know if those corpses were me or someone who looked like me. But that didn''t change the fact there were mountains of them. What if the diary was the record of past timelines and, depending on my choices, showed the past chosen by one of those ''me''? There were countless corpses. If all of them made at least one different choice, then that would''ve led to different results. The dairy was a cumtion of those results. This would exin how it could show me alternate futures, depending on my choices. The only fact missing would be¡­ Why did the dairy lose its ability? Chapter 157 Second Sequence [2] Why did the dairy lose its ability to show past, present, and future? The answery with [Synchronization] The first figure inside the dream said: -In the end, it''s always only the two of us. Why don''t we try something new, something different? This,bined with other clues, made me think¡­ "The ''something different'' are us, Outsiders." It was a simple deduction. If the ying field can''t be changed no matter what you do, then you need to bring outside forces to intervene. [Synchronization] was the fail-safe the first figure used in case none of the Outsiders could make significant changes. The other two might not have [Synchronization] but seeing their progress, they have to have something to help them. When I used [Synchronization], I created a path that had never been taken in the past. My deduction might be wrong, but this was what I came up with. The being inside me was the first figure from the dream. He brought us Outsiders here to change the future and achieve his goals. But even though he wanted to change the future, wouldn''t he try to create a change when it was the most favorable for him? The reason the being was angry with me was that I used [Synchronization] earlier than he wanted. Changing the future carelessly wouldn''t achieve results. It had to be done meticulously and the process must be handled carefully. Otherwise, problems might arise. The best example would be how I messed up his ns by using [Synchronization] earlier. He must have wanted me to use [Synchronization]ter when the time to make changes appear. "Maybe this is why the diary lost its abilities? Because the future is no more known." I flipped through the diary and looked at the second page. ====== Second Sequence is being decoded. ====== Other that the first page that showed me my personal information, I could now read the 2nd page. "Is this rted to the future being changed?" Closing the diary, I went to the others to say my goodbye. Although the theory I came up with seemed usible, I couldn''t be 100% sure. There was much that I did not know yet. * "Huuuu¡­ It''s cold." I was wearing a thin robe over my clothes, but it wasn''t enough to keep me warm in the freezing wind that blew into my face. In front of me was a futuristdscape that was vastly different from the medieval Underworld and undeveloped mountain ranges. The entire area was covered in tall buildings made out of metal, ss, and stone. I could see tworge towers in the distance, one to the south and another to the north, each stretching into the sky. Behind me was a massive portal that brought me here, to the closest portal exit to Ward. I left the dungeon after telling Tristan to prepare fake ids for all of us and keep an eye on Miller''s stepsister. Although Chloe had high rank, Miller was a master of disguise, he wouldn''t be caught. Besides, I strictly forbade him from prying too much. There were a few more instructions for all of them, but they weren''t anything important. Most of what I told them could be summarized as a training n for them. I wanted to formally establish our group, but that needed me toplete several procedures and registrations. Besides, I still was in favor of having all of our identities anonymous. To do that, I would need the backing of someone powerful. Groaning, I went to a caf¨¦ to get a coffee. I did not bring Nerael with me. While leaving, I refused to take her along with me. She broke down into tears. However, I had no choice but to steel my heart and leave her behind. ? Nerael could no longer return to her golem form. It seems that in return for being able to get her human form early, she couldn''t switch back easily. She should be able to learn how to switch back after training, but till then, she couldn''t be with me. Remembering her snot-covered face, I felt a pang in my heart. Due to our connection, I could feel her emotions clearly when I adamantly refused her. It wasn''t a good feeling. While sipping on the coffee, I opened my device and checked for news. After surfing for half an hour, I didn''t find anything rted to the appearance of the new Irregr. "They are taking this path, huh?" Aegis and Umbra must have decided to keep info about the appearance of the new Irregr under wraps while they search for me. "It had to get worse." If the search was done by Goliaths, then I doubted that Susan could leak me any info. It would have been easier for Susan to get info if the search was made public. I did not think she would have refused me if I asked her about the progress of the investigation. However, even she wouldn''t be privy to information on Goliaths search. Sipping my 5th coffee, I came across an interesting piece of news. [Stage-2 Gargoyle Dungeon Break: Recently, the 8th dungeon break in history happened. This was the first time a Stage-2 dungeon broke. However, with Aegis'' swift response, the causalities were lower than predicted. Investigations are going on as to why a dungeon break urred. We have the head of¡­] "It began" I clicked my tongue at the missed opportunity. I couldn''t recruit the second protagonist. Gargoyle Dungeon break was a precursor of earth''s destruction. Humanity might ignore this event, but there were a total of 2 things that made it important. First, Gargoyles weren''t eliminated. When a Stage-2 dungeon breaks, the monsters aren''t released at once but in two waves. The 2nd wave wille shortly and cause damage on arge scale. But this wasn''t important. The real thing was the rift that opened. Rifts are wormholes that can appear when the space is distorted. There are many conditions for rifts to appear, and most of them are unknown. The 2nd protagonist, Peter, should have been caught in the rift and been transported to Delmond, the second hell. The 2nd protagonist and the 3rd protagonist were secondary protagonists of ''Hero has Returned''. Both of them were returnees and crazy overpowered. In the war, while Leon had yet to return, these two alone stopped the elven army from advancing. One being a Necromancer and the other Beast tamer, they rained hell on elves who prided themselves as master of numbers. Peter was Ryan''s sibling. Both of them grew up in the same orphanage and were very close. To raise Peter, Ryan had infiltrated Ward on Iris'' orders. In the novel, Iris never knew about Peter''s potential. It was only after Peter returned from Delmond, did everyone realize Peter''s potential. It wouldn''t be wrong to say that he was no different from a viin and, at first, Leon and he repeatedly engaged in bitter battles. The only reason he changed again and began hunting viins was that Iris had discarded his brother, Ryan, and left him to die. This drove the nail of hatred in his heart. As a result, he protected Earth. It was to go against Iris and trample her wish ofying earth to ruin. The news about the first wave of dungeon break being subjugated meant that Peter has been transported to Delmond. I couldn''t get him. Miller had searched for Peter as I had asked. But because I wasn''t sure about his location, we couldn''t find him on time. Though, I didn''t know if I would have saved him from getting caught in the rift. It was the hardships that he went on Delmond that boosted his growth. The second thing this dungeon break marked was the betrayal of Aegis'' head. He had secretly colluded with the Elves and left for the Elven frontline a few weeks back. In return for Elves'' help to raid the Gate of Hell and resources to make a breakthrough, he decided to betray Earth. At this point, nobody knew this. Everyone will be thinking that he had gone on an undercover mission. Shortly, the leadership of Aegis will temporarily be passed to Headmaster. ''More like, Headmaster will take the leadership by force.'' The leader of Aegis will return a few yearster. By then, the Earth will be going through turbulent times. The four cmities, Round Table, Yggdrasil, Illis, short-scale invasions by other races, and other threats. All of this was before the war began. I couldn''t help but chuckle. Leon was in his first year and training day and night to be strong, to protect Earth. But even at this moment, while he was unaware, seeds of earth''s destruction were growing. It wasn''t that Leon was weak, or he was a failure. No, he dedicated his life to his cause. Just that¡­ There were things even he couldn''t stop. Chapter 158 Meeting With The Vice-Headmaster [1] [Please select the difficulty level] I tapped at the panel hovering in front of me. Presently, I was training in the training room. [Lvl 11 difficulty selected] The ground in front of me opened, and a mechanical spider popped out. "It''sing." My body tensed up as the machine came toward me, but it didn''t do anything more than that. It stopped just before getting to me. This wasn''t its attack range. Two swords appeared behind me. A mechanical spider moved around me. And now, it was about to start. One sword swished through the air like wind chimes. The spider moved, swinging its front two legs at the sword. ng-! It blocked my attack. Without a moment''s dy, it rushed at me, seemingly trying to skew me alive. But I had already anticipated how it would move. Thrusting my right hand out, I stabbed the sword into the robot''s head. "[Pierce]" Krch-! The tip of the sword punctured its head. However, the spider quickly pulled itself together, flinging away the sword from it as if it were nothing. Phzzt- Another de flew out. With a roar, the metal monster turned into a blur as it charged at me. I had no time to dodge. I couldn''t even tell what kind of technique it used. My heart pounded. I could feel the pressure building up inside my stomach. The spider jumped and shed at me again. I ducked and rolled on the ground. Breaking my roll, I constructed another sword beneath it. "[Pierce]" The spider fell back on the sword. The sword tore through its belly and came out of its back. This time, the spider couldn''t move immediately. I ran toward it. I had to defeat it while it was not yet moving. I thrust my de down on it with all my might. "Gah!" The sword pierced through it. I had hit it right between the eyes. With another swing, I beheaded the machine. Thud-! The spider fell to the ground. But I didn''t let my guard down. It was only after the message appeared did I rx. [Trainingpleted] [User Rating: A] [Leaderboard - Can only be essed in highest difficulty] The sword in my hand disappeared, and I ended the training. I jumped from a C rating to an A in less than 4 months. The growth rate was impressive, but I didn''t feel satisfied. Unknowingly, I had been depending on my art too much. It wasn''t a bad thing, per se. However, I wasn''t making most of my abilities. Without the weapons, constantly blocking and hindering the enemy, I was an easy target. Picking the towel, I wiped the sweat. I was leaving to eat something. This was what I had been doing since I came back: Eat, sleep, train, rinse and repeat. Honestly, the feeling of sleeping had be too weird after staying awake for 10 years straight. It was now more difficult to sleep than not to. Opening a bottle, I drank the energy drink. "Pwah.." The spear constetion inside my soul had be a problem. I couldn''t use it while training because of surveince. What''s more, was that constructing that spear was going to take me at least a half minute. Due to the spear constetion being created by using all of my previous constetions, I had to build my stash from the beginning. The good thing was that I had nock of weapons to create constetions. The sentries at the tournament had been generous and given me everything they had on themselves. Besides, with my high proficiency now I could create at least 2 constetions in one day,pared to before when I constructed 1 constetion after more than a week. I was waiting to build a good stash of constetions before going inside the Dungeon of Trials. cing the worries at the back of my head, I opened the door. The door opened with a swish and what greeted me was a familiar face. Both of us looked at each other for a moment and I moved my arm to close the door. "Wait" But before I could shut him out, Leon stepped inside. "Long time no see~" I changed my temperament as fast as a father leaving to buy milk. Leon stared at me, unamused. Before I could make a joke, he cut me off. "What were you doing for the past week? "Training" ''Why is asking that? Isn''t that too early?'' Leon was staring at my face as if trying to spot lies. He had dark circles underneath his eyes and looked like he hadn''t slept in days. I was amazed at how much he''d been overworked to look this tired in a span of a few days. This was the result with his physique. If it was a normal person, they''d be dead from exhaustion. As I thought, working for the government wasn''t fun. "You look like you are going to die from exhaustion. Remember to dere me as your will''s sessor before that." ''Did I get caught? No, if I did, it wouldn''t have been Leon who came to meet me.'' My thoughts and mouth worked simultaneously. Leon suddenly slumped on the ground. "You aren''t hurt." I titled my head. "What are you talking about?" "I..I had a dream. I can''t remember what it was, but I feel that it wasn''t good. For some reason, I feel like I met you at the end of the dream." My smile froze. "¡­You met me?" Gulp- ''Did he have the same dream?'' [Synchronization] Suddenly, the name of the skill started making more sense. ''It isn''t possible, right? It makes no sense why he would also have that dream.'' I was about to question Leon when I noticed him intensely staring at my face. "Is there something on my face?" I wiped my hand to clean my face, but he didn''t move his eyes even after that. "What are you looking at?" "Your earrings¡­ where did you get them?" Chapter 159 Meeting With The Vice-Headmaster [2] "Your earrings¡­ where did you get them?" Leon was staring at my earring suspiciously. Did he recognize them? This was why I had been trying to hide them. Though the situation wasn''t dangerous. After all, it was Leon. "That¡­." I opened and closed my mouth a few times. My eyes were turned toward the ground, and I was clenching my fists tightly. Leon, who saw me hesitating, shook his head. "You don''t need to tell me. It was insensitive of me to ask it out of the blue. I understand that there are things that one wouldn''t take about." He self-rationalized my hesitation, thinking it was connected to my past. ''How gullible are you? I didn''t even speak, and you were fooled?'' It didn''t look like Leon was going to ask me about the earrings anymore. However, that wasn''t my goal. I needed to take care of this golden opportunity. "No, I''ll tell you." I managed to get these words out with great difficulty. Seeing me struggling, Leon tried to stop me. But would I? No, I wanted him to ask this question! Why wouldn''t I answer it? "This is... rted to my stigma." Leon''s eyes widened. Materializing objects with the help of stigma and maintaining them continuously wasn''t normal. This meant that I had a special stigma. A powerful one at that. Leon nodded to himself. "That exins a lot of things." ''Huh, it does?'' What crap was he spouting? "It''s called¡­ [Sword Sessor] and I-" "Wait." Leon stopped me from me speaking more. "Before this¡­ did you tell anyone about your stigma?" I shook my head. "Why?" I sighed in a way Leon could see before speaking. "My stigma is¡­ different. I didn''t know whom should I tell about it." Leon again nodded to himself. "It''s like I thought. You were hiding your stigma because it''s powerful. You didn''t know what will happen if others came to know about it, so you hid it." Looking at his expression, I could tell that he believed his hypothesis. ''I can''t tell if I''m scamming him or he is scamming himself.'' I agreed happily. "But it felt suffocating. Every day I would be afraid of others discovering me." I lowered my tone to add extra effect. "Sometimes I thought I should reveal it, but I couldn''t decide the repercussions it woulde from revealing that I have a growth-type stigma." Society wasn''t good. Who knows that someone might attack me if they realized my potential? It wouldn''t be difficult to harm or threaten a no-name like me. ¡­Or so I was posing. I looked at Leon''s face to see the result. He was pale as a sheet, and his jaw threatened to fall to the floor. "A growth-type stigma?" A whisper came out of his mouth. ''Why is he shocked like this? His stigma is also growth-type'' Does he not realize th-Ah! He had only gone through 1st awakening. He wouldn''t know about his stigma being growth-type. Tsk Ten years'' gap had made me forget a few things. ''Well, whatever. Even if he knows or not, it won''t affect this situation.'' "Yes" I nodded with great difficulty. Leon couldn''t bring words out of his mouth. Growth-type stigma was the same as being an Irregr. No Irregr had their stigma strong from the beginning. If they did, they would''ve died from their own powers, rather, they have stigma that grow with them. It was simr to Goliath unit members. The only difference was that their growth wasn''t natural. After their stigma strength crosses a certain threshold, it would harm their bodies. Their bodies didn''t have the gics to handle their stigma. An example would be not having fire resistance if you had a fire creation stigma. This was apatibility issue that rarely urred with natural stigmas but was a normal case for Goliaths. The only way out of this situation was to lower the stigma''s power by sealing it. "We should get our lunch." At my words, Leon stood up, and we walked out. I wasn''t going to give Leon all the information about my ''stigma'' in go. Giving him information in bits and pieces would make it more believable, and he would think I was genuinely struggling to tell others about it. It was aborious job, but the results would be worth it. Since I had decided to go all in, I couldn''t back out now. "We should get our lunch." We entered the canteen to find that it was packed with cadets in a variety of uniforms, chatting amongst themselves and eating their lunches. The crowd parted as we entered, allowing us to take our seats at one of the tables. I smiled broadly. This was the result of Leon''s rising fame. Single-handedly, taking down a Royal Demon wasn''t something that could be ignored, especially when the Royal Demon had almost defeated the strongestbat ss. We took our lunch and sat in the empty seat near the door. Though I said cadets, there was not a single cadet belonging to the first-yearbat department. All of them were rushing through the floor toplete the task. The threebat departments sses ''Katana'', ''Wand'', and ''Shooter'' would be having apetition among their ss members on the 10th floor. Cadets with the best performance in every ss will then enter an inter-sspetition on the 13th floor. Both thesepetitions would decide their practical score. Everyone should be nervous and focusing all their attention on it. Should be. "When will start going down the dungeon?" Leon choked on his food. "Cough..cough.." "Drink this." He emptied the ss of water in a single gulp. Watching his arms shaking, I knew the answer to my question. This guy had messed up due to the Goliaths'' mission. He waste. Isabell was a student council prospect and thus could skip exams with permission. However, Leon couldn''t. "Don''t worry, you can reach the 10th floor if you try hard enough." I lied as easily as I breathed. With less than 3 days left, only Susan was capable of clearing the 10 floors. That if she didn''t get lost on the way. "But if you waste your time more than this, I don''t think it would be possible to reach the 10th floor." Leon breathed in all the food at myment. One second there was food in front of us, the next second it wasn''t. "I had given up all hopes after Isabell said it wasn''t possible to reach there in the remaining time. I knew she was lying." I acted as if I didn''t hear his mumbling as he packed food for his trip. Leon again thanked me and rushed out. Hehehehe.. The only way to reach the 10th floor within the time limit would be to skip floors. After every 5 floors, the challengers of Dungeon of Trials will go through an individual trial. This was a boss fight where the boss'' strength would differ depending on the difficulty of the boss you chose. The difficulty can only be chosen at the 1st trial and cannot be changedter. If Leon is lucky enough, he should be able to get the prize of skipping a few floors from the first trial. But even then he would have to grit his teeth and continuously fight 3 days without sleep. Suffer the consequence of attacking me, Leon! Suffer! Muhahaha.. Cough..cough.. I wasn''t worried if he could reach the floor in time. During this time in the novel, having suffered a crushing defeat, Leon''s spirit was at an all-time low. He would''ve managed to get selected to fight on the 13th floor. However, among the cadets who were also there, he wouldn''t be of much help. It can be said the story will again change if Leon managed to reach the 10th floor. With awakened stigma and [Raikou], our Leon was stronger than one in the novel when he would enter the 2nd year. "X should being to meet me when they realizes that I again made changes, no?" Though for that Leon have to reach the 10th floor. Also, I will be following him in a few days. Mother''s Embrace can be chosen as the prize of the 4th trial at the max difficulty. Dungeon of trials was a work of wonders. It was called Dungeon, looked like an inverted tower embedded into the ground, and every floor was a different pocket dimension. It was technically a Ruin, while also being ssified as a legacy artifact. One could even say it was as special as my art and Leon''s legacy skill. "Cadet rank 2169, Nathan Hunt? Is that you?" A gruff voice entered my ears, and I saw someone standing at the door of the cafeteria. "Vice-Headmaster the asking for you." A sigh escaped my lips, again. Can''t have a break, can I? Chapter 160 Meeting With The Vice-Headmaster [3] I followed the one who was here to bring me to Vice-Headmaster. He had anky figure and wore his long hair tied back, which made him look even more like an academic person, which he was. His skin seemed very pale in the shadow of the building, but he gave off an air that wasn''t so much cold as distant as if he didn''t care about things around him. He was Trevor Hollered, Rank 2 of 3rd years, and the top cadet in the Research department. He was also a part of the Student Council. More importantly, he was the one who worked on my left arm. Trevor and I walked in silence. Looking around, I saw many cadets looking over at us. Some were whispering to one another as if they had just seen a ghost. Others were contacting their friends. I couldn''t me them; Trevor was famous not only in Ward but throughout the World. He had made many inventions and discoveries. However, he was always engrossed in his experiments and rarelyes out. In a few words, he was a recluse. But his ability wouldn''t allow others to leave him alone. Even I was shocked when I came to know that there was someone who could help with my arm. It only made me curious about what his stigma was. I did not know the stigma of the Student Council. As almost all of them died before Leon got [Appraisal]. The majority of the Student Council headed by Mia will go to cut down Yggdrasil that will appear next year. They would die there. Snap- Trevor threw something in the air and snapped his fingers. A blinding light shone from the object. It was enough to overpower the sunlight, and I had to close my eyes. When I reopened them, Trevor and I were high in the air, standing on some kind of floating tes. I was stupefied. I didn''t even notice when he picked me up. Trevor didn''t react as if saying this was a daily thing and we flew to our destination. The mood was awkward, and I tried to speak to Trevor, but he ignored me throughout the way. ''Did I do something to him? Why is he acting like this?'' A few minutester, we reached the section where administrative buildings rested. In the middle of the section were the statues of the 3 Irregrs. The statues of Grandmaster Yui, Magi Roy, and Demon Hunter Daniel stood back to back with each other. Besides, it was thergest building I''ve seen since entering this world. It had ss panes covering its entire surface. The building looked more like a castle than an administrative building. Trevor lowered us in front of the building. The guards scanned his Id and allowed us to enter. The interior of the building was tranquil and peaceful. Dozens of people were moving in the lobby, however, no one paid them any mind as they went about their business. There wasn''t even a hint of tension in the air. The receptionist at the counter behind which they stood was busy talking to someone on the phone. Trevor walked up to the receptionist and showed her something on his device. cing the phone back, she greeted us with a smile. After going through the hologram in front of her, she looked at me with a smile. "We''ve confirmed your appointment. You can meet the Vice-headmaster now." Again, Trevor moved swiftly and entered the lift. I followed behind him like a chicken behind its mother. I had been moving on autopilot as I was trying to think of the possible reasons why the Archer of End would call me. As far as I knew, I had done nothing that could garner his attention. The situation regarding the Royal Demon had been solved already. This would be the first time he was meeting me personally. I wasn''t very enthusiastic about it. I didn''t even feel that I was standing on a lift. The ride was smooth and unhindered. The lift stopped right on top of the floor we needed and opened automatically as soon as the doors slid open. I stepped out into an office without hesitation. Trevor did not step inside, nor was I expecting him to. He was probably only told to fetch me because we were in the same department. This must have been the reason behind his sour mood. The room was furnished with arge desk and two chairs in front of it. A single window was set high up against the wall next to the door. There were several monitors resting on the side tables. One chair was upied by a man dressed in a suit, reading from a book while sipping tea. He looked up when we entered, but continued reading. "Ah, you''re here. Good. We need to talk," said the man. His voice was deep and rich. I could see he was smiling when he spoke. I nodded my head and responded with a smile, however internally I felt a storm rising. ''He is smiling! He is smiling!'' I gulped unconsciously. The Archer of the End was angry. And as far as I knew, there was only one thing that could make him angry. His concern for his daughter, Lilith. ''Fuck, my luck. What did she do?'' "Why are standing? Come sit." I followed his advice and sat across the table. If anyone saw him acting like this, they would faint from fear. The people who wouldn''t know him might think that how he treated us during the entrance ceremony was rude. That he was angry back then. But no, they are wrong. John Ashdown, the Gamma-rank awakener and a doting father, gets angry only when ites to his daughter. His love for his daughter had transcended the cultural difference between races. And he decided to keep his disguise and act in the stead of the real John Ashdown. In reality, he was a monster that devoureds. He was Klyntarn, the cosmic parasite, and the target of Tristan''s hatred. Chapter 161 Shameless [1] Vice-Headmaster looked through the monitor before turning to me. "How is your arm? Although we provided medical care as far as I know it was a failure." "I can''t use it to fight. However, I wouldn''t call it a failure." I raised my left arm and moved it. My movements were slow and weak, but they were fluid. It wasn''t bad by any means. John rubbed his chin. "That''s good to hear." I didn''t show it on my face but I wanted to run away this instant. I did not know what Lilith spoke about me and why John called me, but I was 100% sure he was going to screw me over. This was how Leon was made to clear the gangs in Downtown. "Do you know why I''ve called you here?" I almost frowned but managed to contain it. Making an unpleasant expression will only give him an even more unfavorable impression of me. "No" I shook my head. At my words, he passed me a sheet of paper. Taking it from his hands, I swept my eyes over it. "This¡­" "These are your exam results." I nodded dazedly. Were the results already out? Weren''t they supposed toe outter? I was going through the result when I realized that the total was less than what I knew. Only then did I remember that my result wouldn''t have a practicals score added to it. My grades solelyplied with the written examination. A deep frown appeared on my face. My result was¡­ "Troublesome" John also nodded his head. "You have failed in one examination. Usually, the failure in subjects can be negated with the appropriate score in practicals, but that isn''t an option for you." It was already a miracle that I was able to pass in 7 subjects that I''d never studied before, with only a few days'' worths of preparation. [Aether Metallurgy] was the subject I failed in. It dealt with theoretical knowledge of artifact construction. The basic concept was the higher thepatibility of the artifacts with Aether, the better it was. In the subject, we were taught hundreds of new metals and theirpounds that were discovered after the First Disaster and were still being discovered. I took the subject because I thought it would be necessary to understand weapons for my art but.. Now I feel like a fucking dumbass! I studied this subject and prepared meticulously. I knew it could fail me and it was important for my future, too. But I forgot everything while I was going crazy for 10 years! It wasn''t my fault! Sighing, I looked at John. I was sighing a lot these days. If he called me here, he must have a reason for it. "Will I be expelled?" At my words, John''s face slightly brightened. Making me think he had been waiting for this moment. "Your case is first for Ward, too. In normal circumstances, we would expel the cadets who can''t perform their duties. However, we decided to keep you because of your merit and your special condition." His way of sweet talking to me was making me apprehensive. "We have yet to decide what to do with you. This is why I called you today. Cadent rank 2169, Nathan Hunt, give me a reason to keep you in Ward." " ''What can I do to stay inside Ward?'', was what he was asking. The gears inside my mind churned. Do I need to stay in Ward? Yes, I needed Dungeon of Trial to facilitate my growth. What can I do to stay in Ward? Providing something only I have. Should I reveal the ''stigma'' I told to Leon? No, that would mess up my ns. Is there an alternative way? Yes, a very dumb one at that. I would be surprised if that worked. However, this was the time to grasp every straw for a way out. I decided on my course of action. "I¡­ don''t have anything that would warrant my stay at Ward." I looked at the ground with great sadness in my eyes. "Oh? Then should I expel you?" Then, taking a moment of pause, as if I was making a difficult decision, I looked back up with a defeated smile. "I knew this day woulde when I lost my arm. I know I can''t do anything to change it, but before that¡­" I stood up, and an empty paper appeared in my hand. With a straight back, clenched buttocks, and a night-degree bow while thrusting the paper toward John, I spoke with all my might. "Please give me your autograph!" "Are you a fan?" John looked at my interest. He was a famous awakener. It wasn''t umon for lines to form for a glimpse of his face let alone his autograph. "Yes, I''m a big fan of Miss. Lilith" John, who was looking down at me due to hisrge physique, froze. The temperature of the room quickly fell and I could feel a sense of oppression leaking from his body. I continued without hesitation. "I wish to get the autograph of the person who has raised someone as perfect as Miss. Lilith!" I bbered like a fan girl. "Miss. Lilith?" "Yes, I have been a fan of hers since childhood! The way she fights, her indomitable spirit, her beauty that surpasses even gods, she is perfect in every way! She is my idol!" When I realized I was speaking about everything without cringing, my respect for myself grew by another notch. Even I didn''t know I was this shameless! "I was so happy when I realized I could enter Ward! I felt I''d achieved my dream! But when I became friends with I realized that there was happiness I never knew about. I felt I could die without regret!" "You are different from how Lilith portrayed you." John wasn''t smiling, but I could tell that he was feeling proud of having his daughter held in high regard, and possibly a bit creeped out too by my actions. However, this wasn''t the time to back down! Strike while the iron is still hot! I stood straight and scratched my head. "That¡­ I didn''t want her to feel weirded out. I even tried to stay away from her. It was a sin for a mortal to stand with gods! But I possibly couldn''t refuse her." I looked sad when I said thest part. Before John could speak, I again sprang into the final part. "Nevertheless, I feel blessed that I could send time under her shade! I was able to able to witness many moments of her life!" I swiftly operated my devices, and images materialized in the air. John, who saw the photos, turned rigid, which now that I think about happened twice. Was that possible? "Who is that cadet?" I didn''t need to ask which guy. Every photo had Lilith and Leon together in them. The photos weren''t anything much. In most of them, they were sitting together, ying,ughing, or doing another mundane task, but didn''t matter to an overprotective dad. For him, it was heresy! "He is¡­" I didn''t speak about the end part. "Leon, is that his name?" I nodded my head with a painful expression that screamed I also didn''t like him near Lilith. "Good, good, so he was just a friend. A friend¡­" ''Leon, I pray for you. Don''t worry if you survive, I''ll pay you back, probably!'' John had a pleasant smile on his face every time he spoke Leon''s name. Suddenly, he looked back at me. "Do you want to stay in Ward?" "Yes?" I was trying to shift John''s attention from me to Leon. Then why do I feel like I also got roped into the mess? Chapter 162 Shameless [2] "You have to do these two jobs. Can you do it?" Nathan had a troubled expression. John was ''asking'' him to do two jobs in return for staying in Ward. They weren''t particrly hard, but Nathan didn''t understand why he was the one asked to do them. He ultimately nodded, though. He had been nning to do them either way. "You may leave." Nathan stood up and walked to the lift. Entering the lift, he left. "Weren''t you supposed to give him only one task, Vice-headmaster?" The space behind John distorted, and a woman appeared. She was wearing a white blouse and ck skirt, with high heels that were almost painful to look at. She had her hair up in a bun, which made her appear younger than she actually was. Her skin was wless, and though she wasn''t very tall, she exuded an air of authority. John was silently operating his device, seeing that the woman pushed her sses upward. "You were supposed to tell him to be overseer for the examination on the 13th floor only. Besides, asking that cadet to monitor Lilith''s surroundings as his job... are you sure about doing this to Lilith?" At the mention of Lilith, John dropped his work and faced the woman. He took a moment to answer. "Ever since she joined Ward, she had been happy after making friends. I want to support her, but she needs to grow emotionally. She can''t survive on frontlines with her mindset." The woman''s brows furrowed. As John''s secretary, she stayed with him for the majority of the day. She understood what John was trying to say. Lilith had been sad because Nathan was always in danger and might die at any moment. Nathan might die tomorrow or the day after tomorrow. They had no way of knowing when his condition will be unstable. Lilith did not show it but, knowing that it would lead to his death, Lilith could not bear to watch Nathan trying to grow stronger. John also knew this. Nathan''s report suggested that the more he levels up and his core quality increases, it will result in a delicate situation of Nether and Aura in his body. The moment the bnce breaks, so will his connection with life. Nathan was like a ticking time bomb that would eventually explode. John wanted to teach Lilith about death using Nathan. Earth''s condition was deteriorating with every passing day, a war almost on the horizon. John was worried that once the war begins, Lilith might not be able to handle the death of the ones she know and called her friends. With Nathan, he wanted to make her familiar with loss and death, maturing her in the process. Though it was also possible that, with his low potential, Nathan might not level up more than a few more times and ultimately live. This was why they were giving him the other job. To see if he was useful. "Though I must say, when the teaching staff spoke about him no one had a favorable impression of him, he was choosing subjects left and right with no sense of coherence between them, but seeing his result, he is a genius in his own right." John opened Nathan''s mark sheet. [Aether Metallurgy] [Magic chants and Magic circle] [Spell sequences] [Basicbat theory] [Monster behavior and habitats] [Advanced Dungeon Knowledge] [Basic Alchemy] [War] These were the eight subjects Nathan chose for his 1st semester. He failed in one and passed in others with average marks. Nevertheless, it was the content he wrote that was special. "He gained only average marks in [War], however, every strategy he wrote was highly efficient." [War] subject covered the basics of military knowledge, different formations, and strategies, learning terrain usage in battles, and different types of battles. Every strategy Nathan answered in the exams was highly efficient and achieved victory in the least amount of time. His strategies showed a near perfect analyticalprehension about enemies troops, ability to engage in psychological warfare and above all ruthlessness to use any necessary means to win. The reason why he didn''t get a high score was the methods he chose. His strategies, although efficient, were, in a way, wed. He disregarded the life of soldiers, and civilians, damage to terrain, and other aftermaths of battle. His answers were written to get the victory, ignoring everything and regardless of cost. The woman continued her report. "I''ve informed the other student council prospects about him. With their reports, we will know if Cadet Nathan is worth nurturing." John nodded. Even if Nathan''s strategies were efficient, disregarding life and the after-effects of battle wasn''t viable. In the exam, the overseers will have to implement rules and respond to all emergencies. They wanted to see how Nathan will react to those situations. He might have disregarded human life on paper, but would he do the same on the field? *** Ding- The lift opened on the ground floor. Nathan, whose feet moved on their own, was lost in his thoughts. He understood why he was given the task of monitoring Lilith''s friend circle. John was using excuses to keep Nathan close to Lilith. Maybe because he would die after breaking through to Enma-rank, John wanted to use him to familiarize Lilith with the loss of close ones. It was a decision that hurt John the most. For him, his daughter was his world. He could not bear to see her hurt, or even saddened. But if Lilith didn''t learn now, she would have to pay double the price in the future. Nathan knew John would tell him to do something as long as he provided an opening. John asking what Nathan could do to stay in Ward was his attempt at that. Thus, he did what he did. Though he still felt like cursing himself, this was one of the dumbest ns, if he could call it a n, he came up ever with. "Haa¡­" Nathan came out of the building and looked around. Someone who would brief him on his mission as the overseer would being here. "Why isn''t Headmaster contacting me by now?" Nathan''s fast growth was recorded on the training ground, his meeting with Susan on her floor. Nathan had been trying to get Headmaster''s attention. But so far, either the Headmaster did not check the footage or he ignored them. "The only thing good would be John will now pay more ''attention'' to Leon." If, simr to the novel, John decided to send Leon to exterminate gangs, he would engage with and destroy the ck t-shirt gang, which would cause Nathan endless trouble. But now he should give Leon a harder task, and Miller''s gang should remain safe. "Not like Leon canin about why I made it hard for him. I am just keeping my promise." Nathan smiled. Being a menace sure felt nice. Chapter 163 [Bonus ] Shameless [3] I rubbed my hands to warm them in this cold weather while recalling the meeting with John. At this moment, John, or Klyntarn, was lying low. I did not need to worry about him. What I needed to look out for was making sure Tristan doesn''te across John''s real identity. In the novel, Tristan found out who John was and this event ultimately led to Lilith''s death. Ting- My device rang signaling an iing message. [I_like_to_suck: I''ve prepared a fake ID for all of us. Should I register for a guild or a mercenary group?] Reading Tristan''s message, my brows jumped in surprise. It only took a few days to forge ID for all of us. [You: Good job.] [You: No, don''t register for any of those. We won''t be joining those businesses.] [I_like_to_suck: Ok] [I_like_to_suck: Also, I thought I should report this. Apparently, Chloe vanished from the gang during the time the tournament was running in Underworld. She came back the next day. Other than this there are no suspicious movements from her side.] [You: Keep monitoring her but don''t go overboard] [You: What is the progress with the Elixir extraction?] [I_like_to_suck: Miller said they will take it slow. They need to be careful to make sure Chloe doesn''t know about it.] [You: Anything else?] [I_like_to_suck: Actually, yes. It''s about Miller.] [I_like_to_suck: He is training with the twins.] I tilted my head. What was wrong with that? [You: I told him to train] [I_like_to_suck: Yes, but he is training with a shield] "Ah!" I understood what Tristan was trying to say. Miller stigma works with a shield. Tristan doesn''t know this, but given Miller''s weak physique, he must''ve been wondering why Miller was training as a tank. "Why is training with his shield, though? Did he have a change of heart?" Miller, although had a carefree nature, he was just as stubborn when it came to his ideals. He proved this in his fight against Vile Reaper. Talking with Tristan a bit, I came to know that Miller has been behaving differently after he came back from his gang. Since then, he has been acting cheerful and working hard. I was about to close the chat, but I recalled the other matter I gave to Tristan. [You: Did you buy the materials I told you to buy ?] [I_like_to_suck: I got a few and made calls for others. They should be delivered in a few days.] [You: Tell me if youck funds] My curse would need a lot of materials to be created. I had given Tristan the list of things he needed to buy. The money he was using was what I earned from the tournament. Though, it would take two more months before I could get the curse. For the main ingredient, a Royal demon''s core, I needed to wait for the end of the semester to get it. I sent Tristan onest message before closing the app. [You: Buy a short-range teleportation magic spell and have Evelyn learn it.] Even short-range teleportation was Rank 5 magic. Evelyn might not be able to learn it, but it should be possible for her to create an inferior version of it. I wanted to learn magic too. At this moment, my only lead was Evelyn. Deconstructing and constructing a new magic circle with its chants will help her with her training. I wasn''t expecting results anytime soon, though. Although she was a genius, it would take her a year before she reached that level. I was giving her a Rank 5 spell because spatial magic was her specialty in the novel. It should be easier for her to train with it. I stood out in the cold for another few minutes before the people who would brief me came. "Cadet Nathan Hunt?" A man with short trimmed blue hair and pale skin walked up to me. His skin was paler than anyone I knew, and his eyes were lifeless. He didn''t look cheerless, he had a friendly air about him, rather he simply looked ''lifeless''. Following closely behind him was a woman who looked like she''d just stepped out of an advertisement for high-end cosmetics. Her skin was also as white as snow and her caramel hair fell in waves down her back. She had the sort of face that could make others fall into despair at first nce; making them feel inferior. The woman had a bright smile on her face as she stood behind the man. Both of them were sporting 3rd year top 25 cadet uniforms, white cadet attires with orange lining, and looked to be in their early 20s. With each rank-up, the bodies of awakeners undergo a growth spurt, till their body achieves optimal growth, then they age more slowly with subsequent rank-ups. "Yes, it''s me." At my affirmation, the man walked up to me with a hand on his chin. He scrutinized my face as if doing an inspection and kept nodding to himself. "Hmm¡­ you have potential." He actively circled me with his lifeless face and finally stood before me. "However, the potential is nothing without the correct mindset. Tell me¡­" cing his palms on top of my shoulders, he looked me in the eye. I couldn''t help but gulp. "Boobs or butts?" "Thig-Da fock?" I almost answered, but then I realized what he had asked. I was surprised, to say the least. He shook his head and repeated himself. "Boo-" Bang-! However, before he could utter a word, he was struck by something invisible and blown away. His body crashed into the nearest building, destroying a reinforced wall in the process. "I shouldn''t have let him speak." The woman had a disgusted expression on her face as she nced at the man''s crash site. She shook her head and turned to me with a bright smile. The change was so swift that I felt my skills to becking whenpared to hers. "I''m 3rd year Rank 5 Jessica Rowena and he is, uhm.. forget him, you didn''t see him." The walls that were destroyed by the man''s body were reinforced to take mid-Enma rank''s attack with ease. Gulp- ''Is he alive?'' The people around didn''t pay any attention to us, or to the possible murder that just transpired, making me believe that maybe this wasn''t the first time this happened, or possibly it was amon urrence. The man, who I had assumed to be dead, walked back with a wronged expression. "Why did you hit me like that? At least wait till I be a man before killing me." He held his brain, which was threatening to fall off from the newly made opening, and put it back. With his other hand, he ced his eyeball back and then drank a potion. "Don''t be scared of her. Look at me, I will never give up until I seed!" He whispered by my side whilst making sure that Jessica could hear him. His tone as he spoke each word told me of the sincerity he held toward his goal. "Ward doesn''t forbid rtionships of any kind. Some girls especially dig guys like you. Go wild!" I absentee-mindedly nodded my head. His gross appearance had jump-started my memories. ''Jack Kizenkato, a member of Round Table, will betray along with Cadmus during the 3rd year. His stigma [Zombie] makes him nearly immortal. His stigma,bined with his natural talent for fighting, earned him the title ''Immortal Warmachine''.'' Looking at him now, no one would consider that he was going to be one of the most feared viins in the future. ''Did I meet two of the big names in one day? What luck.'' "Don''t worry, I''ll be with you until you pop yo-krrrrr" Thud- Jessica mercilessly electrocuted him until he lost consciousness. Then, with a cheerful smile, she opened her mouth. "You didn''t meet him. You didn''t meet anyone else from the Student Council other than me today, isn''t it?" I nodded my head. The slightly burnt smell of fat beneath told me that she would make sure no one shall know of the disgrace of the student council and see the light of the next day. "Here, this will serve as a temporary ID that will allow you to enter the Student Council building." She passed me the ID while holding Jack up with his cor. Jessica gave Jack onest disgusted look and dragged his body back. I looked at their departing figure and then at my surrounding. No one was batting an eye at the current spectacle. "Are there normal cadets in this school?" Damn I felt like the odd one out as the only normal person here. Chapter 164 Alchemy King [1] Saying goodbye to Jessica and Jack I went toward the Research department. Although I needed to meet with the other student council prospect, Vice-headmaster allowed me a few days before we dived into the dungeon. I had 25 days to reach the 13th floor. I decided to use a week to prepare ordingly. "The student council prospect that I will be recing, is it Isabell?" That would make sense. I did not see her with Leon. She must have something to do with the Goliaths. It took me almost an hour of walking to reach the Research Department sector. Ward already looked more sci-fi than the rest of Bermuda Ind. However, this ce put even that to shame. "Wow," I could not help but say it aloud. "It''s beautiful." Every department had its own sector. I had already seen the majority of them, but in terms of appearance, Research Department was otherworldly. The sector looked like a futuristic city made out of ss and metal with all kinds of windows. It reminded me of an amusement park because everything was so bright and colorful. Cadets, professors, staff, everyone was bustling about in the busy streets. Some were walking around while others rode on electric scooters or hoverboards. Quite a few were lost in their own world as they worked on their projects even while walking. The ce screamed entric in all rights. Seeing everyone busy with something made me feel a bit out of the ce. Ward has many departments but even among them cadets enlisted in Research Department have the most autonomy. Research Department follows the method of mentor and trainee. Seniors will take juniors will simr interests and knowledge in fields and train them under themselves. Professors do exist to help however anyone seldom goes to them. Any information can be gained in the library and the topics of research are too diverse to be covered properly by professors. This resulted in the Research Department''s current method of teaching. Presently I did not have an assigned mentor. So, one could say I was almost a free spirit. I needed to attend only a fewpulsory sses but due to the nature of the Research Department, no one would single me out even when I skip them. It was baffling. I was studying in the Earth''s most prestigious academy that followed strict military rules. Yet, I could spend all of my time doing nothing and I couldn''t be punished. "tch tch, you poor souls." Taking onest look at the misery of these poor souls who did not know the joy of freedom I went to look for a particr building. It took me another hour to find it but I was here. A slightly dpidated building that stood out from the rest. Its paint was falling off and dust covered the windows like nkets. Cluck- "Is anybody there?" The door was unlocked and I entered without hesitation. I cocked my eyebrow at the condition of the building while closing the door behind me. Just like the outside, it was dusty and dirty. I walked through a hallway to where there were two rooms on either side, each with a door. The one next to the entrance had been converted into a washroom. It also contained an ancient-looking tub, which looked like it would copse if you turned your back on it even once. Dozens of different odors attacked my nostril the more I walked inside. A strong smell of mold filled this space, so much that the air felt sticky. Even though I could see no light in here, I could still tell it was quite dim because I couldn''t see anything clearly from the darkness. It made me question if I came to the right ce. But I knew from the name of the building that was hung outside for all to see that I hade to the right ce. The board read: [Future Alchemist King] I couldn''t help but chuckle. The owner of this building had a very timid personality and hated attracting attention. There was no way she ced that board herself. It was probably done by some entitled brats who felt superior in shaming discarded heirs of a high-ss family. Though in her case it was a fallen family. "Ughh.." I covered my nose at the strong smell of various chemicals. In the center of the room, there was a desk with several tools. Judging from their appearance, they weren''t used for cleaning. On top of that, many pieces of equipment had been stacked up in a corner. They were likely remnants of experiments. If I had to guess, most of them were parts of old alchemy machines. Some of the materials I saw around didn''t seem to have any use in alchemy. The owner of this cecked the fund to procure even the most basic of equipments. Her family, having fallen from grace, had limited resources. Trying to get their prestige back they decided to make a secure investment and as such poured everything into her twin sister, leaving her with nothing but scraps. "Pshh¡­pshh.." At the corner of the room, someone was sleeping on the couch. "Cough, cough" I coughed slightly to wake her up. However, it didn''t seem to be enough. Since I was the one who was trespassing, I decided to wait and let her sleep peacefully. Just because I was an asshole didn''t mean I was an asshole. In the meantime, I decided to train in my art. I found a clean corner and sat cross-legged on the ground. Closing my eyes, I began meditating. It felt like I was back in the memory world. Vupp- A sword appeared in my hand and I ced it over my thighs. Scan A sword constetion started forming inside my mind. Ever since I entered Ward I had been careful to use only swords with my art. This was because I was trying to hide the fact that I could create other weapons too. Although I only used Second Technique to fight during the tournament, it did not hurt to have extra precautions. Scan The constetion brightened slightly as another sword constetion ovepped on top of it. With all my previous constetions gone, and the fact I needed to advance in Dungeon of trails, I needed to re-stash my constetions. I would be using my art in front of everyone I needed to have enough swords before creating other weapons constetions. "Huuu...." I lost the track of time while repeatedly using Scan. This was one of the benefits of Memory World. It didn''t take me much effort to enter a mediating state and once I did I could easily pass days, even months like this. Scan A thought popped into my head. Chapter 165 Alchemy King [2] To increase my strength most straightforward path was reaching Enma-rank. It would take me a few months at the earliest to do that. Other than that I had: Fighting skills, Magic, Curse, Skills, Art, and Zero, to strengthen myself. Fighting skills had no shortcut and were something that needed time to grow. Magic was still an ambiguous path that I wasn''t sure how to start. It would take two months at minimum to get materials for the curse. After that, I needed to embed the curse in my body, conquer the embedded curse, andstly take my time to learn it. Though I had no way of knowing what my curse would be and if there were more steps to own a curse. For skills, I needed to buy them or win them through dungeons. I was going to do exactly that in Dungeon of Trails. My art was my primary focus. The most recent technique I gained granted me the ability to create the God-Killing Spear. I did not know about its properties yet but what I did know was that the spear inside my soul was iplete. I needed to feed it more constetions until it was forged to perfection. Another thing was I could not ce the God-Killing Spear inside my cracks. Honestly speaking, it was a bummer. The current spear was no match for the one I created during my escape. But it was still something that could one-shot most Iota-rank awakeners. If I could store the spear inside the cracks, passing the trails inside the dungeon would''ve been a breeze. Finally, Zero. Zero was something I created by myself. However knowing about the vastness of the Universe from Caim, I could not say with confidence that I was the only user of Zero. I was neither stupid nor arrogant to think like that. But even if there were other users I only needed to focus on myself. Scan Quite a time should''ve passed since I entered the meditative state, the constetion was almost done. In the Underworld, I was able to use exploding Zero. It was because reaching Enma-rank increased my ether reserves and I could create saturated orbs. Hmm... this was a dead end. I can''t use exploding Zero before reaching Enma-rank. What about using Zero as a method of coating? The concept was simr to how awakeners use their energies to coat their bodies. I can''t use it on my body as it negates Zero but it should work with weapons. There were no weapons in Memory world, so this was a first for me too. But if I seed I should be able to give my weapons anti-energy property. Slowing the scanning process, I started creating Zero. It only took me a few seconds. I slowly created more Zero and began wrapping it around the sword in my hand. The hilt, the guard, the de, it was a slow and arduous process. The farther the Zero goes from my body the more difficult it bes to maintain it. This bes more dangerous when you remember that destabilized Zero can explode and might even have corrosive properties. The sword waspletely covered in Zero. I stood up and held the sword in my hand. The sensation was as I remembered it to be. I was still meditating, however, my body was moving ording to my thoughts. Was this the ''Zone'' talked about in the novel? Talented awakeners like Leon and Susan would enter this state whenever they were gaining enlightenment. But I shook away those thoughts. My state was different them how they described ''Zone'', the key difference being I can enter it consciously and my skills don''t gain a tremendous boost with it. Another downside was that I lose my sense of time. Grabbing the sword tightly I shed the air. One sh A vertical cut. Two sh A horizontal swing followed by an uppercut. Three sh A circr motion and thrusting the sword like a needle. I returned to a motionless state afterpleting the swings. They were random swings only serving the purpose of the experiment. Everything contains Aether, from the air we breathe to the water we drink, to the sword in my hand. If the weapon gained anti-energy property it should have cut the aether in the air. I could feel a minuscule amount of aether being erased as it touched the sword. The process was a failure. One, the amount of aether being erased was too less. It would serve no practical help in battles unless I increased the density of Zero. But I was already doing my best for what I could do, so it wasn''t possible. Two, the sword also contained Aether and other small amounts of different energies. This was what made artifacts different from normal weapons. However, Zero was removing that Aether or suppressing it. This made the sword useless as it became no different from a normal sword, losing its sharpness, durability, and attack power. Also, this was using the majority of Zero being supplied to the sword. I thought of using my constructed weapons but stopped. They were created from ether had had no real substance. Zero would destroy them the moment theybine. I did not get disheartened by my failure. Failure was already second nature to me. I had long stopped getting disheartened and focusing on moving ahead. This was the key to remaining sane, if I do say myself. I ced the sword in my hand inside my storage ring and brought out another sword. Scan A new constetion formed. I was focusing on my constetion when a voice entered my ears. "He..llo? Can you hear me..?" My eyes fluttered open. I recognized the voice. Instantly, I saw a girl with ck hair and viridian eyes closely staring at my face, waving her hand in front of me. "Eeik!!" She jumped back like a scared cat but didn''t have a cat''s reflexes, ultimately falling on her back. I stood up and walked to her, giving her my hand to stand. She looked at my face with an uneasy gaze, then at my arm, trying to decide if she should take my hand. ''I know they looked simr but this is exactly the same.'' If I ignored the air of a frightened cat around her, she looked no different from her sister. "You can take my hand. I won''t bite." However, I knew better than to mistake her for her sister. If I did, then forget forming a connection with her, she might hold a grudge for a life-time. ''Her inferiorityplex is no joke.'' She was... "Y..es" Katrina Kenward. "Uhm... why have you been h..ere for f-five days!" The twin sister of Anna Kenward. "How many days!?" Chapter 166 Alchemy King [3] 5 days It would have taken Nathan only a few hours to create the sword constetion. ¡­He had been trying to coat the sword for over 5 days. His face hardened at the realization. Nathan was losing his grasp on reality. The mediations were supposed to make him lose his sense of time, but not to this extent. There was no way he should mistake a few days for a few minutes. If he could, he wouldn''t have suffered in the memory world. But he ultimately erased those thoughts. Live Keep Living This was his only goal. Everything was secondary¡­ even his life. "Uhm..please lea-ve!" Katrina anxiously looked at him. "You have b-een here for 5 days¡­" Five days earlier, she found an unknown man inside her room. She was so frightened that she almost went outside. Only she knew how horrible these past five days were. The young man wouldn''t wake up no matter what she did. She honestly felt like crying and running away. It was more awful due to her introverted nature. Grumble- Nathan was about to refuse when he heard the rumbling of someone''s stomach. Katrina, who also heard the sound, blushed. "I-I didn''t eat because I was¡­ worried about leaving the r-room with a stranger." She tried to make excuses as her face burned from shame. Nathan interrupted her mid-sentence. "It was me." "Huh?" "The grumbling. It came from my stomach." The smile on Nathan''s face as he spoke those words ramped up the humiliation to another degree. Katrina''s face became hot red, and she only wanted to dig a hole and die. "Okay¡­ but why are y-you trespassing here?..." She managed to eke out words in an attempt to hide her embarrassment. Nathan smiled before bringing out papers from his storage ring. He passed them to Katrina. Katrina hesitatingly took the papers and read through them. "Mhm..I''m a first-year." "I know" "You won''t learn much from me. I''m¡­ self-taught." "I don''t think the first part is true." Katrina was trying to find excuses to refuse Nathan''s request. It was problematic, in more ways than one. Nathan also knew this, but he wasn''t going to back down. The papers Nathan brought out were Mentor-Trainee forms. Due to the Research Department''s nature, it wasn''t umon for junior-year cadets to sometimes be more knowledgeable than seniors. Geniuses were called genius for a reason. This led to an issue. If only senior-year cadets can be mentors, won''t they be unable to take guidance from their juniors? As said before, sometimes geniuses would appear that could take the world of science and magic technology by storm. It wouldn''t be a wasted opportunity for even professors to learn from them. Thus, Ward altered the rules for the Research Department a bit. The ''senior'' in the mentor-trainee rtionship refers to those who have more knowledge in their fields than ''juniors''. In this case, Nathan, who didn''t know ''a'' of alchemy, would be a junior of Katrina, even if she was self-taught. ''I need ether potion. For that, I need you to awaken your stigma, even if it''s a year early.'' Nathan showed his pure smile to express his pure intentions. Katrina felt a chill crawl up her spine. She looked around in fright to find the source. A few hamburgers appeared in Nathan''s hand. Walking to the table, he ced them in a clean area and walked away. He sat in the corner, and another hamburger appeared in his hand. Without speaking another word, he started eating the hamburger. Katrina, perplexed by his strange actions, opened her mouth¡­ Grumble- ¡­and closed it back. The aroma of hamburgers filled the air. The smell made her hungry, but she knew better than to eat anything given by an unknown cadet. It wouldn''t be the first time someone was trying to trick her like this. She had been through so many humiliations at the hands of others who felt superior to her. As someone from a fallen family, her status wasn''t very good. It wasn''t like the heirs of the fallen family were treated poorly. On the contrary, most of the fallen families were treated highly, as they became fallen due to losing their strong awakeners on the frontlines or Great Disasters protecting Earth. It wasn''t all rainbows and sunshine, though. If someone talented came from a fallen family, they receive brutal treatment, not that Katrina knew this. She was someone untalented and an outcast. Her own family never paid her any attention. Not when she made her first potion, not when she first got an offer to work as a potioneer, not when she was specially called by Ward on a schrship. They were always her sisters. Always, Always, Always, Always, Always, Always, Always, Always, no matter how hard she tried, how good she performed. She was alwayspared to her sister. She was never enough for them! Katrina lost a piece of herself whenever someone gave her a cold shoulder. She was slowly losing herself. When Ward''s schrship offer came, she thought she would make her family proud. She was one of the top 3 cadets on the written exams! Katrina was on cloud nine. This time they wouldn''t turn a blind eye to her! True to her thoughts, they praised her. She felt that it was the happiest moment of her life. ...and the worst. The higher someone flies, the harder they fall. Everyone congratted her and went back to Anna. Anna this, Anna that, however, this time Katrina no longer had any desperation. She lost. Her desperation. Her starvation for love. Herself. She lost... ...everything. It was a good thing too. Aftering to Ward, it only became worse. Anna hated her, she hated Katrina, when others came to know about this. They steered clear of her. No one came to her. No, someone did. Those losers who felt superior by humiliating her came regrly. They came yesterday too, though they ran away, afraid, when the young man trespassing in her territory started swinging his sword abruptly. And this time... "You can take your time, but be sure to sign them, okay? They cya!" The young man sat cross-legged and entered a meditative state. "W-wait!" Katrina lunged and tried to shake him. However, she was toote. The young man was already in his own world. "Ugh.." It has been like this for the past five days. Katrina had tried to shake him awake, but he never responded. If not for his stable pulse and continuous breathing, she would''ve thought he was dead. Her pace paled. Was he going to do it again? On the fourth day, the young man suddenly stood up and started swinging his sword. He kept swinging and swinging and swinging for the whole day. Katrina... couldn''t describe the shock! It was a nightmare! "Who does that!?" She roared and hit him on the head. It wasn''t like he was going to wake up and call her out for that. "I almost died from a heart attack!" With no one watching her, her confidence returned like a tsunami, followed by the storm of her punches. "Do you think I''m afraid of something!" After hitting him a few more times, her anger calmed, and she sat down. She decided to practice alchemy to cool her head. Shortly a frown appeared on her face. She was missing a few ingredients, however, due to the young''s man presence she was hesitant to leave. Ultimately, she decided to wait. Though she was going to send him out the next time he woke up, no matter what! Chapter 167 Alchemy King [4] Katrina watched Nathan with troubled eyes. "Should I go to bring the ingredients? I don''t think he''ll... wake up soon." She did not know how long Nathan was going to take, but it would take a few hours at least. Grumble- Katrina''s face became beet red. She looked at the hamburgers resting on the table and audibly gulped. Alternating her eyes between Nathan and the food, she couldn''t decide what to do. Thest time she lost consciousness from hunger, she would''ve died if not for the annual inspection drones that found her knocked out cold. Back then, the bullying had just begun, and she was unable to cope with it. Thus, she hid inside the building, staying holed up for days. Grumble- Breaking her chain of thoughts was the rumbling of her stomach. "...I''ll eat." She took a hamburger and stared at it. Shaking her head, she opened her mouth and took a small bite. The hamburger tasted like meat seasoned with salt and pepper, which made Katrina smile as she thought back to the days when she wasn''t bullied and could go outside freely. The vor was unique, unlike what she tasted at the canteen. Unconsciously her pace increased, from nibbling down like a hamster to wolfing down the burger. By the time everything ended, she looked a bit happy and sad. How long it had been since she was full? Theybined the canteen for first years from every department. She couldn''t go there and not expect to be the center of attention. She felt like a clown. An animal in a zoo on exhibition. Unable to handle the gazes, she went to the canteente and, due to time constraints, couldn''t bring much food. Even when she did, she stored them in case she couldn''t leave the building and had no food to eat. She looked at her empty hands with a saddened gaze. Minutes turned into hours, hours turned a day, and finally, Nathan woke up. "Uhwaaah..." He yawned without restraints and massaged his shoulders. Standing up, he looked at the missing food and turned to Katrina with a sly smile. "Does it mean I''ll be your apprentice?" "W-what!?" Having woken up a few minutes ago, Katrina wasn''t fully awake and was looking around in a daze. She jumped back in fright when she suddenly heard someone else in the room, but rxed again when she saw that it was only Nathan. "It''s just you.." "You aren''t stammering anymore?" Katrina''s face hardened at the realization. Before she could say something, Nathan left the room with swift steps. He navigated through the worn building, looking for a bathroom to freshen up. "Where''s the bathroom?" "It''s next to the third turn from the right corridor!" Katrina replied reflexively and... "Hey, wait!" ..ran after him! She thought he was leaving, that was why she didn''t follow him, but he was looking for the bathroom! Bang- Bang- "This isn''t your house!" She waste. Nathan was already inside. "What should I call you, Katrina? Kat? Or Teach? How should I call you, mentor?" Nathan turned the shower faucet on while speaking to Katrina outside. "I''m calling professors if you don''t get out now!" She tried to shout in case Nathan couldn''t hear her under the water noise. Bang- Bang- "Hey!" Bang- Bang- "What do you want!?" "Katrina..." "H-huh?" "Kat or Teach? What should I call you?" She momentarily stopped, however, the next second she banged even harder. Bang- Bang- Katrina wasn''t going to back down! She had it enough. Why did everyone treat her li- "I have more food~ Even tastier than yesterday~" "The hot water might take a while beforeing in. The geezer isn''t broken. Don''t bathe with cold water." She returned after advising him. What? The food didn''t do anything wrong. She didn''t see why she should refuse it. Besides, it wasmon sense to show courtesy to guests. Her mouth watered as she recalled the taste of what she ate yesterday. Is something even better? She had to try i-Ahem, she was only showing generosity as a senior alchemist by letting Nathan stay for a bit. She didn''t agree because of the food, definitely not. Nathan took his sweet time toe outside. Katrina, who had been waiting in the main room, red at him. "What were you doing there for an hour? Even girls don''t take that long." Truly, anger is the best medicine. She managed to speak two sentences without stuttering. "You''re not you when you are hungry." Nathan brought out pancakes and donuts and ced them on the table. The amount was more than yesterday and so was the aroma. "T-thank you.." Katrina''s feet took to her table, and she picked the te filled with fluffy pancakes topped with fruit and chocte syrup. Her eyes sparkled at the sight. "Yummy~!" Her fingers moved fast as if they were possessed. She cut a piece of pancake and bit into it. It melted instantly in her mouth. Her cheeks puffed, and she sighed contentedly. "Mmm.." She continued eating until the te was half empty. "Uuuh... Taking a breath, she turned around with her puffed cheeks. "U-uhhh!" She couldn''t shout from all the food stuffed into her mouth. However, her wronged expression when she saw Nathan mediating was for all to see. Grumbling, she looked at him once, then at the te in her hand, and started stuffing with more fervor than before. She licked the te clean. The same thing happened the next day. Nathan brought out a different batch of food. In the time she could finish everything he freshened up and returned to meditating. "18 days.." He left a note for mentor-trainee guardianship and focused on creating more constetions. Eight swords and 1 God-Killing spear. These were the constetions inside his soul at the moment. He decided to create dagger and other smaller weapons constetions while traversing through the dungeon. He was focusing on bigger weapons as they could act as shield, and more time and concentration was needed to create their constetions. While Katrina was busy wolfing down the food, he checked his device. The message from Tristan said that everything was going smoothly, and he was looking for a teleportation spell. Nathan deleted the messages and their logs after going through them. Another message, or rather messages, was from Henry, the student council prospect that stayed behind to climb the dungeon with Nathan. He was sending messages to Nathan every few hours, however as he didn''t know Nathan''s location, he had yet toe to find Nathan himself. Nathan shook his head. He had already told him via messaging that he needed at least a week worth''s of preparation time before leaving. Another day passed. This time, Katrina only red at him and didn''t try to stop him. She was even waiting for him to freshen up and give her food. Nathan smiled when he saw her sitting obediently, waiting for him. However, he didn''t bring out anything and sat across from Katrina. His face had a smile the entire time. Katrina didn''t understand what he was trying to do. Where was her food? "I''m leaving today." Her body jolted. "F-food?" "Before that... can you tell me if you are signed the mentor-trainee guardianship?" It was then Katrina came to her senses! Her eyes widened, and she pointed her fingers at Nathan. "W-what? G-give me mor-I mean, what did you put in that food? There was something wrong with it. I was b... bewitched!" Nathan''s lips twitched. He was happy that someone was praising his cooking, but this was too much. For the first time, he didn''t cheat, yet he was being med for cheating. "I see... I''ll be leaving. Please decide by then. Of course, we''ll have a party if you take me under you!" He didn''t leave her any time to retort and left. Katrina, who was eagerly waiting for food, felt her world shatter. "Give me food before you leave!" Chapter 168 Alchemy King [5] Katrina hurriedly followed Nathan. He was leaving? Yes, finally! She was more than happy that he was leaving her alone. But that wasn''t the problem. Yes, the problem was food! How dare he leave without paying the rent? He trespassed in her territory and didn''t leave for a week! He had to pay the rent! "Wait!" Katrina ran after him. Opening the door, she found Nathan''s fast receding back. He was already far away, talking with someone wearing a Student Council prospect badge. She was about to follow him, but her body stiffened. Cadets, professors, staff, and dozens of people were going to and fro. She could hear everyone talking. ''She is the one.'' ''Isn''t she Anna''s sister?'' ''The failure?'' Her body shook as the words entered her ears. Lifting her head, she saw everyone ring at her. The eyes of disappointment, disapproval, and contempt skewered her alive. For the past few days, she had forgotten about reality. No, she hadn''t forgotten. ...she was trying to ignore reality. However, the moment she stepped outside everything came rushing back to her. She hid back in the building and closed the door with a m. "Huff... huff..." With her back against the door, her body slid down. She covered her eyes. Her body shivered, recalling the scene outside. Katrina could feel the panic settling in. She needed to calm herself. "I should... practice... alchemy" Alchemy was one thing that would always calm her. She could clear her mind of all thoughts when she practiced alchemy. It was one of her sole sces. Katrina fumbled on the desk, trying to find ingredients. She didn''t have the materials to concoct anything. She paled. She had forgotten that she was out of stock and because of Nathan''s staying there for the past week; she hadn''t yet re-stocked. "It''s afternoon." It was early. It wasn''t the time for re-stocking yet. She needed to wait until midnight. The wait was going to be short, yet long. The noises and the gazes from before continued haunting her. Even inside, she didn''t feel secure. Her arms shook. She couldn''t bear this till midnight. She made up her mind. Taking a mage cadet robe, she disguised herself to the best of her abilities. In front of the mirror, Katrina looked like any other student walking around the campus. Her hair was tied up neatly, she wore spectacles to hide her eyes, and the robe hid her face partly. The only part which gave away her identity was her viridian eyes, but she was wearing contacts beneath the spectacles to hide them. She went to the back of the building and stood in front of the backdoor. Gathering her courage, she held the doorknob and turned it. It felt like forever before she was able to open the door. A familiar smell hit her nose. Katrina breathed in deeply as she stepped outside. Her heart beat faster as she stepped under the sunlight as if she was running towards something, which she was. Looking around to make sure nobody was paying her attention, she moved swiftly. The sun was shining brightly, telling her that she had no ce to hide. The wind blew across her face. She heard the sound of crows calling as she walked. Fifteen minutester, she stood in front of a warehouse. There was a sign on the door that read ''Warehouse for Sale''. It was one of the locations where cadets could buy alchemy materials. The warehouse, which was located next to the academy''s stables, was big enough for her to move around easily. "It''s you, Miss Kenward" The person behind the counter greeted her with a smile. Katrina nodded without looking at him twice and moved to look out for ingredients. The shop owner was a 4th-year cadet. Although he never belittled Katrina whenever she came, she knew that he was only doing this, as she was one of his few patrons. Two months ago, she also found that the shop owner belonged to the group of cadets that bullied her. It was then she understood how those bullies always came to her after a few days she bought alchemy materials. Katrina gripped her fist tightly. "D-don''t me me...." She picked one 5-year-old ginseng, 3 blue noctal petals, 1 hydrogenic pnenis, and a few other things. At the same time, she hid a few small materials under her robe. She stole them. She didn''t have a storage ring as she would use what little money she had to buy ingredients. Thus, she could only take small ingredients she could hide under her robe. Her hands shook and she could hear her blood rushing through her body. It would have been safer during the night as the darkness would hide her but days like today when there was barely anyone in Warehouse worked too. This wasn''t her first time but, no matter how many times she stole, the nervousness never went away. She frequently nced around. The owner never disturbed her while she chooses materials. He knew of her introverted nature and wanted to let her buy infort. He was going to get the materials back in a few days, anyway. Collecting everything she needed, she went to the counter. A trace of sadness shed through her eyes. If she had a mentor, or even a trainee under her, she would''ve been able to get free alchemy materials monthly provided by Ward. It made her recall the cadet that was trying to be her trainee. epting Nathan''s request, she wouldn''t have to resort to stealing. ''What am I even thinking?'' Katrina shook her head and erased those thoughts. Getting a trainee wouldn''t change anything. The bullies would ''borrow'' all her materials anyway. "Are you okay?" The owner''s voice brought her out of her thoughts. He was staring at her robes. Katrina felt her body go rigid at that gaze. Did he realize she was stealing? "Uhm... yes, I''m fine." She tried hard not to panic, but her legs were shaking. "Here are your ingredients." The owner took the materials and ced them on a table before her. Katrina bowed her head and took the items. After taking care of the payment, Katrina left the shop and walked towards the Academy''s stables. She plopped to the ground behind the buildings. "Haa..." She could feel her heart trying to jump through her mouth. She didn''t get caught. It was a good thing that the shop didn''t have security as the owner was poor, though that was to be expected when someone as poor as her was among the patrons of the shop. "Kat?" However, she stiffened when she heard a voice from behind. Chapter 169 Persuasion Someone called out to her. Katrina stiffened when she recognized the voice. "What a coincidence!" Nathanughed and sat beside her. Confusion painted Katrina''s face. Why was he here? Did he not leave earlier? "W-why are you here?" Nathan scratched his head while answering. "Touring..." "ha?" "I have [Basic Alchemy] but I''m not very good at it, so I tend to waste a lot of materials in the process. I was looking for a cheap shop to buy ingredients to cut down the cost, even if a bit and someone rmended me that shop." Katrina inaudibly sighed and relief washed over her. She thought Nathan had been following her. "But I didn''t think I woulde across you while you were...Ahem" Nathan slyly smiled. "W-what?" "I didn''t think my to-be mentor was..." Nathan leaned closer to her. He brought his lips next to her ears before whispering. "...a thief." "!!" Katrina flinched and, not having expected such an action, scurried away in a panic. In the moment of haste, the ingredients she stole fell to the ground. Silence descended. Katrina looked at the ingredients before lifting her head. Nathan didn''t say anything and only looked back at her. "I b-bought them." "I don''t think someone hides the materials they buy under their robe though." "T-that is because of... bullies" Katrina denied every im. Nathan, who heard herst words, looked surprised. "Bullying? That would make sense." He stopped speaking for a moment and in silence picked the ingredients before passing them to Katrina. "I almost became the victim of bullying once, too. I know it can be hard. You can talk to me if the need arises." Watching his gentle smile, Katrina felt a pang in her heart. Was he also bullied? Was this why he came to her, to hide just like her? But she didn''t think he would understand her. Bullying alone was never enough to put her down. In her case, bullying was the straw that broke the camel''s back. Nathan was about to leave but stopped. "I''m sorry for asking this but... Can you show me the bill?" He had a sorry expression as he spoke. "That shop doesn''t issue bills." Katrina didn''t hesitate and answered. She wanted nothing more than for Nathan to leave her alone at this moment. Nathan''s eyes widened. "Seriously? what luck" He mumbled in a barely audible whisper. Katarina didn''t pay attention to his whispering and hurriedly tried to leave. She was beginning to feel suffocated. She could feel gazes looking at her even in this empty ce. "Then..." However, her feet stopped upon hearing Nathan''s next words. "...can you exin this?" A hologram appeared in the air. It showed Katrina going into the shop, choosing materials, and also... stealing. In the video, she was shaking continuously and habitually looked around, fearing that she would get caught. "Why d-do you have a recording? How did you..." "Know that you would steal?" Nathan nodded to himself at Katrina''s doubt. If he was here to buy materials, why did he have a recording, a recording from the point she entered the shop at that? "I can answer that, but is that important here?" He leisurely circled her. "Shouldn''t you be asking what do you need to do for me to keep my mouth shut?" Nathan already knew about Katrina''s stealing habit. After Royal Demon attacked the 0th floor, the reason sheid low was also rted to this. At that time medications were in high demand to treat the corruption of cadets, and this led to Ward buying most of the ingredients from shops. If Katrina stole in that situation, someone would''ve noticed the missing ingredients and she would''ve gotten caught. "I... I can report that you are ckmailing me..." "I don''t mind that. We can fall together if you want to do that." Nathan didn''t have a hint of fear as he spoke that. For the past week, he stayed with her as he wanted her to empty her stock of materials. He knew she would steal after that and, catching her in the act, he could use the chance to persuade her to work with him. "W-what do you need?" Nathan''s smile didn''t leave his face and he took out an Oath. ''Why do I feel like I''m bringing out Oath for everything?'' He gave the Oath to Katrina. "I need your trust. In return, I''ll help you." Katrina read the Oath. It was a basic Oath that read Nathan would keep her secret as long as she followed his instructions. Also, if the instructions lead to physical, mental, or any other sort of harm, she had the autonomy to deny the instructions. Katrina looked at him with a suspicious gaze. "...Why are you giving me an Oath? You can simply¡­ ckmail me with the video" "It''s persuasion, not ckmail. Also, will you trust me if I say I want to help you?" In truth, this wasn''t the Oath Nathan wanted Katrina to sign. He wanted to make a business alliance with her, and get other benefits too, however, he knew that for that to happen he needed to earn her trust. Persuasion was only a short-term solution. In the long run, he needed her trust, or he might die of poison by a healing potion, heck he might be turned into a living golem too. Thest part wasn''t a joke. She did that to someone in the novel, though that was by mistake, it destroyed that person and turned them into a mindless doll. Katrina bit her lips and channeled mana into the Oath. "I knew you would ept me, Kat! Let''s clear the dungeon and have a celebration party after that!" Nathan pped and picked up her bag for her. Katrina''s mood was at its lowest. She stood and was about to return when Nathan''s words registered in her mind. "D-did you say d-dungeon? Uhm¡­you don''t mean¡­ Dungeon of Trials, do you?" "Yes, I do" Nathan gave his pure smile while answering. Katrina backed away unconsciously. "I''m o-only Lvl8. I''m very weak" "Don''t worry I will protect you" "Can I not ce?" "Hahaha.... I wasn''t asking" Chapter 170 First Trial [1] "Are you okay?" Katrina didn''t answer and kept walking. She was fidgeting and sweating heavily. Her small figure was shrinking every time someone passed by us. Every few seconds, her body would jerk and she was trying to stay away from crowds. It made me recall her hallucinations. Katrina''s inferiorityplex grew to the point where she started feeling gazes and voicesmending her. ...Or so would be the medical result that Leon would get. In truth, it was some kind of mind magic used by an elven spy inside Ward to stop cadets from awakening their stigmas. However, depending on the cadet''s mental strength, it would take time to encroach on their mind. For Katrina, it didn''t even take a month to activate and came in the form of hallucinations. I looked at Katrina from the corner of my eyes. With every passing second, her expression was growing paler. ''It won''t work like this.'' "Come with me" I pulled her behind the buildings. She became afraid when she noticed that I took her to a deste area. "w...why are we he..re?" She backed away in fear. I recalled the magic used on her. The ancient magic used on Katrina was a kind of ancient magic with no remedy that slowly corrodes the person''s soul. The elves were going overboard by using something like this, but in their defense, they had no guarantee what kind of random bullshit power-up stigma some human might awaken, thus they were only doing their best. As far as I know, even in the future, only Anna can remove the magic. If she doesn''t die and grow to her full potential, that is. "Don''t move." ''What was it?....'' My brows furrowed, trying to recall the method to suppress the magic. ''Touch the skin of the person directly and transfer Ether slowly to them, the greater the area of contact, the better. In Katrina''s case, it helps her by stopping the hallucinations.'' I held my chin and gave her a stare. Her robe was hiding most of her body. Only her hands and face, peeking through the oversized robe, were visible. "Let me touch you." Katrina shivered and backed away hurriedly. I opened my mouth to exin, but closed it back. It would be faster to act. "s..stay away or I-I''ll shout" She was waving around her fists, which wasn''t very threatening when you consider her 150cm height. My arm moved swiftly. "I''m not doing anything" I grabbed her face in an iron w grip and lifted her in the air. ''I''m touching her whole face. This should work, no?'' "No! Help!" She iled her arms and legs to hit me. However, I couldn''t put her down or she might run away. I mean, what if she hits me in the crotch because it was in the range? Yup, can''t put her down. "Wait, a few sec-!" Thuck-! Her footnded on my face. ''Calm down...she is only doing it to protect herself...don''t be angry.'' Thuck-! Thuck-! Maybe because she realized that it was my face, she hit it two more times. "Kat~ Look here~" The moment she looked me in the eyes... ''[Domination Decree]'' ...I used one of my skills. Her body went limp and fear grabbed hold of her. "Don''t annoy me while I''m being nice, understand?" She nodded. I let go of her and she fell to her knees. I deactivated [Domination Decree] and got to work. This time, she didn''t resist. I had used the skill at its lowest power and for a few seconds at that, but it would have been amplified due to the mind magic on her. Channeling Ether through my right arm, I passed it into her head. I could see visible changes. Color returned to her face, and herplexion improved. Her eyes still held fear towards me, but now they weren''t dim like a dying me, rather they held a revitalized spark in them. I withdrew my arm. Now, she won''t feel the gazes and noises haunting her for a day. With everything done, I gave her my palm to help her stand. She looked at me, then at my arm, and stood up by herself. I awkwardly withdrew my hand. Both of us walked in silence. "Why are you looking at me like that?" She was no longer shivering as much while walking in between the crowd, however, her stare was intense, as if she was trying to drill holes into my head. "..nothing" Katrina looked away. We were going to the meeting point where we would meet Henry. Henry was the one climbing along with me. Also, he was my ex-ssmate too. "uhm.. what did you do earlier?" "Helped you." "But h..how did you¡­" I didn''t answer and kept walking. Katrina might be feeling cheerful at this moment, but this was only a temporary solution. Only Anna, after she gains and understands the ''Dispel'' magic, can treat her permanently. This was what I knew from the novel. Besides, Katrina''s troubles were nowhere finished. Unlike what she was thinking, the owner of the warehouse knew she was stealing. He was nning on using those footages as ckmail material if she ns to go to the authorities toin. "uhm..what is your level?" "Lvl.11" "T..talent?" "2sp/Lvl" Katrina''s feet stopped, and she looked at me with a half-questioning and half-surprised gaze. "Your c-cadet r¡­.rank?" "I''m 2969rank, wait, was it 2169? Hmm¡­ anyway, I''m in the bottom 1000." I turned around and started walking, but she didn''t follow. Sigh She wasn''t putting her trust in me, even though she should know that what I did a few minutes ago wasn''t simple. ''And I''m doing this to help her, too." I was taking her to the Dungeon of Trials because the physical stress and mental stress can help her to awaken her stigma. It was good that she could now think of other things than hallucination but her distrust in me wasn''t helping. I opened my mouth. "Do you want to give up this chance?" "Chance?" I nodded. "How long do you think you have to wait until you will be strong enough to explore the dungeon by yourself? I might be helping you, but frankly, do you think someone else will do the same?" Someone would actually. Leon would help her next year and she''ll awaken her stigma after that, but she doesn''t need to know that. "Your level is too low, resulting in your low mana capacity. How are you going to advance in your carrier as an alchemist without a proper mana pool?" "With e..equipements¡­" ''Oh, would you look at that?'' True, alchemists can use external mana sources if they don''t have arge mana pool themselves, but to think she would talk back. How much does she fear going to the dungeon, or am I not reliable? Tsk I''m not. "And you need money to buy the necessary tools." "Ugh¡­" She shrank back at my response. "You are here!" Someone interrupted us. Henry, who had been waiting for me, came running. "Where did you go? You weren''t even answering my calls?" "The battery was dead." Henry looked at me with an expression saying he didn''t trust me. Nevertheless, he knew this wasn''t the time to pursue such matters. "We should leave. We are behind th.... who is she?" He pointed at Katrina. Katrina hid behind me when he looked at her. ? "She''s my mentor. I thought I''ll help her climb the dungeon since I was going there, regardless." I didn''t introduce Katrina. It would be a problem if Henry says something about Anna and triggers Katrina''splex. "But aren''t you climbing with me?" "That''s why I brought her. Isn''t Sir Henry in the top 100? It shouldn''t be a problem if he has to carry two dead weights, should it?" [A/N:- Carry is a term used in team games where one person wins the match for everyone else. Basically, the rest of the team was either useless or just yed a supporting role to the one person who "carried" the team] Henry belonged to a high-ranking family that followed the tradition of knights from before the first disaster. Hearing ''Sir'' boosted his ego, and he nodded without hesitation. "It''s no problem. I was told that you will be useless inbat, anyway. Bringing one more person isn''t a problem." "As expected for Sir Henry." I stopped my twitching eyebrow and used my bootlicking skills to the full extent. Hehehehe... With ether core, you could say I was pulling monster and beast''s aggro 24/7. It wasn''t without reason Eth hesitated to go alone into the dungeon. "I knew that I can depend on Sir Henry." From the corner of my eyes, I saw Katrina giving me a dubious look. What? This is why bootlicking skills were invented! To be used with pushovers! And as an honest person, I must fulfill the wishes of their inventors and trick every pushover with my skills! Ahem.. I digressed. The three of us went towards the Dungeon of Trials. We passed a security check. The guards didn''t question Katrina, as even though the exams were going on inside the dungeon, it was still open to everyone. "Did you bring the materials you left to bring?" "I did" Before I left Henry saying I forget something and had to bring it, the something in question being Katrina. As I engaged in small talk with Henry, we finally reached the entrance of the Dungeon. It was a portal of all sorts of colors appearing and disappearing in it. Henry turned to us and spoke with a serious expression. "What floor will both of you start in?" "Floor 1" "F...floor 3" I never climbed the dungeon before, so I had to begin from the first floor. Henry nodded at my words. "I''ll also start from Floor 1. Nathan, I''ll create a signal, we''ll rendezvous there, and uhh.." "Katrina" "Katrina, if you want, you can climb without us. However, since you came with Nathan, I''ll take it as you''ll be climbing with us." Katrina timidly nodded her small head. "You should hide and wait for us on Floor 3. As with Nathan, I''ll create a signal after we reach Floor 3. Can youe to us from there?" At Floor 3 Katrina will be Lvl.3 and herbat ability will be repressed greatly, not that she had any. In that state, it will be hard for her to wait for us, as it will take us at least one day before we reach there. Henry wanted to know if she was okay waiting for us. "I..I''ll manage." "Shall we leave then?" Henry smiled brightly and went inside the portal. Katrina also walked inside under my watchful eyes. Lastly, I entered the portal too. ''Here, Ie main cast'' Chapter 171 First Trial [2] I was floating in the endless darkness. Slowly, my mind cleared, and I looked around. [You have cleared the 0th Trial] [You have gained the qualification of climbing ???] A gargantuan door was the only thing beside me in this void. As thest notifications disappeared, the door opened and blinding light engulfed my being. I lost all my senses. Even through my closed eyelids, the blinding light kept haunting me. It felt like forever until I could feel again. [Wee to Floor 1] Opening my eyes, I saw a mushy swamp forest spread out before me. The light that had been blinding earlier now seemed weing enough like the sun rising from behind the trees. [Please choose a skill] [1. [Pierce [Common]] ] [2. [Synchronization] ] [3. [Golden Turtle [Unique]] [4. [Appraisal [Legendary]] ] [5. [Multiply [Unique]] ] [Synchronization] was greyed out. It came as I surprise as this meant that the dungeon couldn''t copy the skill. Only the 0th floor, which wasn''t joined with the rest of the floor, was real. This was why one could die there. From Floor 1 you could say we were exploring with virtual bodies. We won''t also carry the injuries gained inside the dungeon to the outside world. [Skill Slots- 0/1] [Note- You will gain one skill slot after every 2 trials. You can reset the skill slots after dying once.] Two trials meant 10 floors. In the dungeon, we can only use a limited amount of skills gained from outside. As for the skills gained inside, there was no limit. I knew about the skills slots and, after deliberate contemtion, knew what I had to choose. [You have chosen [Golden Turtle [Unique]] ] A golden light wrapped around me and I felt my connection with the skill back. [You are on Floor 1. Restrictions are being applied] [Your stats and level have been restrained] [You have 5SP/Lvl talent. Extra stats have been given.] [Please say ''Leaderboard''] "Leaderboard" ====== Name - Nathan Hunt Age - 16 years (???) Rank - Meta(Lvl.1) (Suppressed) Stigma - Iridescence Extra Stats - 5 Number of lives - 3 >>>Stats: Strength - 5 Agility - 5 Constitution - 5 Ether - 5 Intelligence - 5 Luck - (-13) >>> Techniques: [Armory of Eridu [Legacy]] Mastery - Proficient >>> Quest: Error-NASC10-2141 Quest cannot be decoded. ====== "This status screen is simr to the one everyone gets after reaching Te-rank" The status screen awakeners can ess undergoes upgrades every 3 ranks. The first upgrade wille at Te-rank and the next one at Sandra-rank. I redistributed the stats without hesitation. After all, like the skill, I can again re-allocate the stats after dying once. [Ether - 5 --> Ether - 10] A sense of power filled my body and I could feel that I gained more ess to my ether core. Stats gain significant boosts after crossing thresholds. The stats don''t grow linearly. In the beginning, they will add explosive power, but as more stats are added, they will reach the ceiling(or power cap). Breaking this ceiling will again give an explosive boost to the stats. The orders are 10, 50, 100, and so on. What I mean is 11 stat in strength will be twice as strong as 10 stat in strength, however, 50 stat won''t twice as strong as 49 stat in strength. The growth rate of stats declines the closer they are to the power cap. However, breaking through this cap, i.e 51 stats, will give again give a big boost, even greater than the boost given by breaking the previous power cap. Of course, breaking the power cap was anything but easy. In the Underworld, all of my stats were locked at 50 because of this power cap too, otherwise [Synchronization] would''ve boosted all my stats to the maximum limit of Enma-rank. "No matter how many times I think it''s overpowered skill through and through." If only it didn''t have a fixed number of uses. I shook my head. There was no point in thinking about what wasn''t possible. [Community Leader board can be essed from Floor 11] [Please grow to your heart''s content] I felt the worlde ''alive'', Chirping of birds flowed into my ears. Birds were chirping as if it was their morning song. Damp wind grazed past my cheeks Trees swayed gently under the gentle breeze And I felt myself floating inside the swamp forest. "This is nice..." I was enjoying the atmosphere when the tree that was next to me suddenly dropped down. A 5-meter-long two-headed alligator came into view. The gator was looking right at me with its bloodshot eyes. "Seriously? Boss of Floor 1, right off the bat?" I thought if I should fight the gator, it would be a problem when Henry asks how I killed it alone. But then I remembered that I had already been showing off my ''stigma'' since the beginning in Ward. Even the reason I fought Leon using my ''stigma'' during the demonstration was to attract Student Council attention. Though I no longer wanted the Student Council''s attention, the fact stood that I had been gradually using more of my ''stigma'' in front of everyone. Besides, this was the boss of the first floor only. Graaa- The alligator heads screamed And rushed toward me. "Enough of this. Let''s go." I shifted my weight and leaped up from the swamp ground. Phzzzt- Landing on a sword, I fired the other two at the alligator''s heads. The sword bounced from its thick hide without leaving so much as a scratch. Before I could think something, the alligator wrapped its tail around a tree. It did not take the alligator more than a few seconds. Uprooting the tree, the alligator flung it at me. I jumped away and fired the sword. The sword didn''t do much damage and simply served to anger the twin-headed alligator. Not giving it a chance, I jumped. A bastard sword materialized in my hands. I attacked, using the sword''s weight to add more force to the swing. The alligator roared and swung its giant tail. I let go of the sword and flew through the air. All I could see was the huge tailing towards me. Just before the tail hit me, I grabbed onto it. I used the momentum to flip over the alligator''s head. Inded, and a new sword materialized. Schwing- It didn''t feel like I was doing any damage. I held the sword upside down and thrust it toward the eyes. The monster jumped and threw off in the air. It turned around in the air... ...and stood on its two hind legs. It was taller than 12 meters and five times as wide as me. Swinging its massive arms, it caught my body. The alligator opened its two jaws and attacked my head with a sh. "[Golden Turtle]" A golden shield appeared around me and blocked the alligator''s chomp. I smirked at the furious reaction of the boss. My level my suppressed to Lvl.1. Keyword: Suppressed My actual level was still Lvl.15, the boss who wouldn''t be more than Lvl.5, couldn''t put a scratch on my shield. However, I wasn''t out of the danger yet. The alligator roared and tightened its grip. Its hands, which were holding me before I had activated the skill, turned into an iron prison for me. The monster was trying to squeeze me to death. Phhzzt- Puchi-! The dagger shot into its open defenseless jaw and struck inside its mouth. Graaa- Puchi-! Puchi-! The alligator quickly closed its mouth, but this time I attacked its eyes. I only had 1 dagger constetion, as such I had to fire the dagger before constructing a new one. The alligator threw me into the swamp water. Ssh! I bobbed up to the surface. And immediately started swimming and climbed to the ground. Thanks to the water, my crash was softened, and I wasn''t injured. Graaa- Phzzt- It took me a few more minutes topletely blind the alligator. Though with one side of its vision gone, it wasn''t difficult. The moment the alligator lost all of its eyes, it went into a frenzy. It tried to chew my body, but with my protection shield in ce, it couldn''t get anywhere near. It tried to swallow me whole, but I got out of the way in time. It tried to smash me with its huge legs, but I avoided it easily. I took my time to safely take down the boss. [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.5 Man-eater Alligator. You have received 100exp.] Thud- Its giant body fell to the ground. I was on the ground huffing and puffing. Constructing weapons non-stop had strained my 10 stat ether core. A few secondster, the alligator''s corpse broke into specks of light and disappeared. I gasped for breath as if I was drowning inside the swamp forest. Finally, I stood up and looked at the ce where the corpse was supposed to be. "Fucking negative luck" These Meta-rank monsters wouldn''t give much exp, but they might drop artifacts, potions, skills, or something else, depending on one''s luck. "Whatever, I don''t need low-quality trash, anyway." I knew the location of the items I needed and the way to get them. Why would I need random drops? tsk tsk Only poor peeps depend on luck. I moved around a bit while thinking of the rewards I was aiming for from trials. I don''t need these random drops, definitely not. [The Floor 1 boss has been defeated.] [Passageway to Floor 2 will be opened for 6 hours.] The earth shook, and the trees swayed. A white mist rose from the floor. I walked forward to the entrance of the tunnel. The white mist cleared away, and I saw a normal stairway leading into the ground to the next floor. This was the same as in the novel. At the same time, from the corner of my eyes, I saw a pir of light shooting into the sky. This... wasn''t the same as in the novel. Chapter 172 First Trial [3] A beacon of light was going into the sky. The white pir was bright enough that you could see it in broad daylight from anywhere on this floor. "Is that Henry?" The security guards told us there would be no one other than us on the first 10 floors. We should be careful and not expect any reinforcements. The pir must be why Henry was so confident we could find him from anywhere on the floor. Modern technology doesn''t work inside dungeons and Ruins. Only magic technology works and even that may stop at any time. Due to this, explorers have to use work around issues that arise in dungeons, like preparing signals to meet up before going into dungeons. "He must have gotten the floor clear notification, too. I''ll wait here for him. Besides...." Crash- A tree broke down, and an alligator appeared. Though this one had a single head and was a lot smaller. "...I''m still attracting monsters." Phzzzt- * "F...hufff...ucking hufff...hell" Iid on the ground spread out like a sack of potatoes. "Are you alright?" "D...huff..o I hufff...look alrig...hufff..ght?" It took Henry 2 hours to reach my location. During that time, I engaged in a bitter struggle against monsters. Monsters are generally stronger than beasts. Also, although all of them were Lvl.1 so was I. By the time Henry came I was fighting monsters in closebat to save ether and stamina. ''I need ether potions'' "We should rest for an hour then." Henry sat beside me and entered meditation to refill his aura core faster. One hourter, both of us were standing in front of the stairway leading to Floor 2. "Let''s move." We descended. Inside the stairway, we couldn''t see anything except a few steps ahead of us. The stairs behind us kept vanishing as we moved ahead. "Did you take down the boss yourself?" "Yeah, I was transported to the boss''ir while it was sleeping. Although I could''ve ran, I decided to use the opportunity and killed it in one attack." "The boss was sleeping?... I need that luck." Henry''s voice sounded shocked. "I think so too." I bitterly nodded. Floor 1 entrance is not set like other floors. Thus, one can be teleported to any ce depending on one their luck. Like certain someone who met the boss under 1 minute after entering the Floor. Dare I say, today I made the record of encountering the boss fastest. [You have reached Floor 2] [Restrictions will be lifted] [You have reached Lvl.2] [You have 5Sp/Lvl Talent. Extra stats have been given] Thick damp air hit us and we found ourselves inside a swamp forest. "So we''re finally here." Floors 1 to 5 were Swamp forest setting inhabited by monsters with abilities simr to swamp creatures. We wouldn''t get any noticeable amount of exp till we reached Floor 11, however, the drops were a different matter. Unlike beasts that are born in nature, monsters are made by System. They are like monsters inside games where you gain exp from killing them and there is a certain chance that they might drop skills, artifacts, or other preciousmodities upon death. The stronger the monsters, the higher the chance of drops. However, when a monster drops something, the corpse disintegrates into blue light and vanishes. "The more I see the stranger it bes. Please don''t tell me the System creator was a gamer? No, in my case, wouldn''t it be the author who was toozy to think of something unique?" The one difference about monsters inside Dungeon of Trials was, their corpse will vanish regardless of whether you gain something from them. Nheless, the drop rate inside the Dungeon of Trials is much higher than in other dungeons. "We should make a straight beeline to the boss." Henry nodded at my suggestion. Both of us moved ahead ording to the map. Dungeon of Trials has already been mapped up to Floor 60, from there it is an unknown territory. Schwing- Swosh- [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.2 Horned mash rabbit. You have gained 30 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.2 Earth Fish. You have gained 30 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.2 ck water snakel. You have gained 30 exp.] We moved in a straight path to the boss'' room. Henry was the one killing most of the monsters while I killed only the ones who got past his defense. "I''m sorry I can''t help much." "You''re doing plenty by killing those fishes. If not for you, I would have a hard time closing into their location." Fwosh- Fwosh- [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.2 Earth Fish. You have gained 30 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.2 Earth Fish. You have gained 30 exp.] Two swords pierced through the fish''s skulls. These fishes were 1 meter long and 1.5 meters tall. They had two human legs growing on their body and shot water balls through their mouths. Henry was having a hard time dealing with them, as he was a close-range fighter. But with my ''stigma,'' I was able to reduce his burden somewhat. ''There are too many monsters.'' Or you could say, our monster encounter rate was too high. We were engaging against monsters every 10-15 minutes. ''Should I reduce my support further?'' These monsters wereing here after sensing ether. Normally it would''ve been a good thing, but we couldn''t level up here and we were tight on time. [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.2 Horned mash rabbit. You have gained 30 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.2 Nutcracker Nutria. You have gained 30 exp.] The monsters were increasing. I materialized a sword and decided to engage in closebat while continuing long-range support. However, Henry stopped me. "No, don''t do that." "Let me help. You won''t be able to fight for longer and tire yourself before long." "It won''te to that. I am a stamina-constitution-focused fighter. It will take a while before I begin to tire myself out." Sigh And I was being nice too. Agreeing with him I solely focused on support. This was only Floor 2. The size of floors increases with the floor number and so do the monsters in it. Our troubles were just beginning. [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.2 Diving Spider. You have gained 30 exp.] Before long, we reached the area of Floor 2 boss. Both of us were tired, however, it wasn''t anything bad. We were able to fight our way through without gaining injuries and were not behind the schedule by much. We decided to move to Floor 3 before resting. Although we were tired, we also had to hurry to Katrina. As an alchemist, herbat ability depended on potions and artifacts. Besides, we were attracting monsters even at this moment. Reaching Floor 3 will give us more stat points and we could use them to refill our stamina. Krieeee- A 4-meter stork appeared in our vision. It was arge bird with its wings wide open. Its body was covered in yellow feathers. Its beak was sharp, and it had two ck beads in ce of eyes. However, the most terrifying part about the monster was its talons. They were each as big as your hand and filled with poison. Krieee- The bird dived at us. Henry immediately broke into a dash to parry the bird''s attack. ng-! He narrowly manages to change the bird''s direction, and it crashed into the swamp water. Ssh- The bird came out of the water with a shrill cry. It was looking at Henry with a threatening gaze. "Give me those eyes, stretched beak." Puchi-! Puchi-! Two daggers suddenly stabbed into the bird''s eyes. For the past two days, I have been carrying daggers in my hand. I had now 4 dagger constetions. "That was a horrible joke!" Henry bolted to the bird. The bird tried to fly into the sky to avoid us, however, he skillfully killed it before that. [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.6 Talont Stork. You have gained 200 exp.] [The Floor 2 boss has been defeated] [Passageway to Floor 3 will be opened for 6 hours] With both of us fighting together for over 16 hours, we were able to have decent coordination. We were able to defeat the Floor 2 boss rtively easily. We rested for an hour before moving. Normal monsters couldn''t enter the boss zone. We didn''t need to worry about constantly watching our backs in there. "Haaah... we didn''t get even one drop. I thought you were supposed to be lucky." "Haha, me too" We grewfortable with each other after a day of struggling together. I knew Henry was only trying to monitor me, but since he wasn''t going to betray me; I had no problem opening up to him. [You have reached Floor 3] [Restrictions will be lifted] [You have reached Lvl.3] [You have 5Sp/Lvl Talent. Extra stats have been given] "Fuuu... I hope the situation won''t repeat itself or we might get into trouble." I agreed with Henry. If our monster encounter rate doesn''t decrease, falling behind schedule would be thest of our troubles. What''s worse was we weren''t getting any drops nor was the exp lucrative enough to make us go on a killing spree. "Don''t worry, I''m lucky" Chapter 173 First Trial [4] Ssh- "It stinks" "Tell me about it" Henry and Nathan were sitting on arge rock surrounded by swamp water. It had been an hour since they entered the third floor. Immediately after they found ourselves on Floor 3, they were given extra stats and a dozen monsters jumped on them. Henry was especially bitter. They weren''t getting any drops! Dungeon of Trials, a dungeon famous for its drop rates, and they got zero drops! Not even trash drops but ZERO! They were tired, were engaging inbat frequently, the monsters were Meta-rank and gave meager exp, and they were on a tight schedule. "It''s like... like we are walking symbols of unluckiness!" "Tell me about it" Nathan was consoling Henry, who was tired to the point he didn''t even care about monitoring Nathan anymore. In his defense, all Nathan was doing was firing swords to hinder monsters until he kills them while Nathan himself didn''t move much. Henry wasn''tining. He was the one who asked Nathan to stay back. But at that time, he didn''t know their situation was going to be this bad! "What did I do wrong? Where are my drops!" "Tell me about it" "...are you even listening to me?" "Tell me about it" Henry gave Nathan a long, hard stare. ...until he realized Nathan was meditating. "How the hell can you even hear me?" "Tell me about it" "Are you a tape recorder?" "Tell me about it" "YO-Fuuuu.... he must have expended a lot of energy creating those swords. I shouldn''t get angry with him just because I''m having bad luck inside the dungeon." "Tell me about it" "..." Henry stood up and sat on the opposite side of the rock. "Fuck monitoring him. I''m too tired to use my brain" Henry closed his eyes to rest. They had eliminated a lot of monsters, probably every monster within a few kilometers, thus he didn''t need to worry about getting ambushed. On the other side, Nathan was using his art. Inside his soul, the God Killing Spear''s constetion was shining brightly. Suddenly, a spear constetion ttered. The ttering increased, and the constetion flew inside the God-Killing Spear''s constetion. Nathan''s brows furrowed as he struggled to fine-tune the God-Killing Spear. The process toplete the God-Killing Spear was to sacrifice other constetions to it. Doing this, Nathan is able to understand theposition of the sacrificed constetion. Then hepares both of the constetions and finds the ws in God-Killing Spear and rectifies them. In short, he was using constetions to understand weapon structure andpositions, then using that as the base for finding ws in God-Killing Spear. Of course, God-Killing Spear had very minute ws. The ws were so insignificant that a master cksmith wouldn''t be able to find them and call the spear a masterpiece. Nathan understood he would have to sacrifice hundreds of constetions to perfect the God Killing Spear. ''The power the spear showed in the Underworld wasn''t in 1/100th of the original'' He was surprised he was able to even create an inferior version in a few seconds. He could only attribute this to the system assistance that came with forcefully increasing the art''s mastery. Nathan shook the unnecessary thoughts away and focused on refining the spear. With each constetion sacrificed, he noticed how weapons became sharper and stronger, how some were better while some were worse, and how minute strokes during cksmithing can make a masterpiece trash. Comparing God-Killing Spear and other weapons was helping him improve his knowledge about weapons on a fundamental level. His [Understanding] was increasing. This made him realize... ''The art won''t provide me a method of scanning higher grade weapons. I need to learn that by myself.'' Nathan hoped this wasn''t true but knew better than to ce his chances of seeding on an uncertain hope. Approximately 11 hourster, Nathan was done for today. Opening his eyes, he found a beacon of light shooting into the sky. Nathan covered his eyes and barely managed to see the outline of Henry inside the pir of light. "What the..." Nathan pinched his cheeks to make sure he wasn''t dreaming. The pain came and so did the conclusion. He wasn''t dreaming, unfortunately. Perhaps sensing his movements, Henry closed the pir. He doubled over and started breathing heavily. Nathan did not go to help, he was trying to cope with reality. "Do you... have to do ''that'' to use the beacon?" While the pir was active, Henry''s arms were in reverse grip and he was shouting ''Haaaa'' endlessly. The pir of light fluctuating depending on the volume of shouting didn''t help either. Was he trying to go Super Sayian? Nathan finally understood why Henry was reluctant to exin his method of contacting them while they were entering the dungeon. Indeed, it was too corny, Nathan would never do something like that, never. "We''re in trouble" Henry spoke with a serious expression. Nathan jumped down from the rock and stood before him. "Katrina?" "Yes. I used the signals a few hours back, but she''s still not here." Listening to Henry, Nathan''s brows furrowed. "How much time has passed since then?" "11 hours." The time was too long even for Floor 3. Nathan could only guess two things: Katrina was killed and teleported outside the dungeon. She didn''t return after that. Or she was in trouble and couldn''te to them. "I can wait for a few more hours, but if she doesn''te in that time, we''ll have to leave her behind." Henry wasn''t responsible for Katrina. His job was to bring Nathan to Floor 13. Nathan had a troubled expression. But, he managed to nod. They could only do so much if Katrina didn''te to them. ''I haven''t even reached First Trial yet and things are already going haywire. Fuck, aren''t I an extra, why the hell do I have more troubles than Leon?'' Recounting uing problems, Nathan''s face scrunched up. ''Anna, I hope she didn''t fuck something up because if she did...'' Nathan shook his head. Just thinking about the troubles if Anna didn''t guide ss Katana like in the original novel was enough to bring tears to his eyes. ''Yeah, no way she would do something different. Isn''t she always going logic this, logic that? Then, her actions shouldn''t be much different." Ultimately, he decided to stop thinking altogether. Problems woulde, he knew. He only hoped Leon could deal with them because he sure as hell didn''t want to help. ''I''ll just leave everything to luck. How bad can it be...'' ''Did I just jinx myself twice?'' Chapter 174 First Trial [5] "Can you create anything other than swords?" "No, only swords." "Didn''t you created daggers on Floor 2 while we were dealing with Boss monster?" Henry danced between two Lvl.3 Marshall Frogs. These frogs were 3 meters tall and could shoot out their tongues like a projectile. Nevertheless, Henry was calmly dealing with them. "In ancient times, the distinction between swords and daggers was paper thin. You could call a shortsword a dagger and a dagger a shortsword." "Then maybe you can create any weapon as long as you think of it as a sword?" "Maybe? Maybe not? I don''t know." In this situation, Nathan wasn''t in the wrong for not exining his abilities in detail. It was normal for awakeners to hide their stigma and abilities. Henry too knew this, thus he didn''t pursue the matter any further. Henry took 5minutes to defeat the frogs. He sat down and looked at the ground with a defeated gaze. "No drop this time, too." Nathan and Henry have been on Floor 3 for 5 more hours already. During that time, Katrina never came to them. After much discussion, they decided to focus on dungeon clearing. "Be careful of the Floor boss this time." "It has a troublesome [Trait]?" "Yeah, it''s a treant and has [Illusion]. It''s a bit tricky to deal with." Like earlier, Henry was taking the major burden of dealing with monsters. It took them 5 hours to reach the boss zone. "There is nothing here" They searched the boss''s zone carefully but found nothing. Completing their search, they rendezvoused in front of a giant rock inside the boss zone. The swamp was filled with rocks and trees. Therge rock stood out from the rest. It was a goodndmark. "Did the boss leave his area?" "That shouldn''t be possible... at least on lower floors." Henry couldn''t understand where did the boss vanish. The stairs to the next floor weren''t there, thus the boss wasn''t dead. It has to be in the area. While both of them were trying to figure out the mystery, they failed to notice the mist that slowly converging. A momentter, the mist solidified into a humanoid creature. "What is that?!" Schwing- Henry gasped. It was a man with white skin and ck hair. The only color he had were ck eyes. Henry''s sword passed through the man without inflicting any damage. "It''s an illusion. The boss is nearby." They knew there would be no other cadets on this floor, thus the man had to be a monster. Several other figures appeared simultaneously. One after another, all of them were illusions. The entire area was filled with ck mist. Swish- Henry, ignoring the illusion, was trying to find the boss. However, that turned out to be a mistake. "Ughhh..." There was a cut along Henry''s arm. The illusion had inflicted damage on him. This was enough for Henry to realize how much dangerous it was to ignore the illusion. "Don''t look away from your opponent! Don''t be fooled by their appearance!" Nathan yelled at Henry, who was still dazed. He grimly watched his surroundings. They couldn''t damage the illusion, but the vice versa was not true. They had to find the boss quickly or they would be defeated. "I don''t think this is only ''a bit'' tricky" "I think... that was supposed to be for groups of five-six people." Henry admitted his mistake. He didn''t know the boss could be this troublesome to deal with. "Any weakness?" "The tips of the roots" "Any weakness that we can use at this moment?" "I don''t think so." Schwing-! Henry swung his sword at the illusions. Even if they couldn''t hurt them, attacking the illusions distorted their figures for a few seconds. Using those few precious seconds, they were running around while avoiding being attacked and looking out for the boss. However, the number of illusions was steadily increasing. In a few minutes, they wouldn''t be able to avoid the confrontation any longer. It didn''t help that they were tired from fighting monsters non-stop. Their stamina would hit rock bottom in at most an hour. They couldn''t take their time to find the boss. Nathan swiftly scoured the area with his gaze. "Nathan, we''re in trouble..." They were finally surrounded. Henry gripped his sword tightly, his gaze tense and his limbs taut. He was going to blindly charge in. The method was suicidal, however, they only needed to find the boss'' body once. Henry was confident in taking down a Lvl.3 1-star in one move. "Wait, listen to me..." Suddenly, Nathan grabbed his shoulder and stopped him from charging in. "Go Super Sayain" "Ha?" "I''m telling you to use that light beacon of yours." Henry gave Nathan a dubious look. How was that going to help them? "I don''t have time to exin, hurry!" The illusions were only a few meters away from them. Henry realized. They didn''t have time! He nodded and.... "HAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" ...went Super Saiyan! Nathan whistled as he saw a pir of light shooting into the sky. But he immediately looked around. A smile crept on his face. The illusions and the mist have vanished! He spun on his heels and tried to locate the boss however, luck wasn''t on his side. Swish- A root suddenly appeared and shed at Henry. Henry was thrown off his position, and the pir of light disappeared. Nathan ran to Henry and picked him up. There was a long cut on Henry''s thigh. Hisbat ability had dropped by arge margin. Henry also realized this. "I found the bo-" "Nathan, I''ll cover for you. In the meantime, get out of the boss zone." "There is no need for that I foun-" "Even if the boss monster is strong, it wouldn''t be able to use [Illusion] endlessly to hide, use that chan-" p- A crisp echo rang. "I found the boss" Henry held his cheek and nodded dazedly. Nathan pointed to the big rock behind them. At this moment, the illusions were struggling to form back. "That''s the boss, however..." Nathan looked back at the ''rock''. "It has a hostage" Henry''s eyes widened, and he stared at Nathan. "Your mentor?" Nathan nodded silently, nevertheless, his eyes held a strange glint at these turns of events. Chapter 175 Lurking Dangers --(Past || After Nathan entered Dungeon of Trials; Location: Outside the Dungeon)-- "We came here because Shadow said he found a clue... was he ying around?" "I hope not" The gruff voice answered curtly. Two people were standing on Ward''s ground, looking at the traces of ''Shadow''. The man looked young¡ªprobably younger than Nathan himself. He had dark hair and wore a suit. The look in his eyes was sharp and dangerous. The other was a woman who wore an old-fashioned outfit with a hat and a long coat. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and her face wasn''t visible as she stood behind the man. She had her hands wrapped in bandages, especially her knuckles. Both of them were staring at a small piece of paper that was lying on the ground. [Dungeon... target.... tailing] They could only read three words from the three paragraphs due to the unintelligible writing. -Tempo, Knuckle, did you find Shadow? Their inte rang. The man answered. "He has entered the Dungeon... to tail the suspect." -Are you sure that he is tailing the suspect and not using that as an excuse to use the Dungeon? "...Yes" -Tempo... you do know what is happening at this moment, don''t you? -I have been excusing Shadow''s past actions because of his special circumstances, but I hope he is not ying around this time. Or you would have to take responsibility as his guardian. "I don''t think this is a bad situation, rather we should let Shadow run rampant." Suddenly, the woman interjected. -What do you mean? "We have been getting reports about spies inside Ward. If Shadow creates an upheaval, we can use it to put more of our men here as extra ''security'' and it won''t even raise any suspicion. -I guess that works too. -Sigh... I''m sorry for earlier, Tempo. It''s just the situation is very tense. "Don''t worry. As the brain of our unit, I know that you must be under the most pressure due to the Headmaster''s time limit." "Then what should we do? Return?" -Stay for a week there. Although the chances are slim, Shadow might''ve found the suspect. *** --(Present || Inside the Dungeon of Trials; Location: Floor 3, Boss Zone)-- "This was why your mentor wasn''ting to us... the boss monster had her captured." "Are boss monsters intelligent enough to do that?" Nathan and Henry were having a moment of respite. The illusions had yet to regain their shapes. "Yes, if the conditions are met, certain bosses can do that though... this is the first time Floor 3 boss did this." Nathan nodded, and once again scanned his surroundings. "If your mentor is a hostage, then I don''t think we can attack the monster blindly." "Can you go Super Sayian, again?" Henry''s eyebrow twitched. For some reason, he felt that Nathan was making fun of him every time he spoke the word ''Super Sayian''. "No, I don''t have much Aura left to use it again in such a short period of time." "In that case, we''ll attack the roots." "Roots? Do you know where they are?" Nathan pointed at the ground. It took Henry a moment to realize the answer. "That''s how the illusions were able to attack us!" Nathan smiled. It was good that he didn''t need to exin every little thing. He stood up while telling Henry their next set of actions. The illusions were running toward them. "We''ll attack the roots and slowly move towards the boss without alerting it." Schwing-! Henry tried to stand on his stable leg and swung his de. "Wouldn''t the boss kill your mentor?" Thud- A heavy voice echoed, and a root fell to the ground. The next moment, the illusion wed Henry, however, it couldn''t inflict damage anymore. Fwosh- Fwosh- "Just follow me" * Katrina was looking at the scene in front of her with teary eyes. Two days earlier, when she reappeared on Floor 3, she holed herself inside a hollow tree trunk she found luckily. However, her luck quickly turned for worse when she noticed something was amiss. On Floor 3 she was alone, there was no one beside her, nevertheless, she could feel someone''s gaze. This was the same gaze that she still felt moments before entering the dungeon. She thought it would vanish when she entered the dungeon, yet it was still there. She ran frantically to escape the gaze however, it never disappeared. Later that day, she unknowingly entered the boss zone. Katrina was ready to die when the treantshed with all its roots, but suddenly a shadow covered the treant and the monster captured her. The two days felt excruciating. However, thest night was the worst. The monster kept her awake, and the constant pain caused by the root made Katrina''s nerves go haywire. When she finally fell asleep, a loud noise woke her up. She saw Nathan and Henry trying to fight the monster. Katrina tried to shout and call for help, but struggling for the past two days had utterly drained her. Her voice failed her, and she couldn''t utter a single sound. ''I just want to die.'' She felt miserable. She couldn''t surpass her sister. She couldn''t escape the bullying. She couldn''t walk outside because of her fear. She couldn''t do anything. "HAAAAAAA!" Katrina was waiting for her end with empty eyes when a pir of light shot into the sky. Suddenly, all the illusions distorted and vanished,ying bare the barren ground. She saw Nathan looking at the roots that wereing out of the ground where the illusions stood, then she saw him looking everywhere, searching for the boss. Their eyes met. Katrina was certain he saw her. She couldn''t hear what he was saying, however, she could now escape. ....wasn''t that how it was supposed to be? Why were they noting to save her? Why? Why did he lie to her? Why wasn''t he helping her? Why were they moving in circles around the boss? A dozen minutes passed, Henry and Nathan were moving slowly while attacking the roots that were hiding inside the illusions. The monster was timing his attacks with the illusions attacks to injure them. But after knowing this, Henry and Nathan were able to deal with the roots. They were taking one step toward the boss, but retreating two steps. ''Is he leaving me?'' ''No...'' ''Help me...'' ''Help....'' ''Please'' She felt everything, all her burdens, her dreams, her helplessness, crushing her. Her hair was slowly turning to aquamarine color, and so were her eyes. A great amount of Aether began converging into her body. She was awakening her stigma. Her mana core was sucking the Aether endlessly. However, her eyes were lifeless. Katrina didn''t feel happy, nor did she rejoice. It was at this moment; the illusions were beginning to get distorted. The concentration of aether in the air was constantly fluctuating and the monster couldn''t maintain its illusions. The ck mist receded. "Henry!" The boss monster tried to use Katrina as a hostage, however, five swords flew and struck the trunk at the area where the roots gathered. Graaaa- The treant felt endless pain as its roots were stabbed. It had no choice but to cover its roots before they could attack it again. But Nathan and Henry were faster. Schwing-! Henry swung his sword and cut open the roots holding Katrina. Nathan held her and swiftly moved back. Grrrrraaa- The treat who realized that it had been outsmarted roared and charged at them. "[Infernus me]" A dark red me burst from Henry''s sword, and he stabbed the monster in the abdomen. The monster was blown away to smithereens. [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.7 Illusionist Treant. You have received 300 exp] The fire ate the tree monsterpletely and then died down. [The Floor 3 boss has been defeated.] [Passageway to Floor 3 will be opened for 6 hours] Nathan carefullyid Katrina with her back against the tree. Katrina''s hair was half ck-half aquamarine, almost as if the process had been halted in between. Her eyes were dull and lifeless. Henry kneeled beside Nathan and gave her a potion. "Here, drink this. I know you''re tired, but try drinking this. It''ll help." Katrina nodded absentmindedly, then drank the potion. Henry looked at her appearance with furrowed brows. "Our timing was off" "Yes, I didn''t think she would awaken her stigma at that moment" It wasmon for people to be in shock for a period of time after awakening their stigma. After all, the process through which one goes through pushes their body and mind to the limit. "I''ll go check the area and try my luck at the drops." Henry left the area and gave Nathan some time alone with Katrina. Nathan waited until Henry left. "Excuse me" He held Katrina''s hand and channeled ether to her. Minutes passed and slowly Katrina''splexion changed, yet her eyes remained dull. "You.. why didn''t you... help me?" A hoarse voice left Katrina''s dried throat. Nathan didn''t answer and focused on channeling Ether. Unknown to anyone, a ck shadow was watching over them from deep inside the forest. Chapter 176 First Trial [6] "Should we start moving?" "Will you be okay with that? It would take a few more hours for your injury to heal, wouldn''t it?" "I''ll be fine after I gain more stats on the next floor!" Henryughed out aloud while swinging his sword. His injuries were almost healed thanks to the healing potion and resting for 5 hours. It should heal swiftly when he increases his regeneration on the next floor. Packing our stuff, we stood up and got ready to leave for Floor 4. Katrina also followed behind quietly. We descended. The mood of the group was... not very bright, to say the least. No one was speaking while we were going down the stairs. "That reminds me, why did the illusions vanish when I used [Invincible Pir]?" Henry opened his mouth, trying to dissolve the awkward mood. "The boss was manipting light to create illusions. When you went Super Sayian, the bright light caused by you interfered with the surroundings and temporarily stopped the boss'' ability to create illusions." These types of illusions were counted as low-level illusions, where a minor change in the environment can disrupt the illusion. The boss was using ck mist to make sure no extra light enters the area, however, it didn''t know we had a human lighthouse with us. "Huh? Did I tell you what kind of illusions did the boss use?" "Yeah, you did." He didn''t. I only knew this thanks to the knowledge of the novel that I''ve written down in the diary. ? Monsters, although weak, aren''t something one can ignore. I didn''te unprepared. I used the library to get ess to public information about the dungeon, and also went through the diary I wrote to brush up on my memory of Dungeon of Trials. Besides, these I had emergency rations for up to 6 months, tons of elixir, dozens of weapons, and a few equipments one might need in certain situations. [You have reached Floor 4] [Restrictions will be lifted] [You have reached Lvl.4] [You have 5Sp/Lvl Talent. Extra stats have been given] We were suddenly out of the staircase and standing inside a swamp forest. This floor was worse than the previous ones. Unlike the ones before, this one was coveredpletely with water. There was barely any space to walk around. "Should we rest?" "I''m sorry for this, but I''ll need a few hours." Henry repeatedly apologized. His injury would take a few hours to heal. In the meantime, I sat on the ground and mediated. However; I was looking at Katrina from the corner of my eye. She was sitting beside me with her head bowed down. I don''t know why, but I felt like I should talk to her... "Kat, are you alright?" "Yes... I am..." "If you want to sleep, go ahead. I won''t mind." She nodded and closed her eyes. But I could see her eyes moving non-stop behind her thin eyelids. She was probably having a nightmare. I wanted to help her, but I didn''t know what to do. So I just stayed silent. After some time, she started talking to herself. "Why... Why did you lie?..." Her voice trailed off into silence. Was she crying? Or maybe she was still having a nightmare. Henry had left the area earlier to scout ahead. At this moment, only Katrina and I were present here. Looking at her haggard expression, I didn''t know what to do. "Haah..." With my back against the rocks, I scanned the area. ''Eth, can you find that shadow we saw before?'' (No) "Haaaaah..." I couldn''t help but sigh again. Back when Henry used [Invincible Pir] and illuminated the surroundings, I saw a dark shadow covering half of the treant for a moment. The shadow disappeared instantaneously, but I was certain I saw it. Given how the monster was a lot stronger and more intelligent than it was supposed to be, it was clear that the shadow was the cause behind it. The shadow was probably also why the monster didn''t kill Katrina and captured her. ''What the hell is that shadow?'' I didn''t know about it. Whatever it was, I couldn''t take a risk at this moment. Thus I told Henry to attack, in a hurry, when I noticed that Katrina was awakening her stigma. Thankfully, we were able to save her before she fully awakened. If I wasn''t wrong, the shadow was after me... The people who might being after me were: X, Y, Goliaths, Umbra, or some other organization locating Mr. Pepe. If the shadow belonged to any of thetter three, I couldn''t let them discover Katrina''s stigma. ...or she would again walk down the path of tragedy. Katrina suffered endlessly from everyone''s greed in the novel. It would be the same again if they discover her. I wasn''t a saint by any means. Heck, I wanted Katrina''s help myself. But... I won''t let those guys take her. I recalled Katrina''s fate in the novel. Leon''s absence had created arge hole in Earth''s defense, humanity needed something to fill the gap. What did these bastards do? Pushed the responsibility to someone who couldn''t even live without Leon''s emotional support. At least the main cast could die, but Katrina? She became an eternal puppet. No, she was forced to be a puppet. Why? Why do someone else get to decide her fate? Because they were suffering? Because it was necessary? To hell with that! If those higher being, or whatever, bastard want to do something then do it yourself! Sacrifice yourself! Who do you think you are to use others in the name of greater good! "..should move" Suddenly, Henry''s voice entered my ears. I rubbed my eyes and realized that I had fallen asleep beside Katrina. "What were you saying?" Washing my face with the cold water, I stood up. ''Greater good, my ass'' At least the viins like Urek, Tristan, Merlin, never used lies like them, saying they wanted greater good and sacrificed the minority. Listening to Henry, I came to know that an hour passed since he went on scouting. He asked if we should move again, to which Katrina and I agreed. As the floor number was increasing, so were the monsters and floor size, but we weren''t slowing down. Rather, we began cutting through Floor 4 at fearsome speed. With every stat we regained, ourbat ability returned, and we could feel the restrictions being lifted. It was bing easier to use our bodies inbat as our bodies were returning to how we remembered them to be. [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.8 Butterfly Frog. You have gained 400 exp.] [The Floor 4 boss has been defeated] [Passageway to Floor 5 will be opened for 6 hours] Henry''s skill burned the oversized frog''s wing, and it fell from the sky, falling to its death. The floor boss died swiftly, and we moved to the 5th floor. On the staircase, I noticed Katrina looking at Henry''s shadow. ''Is it there?'' If the shadow was tailing us, it had to being down with us, too. [You have reached Floor 5] [Restrictions will be lifted] [You have reached Lvl.5] [You have 5Sp/Lvl Talent. Extra stats have been given] Again, we were suddenly standing on the next floor. A low sigh escaped Katrina''s lips, and she looked visibly relieved. ''Did that shadow leave?'' The three of us rested for an hour and began moving. This time, too, Henry was the one dealing with the majority of the brunt of monsters while I was dealing with the ones that ran past him and attacked Katrina and me. During our whole endeavor to the Floor 5 boss, not once did Katrina try to defend herself. I felt a pang in my heart. This was happening because of me. Had I not brought her with me, she wouldn''t have been like this. I wanted to share ether with her, or at least give her reassurance that everything was alright, but knowing that the shadow might be watching from somewhere, I could not do anything like that. The shadow and the people behind it would go after Katrina if they realize I was protecting her. I had no choice but to leave her be. ''Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!Fuck!'' ''If you are bringing her under you, then take responsibility, you asshole. Do you want to repeat what happened to Miller?'' Why can''t I even let those who put their trust in me live peacefully? "Is something the matter?... You don''t look good." "It''s nothing" I dismissed Henry''s concern curtly. [Congrattions, you have killed Lv.9 White Hippo. You have gained 500 exp.] [The Floor 5 boss has been defeated] [Passageway to Floor 6 will be opened for 6 hours] It took us only a few minutes to defeat the floor boss. I also assisted Henry in the fight. The boss had tough skin and Henry needed someone to distract the boss while Henry activated his skill. I used my swords to aggro the boss, and we defeated it together. The three of us took a quick rest before descending. "Nathan..." "Yes?" Henry appeared quite concerned as we began. Before we reach the next floor we would be going to individual Trials. Henry''s expression made me think he wanted to speak about it. "What difficulty will you choose?" "Normal? Why are you asking this?" Hisplexion visibly brightened. "I thought you might do something like before" "Before?" "Yeah, when you challenged Susan at the beginning of the semester" Ah! I was being called a dumbass after my duel with Susan. The reason was self-exnatory. I challenged Rank 1 without anything to back myself. Henry was worried that I might like that again and choose a harder option. It would be a problem for him if the person he was escorting failed at the trial. After all, unlike the floors, he can''t help me in clearing the trial. Slowly my mind became hazy and without realizing I was now floating in an empty space. [You have entered the First Trial] [Please Choose a difficulty] [Normal] [Hard] [Expert] [Singrity] My fingers moved. I had long ago decided what I needed to choose. [You have chosen [Singrity] ] [Good luck ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö] Chapter 177 First Trial [Singularity] Trials Inside the Dungeon of Trials, everyone has to go through a trial every 5 floors. The difficulty of these trials increases as one clears more trials. However, you can also choose the starting difficulty. It goes like this¡­ [Normal] will give you 1X Difficulty in 1st Trial -> 1.5X Difficulty in 2nd Trial -> 2X Difficulty in 3rd Trial ->2.5X Difficulty in 4th Trial, and so on. [Hard] directly jumps to 1.5X Difficulty in 1st Trial, then 3X Difficulty in 2nd Trial, 4.5X Difficulty in 3rd Trial, 6X Difficulty in 4th Trial, and so on for every trial. [Expert] would be 2X Difficulty in the 1st Trial -> 4X Difficulty in the 2nd Trial -> 6X Difficulty in the 3rd Trial, and the difficulty will continue to increase in the same order. Of course, theseparisons weren''t urate, but they were to give an estimation of how different each [Difficulty] is from the other. Lastly [Singrity], the poison I chose, would be 5X Difficulty in the 1st Trail, 10X Difficulty in the 2nd Trial, 15X Difficulty in the 3rd Trial, and further. Don''t misunderstand, the trials are called trials for a reason. They aren''t impossible to clear, probably. Only the chances of sess dwindle with each increase in [Difficulty]. In [Singrity] the chances of sess arecking enough that they might as well not exist. [Please choose a Trial type] [Wave-type] [Puzzle-type] [Objective-type] My fingers moved swiftly. [Puzzle-type] would need one year at the minimum, and that is if you are a genius. It was a rtively safe choice but took too much time. [Wave-type] had the highestpatibility with me, nevertheless, at this moment when I was only Lvl.5, I would be exhausted long before I can clear 100 waves of monsters. [You have chosen [Objective-type] ] [Generating Trial¡­] [Trial generated] The void receded, and I was standing on cold rugged ground. Salty air stung my nostrils, and noises of waves struck my eardrums. I could feel my mana fluctuating as I tried to focus on the surroundings. There was nothing but an empty wastnd everywhere around me. [Defeat Lvl.10 Sea Overlord] Hot, humid air struck my face, making me wince. That was the smell of salt. "Huuuu¡­.Let''s calm down first" I exhaled loudly. Katrina, the shadow, Anna, Leon, the backers of those shadows, there were a lot of things ongoing at this moment. But I needed to focus and clear my mind. Even [Normal] Trials are very difficult. There is a reason they are called Trials. Among thebat cadets in the 1st year, the Golden generation, 40% will fail their first attempt. And I chose something 5 times more difficult than them. If even those who were born in this world and had years of training could fail, then so could I. I can''t afford to be careless. "I should check my surroundings first." [Singrity] difficulty had one advantage over other difficulties. The stage of [Singrity] Trials were all Stage-0. Time here passes 25 times faster than the outside. It wasn''t without reason that I brought 6 months of ration with me for a 3-week Dungeon exploration. "Where is the¡­ sea?" It should have been hard to miss it since I was standing on the shore. But the sea was nowhere to be seen. There was only a desert-likend, except the ground was made of dry hard mud. "This is weird. Howe I don''t see the sea?" I looked around the area, searching for the ocean. Regardless, I didn''t find anything. The ground was dried to the extreme. Let alone the sea, I couldn''t even find a drop of water. Did the sea evaporate? No matter how I thought about it, it felt wrong. "I can hear the waves crashing into each other." The noises of waves crashing onto each other, the humid climate of the surrounding sea, the dryness of the coast. Everything was here except the sea itself. "Underground?" Perhaps there was a hidden sea somewhere below? Closing my eye, I crouched and put my right ear against the surface. "I don''t think it..." I opened my eyes when I couldn''t find any noisesing from underneath, and looked above¡­ the sky¡­ The sea was in the sky. No, the sea was the sky itself. How could I not notice that? High above me, perhaps thousands of meters above, the blue sea was recing the sky. The blue sky stretching endlessly into the horizon was actually the sea. It didn''t make any sense. Where was the lighting from? Why wasn''t the sea falling? Was I standing on the wrong ground or was the sea? Waaaaaooooooooo- A gigantic monster came out of the sea. It had a slender body like an eel, and was probably the size of arge ship. The monster''s head was the length of a small building, its tail was over the height of a train. Its body was covered in thick, dark blue scales. While its pectoral fins were long and slender, no different from a bird''s wings. The monster was a leviathan, but that wasn''t the surprising part. There were a shit ton of them! I could count 15 that were going in and out of the sea! And this was without counting those under(above) the sea! * I was going to spend a lot of time in the trial, thus I decided to write about how I spent my days in the blue diary. It wasn''t necessary, but I did this to keep a record of the time that passed and my daily activities. * Day 2 The initial surprise passed quickly. I didn''t need a whole day to bring myself out of my stupor, definitely not. Putting the sheer magnitude of size, the issues weren''t any less small. 1. My trial was to defeat ''Sea Overlord''. Let me ask you, do you think those ''small'' fishes, which were more numerous than the number of peaceful days I spent in this novel''s world, would be the Overlord? 2. (Shitty bastard) Dear creator of this beautiful trial. The Sea Overlord is Lvl 10, so I''ll try to act withmon sense and deduce all other monsters to be at most level 10, if not lower. So (bastard) Sir, what made these leviathans, that had jagged spikes in ce of scales, long ass wings in ce of fins, andpletely white eyes, below Lvl.10? Please don''t tell me that they were locked at Lvl.10 but had overwhelming stats, or they had a dangerous [Trait]? [Singrity] difficulty is almost impossible, right? Where is ''almost''? Why do I only see the impossible? Chapter 178 First Trial [Ticking Time] Day 3 Completing a 10-page long ''essay'' to thank the creator of these trials in my diary, I got to work. What work, you ask? Scanning weapons and creating Constetions. Why I''m not going into the sky to scout the area? Hahaha... indeed I should do that. And then when the monsters, sensing my ether core,e after me, I''ll run. Oh, right! These bitches(uhm.. fitches?)despite being overgrown, were super-fast too, I guess I''ll end up in their belly after a few minutes. Yes, I should do that! Why should I make preparations before doing anything?! Sanity is overrated, anyway! PS ¨C I am using my device to count days. There is no concept of the night here. * Day 4 Constetions: 14 Number of Weapons: 80 Vial of Elixirs: 60 (Yes, I overstocked, never had been more d) Rations: 6 months (There is one more Trial after this) I wrapped a thickyer of [Zero] around my core. I hope this helps me go unnoticed by the monsters. * Day 6 I traveled for 48 hours straight and made a few discoveries. 1. The space here is warped. I kept walking away from my initial position, but every time I go too far my mind bes hazy and I''m suddenly back at my starting position. 2. The ground is dry. Not just dry, it''s almost as if something sucked every drop of water from it. I tried digging but got a simr result to my traveling. After going a few meters deep, I can''t maintain focus, and then boom! I''m back above the ground and the ground is back to how it was before I began digging. * Day 7 I tried burying my stuff, but everythinges back with me above the ground. There were a lot more things I tried, but nothing worked. Result: The map has no glitches * Day 8 I decided to scout the sea. My constetions now numbered 26 in number, but I knew I couldn''t damage those fishes with them. My only choice was God-Killing Sphere. Fortunately, after I sacrifice a constetion to God-Killing Spear, I can again create the constetion of its weapon. Thus, I had no shortage of constetions to perfect God-Killing Spear. * Day 10 My rations were 180 packets of SHTM packs. Each pack provides enough nutritional value to keep a horse running for the whole day. Additionally, the packs also fulfill our water needs. SHTM food packs are made using highly developed alchemy. Thus one''s body absorbs the whole thing without leaving anything as waste. * Day 11 Today I climbed in the sky using my swords and made two more discoveries. There was good news and bad news. Good News ¨C The leviathans wouldn''te out of the sea. They sometimes jump out of the sea, but a part of their body will always remain underwater. I''m still not sure if this is by choice or necessity. Bad news ¨C The number of leviathans was decreasing. Each day one leviathan will dive underwater and never re-surface. Maybe there were only 15 leviathans in the sea. But what was going to happen when their number reaches zero? * Day 12 and Day 13 I began building an underground tunnel. As long as I don''t go deeper than 5 meters, my mind doesn''t be hazy, and the tunnel remains. The tunnel was to hide myself in emergencies. What emergencies? I don''t know, but with the number of leviathans going down daily, I feared the day they would vanishpletely. Using a blunt bastard sword as a shovel, I kept digging. All that time, I had a weapon strapped to my body. I was digging and creating constetions at the same time. With increasing [Understanding], I no longer needed to mediate and could create constetions while doing other manual tasks. It took me hours of trial and error to create a 10-meter-long tunnel that didn''t copse immediately. Tunnel(Shelter) ¨C Obtained * Day 14 The ticking time was straining my nerves. I decided to train¡­ a bit differently, to calm myself. Training: How to fly The leviathans were flying too high, but I could tell that they moved extremely fast. If one day I needed to outrun them or kill them (I sincerely hope this wouldn''te true), I needed to be faster than them. Fortunately, or unfortunately, I had a way to move faster than those monsters. Shooting the weapons I construct is like firing a bullet. They slow down the farther they travel, and I have no control over them once I shoot them. Theoretically speaking, if I climb on a weapon and shoot it, I could cover a lot of distance in one go swiftly. I did something simr in Underworld. Let''s say, I construct a new weapon while I''m standing on a weapon that has been shot and flying forward. Then, I jump on the new weapon and shoot it, too. This was like standing on top of a train and then riding a bike there. The speed I would gain will be thebined speed of the train and the bike. Also, if I repeat the process, I can elerate endlessly. It is no different from saying there is no upper limit to the speed I can achieve. There were demerits too. Once I start flying, I would not be able to stop and falling could lead to fatal wounds or possibly death. However, *tada*, I had elixirs! And here I had time too! If I don''t take risks now, then when would I?! * Day 15 I flew for 1000 meters while changing my ride(weapons) five times. Result ¨C Broken legs, arms, punctured lungs, sprained ankles and wrists, barely avoided breaking my spine and smashing my head open. I think you get it¡­ the first flight test was a failure. I fell while flying. Firing the weapon in the correct direction so that it doesn''t fall too quickly, moving from one weapon to another in the middle of the flight, tanking the air resistance, not falling off, firing the weapons slower and slower to get off at the end, there were a lot of things that could have gone wrong. But what actually went wrong? My clothes. They bloated up as too much air went into them too quickly, and I slipped from the weapon. If I had to exin, it would be like parachutes. A parachute works by forcing air into the front of it and creating a structured ''wing'' under which the pilot can fly. Yes, I know, this is a result of air resistance too, but, in my defense, what threw me off was the air resistance working on my clothes, not my body. Additional Result ¨C 58 vials of elixir remaining I''m continuing to perfect God-Killing Spear, erging the tunnel, and practicing flying. * Day 19 Four days ago was the day when thest leviathan would''ve vanished. That day... Rain poured and all hell broke loose. Chapter 179 First Trial [Rain] -(Past || On the day ofst leviathan remaining; Location: [Singrity] 1st Trial)- Phash- "Haaaa... it''s hot" I shoved the sword onto the ground and sat down to rest. Today, higher in the sea, only a single leviathan was remaining. The tension of what wasing was enough to drive me crazy. "I''ll practice for a bit" Phhzzzzzzzt- Concentrating for thirty seconds an enormous spear materialized in the air. The spear was 50 meters long and 5 meters thick. It had been carved into a beautiful pattern. It wasn''t exactly like the one that I''d seen before. The shaft was made from unknown metal and there were some other differences as well. But in terms of form, it was very simr. The tip of the spear had been sharpened to a fine point. The spear was emitting an unknown power. The space around its edges was distorted by this power. And then those distortions started to spread outwards from the center. They looked like waves crashing against each other. It didn''t look like much now but I could feel its incredible destructive potential. I fired the spear. Boom-! Dust rose up, and cracks appeared on the ground. The spear covered over a thousand meters in one second and wasn''t showing any sign of stopping any soon. I used the ability of the spear I had discovered a few days ago. "Return" The spear''s path suddenly curved, and it turned around. Boom-! My ears rattled, and the spear kept speeding up as it flew toward me. Finally, it stopped in front of me and levitated. This was an ability I discovered in the God-Killing Spear. As long as the spear hadn''t disintegrated into the ambient ether, it wille to me at mymand. I could alsomand the spear to go faster or slower. I didn''t need to worry about being blown away when I call it back. As for how I discovered it.... Ahem, some things are best left unknown. I continued training with the spear and flying too. Using the [Sticky Boots] I bought in Underworld, I didn''t have to worry about falling off amidst the flight. Splosh- "A failure again..." I dusted my clothes and stood up. Flying wasn''t difficult nor was speeding up, the difficult part was slowing down safely andnding without injuries. Splosh- I was firing weapons at a slower velocity than the one riding and jumping on them to slow down until I cannd safely. However, I had yet tond safely even once. Splosh- "...what is this?" The ground was wet. Water sshed every time I walked. But I could swear the ground was rock-hard dry until a few hours ago. "The weather changed too. Is it because thest leviathan is about to disappear?" Winds picked up, and the light was dimming. At this rate, the night woulde for the first time in 15 days. Something was about to change. "I should return to the tunnel" I flew back to the tunnel. The wet ground made falling while flying less daunting and was perfect to practice flying. The water seeping out of the ground was increasing at an rming pace. By the time I reached the tunnel, it was submerged underwater. It didn''t take the water long to cover every part of the ground. The water was now reaching my knees when I stood on the ground. I constructed a blunt sword and stood on top of it. Levitating in the air, I watched with apprehension as the water kept increasing. "Leaderboard" The leaderboard popped up and I focused on my stats. ====== Rank - Meta(Lvl.5) (Suppressed) Extra Stats - 20 >>>Stats: Strength - 5 Agility - 5 Constitution - 5 Ether - 10 Intelligence - 5 Luck - (-13) ====== [Ether - 10 --> Ether - 11] [Constitution - 5 --> Constitution - 11] [Agility - 5 --> Agility - 11] [Extra Stats - 7] The ether inside my core increased along with the core itself. A gentle warmth wrapped around me, and I felt my body grow stronger. My ability to take damage and recovery rate got a tremendous boost too. My vision sharpened and my motor muscles were enhanced. The world turned more fluid to look at and I could tell that my reaction speed had increased by another notch. I saved a few stat points. I did not know what was going to happen, and as such, it was best to have a backup to respond to sudden changes. Contrary to my belief, nothing else changed. The night arrived swiftly, and in a few hours, thest leviathan would vanish. Plop- A blob of water rose from the ground and flew to the sea. Plop- Plop- More balls of water formed and soared higher. The scene was ethereal. It was like.... "I''m watching time flowing back" Droplets of water took off from the earth and rained into the sky. The surface of the water rippled and mist appeared. The drizzle grew in size and magnitude, and finally... Ssh- A drop of water struck me. My body became lighter. My weight decreased by half. Ssh- It decreased by another half. Ssh- Ssh- Ssh- Ssh- Ssh- I became weightless, and the rain took me higher into the sky. The situation changed so suddenly that I didn''t have time to react. My body turned lighter with each water droplet, but that wasn''t the only danger. I was being taken toward the sea! Like a balloon being hit from below, the rain pulled me along with it! Phhhzzzzzt- The noise of rain striking the sea covered the static noise of my art. Channeling ether to my legs and, using my sticky boots, I stuck to the sword. My body stopped mid-air, and I was now standing on my sword. Waaaooooooooo- Before I could understand what was happening, the leviathan roar came from... below me! "Dammit!" The monster was out of the sea and flying in the rain! "This is much more dangerous than I predicted!" My yells were drowning in the down(up)pour and I looked around hastily. The mist and the rain were hiding the enormous body of the leviathan. "Eth!" (On it) Waaooooooo- The roar was a lot closer. The leviathan was nearing me. My heart pounded against my chest. My breathing became heavy. I wiped the salty rainwater and kept my eyes peeled open. It wasing. Waaaaooooooooo- I scanned the surrounding, trying to find the monster. (Above!) Waaaaoooooo- A giant maw appeared in my vision. The enormous jaws opened wide, and the creature''s tongue shot out to get me. The leviathan''s mouth was bigger than three peoplebined. Fwosh- The sword shot out of the monster''s path, and I was pulled along with it. (Tail iing!) A tail covered in thick sharp ck scales suddenly appeared out of the mist, hurling toward me. "[Golden Turtle] !" Bam-! Sparks flew in the air and the tail collided against the golden shield. My feet came off the sword, and I was blown away. My body spun in the air and I couldn''t tell if I was thrown to the ground or the sea, however, the monster didn''t leave me alone. Waaaaooooooo- As if possessed by a vengeful ghost, it followed after me with fearsome speed. The enormous monster tore through the rain, its scales scantily shining in the moonless night, and its soulless eyes fixed on me. Construct Phhhhzzzzzzzzzzzt- The air buzzed, and I burned my ether without dy. I twisted my body and stood on a sword. Behind me, a 50-meter-long spear started flickering into existence. Waaoooooooooooooo- The monster''s white eyes locked on me, guided by the golden light shimmering in the sky. Without dy, I shot the sword I was standing upon. I whizzed past the monster''s scales with the spear following behind me, still being formed. It all happened in a split second. Two colossus fins ripped the air and attacked me. Phhzzzzt- I jumped to another sword, to change my direction, and shot it out. The sword pulled me in one direction while my body was moved in another. My ankles felt like they were being torn open. Blood dripped from my clenched jaws and I tried to stop my body from being ripped apart by the inertia of my movement. My body changed direction, and I was out of the monster''s attack range. The monster followed behind closely, using the spear''s light to find me in the rainstorm. Phhzzzt- My speed increased by another notch when I jumped to a new sword. 10 seconds. I needed to escape the monster''s clutches for 20 more seconds, and the God-Killing Spear would bepleted. (Look Behind!) I heeded Eth''s advice. The monster''s jaw was open wide. Over its mouth, an enormous amount of water was gathering. The leviathan shot out a gigantic water sphere. "[Golden Turtle] !" The water sphere was toorge and too fast to jump out of its way or flee from it. A thundering explosion ensued when the water sphere struck me and I was flung away. My head spun, and my ether reserve was emptied by 1/4th in one go. Phzzzz- I crashed against the t surface of arge sword and came to a halt. Waaaaoooooooo- Blood dripped from my orifices and everything stung from the salty rain. The leviathan roared from somewhere far away as if challenging me to battle. Pitter- Patter- I heard the sound of rain falling onto the sea and looked above. A chill ran down my spine. I had stopped only a dozen meters below the sea. If I had been a momentter, or hesitated to create the sword to stop myself, I would''ve been plunged into the sea. Waaoooo- A monstrous roar shook me out of my thoughts. Far beneath me, perhaps almost on the ground, the leviathan roared again. I looked at the gargantuan spear that was floating beside me. The God-Killing Spear wasplete. Waaaaaoooooo- The leviathan rushed higher, seemingly ready to devour me, and I... "Fuck it! If I can''t outrun you, then I''ll kill you!" ...flew toward the ground. Booom-! The leviathan whizzed upward. I dived with the God-Killing Spear in tow. Thundering explosions echoed, and both of us flew past our limits. "Go!" The spear shot out. The monster fired the colossus water sphere. Boooom-! Boooom-! My body was blown away by the shockwaves. "Guhhhhhhhhh-!" I was sent rolling several hundred meters across the air. The impact was so strong that I lost consciousness for a few seconds. My consciousness flickered in and out of darkness, my body was shaking uncontrobly. Eventually, my vision returned. There was no sign of the monster. A few secondster, a notification appeared. [You have defeated a Strand] [Strand killed - 1/15] ''I did it'' My whole body was screaming in pain. Every muscle in my body ached and I could barely move. I struggled to stand up. Eventually, I stopped trying. A sword was floating above my chest, stopping my body from being pushed into the sky. I closed my eyes and decided to rest. It had ende- (Open your eyes!) (It has not ended!) Chapter 180 First Trial [Sea Overlord] (Open your eyes!) (It has not ended!) Nathan''s eyes shot open at the warning. Pirs of light were falling from the sea,nding on the ground, and through the diminishing mist... "Goddammit!" ....14 leviathans descended. The monsters wereing to avenge their fallen brethren. Waaaaaoooooo- An earthshaking roar, oing cmities, and the lone challenger. It was chaos. Nathan was looking above, ring at them with his sword in hand. His gaze swept through the surroundings and he strained his throat before shouting: "Return!" Boom-! A golden streak tore through the mist, returning to its master. Nathan gazed at his legs, which were bent in the wrong directions, and brought out three vials of elixir. He moved quickly. Crrrraack- Holding his bones in the correct position, he gulped one vial down and poured the contents of the other two on his legs. [Stamina - 5 --> Stamina - 7] [Constitution - 11 --> Constitution - 15] He didn''t hesitate and used his stat points. If anything, he knew he was only alive thanks to bing weightless, otherwise, he would''ve died when he crashed into the ground. Waaaaaoooooo- The leviathans drew closer, their massive bodies beginning to take shape through the mist. Nathan took a deep breath and held it for a moment before exhaling like an engine, filling himself with all the remaining air in his lungs. "As if I''ll give up here!" His body lit up as if it was on fire. Boom-! The golden spear was still thousands of meters away. He constructed a sword above him and climbed on top of it. 10--no, 5 seconds, Nathan needed only 5 seconds and the God-Killing Spear would return. He didn''t see what happened earlier, but he understood that the spear was more than capable of harming the leviathans. HIIISSSSSSS- Suddenly, the mist vanished. The view became unobstructed. Nathan shuddered when he found the leviathans circling him and, following the monster''s gazes, looked above. HIIISSSSSSS- The sea spilt apart. A gargantuan Face appeared from the sea. The sheer size of the Face was so enormous that Nathan failed toprehend its true dimensions. It was the size of a small mountain, and the eyes were slits wide enough to fit an entire city inside them. The mouth was just as big, and there were no teeth whatsoever. HIIIISSSSS- The Face opened its eyes, revealing their murky green color. Nathan felt his soul freeze. His thoughts stopped and his body turned rigid like a stone. He couldn''t move. He could only stare at the gargantuan Face. Waaaaooooo- However, he was the only one who stopped. The leviathans charged forward, their ws ready to tear him to shreds, their maws opened wide to devour him. ''Move'' Waaaooooo- The leviathans charge toward him as if they wanted to see who would eat him first. ''Move'' Nathan tried to move, knowing what was about toe. The group of leviathans closed in, jaws wide open, ready to feast on his flesh. Thergest leviathan opened his jaw and- ''MOVE!'' -ate him whole. Until thest second, his body refused to move. Waaaaoooooo- The leviathan, the one who ate Nathan, roared triumphantly and flew back to the sea. The rain wasing to an end, it was time for them to go back to their mother. Until the end... Nathan couldn''t do anything. *** The God-Killing Spear was lying on the ground, waiting for its master''smand. Higher in the sky, the leviathans were returning to their mother after enacting their vengeance. The gargantuan Face kept its eyes on the leviathans, seemingly weighing down everything under its gaze with an invisible barrier of pressure. HIISSSSSS- The rain had reduced to a drizzle, slowly the dawn was approaching. When everything was approaching the end... tter- ...the Spear trembled. A reddish-ck me exploded outwards from the belly of thergest leviathan. Shiiiing- As if responding to those ferocious mes, the Spear floated, and its tip aimed at the leviathan. Booom-! The Spear shot into the sky. HIIIISSSSSSSS- Waaaaaaaoooooooooo- The monsters moved at their mother''smand. The smaller leviathans began wrapping around thergest leviathan. Their flesh melted and meshed together, forming onerge abomination of a Leviathan. WAAAAAAOOOOO- The monster dove downwards, opening its enormous maw to engulf the puny spear. Boooom-! The spear broke through the sonic barrier and only kept speeding up. There was a sh of light, and then... nothing. The Leviathan swallowed the spear. The beast''s maw was sorge that it consumed the entire spear, leaving behind only a tiny ck speck. It was a futile struggle of an- WAAAAAAAAO- Suddenly Leviathan bellowed in pain! It writhed in agony! Before the Leviathan could recover... Boom-! A golden shimmering light shed through its body and the Spear tore open the monster''s belly! HIIIISSSSSSSS- The Face hissed in wrath, calling for its children. "Go" However, before it could move, a soft whisper came out of the figure standing on top of the spear. It was Nathan! His entire body, d in [Zero] was negating the Face''s paralyzing ability! Booom-! Following its master''smand, the Spear flew to the face with a resounding st! Nathan, having lost his footing, was falling back to the surface, below him the Leviathan was rushing to devour him again! The Leviathan(s) roared in indignation, unable to quench its anger at suffering defeat in front of its mother''s eyes. "[Golden Turtle]" First Technique: Construct Second Technique: Spatial Rupture A golden shield enclosed his figure, 10 weapons appeared around him, 20 cracks formed in the air, bringing 20 more additional weapons into the world. The monster swept its tail, crushing all the weapons. It shot a water spear, sting his golden shield. A roar from it nearly shattered his brain. Nheless, Nathan didn''t bother to look below, his gaze following his spear. Finally, the moment came. The spear prated the Face''s right eye! An earth-shattering cry sted through the world. The sea roared, the winds howled, thunder shook the sky, and the Leviathan broke into 14 ''smaller'' leviathans. The Face howled in anguish and its children ran back to it. "...I guess this is goodbye." Nathan whispered to himself as he fell to the ground. The rain finally stopped, and dawn appeared, bringing peace along with it. The Face submerged back into the sea along with the leviathans, all angrily roaring at him. He continued to fall, a blissful smile on his face. (Do something!) (You''ll fall to your death at this rate!) The rain took the weightlessness along with it. Nathan was falling back to the ground at an rming pace. ''I can''t'' He had burned everyst drop of his ether andher to wrap himself in [Zero]. If he hadn''t, he would''ve never been able to escape the strange pressure, the Face put over him. It was only after that he could call the Spear back and escape the monster''s stomach. The barrage of attacks was his final struggle to stall the Leviathan until his spear struck the Face. ''Guess I''ll try onest time'' He raised his arm and called for the only weapon left on the battlefield. "R..e..turn" His throat stung, his tongue felt dry, and his vision had darkened. And yet, he was still conscious. This was hisst and final attempt. Nothing answered his call. He closed his eyes, he had fought with every bit of his strength, he had struggled until the end, not giving up even when the leviathan ate him. Nathan felt bitter in his heart. He was proud to have fought this far, but he wasn''t happy. He was tired of always being constantly beaten down, he no longer wanted a victory achieved by the skin of his teeth. A desire appeared in his heart. ''I want to win'' He wanted to win. ''I want to WIN!'' He wanted to achieve an overwhelming victory! Booom-! As if answering to his desire, a golden streak tore through the sea! His eyes widened. The emotions he thought he had lost came rushing and filled his heart to the brim. "HAa...Aahaha..Aaahahahaha!!" He had decided. He was going to fight. Throw whatever at him, be it the Viins, the Outsiders, the Monarchs, the one who brought him here himself, he was going to win against all of them! If they were Gods, then he would be the cmity to bring the Gods down! "It was you who bought me here, it was you who started this game, but I''ll be the one to bring an end to all of this!" A burning sensation traveled through his throat, his body felt like someone with superhuman strength had beaten it up; his face was sticky with sweat, and his eyelids felt heavy, but he didn''t stop, rather he shouted louder with a grin etched on his face. "Sea Overlord! My first target is you! The next time you return will be yourst!" The being wanted him to change the future? He''ll change it. Nathan would twist fate to the point that even the being himself would fail to foresee the future! Chapter 181 First Trial [Learning] (A/N- The previous chap ''First Trial [Sea Overlord]'' is updated. If you can''t see it, clear your cache and refresh the page.) (Reference Images for leviathans and Face) *** -(Present || Daily Records of Nathan the nutcase; Location: [Singrity] 1st Trial)- * Day 19 Four days ago was the day when thest leviathan would''ve vanished. That day... Rain poured and all hell broke loose. The rain can make anything that it touches, weightless. Adding this to the fact rain was flowing from the ground towards the sea, I was also pulled along with it. When I managed to get a foothold, I fought a battle against thest remaining leviathan. The monster was 150 meters long and had tough scales. Probably due to rain, it managed to get out of the sea and we engaged in a bitter struggle. (That reminds me, System called the leviathan a ''Strand''. Does it have to do something with the ''Face''?) After killing the leviathan, the other 14 leviathans descended from the sea. The battle... it wasn''t a battle, more like one-sided conquest until I managed to shake off the Face''s ability. A Face (Sea Overlord?) came out of the sea. The Face had a strange ability, the moment our eyes met my body froze. It wasn''t just my body. My mind, my thoughts, and my soul became rigid. It was as if I was turned into a stone. I couldn''t move, I couldn''t think. I couldn''t use my art, let alone fight. Thankfully, even in that state, I was able to create [Zero]. After all, the process was second nature to me, like how someone unconsciously breathes, so although it took arge toll on my mind, Ipoundedrge amounts of [Zero] without giving it any form. dding myself in [Zero Aura] I was able to nullify the Face''s gaze ability. God-Killing Spear, Elixir, [Zero], Armory of Eridu, I used everything in the fight and managed toe out on top. Also, this fight gave a lot of insight into how this trial works. This is what I understood: 1. The Face is the Sea Overlord. 2. The leviathans(Strands) would vanish each day and on the day of thest remaining leviathan, it would rain. 3. This rain was a Stage(apulsory fight) where I have to battle the monsters, whether I want or not, however, killing the leviathan would summon the rest of the leviathans along with the Face. 4. The leviathans and the Face would return to the sea when the rain stops and the night vanishes. 5. Leviathans cane out of the sea during rain (Will theye out if I kill one of them on a normal day?) 6. After the rain, the remaining leviathans will return and the cycle will begin anew. I''ll continue to record the data and see how to advance from there. Constetions: 36 (+1 God-Killing Spear) Vial of Elixirs: 50 remaining Cracks: 20 Rations: 165 SHTM packets Tunnel: Destroyed during rain. Not considering rebuilding it as it seems useless. PS- That was my first Aerial battle and it was fucking amazing!(No, I''m not a masochist. Thank you for asking.) * Day 20 I''m practicing flying with God-Killing Spear. The Spear has the ability to elerate and decelerate at mymand. This makes it perfect for flying. However, there are four problems. 1. It takes 30 seconds to construct the Spear. This is too long once you consider that my enemies can sneeze me to death. 2. If I travel on the Spear, I can''t let it go beyond a certain speed or I''ll die from air resistance and friction. 3. To change the direction of the spear, I first need to stop it, then change the direction, and finally shoot it again. 4. The eleration and deceleration ur along with the distance covered by the Spear. It isn''t instantaneous. The 1st problem can be solved by creating the Spear before the battle. The 2nd problem also isn''t much of an issue. I can change my ride if I''m going to shoot the Spear at a high speed to use it in an attack. Theplications are the 3rd and the 4th problem. In the battle against the leviathans, even a dy of one second can make a difference between victory and loss, let alone lose a dozen seconds while changing directions or elerating the spear. * Day 21 The leviathans had returned on Day 16. I was worried that all my efforts of killing one of them went to waste until I noticed only 14 on the sea. The leviathans are disappearing one by one simr to before. This means I have 8 more days left until the rain returns. On a good note, these monsters can''t get out of the sea before the stipted time, otherwise judging from how they keep my every action under scrutiny, they would''ve longe out of the sea and chewed me alive. Result- Leviathans can''t get out of the sea until the raines(They keep their eyes glued on me though. Not with a very kind gaze, of course) * Day 22 I tried going higher into the sky to scout the sea but the leviathans started throwing those colossal water spheres. [Golden Turtle] can block the attacks and the shockwave doesn''te inside the shield, nevertheless, it consumes too much ether too quickly to block even one of those spheres. Result- As long as I don''t fly go higher than 500 meters from the ground the leviathans won''t attack me. * Day 23 I began my preparations. This time I won''t be waiting for the rain toe, and kill the leviathans before that. Will the rest of the leviathans under the sea and the Face return if kill a leviathan? I don''t know, but if I keep waiting for the rain, the result would be no different from the first time. I''m aiming to wait until 4 leviathans are remaining and kill 2 of them. If all the leviathans and the Face show up, it''ll be a failed experiment. But if they don''te, this would mean I can kill the leviathans earlier. It has its merits and demerits. Killing leviathans will shorten the cycle of rain and normal days, but it will also be easier to kill them on a normal day when they can''t leave the sea. * Day 24 I''m continuing to strengthen the God-Killing Spear non-stop. Thest time I slept was 5 days ago. Normal weapons can''t hurt the leviathans. Since I''ll be attacking without rain, thus gravity would affect me. Last time, I became weightless however, there was no gravity in the memory world too, thus I was able to adapt to the sudden situation a lot faster. Fighting under gravity is going to be a lot more difficult, as unlikest time, I will have to make sure I don''t fall to the ground. If I crashed into the ground like before, I''ll die, no doubt. Also, although one has 3 lives in this dungeon. Next time, I''ll have to start from here only. Thus, dying here is a no-go. Not to mention, the next Trials will be harder than this, I can''t die here. Ps- Unlike what I thought before, the Trials are a lot refreshing, if that word fits the context. I was needlessly worried that in this ce I''ll feel trapped like in the memory world. But guess what? It''s not. Rather, it''s entirely the opposite. There is no one forcing me to do this, I came here with my own choice, and I can leave whenever I want. It feels nothing sort of soothing, even though I have to fight something way above my league because this is a choice I made on my own. I''m having fun. Result- The God-Killing Spear is now 55 meters long. * Day 25 I''ll start my attack tomorrow after the 5th leviathan vanishes. The mission name is: Fish Hunt Decree Why Decree? Because it''s my mission and I get to decide the name! I can name it whatever I want! Muahahaha... ...Okay that was a bit embarrassing. But, hey! This is my personal diary, it''s not like anyone can read this! Right? Yes, yes, Eth, I know you can. There is no need to make a jab every time you get a chance. I''m talking like this because I want to. That reminds me, you have been awfully quiet these days. That would exin it. Certainly, it is better if you also learn about the Universe from Caim. Caim is the most knowledgeable person I know personally, as he was the right-handed man of Beelzebub. How does Caim''s curse work? He can split a bit of his soul and use them to take over another''s soul. Yeah, it isn''t wrong to say that the Caim with us is real, given that he is a piece from the original soul. You are right. I also don''t think any mind control or memory-reading ability will work on me. Though, given how that being is living inside my soul without permission, I can''t say I''m very thankful for this sort of protection. Anyway, I''ll stop here today. Tomorrow, Fish Hunt Decree would be put in motion. And depending on how it goes, this may be myst diary entry inside this trial. Result- Forged God-Killing Sphere to almost 58 meters, the unknown power it is releasing has also increased. Chapter 182 First Trial [End] [1] "It''s today..." I patted over the vials of elixirs hanging on my waist while looking at the four leviathans flying in the sky. Those monsters were gazing down from above, watching my every action with scrutiny. "Fish Hunt Decree...." I jumped on top of a 58 meters long Spear and aimed it at those monsters. "....starts now!" Booom-! The Spear shot toward the monsters. It passed the 500-meter boundary in a few seconds. Waaaaaaooooooo- (x4) The four leviathans roared and a gigantic sphere began forming in front of their maws. Perhaps remembering Spear''s destructive power from before, the monsters went all out from the beginning. Waaaaaaooooooo- (x4) A colossal water sphere was being created by thebined might of the four leviathans. It wasrger than their bodies themselves. The monsters threw the water sphere at me. "[Golden Turtle] !" I chugged down an elixir and sped up even more. The Spear kept elerating like a rocket! I was nearing the speed of sound! In just 5 seconds, I crossed the entire 1000-meter distance between us! And then... The water sphere collided with my Spear. It was like a giant bowling ball hitting a pin. But the pin won! Like a shooting star falling back to the heavens, the Spear pierced through the gigantic water sphere! "Enghhh..." The God-Killing Spear came out from the other end. I lost a sizable chunk of ether from blocking the water sphere, but things were just starting! "Go..." My feet came off the Spear and it zoomed into the distance. The Spear quickly tore through the air and headed to the leviathans. The monsters angrilyshed at the sea and roared. Their roar reverberated in my mind. The Spear was getting closer and closer... With a thundering roar, the four leviathansunched another water sphere. Ignoring the Spear, I constructed another sword and rode it to close the gap between me and the leviathans. Those monsters were paying more attention to the Spear than me, and would easily dodge the Spear if I shot it from the distance. I had to go near them and fight there. "Gahhhhh!!" I chugged another elixir down. Traveling on weapons like this was putting a lot of strain on my body. But it wasn''t the time to give up! The second water sphere managed to slow down the Spear and the leviathans dodged it. But I was already near one of the leviathan. "Return!" The Sphere flew back to mymand. Waaaaaoooooo- "Not so fast!" I jumped onto the leviathan! That monster''s size was just as massive as the others. But it was surprisingly agile. The other three instantly turned around and flung water spheres at me! They were too angry to realize what they were doing! "Hahahaha!" I jumped away off from the leviathan before the water spheres struck. Booom-! (x3) The water spheres struck the leviathan! Waaaaaaooooooo- The leviathan roared in agony andshed out. However, the Spear returned before that and stabbed the monster! It howled in pain and blue blood dripped from its abdomen. But I didn''t stop and increased the pull on the Spear. Waaaaaoooooo-(x3) The other leviathans rushed at me to save their brethren. "Didn''t I say, not so fast?" I cackled loudly and jumped back on the injured leviathan. The monster, despite being enormous and agile, was writhing in pain and couldn''t stop me. The other three leviathans hesitated for a split second. A sword materialized in my hand and I thrust it at the monster''s eye! ng-! Sparks flew into the air and the de slid away. Despite eyes being the most vulnerable part of any living being the monster''s eyes were tougher than my sword. "Aha..ahaha..ahahahaha!" Kicking the monster''s snout, I jumped over its head and bolted across its body. "Dammit, what are these monsters stat that I can''t put a scratch on them unless I use the Spear?" With a grin etched on my face, I dashed to the Spear stuck in the leviathan''s body. The monsters finally reacted. The injured leviathan twisted its body to throw me off. Three tailsshed at the injured leviathan. They didn''t touch the monster but, with their size alone, they caused thunderous gales to start appearing. Channeling more ether into my boots, I managed to not get blown away. "Is this the best you can do?" I kicked the leviathan''s body and leaped into the air. "Hey hey, don''t think too highly of yourself!" I looked down at the leviathans andughed! The three leviathans used this chance and attacked. "[Golden Turtle] !" Baaam-! My body flew into the air like a cannonball. The monsters chased me, not even waiting for me to crash onto the ground. They were too angry because I yed them like a toy. When the monsters attention was focused on me, I strained my lungs and... "Return!" ..roared at the top of my lungs. I was thrown on the same path the Spear would travel if it wasn''t logged into the leviathan. Waaaaaoooooo- With my final push, the spear tore through the leviathan! With a dying roar, the leviathan was torn in two halves and the corpse fell! [You have defeated a Strand] [Strand killed - 2/15] [You have killed a Strand before the Day of Genesis] [Sea Overlord is descending] Before the rest of the leviathans could reach me, the Spear was already flying beside me. Phzzzzzt- (x14) Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! I createdyers of walls using the t surface of weapons. My body broke through the dozens of weapons withouting to a stop. Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! Blood dripped from every part of my body. But that didn''t matter at all! My spear was next to me again! Gulp- Gulp- Downing yet another vial of elixir, I grabbed the handle of a sword and swung my body to stand on the de. Waaaaaoooooooo- (x3) Booom-! The Spear shot out and created a massive shockwave. It flew to make a hole in the head of the leviathan at the forefront.... Waaaaaaaooooooooooo- (x10) ...until a massive fin swatted away the Spear. "It''s time you came!" A 600-meter Leviathan appeared from the sea. Chapter 183 First Trial [End] [2] A 600-meter Leviathan appeared from the sea. Its flesh was melting and meshing into itself. The three leviathans scattered and merged into the new Leviathan. WAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOO- (x13) The God-Killing Spear kept speeding up and was fading away into the distance. My grin only stretched more. "That stoned FACE will being too, right?" The Leviathan rushed at me without dy. "AHaha...ahahaha! This is too much for me!" The sword I was standing on spun around and shot in the opposite direction. On the ground, water puddles were beginning to appear, however, the rain had yet to appear. "Catch me, if you can!" I dove to the ground at breakneck speed. Without the rain, the Leviathan wouldn''t be able toe out of the sea. Near the ground was the safest ce from it. Whoooosh- Windstorms blew at the mere movements of the Leviathan. Phzzzt- Creating a new sword that was parallel to the ground, unlike the one I was traveling on, I changed my ride and shot the new weapon before I collided with the surface. My muscles stretched to extreme, unnatural limits. The strain of flying parallel to the ground, while inertia was pulling me to the ground, made my body scream in anguish. Nevertheless, the elixir pumping through my blood healed me as more and more of my muscles tore open. Bam-! I fell from the sword and crashed, however, I managed to divert the majority of the downward force. (Above!) "[Golden Turtle] !" I hastened to my feet and roared the skill name. BAAAMMMMM-! An astronomical amount of pressure smashed me back into the ground. Water surged in monumental amounts when the water spear of the behemoth Leviathan struck the ground. The earth was torn asunder, tsunamis rose, and earthquakes shook thend. My feet stuck to the sword below and it pulled me out of the water. "Pwah..." I broke through the water with a golden shield still enclosing my figure and looked around. A single water sphere from the merged Leviathan had created a sea momentarily on the ground. The monster was no different from a natural disaster. Every move of the Levithan was creating a cmity. WAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOO- Without removing the golden turtle, I flew above the surface. I rushed away before the Leviathan attacked again. [Golden Turtle] was able to block the attacks of the Leviathan, but defending against theserge-scale attacks was draining me rapidly. Ssh- Ssh- Ssh- HISSSSSS- The rain began and with it came the gargantuan Face out of the sea. It opened its murky green eyes and used its strange ability to freeze one''s mind, body, and soul. "Not again!" Reddish ck mes covered my upper torso. WAAAAAAOOOOOOOOO- Phhzzzt- For a split second I covered my legs too in [Zero], and jumped to the new sword, before Inded on the new sword I retracted the [Zero] from my legs. The Leviathan came out of the sea and soared to me. Aiming my sword at the Face, I shot it above! The behemoth body of Leviathan shook the air with every p, nevertheless, it became slower. I changed my ride every few seconds to dodge an iing attack and kept flying higher. Leviathan''srge movements were easier to notice, and it was easy to predict how it was going to attack and thus dodge. HIIIISSSSSSS- The Face''s eyes glowed eerily and a forked tongue came out of its mouth. A stone-freezing gaze, eel-like Strands at itsmand, and a forked tongue. "Are you role-ying as Medusa!" Narrowly dodging the Leviathan''s attacks, I burned ether without limit and flew as fast as I could. Having changed my ride at least a dozen times, I was flying at breakneck speed. My skin turned red, blood started flowing unevenly, and my vision got blurred as I crossed the threshold of the speed a human body can bear. WAAAAAAOOOOOOOO- My body was bing more damaged with each passing second. The Leviathan, realizing I was trying to go near the Face, threw another massive water sphere. BAAAMMMMM- The attack hit the [Golden Turtle] and sent I sent flying higher. My body was now on the edge of copse. Ssh- Ssh- I felt my consciousness waver. Nevertheless, I wasughing! The Leviathan''s attack gave the final push and was now levitating directly in front of the Face! For a moment, time slowed to a halt. I saw the Face''s tongue shooting out at me, the rain slowly moving higher, and the leviathan roaring below me. I took in a mouthful of air and shouted! "RETURN!" Bam-! The Sea Overlord''s tongue struck me and threw me toward the surface. Yet, I was giggling manically! The God-Killing Sphere was returning! It wasing back from a thousand kilometers distance! And the return point was the Face! "Thank you for making me leave the st radius!" A golden streak appeared in the far corner of my vision. Behind it were rings of air as it sted through the sonic barrier easily! WAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOO- The Leviathan roared and turned to face the direction of the oing disaster. The Spear could kill individual leviathan with 1000 meters of eleration. The merged Leviathan wouldn''t be able to stop the Spear that elerated over 1000 kilometres! Swosh- But I wasn''t going to leave anything to chance! I wanted an overwhelming victory! "I''m here too!" I flew into the Leviathan''s mouth! Phhhzzzzzzzt- Cc..rrck- Cc..rrck- Cc..rrck- A bombardment began inside the behemoth''s mouth! Fresh blue blood sprouted in all directions and the monster tried to chew me alive! However, I didn''t stop! [Golden Turtle] kept me from crossing over the line of life and death, the weapons made a living hell inside the maw of the creature, and I... ...used unstabilized [Zero] to melt everything in sight! "Ahahahahahaha!" WAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOO- HIISSSSSS- There was a maniacalughter, a wretched cry, a dreaded shriek, and then- BOOOOMMMMMMM-! -a motherducking EXPLOSION! The God-Killing Spear struck the Sea Overlord! The world itself shook! Heat washed over me, and my body was flung out of the monster''s mouth. A massive fire was eating the sea. The Face was breaking down, engulfed in dark crimson mes. The God-Killing Spear was nowhere to be seen. It was destroyed from carrying too much heat and energy beyond what it could handle. The rain disappeared, and with a shrill cry, the Leviathan began rotting away. The Sea Overlord was disappearing. I cackled. The God-Killing Spear was like an ant in front of the Sea Overlord. Yet, it was able to kill the monstrosity. "AHahahahaha, energy is equal to mass multiplied by the square of the speed, was it?" It was simple logic. The spear carried energy from elerating over 1000 kilometers and, thatbined with the unknown power the Spear was radiating, everything was sted at the Sea Overlord! [Congrattions, you have defeated the Sea Overlord] It was time to get my rewards! [Error! Error! The Strands have not been defeated] [Error! Error! The challenger has used an unknown way to defeat the Trial] Chapter 184 Administrator Of Dungeon Of Trials [Congrattions, you have defeated the Sea Overlord, ''Medusa''] "It really was Medusa" I thought in leisure, while falling from thousands of meters in the sky. The merged Leviathan was falling beside me. Its flesh was rotting and it was howling in anguish. My clothes were torn to shreds and my body was full of wounds. But it wasn''t painful at all. I had be ustomed to this kind of sensation for a long time now. It felt like an old friend that I didn''t want to leave. Closing my eyes, I waited to be teleported to the Reward Room. It should be happening soon. But I got to see something surprising. [Error! Error! The Strands have not been defeated.] [Error! Error! The challenger has used an unknown way to defeat the Trial] Before I could understand the meaning behind the messages, my body turned into dust. *** "Uhh..." A groan escaped my lips. Clutching my head, I scanned my surroundings. A 10BHK room with 2 doors. There was an ''ODD TRIALS HERE PLEASE'' sign above the door on the left, while an ''EVEN TRIALS HERE PLEASE'' sign above the door on the right. "I should go to the left one, right?" "Of course, duh. As far as I know, 1 is an odd number." A strange voice entered my ears. It sounded like a man''s voice, but if one tried to listen closely, one would think that it was a woman''s voice. From the voice, I couldn''t tell if the speaker was a kid, a grown-up, or someone old, the voice was a mixture of every voice I''d ever heard. Despite this, the voice wasn''t jarring or ufortable, rather it was pleasant to hear. I turned around and suddenly found a sofa inside the room. In front of the sofa, a TV was disying the Cadets exploring the dungeon. A girl was lying sideways on the sofa, facing the TV. She was using one hand to support her head and munching something from a stic bag with her other hand. She was wearing a baggy hoodie jacket over a t-shirt. "You are?" "Oho, it has been quite some time since a challenger wasn''t surprised after meeting me" She didn''t seem amazed by her tone, despite her words which suggested otherwise. "Are you the Guardian of this Dungeon?" "Bruh, Guardian? Is that what they are calling me now?" Answering, she ignored me and focused on the TV. An ufortable silence descended. ''She''s just as she was described in the novel'' The figure in front of me was someone anyone who would clear [Singrity] Trials will meet. The meeting was only a perfunctory meeting to show appreciation to the challenger. Inyman''s terms, the meeting was no different from giving a mortal a chance to meet a Goddess. "Why aren''t you leaving, shoo shoo. Go take your prize." The corner of my lips twitched. For someone who was an ancient entity, she sure was impolite, not that it mattered to me. "I wanted to know about the strange notification I got after clearing the Trial. It said there was an error as I cleared the Trial in an unspecific way. What did that mean?" Her hands froze and she shot me a deathly re, then she gnashed her teethes and answered ''politely''. "It''s nothing YOU SHOULD WORRY about. AS the administrator, I HAVE TO DEAL with the ISSUES YOU CREATED." Her voice contained a lot of pent-up resentment. ''As I thought, the Sea Overlord was supposed to be defeated after defeating the Strands.'' She stopped watching the TV and walked up to me angrily. Uh-huh, looks like she was acting indifferent earlier, to keep herself under control, not because she was calm. "A perfect defense that blocks anything under your level, dozens of elixirs, one of the strongest arts in existence, and the a¨C energy." She poked my chest with her index finger repeatedly. "Do you know how many resources I had to waste to create a Trial for you? Of course not!" "Adding insult to injury, you defeated an Overlord, an OVERLORD, in a head-on fight to boot! Does that make any sense?!" "Why do you have such an overpoweredbination of abilities!" She was huffing and puffing and ring at me. "Um... I''m lucky?" "Fuck your mama and your grandmama, who are you trying to lie to? You got them because you were lucky? You should be happy that you are alive with that luck stat!" Her expression contorted and frustration oozed from her voice. "Everything will be fine, you shouldn''t worry about the issue. First... deep breaths... deep breaths." I backed away swiftly while trying to console her. She wasn''t only the administrator of ''Tower''. I''d rather not piss her off much. It wasn''t like it would be fun, right? No, maybe it would be? "But isn''t negative luck impossible? Maybe my luck is so high that the System can''t disy it?" A vein throbbed on her forehead. "Go, take the 1st Trial''s reward. Odd Trials rewards are luck-based rewards, we can check how lucky you are there." "I will, but why are you so angry? Did something happen due to how I cleared the Trial?" She looked at me for a moment and suddenly... smirked. Tap- Before I could react, she tapped my forehead with her index finger. My head felt like it was splitting. The pain was incredible, I doubled over in agony. I felt that my head was cracked open and molted metals were being poured inside it. I fell to my knees. The pain continued for a few minutes before disappearing as if it was never there, to begin with. "Haah...haaah" Finally, everything made sense. I understood why the administrator was so irritated. Due to [Singrity] difficulty, the administrator had to choose an overwhelmingly powerful enemy for me, however as it was a Trial, she had to follow rules and keep the enemy defeatable. The bnce was important. The enemy needed to be overpowered, but not undefeatable. But I was too strong for anything under Meta-rank. I was too strong for anything under Meta-rank. Important things need to be said twice. With [Golden Turtle], [Zero], and [Armory of Eridu], I''m almost invincible as long I fight someone below my level. She decided to use her [Authority] as the administrator and made me fight an ''Overlord'', enemies that only appear from the 11th Trial on [Objective-type] in [Singrity]. Administrator had nned the Trial meticulously. The merged Leviathan had [Undying] Trait and, in the trial, the leviathans would always merge when you kill one of them. Also, as every single ''smaller'' leviathan was leagues above anything a Lvl.5 could handle, it was nearly impossible to kill a leviathan when there were more of them present. The way to defeat the Trial was to kill the remaining leviathan on the day before the raines and escape the merged Levithan, along with the [Stone Gaze] of the Sea Overlord, until the rain stops and the day returns. I was supposed to slowly kill leviathans that were defending the Sea Overlord, and then defeat the Sea Overlord. If I ever managed to win, that is. But, the result she got was unexpected, to say the least. The Trail wasn''t fair despite how much Administrator tried to make a bnced-impossible Trial. I cleared the Trial with an overwhelming result! A Trial, that was spected to take 3 months at the least to clear, and where one would die with a single mistake, was cleared before even one month was up! Buhahaha... Administrator was angry because the ''error'' meant that I achieved results that were next to impossible and thus have to be given additional rewards. ''Ah, no matter how much I try to hold back, I''m too strong. What sin have I done? Why can''t there be someone as good as me?'' At that moment, Eth reopened the connection between us. (First thing I hear aftering back is this bullshit, just my luck) Ignore this guy. He''s here only to ruin the fun. All in all, Administrator rigged the Trial to make it fair but rather lost a portion of her [Authority] over nothing and has to give me an extra reward. ''Wow, she''s an asshole'' Not bigger than me, though. I rubbed my hands together and spoke with a foxy smile. "What do I get as the additional reward?" Administrator was already back on her sofa. "You get to skip the 2nd Trial. Of course, you will still get the reward of clearing 2nd Trial. Also, because you will be skipping the 2nd Trial, the difficulty of your 3rd Trial will be what the difficulty of your 2nd Trial should have been, and so will be with following Trials." A sweet explosion urred inside my mind. Getting a reward for [Singrity] Trial without doing anything! And having the difficulty of future Trials decreased! This was the best! A party was going on inside my head, but I maintained a neutral expression. Didn''t I say I was a bigger asshole? I was going to squeeze as many rewards as I could! After all, other than me, there is no other awakener that can clear the Trail I did, not the way how I did, in a head-on fight. I wasn''t being greedy, definitely not. "That''s it?" "Hah? Why do you look disappointed? From the 3rd Trial, your shield won''t work, you should be thankful that you get to lower the difficulty." "Uh-huh, do you think I''m that easy to trick? I can clear the 2nd Trial without your help. As for the reward of decreasing difficulty, it doesn''t help me because as you said, my shield won''t work from 3rd Trial." 3rd Trial will be after Floor 15. The boss monster in the Trial will be at least Lvl.18. "The difficulty will still increase, thus as I had already faced an Overlord for my 1st Trial, the next enemies won''t be weaker, meaning all the enemies I''ll be facing from the next Trials will be Overlords. My defeat is almost guaranteed in the 3rd Trial and it''s because you were ''fair''." That reminds me, did I mention the main identity of Administrator? She was... "tsk, what do you want?" She winced but folded easily. As the administrator of the Tower, she had to make sure everything is fair and follows rules, not to mention my arguments were valid. "Tell me about the one who bought me into this world." ...the System. Chapter 185 First Trial Reward Administrator That was the name the one in front of me called herself in the novel. However,ter down the line, we were introduced to more important facts. Administrator of Tower, or Dungeon of Trials, was a part of the System''s consciousness that the System left inside the Universe to maintain the Tower. "Why do you think I would answer your question?" Administrator answered without looking at me. She was busy watching the cadets exploring the dungeon and quenching her boredom. "It''s my reward" I shook my shoulders. She would have to answer. After all, she was a part of the System, an entity that maintained rules. She had to give me an additional reward, and answering a question would also be better for her than to give material rewards equivalent to my feat. System was an omnipotent entity. It existed since the beginning and governed over thews with its supreme [Authority]. No matter how strong the being who bought me here was, he couldn''t be stronger than someone omnipotent. Administrator was my best bet to get more information on what was going on in this world and why I was brought here. She nced at me. For a moment, her eyes shone in golden color. The way she stared at me made me believe she was looking into my soul. I didn''t know what to make of it¡ªit felt as though she could see into every corner of me and know exactly who I really was. A few secondster, the golden color receded and her eyes returned to their previous color. "The lightless veil inside your soul is obstructing me from locating your soul core. Without it, I can''t pinpoint your records and check your past to see what kind of entity reincarnated you here. Don''t misunderstand, it''s not that I can''t, but I''d rather not waste all of my [Authority] over one question." "...reincarnated?" My eyes shook. Administrator scratched her belly under her t-shirt and continued. "Bruh, what was that reaction? Are you saying you are not reincarnated?" "¡­I''m not" Administrators had a questioning look and her eyes again shone in a golden hue. This time, it took a while before the golden hue disappeared. "My bad, thews of time and space are heavily distorted around you. I thought you were also reincarnated, like the other fe from before. Ah, before you ask about the other one, I can''t tell you anything regarding other challengers, it''s a breach of Tower rules." "Haaaaaa...." I sped my face in my palms and sighed deeply. "So, I''m not reincarnated?" "Hah? Didn''t you understand what I said? I''m not sure if you reincarnated because thews of time and space are distorted around you, it''s to the point that it''s affecting the records of the time period you were brought from, and making them unreadable." Administrator kept her eyes on the TV and munched whatever that stic bag had. However, I couldn''t care less about how she looked. I was attempting to connect the dots and gain as much as information from her words. ''She said ''other one'' that was the same as me, so one among X or Y hase here. If I have to make a guess, it would be X whom she met. Or maybe she is talking about Leon who should have also cleared [Singrity] Trial.'' ''Administrator is not the System, but only a small part of it that no longer belongs to the System. The amount of [Authority] Administrator has is limited, she is refusing to answer my question as it would consume all of her remaining [Authority]. For the veil to be so powerful, the one who created it must be stronger than her, or atleast on the same level.'' These two points were obvious, but there was one more noteworthy fact. "Did you say ''time period''? Am I not someone from a different Universe or a different Dimension?" I was brought inside a novel. However, here, everything was too real, the sorrow of Eth''s past, the fear of Katrina''s inferiority, the dullness of those who knew about the dreadness of frontlines, the people hoping for a better future. There was no way all of this was just something written in a novel. Ba..dump- Ba...dump- My heart sped up, waiting for her answers. If... If I was from this world, and since regression was possible, then can''t I... I... "Of course not. There is no dimension where you can live, other than the World Dimension, or a different Universe." There were a lot of questions in my mind, however, only one that I cared about. "How much strength do I need to manipte thew of time?" "You can''t-" "I can! Didn''t I already exceed your expectations?! I don''t give a damn if you think I can''t reach that level! Just tell me how much strength I need to control time!" Unconsciously, I lost control of my emotions. As long as I control time, I can go back and redo everything! There would be no- "Shut it" An invisible pressure slowly crept on top of me. It was different from anything I''d felt up till now. It was as though someone put a giant weight on top of me, pressing down on my chest and limiting my breathing. A secondter, the pressure vanished. "Time can never flow backwards" The eyes of Administrator as ''it'' spoke those words were bored. They didn''t think anything of me. I was a transmigrator, an anomaly in every sense, yet those eyes didn''t put a value on any of it. "Now, shoo shoo, I''m watching this year''s sspetition of you humans, go take your rewards and don''t disturb me anymore." *** Administrator''s pressure had somehow calmed me down. One could say I was feeling refreshed, but all of it changed after I got my 1st Trial reward. I looked at my prize of 1st Trial with nk eyes. "Pffft" On the other side of the door, the Administrator, knowing what I got, snickered. "To get one of the most powerful skills from the reward roulette, as you said, you are lucky!" Reading the description of the skill, only one word came to my mind. ''Useless'' Odd Trials rewards were luck based. If you chose [Normal] difficulty, you can get a skill, a magic spell, an artifact, art, precious herbs or ores, and something else as your reward after clearing odd-numbered trials. The reward is simr to drawing a lucky draw where the grade of rewards can go from Normal-grade to Legendary-grade. A Gacha, so to say. [Hard] can give you anything from Rare-grade to Legendary-grade. For [Expert] it was Unique-grade to Legendary-grade. Although the drop rates of higher grade rewards were abysmal in lower difficulty, there was a minuscule chance that one might get a Legendary-grade reward in [Normal] too. This was why Ward had strict rules, that Cadets must choose [Normal] difficulty, if they choose a higher difficulty and fail to clear the Trail, they will be expelled from Ward on the ground of not being able to properly judge their capabilities, a quality that was necessary for Cadets to have as they would be leading the War on frontlines after graduation. [Singrity] had a 70% chance of giving an Epic-grade reward and a 30% chance of giving a Legendary-grade reward. 30% drop rate might seem less but it was leagues higher than [Normal] that had around 0.01% Legendary-grade drop rate. ''I can''t believe there can be such a useless legendary-grade skill'' While moving to the Even Trials Reward room, I read the skill description. ====== [Ignition [Legendary] ] Ignite your soul! The time hase, mighty warrior! Raise your sword! Even if the enemies are unbeatable, even if all hope is lost, stand your ground at the world''s end! You will not lose as long as there is life in you! -Increases the damage output of your next attack by 100 times. -Apply [Immortal Killer], [World Destroyer], and [Indestructible''s Bane] enchantments to your next attack. -Cooldown: 2 years -Penalty- Death ====== T-This..! Reading the description made me almost faint from anger. The skill was useless! I would die once I use the skill! Which idiot gave this skill a legendary grade?! "And this cooldown...." "This is too much! Is System trying to rub salt in my wounds?! How would I reuse the skill if I''m dead?!" No matter how strong a skill is, it''s useless if you die after using it. The only ones who could use this skill would be Demon Kings, they were immortal and were revived every time they are killed. (My condolences) ''My condolences to you, too.'' (What do yo- crap, wouldn''t I die too if you use the skill?) Cluck- I came out of the ''ODD TRIAL HERE PLEASE'' door and, without looking at Administrator, stood in front of the ''EVEN TRIAL HERE PLEASE'' door to take the reward for the 2nd Trial. However, suddenly Administrator stopped me. "Take this" I caught the object Administrator threw and looked at it. "What is this?" "Are you blind or illiterate? Tsk, It''s a piece of paper with coordinates written on it." "I can see that much, I''m asking what is at these coordinates, or are you dumb to not even understand that?" Administrator''s eyebrow twitched. "It''s your additional reward, although I can''t ess your records, from what I saw, you would find some of your answers there." I nodded. Additional reward was something that I bought up to get information about the being and my transmigration. In a way, these coordinates were what I wanted. Memorizing the coordinates, I entered the reward room. The room was no bigger than the previous one. The only difference was the fact that this room was empty. This room was used for the ''Even Trials Rewards''. Including myself, there was one other person here. "What should I choose? I want to take the sword but I want the other equipments too. Everything prize here is too good to pass up on!" The person''s height, voice, looks, everything about him was unrecognizable. Nevertheless, I knew who he was. ''Leon'' Chapter 186 Second Trial Reward Including myself, there was only one other person here. "What should I choose? I want to take the sword but I want the other equipments too. Every prize here is too good to pass up on!" The person''s height, voice, looks, everything about him was unrecognizable. Nevertheless, I knew who he was. ''Leon'' Even Trials reward can be chosen by the challengers. Not to mention [Singrity] gave a very wide range of precious rewards to choose from. "Arggh! I''ll take this!" Leon tapped in the air and a bright light engulfed him. Shortly, the light receded but he was no longer inside the room. ''Looks like he just cleared the 2nd Trial and got his reward'' Other than me, only Leon would have chosen [Singrity]. Susan and Cadmus would choose [Expert] difficulty, while Anna and Lilith should have chosen [Hard]. Cadmus was power hungry but he was level-headed too, he knew he wouldn''t be able to clear [Singrity], thus went with the best option avable. Susan was ordered by Aegis to not choose [Singrity] as even the first 3 Irregrs couldn''t go beyond the 12th [Singrity] trial. As for Anna and Lilith, at his point, they were less goal-driven people and chose a rtively easy difficulty. Keyword: Rtively [Hard] Trials also be extremely difficult in the future and Ward advises only the Top 25 to choose it, let alone [Expert]. I stood at the podium in the middle of the room and a screen appeared in front of me. [Please choose one reward - 1. Poison Dagger [Unique] 2. Ardmandizana Armor [Unique] ... ... 51. Rescue Summoning [Epic] 52. Lie Detection [Epic] 53. Sea Serpent Spear [Epic] ... ... 59. Lucky Pants [Epic] 60. Happy Feet [Epic] ...] The list went on and on and on. "[Rescue Summoning]! [Lie Detection]! [Lucky Pants]! Epic-grade weapons! These rewards are too good!" I almost choose [Lucky Pants], thankfully, I held back and decided to check everything first. ====== [Rescue Summoning [Epic] ] -Brings a random summon to solve the problem described by the user -The summon cannot be higher ranked than the summoner -Number of uses: 3 -Cooldown: 12 hours ====== ====== [Lie Detection [Epic] ] -Enables the user to detect the truth or lie in any conversation. -Duration: 6 hours -Cooldown: 24 hours ====== There was no doubt that these two rewards were amazing! [Rescue Summoning] can be used to summon help in a dangerous situation. I could work around the ''random summon'' part by making someone else use the item, like someone with 99 luck. The only limitation of this artifact was its limited number of uses. I don''t even need to say why [Lie Detection] was amazing. With it I wouldn''t need to worry about the information X will give me being false! This was only one of the few benefits! [Luck Pants]... oh my, luck pants, where have you been till now? I excitedly checked its description. ====== [Lucky Pants [Epic] ] (Passive) -Increases the wearer''s luck by 500% -Durability:1000/1000 ====== ( -13 x 5 = -65) "...." (Aren''t they ''Unlucky Pants''?) "tsk" Ignoring Eth, I focused on other rewards. [86. Turquoise Mirror [Legendary] 87. Warrior''s Helm [Legendary] 88. Saintess g [Legendary] ....] ''The rewards are a lot better than they should have been. Guess defeating an Overlord is a pretty big deal.'' [Turquoise Mirror] was an item to change your appearance for a limited time. The camouge would be powerful enough to fool the world''s best security measures. [Warrior''s Helm] allowed one to increase theirbat techniqueprehension. It helped to increase the rate of mastering any art as well as increasing the speed of weapon learning. [Saintess g] was an AOE(area of effect) item. It increased the recovery rate, strength, stamina, and morale of your troops in a certain range. Morale was a keyponent during wars that could change the tides despite the difference in military might. All these rewards were very precious. "[Protection] isn''t here." No, not that protection. [Protection] was a skill with many uses, however, the one I was interested in was its ability to block [Appraisal] and camouge the user''s status. ''Looks like either X or Y took it already.'' I was deciding what to choose until my eyes fell on a particr reward. [98. Fragment of Eternity [Legendary] ] My eyes widened. ''How is it here?! Shouldn''t it only appear on the 12th Trial?!'' This ore was very precious and there was only one of it, even in the Tower. To get it, you would need to clear the 12th [Objective-type] [Singrity] Trial with overwhelming results. ''The 12th Trial will be the first Trial with have both, an Overlord and getting to choose your reward as it is an even trial'' ''I cleared 1st Trial with an Overlord, and the 2nd Trial reward I''m getting early is also my 1st Trial reward. Is this why I''m getting an option to take it?'' I checked its details to make sure it was the same thing. ====== [Fragment of Eternity [Legendary] ] One of the 13 pieces that are said to have existed even before the Universe was created. It is rumored thatbining all 13 pieces will recreate the strongest weapon that can make its owner the master of the Universe. -This piece of rock has [Infinite] and [Unbreakable] enchantments added to it. -??? ====== "It''s the same..." I gulped unconsciously. In the novel, Leon used this ore to strengthen [Sword of Eternity] a weapon that was also created from a [Fragment of Eternity]. It was something belonging to Leon, my good friend. And as a good friend, I did what I had to. [You have chosen [Fragment of Eternity] as your reward for clearing the 2nd Trial] "Don''t worry, Leon. I remember what you told me before. I''ll take your cheats, a few of them." A purple rock appeared in my hands. "Oooh~" It was smaller than my fist and its weight was light too, I could barely feel it. Holding the rock with my left arm, I could help but smile. "I know what ''weapon'' I''ll create with this rock." Pocketing it inside my storage ring, I walked out of the door. Administrator was still busy watching TV. "Why aren''t you leaving? Be quick" "Before that... can you tell me ''your'' name?" Administrator nonchntly answered my question. Listening to her answer, my small smile stretched into arge grin. ''Finally, a lot of things make sense.'' Chapter 187 [Bonus ] Hall Of Fame [You have reached Floor 6] [You have 5Sp/Lvl Talent. Extra stats have been given] Opening my eyes, I found myself inside a forest. However, unlike the swamp, it was a dry forest. The trees in this region were mainly pine and cedar, with some oak here and there. A few of them had already started to shed their leaves. The breeze carried scents that reminded me of cooking meat. Circting ether inside my storage ring, I rechecked my supplies and my reward from the 2nd Trial. A string of notifications suddenly appeared in front of me. [You have cleared the 1st [Singrity] Trial with remarkable results] [You are qualified to enter the Hall of Fame] [Will you like to enter your name in the Hall of Fame? 1. Yes 2. No Note-Entering the Hall of Fame will provide you a permanent 250% Exp boost inside the Tower] Reading the message my burrows furrowed. "Should I agree?" The only ones on Earth who are climbing the tower in [Singrity] are Leon, and Sword Maiden. The other climbers of [Singrity] have either lost their 3 lives or can''t enter the Tower due to several reasons. ''Sword Maiden should be stuck on the 10th Trial. It will take a few years before she gains enough strength to clear the Trial, and reenters. Leon will also take a few months before challenging the 3rd Trial.'' Without being in [Singrity] Trials themselves, others can''t check the rankings. I made my decision. The 250% Exp boost was too good to ignore! [Please enter a name you want to be recorded in the Hall of Fame] "Name?" I was about to choose Mr. Pepe, but ultimately I rethought my decision. "It wouldn''t hurt to be careful. I should choose another name." A smile crept on my face and I typed a new alias. Tap- Tap- Tap- "And, enter!" [Are you sure you want to choose this name?] "Yes" [Are you sure you want to choose this name?] "Of course" [Are you sure you want to choose this name?!] "Absolutely" [Change it!] "No" [CHANGE IT!] "Of course not~ This is why you should be hospitable to your guests~" Frustration oozed from the messages. Inside the Tower, Administrator is responsible for system messages, not the System. I could picture Administrator being irritated because of me. It only made me chuckle more. Who told you to treat me coldly! Muhahahaha! [You have entered Hall of Fame for ''Top 10 achievers in 1st [Singrity] Trial] [Please make new feats to get more benefits] "Thank you, Administrator" Seeing as how she didn''t say ''Good Luck'', I knew she was annoyed. Chuckling, I jumped to my feet. ''I was inside the Trial for 26 days, it should amount to 25 hours outside the Trial'' "It has only been a day, huh. I guess I''ll have to wait for a day or two for Katrina and Henry toplete the Trial" I began fighting the monsters and stacking Exp. ? It was after fighting for 6 hours that an idea came to me. ''Wouldn''t the monsters won''t be able to sense ether if I use [Zero]?'' It was tiring to fight monsters non-stop even though most of my stats were used to increase the ether reserves. Wrapping a thickyer of [Zero] around my core, I wandered around. This time, the number of monsters I encountered was a lot less. ''It works!'' Sigh That''s one problem solved. With the monster encounter rate decreased, the burden decreased by a lot. The 6th floor had arge area and arger number of monsters, but it wasn''t much difficult without encountering a monster every 10 minutes. For obvious reasons, I did not go all out while clearing the monsters. I did not know from where the shadow was watching me. It was entirely possible that it had cleared the trial at a swift pace and was now observing me. A dayter, I saw a beacon of light shooting into the sky. "Henry" With swift steps, I proceeded to the pir of light. It took me 3 hours to cover the distance. "You''re here! We were waiting for you!" Henry waved at me. Smiling, I waved back. Behind him, Katrina was also present. Her hair hadpletely be aquamarine, along with her eyes. She was covered in dust and her clothes were rags. She looked like a beggar. However, something about her was different. Her eyes, as she looked at me, were clear and confident. ''Something changed'' "You wouldn''t believe it, I cleared [Hard] in 23 hours! And Katrina cleared [Normal] in 28 hours even though she isn''t abatant!" Henry suddenly spoke andughed. His clothes were also dirty and he looked exhausted. My brows jumped at his words. "That''s fast" Henryughed even more. The average time to clear a [Hard] Trial was around 2-3 days. He hadpleted the trial in one day, and it was an impressive feat given that a higher number of Cadets also fail every year. Katrina, on the other hand, took 12 hours more than average, but it was also a wonderful result. Again, manybat department Cadets fail to clear Trials, so for Katrina, who was a nonbat type alchemist, it was a big achievement. "Thanks! What about you, though? You lookpletely fine. Did you get an easy Trial?" "The first thing I did after reaching Floor 6 was to change" I shrugged. My clothes were in pristine condition. But my body wasn''t. Other than the scars I got in Underworld, I had a lot of white stretch marks running all over my body. These stretch marks formed because of the high amount of strain my body had to go through when I change my direction while ''flying''. It didn''t help that during my fight with Sea Overlord, I went overboard with my speed while flying, ultimately pushing my body beyond its limit. It was thanks to my stigma that I could hide all the scars and stretch marks. ''Well, the stretch marks would disappear with time'' We talked a bit and rested. Apparently, Henry met Katrina after a few minutes she reached Floor 6. Henry had created a pir after an hour of that. Before we moved, Henry also changed. He hadn''t done so before, as he didn''t want to let his guard down even for a moment inside the dungeon. Katrina refused to change. She was fidgeting a lot less than before entering the Trial, but she couldn''t ignore the fact that some shadow might peek at her. [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl10 Wind Deer. You have gained 1500exp] [The Floor 2 boss has been defeated] [Passageway to Floor 3 will be opened for 6 hours] We swiftly moved to the boss''s location and defeated it rtively easily. With each floor, we were returning to how our bodies were outside the Tower, and this made fighting more easier as we were more ustomed to our original stat distribution. "U-uhm" We were descending the stairs when Katrina quietly pulled the helm of my shirt. "Do you want to say something?" She looked at me for a few seconds and took a deep breath before speaking. "Will you help me?" "Yes, didn''t I already agree to this?" Seeing howfortable she saw, it was clear that the shadow wasn''t here. Thus, I didn''t want to put an unnecessary burden on her by giving an ambiguous answer. "I see" Katrina mumbled while looking down. "We should move" Before I could question her strange actions, she stepped in front of me and descended the stairs. Shaking my head, I went back to what I was thinking earlier. ''What do you think about the n?'' (I don''t think the shadow can escape alive) "I know, right?" Realizing that I hated being yed with. I had decided to act like I wanted to. My first goal was to eliminate the one tailing me. "It''s going to be fun!" Chapter 188 Main Cast [1] -(Present || ???; Location: ???)- "Haaah... Haaah..." Rustle- A figure darted through the jungle without a moment''s rest. Her breathing was loud and heavy, her heart pounding in her chest as she ran. She was covered in sweat from exertion, but it wasn''t enough to make her stop. She looked back every few seconds, fear clouding her countenance. Swiftly turning right, she ran through the thicket. The roots almost made her fall, the eerie silence making it seem like something would jump out at any moment. But she kept running as if fleeing some unseen beast that only existed in her mind''s eye. Barely reaching in front of an inconspicuous tree, she mumbled something. A magic circle appeared on the tree''s bark. "Ugh...!" The bark waved and vanished, the girl jumped inside the tree, and shortly the bark reappeared, closing the entrance the girl used. The girl appeared inside a 4x4 sq.meter dark room. Without minding the cramped space, she sat on the ground with her knees closed. In one corner of the room was arge bundle of ck hairs, it was the only noticeable object inside the room. She was soaked in sweat and tears, her face pained as she looked at the carvings on the wall. Several hours passed by and she stood up and made another mark on the wall. Cutting the four lines with arger line, she counted the total number of days she spent here. Her viridian eyes were dull, her once-fair skin was cracked and her feet and hands were covered in blisters. Slumping back, she hungrily devoured the fruit she bought from the jungle earlier. There were no traces of beauty or grace left and she ate the fruit without minding her manners. The fruit tasted sour and bitter, and she choked down thest bite. "It''s all gone..." She sighed with regret, her voice lifeless. The words stuck in her throat, and she couldn''t bring herself to speak them out loud. Suddenly a string of notifications appeared in front of her eyes. [Public leaderboard has been updated] [A new addition has been made to the Hall of Fame ''Top 10 achievers in 1st [Singrity] Trial'' Would you like to see the leaderboard?] "..what''s this?" The girl felt her throat burning with pain from exhaustion. Nevertheless, the notification was unusual. "Hall of Fame? What''s that?" She pressed ''Yes'' and a list appeared in front of her eyes. ====== Top 10 achievers in 1st [Singrity] Trial: 1. Mephistopheles, the Devil 2. Leonidas, the Lord of Lightning 3. Im_your_dad69 (New) 4. Obelisk, the Ruler of Divine 5. Kratos, the World Conqueror 6. Cassandra, the Protector of Life 7. Gamma, the Gxius 8. Hatamoto, the g Bearer 9. Tetion, the Light Desecrator 10. Enma, the Traveler of Hell ====== "Im_your_dad69? Is this the new addition to the ranking?" Noticing the new ''New'' written next to the name, she wondered to herself. "What kind of name is that?" A smile appeared on her dull face. The name did not match the other titles written on the ranking list. She chuckled every time she read the odd name registered on the list. "This person has a weird naming sense." The small burst of happiness bought relief to her tired self. The relief and exhaustion from the day''s exertion made her eyelids heavy. She had been awake for more than twelve hours straight. It was only because of months of continuous exertion burdening her mind, that the girl failed to notice the severity of the notifications. As her consciousness faded away, the girl murmured. "...I need to... be strong." Time slipped and, with a blissful smile on her dirt-covered face, she slept in peace for the first time in months. Crash- "W-what?!" A sudden loud crashing noise woke the girl. She looked around hurriedly and realized the room was now lit up. Grrrr- A menacing growl came from above her and she realized... ...the monster had found her hiding ce. *** -(Past || Ending of Intra sspetition; Location: Floor 10)- "Phew, that was tiring.." Leon slumped on the ground under the shade of a tree. He looked exhausted but there was a relieved smile on his face. "I should be the one speaking that, you monster" "Eeik!!" Someone sneaked behind Leon. Feeling the cold hands on his neck, he flinched and a girly shriek escaped his lips. "Don''t shout like that? Someone will misunderstand." Lilith covered her face as if she was embarrassed and sat besides him. Leon was too tired to react to her antics. Drained, he rolled on the ground to get away from her. "Why are you leaving? Are you throwing me away after using me because I became useless? Please don''t do this to me." Lilith spoke loud enough that other Cadets near them heard her. Leon stopped moving away and quietly returned, rolling. Looking at the people giving him weird nces, he wanted to cry but had no tears, ''She meant teaming up for the intra-sspetition! Nothing Else!'' Hey on the ground next to Lilith. Time passed and both of the were resting their bodies. "Are you alright?" Lilith was startled by Leon''s sudden question and tilted her head. "Your hands when you touched me were cold, you shouldn''t use your stigma too much" Lilith was silent for a moment before answering, with a grin and, saddened tone, "I didn''t think you were worried about me. T..thank you, I thought you never cared for me... sniff... sniff" Leon''s eyebrow twitched and he wondered how she was energetic enough to joke. The intra-sspetition had ended today after 3 days and the 10 Cadets who would be joining the inter-sspetition on Floor 13 had been selected. Although Katana-ss had a low number of Cadets left after the Floor 0 incident, all the remaining Cadets were talented and strong. It did not help that Ken, another Top 25 ranker in their ss, had quite strong Cadets working under him, all of whom grouped together and tried to eliminate the other Cadets to secure ces for themselves. ''Fortunately, I found Lilith or it would have been too hard to fight Cadets and monsters alike singlehandedly'' Lilith and Leon joked for a few hours until Lilith stood up stretching. "I''ll be leaving then." "Isn''t it too early? We have a lot of days to reach Floor 13, no?" Lilith blushed for a moment, but she hid it quickly and proudly revealed the answer. "I chose [Expert] difficulty" Leon had a questioning expression on his face. Lilith shook her head helplessly before exining to him. This wasn''t the first time Leon was clueless about day-to-daymon matters, it sometimes made her wonder if Leon had been living away from civilization up till now. "The Trials are divided into 4 difficulties. Depending on what you choose, the time required to clear the Trial differs. [Normal] can take anywhere from 12 to 18 hours, [Hard] can take 3-5 days, while, uh-huh, [Expert] requires 1-3 weeks." Finishing, she pushed her imaginary sses up with a satisfied smile. However, Leon held a dumb expression on his face. "Isn''t there [Singrity] too?" "[Singrity]? That''s only there for disy. It''s almost impossible to clear. Didn''t you know if a Cadet chooses [Singrity] unless the Cadet is among the Top 3 or has exceptionalbat ability, they''ll be expelled? It''s that difficult" "E-expelled?!" Leon covered his mouth, realizing that he spoke too loudly. He scanned the surroundings before whispering. "I-s there any way to know what difficulty others have chosen?" "No, but why are you asking this?" "I was asking it for... For knowledge purposes! It''s a good habit to know a lot of things, hahaha" "Leon~" "Y-yes?" "What difficulty did you choose?~" "[N-normal]" Leon was stuttering and his eyes were darting everywhere. Lilith held his hand before he could run away and asked ''sweetly''. "[Normal]? That''s a good thing, but didn''t you take 4 days to clear ''''[Normal]'''', 3 days more than average? And yet you can fight a small group from Top 100 Cadets on equal footing?" "Hahaha, Lilith, I need to go somewhere, c-can you let me go?" "Also, is it just me, or did your hair suddenly grow after you reached Floor 6?" "Lilith, your smile is s-scary" Leon was crying internally. ''Master said [Singrity] was the easiest difficulty! I shouldn''t have believed her when she said that! Damn you, master!'' ''No, no, no, first I need to mislead Lilith!'' "That just y...you, I''m sure." "Then, ho-" "Finally, found you too" Cadmus walked up to them and called them out. "I''ve been searching for you two for hours, you know?" Leon inaudibly sighed and hurriedly conversed with Cadmus to shift the topic from the earlier conversation. "Were you looking for us?" "That..." Cadmus looked around and spoke after making sure nobody was listening to them. "...I wanted to work together with you two for the Floor 13 contest. It is embarrassing, but our ss is the most disjointed among all the sses. Out of the 10 selected Cadets from our ss, 5 only follow Ken''s orders, among the four left Susan is a lone wolf and doesn''t listen to anybody. If we fought the other two sses like this, we won''t stand a chance. I''d like for at least us 3 to work together." "But doesn''t Ken listen to you?" Cadmus'' eyes slightly widened, but a secondter, a small smile appeared on his face. "Why would you think so?" "Don''t listen to him, he always speaks without thinking." Lilith interjected. Leon was also confused why he thought like that. He had seen Ken objecting to everyone''s opinion and several times almost fighting Cadmus. "He doesn''t. If Ken would listen to me, there would have been no problems" "Can''t you ask for Susan to work together?" Cadmus turned to Lilith and answered her. "Actually, I was hoping you would do that for me. I don''t think Susan likes to listen to me." Lilith had a hesitant expression on her face. Leon knew the reason, some time ago, Lilith had told him that she didn''t feelfortable around Cadmus. When Leon asked for the reason, she answered him by saying that she didn''t know the cause. Cadmus never stepped out of the line and both of them were childhood friends, but for some reason, she felt Cadmus had a weird, almost sinister, aura to him. "We''ll try" Cadmus thanked them and walked away. Lilith and Leon searched for Susan to ask for her cooperation on the uing inter-sspetition. They were also not very close with her, however, Lilith was naturally able to talk to everyone and Leon had conversed with Susan several times in the past, due to issues pertaining to Nathan. It was when both of them were moving around, Leon suddenly asked something. "Why did you choose [Expert]? It can take up to 3 weeks to clear, wouldn''t it be a problem if you couldn''t reach Floor 13 on time?" A trace of sadness shed across her eyes, but she didn''t let Leon notice it. "[Expert] difficulty is nothing for someone as beautiful as me. Besides, shouldn''t you worry about clearing your ''''[Normal]'''' Trial, it will be a problem if arete." "I''ll think about it!" Leon activated his stigma and sped up before Lilith started interrogating him again. His reaction made her chuckle and she followed behind him. Chapter 189 Main Cast [2] -(Past || Two weeks after entering the new Trial; Location: [Singrity] 2nd Trial)- In an empty space, specks of blue light coagted and formed a human shape. Shortly, the shape solidified into an actual human. "Guhh..." With a groan, Leon fell to the ground. "Did I just die?" "Yes, my lord" Leon flinched when he heard a familiar voice beside him and backed away hurriedly until he recognized the speaker and then stopped. "How are you here?! Weren''t you supposed toe out only when the skill leveled up?!" "This isn''t my actual manifestation, my lord. I''m using the Tower''sputing abilities to generate a virtual projection of myself to talk with you." A giant behemoth with wings behind its back and lightning coursing through his body was standing in front of him. Leon looked at the giant, who was almost as tall as the sky. "But how can you use the Tower to generate your image? Isn''t Tower a legacy-grade artifact and nobody knows how it works?" Leon squinted and stared at Raikou. If he said he wasn''t suspicious of the skill [Raikou] he would be lying. After all, this was the first time he heard of a skill having an ego, much less the confusing things it talked about. "I asked the Administrator for help. We... know each other from the past." The tone of the giant as it said thest words were solemn. As if it was a bitter topic to remember. "Why did youe out?" Leon dusted his clothes and stood up. Although he had been revived only a few minutes ago, he was heading to confront the boss monster again. "My lord, please use me to clear the Trial, and not any other skill." "No, I''ll... clear the Trials with my own power" ''But lord, I am your power'' The giant didn''t speak his thoughts aloud. He knew his lord could be stubborn when he wanted to be. Leon tapped in the air and a notification appeared in his vision. [You have chosen [Hunter Eye[Rare]] ] A golden light embraced him and receded after a few seconds. Leon, not sparing the giant another nce, climbed the stage and stood in front of the Boss monster. The monster was 2 meters tall, wore white robes, had a white cloth wrapped around his eyes, and was holding a 2-meter-long sword. Gulp- Trying to calm his tense nerves Leon took a stance. "Sixth Form: Empty Fade" Fwosh- Arge amount of smoke exploded outwards from his body. Three Leon exited the smoke and bolted forward. The boss monster did not move until thest second. "Seventh Form: Deadline" ng-! All three Leons called out the technique''s name, nevertheless, the monster swung his sword with extreme precision and attacked the real Leon. ''How is he able to single me out among the doppelgangers!?'' ''Empty Fade'' created perfect doppelgangers. These doppelgangers could speak, move, behave simrly to Leon, and even had the same mana core fluctuations. The move was a perfect diversion technique. Its only loophole was that the doppelgangers were made of smoke and could not fight. Yet the monster was able to find the real Leon every time. Crackle- ng-! ng-! ng-! Golden lightning coursed through Leon and he struggled to keep up with the monster. Despite the enormous size of the sword, the monster was faster than Leon. Clenching his jaw, Leon swung his sword fiercely, not wanting to be left behind. "[Hunter Eye] !" Veins bulged around his eyes and wriggled as if they were alive. Swosh- Leon swiftly retreated without attacking. "I still can''t understand how this is happening." Droplets of sweat rolled down his chiseled jaw as he smiled grimly. The skill that should have been able to tell him the monster''s weak point was informing him that the entire body of the monster was vulnerable. But that wasn''t the only problem. "Why are the weak points disappearing every time I close the gap between us? Just what kind of monster is this?" "That ''monster'' is Grim Reaper, an Overlord who climbed to his position with nothing but his sword techniques" "Overlord? Is that something important?" Leon was confused as Raikou''s voice when he spoke the word ''Overlord'' was heavy. The giant behemoth was spectating the ''match'' and exined to his lord. "Overlords, are those with a portion of chaos inside them, my lord. They are capable of bing a ''Singrity'', someone not bounded by the Laws." While listening to Raikou, Leon did not stop attacking the monster. ng-! ng-! The boss monster had not even taken a single step since the beginning, yet Leon was the one being pushed back. He circled the monster in hopes of finding a gap to attack through. "But that is not important right now, my lord. The reason I chose an Overlord for your Trial, and specifically Grim Reaper, was to help you polish your skills" "You what?!" Schwing- Baaam-! Distracted by Raikou''s words, Leon was hit by the monster''s attack and thrown outside the arena. His body rolled in the dust and ultimately crashed into the walls. Thankfully, he had blocked the attack at thest second or he would have lost his 2nd life too. "Inside the Trial time flows 25 times slower, my lord. This is the perfect chance for you to grow stronger." Leon wanted to retort that it would createplications for him if he spent too much time here, but he knew that Raikou''s words were correct. He called for the Trial''s objective and a blue screen appeared in front of him. ====== [Training] Complete the following objectives- 1. Make Grim Reaper hold his sword with both hands - Completed 2. Make Grim Reaper move from his initial position - Iplete 3. Deflect 5 attacks from Grim Reaper in session - Iplete 4. Dodge 3 attacks from Grim Reaper in session - Completed 5. Throw Grim Reaper out of the arena - Iplete 6. Land 1 attack on Grim Reaper - Iplete 7. Dodge or block ''Death Fissure'' - Iplete 8. Dodge or block ''Hundred Death Silk'' - Iplete 9. Create a stalemate with Grim Reaper for 5 minutes - Iplete 10. Disarm Grim Reaper - Iplete ====== Reading the objectives Leon couldn''t deny thatpleting them would push his skills to a whole new level. Sigh "I didplete 2 objectives in the past 2 weeks, but I also died once. And those objectives were the easiest ones." Leon failed to understand. What kind of training leads to a trainee''s death?! "It''s called Training because Grim Reaper is not using any of his sword arts, my lord" "Is that even making a difference? The objectives are so difficult I might as well have to defeat the Grim Reaper" Raikou stared at his lord. It seemed his lord had yet to understand what Overlords were. "My lord, Overlords are not bounded by the Laws and regtions of Systems. Unlike other awakeners who use System to grow stronger, Overlords cannot follow the same path" "If they can''t grow stronger normally, shouldn''t they be weaker?" Leon was tired from fighting non-stop and decided to converse with Raikou while lying down. "That is correct, my lord. Most of those that have a portion of chaos inside them die early, however, few of them manage to find a path to grow stronger." "Overlords are not using a system and they cannot be categorized using the ranking system. A Lvl.10 Overlord can fight and defeat a Lvl.50 awakener, my lord. Without the System, although their growth is not straightforward and challenging, they are also not limited by it." "Thus, my lord, it is iprehensible for even you to defeat an Overlord with your current weak self." Leon nodded to himself, who knew the Overlords could be so strong? "They must be the peak of powers in the Universe" He mumbled to himself. "No, my lord. Overlords don''t exist anymore." "That might be possible. From what you said, Overlords have to grow without System, which is almost next to impossible. It wouldn''t be a surprise that only a few handfuls have been able to achieve the feat throughout history." Raikou quietly stared at his lord, wondering if he should correct him, but he decided against it. ''It is not that Overlords don''t exist anymore, my lord. They are now exterminated by the System before they can grow stronger. After all, once an Overlord bes a Singrity, they will threaten the integrity of the Universe. Just like the first and only Singrity to ever exist...'' ''....Mephistopheles, the Devil and the 13th Evil'' Leon rested for an hour before jumping to his feet. "Are you returning to the arena, my lord?" "Yes, I can''t waste too much time inside the Trial or it would be a problem if I go outside with a grown body." Leon jumped into the arena and began battling. Minutes turned into hours, hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks. Throughout those weeks Leon failed toplete any other objective. "Arghhh! How am I supposed toplete these objectives!? That monster''s sword skills are too superior! It can deflect my ''Deadline'' as if it is a toy thrown by a child!" Leon ruffled his hair and opened another SHTM packet. "And you damn Master! What did you mean by ''''[Singrity] is child''s y. You should be able to clear the first 6 Trials with one swing''''!? You damn old wo-ahem, you damn Master! You should be ashamed of tricking your one and only disciple!" He felt a chill crawl up his spine when he almost called his master ''old woman''. With teary eyes, Leon crushed the now empty packet in his hand. He was afraid to call his master old! And this was when she couldn''t possibly hear him! This a should be enough to exin how ''kind'' and ''benevolent'' his master was, and why he had a red bum throughout the childhood! "My lord, why are you not training your art before fighting the Grim Reaper? Wouldn''t that increase your chances of sess?" "....I can do that?" Leon questioned Raikou with round saucer eyes. "You can, my lord. It was, for this reason, I chose this Trial for you and it has the name [Training]" "Why didn''t you tell me sooner?!" From that day, Leon trained for 16 hours, fought the monster for 4 hours, and used the remaining four hours to rest and eat. ''Lord is hardworking and tenacious even in his 2nd life.'' Looking at his lord, Raikou couldn''t help but let out a rare smile. ''He is still stupid, though.'' Unable to understand how his lord didn''t think of polishing his sword skills, Raikou shook his head exaggeratedly. Time continued to pass and Leon was absorbed in his training. Without him realizing it, his short hair grew up to his shoulder and his body grew by 3 inches. Unknowingly, Nathan had created enormous butterfly effects. Chapter 190 Protagonist [1] -(Present || Leon after clearing his 2nd [Singrity] Trial; Location: Floor 11)- [You have reached Floor 11] [Restrictions will be lifted] [You have 2Sp/Lvl Talent. Extra stats have been given] "Fuuu..... Haaaaaaa...." Leon spread his arms and took in a mouthful of air. The sweet fragrance of the air, the cool breeze on his skin... this was something he missed most while training in the Trial. Taking a moment to collect himself, Leon looked up at the blue sky. [umted Exp: 63,000/10,000] [Floor 11 has the level limit of Lvl.14. umted Exp will be used] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] [You have leveled up] Leon felt his body twitch as his muscles began to grow. He flexed his arms, feeling them berger and more powerful. His muscles also grew denser, giving him a more defined physique. "Hahh, this... is the best! All that training was worth it!" He joyfully shouted and flexed his arms. System Exp was different from the exp one gets from killing monsters and beasts as the umtion rate is not affected by the exp System gives for clearing Dungeons, or in his case, Trials. This was why dungeons were sought after, even though they were very dangerous and took months to clear. He did not need to no worry about reaching the umtion rate limit after gaining so much exp in one go, as this was clearance reward System exp. [You have 2Sp/Lvl Talent. Extra stats have been given] [umted Exp: 6,580/25,000] [Public Leaderboard is now avable. Please enter a Trial to ess the Public Leaderboard of your [Difficulty] ] "Raikou wasn''t lying when he said that clearing [Singrity] gives lots of exp! This is many times more than the Stage-0 Dungeon!" In a happy mood, he opened his Leaderboard and choose the next skill. [Skill Slots - 1/2] "A promise is a promise" Happily, he recalled the amount of time he spent with the mythical giant. Sadly, the giant could only appear inside Trials. [You have chosen [Raikou Lvl.1 [Legacy] ] [Skill Slots - 2/2] "I should change my appearance" Leon''s clothes were tight and not veryfortable. He had them on because these were the only clothes he had on him, but he wanted to get out of them as soon as possible. After all, he had grown 3 inches in the past few months. He took out a in mirror. [Turquoise Mirror [Epic] ] Looking at his reflection, he channeled mana into it. Shortly after the reflection distorted and, controlling his mana, Leon recreated the image of him from before he went inside the 2nd [Singrity] Trial. Shiiin- Bright light poured from the mirror and covered him. The light receded and Leon was now back to his previous looks. "They fit now." The clothes feltfortable now that he was smaller. Stretching and moving around a bit, Leon began exploring the Dungeon. "The camouge isn''t perfect. It will only stay for 3 days and I need to charge the mirror for 4 days after using it once." He nodded to himself. The artifact worked like a chargeable device, so it wasn''t surprising that it could maintain the camouge for 3 days non-stop, despite his small mana pool. [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.11 Clown Monkey. You have gained 500 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.13 Two-headed Tapir. You have gained 700 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.11 Red Bezra. You have gained 500 exp.] Leon swiftly killed the monsters in one swing and moved to the boss''s location. With the map and a bit of scouting, it wasn''t hard to determine the direction of the boss zone. Hours passed and he fought without rest. Although he hadn''t used his extra stats, Leon had changed drastically. "Who knew that knowing how to breathe and move efficiently can increase endurance even with the same amount of stamina stat?" Controlling his breathing, and making minimal movements while fighting, he quickly became ustomed to the rhythm of battle. And this was only one of the few things he had learned. He also grasped how he could throw stronger punches with the same amount of strength stat and a lot more. This made him understand that stats weren''t the only measure of power, the efficiency was just as important. "This means I can fight stronger people even with my 2Sp/Lvl Talent!" Schwing-! Schwing-! [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.14 Wind Toucan. You have gained 400 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.11 Yellow Belly Cepra. You have gained 80 exp.] Schwing-! [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.13 Moonlite Bear. You have gained 30 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.11 Knee-Oldana. You have gained 5 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.14 Great Horn Ybill. You have gained 0 exp.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.14 ckBelt Ocelot. You have gained 0 exp.] Killing the monsters, Leon crouched and picked a yellow vial from the heap of corpses that were disintegrating into blue light particles. [Stamina Recovery Potion [Lowest-grade] ] "Pwah..." He emptied the vial and sat with his back against the tree. "I stopped gaining exp already?" Leon was a bit disappointed, but he didn''t let it bother him. Knowing that he had reached the limit of umtion rate, he closed his eyes and focused on converting the aether inside his body into mana. Sitting like this in the middle of a dungeon was pure suicide, however, Leon trusted his senses enough to not to be ambushed. Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. After 26 hours, Leon stood up and stretched. "It''s done..." He had converted all the ambient aether inside his body into mana, and could now again gain the exp. As luck would have it, throughout his meditation, Leon was never approached by a monster. Humming to himself, he moved to the boss'' location. It was a few hourster, and Leon was killing the monsters in an empty area. Schwing-! Schwing-! Killing the monsters, Leon didn''t start moving like earlier. Rather, he stared inside the forest. "I know you have been following me for a few hours already. Come out." His gaze was filled with certainty as he spoke those words into the empty forest. Rustle- Shortly, a person came out of the forest. "Susan?!" Leon gasped. He knew that someone was following him but as the person had shown no malicious intent, Leon never tried to shake them off, thinking that they will leave eventually. However, being persistently followed for a few hours, Leon decided to confront his stalker. "Why are you following me?" Leon''s gaze was sharp as he questioned her. He never liked Susan to begin with, and her current actions were a breach of privacy. However, what came out of Susan''s mouth was unexpected, to say the least. "Why did you take 11 days to clear [Singrity] Trial?" Leon''s eyes widened. ''How does she know I chose [Singrity]?!'' Chapter 191 Protagonist [2] Leon was on high alert and held his sword closely. ''I''m sure [Turquoise Mirror] is working! I shouldn''t look much different from before. Is there a way to know I chose [Singrity]?!'' His mind was thrown into disarray. Nevertheless, he calmed himself. He had been fighting an unbeatable monster for 8 months. It would take a lot more than this to make him lose hisposure. "How do you know that?" Leon didn''t bother feigning ignorance. After all, Susan''s eyes were filled with certainty as she questioned Leon. ''Nathan trusts her enough to bring her to a Dungeon. Since she asked me now, I think I can negotiate with her to hide my ability.'' Susan walked into the empty area. She wrinkled her nose and answered. "You stink" "Huh?" "How many months have passed since you hadn''t taken a bath?" It took Leon a moment to realize. His face turned red from embarrassment and began stuttering. "I-It''s not l-like that! T-There was not-thing to bathe w-with there!" Susan took a step back when Leon tried to exin himself. Her expression was saying, ''I understand. So please don''te closer, you stink'' Leon wanted to dig a hole and die in it. Who would''ve thought that he would be caught not because of his appearance, orbat ability but odor!? Not speaking anything, he rushed to the pond he had seen yesterday and jumped into it. ''I want to die!'' The water was cool and refreshing. The sensation of dirt being washed away from his body made him feel like a new person. He could only imagine what would happen if Nathan or Lilith found out. It would probably mean death! ''No, death would be a mercy! I can''t let them know about this!'' Scrubbing every single piece of dirt away, he came out refreshed and called out to Susan. However, no matter how much he called her, she never came out. ''Did she leave?'' Not sensing anyone in the area, Leon did the only thing he could do. Move towards the boss zone. However, in his heart, he pledged. He had to stop Susan before she ratted him out! *** [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.14 Great Orangutan. You have gained 1000 exp] [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.14 Great Orangutan. You have gained 1000 exp] [The Floor 11 bosses have been defeated] [Passageway to Floor 12 will be opened for 3 hours] Killing the two bosses, Leon plopped to the ground. "Haah haah.... That was hard" He wiped the sweat from his forehead and kept lying on the ground. Despite his words, he had a silly smile stered on his face. "I defeated two boss monsters without using my stigma!" One had to remember that without his stigma, Leon was no different from a mage with average stats, meaning he was physically very weak. The feat he had achieved was a small milestone for himself. "Hehehe... I wonder what Master would say if she saw me now." Leon''s sword skills had grown by leaps and bound in the past 8 months. Inside the Trial, he had no fear of death, had an overwhelming enemy to learn from, and time was no longer the problem. The dynamic between Leon and Raikou had also gone through drastic changes in those months. Raikou had helped Leon by giving him advice andpany. He also corrected Leon when he made any mistakes and assisted him by preparing strategies for him. One another big change was that Raikou now believed that he had mistaken Leon for his Lord, and Leon was only a talented swordsman. Or so Raikou told Leon. In truth, he was fed up with Leon denying himself being a reincarnation and cooked this theory to decrease Leon''s vignce. It was only after this that Leon opened himself to Raikou. "I should... leave" Leon was uncertain when he said thest part. Turning his head he looked at the ck dome covering the boss zone. From Floor 11, the boss zone bes a restricted area once someone engages the boss monster. From then the only way to leave the zone or enter is to defeat the boss monster. "Should I wait for Susan?" He tried to look through the ck dome but could not find Susan outside. "It was her, right? Throughout the period I wasing here, I felt her gaze, but she would vanish the moment I stop to call her out." Leon thought long and hard for a few minutes and made his decision. "I should move to the next floor. Besides, Susan''s gaze vanished halfway through the path and didn''t return after that. She must have gone somewhere toplete her task." Patting his clothes, Leon stepped into the staircase and descended. [You have reached Floor 12] [Restrictions will be lifted] Inhaling the fresh air, Leon covered his eyes and looked at the sunshine. Simr to how Floors 1-5 had a swamp forest map, and Floors 6-10 were dry forests, Floors 11-15 followed a tropical forest theme. The variety of monsters and the size of Floor made arge jump from Floor 11. Just Floor 11 was the size of a medium-sized city and the higher-numbered floors were evenrger. "I should get going. Lilith told me she''ll meet me on Floor 13. There is no need to waste my time here." Leon kicked the ground and dashed to the boss zone. He fought dozens of monsters throughout his way and earned a lot of drops. Most of them were stamina recovery potions, with a few being mana recovery potions and health recovery potions. It took him 7 days of resting and grinding exp to reach the boss monster zone and defeat him. [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.15 Praying Mantis. You have gained 1100 exp.] [The Floor 12 boss has been defeated] [Passageway to Floor 13 will be opened for 6 hours] Leon ced his katana in the sheath and picked up the drop. ====== [Gale Bracelet [Common] ] -Increases the agility of the user: +5 agility -Durability: 50 ====== "This is good!" He spoke excitedly and wore the bracelet. For Leon, 5 stats were equal to 3 level-ups. It was a great haul! [You have reached Floor 13] Leon appeared in another forest. Kaw- Kaw- As he was looking around, he noticed a flock of crows in the sky. The monsters did not match the tropical forest theme, making Leon frown. The crows looked at Leon and dived. Leon, alerted by the monster''s behavior, took a stance. Although the monsters were weak individually, their numbers were enough to force him to use his art. "Cadet Rank 2991 Leon Barns, am I correct?" A human voice came from the flock of crows. In front of a baffled Leon, the crows came together and merged, forming a human body. "Cadet Rank 3, Kazenagi Satoru. I''m one of the overseers of the Inter-sspetition" A youth with ck hair and eyes stood behind the group of crows. His eyes were filled with curiosity, and his lips curved into a smile. Leon''s expression changed from confusion to surprise. "What are you doing here?" "I''m here to escort you to the test site" The youth pointed to arge blue dome in the distance. Judging from the distance and the size, Leon could tell that the dome was bigger than Floor 5 of the dungeon. Satoru guided Leon into the test zone and left him there. As Leon stepped inside, a frowning Cadmus greeted him. "Long time no see!" Leon cheerfully shook his hands with Cadmus. It had been a long time since he met his friends. They exchanged greeting and roamed the area. Five minutester, Cadmus let out the reason for his frown. "Lilith and Susan are still not here." "Don''t worrye. They''lle in a few days. Lilith told me that she might be a few dayste, and I met Susan on Floor 11. She should be reaching Floor 13 anytime soon." Leon wasforting Cadmus, but Cadmus'' furrowed brows didn''t ease. Sighing, Cadmus spoke. "Anna is not on Floor 13, too. I was hoping that if we found her here, we could bring her into the team as a recement, but I don''t think that''s possible anymore." "Is she on a higher floor? I didn''t meet her on any lower floor" "I think the same. Anna isn''t someone who would drop out of the test. The only reason I can think of is that she is on a higher Floor." Cadmus nodded and massaged his brows. Both of them scouted the area and teamed together to level up. Thepetition was going to begin in a few days, and they wanted to be in their top shapes. Finishing their exploration for the first day, they sat near a pond to rest. Cadmus opened his water canteen and spoke while drinking. "That reminds me, Nathan ising to rece a missing Overseer." Leon was surprised and barely managed to nod his head. Looking at the ground, he became lost in his thoughts. ''This is for the better. I need to confirm something with Nathan.'' Eight months was a long time. Long enough for Leon to notice facts he had missed before. Chapter 192 A Dream...? -( ??? || Inter-sspetition; Location: Floor 13)- Wosh- Wosh- Two figures dashed through the forest. The first figure had a spear in his arm. The other one, who seemed to be running behind him, was carrying a katana with a de made from a light blue material. Both of them were sporting 1st-yearbat department uniform of Ward. "We''ll engage the moment we make contact with others." The spear-carrying youth ordered the golden-eyed teen. "Taking on 6 Cadets with only 2 of us? Isn''t it too much even for you... Nathan?" Leon''s foot froze and he looked around. "You only need to hold back 2 of them. In the meantime, I''ll defeat the other 4 four and help you after that." The spear-carrying youth also stopped and looked back at Leon in confusion. The youth''s voice was full of confidence when he said he could fight 4 Top 25 Cadets by himself. However, this wasn''t the reason for Leon''s shock. "What are you doing here...? Aren''t you one of the Overseers?" "What are you talking about? I''m the team leader of our ss. Why would I be an Overseer?" Leon tried to make sense of what was happening, but his thoughts were muddled and slow. "No, you are Over... Yeah, you are our team leader. What am I talking about?" Leon tilted his head in confusion. Nathan was the team leader of Katana-ss for the inter-sspetition. How can he be an Overseer? Shaking his head, both of them continued their journey. A few minutester, they engaged with the Cadets from the other sses. As Nathan had said, all of them were among the Top 25, however, he defeated them easily. Two overseers came down and took the eliminated Cadets away. "Were you always this strong?" Nathan was sitting on the ground, sipping water, when Leon questioned him. "It wasn''t because I was strong, but because they were weak. They were among the weakest Top 25 cadets, so they weren''t much trouble. Rather, are you okay? Why are you asking weird questions?" "No, but....." Leon''s thoughts trailed off. Right, Nathan was among the most exceptional Cadets. Of course, he could handle those Cadets. Although he had low talent and potential, hisbat techniques with spears were unmatchable. Nathan had been offered tutge by the Headmaster to be her disciple. The big three families were no different, trying to bring Nathan under their wing. Everyone waspeting to recruit Nathan. After all, as long as they found a Potential increasing Elixir, Nathan would be a feared force to be reckoned with. ''Weird. Why did I think that Nathan was weak?'' Leon was about to go to the next location when he, for the first time, looked at Nathan carefully. He did not doubt that Nathan was stronger than him, but there was something else that was bothering him. Nathan was.... "Why are your eyes green?! Did you lose your stigma again?! Dammit, I knew it, whatever the Royal Demon did to you wasn''t normal!" Leon jumped to his feet and checked on Nathan in panic. However, he was stopped by Nathan. "Whoa, wait for a second, calm down first." "But your eyes and-!?" "My eyes have always been green, and the Royal demon was defeated by the Student Council, he did nothing to me. As for my stigma..." Nathan raised his hand. nk- nk- nk- Chains erupted from the ground and thrashed around. "I can also use my stigma. There is no need to panic." "B-but your stigma.... was...." Leon blinked and looked around."...was.. chains." "See? Everything is alright." Nathan worriedly looked at Leon and tapped at his device. Beep- -Cadet Nathan Hunt, what is the reason for contacting us? "Cadet Leon Barns has been injured and will drop out of the test" Beep- Leon opened his mouth to protest against the withdrawal, but Nathan spoke before him. "This is my decision as the Team Leader. You clearly aren''t in the condition to continue so, go take a rest." Nathan was firm and did not let Leon continue the sspetition. Crestfallen, Leon turned around to leave with the Overseer that hade to escort him out. ''Why am I acting weird? My head also feels heavy. Maybe I should rest." Sighing, Leon was returning when his head throbbed suddenly and he fell to his knee. The headache did notst for long and Leon recovered quickly. p- "Leon! Snap out of it!" A crisp echo rang, and Leon felt a burning pain on his cheek. "Take everyone and leave!" Bloodied, Nathan was helping Leon to search through a burning forest. Leon felt fear grip his heart as he looked around. The forest was on fire, and the smoke from the ze was creating a hellish atmosphere. Before Leon could understand what was happening, his mouth moved on its own. "Where do you think we should go?! The exit has been locked! We can''t leave the Tower until the Abomination dies!" ''Why is everyone injured? Weren''t we going through thepetition?'' Leon''s thoughts raced, nevertheless, his body was working by itself. "Our only chance is to stall the Abomination until Administrator intervenes!" Nathan did not answer Leon and helped the Cadets who were injured. A dozen minutester, when everyone had been gathered, Nathan finally answered Leon. "Administrator won''t being. She lost a portion of her [Authority] and is currently recovering." "What...?" "Leave with Anna and others to Floor 14, and keep moving to higher floors. You need to enter the Trials, the Abomination wouldn''t be able to set foot there." Nathan calmly narrated the future actions the group needed to take. "Don''t clear the Trials and wait for a few months there, Administrator should recover in the meantime and kill the Abomination. The restrictions will be removed after that, and all of you should be able to leave the Tower." "What about you?" Susan asked while helping a few Cadets herself. In her arms was Lilith, who had been gravely injured by the Abomination. Nathan stared at her before answering. "Someone needs to stop the Abomination, or it will follow after you guys." Susan nodded with a grim expression. "Be quick, and remember, the Abomination has the ability to kill others inside the Tower, too. No matter what, do not fight with it." Nathan advised everyone for onest time "Don''t die." Susan did not question Nathan about how he knew so much information and led the group toward the boss zone. They needed to defeat the Floor Boss to go to Floor 14. Within a few minutes, the only people left were Nathan, Leon, and Anna. "Why aren''t you leaving?" "I''ll fight with you!" Nathan turned to Anna and nodded. Anna nodded back and also left after the group. Only Leon and Nathan were left. Nathan sighed and muttered something iprehensible to Leon. "Although this timeline is another failure, there is a chance that you might make a breakthrough. You can''t die here, Leon." ''Timeline?'' Despite his confusion, Leon couldn''t ask Nathan what he meant. He had yet to gain control over his body. "The Abomination defeated thebined might of all the Cadets here! You can''t stop it by yourself! I''m not leaving you alone!" Leon was hell-bent on staying and fighting till the end. "haaa¡­." Shaking his head, Nathan smiled helplessly. "Aren''t you undermining me too much?" He clenched his spear and looked up. "Even if you can''t remember, what you are saying is no different from an insult to me." Vrrooooom- Air thrashed and the earth upturned. Fissures began appearing on the ground as Nathan eyed the Abomination, who had discovered their location. "When I said I will hold it back, it wasn''t out of desperation..." Phzzzzzzt- Raising his head, Leon found... "It was my deration as the King" ...hundreds of weapons covering the sky. * "Hufff.... hufff...." Leon''s eyes shot open and he looked around. "..and 0! Since you aren''t going to wake up, I guess I''ll have to do it~" Lilith brought her face close to Leon with a mischievous smile and closed her eyes. "L...lith?" Leon, who saw her, called out to her with a strained voice. "You are awake? But it''s toote no- wait, why are crying?" Lilith closed in on Leon to tease him, however tears suddenly fell from Leon''s eyes. Without thinking anything else, he hugged her tightly. "W-wait! What are you doing?! S..stop..." "It was a dream." Leon muttered with a thankful expression. Unlike his other dreams, Leon could remember clearly what he dreamed about this time. The forest in front of him ovepped with the burning forest in his dream. He recalled the lifeless eyes of everybody, the Abomination who suddenly appeared on this floor, and... "Where is Nathan?!" "T...there" With burning cheeks that felt as if they were on fire, Lilith barely managed to point into the sky. A smile appeared on Leon''s face and he wiped his tears off. The 5 overseers were hovering in the sky, and one of them was looking down at him... "Nathan!" ...a red-eyed youth standing on a flying sword. Chapter 193 Blue Dome -(Present || Returning to Nathan''s POV; Location: Floor 13)- "Did he just...?" I rubbed my eyes in shock. Did I see Leon hugging Lilith on his own ord? The guy who is embarrassed by hearing an adult joke? "Holy... is the world ending?" "Kehm" Henry coughed and tapped at my shoulder. Turning around, I looked at the 3 overseers beside me and Henry. After reaching Floor 13, Katrina left the Tower on my advice and the shadow was still following me. The three of the overseers were hovering in the sky with the help of ck wings, while Henry and I were standing on my swords. "It''s nice to finally meet you, Nathan. I''m Kazenagi Satoru, and I''ll be the head Overseer of thispetition." The restriction of Dungeon of Trials when going to lower floors makes it impossible for senior Cadets and professors to supervise any exams orpetitions as they can''te to lower floors. Nevertheless, the extra lives in Dungeon of Trials make it perfect for training and other simr tasks. As a solution to this, Ward givesplete autonomy to the Student Council to direct the exams and trainings inside the Dungeon of Trials. Of course, this would be impossible to do if the Student Council members are weak however, that is never the case. Bing a Student Council prospect is extremely tough, to the point that the Top 25 Cadets also struggle to join the ranks of the Student Council as a prospect. Satoru and the other two overseers were Rank 3, Rank 4, and Rank 5, in 1st year, respectively. Isabell and Henry were not among the Top 25, but they were also special in their own way. "Likewise" "We should start the briefing. Thepetition is behind the schedule by 3 hours, any more and it will stain our reputation as Student Council prospects." The yellow-haired girl, Kenny, grunted and spoke. "Alright" Satoru, the one leading this group, ced a circr disc in the air. Whiiiiir- The disc projected a mini hologram of the area inside the blue dome, the area ofpetition. There were 10 red, 10 green, and 10 purple mini holograms on the hologram far away from each other. The blue dome was created by an artifact and was asrge as Floor 5. The dome can alert us when someone enters or exits it, and their approximate location. Satoru exined our job to us. "The purple mini holograms are ss Katana, the reds are ss Wand, and the greens being ss Shooter." "Our job is to make sure none of the Cadets break the rules of thepetition and stop any unwanted fights from erupting. Also, in case of emergencies, we will be responsible for going to the Cadets'' rescue." "These holograms will give us the real-time location of Cadets with the help of the security devices they have been given. The security devices can block one attack from Lvl.25 awakeners before bing useless. We have to pick the eliminated Cadets and drop them outside of the Blue Dome once they are eliminated." "Every cadet on the ground is among the top of our generation. The chances of a fight breaking are more likely than not, as such if any Cadet tries to threaten your authority you are allowed to kill them at your discretion." "However, I must warn you, I''ll be providing aplete report of what happens here to the Student Council. In case I find any of you providing aid to the participants or using your authority for wrong purposes, expulsion will be the least of your worries." Satoru gave thest exnation while looking at me. "Any questions?" "Yes, actually..." I pointed to the crow perched on my shoulder. "Is this how you''ll be monitoring the overseers?" Each overseer was being followed by a crow. Guessing from the uncanny nature of ability, it was Satoru''s stigma. Satoru nodded. "I can share my senses with my crows. They are also the method ofmunication we will be using." "Anything else you might want to know?" "No, that was my only question." Shaking my head, I let the others continue their discussion. I actually wanted to know how they were expecting me to stop the Cadets if they got broke the rules. After all, for them I was nothing but a low rank cadet. Yet, I didn''t question them. Almost five months had passed since I came to this world and revealed my art as my stigma. As I had initially nned, it was time I began showing my real strength in the guise of my fake stigma. Besides, there was something I needed to do. ''I need to take the Bonus stage reward before anyone else.'' *** -(Present || Back on the ground)- "I''m against making this fucker our leader!" Ken growled while pointing at Leon. Behind Ken were 5 other members of the Katana ss. In between Ken and Leon was Cadmus, mediating the situation. Susan was standing against a tree a bit farther from the group, along with Lilith. "Ken, your group is against Susan, Lilith, or me taking the team leader position. While we can''t let any of you take the team leader position, as all of you are too weak. In this case, our best choice is Leon, and before you call him weak, he had the highest number of points on Floor 10''s intra-sspetition." Cadmus bluntly put forth thepromise he hade to. However, it was easier said than done. Ken was not backing down easily. "What did you say...? Did you call me... weak?" Ken''s hair slowly turned white. The wind whistled and Ken''s alter ego was threatening to take over. At that moment, a sharp sound of the air being sliced rang. Schwing- "Don''t waste my time." Susan looked Ken in the eye and spoke coldly. Under her sharp gaze, Ken''s alter ego shuddered and returned back. The exchange was short, and it shamed Ken to his core. But Ken knew that if his untamable alter-ego was afraid of Susan, he shouldn''t fight against her. Although Ken didn''t carry his alter-ego''s memories, his body always shook in fear whenever Susan was involved. Susan''s white mes left a scar on both of them. "tsk, so be it. Lark, follow that fucker at all times, even if they say he is strong, he must have cheated in the prior exam. Make sure that he isn''t responsible for our team''s loss." Lark nodded and left the group. With his stigma [Echo-location] he was the best choice to act as a scout against possible ambushes. "Wait, don''t leave..." Before Cadmus could speak, Ken left alongside his group. Cadmus couldn''t help but massage his head. Although Rank 1 and Rank 2 were in Katana ss, the other two sses weren''t any weak, not to mention the number of Top 25 cadets they had. "I did as you asked, but are you sure you want to take the leader position? You will now be the primary target of ss Shooter and ss Wand, and most of their members are Top 25 ranked Cadets." "I can handle it. Thank you for listening to my request." Leon had a determined expression as he nced at everyone, recalling his dream. Cadmus handed Leon a purple badge. ''With this, I can contact overseers at any moment.'' Leon clenched the badge. ''I can''t tell others about my dream. Not only do I have no proof, but the circumstances in the dream were alsopletely different. Anna was here on this floor, and Nathan was our team leader.'' ''I hope it doesn''te true.'' Ding- Everyone''s devices rang. ====== [Inter ss Competition Rules] 1. Points: +5, for eliminating one Cadet. 2. All the points will be automatically transferred to their respective team leader after 10 minutes. These points will be called T-points. 3. Enemy T-points can be stolen by eliminating their leader. 4. A new team leader can be chosen only when the previous one is eliminated. 5. The team with the highest number of T-points at the end of thepetition will win. 6. Time limit of thepetition: 48 hours. Thepetition will end only when the time limit is up. [Bonus stage] 1. Each team will be given 5 pieces of Treasure Map. The pieces will be distributed by the team leader. 2. Pieces can only be gained by eliminating another piece holder. 3. Upon sessfully obtaining all 15 map pieces, the treasure map will show the location of the reward of the Bonus stage. 4. Bonus stage Reward: Skill-Evolution Stone 5. The bonus stage will end along with the Inter-sspetition. The bonus stage reward can only be collected before the time limit is up. [Additional Rules] 1. After sessfully eliminating a cadet, it is prohibited to attack them any further. An overseer will arrive and take the eliminated cadet outside of the Blue Dome. 2. Killing another cadet will result in a loss of 30 T-points. 3. Negative T-points will result in instant defeat. 4. Any kind of mind attack that may leave longsting damage after leaving the Dungeon of Trials is strictly prohibited. Breaking this rule will result in immediate expulsion, followed by other legal actions from Ward''s side. ====== "T-this¡­" Leon hissed while reading the rules with furrowed brows. The rules, although seemed simple at the first nce, were a lot moreplicated. The degree of freedom and restriction gave a variety of strategies to choose from. -Yato Swosh- Leon snapped his head and stared at the forest. -Yato¡­ The shadows were talking to him. Chapter 194 Beginning Of A Nightmare [1] [Appraisal] It was the 2nd skill I chose after reaching Floor 11. The reason was obvious, with it I just had to take one look at the shadows to know if the ''Shadow'' was following me or not. I was nning on killing the Shadow on Floor 13 but... ''Why is Leon talking to that Shadow...?'' Thinking that it would remain near me, I had been following that Shadow''s movement from the sky. But I was shocked, to say the least when I saw it going in Leon''s direction. ''This confirms it. If Leon doesn''t attack the Shadow, it belongs to Goliaths.'' I watched in trepidation. From this distance, I couldn''t hear them, but it was clear that Leon, although alerted, had no intention of attacking the Shadow. ''How did Goliaths already single me out?'' It was too fast. Mr. Pepe should be linked to my real identity in a few months. I''d made sure it would happen. The moment Goliaths get permission from Headmaster to ess Ward''s cadet data, they will get a match of my blood samples with Mr. Pepe''s blood samples ''Mr. Pepe'' lost while escaping from Underworld. ''But this is too early. It should have taken them at least two more months. I''m still not ready, dammit!'' My preparations to handle the aftermath were only half done! I kept my eyes on the Shadow that was following Leon as my thoughts raced. ''They don''t have definite proof that I''m Mr. Pepe. If they had, the Shadow would''ve already killed me, transporting me out of the Tower and ambushing me there.'' The Goliaths will check Ward''s data too, however, due to Ward''s strict policies, they would need time to get ess to it. All of this should take anywhere from 2 to 3 months. ''Was it Leon?'' When I was escaping Underworld, there was something I said to Leon, "I''m ¡­not r..returning the cr..edits*cough cough I¡­ bor-rowed from you." I didn''t speak it out of desperation. This line was the entire reason I went toward the portal Leon was guarding. It wasn''t difficult to locate Leon with the diary back then. It was toy the foundation of when I rope in Leon but... ''No, Leon would never tell others about his suspicion without himself being sure.'' ''Dammit! I don''t know why they are suspicious of me, but I can''t let them find anything. Not until my preparation isplete.'' *** -(Back on the ground)- "[Shatter]" A swift and indomitable punch struck the air. Webbed cracks formed in the sky and slithered towards Leon. "[Pierce]" From the other side, another cadet thrust his rapier. The attack tore through the air and homed onto Leon without deviating from the cracks. Simrly, another cadet punched the ground, causing a fissure on the ground to rush at Leon. Leon, who was being attacked from all three sides, ced his hand on the hilt of his katana. Ccrackle- Booom-! The rapier tore through Leon, the earth ate him whole, and the cracks shattered his visage. A thundering explosion ensued, creating a 10-meter-wide crater. "Hahaha! This is why we told you to give up! Did you think a low rank can fight the Top 25 ranked cadets like us?! Ahahaha!" A cadet with a hulking figureughed. He was the one who had used the [Shatter] skill. "There is no need tough for defeating weaklings. It''s obvious he was able to enter thepetition by luck or his team wouldn''t have left someone as weak as him alone." The girl ced his rapier into the scabbard and walked to the center of the crater. "You think too much! Also, what are you doing? There''s no way someone as weak as him would have a map piece!" Betty ignored Morand''s ear-piercing voice and called out to thest of the trio of cadets. "Why are you so quiet, Calie-?!" Ccrackle- Thud-! Calie''s safety device was activated and she was eliminated. Everything was over in a few seconds. Betty and Morand went on full alert. However, before they could react, they picked up the sound of a sword being swung. Schwing-! Schwing-! Thud-! Thud-! Both of their bodies were encased in a transparent sphere, rendering them useless. "Lilith, Lark, you cane out. I took care of them." Leon voiced out. "When did you get here?!" Betty, who found Leon standing beside her, was startled. Calie and Morand were the same. Safety shields were shrouding them and they had been eliminated before having a chance to know what happened. Rustle- "What the hell¡­?" Lilith voiced out in amazement. "How did you move like that?!" She had seen Leon dodge the attacks. He had predicted thending location of attacks and the path they would take and moved through the blind spots with terrifying uracy. Leon walked like taking a stroll in his garden, swung his sword three times, and the cadets were eliminated! It wasn''t a fight! It was a massacre! The skill difference was too big! "It wasn''t very difficult." Leon answered humbly. He didn''t want to show too much of his skills and expose that he cleared [Singrity], however, he was worried about the future and had no leeway to hold back. "Wasn''t difficult¡­? They are among the Top 25 ranked cadets!? And they couldn''t react to your attacks, you monster!" Lark internally agreed with Lilith. Leon''s movements were slow and steady, like a stream of water, yet his attacks contained the lethality of water too. He felt like an unstoppable and inevitable force. "5 hours¡­" Checking the time passed, Leon crouched and went to check the three eliminated cadets. ''Please have a map piece'' "We aren''t eliminated! There is no way a low-ranker like you can defeat me! [Wave Impact] !" Morand, who was caught inside the safety shield roared. A pulse shot from his body, rendering everyone immobile for a few seconds. "Hahaha! Do you know the reason why the safety shields can only block one attack? It''s to make sure the cadets don''t let their guard down even if the enemy is eliminated! I can still take you guys with me!" Morand bumped his fists into themselves. Leon rushed at Morand before he could attack. "[Seismic Smas-!?" At that moment, something sharp flew past his head and stabbed Morand. Swish- Puchi-! "Stand down" A cold voice came from above. "Nathan!" Lilith waved excitedly when she saw the overseering to them. Nathan jumped down andnded. However, he ignored Lilith and Leon and went to Morand, who was pale as a sheet from having his lungs pierced. "ss Wand will lose 50 points for attempting to break the rules." "There was nothing like that in the rule book!" Calie refuted Nathan without missing a beat. Although they broke the rule by attacking, the penalty was too heavy! "Cadet Calie, I''m not deducting points from ss Shooter however, I advise you to keep quiet." Nathan didn''t spare Calie another nce and handcuffed Betty before moving toward Morand. Morand and Betty belonged to ss Wand, while Calie was from ss Shooter. There was no rule against two sses teaming up against a third ss, thus Nathan didn''t deduct any further points for it. "Who do you think you are!?" Morand couldn''t believe that he had lost twice in a row, and both losses were against low-ranked cadets in the bottom 1000 ranks. It made him lose his cool. Something he shouldn''t have done. PHzzzzt-(x20) Twenty swords appeared in the air, all pointing their des at Morand. "Cadet Morand, I will exin it only one time. You weren''t wrong in the deduction of safety shields, nevertheless, you should have thought that the consequences will increase if you take more risks." "Shut up! [Wave Imp-!!" Swosh- Puchi- (x20) "Ag..ghh" In front of everyone''s shocked eyes, Morand was skewered alive and his body turned into blue particles. Caw- Caw- Arge hologram appeared in the sky inside the blue dome. -CADET MORAND HAS BEEN KILLED FOR ATTACKING OVERSEER NATHAN HUNT- -CLASS WAND WILL LOSE 60 T-POINTS FOR BREAKING THE RULES- "You handled the issue better than I expected you to." "Maybe then you should help before someone attacks me." "Hahaha, sorry about this. I came as fast as I could." A flock of crowsnded beside Nathan. Satoru conversed with Nathan before taking the two eliminated cadets away with him. "I''ll be leaving them. Good job on how you handled the issue" Nathan nodded back. When only four of them were left, Nathan finally turned around. "Why are you looking at me like that?" He had a confused expression as he saw Leon, Lilith, and Lark standing stiff. But their reactions were justified. Nathan ''killed'' someone without an ounce of hesitation and, in the next second, he was speaking as if nothing was wrong. Almost as if he had done something like this before. However, Lilith moved and pointed at Leon and Nathan exaggeratedly. "What are you two?! When did you two be this strong!?" Nathan smiled and proudly puffed out his chest. "I put all my stats in Aura, so at the least inside the Dungeon, I can use my stigma a lot more freely!" Nathan''s silly act was enough to break Leon out of his stupor. Leon, who saw Nathan behaving as normal, couldn''t help but smile. ''Right. He killed that cadet because he knows that we are inside the Tower where everyone has extra lives. Besides, if he didn''t do that, it would''ve lowered the cadets'' evaluation of overseers and more cadets would break the rules in the future.'' Nathan exchanged greetings with them while secretly looking at the surroundings. [Lark Smiles Lvl.12] [??? Lvl.???] He sighed in relief when he saw that Lark was normal. At the same time, he found the Shadow hiding in Leon''s shadow. ''This confirms it. There is no way Leon couldn''t sense the Shadow if even Katrina could do that. If he lets it follow him, then it belongs to Goliaths.'' "I''ll also leave then." "Wait, can I speak to you privately?" Nathan said his farewell, but Leon stopped him. A small smile appeared on Nathan''s face, but he hid it the next second. ''It was a good choice to act like that'' Chapter 195 Beginning Of A Nightmare [2] Intra-ss Competition on Floor 10 and Inter-sspetition on Floor 13. As I''ve said many times, these events were not particrly important in the novel. Leon, who had been crushed by Caim on Floor 0, will be going through mental anguish during the first 6 months of the 1st year. Thepetition on the Floors only increases the mental burden on Leon as he could barely keep up with the Cadets. But of course, thesepetitions had two important points. Crunch- "We are far enough from others. So, what do you want to about?" Leon stopped and looked at me with hesitation. Although he wasn''t speaking, I had an idea of what he wanted to say. So, I allowed my mind to wander. The first crucial point in this tournament was Anna. ording to the novel, Anna and Cadmus would engage in a mild scuffle to lead Katana-ss in the inter-sspetition. The decision was ultimately left to the weakest member of the group and Leon chose Anna. Anna who saw Leon choosing her side even though everyone was supporting Cadmus felt touched. This eventid the foundation for their future rtionships. But now, there was no Anna! ''Where is Anna?!'' I carefully checked all Floors while moving to higher floors. But Anna wasn''t there! ''This is bad'' In the future, Anna will learn an acquired skill and gain the title ''Mage Killer''. She got the [Dispel] that served as a foundation for her acquired skill as a drop on Floor 13! It was supposed to happen in thispetition! Later, with Leon''s encouragement, Anna will use abination of spell, [Dispel] skill, and her stigma [Memorization] to create an acquired skill. But.... Sigh This situation wasn''t bad in the sense.''This is bad. What should I do?''. This situation was ''This is bad. Let''s just give up'', all hope was already lost. Anna was going to be a major force in War, besides her acquired skill will be needed to solve many critical situations in the future. The second important fact in thepetition was the appearance of Abomination. An Abomination is an unregted monster that is not bound by the System. It is an invincible monster. This wasn''t a figure of speech. Putting aside the ever-growing strength of an Abomination, it can not be defeated no matter what rank you have. The only way to kill them is using [Sword of Eternity] or [Authority]. Though there was nothing to worry about, Administrator will kill the Abomination shortly after it appears. ''I will use the time when Abomination appears to kill the Shadow.'' The appearance of Abomination will be marked by the stoppage of the support system of the Tower. Everyone will lose their extra lives and would not be able to enter or exit the Tower until the Abomination is killed. The perfect time to kill the Shadow. By the time my thoughts finished, Leon also firmed his decision. "Where did you go after our written exams were finished?" ''Direct to the point, huh?'' Although I was the one being questioned, Leon was a nervous wreck. He was changing his katana''s grip every few seconds, sweat glistened on his forehead, and judging by the position of his feet, his toes were curled. "Underworld" "W-what?!" Leon''s eyes widened. "W...what were you doing there?" With each passing second, he became paler, waiting for my response. I almost let out a smile at his reaction. ''This is why hate you, Leon. You judge people too quickly and trust them too much. If it wasn''t because of this, you would never have been backstabbed by Cadmus in the novel.'' "I went there to participate in the championship that was going to be held there." [??? Lvl.???] The Shadow was slowly creeping toward me. "N-nathan are y-you..." "Though I didn''t participate" "Huh?" I maintained a smile as I answered Leon. I wanted to show him that I trusted him enough to know all this, just like I told him about my stigma [Sword Sessor]. "Before I was epted into Ward, I was thinking of joining the Championship. I believed that I might win a prize that could help me grow stronger. But enrolling in Ward helped me open my eyes, if I had participated I would''ve died. I decided to not go there. At least that was the n..." Raising my left arm, I pulled back my sleeve and removed the glove I always wore, exposing a ck arm with transparent silver lines running through it."....I thought maybe I''ll find a solution there." Leon had myriad expressions on his face. Guilt, sorrow, confusion, sympathy, regret. ''Damn, he''s making me feel guilty. Not that I''m going to stop.'' Since you wanted to pry, I''ll let you hear. But I''m not making you guilt trip knowingly, okay? "When I entered the Underworld, I found out about the criminal called ''Vile reaper''. Hearing how he kills everyone without caring about rules, I chickened out and didn''t participate." I shook my head with a helpless smile and continued. "But maybe I was lucky? When I was roaming all lost in the mountain range after returning from Underworld, I was attacked by beasts. If I hadn''t realized my stigma''s actual abi-" "Please don''t do something like that again." Leon swiftly cut me before I mentioned my stigma. "I''ll... help you. I definitely find a cure for your arm, so please don''t do something reckless again." "Don''t worry, I want to live till old age. I won''t put myself in danger." Leon sighed and put his leg on the Shadow, stopping it from moving toward me. ''He still believes me'' The proof was how Leon stopped me from speaking about my stigma. To hide it from the Shadow. At that moment, arge announcement rang inside the blue dome. -CLASS WAND IS NOW IN NEGATIVE T-POINTS- -CLASS WAND HAS BEEN ELIMINATED BY DEFAULT- -ALL CADETS BELONGING TO CLASS WAND PLEASE WAIT AT YOUR RESPECTIVE POSITIONS AND DO NOT ENGAGE ANY FURTHER. OVERSEERS WLL ARRIVE SHORTLY- ''Thepetition is about to finish.'' "A piece of advice, Leon. The rules don''t forbid anyone from attacking their own ssmates." "Why are you telling me this?" "Just cause. Anyway, I''ll be leaving. I have my job to do." Saying goodbye to Leon, I went back to the sky. *** -(Present || On some other area on Floor 13 inside the blue dome)- "Leon defeated the Rank 19, Rank 23, and Rank 25 cadets in under 60 seconds." "That''s fast. Even I would have difficulty defeating 3 ranked cadets in one minute." A blonde-haired cadet was swinging his spear. Ken felt his blood boil at the sight of the young man, however, he was bound by an Oath to serve him. "Anything else?" "Yes, actually...." Despite how much Ken loathed the young man, he was genuinely surprised at the youth''s resourcefulness. "How did you know the ss Wand and ss Shooter will team up against our ss." "I made them team up." "Hah?" Cadmus repeated his words. "Their teaming up wasn''t a coincidence, but something I instigated." Ken was shell-shocked. However, before he could ask how Cadmus did it, announcements rang throughout the blue dome. -CLASS WAND IS NOW IN NEGATIVE T-POINTS- -CLASS WAND HAS BEEN ELIMINATED BY DEFAULT- -ALL CADETS BELONGING TO CLASS WAND PLEASE WAIT AT YOUR RESPECTIVE POSITIONS AND DO NOT ENGAGE ANY FURTHER. OVERSEERS WLL ARRIVE SHORTLY- "It''s about time one of the sses was eliminated. They did a good job." "Y-you how...?" Ken pointed at Cadmus in shock. "If you had instigated the teaming up of other sses. Did you instigate this too...?" It was far-fetched, but Ken couldn''t deny the possibility. ''ss Wand is eliminated because of the negative 60 T-points. They lost those points because of the Cadets that were following Cadmus'' orders.'' "Why are you going to this length? Is winning thepetition important to you?" "That''s only half the reason. The other half was..." Cadmus read the report on his device sent by Lark with a friendly smile. "..to see what our new overseer is hiding." Chapter 196 Beginning Of A Nightmare [3] -(Present || Back in Sky inside the blue dome)- I was in a happy mood ever since the announcement about the ss Wand being eliminated was yed. Thepetition was moving at the predicted pace. But this wasn''t the only reason I was happy. There were two other reasons... My level and the new technique of my art! "Leaderboard" I excitedly called out the status screen. ====== Name - Nathan Hunt Age - 16 years (???) Rank - Iota(Lvl.16) (Suppressed) Stigma - Iridescence Extra Stats - 36 Number of lives - 3 >>> Stats (Click to expand) >>> Techniques (Click to expand) >>> Skills (Click to expand) >>> Quest (Click to expand) ====== I was now Lvl 16! And this was my suppressed level! I was even higher than Lvl.16! ''Defeating an Overlord gave tons of exp!'' Floor 13 had a level limit of Lvl.16, otherwise, I would''ve already leveled up a few more times! This wasn''t even the best part. It was the 2nd technique of my art that I gained in proficient mastery! Phzzzzt- Two swords materialized in the air. [Enchantment: Wind] Fwooosh- A small air current wrapped around the swords. The wind currents were subtle enough that the crow perched on my shoulder didn''t notice them, heck even I could sense them only because I was spending ether to maintain it. They were barely a breeze andpletely unnoticeable. But this was given. I learned this technique yesterday when the number of cracks and constetions surpassed the quota set by the art. And this wasn''t all. [Enchantment: Fire] A warm glow appeared on the des of the two swords. [Enchantment: Earth] The swords became heavier and I could feel that their durability increased. "Hehehehe....." Shit, I couldn''t help but let out a sillyugh. The art allowed me to use elemental enchantments of my affinity! The elemental enchantment ability was special but what made it truly spectacr was Ether. Ether gave me all elemental affinity! Besides, air, earth, and fire, I could use ice, light, and darkness too! But thest three were noticeable and could''ve alerted the crow. So, I wasn''t using them. With [Elemental Enchantment], I was halfway to reaching intermediate mastery. Non-stop practicing my art in [Singrity] showed wonders! (Aren''t you too carefree?) Suddenly Eth spoke. ''About the Abomination?'' ''I''m not. Administrator will kill it anyway. I don''t need to fight it.'' (Not about that. I meant the bonus-stage reward. You want to kill the Shadow with the help of Abomination. But there are very high chances of you losing too. Isn''t that why you need to get the Skill-Evolution stone? To upgrade [Golden Turtle]?) ''And?'' Eth wasn''t wrong. There was a possibility that the Shadow was impervious to physical attacks and even energy attacks. It exined the Shadow''s confidence in tailing me, a suspect of being Mr. Pepe, without proper disguise abilities when our levels were the same. It was only a possibility, and I could be wrong. But if I was correct, then the only choice would be using Abomination to kill the Shadow. To make sure I also don''t die at the hands of Abomination, I needed the skill-evolution stone. (Nobody got the skill-evolution reward in the novel. So, you don''t know where it is.) (And you did nothing till now. How are you nning to get the skill-evolution stone?) ''What do you mean by nothing? I already did everything, though.'' ''See that? It''s because of me'' On the ground, Leon and Cadmus facing each other. A battle about to erupt. (Huh? Wait, again something that wasn''t in the novel?! Why is this entirepetition going differently?!) ? (Did Anna''s absence affected thepetition to this extent?!) My lips twitched. I said it was happening because of me, yet Eth was ignoring me because he didn''t find my previous actions suspicious. Talk about being cruel! *** -(Past || In the sky of blue dome when thepetition is about to begin)- "Anything else you might want to know?" "No, that was my only question." Nathan shook his head. Satoru bought out an artifact and spoke into it. His voice reached every corner of the blue dome. "Greetings, my fellow cadets! We''ll be starting the Inter-sspetition in a few minutes, so I''ll get to the point. Why do you think Ward focuses onpetitions like these rather than only focusing on making its cadets level up?" "It to nurture its future leaders! To nurture you!" "We humans are weak! We don''t have the spirit armies of elves, we don''t have the herculean strength of Barbarians, we can''t hope to defeat demons without a useful stigma! And each one of you will be fighting those monsters on frontlines!" "You will be forced to bear the majority of the brunt when the other weaklings of our race cannot do anything! You will have to fight against those stronger than you each day as they threaten to kill you!" "If you can''t reach Sandra-rank, then stop thinking about your levels! Anything below that is a dime a dozen there! Your rank means nothing! Even being a Gamma-ranker doesn''t guarantee your survival on the next day!" "If you want to be strong, then hone your techniques! Be a hero that can save your race! Ranks and levels wille on their own as you butcher those aliens!" Satoru closed the artifact and returned to the other overseers. "Do any of you want to speak anything?" Everyone refused except one. "Here" Satoru passed the artifact to Nathan. "Do your best. I hope that everyone can perform to their fullest. Because as they say: Your actions for today determine your tomorrow." Speaking only a few words, Nathan stopped. Satoru spoke a fewst words. "I''m officially announcing the beginning of the Inter-sspetition! Go!" With thepetition starting, the overseers were dispersing when Satoru called out to Nathan. "Aren''t you curious why you were made an overseer?" "I am, but I didn''t think you would know the answer. Since you''ve said this, do you know why I was made an overseer despite being a low-rank cadet?" Nathan didn''t deny Satoru''s im. He had his reasons for not asking this question earlier, but he wouldn''t refuse if Satoru wanted to answer him. "It''s because of this" Caw- (x4) Four crows came out of Satoru''s skin and flew to each overseer. In their mouth was a small disc. "This disc is a mini hologram simr to the one that shows the entire dome and the cadets'' location in it. You were called to fill in for Isabell, to see if you had any additional talent." Whiiiir- A mini hologram appeared from the disc when Nathan touched it. It was the same as the one from before, the only difference beings its size of 0.5x0.5 meter.sq. "Nathan, you aren''t abat-department cadet anymore. You were allowed to remain in Ward because of your special condition, but the research department isn''t making any breakthrough in it. Their assessment is: The arm was corrupted by Nether, and cannot be healed. They''ve also given up." "You aren''t also doing anything noteworthy in research-department. In short-" "I''m wasting the resources that can be used to nurture another talented cadet." Satoru nodded. "You were called here to see if you have talent in War Strategies. Apparently, your performance in [War] subject was better than average and Ward is hoping to nurture you in that direction. But if you don''t...." "So, what is my job here?" Satoru pointed at the mini-hologram in front of Nathan. "You need to predict the strategies cadets will use against each other and tell us if there are chances of rules being broken or a dangerous situation happening so that we can arrive at the site early. Don''t worry, every one among us will be doing the same, but your performance matters, especially if you want to stay in Ward." Satoru stared at Nathan. "Can you do it? What formation do you think they are adopting?" The hologram in front of Nathan was showing the movements of cadets. Admittingly, he had no idea what they were nning. Nathan could make superficial guesses based on the hologram and their movements. He could also predict the line of thought of cadets, but that was only for a few cadets whom he knew about from the novel. However, Nathan answered. "Poop" "Hah" "If you connect the holograms of cadets with lines, doesn''t it look like poop?" "Pffft" Henry and another overseerughed. Henry was barely containing himself from exploding into aughing fit. The joke was bad. It was so bad that they could not help butugh. "This is what happens when you bring idiots!" Kenny red at Nathan. While the fourth overseer had red ears, clearly embarrassed by his vulgar words. "That makes no sense. There is no attack formation like that." Satoru, true to having qualities of head overseer, acted calmly. "And that''s what I want to say. You can''t expect me to predict the actions of cadets who are top in their generation, can you?" *** -(Present || Nathan looking down at the face off against Leon and Cadmus)- (Can you not remind me of that? You could''ve used any example, yet you chose to say poop!) (And I swear if you tell me that it had a reason behind it, I''ll....) tsk ''Okay, I''ll not say anything about it.'' ''Anyway, do you know that Cadmus is manipting thepetition?'' (Isn''t that a given? Although it was never explicitly said in the novel, it is easy to notice that someone is pulling the strings from behind. Otherwise, it doesn''t make sense how ss Wand and ss Shooter were able to ally so quickly.) Cadmus was the heir of one of the big three families. It went without saying that he could buy one or two cadets with his resources and wealth and use them to cheat. ''But isn''t it weird? Even if Cadmus can give orders to someone from another ss, how did he make them fight Leon? To do that, Cadmus would need Leon''s location, and the only ones knowing about everyone''s locations are...'' (Overseers) ''Bingo'' ''Cadmus has a spy among overseers, too.'' (But how did the spy not get caught by the Student council?!) ''Don''t forget who Cadmus is.'' The fight between Cadmus and Leon was reaching climax. Unconsciously, I smiled. I couldn''t predict other cadets'' actions. But that wasn''t necessary, to begin with. I only needed to predict the action of the one manipting everything from behind. Chapter 197 Beginning Of A Nightmare [4] -(Past || A few minutes after ss Wand Elimination announcement)- Cadmus was reading messages on his device. Inside dungeons and ruins only magic technology works, with a few setbacks of course, however inside Dungeon of Trials, it was a lot worse. A normal working device may stop working at any moment. "How did you know Leon''s location?" Ken questioned Cadmus with furrowed brows. Ken''s followers, except Lark, were already eliminated. As such, only Ken and Cadmus were present together. The answer came from behind. "I told him" Swosh- "Who''s there?!" Ken spun on his heel swiftly and scanned his surroundings. But, he didn''t find anyone there. "Why are you here?" Unlike Ken, Cadmus was a lot calmer. Caw- Caw- A crow settled on Cadmus'' shoulder. "What are those two cadets?! Both of them defeated ranked cadets like it was nothing! Leon even fought a small group and won without a scratch!" The crow cawed, but the voice was surprisingly humane. Ken looked at the exchange in shock. ''Why is a Student Council prospect working for him? And how does Student Council not know about this? There is no way they''ll allow a spy in their midst.'' Gulp- ''Back when he defeated Kaneki, he made me sign an Oath by using the dirt he had on me, but Satoru doesn''t seem unhappy by working under him.'' Ken couldn''t help but overthink. ''Can he do all this because he is the heir to Martell House, or does he have some other secret?'' "That is what I''m trying to figure out. Leon was special and everybody knew this when he defeated the Royal Demon, but Nathan...." Cadmus picked the crow and ced it on the ground. "Isn''t Nathan weird? He was bought here to help with strategizing, and yet he refused, saying it is beyond him." "I ordered the Rank 21 to attack Nathan when hees to transport them out without hoping for anything. But the results surpassed my expectations. Nathan, a bottom-ranked cadet, won without breaking any sweat." Cadmus'' tone betrayed his excitement. "I may have found someone just as special as Leon." *** -(Present || Nathan watching over Leon and Cadmus fighting)- (Wait, what?! I understand why you think that Satoru is working for Cadmus, but it makes no sense Cadmus knew you would go to pick the Cadets Leon defeated!) (It was only a 1/5 chance possibility) "Uh-huh" I couldn''t help but shake my head at Eth''s immaturity. ''Do you know which character I hated the most in ''Hero has returned''? '' (Cadmus) ''Correct. That bastard is too simr to me. I won''t lie, I''m thinking of killing him along with the Shadow today. I dislike him to this extent. Anyway, there is no way Cadmus will leave things to luck.'' Below on the ground, the battle was progressing. Cadmus was forcing Leon to go all out and find his actual abilities. It was surprising Leon could hold his against Cadmus without [Raikou]. It seems he used [Singrity] to train and grow in strength. tsk I would''ve done the same if my Trial wasn''t so fucked up. But I couldn''t deny that the exp and rewards I got were well worth the exchange. ''Cadmus pulled other overseers to another ce while attacking Leon at the same time.'' (So, you are telling me that he did all that to see your and Leon''s capabilities?) I nodded. *** -(Past || An hour before Leon was attacked by 3 ranked Cadets from the other sses)- Ding- [Unknown Number] Karnavlle''s device rang. Reading the CallerID he left the group of cadets and walked deeper into the forest. "Why are you calling me? We can talk with messages!" He hurriedly spoke in a hushed voice while warily ncing around every few seconds. If someone knew what he was doing, he would lose all the reputation he had built in Ward. -I want you to attack two ces at the same time. "How many forces do you need me to deploy?" -All of them "What?!" Karnavelle quickly covered his mouth and whispered in a panickingly. "I don''t have the authority to move everyone! We are two sses in the alliance!" -That is your problem. Ipleted my side of the deal by giving your ss 20 T-points, now you need to keep your side of the deal and eliminate 1 cadet for me. The 20 T-points Cadmus spoke of were 4 followers of Ken. Karnavelle couldn''t help but feel regretful. He had epted the deal, thinking that he would weaken Katana-ss and then leave Cadmus hanging. But Cadmus threatened him, that he would expose the deal between them to Ward if Karnavelle didn''t do his part! It meant expulsion! For Cadmus, it might not be a big concern, but Karnavelle couldn''t allow himself to be expelled! He had a lot at stake! "Tell me the request" Karnavelle spoke through clenched teethes. -I will send you the names of three cadets and a location. Send them to that location and tell them to eliminate the Katana ss members they will find there. -As for the rest of your forces, I''ll send you another location. Take everyone along with you there. "The 2nd location... what is there? Why do we need to send everyone there?" An amicable voice answered back. -That''s a surprise! However, you''ll meet the captain of Katana-ss there. So, do your best if you want to win! Beep- The short beep signified the ending of the call. Karnavelle was staring at the forest, lost in his thoughts when a voice shook him out of his reverie. "Why are you here? We need to negotiate with those Wands on our next actions." "...I''lle" Karnavelle returned with the cadet to the group. "You are here, team leader!" "Don''t tell me that you were embarrassed, Velle!" "Velle! Velle! Velle!" (x8) ss Shooter cadetsughed as they teased their team leader. Karnavelle was an amicable person however, he was a bit shy, hence scenes like these weren''t umon in Shooter ss. "Hmph! They are wasting our time!" Jozi, rank 7 and one rank lower than Karnavelle, spoke to his teammates. He was the team leader of ss Wand. Karnavelle escaped his ssmate''s teasings and sat at the negotiation table. After much heated discussion, he was able to convince everyone to follow his ns. ''Phew... now if we can eliminate Katana-ss leader, we''ll have a better chance to win.'' A grim smile appeared on his face. ''Cadmus, I don''t know what you are nning, but with this, you''ll only have 5 cadets left! Katana-ss is doomed to lose!'' Three cadets were sent to the location Cadmus sent, while everyone else went to the other location. Karnavelle''s stigma [Terra Sense] allowed him to feel movement on the ground in a few hundred meters radius. Thus, nobody questioned why he was sending people to a specific location. Up to this point, only 4 cadets have been eliminated and all of them belonged to Katana-ss. The morale of ss Wand and ss Shooter was at an all-time high. They hoped that all the remaining Katanas were there as it would allow them to eliminate them all in one go. The group of 17 cadets ran through the forest. Their movements were akin to that of a pack of wolves, a true predator that hunted its prey. Within 30 minutes, they reached their destination. At that location, they found only a single cadet. A silver-haired girl sitting on arge boulder. On the Cadmus'' side, he smiled as he saw the GPS showing the 2-ss alliance reaching Susan. "It was a lot harder to predict where Susan will stop. Her movements were too unpredictable. Thankfully, she finally stopped." This was what Cadmus had been waiting for since the beginning. The moment Susan stopped moving, he put his ns in motion and made the 2-ss alliance move. "Why did you lie to him about Susan being our ss leader?" "To give him hope. That they can still win." Cadmus spoke with an amicable expression while sending a few messages to Morand. Morand was one of the three cadets going toward Leon. His job was to measure Leon''s capabilities and attack Nathan when he reaches there. ''Now, Nathan and Leon, show me what you''ve got.'' Chapter 198 Beginning Of A Nightmare [5] -(Present || Nathan flying in the sky exining how things progressed to this point while Cadmus and Leon are fighting on the ground)- "Pffft" I couldn''t help butugh as I recalled what happened with 2-ss alliance. All of them went to attack Susan, believing their superiority in numbers. But, oh boy did they lose badly? Susan single-handedly dominated the battlefield. It was worth mentioning that except for Rank1 Susan, Rank2 Cadmus, Rank9 Anna, Rank 13 Ken, Rank23 Lilith, and Rank 3-5 overseers, every other top 25 ranked cadet was either in ss Wand or ss Shooter. It was the first time in history that all the top 25 cadets belonged to Combat-department. Another reason for them being called the golden generation. Susan had to face 14 ranked cadets alone. It went without saying ss Wand and ss Shooter had good reasons to be confident of their victory. Sadly for them, Susan was capable of going toe-to-toe against a 3-star monster at Lvl.19, and this was when the monster was a perfect counter for her. The alliance simply had no chance of winning, to begin with. (You are an asshole, you know that? Susan would''ve lost if not for you and you are acting like it was their fault.) ''I only encouraged Susan to fight to her best, nothing else. So, I have nothing to do with their loss.'' Denying Eth''s ims, I shook my head exaggeratedly. (Have some shame, will you? Your announcement ''Do your best. I hope that everyone can perform to their fullest. Because as they say: Your actions for today determine your tomorrow'' was practically you telling Susan ''I want you to fight to your best''!) (Or she wouldn''t have fought to her full extent, as Aegis has prohibited her!) ''tsk, tsk, Eth I don''t know what you are talking about'' ''All of this was meant to happen with Cadmus n. I only aided him so that his ns pred without a hitch.'' ss Wand''s elimination was set in stone after losing 60 T-points. Yet, there is a dy in the transfer of points as such, ss Wand had no choice but to go all out against defeating Susan, in hopes of bncing thier negative T-points. However, defeating Susan was easier said than done. Even if ss Wand could''ve defeated Susan, they had no guarantee that Susan was our leader, not to mention they had to attack ss Shooter too, to gain T-points. The chaos instigated by Cadmus made ss Shooter lose many teammates, eliminated ss Wand, while he was able to gauge Leon''s and mine abilities to an extent. (You didn''t exin how nothing was left to luck) ''The fight between alliance and Susan was chaotic, to say the least, while the fight on Leon''s side was barely worth mentioning.'' ''So, the other overseers who were all ranked cadets went to the more dangerous area and had to leave the minor scuffle to me.'' (That... makes sense) ''Doesn''t it?'' ''Kyaa, Cadmus is so smart!'' Only 4 cadets of ss Shooter were not eliminated and they fled Susan. Susan, who had finally found someone to tail, went behind them. ''I can''t believe a monster like her can be so clumsy! How the heck does she get lost in a small jungle!?'' Shortly after Cadmus went to the site where the battle between the alliance and Susan urred. Susan didn''t pick the map pieces of eliminated Cadets. As such, their map pieces were lying on the ground left there by the overseers. This was something else to note. The reason why Cadmus caused such arge-scale battle was that if a map holder is eliminated but the other cadet doesn''t pick up the map pieces, they''ll be left on the sight. Chances that a portion of map pieces might be lost this way weren''t low. Thus, they were made to fight in a single ce. Also, counting by the number, all 10 map piece holders had been eliminated. Cadmus went there to take the map pieces but Ken lost control of his stigma [Kaneki] and stole the map pieces. And this led to the current situation, a battle between Leon and Cadmus. *** -(Past || Continuation of Leon''s 3rd person POV after the elimination of ss Wand)- "What did you go to talk with Nathan?" Lilith pouted for the umpteenth time. Leon helplessly smiled. Lilith wasn''t very happy that Nathan and he were keeping something secret from her. "It was something... personal" "Personal? Like personal, personal?" "Y-yeah" Leon stuttered when he found Lilith nodding to herself with twinkling eyes. "I forgot you two were like that" ''Why do I feel like she misunderstood me?'' But it wasn''t like Leon could tell her the truth, so he dropped the topic altogether. While the trio was walking together, Leon spoke to Lark. "ss Wand was eliminated quite early. I didn''t think thepetition would end only a few hours after beginning." "Me too" Leon smiled when Lark talked. In past, Leon had challenged Lark to a duel and defeated him because he was trying to bully Nathan. Back then, Leon''s mind was clouded with anger and he went overboard. But now he was trying to do better, and it was by giving Lark a 2nd chance. Leon was happy to see Lark conversing normally and not like a prick. The trio was resting for a few minutes when Lark bought up a topic. "Aren''t you worried about map pieces? Since ss Wand was eliminated by default, their map pieces would be lying on the ground." Leon agreed with Lark and after a small discussion, theybed through the forest while searching for the map pieces. What Leon and Lilith didn''t know was Lark was leading them to the area where the map pieces were by following the directions sent by Ken. It took Lark an hour to bring them to the designated ce. ng-! ng-! The trio picked up the pace when they heard the sound of shing des. "Cadmus, Ken, what are you two doing?!" A white-haired Ken was rushing at Cadmus, attacking him fiercely. "Ken lost control to his alter ego! Stand back!" Cadmus'' spear tore through Kaneki, Ken''s alter ego, and sliced his arm off. "Kukukuku! Why are you running bastard!" Kanekiughed maniacally and rushed at Cadmus with only one hand. Cadmus retreated swiftly while deflecting Kaneki''s attack. Kaneki had super strength, super regeneration, almost unending stamina, and attacked anyone who entered his sight. It was better to say whenever Ken''s stigma [Kaneki]es out, he bes no different from a dungeon boss. Ruthless, dangerous, and unbeatable. However, despite all these traits, Cadmus was a veteran. He knew how to defeat Kaneki. "Ken! What the hell are you doing? We are in the middle of apetition, stop!" Leon entered the battlefield along with Lilith. However, Cadmus was faster. He jumped higher into the sky. Kaneki followed him without second guesses and attacked. The angel made it impossible for Lilith to shoot Kaneki without attacking Cadmus with her shotgun, and it would take Leon 10 seconds to cover the distance. If Cadmus didn''t defeat Kaneki in one attack, Leon would be the one to defeat Kaneki and ultimately get all his gs. But this wasn''t what Cadmus wanted. nk- nk- nk- Chains erupted from the ground and bound Kaneki. For a moment [Kaneki] was sealed due to Cadmus'' stigma. "[GAE BOLG] !" Boom-! Cadmus threw the spear he held in his right at Kaneki. A ball of fire appeared above the spear and engulfed him. After a minute, the mes vanished and the spear was gone, revealing Ken, who had lost consciousness. Cadmus swiftly rushed to Ken and pulled him away. Thankfully, Ken had no injuries due to Kaneki''s super regeneration and security device. "Cadmus... you..." Leon and the others came to the two. However, Leon held a hesitating expression. Confused, Cadmus looked below and found himself touching Ken''s gs. Chapter 199 Beginning Of A Nightmare [6] -(Past || After Cadmus ''coincidentally'' touched Ken''s gs; Location: Floor 13)- "Cadmus... you..." Leon felt indescribable emotions welling inside him. He''d been trying to end thepetition early by eliminating other sses as well as getting the Bonus-stage reward. It was because, although they were told that thepetition will not end before the time limit, the overseers will have no choice but to do so if only a single ss is remaining and the bonus reward has been taken. Leon had all 5 map pieces on himself and told other Katana-ss members to not take a map piece but rather call him if they found one. However, Cadmus, having touched those map pieces, now had the ownership of 10 pieces. Leon and Cadmus had no choice but to fight to get the bonus stage reward. Cadmus understood Leon''s concerns thus he spoke. "You can eliminate me and take these map pieces from me." "I can!?" A happy cry left Leon''s mouth. ''Good! Now we can leave Floor 13 early!'' Although Leon''s dream was different from reality, as time passed, he felt more nervous. This led him to trying to end thepetition early and take everyone back with him. "Thank you!" Schwing- The katana left its scabbard and, with a swift motion, headed to Cadmus'' heart. An attack to the heart would be counted as a lethal attack, leading to a security shield being activated. But that didn''t happen, rather... ng- "Why are you blocki-!?" Bam-! The back of the spear''s shaft dug into Leon''s abdomen and threw him off the ground. His body rolled for a few meters beforeing to a halt. Cough- Cough- "Wh..what are you doing...?" "You must have your reasons for trying to get the Bonus-reward" Leon grimly nodded "But Leon, so do I. As the heir of the Martel family, being eliminated in this ss-levelpetition is the same as smearing dirt on my family''s face. And I can''t allow that." Swosh- Cadmus swung his spear and banged it on the ground. "If you want the map pieces. You''ll have to defeat me." "Why...? You didn''t want them before." "I want to give the map pieces to you, too. But it''s a different matter altogether if I have to be eliminated for it." Cadmus could only helplessly smile. He also ''did not'' want this. But his eyes held firm determination. He wasn''t going to back down. Leon clenched his fists and made his decision. "Eliminate me and take my map pieces." For Leon, his friends weren''tparable to any prize he might get. He did not hesitate to make give up the Skill-Evolution stone. Cadmus'' brow knit. He had made theplete n of giving Ken the map pieces and duking out with him in front of Leon to be able to fight with him with proper justification. He could tell that Leon was hiding a lot behind his kind facade. "I just changed my mind. I won''t take the Bonus-stage reward, but I also won''t give it to you. If you want it, you''ll have to defeat me." Manipting the whole exam, making a deal with another ss cadet, scouting, information exchange, and whatnot. The result? I don''t want to fight? Cadmus wasn''t going to ept that. "Why?! If you can''t ept elimination, then just take the victory!" "I don''t want a victory given to me. My pride won''t allow it!" Swosh- Without waiting for Leon''s response, Cadmus attacked. *** -(Present || Nathan watching everything from above)- ''See, poop elerated everything.'' (...) (...how?) ''My suspiciously stupid act, even though I was called for strategy helping, made Cadmus apprehensive.'' (You aren''t wrong... and I hate you for that) Flying lower to the ground, I opened the mini-hologram that showed the location of 9 remaining cadets. ''To test me, he needed to make sure only I from the overseerse to a specific location. For that he made the 2-ss alliance face Susan, which resulted in chaos, while at the same time attacking Leon.'' (You told Susan to do her best because you predicted this...?) ''Yup. In the novel, nobody got the bonus reward because the Abomination arrived too quickly. I already led Cadmus to move in a way that would end thepetition early. The next task was to make sure Susan eliminates every cadet to end the sspetition.'' Cadmus must be thinking that he had Leon and me under his palms. Not knowing who was the puppeteer and who the puppet. (But that doesn''t exin how you''ll get the map pieces) ''I won''t. My aim was to make sure Leon or Susanplete the treasure map. As long as I get to know its location, I can collect it amidst the chaos the Abomination will create.'' The fight below wasing to an end. Leon had an upper throughout the fight thanks to his stigma [Full-Frame]. It was surprising, to say the least. Using his stigma makes Leon go through the pain and it increases the more time passes in that state. Yet he fought with his stigma for over 10 minutes already. ''His progress in [Singrity] is no joke.'' I was curious about what Leon faced there to be this strong. Other than the massive skeleton giant, [Raikou Lvl.1] negates the physical damage Leon takes by 90%. He should have had to face a hellish trial, too. It wouldn''t matter if he progressed with another skill, as the Tower will take it as Leon''s fault for choosing the wrong skill. (Leon is about to win) ''I doubt that'' On the mini-hologram, Susan''s GPS wasing to their location. And going by Susan''s thought process, she''ll think I want her to collect the map pieces, too. ''She must have followed the four cadets before, thinking they might have map pieces.'' Given her exceptional direction sense, I could bet she was worried about losing those cadets. So, she reasoned that she''ll defeat them before they get too far and thus wouldn''t be lost whileing back to collect the map pieces lying there. (She wouldn''t be lost again, would she?) ''I hope not. Cadmus and Leon are causing tremendous amounts of energy fluctuations in the atmosphere. Susan should be able to pinpoint them with it. Especially because of her physique.'' Suddenly, an announcement rang. -ALL CADETS FROM CLASS SHOOTER HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED- -CLASS SHOOTER HAS BEEN ELIMINATED BY DEFAULT- ''It''s here!'' My eyes shined. Turning to the crow, I spoke, "I take those eliminated cadets out." Caw- Caw- The crow nodded. (Why are you leaving this location? Don''t you want to see who''ll win?) ''Really, Eth? Are you serious?'' tsk I pointed at the mini-hologram. (What do you mean.....) (Who eliminated those cadets from ss Shooter?) Cadmus, Leon, and Lilith were in the area of the fight while Susan was rushing there. That only left a single cadet. ''Lark, or should I say X.'' Chapter 200 Beginning Of A Nightmare [7] -(Past || Katrina exiting the Dungeon of Trails, aka Tower; Location: Inside Ward at the exit portal of Tower)- Vupp- Breathing in the fresh air, a smile bloomed on Katrina''s tired face. "I''m peak Lvl.10!" The absence of gaze she felt inside the Dungeon made her rx and feel calm. It was also helpful that her surroundings were devoid of people, save for the pair of a man and woman at the far corner. The dark sky above was devoid of moons and stars. Perhaps during the night, no one liked to roam around the Dungeon entrance? Thinking like this, she walked to her residenceboratory. In her hands was a wand with a purple gemstone embedded in it. This was her reward from 2nd Trial. The wand increased her mana capacity by 10%, which meant that she could now cast support spells faster than before. She wasn''t anything worth mentioning in spell casting however, support magic was better than her alchemy with zerobat ability. She could use basic Rank 1 and Rank 2 spells like , , , , and a few more. This greatly Nathan surprised. He knew that Katrina was also a support magician, but not that she could use it in battles, too. Katrina thought it to be suspicious. Why did Nathan know about her stealing and other circumstances, but not about this? But when she found that he was telling the truth, she could only ept it. ''My reward from 1st Trial is what I needed the most!'' Her reward was the reason behind her newfound determination and vigor. "It''s her" "Yes, she went into the Dungeon with the suspect" Someone was whispering with each other. But due to the empty street, it wasn''t hard to hear it. From the piercing yet calm gazes, Katrina could tell the identity of her stalkers. They were the man and woman waiting outside the Dungeon. Katrina changed her path continuously. Trying to shake off her pursuers. But she was unsessful. Slowly, the enthusiasm dimmed, reced by fear. ''...Why are they following me? Who are they?'' Katrina walked to another junction in hopes of losing the tail. In the dark night, the shadows were eerily long, and every corner was too dark to see anything hiding in it. Whosh- "Kya--mmphh!" A hand stopped her emerging shout and pulled her into the shadow. Katrina felt her senses weaken. Her surroundings changed rapidly. By the time her kidnapper stopped, they reached apletely different corner inside Ward. "Are you alright? I apologize if I was rough, but if I didn''t do that, those people could''ve followed us." The slender hands ced her back on the ground. "That''s a pretty face, you go-! Ow! Why are you hitting me?!" "Don''te near her, you creep! Stand at that corner and keep watch!" Katrina tried to recognize those voices. Under the lightless night, she was unable to watch her saviors, nevertheless; she knew they weren''t trying to harm her. Katrina''s nerves tensed and, activating her skill from 1st Trial, she squeezed out a question. [Lie Detection] "W-what is happening...?" She fumbled over her words. This reminded her that, for some reason, she was only able to speakfortably with Nathan. Even if she wasn''t ufortable with others, she still couldn''t converse properly with them. The girl, assuming from her voice and long hair, calmly answered Katrina. "A Drill..." Katrina held an understanding expression. Drill referred to mock drills that happen in Ward and every other facility on Bermuda Ind to train its residents for the day when the Gate of Hell below the ind might open. "..however, something is suspicious about this Drill." The kind kidnapper pointed at the sky. "It''s daytime. Ward''s officials are using some kind of artifact to stop everyone from peeking inside. This shadow barrier has essentially cut off Ward from the rest of the world by isting the space." [Truth] *** -(Present || Nathan returning from dropping the eliminated cadets outside the blue dome, Location: Floor 13)- Graar- Phzzt- Puchi-! A longsword stabbed the bear-like monster''s heart in one go and killed it. [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.16 CoscoBear. You have gained 3800 exp] "That''s one more monster killed." Sigh ''One less monster for the Abomination to copy from.'' I had been killing the monsters throughout the tournament. Monsters didn''t give any points in thepetition. Thus, overseers were not prohibited from killing them as it wouldn''t affect thepetition. Monsters in general have [Traits] and their number increases with their ranks. [Traits] are simr to humans'' [Stigma]. However, the fixed number of [Traits] was not natural. These ''monsters'' are System generated, or to be precise, System regted and are only allowed to have a fixed number of [Traits] while their other [Traits] are removed when the System puts them inside dungeons. Abomination is an unregted monster. Inyman''s terms, an Abomination did not have its [Traits] removed. Rustle- Fwosh- A sharp object flew past my hair and brought down the crow following me. Shiiiing- The dagger was followed by a 3-meter-wide magic circle on the ground. I took a peek at the number of magic sequences in the magic circle before being forced to close my eyes because of the bright light. ''Rank 4 magic circle'' "Isn''t this too much of an entrance? I guess you were in a hurry to sign the Oaths?" Opening my eyes, I found Lark closing his eyes, standing a few meters away from me. "By the way, wouldn''t it alert the ''Shadow'' and Satoru?" "Don''t worry about it. Both the crow and your stalkers are under illusion magic for 5 minutes." ''Lark shouldn''t be above Rank 2 mage, yet X was able to use Rank 4 magic?'' [Appraisal] I couldn''t help but click my tongue. The results were the same as before. It seemed I needed to level up more to gain more information with [Appraisal]. "What are you trying to do?" Watching Lark frown, I couldn''t help but smile yfully, "Trying to take the bonus reward" "I don''t mean that." He took threatening steps toward me. "Why did you create mayhem in the Underworld? Do you know how many innocents lost their lives as a result of your actions!?" "Less than 100 actually." I shook my head with a solemn look. "What?" "I''m not kidding. Those bombs didn''t even kill 100 people." How did I know this? Duh, it''s with this! ====== [Absolute Evil Lvl.1] (Passive) -10% resistance against the physical and magical attacks of beings with Evil disposition. -10% increase in physical and magical damage against beings with Good disposition. -Requirements for Lvl2: 99/100 ====== I ced the bombs under the section of people who jumped to kill me when I called out to the crowd that wanted to take my position in the tournament. But the result was beyond me! 99/100 kills? Really? "Does that make any sense!? And what if the number of people who died was less than 100?! One life is not any less valuable than 1000 lives!" X had ordered the 5-star Kraken resting in Byzander Ind, the site of Ward''s final entrance exam and the location where I got Ether manual and my art, to not kill humans. This coupled with the fact X didn''t kill me despite me repeatedly changing the storyline made me think... ''Maybe X is an extreme pacifist?'' My lips twisted in a sneer. "Why didn''t you stop the bomb by yourself, then?" "What?" "Weren''t you also present there, Miss First Outsider?" Chapter 201 Beginning Of A Nightmare [8] (Since when did you recognize X''s real identity?) ''When X made the first appearance after the test.'' "Do you mean you uncovered my identity already?" Lark sounded more amazed than nervous. "It wasn''t very tough to find you. You were hiding in in sight. One mistake from your side was all it took me to realize who you were." Once I looked back at everything that happened in this world since I came here, X''s real identity was as clear as day. "Before you ask me to do the grand reveal can we sign the Oath? It would be troublesome if you go back on your wordster." Lark threw a brown scroll. Reading through the Oath and making sure that everything was the same as we had agreed I channeled my ether into it and both of us were bounded by it. "With the Oath out of the way. Who am I?" "You are the cat I''ve been taking care of asionally." "Hmm? Cat?" With a confused tone, Lark worded. "That''s wrong." The Oath didn''t activate. Thus Lark, or one could say X, was telling the truth. Shortly after Lark decided to leave. "If you have nothing more to discuss I''ll be taking my leave." "Why aren''t you saying anything about the changes I made in the story?" Lark froze and turned back to me. "Given the butterfly effects my action in Underworld might bring. I thought you will threaten me again." Lark took a moment before answering. He sounded bitter and a tiny bit frustrated. "....Because what you changed, wasn''t part of the main story. diator Championship was only a background event and our deal was that you wouldn''t change any main event. Anything else?" "Yes, actually..." Lark''s eyebrows twitched at my unending questions. "The Shadow that is following me. Is it a real person or a clone?" Lark was hesitating to answer me, so I pushed a little harder. "I''m asking because it''ll be a problem if ites to know about my knowledge about the future. Knowing about the Shadow''s real nature will help to take proper preventive measures. It''s for both of us. You wouldn''t want a 3rd party to know about the future, would you?" "...Clone." ''tsk, that''s too bad.'' Answering me, Lark vanished as if not wanting me to question him again. (Why did you lie about X''s identity?) (You were telling the truth when you said you knew X but not when you said X is the cat) I turned to the darkening sky through which the Abomination will descend in a few minutes. ''Two reasons mainly'' ''One, that cat is suspicious. It behaves oddly human-like for a beast.'' Thanks to X''s reaction, one thing I can deduce is that even X doesn''t know about the cat. Either way, X will now look into the cat and maybe I can get some information about it from X in the future. ''Two, there is no guarantee what X will do after I reveal X''s identity.'' The Oath we signed today confirmed that X wouldn''t harm me until I bring direct changes to the main story. This was what X meant when they said that I only acted in a background event, so they wouldn''t do anything to me yet. But this contract will expire in 2 months, along with the bet''s deadline. It was best to make use of this grace period to gauge X properly. Caw- Caw- The crow returned to my shoulder and pecked on its wings. ''But this confirms it. X is hiding something much bigger than their identity.'' X managed to keep even a small butterfly effect from appearing in the story until I intervened. This shouldn''t be possible with the knowledge from the novel solely. X had another source of information, and if I was correct, it allowed X to predict possible consequences of events to some extent. In any way, I''ll confront X after having a method of escape and proper backing, secured. *** -(Present || On the side of Leon and others)- "What are they...? Was I trying to test someone like that?" ''Do I have the qualifications for it?'' Although Cadmus didn''t say everything out loud he couldn''t stop his thoughts from having him face the truth. Leon managed to defeat Cadmus. The result was surprising but notpletely out of Cadmus'' expectations. For today, he was satisfied with knowing the extent of Leon''s capabilities. The stunning growth of Leon from someone weak to one of the strongest cadets fueled the fire in Cadmus'' heart. It made him reaffirm his goal. To pursue strength at any cost. Unlike his friendly exterior, the only people Cadmus respected were those with unparalleled strength, or to be exact, Cadmus respected their strength itself, not them. Weak and Strong. Strength was the only scale for Cadmus to judge a man. He knew that the battle between the two was over. Cadmus didn''t want to admit it but he didn''t stand a chance against Leon, not until he doesn''t decide to fight with the intent to kill Leon. Having found Leon''s limit, Cadmus was sure of this. "I knew Susan was an anomaly, but Leon too?" His lips curled into a smile. Watching two monsters battle, Cadmus realized how wrong he was to judge Leon. To judge someone was a privilege the powerful hold over the weak. And the scene in front of Cadmus made it clear who the stronger one was. Boom-!! The earth shook when the mighty fist met the ground. Susan jumped without a second thought and ran around the ''monster''. A 15-meter big skeleton figure was floating behind Leon. The skeleton warrior had no weapons and attacked using its fist, it only had its upper torso and was missing everything below its waist, yet it was anything but weak. Fwooosh- Air howled as a giant fist targeted the silver-haired girl running on the battlefield. The fist connected with Susan. She swung her scythe at thest second in a manner that dispersed all force behind the giant fist. Contrary tomon knowledge, Susan''s main weapon was Scythe. It was the one weapon she had been trained by Aegis. Being raised as a weapon, Susan had been trained mainly to fight against the other alien species, not monsters. As such, the scythe being an umon weapon, having proper range, and providing uncanny fighting techniques due to its curved de was better forbating sentient beings than the sword. Scythe was a rare weapon and its curved de allowed the user to use rarely seen techniques. It was a better weapon against alien races who had trained in weaponbat, as it was an unfamiliar weapon to most. ng-! ng-! Susan kept running around in circles without trying to get close. If this was her before clearing the [Trial] she would''ve already dived in to attack Leon, but the prize she got changed her tactics. A beautiful smile blossomed on Susan''s face! If Nathan had seen this battlefield, he would have received multiple shocks. Susan''s smile wasn''t a small matter. It was something that would only happen when she grows out of her repressed self. Something meant to ur after she grew through hardships! These past months have greatly affected Susan''s psyche. Hope in the shape of an unknown cadet, and the restrictions Aegis had to lift because of Headmaster. Susan felt the lock on her cage loosening. But what destroyed the lock was the one news she got before entering the Dungeon. An unknown Irregr shing against Goliaths and Umbra and yet sessfully escaping. Susan entered the Dungeon veryte and on the day she was entering, she got the news about the mayhem in Underworld. Knowing that the ''stigma'' Nathan showed in Ward was fake and that Nathan had left for Underworld, it didn''t take her long to make the connection. She naturally had heard the feats of Goliaths as well as Sword Maiden. And it was precisely because of this that Susan''s trust in Nathan strengthened. The footages she got of the behemoth Spear he created in Underworld was another proof of Nathan''s unequaled strength! Everything boiled into a single fact. With newfound confidence, that freedom was near, Susan made a decision for the first time in her life by herself, without anyone telling her to do so. She chose [Singrity]! She went against Aegis'' orders! Susan didn''t care if she would fail to clear an [Trial] in the future due to the difficulty. For her, it was a small yet herrgest step! She had escaped her cage and was soaring through the sky! Barely calming her nerves, Susan kept looking for an opening to use the reward from her trial. This was the first time she would use the skill, something she received as a result of her own choice! She was smiling! An opening presented itself to her in the next few seconds. Susan naturally didn''t let it go. A white me covered her scythe as she coated it in her stigma. She then used her skill. "[Equinox sh]" "!!!" Chills crawled down Leon''s spine and he hurriedlymanded the giant skeleton to cover him. Boom-! The giant arm protected Leon by intercepting the ck-and-white sh in its path. The skeleton did not have a dent in it after blocking the attack. Cough- Cough- Leon fell to his knees, coughing blood. On his chest, a deep red gash was running from his right shoulder to his left waist. Susan''s attack phased through the Skeleton and only struck Leon! This was the power of Susan''s newest skill! Leon''s hands quivered. He had taken too much damage. He was contemting if he should take the Elixir, in front of others, to heal himself. Scanning his surroundings, he noticed that Cadmus and Ken had been taken to the outside of the dome, while Lilith was nervously watching their fight. She wanted to help Leon, but the scale of their battle was beyond her. In the sky, four overseers except Nathan were watching over them. ''No, I have to end the fight before anything else!'' Badump- An imperceptible change urred in the surroundings, but it didn''t do unnoticed by Leon. His heart thumped heavily against his ribs. He was having trouble breathing; it was suffocating. Something wasing, something much more horrendous than the Royal Demon. It wasn''t a dream. "Lilith, Susan, everyone! Leave the Dungeon!" Badump- His instincts warned him. He had to leave. Crackle- Leon bolted to the person nearest to him, Lilith. "Lilith, go outside!" "W-what happened? Why are you acting like this?" "I''ll exin everythingter!" His eyes were bloodshot and his wounds stung, but Leon ignored them. "O-okay" Lilith''s figure turned into blue particles and she left the Dungeon. "Su-!!!?" Thud- "Ac..kkk.." Leon fell to his knees. His heightened perception that warned him of the oing danger''s strength almost crippled him. "Cadet Leon, are you okay?" The overseersnded around him. "Le...av..e h...urr..y" Satoru, who saw Leon''s strange behavior, made his decision, "Cadet Leon, is no longer in the condition to fight. He will be el--" His words were cut off by the system notifications. [Warning! Warning!] [@##$#@$@# has slipped past System defences] [Warning! Warning!] [Life support System of Tower will be shut down. All resources will be redirected to suppress ##$@#%] A thin gray line appeared in the sky. A gtinous grey mass seeped through it and fell to the ground with a plop and... [@$!$#!#@!%$#$^& has entered Worl#@ @@$!#% !$#!431431] [W@rn$!@ !$!@in$!#g] ...a nightmare began. Chapter 202 A True Monster A dreaded silence enshrouded the area. The four overseers and Susan saw the grey goo wiggling as if trying to gain its shape. The line in the sky through which the grey goo fell disappeared and so did the system notifications. Nobody could tell what was happening. "Henry,e with me. We''ll check what that is." "St..o...p" Even breathing had be an arduous task for Leon. His high perception, rming him of the danger was making his nerves go haywire. Satoru beckoned Henry and both of them headed toward the grey goo cautiously. At the same time, the grey goo seeded in forming a grey tentacle. The monster looked at its new limb and the cadets with fascination. "Cadet Le-!" Swosh-! Thud- (x4) The monster swung its tentacle, and the sound of four heavy objects falling to the ground followed. Soon apanied by the noise of four headless corpses dropping. The headless remains of the overseers didn''t turn into blue particles as they were supposed to. Blood flowed down from them, showing the cruel reality to Leon and Susan. They were no longer safe from death. The grey goo, the Abomination, smiled in glee and looked at Leon. It had no eyes, no mouth, no facial features, just a single mass of grey substance, yet Leon could tell that it was reveling in its first kill and looking for the next prey. Swosh- The tentacle extended in a split second and headed for Leon. Before Leon could react the tentacle was in front of his eyes, a few inches away from blowing his head away, when a slender hand suddenly grabbed him and pulled him out of its path. Booom-! The tentacle hit the empty ground. The force behind it formed a 5-meter-deep crater and decimated everything in the near surrounding. "Stop daydreaming." Susan''s words were slow yet heavy. A thin streak of sweat rolled down her creased brows. Gazing at the crater and destruction, Susan could tell. The monster had grown stronger by a few times in a matter of seconds and it was still growing. Leon bit his tongue. The taste of iron and stinging pain brought rity to his mind. "Thank you" Thanking Susan from the deepest corners of his heart, Leon stood up. He stared at the Abomination and the Abomination stared back at him. "Can we leave the Dungeon?" "No, and... I think we lost the extra lives too" Susan wasn''t sure of thest part but the corpses supported her theory. Both of them were among the best warriors of their generations. They quickly overcame their fears and decided on a course of action. "It''s strong, but it''s growing stronger. We need to defeat it quickly." Leon repeated his words in his mind. ''It hasn''t gained its form! We need to defeat it now! We can do it!'' Crackle- [Raikou] Golden arcs danced around Leon. A giant skeleton appeared in the air behind him. With a swift nod to Susan, he bolted ahead. "Sixth Form: Empty Fade" Seven clones of Leon''s appeared and rushed at the Abomination from all sides. As they got closer, the Abomination opened its tentacle and attacked. It destroyed two clones and they dispersed into thin air. Fwosh- Before the monster moved again, all the clones exploded into mist themselves. "Fifth Form: Thousand Divine shes" Crrkllleee- Huge golden arcs flew and shed at the Abomination. The Abomination stood like an imprable fortress and shook off the attacks, yet they were merely a decoy. "Seventh Form: Deadline!" The arcs of lightning converged on the de of the katana. The sword tore through the mist and dawned at the Abomination. The tentacle shot out in a sh. "[Equinox sh]" Susan''s suddenly appeared from the mist, behind the Abomination, and shed. A white arc from one side and a golden arc from the other. The Abomination, with its intelligence of a child, staggered unable to decide on which attack to intercept with its single tentacle. Booom-! A huge explosion rocked the surroundings. The Abomination slid a few meters backward and stumbled. Dust and gravel flew into the air, diminishing the visibility. The Abomination threw its head back and roared with all its might. The earth trembled and dust flew everywhere. It threw its tentacle in Susan''s direction. "Susan!" Leon bolted forward. He was confident Susan could dodge the tentacle with the warning. Each attack of the monster was enough to tten them, yet he rushed at it! The monster''s attacks were bing faster each time it attacked. They couldn''t understand how it was growing stronger with the Tower''s restriction, but Leon kept running. With the tentacle going for Susan, this was his chance to attack. The Abomination wiggled and an indiscernible change urred. By the time Leon noticed the change, a new tentacle attacked him. It was toote! Leon couldn''t dodge the sudden attack! nk- nk- nk- Suddenly, a white figure shed before Leon, apanied by the clunking of chains! "Take it, you grey shit!" Kaneki roared and swung his fists at the tentacle, at the same time, chains wrapped around Susan and Leon, pulling them away! Bam-! A small st of air formed from the exchange of Kaneki and tentacle. Kaneki''s arms were blown away. "[Water beam]" "[Seismic waves]" "[Lion Roar]" "" "" "[Steel Earth]" Dozens of cadets appeared and attacked in unison. A water pir appeared beneath the Abomination with great force. Cracks tore the air apart and thundered at the monster. Magic spells and skills stunned it and the creature halted. A burningnce formed in the air andnded on top of it. Walls of steel appeared around the Abomination, confining it along with the explosion created by thebination of firence and water beam. "Can you two exin the situation?" Commanding the cadets, Cadmus questioned Leon. He sounded calm even in this situation, yet the sweat covering his forehead betrayed his tranquil appearance. Cadmus had only been a few minutes away from the battlefield when the Abomination descended. He was about to rush to the scene along with Satoru when the System notifications suddenly appeared. Cadmus didn''t know what was happening, but whatever it was, it wasn''t normal. That changed his course of actions. Leaving things to Susan and Leon, both of who were stronger than the rest of the cadetsbined, he rushed out of the blue dome and bought every cadet he could find. The only ones missing were Nathan and Lark. "It''s an Abomination. We can''t go out of the dungeon until we kill it and dying before that will kill us." Leon shared his honest thoughts without an ounce of hesitation. In his heart, he was ming himself for not taking extreme measures. Had he not doubted his dreams, maybe they still could have had a chance to escape this alive. "I want to know how you know about the first part. But we''ll talkter..." The dust settled down, revealing Kaneki, whose arms were in the process of regenerating and.... ...a grey human. The Abomination stood on two feet, with two limbs, a head without any facial features, and apletely grey figure. Hairs stood on Leon''s and Susan''s backs at the sight. This wasn''t the Abomination they knew. It had yet grown in a span of a few seconds. Without a moment''s dy, the monster curled and wrapped its arms around its body, as if it was trying to shrink, trying topress itself to its limit. "Get away!" Leon bellowed. The warning came toote. Hundreds of spikes jutted out of the Abomination as it opened its figure with a snap. Growing endlessly in all directions in a few milliseconds. Fchik- The spikes returned to the monster''s body, but not the lives it reaped. Leon watched in horror as it six cadets, who had attacked the monster, fell to the ground. Holes poked throughout their bodies. Susan, Cadmus, and a few others had dodged the onught with the timely warning. But not everyone was so lucky. Four more cadets standing away had not been able to react on time. Cough- Cough- "Fuck was that?" Kaneki jumped back to the group, bleeding from the holes stabbed in his body. He had managed to protect his vital organs at thest second. "Ruran, Sabrina, Kraun, take care of the injured!" Cadmus issued his nextmands swiftly. "Kaneki, Susan, Leon, stand back and recover! Attack the instant the monster shows signs of repeating the same attack!" He was bleeding from the hole, punctured through his abdomen. The injury was the cost of saving Satoru, the one that had been following him. "Everyone else attack! Do not give it a chance to repeat the same attack!" Cadmus downed a healing potion and bolted ahead. As themander, his job was to instill courage in others. Thest attack of the Abomination instilled a deep fear in everyone''s heart. Cadmus knew he had to move first and only then will others follow. Leon''s heart thumped as we watched the battlefield in a daze. His mind was hazy as he tried to recall the dream. He was missing something, something that made the Abomination much more dangerous than its current self. Boom-! Boom-! Boom-! A steel hammer, a lightning pir, a roaring punch, and dozens of attacks flew at the Abomination. The Abomination looked to be struggling under the barrage. Its body shook violently as it absorbed blows from all angles. "It''s working!" Cadmus'' shout red the bravery in all. The feeling of dread enshrouding Leon grew with each passing second, with each passing attack, the feeling of anxiety returned greater. ''It learns..'' A soft whisper echoed in his mind. But Leon felt as if a dam had burst open. "Stop! Don''t attack! It learns by watching!" His yells were drowned by ear-shattering explosions. "It''s learning from us! It''s learning from our attacks!" He saw a glimpse of the Abomination. The Abomination was learning, absorbing knowledge from the attacksunched against it. A thin outline of lips appeared on the monster''s face, stretching into a sickening smile. "STOP!!" Plop-! A cadet exploded suddenly. Plop-! Plop-! The ones closest to the monsters detonated into a gory mist. In a split second, like an invisible wall expanding outwards, the cadets began bursting without dy. The invisible wall reached thest line of defense in a single second. They tried to escape their escapable fate, but their struggles were futile. "[Enchantment: Earth]" ...At least until a new variable appeared. Chapter 203 [Armory Of Eridu] "[Enchantment: Earth]" Thuck- Thuck- Thuck- Thuck- Thuck- (x6) Twenty swords flew out of the air and dug into the ground, creating a wall in front of the cadets. The barricade of swords stopped the strange ability of Abomination from spreading further. "[Enchantment: Fire]" Fwosh- Fwosh- (x5) A barrage of swords rained down at the Abomination, halting it in its steps. "Nathan!" Cadmus and everyone else saw Nathan walking out of the forest. He had a calm gaze and poised gait. Leon and Susan also watched him with a myriad of emotions. Cadmus gave Nathanmands as he entered the battlefield. "I don''t know where you were, but this is a perfect time. Together we should be able to han-" "Retreat" Nathan ordered in a t tone as he ignored everyone and walked towards Leon. "Give me the map for the bonus prize location." Phzzzt- (x30) Swords materialized in the air above Nathan and attacked the Abomination. He appeared no different from a walking fortress, the likes of which sent shivers down those present there. Leon watched in a daze as the swords only fell around the area of the Abomination, confining the monster without attacking it. "Leon, we don''t have much time. Give me the map." Nathan''s tone did not let out his emotions. Taking the map from Leon, Nathan looked at the Abomination. ====== @$!@$@#%$ -Enchantment [Rupture] -Only works on those below the same level as the #%$@#$!$ ====== The strange result from [Appraisal] was what Nathan was getting as he looked at the air surrounding the Abomination. The monster was shooting these [Rupture] seeds out of its skin and causing the cadets to explode. His swords had blocked the initial barrage, but there was only so much time he could buy. ''Only Cadmus, Susan, and I are immune to those seeds. And that is until it grows again.'' But this wasn''t the real problem. A cold sweat ran down Nathan''s spine as he looked at the Abomination. ====== !$#$@#@%$@#%#@ R@($: #$@#%$@# &@nk: Iota(Lvl.16) #%R@#@35 #@%@#%@#% Ti$%^%$ ->$tet34 ->Traits: [Inv#@!e], [Sp@ce D!evourer], [Undy#$], [!ife De!@3ti@n], [!ndestructib!*], [Extend], [#@%$@#], [#@$234] #%$@#%^$^#$^%$^&%&$%^&#$%#$%#4] @#% ====== [Error! Error! The target has too many traits to disy] [Error! Error! The target cannot be appraised] ng-! ng-! A solemn expression adorned Nathan''s face. The Abomination had begun counterattacking. "W-what do you mean by retreat...?" Leon''s voice shook. The dream where the injured Nathan came while saving everyone came to his mind. The answer that came out of Nathan''s mouth was what Leon feared. "Run away. I''ll stop the monster here." *** -(Past || Nathan''s POV after his meeting with X; Location: Floor 13, edge of the blue dome)- The winds blew from the direction of the fight between Leon and Susan. It did not take a genius to realize that they were duking it out without any restraints. I gazed at the clear sky. After the Abomination arrives, arge spatial turbulence will appear in the sky. It is something that will be caused by the attempts of Administrator to form a portal to enter this Floor. As the Lawkeeper like its original conscience, Administrator cannot break rules, thus it would take her a bit of time and a great amount of energy to descend. "Thepetition was fun!" Whistling to myself, I was returning with slow steps. At the same time, I secretly channeled ether, ready to execute my art at any moment. (What are you doing?) ''The Abomination will descend any second'' Along with it the support system of the Tower will be shut down. I had nned to hunt the Shadow during this time, but X''s answer affected my ns greatly. ''The Shadow is a clone. There is no guarantee it will not attack me or mess something up if pushes to shove'' Without the fear of death, the shadow would kill itself before I can interrogate it for any useful information. In that case, leaving an uncontroble variable was only dangerous and without merits. "Haaaa... I hope I get to see these types of battles daily~" I acted casually as I strolled. ''If it was a real body, it would try to act cautiously when the support system goes offline. But there is no such guarantee anymore.'' I was aware of this possibility, so I asked X about the Shadow''s real nature. ''The problem is... will the shadow''s memories return to the original body if I kill it?'' My preparations were done and I was ready to use my art at a moment''s notice. ''In any case, I can act dumb by saying I thought someone suspicious was tailing me and thus retaliated.'' Katrina could also sense through the Shadow''s camouge, so it wasn''t a very powerful disguise. I could im that I was able to sense it. Shortly, the moment I''d been waiting for arrived. [Warning! Warning!] [@##$#@$@# has slipped past System defenses] ''[Appraisal] !'' [??? Lvl.???] I swiftly located the Shadow and attacked without a moment''s dy. Phhzzzt- [Life support System of Tower will be shut down. All resources will be redirected to suppress ##$@#%] ''[Enchantment: Ice]'' A thinyer of frost covered the twenty swords that appeared in the air. Fwosh- (x20) Distracted by the abrupt system notifications, the Shadow was a secondte to notice my attacks. [@$!$#!#@!%$#$^& has entered Worl#@@$!#%!$#!431431] The Shadow glided over the forest surface. Dodging the swords with swift motions. The ground froze as the number of swords increased and the ice enchantment stacking over each other did its job. [W@en$!@ !$!@in$!#g] The shadow couldn''t maintain its speed and became a bit slower. And that was enough for me. A spear materialized in my hand and, holding it in my right arm, I arched my back. Stretching my muscles to the limit, I applied another enchantment on the spear. [Enchantment: Light] A subtle glow covered the spear. Fwosh- It flew at a terrifying speed and arrived at its mark in a split second. Bam-! With a small explosion, the Shadow was killed, and it dissipated into wisps of smoke. "Well, that was underwhelming." Honestly, it felt weird that I took out a Goliath with such ease when I was struggling against Iota-rankers only one month ago, but I couldn''t deny the reality presented to me. During the month I spent in [Singrity], I had also grown a lot. With 40 swords, 5 daggers, 4 spears, and one hammer constetion, the total number had reached 50 constetions. Consequently, I could now [Construct] 50 weapons at once. ''The Spatial Ruptures also grew to 25 in number.'' At this point, I was no different from a moving armory. ''[Raikou] and [Armory of Eridu], the legacies of ancient heroes are on another level. Both of them are already this strong, but they''ll grow stronger in the future.'' The earth suddenly shook. ''Abomination¡­'' "Should I go where the Abomination is? Or should I take the bonus rewardter?" Leon would have the map, but now that the Shadow was dead, I was wondering if it was necessary to go near that monstrosity. (Let''s not because as far as I recall 90% of cadets will die today) (With your luck, it wouldn''t be a surprise if you are done in by a stray attack) ''Okay...'' My thoughts trailed off and I climbed the trees. Coming out of the thick canopy, my gaze swept toward the sky. "Where is the spatial turbulence¡­?" The sky was clear without any clouds or storms forming. "Shit!" I bolted to the location of Abomination. ''Why isn''t the Administrator creating a portal yet?! This is bad¡­ this is bad¡­'' Administrator will definitelye, I didn''t doubt this. But if she camete, the Abomination will grow strong enough to destroy Floor 13 itself. It will tear the very fabric of space. In the novel, the Abomination, after facing the top 25 cadets, was able to make use of its [Space Devourer] trait. Thankfully, moments before the Floor was destroyed Administrator had descended and saved everyone. But now that horrendous possible future mighte true. "Leaderboard" ====== Name ¨C Nathan Hunt Age 16 years (???) Rank ¨C Iota(Lvl.16) (Suppressed) Stigma ¨C Iridescence Extra Stat ¨C 36 Number of lives ¨C 3 (Sealed) >>> Stats: Strength - 5 Agility ¨C 11 Stamina - 10 Constitution - 15 Ether - 26 Intelligence - 7 Luck ¨C (-13) >>> Techniques (Click to expand) >>> Skills (Click to expand) >>> Quest (Click to expand) ====== My stats were unbnced, but they were the most suited to support a mage build for my art. [Ether ¨C 26 --> Ether ¨C 48] [Agility ¨C 11 --> Agility ¨C 16] [Intelligence ¨C 7 --> Intelligence ¨C 11] [Stamina ¨C 10 --> Stamina ¨C 11] [Extra Stats ¨C 4] With my ether core reaching its limit, the ether coursing through my body began rampaging. The thin streams uncontrobly overflowed and leaked out from all sorts of ces in my body. No matter how high control I had, this wasn''t something I could stop. The overflowing energy finally calmed down when the effects of increased Intelligence kicked in. Even so, my body was at its limit as it struggled to contain energy beyond itself, but at this moment, this would have to do. ''Please, don''t let me bete'' With increased vigor, I rushed ahead. *** -(Present || Back to the battlefield with Abomination)- "Run away. I''ll stop the monster here." Nathan spoke in a solemn tone. As much as it was dangerous to fight with the Abomination head-on, letting others fight against it would only increase its growth rate. ''It hasn''t learned to use [Space Devourer] yet, and it has grown differently than in the novel. I don''t know if I should be thankful or not.'' Nathan could''ve tried to run away and hide until Administrator arrived. But he didn''t. If it was him when he entered this world, he would''ve run away the moment things went downhill, but the struggles he had passed through had helped him grow and mature. He wasn''t going to leave his fate in the hands of others while hoping that the Abomination doesn''t grow stronger too fast. No, he would fight the monstrosity by himself and make sure it doesn''t grow. Chapter 204 Death And Despair [1] Swords decorated the battlefield, making it appear no different from a garden of des. The impromptu cage of weapons imprisoned the Abomination. But something like that could only stop that monster for one minute at best. I had to pull the Abomination away from here, and I had to do it fast. "Block this, you bastard!" Kaneki suddenly lunged at the Abomination. With his unruly ego, he attacked the moment his arms regenerated. Attacking Abomination was no different from exining to the monster how to use new abilities. Before I could stop Kaneki, Leon yelled. "Stop! Don''t attack the Abomination!" Bam-! Kaneki ignored Leon. The Abomination''s figure broke through the cage of swords and crashed into arge tree. However, I didn''t chase after the monster. ''Why does Leon know about the Abomination¡­?'' My heartbeat sped. I might have changed a lot of events in the novel, but this wasn''t something that could happen due to a butterfly effect. There is no way Leon should know about the Abomination. And¡­. ''Where is Lilith?'' I could see the corpses of at least 6 cadets. A few others were badly injured and Satoru, who was on the brink of death, was only half of his original stature. Henry''s headless corpse was lying in the pool of blood, and Cadmus was trying to close the gaping hole in his abdomen. Leon, Susan, and the few remaining alive cadets were on the verge of losing consciousness from exhaustion. They had used their strongest skills and magic relentlessly, yet nothing seemed to harm the Abomination. The only ones capable of fighting were me and Kaneki. He was regenerating as fast as he was injured. But there was no sign of Lilith. ''Is she¡­ dead?'' Blood dripped from my clenched fists. Everyone except Leon was going to die. Maybe Leon himself would die at the end of the story. I knew the pain of losing someone close too. So, I tried to shove everyone away, but Leon and Lilith, those two fools, never followed my consent. Even if the time I spent with them was short. Both of them were there for me whenever anything happened to me, be it the Royal Demon incident, or making sure I don''t get into troubleter. I called them annoying, but their intentions were always heartfelt. "Dammit!" And now one of those two fools was dead. Crackle- The crackling of thunder echoed. "I told you already! Get away¡­." Standing a bit farther from me, Leon had a horrified expression on his face. Following his gaze, I turned to the Abomination. Crackle- Crackle- Grey lightning snaked around the monster''s arm as it was raised above its head. Its hand bulged, simr to how Kaneki''s muscles expanded before he attacked. The monster brought its fist down. "Get away!" And from there, nothing was ever the same. *** "cough¡­cough¡­" I stood up with wobbly legs. My ears were ringing repeatedly, and I could still feel the shockwaves rocking my body. "Is anyone alive¡­.?" The Abomination was standing with a fascinated smile as it looked at its arm. Its face had be more defined with the outline of eyes and ears forming. With the monster as the center, everything in a 100-meter radius has been pulverized to dust. I had activated [Golden Turtle] and a wall of swords for as many as could at thest second. But all around me, I didn''t see a single soul alive. Not even a corpse remained. There was only a single survivor, me. "You!!!" Crackle- Crackle- Clenching my jaws so hard that they bled, I red at the monster. But as if saying that I wasn''t worth its time, it ignored me and excitedly raised both of its arms to its amusement, ready to use the same attack again. "Don''t joke with me!" Bam-! Coating my body in the ether, I kicked the ground and dashed toward the monster. Phhzzzt- Fwosh- (x50) Swords, spears, daggers, everything appeared in the air and rained. The barrage distracted the Abomination and gave me a few precious seconds to cover the distance. A reddish-ck orb floated above my palm and I struck the monster''s face. Bang-! The monster lost its shape and reverted to a wobbly grey goo state. Raising my arms, arge [Zero Orb] formed. "I don''t need to worry about Leon finding out about my identity! There is no need to think about how to lie to Susan anymore!" Bang-! Bang-! The barrage of weapons didn''t put a single cut on the monster. [Zero] was the only thing that was keeping it from gaining its shape and retaliating, but I was draining myself at an rming pace to achieve it. "Cadmus is dead as I wanted him to be! Even the main cast! There is no longer agonizing if they''ll die before their timees!" A tentacle shot out, but I merely side-stepped and dodged the attack. "You just solved all of my problems!" Something warm was flowing out of my eyes. Was it blood or was it tears? Honestly, I didn''t care anymore. In a few minutes, I was also going to die at the hands of the Abomination. The monster had grown too fast. The sky was still clear as ever, with no signs of spatial disturbance. It didn''t seem Administrator wasing anytime. Maybe if others were alive, I could''ve used other ways to confine or escape the Abomination, but that path was no longer attainable. But although I was going to die, I didn''t feel sad about my death. Just empty. "Die already!" Puchi-! Bang-! The Abomination''s strike connected and threw me flying away. Ignoring the blood pooling below me, I stood back. The God-Killing spear appeared in the air. [Enchantment: Fire] [Enchantment: Ice] Fwosh- Booom-! The spear struck the Abomination. Combining ice and fire, a mini explosion was set off as they mixed with the spear''s strange ability. Krreeeech- A strange cry left the Abomination''s mouth and it lunged at the Spear. It was almost as if the monster recognized Spear as its long-lost adversary. A ck sphere appeared above its mouth and a ck beam shot out. The ck beam corroded the Spear and decimated it. "I''m also here!" Phhzzzt- (x50) Swinging my arm downward, all the weapons rained over the Abomination. But this time, the monster shrugged them off with little to no struggle. At the same time, I spread the [Zero] from my feet and covered as much ground as possible. This should stop the Abomination for a few seconds, at least. C¡­crack- C¡­crack- C¡­crack- The cracks appeared in the sky with a weapon inside each of them. However, no matter what I did. No matter the rage, the despair, the loss, I was feeling; the monster overcame everything I had without straining itself in the slightest. The Abomination was stronger than me and it was growing continuously. My death was a given at this point. I didn''t have any tricks or ns left. "I hate this fucking novel!" From the day I transmigrated, I knew a day like this woulde. I''ll watch these ''characters'' die. It wasn''t worth any concern. It shouldn''t have been. ''It is not a real world. There is no need to think about their deaths.'' I told myself repeatedly. With my knowledge of the future, I thought I could ovee any situation. ''I can worry about otherster when I''m strong myself.'' But where was I now? Not even six months had passed since the day I opened my eyes in this world, but as if fate wanted to y with me as if it wasn''t enough for it to make me watch those I cared about die, everything always turned for worse. [Fragment of Eternity], the prize in my possession, was an ore. If any one of the cadets knew cksmithing or articifying, we could have a way to kill this monstrosity. Yet, everyone was killed minutes after the Abomination descended. Krreeeech- A grey shield covered the Abomination. Ah, it learned from me too? The strengthened punch from Kaneki, the attribute buff from Leon, and finally the defense from me. Thud-! My knees gave out and I fell to the ground. ''Did I run out of stamina already? How many hours passed since I began fighting the Abomination?'' Raising my arm, I checked the device I had on me. "What¡­? It''s not malfunctioning, is it?" I had to double-check to be certain that I wasn''t hallucinating. "Two minutes¡­" Unknowingly, I startedughing."It killed everyone and utterly defeated me in two minutes." From the corner of my eyes, I found the Abomination opening its maw, ready to use the ck beam. "Sigh, I thought I finally became overpowered after defeating the Overlord, and the next fight didn''t evenst three minutes." Staring at the pale blue sky, I infused Nether into my core. I wasn''t going to die without leaving a parting gift to this colorless bastard. At that moment, a shadow fell upon me, along with a familiar voice that rang in my ears. "[Shield of Oblivion]" Baang-! "This is why I warned you to not change the storyline." Chapter 205 Death And Despair [2] A majestic ck door with red engravings grew out of the ground and blocked the Abomination''s attack. "This is why I warned you to not change the storyline. In this world, an unknown variable can be the difference between life and death." Floating in the sky high above was Lark. He had his eyes closed even now as he faced the Abomination. The monster looked at him with interest at the appearance of the new interference. I took a mouthful of air and stood back with the support of the sword in my hand. At the same time, God-Killing Spear was forming in the air. "What are you doing?" "Preparing to fight." I answered while wiping the blood from the corner of my lips. The Abomination, with its trait [Life Detection] locked on at the strongest enemy on the battlefield, Lark, and crouched. Bam-! Its figure tore through the air and covered the distance between Lark and itself in a few rapid seconds. "I don''t need your help" Lark sighed, and a grimoire appeared in his hands. ", [Heavy Air], [Invisible Wall], ." Heavy winds blew and slowed the Abomination. His trajectory halted as if it hit an invisible wall, and a 10-meterrge hammer appeared above it. Bang-! The monster was smashed back to the ground. "Why are you helping me?" "I''m not helping you." The pages of the grimoire in his hands flipped at an insane speed and dozens of magic circles formed in the air. "[Eight Trigrams], [Hell''s Banishment], [Eternal Zero]" An octahedral shield trapped it, ck hands appeared from the ground and wrapped around its body, snowkes that froze everything that touched them within eternal ice. "[Vine Entrapment], [Earth Lock], [Binds of Darkness], , [Heat Compound], [Monster Belly], " Lark used high-grade skills and magic nonstop. His figure rapidly shriveled, his hair turning white, and his voice weakened. ", [Entropy Confine], [Water Sphere], [Light Cage], " A hurricane of skills and magic erupted. Watching the grimoire, I felt a sudden excitement boil inside me. It was almost as if something inside me recognize that artifact. Appraisal activated on its own. ====== [Grimoire of Hope [Legacy] ] The grimoire belonging to the 7th ancient hero, Hope. It has been said that this grimoire once contained all magic and skills in existence. -Allows the user to store Skills (???/???) -Allows the user to store Magic Spells (???/???) -Gives the user a portion of Hope''s stigma [Miracle]. The chances of the activation of this ability depends on luck stat. -??? -??? -??? -??? ====== [Warning! [Appraisal] has been blocked] [Appraisal] suddenly shut down and my eyes stung. Thud- "Peeking isn''t a good habit." Larknded beside me. He had a pale visage and blood mixed with sweat flowed down from his orifices. Although the grimoire gave him the ability to use skills and magic beyond his rank, it didn''te without a price. "I didn''t think you would fight." "And I didn''t think you... would hold me in such high-regard. Can I know.... what I did to gain the honour?" Although causally speaking, Lark was anything but fine. He looked as if he would die any second. "You didn''t help on Floor 0 when the Royal Demon almost killed everyone." I felt a little empty by the end of my words. Everyone had died. Lark panted heavily and spoke in between his gasps. "I learned from¡­ my mistakes. Of course, I would leave enough power¡­ to fight, if something goes ¡­wrong again." The God-Killing Spear was nowplete, and it floated above me. Lark ignored the Spear and tapped at my abdomen. "[Angel''s Grace], [Healing Light]" A pale light covered me, healing all my injuries in a few seconds, and a string of notifications appeared in front of my eyes. [Health recovery rate has been increased by 250% for 48 hours] [Ether recovery rate has been increased by 250% for 48 hours] Haaah- Haaah- Cough- Lark spat a mouthful of blood and almost fell. "Don''t worry about me. This isn''t my real body." He stood back and looked at the dozens of skills and spells, working ceaselessly to confine that monstrosity, with a grim expression. "I''ll teleport you to others. Don''t use your shield or my skill will fail again." The tremors were slowly but surely increasing. Lark exined hurriedly. "You need to reach a high-numbered Floor, if possible, the 3rd Trial, to escape the Abomination." Bang- Bang- Lark looked at the cracks appearing on the magic circles and spoke faster. "I can stop the Abomination for 10, no, 15 minutes. It might not be possible, but if you are lucky when entering the next floor, you''ll be teleported near the boss zone and can climb faster." I shook my head in refusal. Lark''s n was unfeasible at best. Clearing one floor requires days at minimum, with the luck added into the equation, it became useless. But I asked for something else. "Others are alive?" Baannnng-! Baaaaannng-! "Yes, I teleported them next to the boss zone. They refused to leave without you. Again, the Administrator will note, so all of you are on your own. I will stop the Abomination but it will beparatively stronger than now. You have to hurry if you want to live." Booom-! Before I could speak, an ear-shattering explosion ensued. The magic circles self-destructed along with the skills. I was almost knocked out from the shockwaves, but Lark stopped them with another spell. "Shit! It learned [Magic-Sequence Dposition] already!" p- p- p- The grimoire flew into the air. "Nathan, if others die because of you, I''ll kill you even if I have to resurrect you for it!" A massive magic circle formed in the air with me as the center. "Wait, I have¨C" "[Forced Teleportation]" * "¨C[Fragment of Eternity] !" Bam- I crashed into the ground. Before I could stand back, familiar voices entered my ears. "Nathan!" Cadmus, followed by a quiet Susan, and a despondent Leon, came to me. Kaneki and four more cadets were standing near the boss zone entrance. Lark had teleported me several dozens kilometers away. ''Administrator won''t being?'' Lark''s words echoed in my mind. ''No, I don''t think he is lying.'' I turned to Cadmus. "Was everyone rescued?" "¡­No. Only 8 of us are alive and Satoru is on the brink of death due to losing his clone. He is barely hanging with the help of the ''healing potion'' Leon gave him." Everyone held a different expression as they looked at me. They couldn''t help but recall the show of might I disyed earlier. They didn''t look injured in the least, probably thanks to Lark, only their clothes were in tartars with dust and blood smeared on them. However, Satoru seemed to be in critical condition. "W-what was that¡­?" Leon''s eyes were bloodshot and blood was flowing from his fists as his nails dug into his skin. I turned my head away. Even if Leon didn''t see the God-Killing Spear, he should have been able to sense the familiar energy and recognize it from the Underworld. Today, no matter if we escaped alive or not, nothing would remain the same. "Leon, Nathan, I don''t know what is going on between you two but, this isn''t the time for it. The two of you are the strongest among the remaining cadets, any dispute between both of you will lead to more deaths." Opening and closing his mouth several times, Leon ultimately agreed to Cadmus'' suggestion. Rather than following Cadmus'' advice, he was trying to deny the reality in front of him. "We''ll enter the boss zone and leave for the next floor." As everyone was leaving, I interjected. "I''m not leaving." The group froze and turned to me with shocked gazes. Most of them were worried about the strongest cadet leaving the group. "Nathan, I don''t know what you are trying to do but¨C" "I''m not stopping anybody, but I won''t be leaving." "Can you tell me why?" Cadmus, realizing that I had reasons for staying back even though it was life-threatening, questioned. ''Should I tell them?'' My thoughts raced. Our limited time was slipping, we didn''t have much time to discuss. ''But I can''t do it alone. I need their help.'' Haaaa- "Clearing one floor will need days at the minimum. There is no way to outrun the Abomination, even if we go to the next floor." Everybody''s face hardened. They must have realized this too, but with no other way than to keep running, everyone was turning a blind eye to the eventual demise. Everyone except one. "Do you have a way out of this situation?" Cadmus asked with a smile on his face. That smile made me speechless. ''We are going to die any second now and he is relishing in uncovering talented cadets, even now?'' Shaking my head, I stopped the useless thoughts. "The chances are low, but yes, I do." * "Are you confident, Satoru?" "Cough..yes..cough¡­I c-can do it." "Don''t worry about his skills. I can vouch for them." Cadmus reassured me, but it didn''t help much. However, I had to take the risk if I wanted my n to work. Vupp- A purple stone came out of my storage ring. "Any weapon will work. You are free to make anything but you have only a few minutes toplete the task." Passing the [Fragment of Eternity] to Satoru, I told him his job. Making an artifact-ss weapon in a few minutes wasn''t easy, it something only a master could do. But Cadmus wouldn''t recruit anything less than exceptional talent under him. Taking a deep breath, I repeated my n for onest time. "Cadmus and Leon will go to the marked location, while Susan and Kaneki will join into the fray between Abomination and Lark. Lastly, I''ll¡­." Chapter 206 Death And Despair [3] Beep- Following the device''s beep, Susan''s voice came through. -We reached the target location. We''ll engage shortly "Follow the n and... don''t die" -You too Beep- "Huuuu...." Susan and Kaneki''s job was to help Lark until we move on to the next part of the n. Lark was strong, undoubtedly so, even if it wasn''t X''s real body it was a loss if he dies while stopping Abomination. We need to run while saving Lark, only he was capable of stopping Abomination, and we needed him for it. "It should be somewhere around here." My eyes scanned through the surroundings while I stood at the area marked on the map as the location of the Skill-Evolution stone. "This is taking too much time." ''[Appraisal]'' Manually searching for the stone was time-consuming, the only thing we couldn''t afford at the moment. The Appraisal yielded results swiftly. ====== [Skill Evolution Stone [Epic] ] -Increases the rank of skill by one grade -Can only be used on skills of Epic-grade and lower -Number of uses: 1 ====== I pulled the stone out of the bark of the tree. Looking at its status window, I used it without hesitation. [You have used [Skill Evolution Stone [Epic]] Please choose a skill to upgrade] [You have chosen [Golden Turtle [Unique]] Y|N ] Clicking on ''yes'', a golden light rushed through the stone and permeated me. [Congrattions, your skill [Golden Turtle [Unique]] has been upgraded to [Golden Turtle[Epic]] ] "Leaderboard" Navigating through the status screen, I opened my Skill tab. ====== [Golden Turtle [Epic] ] -For every charge user can block one attack from someone on the same level as him or a lower level -Charges left: 10/10 -Charges Refill: 30 minutes/Charge -Upgrade Condition: Consume 1000 Lvl.25 Aether cores ====== "Thankfully, it''s the same" I sighed inadvertently. After the upgrade, I no longer needed to eat Aether cores to refill the charge. The charges would fill by themselves at the speed of 30 minute/charge. It seemed like a degrade not upgrade, but with this, the skill gained the ability to upgrade and be more powerful. Not to mention, now the skill will also block attacks on the same level as me. "I should hurry" Confirming the skill details, I dashed to the area where everyone was fighting. *** -(Present || Lark is stopping the Abomination)- "[Mud Enthrallment]" Mud rose from the ground and shaped into a semi-solid golem. The creature jumped over Abomination and confined it for another ten seconds. "What are they doing?" Lark''s figure had shriveled greatly. He looked like an old man who just finished a marathon. "Why haven''t they left yet?" ? The ck curtain that envelopes the boss zone once someone engages the boss monster had not yet been deployed. "It must be his doing." Lark didn''t even have the energy to spare to shout in anger. If others hadn''t been adamant about not leaving without Nathan, he wouldn''t have rescued him. But he was now regretting listening to their demands. "Leon can''t die here" The pages of the grimoire fluttered and several magic circles appeared in the air. Kreeh- The Abomination punched a hole in the mud doll''s abdomen and jumped out. At that moment, two uninvited guests joined the battlefield. "[Equinox sh]" A great white arc shot out and shed at the Abomination, throwing it a few dozen meters away. Lark, who ''saw'' everything from higher in the sky, was shocked. "Why are you two here?! Didn''t I tell you two go to the higher floors?!" Bam-! The Abomination ignored the bewilderment of its earlier enemy and shed his two arms at Susan. "Tin Can, dodge this!" Suddenly, Kaneki appeared behind the Abomination and attacked. Susan skillfully dodged the Abomination''s attack and also rushed at it. Both of them charged without holding back, but the monster didn''t bother to dodge in the slightest. Abomination retracted its hand and curled its figure before their attacks reached him. Fschk- Spikes jutted out its body in a split second. "It''s annoying" Kaneki worded whilending on the ground, 20 meters away from the Abomination. He and Susan had seen the move earlier and thus had no problem dodging it. "[Air Wisps]" Gentle gusts of wind picked Susan and Kaneki and took them toward Lark. "[Leaf tornado], [Grass des]" The monster tried to follow behind them, but Lark moved before it and stopped the monster. "Why didn''t you leave?" Lark asked urgently and slightly angrily. He was trying his best to hold back the monstrosity known as Abomination, but with everyone still on this floor, his sacrifice became useless. "Here" Susan passed him a slip of paper. Simultaneously, Kaneki broke free from the air currents, holding him in the air, and jumped down. Alternating between Kaneki and the piece of paper, Lark ultimately focused on the paper. Kaneki should have no problem bearing the brunt of Abomination''s attack for a few seconds. ------ I have [Fragment of Eternity] and a n ------ "!!!" Lark''s brows jumped in surprise. He went silent for a few seconds before asking Susan, "Is he saying the truth?" "Yes" Susan gazed at Kaneki, who was struggling to hold back Abomination. But to her, it was clear that the Abomination was amused by Kaneki''s absurd regeneration and ying with him. Slowly, Kaneki''s hair was returning to its original ck color. "Can you hold back the monster for 30 seconds?" Lark asked Susan after a great deal of consideration. "If what Nathan is telling is true, I might have a way to buy us a lot of time, but for that, I''ll have to retract my support" Even now, dozens of magic spells and skills were working in tandem to weaken the Abomination. Otherwise, Kaneki would''ve died in the first exchange with the monster. Nodding, Susan jumped below. Lark flew higher into the sky and stopped using his skills and magic. A golden light seeped through the grimoire and a 50-meter-wide magic circle appeared in the air. Below on the ground, Kaneki was overwhelmed within a few seconds, but Susan managed to help him on time. "Don''t do anything unnecessary" Kaneki flinched at Susan''s warning, but he quickly regained his confidence. "I know!" Bang-! The muscles on his leg bulged and he kicked the ground. A massive piece of ground broke and was flipped into the air. Susan brought a sword out and hit therge chunk of earth with the t side of her sword. "[Break]" Baaangg-! Webbed cracks spread on the piece of earth and it broke down into smaller pieces. However, they didn''t fall and flew in a single direction. Kreeeh- Dozens of tentacles grew off the Abomination''s back and thrashed. Destroying the pieces of rocks, the Abomination attempted to look for them, only to realize that a significant amount of dust had covered the area. Susan and Kaneki took advantage of the natural smokescreen and, as they had nned, attacked the monster with only minimum attacks to keep it busy. A smile crept on Lark''s face as he realized that they had nned to do this from the beginning, even if he didn''t ask for their help. It was clear who had told them to do so. Finally, Lark''s spell wasplete. "" Crack- The space above the magic circle shattered, revealing a dark hole in reality. The ck vortex was swallowing up everything around it, leaving only an empty void behind--and then sucked them into its depths. "You could use Rank 6 magic too?" Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! (x8) Innumerable weapons rained down and pinned the Abomination''s tentacles to the ground. The monstrosity roared, recognizing the familiar attack pattern. "It isn''tplete, but it should work." Lark answered Nathan in a solemn tone. "Do you actua-" Beep- The ringing of Nathan''s device cut Lark off. -We are ready "Good work" Vrrrrooooom- Before Lark could ask who the person on the other side was, approximately 50 kilometers away, a skeleton giant appeared. Bam- Kaneki jumped into the air and swiftly arrived in front of Lark. Without lettingrkprehend the situation, he spun in the air and kicked! Bang-! Lark''s figure tore through the air and he crashed into the ground. "Thank you for the spell, but you should rest now." Nodding to Nathan, Susan picked Lark, who was disoriented from the impact, and bolted towards the boss zone, followed closely by Kaneki. "Return" A whisper left Nathan''s lips as he dived to face the Abomination. 1 second... The 60-meter-long Spear in the hands of the skeleton giant trembled. However, Leon burned his mana without restraints to hold the weapon from flying away. 2 seconds.... "Cadmus!" nk- nk- nk- Chains erupted from Cadmus and coiled around the Spear holding the arm of the Skeleton giant. The figure of the skeleton giant wavered and all of its energy condensed into the arm to empower it. 4 seconds... "Leon! It''d done!" The Skeleton giant moved and got ready to throw the Spear. At the same time, Cadmus used another skill, "[Gae Bolg] !" A crimson-red fire covered the Spear. 6 seconds... [Enchantment: Light] Boooom-! A reddish-golden trail stretched through the skies. It covered the distance at a world-shaking record. 9 seconds... The Abomination sensed the powerful threat flying towards it. Roaring the monster opened its maw to shoot the ck beam. "No, you don''t!" Nathan used his art to the fullest and attacked with [Zero]. He had to stop the Abomination from blocking or destroying the attack. 10 seconds... The Spear met its mark anda€" BOOOM-! a€"Everything in a 1-kilometer diameter was wiped out of existence. Chapter 207 Death And Despair [4] A 1-kilometer wide and 5-meter deep crater had been carved onto the earth. Thebined actions of Nathan, Cadmus, and Leon increased the power behind the Spear by many times. At the center of the crater was a grey puddle lying still and lifeless. Besides it nothing else remained. Phak- Suddenly, an arm shot out of the surface, followed by a mass of flesh attached to it. Thud- Nathan fell to the ground as soon as he stepped out. A groan left his lips when his mangled flesh touched the ground again. His hair had been half-burnt along with his skin, which had turned ck and red with a leathery appearance. Fortunately, although his nerves had been fried from the heat of the explosion, his left arm still worked. Vupp- A vial appeared on his left and he poured its contents over his cracked lips. "Twat waz baa¡­z" A strange voice left his mouth as the elixir worked its wonders. Nathan was healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. The recovery boost given by Lark acted multiplicatively with the healing rate of elixir, giving him healing of mid-grade elixir. He used everything he had. [Ether ¨C 48 --> Ether ¨C 50 (locked) ] [Constitution ¨C 15 --> Constitution ¨C 17] Forcing himself to stand the moment his muscles were healed enough to work, he ran toward the grey pool. He had to use this moment of respite and throw the Abomination into the Wormhole, or everything would''ve been for naught. [Golden Turtle] after reaching [Epic-grade] should''ve been able to block his own attacks. Nevertheless, because he was worried that if he used a small distance to let the Spear elerate it wouldn''t gather enough energy to damage Abomination, Nathan asked for Leon and Cadmus'' help to give the Spear enough power over the short distance it would cover. The result was as he intended, or one could say, it was better than intended, too good than necessary. Nathan had blocked the attack but he couldn''t sustain the shield against such a powerful attack as his ether reserves hit rock bottom within a few seconds and the skill stopped working. ''I knew this could happen, but it was seriously dangerous. If I didn''t have Lark''s support magic cast on me, I could''ve died.'' Death was already guaranteed. Nathan knew they would have no chance of victory if he had hesitated. He ran to the Abomination without hesitation. The monster had yet to recover. Even if it was invincible, theirst attack wasn''t something it could ignore without any preparations. KReeeEECcHHhh- A strange voice followed by hundreds of spikes protruded from the grey pool. "[Go..lden ¡­Turtle] !" ngg-! ngg-! He slid between the spikes and kept running. The innumerable spikes attacked without discrimination. Nathan narrowly dodged the spikes, blocking the spikes was reducing his little to nothing ether reserves even more. Jolts spread through his body every time his feet touched the ground. Many a time he almost fell, unable to continue and sometimes even thinking of giving up, hoping to rest. "Like hell, I''ll give up!" Shouting to himself even when his throat hurt, he lunged at the grey pool and picked it up. Phhhzzzt- Without thinking twice, he jumped on the broad sword with the Abomination and shot it toward the magic spell in the sky. krreEEEcCCHHH- ng-! ng-! The monster attacked continuously, Nathan''s ether reserves dwindled even faster as he could no longer dodge, leaving everything to his shield. Phhhzzzt- Fortunately, the Wormhole was not very far in the sky, its suction making it easier to fly towards it. Changing his ride only 2 times Nathan covered half of the distance, his speed increasing with every ride. But the Abomination wasn''t giving up either. Its attacks reduced in number as it focused on a few spikes to increase the power behind them. Cracks spread over [Golden Turtle] and Nathan puked blood. The grey goo seeped inside the shield, attempting to kill him for once and all. With one final push, Nathan reached his destination. Swinging his arm, he threw the Abomination with as much force as he could muster and let the suction do its job. The Abomination retaliation increased, however. Dozens of grey tentacles grew out of it and went towards Nathan, attempting to pull Nathan along with it, or better yet, throwing only Nathan inside the Wormhole in its ce. Phhhhzzzzt- (x50) However, an armada of weapons materialized in the air,bating numbers for numbers. The battlested for only 3 seconds, each of which felt like an eternity to Nathan. Nevertheless, he didn''t stop. This was thest hurdle to their victory. Bang-! With one final sh, the Abomination was pushed into the Wormhole. kREEchHHH- The Abomination''s final struggle was music to his ears. A faint smile appeared on Nathan''s visage, which contained a hint of helplessness too. The Abomination had been defeated but Nathan was also being pulled into the Wormhole. After having outdone himself several times already, even breathing feltborious to him, let alone trying to escape the suction of the Wormhole. A short chuckle followed by fits of coughs and blood flowing down his orifices resounded. The n was never to push the Abomination into the wormhole, nor was it to take the impact of God-Killing Spear with the Abomination. Saving Lark, pinning Abomination to the ground, and then running away while God-Killing Spear strikes. The simple sequence of actions turned life-threatening when Lark executed the spatial spell and Nathan decided to use the opportunity and end it for once and all. ''Well, it''s not that bad.'' Nathan attempted to console himself. Broken wormholes were no different from rifts. There was a 0.00001% chance that one might not be ripped to shreds and be transported to another location in the vast cosmos. The only requirement was being lucky, incredibly so. ''Ah, crap. There goes my chance of surviving.'' While Nathan was wallowing in self-pity, satisfaction, and contentment, a familiar voice echoed. "If that was a n, I don''t want to know what will be a suicidal attempt for you." Thick wines wrapped around his waist and gently pulled back him to the ground. A subtle glow spread from the vines to him, boosting his health and ether recovery to another level. Chapter 208 Death And Despair [5] Susan and Kaneki ran to the boss zone while carrying Nathan and Lark. When Nathan was about to be pulled into the Wormhole, Lark rescued him at thest moment. Normally, Lark shouldn''t have been able to cover the distance in such a short amount of time. However, Nathan''s desperate struggles during the final sh brought enough time to save him. Lark was breathing slowly and his skin shriveled like a dried branch. His cheeks had sunk into his skull and he was spasming every few minutes. Nathan was no better, with half of his nerves fried and flesh mangled to the extreme. His appearance was hideous and disgusting to even look at. The only reason he was alive was thanks to Lark. Nevertheless, Susan didn''t direct her eyes away from him. Unknown emotions brewed behind her gaze and she bit her lips until blood flowed out of them. Kaneki was no better himself. His hair had half reverted to ck color. It was taking his all to stop his ego from swapping and letting Ken take over. Without his superior regeneration and stamina, Ken would die from extreme exhaustion the moment he regained control. As the group was rushing to everyone, the two Outsiders were busy talking to each other. -That was one shit n. How were you nning toe out alive if I wasn''t there? ''If you weren''t there, we wouldn''t havee back to fight the Abomination. Rather, we would''ve been long dead already.'' -That doesn''t answer me. Why save me? Nathan''s lips curled into a smile. At least he tried to do so, only to fail miserably with half of his face not responding at all. ''You can fight the Abomination on an equal footing. I would be stupid to let you die here and run away.'' Although it was dangerous to fight Abomination on a run, it was miles better than gaining a short distance between them by sacrificing Lark. In his opinion, even if it was dangerous to save Lark as that meant having the Abomination on their heels all time, Lark''s usefulness offset the risks. An example would be , a Rank 3 spell Lark was using currently, which was hard enough that only 0.1% of mages could use it. Yet Lark was using it without his grimoire. Finally, the group reached its objective. At the same time, Cadmus and Leon also returned. The six individuals set foot in the ce and almost copsed immediately. A rare true smile spread across Cadmus'' face as he looked at everyone. He helped everyone sit against a tree and began applying first-aid to others. Leon and Cadmus were injured, but not in critical condition. Only their cores were almost empty. The same could be said about Susan, she was the healthiest in the group. The group had a rxed and carefree atmosphere. They hade out of a definite death alive by defeating an undefeatable monster. With the Abomination thrown somewhere in the vast universe, it had no way of returning. Only Leon was the one who was struggling mentally. If he had doubts about Nathan and Mr. Pepe after contemting in [Singrity] and those doubts were converted into suspicion when Shadow met him, now he was sure that Nathan was Mr. Pepe. Although the methods the two of them used to create weapons were different, the gargantuan Spear did not leave any room for doubts. While the group was resting, each busy with their own dilemmas, a cheerful voice echoed. "Ah~ This feels nice~" Satoru came out of the jungle and waved to the group with a merry expression. Watching him, a jolt ran through everyone''s mind, realizing a crucial fact they''d missed. Where were the rest of the cadets? "Why are youing from there, Satoru?" Cadmus gripped his spear secretly and stood in front of the group. At the same time, everyone channeled their energies, ready to jump into action at a moment''s notice. "I went into the jungle to get my corpse" Satoru scratched the back of his head. "Although the other half was dead, I''m able to absorb my dead parts into me to heal myself. The other cadets came with me to protect me." The forest behind Satoru rustled and other cadets came out too. A sigh escaped Cadmus'' lips. Knowing how Satoru''s stigma worked, it was true that Satoru could convert his dead or severed parts into crows and absorb them to heal himself. Everyone rxed as they noticed Cadmus. Suddenly, Nathan interjected. "But the location of the corpse was in the impact radius of Spear. How are you uninjured?" Satoru stiffened and abruptly burst intoughter. "Aha..hahah....ahah... It''s YOU AgAIn." Cough- Cough- Doubling over, Satoru started coughing hysterically. Blood mixed with bile juice flowed onto the ground. Others watched in trepidation until Satoru coughed grey blood. "Dammit!" Puchi-! Kaneki lunged at Satoru, but a gray hand suddenly impaled him from the back. He looked in horror as the grey arm held his heart and crushed it. Thud-! "WiLL yOU HeAL again ?" Kaneki''s corpse fell to the ground. Caw- Caw- Satoru broke into grey crows. The crows forced themselves into the mouths of the cadets that followed Satoru. Grey goo soon came out of their mouth and covered them whole. The five Abominations ran toward Nathan and Lark, both of who were slowly standing to fight again. Cadmus jumped between them and swung his spear in arge arc. The five Abominations were split into two halves each and a smile emerged on Cadmus'' face. The smile disappeared just as quickly when the Abominations broke into crows and became 10 Abominations. When it seemed like the end was near, spatial turbulence appeared in the sky. A portal formed through which an Abomination crossed over, the one that Nathan had through into the Wormhole. Leon watched helplessly as everything ended too quickly to react. The smaller abominations attacked them at themand of the biggest Abomination. "Go to the next floor!" Lark suddenly appeared next to Leon and threw him into the boss zone. He next went towards Cadmus and also threw him when suddenly a tentacle of Abomination caught Cadmus and flung him into the portal through which it came. Scanning his surroundings, Lark swiftly tried to locate Nathan and Susan. Locating them, Lark closed his eyes regretfully and attacked the boss monster with a magic bullet. "I''m sorry I couldn''t save everyone." "NO!" A ck curtain fell over the boss zone and cut Leon off from others. Amidst the Abominations was Susan, a hole pierced through her as she attempted to save Nathan at the cost of her own life, while behind her the very tentacle that killed Susan also seded in reaping Nathan''s life. Chapter 209 Death And Despair [6] An elongated arm of the Abomination pierced Susan. Going through her the arm had barely touched the forehead of Nathan. With a sharp pull, the Abomination retracted its arm, a rainbow-colored me at the end of it, causing Nathan and Susan to fall. "N..no, you can''t die¡­" Susan dragged herself to Nathan, blood seeping from her grievous wounds. "You p-promised to save me¡­d-don''t die." Her inwards spilled outwards, her vitality slowly diminishing away. A trickle of tears came down her eyes as she tried to shake Nathan away. He had no injuries, and with Susan taking the brunt of the attack, his body was in pristine condition. However, Nathan never responded. His eyes had lost their shine and were dull monotonous grey. The Abomination might not have injured Nathan physically but Nathan had lost something much more important. Leon continued to bang mercilessly on the ck curtain. His hands bled from the injuries but he was powerless. In front of his eyes, he saw Cadmus thrown into the Wormhole, Susan bleeding to death and the Abomination consuming the rainbow-colored me it pulled out of Nathan. "Leon! If you don''t leave now, everyone''s death will be in vain!" Lark roared and teleported Susan and Nathan''s corpses to himself. "You need to take revenge for them! And only by surviving can you do that!" Shame, regret, despair, anger, loss. The weight crumpled onto Leon''s shoulders. Again He failed again. He was running away again, leaving his burdens to others. "AHHHHH!!" His head felt like it would burst at any moment. Unknowingly, he dug his nails into his skin to stop the pain and torment. [''Denial'' has been detected. Conditions have been met.] [ [Raikou Lvl.1] is undergoing reawakening¡­.] Shouting until his throat hurt, he fell unconscious. The abominations stopped attacking at themand of thergest Abomination and watched Leon, who was on the other side of the ck curtain. [User soul is undergoing reanimation] [ [Full-Frame] is evolving¡­.1%...2%...] Aether wrapped around Leon, and his figure slowly levitated. The skeletal giant appeared behind him. But it wasn''t the same as before. Muscles began growing on the giant as its size increased from 15 meters to a towering height of 30 meters. Two additional arms grew on Raikou''s back, each carrying a sword. Thunder clouds gathered in air and rumbled intensely. The ethereal giant had only its upper torso, Leon floating inside it, yet it looked no different than a shura from hell. [Raikou Lvl.2 [Legacy] has been awakened] [ [Full-Frame] is evolving¡­.11%...14%...] The giant looked down at the Abomination. Its gaze slowly shifted to the grimoire in Lark''s hand, and finally rested on Nathan''s corpse. Confirming the Nathan''s death for onest time, Raikou snorted and turned back, killing the boss monster in one hit and bringing Leon to the next Floor. Kreeech- Thergest Abomination let out a cry and absorbed the smaller abominations. Its feature became more defined and its appearance became strikingly simr to a human. The only difference was that it had no facial features and only a grey figure. A thin line formed on its face and it split apart, revealing rows of jagged crystalline teethes. "Found you...Child of Destiny¡­" Kreeeech- The strange cry left its mouth again, but this time it was a celebration of joy. "You can talk already¡­?!" Finally realizing the gravity of the situation and where they had gone wrong, Lark''s hair stood on its end. ''No¡­'' Lark''s thoughts raced. ''It has had this level of intelligence since the beginning'' For the Abomination to pose as Satoru, it had to n everything from the beginning while others were fighting the main body. "You used these pieces you left to teleport back here¡­" "Cor..rrect" The Abomination cackled hysterically. When it killed Satoru, it learned his regeneration and scattered its pieces in case it was killed. Using those pieces as coordinates, it was able to return from the corner of the Universe it was thrown into. "Now..die¡­" Fwosh- "[Forced Teleport]" Several tentacles flew to kill Lark too. However, he teleported and ran away. * "huff¡­cough cough..huff" In between the uncontroble coughs, Lark puked the little blood he had left. "Dammit! The Abomination was hiding his intelligence because of Administrator!" Lark finally understood everything. The monster had been acting dumb to appear as an inconsequential threat. This way Administrator wouldn''t be in a hurry to descend and the Abomination would be able to kill the child of destiny. "But now it knows Administrator isn''ting! That must be why it showed its true color!" Lark bit his lips, trying to think of a n quickly, the Abomination will find his location in a few minutes at most. He abruptly heard a bout of coughs. Cough- Cough- Susan''s body spasmed uncontrobly. "They are here?!" Only now did Lark notice that Nathan and Susan had been teleported along with him. "But [Forced Teleport] only works on living beings!" He checked their condition hurriedly. "[Analysis]" Green light covered Susan and retracted shortly after. A frown rose on his face as Lark failed to get a response from the skill. "No doubt, she''s dead. But how is she regenerating?" Unknown to Lark, a string of notifications was appearing in front of Susan. ====== [Ugly Squid [Legendary] ] Once upon a time lived an ugly squid. The squid had many friends and was loved by all, however, he was hated just as much. With his tendency to sacrifice himself to protect his friends, he gave them many emotional traumas. Fed up with his antics, his friends created a skill to end it once and for all. -Revives the user upon death -Number of uses: 3 -Skill activation requirement: User must sacrifice themselves to protect another person. Only works for one person at a time. -Penalty: 1. Loss of 50% stats and 50% levels on revival 2. Upon revival, the user will goatose for an indefinite amount of time 3. After the user''s death, the protected person will die in exchange for reviving the user. ====== [ [Ugly Squid] has been used. The exchange has been made] [Remaining uses: 2] No matter what Lark did, he couldn''t understand how Susan was regenerating. Shaking his head, he turned to Nathan. "Are you alive too?" *** -(Present || Location: Stage-0 Dungeon ''Conqueror''s Trial'')- "Papa!" Nerael''s eyes snapped open and a shout left her small mouth. Agitated, she burst into tears. A thin and slender arm picked her up and patter her back. "Nera, did you have a bad dream again? Don''t worry, everything is okay." Evelyn continued to console the little child. For the past month, Nerael had been having constant nightmares. Only Evelyn and Miller were the ones who could stop Nerael''s crying and help her back to her cheerful mood. She refused to tell others about her dreams, but everyone in the group thought that she was lonely without Nathan and didn''t think much. But today seemed to be different. With each passing minute, Nerael only cried more, asking to meet Nathan. Suddenly, Evelyn felt a stir inside her soul and her face paled. Bam- "Eve!" In the next seconds, Miller and her two brothers rushed to her. "Did you¡­ did you feel it too? The Oath was era-" "Stop!" Miller shouted, trying to stop Elliot from speaking another word. He feared that if hepleted his words, they mighte true. However, everyone in the group felt it. The Oath with Nathan had disappeared. This meant only one thing. Nathan had died. * The group sat in silence inside the dungeon, not knowing what to do. Nerael had finally fallen asleep in Miller''s embrace after crying for several minutes. Slowly rocking her body, he was cleaning her snot-covered face. At that moment, a gust of wind appeared inside the dungeon. "haaah¡­haaah¡­ I have some news" Tristan pped his blood wings andnded. Sweat glistened on his forehead, signifying that he had rushed urgently to return. Noticing the group''s mood, he gritted his teeth and told them about the things he had been hiding. "Captain isn''t necessarily dead." "What?! Tell me!" Miller almost pounced on Tristan as he demanded an exnation. "I need to start from the beginning¡­" Tristan began narrating the events that transpired in Underworld on the day Nathan had returned gravely injured. The group''s eyes widened as they listened to the feats Nathan aplished. Everything Tristan dictated was beyond their wildest imagination. Tristan knew a good amount of unleaked information. Although Umbra and Aegis were trying to hide the information from spreading, with the scale of the fights as well as the colossal Spear that everyone inside the Underworld witnessed, it was only a matter of time before the public came to know about everything. Tristan was only a bit faster to collect the information. "What are you trying to say?" Listening to Nathan''s achievements, Miller felt proud of himself, but he understood that this wasn''t the time for such things. "A legendary-grade artifact has been deployed on Ward''s ground. They had isted the entire space inside there, turning it into a temporary locked pocket dimension." Tristan looked everyone in the eyes. "The official statements Ward is giving for these over-the-top measures are suspicious. If I''m not wrong, they are doing all this to capture Captain." His exceptional disguise skills gave him the ability to collect a lot of information easily. Tristan had been away from the group for a few weeks, collecting information. Sighing deeply, Tristan gave his conclusion of the events thus far. "It''s possible that the barrier is the reason why we can''t feel the presence of the Oath that connects us to Captain or..." Or maybe he is dead. Tristan didn''t speak thest part. A few minutes passed in silence when suddenly Miller stood up and, passing Nerael to Evelyn, began walking out of the Dungeon. "Where are you going?" Turning back, Miller spoke with determined tone. "I''m going to save Captain. If what you said is true, then Captain will need as much help as he can." "What¡­?"A baffled expression decorated Tristan''s face. "Did you even understand anything? Captain is being pursued by Aegis. There is no way an Iota-rank like you can help him." "I know, but I''ve decided to follow him to the end." Without speaking another word, Miller left. He understood that, unlike him, others were only following his captain due to the Oaths. He did not expect them to risk their lives in his fruitless endeavor. Haaaaa- Tristan shook his head helplessly. "Wait for me, I''ming too." Chapter 210 Emmet Of Babylon "His heartbeat is decreasing?!" A cry of surprise left Lark''s mouth. Miniature magic circles hovered above his fingers as he swiftly checked Nathan''s condition. Knowing that he himself was about to die, he didn''t hold back in saving as many as possible. "What¡­? How is this possible¡­" Lark stared at Nathan in shock, the magic circles over his fingers disappearing. "¡­He lost his soul core?" He bit his lips unconsciously. At the same time, Nathan''s pulse had slowed to a halt. In a few minutes, he would die, physically too. "It''s impossible to save him." His head hung low in shame and regret, Lark moved to heal Susan. If Nathan had been injured physically ¨C knowing what was toe in the future - Lark would''ve tried to save him by any means possible, but that was no longer feasible. "er..hh" Lark was walking toward Susan when he lost control of his body and abruptly fell. Gnashing his jaw, he couldn''t help butment in anger. "I¡­ can''t save Susan." Susan might be healing at this very moment but she couldn''t leave this floor. Suddenly, the roar of trees toppling echoed along with an angry howl. "[Mass Blink]" Vupp- Lark''s figure, along with Nathan and Susan, disappeared from the ground and reappeared higher in the sky. "Found¡­you¡­" The Abomination muttered causally, as the spikes jutting out of his body covered 100 meters each. "I''m¡­sorry. I need to save my energy to stall the Abomination." Three magic circles appeared above and below Nathan and Susan. An invisible film wrapped around their bodies and they disappeared in the blink of an eye. "This is all I can do for you." Covered in a special barrier, Susan and Nathan''s corpse was teleported to a far corner of Floor 13. Lark could only hope that the barrier blocked the [Life Detection] of the Abomination and left Susan alone. As for Nathan, before Lark teleported him, he confirmed his heart to have stopped beating. "I''ll eat that¡­ grimoire and then¡­. Child of¡­. Destiny.." The Abomination puckered its lips gleefully. "I''m sorry¡­" Lark whispered to himself again. Saving Nathan was possible if Lark fought to take back the soul core ¨C the rainbow-coloured me that the Abomination absorbed- however stalling the Abomination to give extra time for Leon to escape was just as important. On hisst leg, Lark could not fight the Abomination at his full power while also stalling it. Only one among Nathan and Leon could be saved. Fschk- Spikesced in a grey lightning shot to the jump, impaling Lark and killing him when, for the first time, Lark slowly opened his eyes. Abomination retracted its attack instantly and jumped a hundred meters back. Around Lark, almost in a dozen-meter radius, chaotic pressure appeared and ttened everything to dust. The show of might did not shake the Abomination as much as the color of the eye did. His one eye was green, the same as the real Lark, but the other eye¡­ "Golden¡­ eye¡­?" Several books materialized around Lark. His golden eye shone brightly and the books fluttered open. [essing record of character "Leon Barns"¡­..] [essing record of character "Susan Warner"¡­..] [essing record of character "Lilith Ashdown"¡­..] [essing record of character "Anna Kenward"¡­..] A giant skeleton appeared in the air. White mes covered the skeleton and formed a massive scythe. Blood flew out of the corpses of cadets and spun violently. Radiating an alluring yet deadly dark red color. Magic circles covered the sky, stretching endlessly into the horizon. "Monarch¡­? No, you are¡­an¡­." The Abomination was startled, witnessing something just as great as the grimoire. "¡­Emmet of Babylon" *** -(Present || Location: Floor 14)- Leon''s unconscious figure gently descended. A 30-meter giant with four arms looked at him. The figure of the giant was bing transparent, he was losing his conscious self again, so he decided to conserve his energy and tell an important message to his Lord, for the giant didn''t know how long it might take to meet his lord again. In a few minutes, Leon''s eyes gently fluttered open. A golden status screen covered his vision. [ [Full-Frame] is evolving¡­. 55.69%¡­. 56.42%....] "You are awake, my lord." The presence of the giant deterred any monster froming near Leon. The monsters knew only chaos and destruction, yet they were afraid of approaching the giant. "Where am I?" "On Floor 14 of the Pagoda of Death, my lord." Grabbing his head, Leon sat with a nk look on his face. He was recalling everything that transpired earlier, his face expressionless. "The sessor of Devil had died, my Lord. You should now not worry and focus on reaching the 3rd Trial to escape the Abomination." The giant had be almost transparent. He did not have much time left, thus he spoke without waiting for his lord''s permission. "It might be difficult, but with me reaching Level 2, lord doe-" Leon suddenly cut Raikou and posed a question. "The one who saved me in Underworld¡­ It wasn''t you, was it?" "My lord, this isn''t th-" "Answer me" A chilling atmosphere surrounded Leon as he stared expressionlessly at the horizon. "No, my lord" "Who was it?" The giant tried to dodge the topic, but Leon didn''t let him. "You''ve already lied to me once. Do not test my patience by lying again." Raikou ufortably shifted back. Evenbining the two lives, the number of times Leon acted like this could be counted on one hand. "The sessor of Mephi-" "He has a name" "¡­the human called Nathan Hunt, your friend my lord." Sensing something off about Leon, Raikou spoke hurriedly. "My Lord, you shouldn''t make the same mistake as your previous life, the Devi-" "Shut up." Leon slowly stood up and checked his katana. Making sure his weapon was in the best condition, he sat down to meditate. "He saved him me twice. He could''ve killed me the first time easily if he wanted. This time, too, he didn''t need to put his life on the line and resist the Abomination. But all you can see is someone evil." Nathan killed almost a hundred humans in the Underworld, Leon did not forget this. If Nathan was still alive, Leon would''ve made sure he paid for his sins, but that was no longer possible. However, because Nathan killed someone did not mean his friendship was fake. "He was desperately trying to save me, Susan, and everyone. But just because he has an artifact of the Devil, you only think of killing him." Leon could recall it clearly. Even at thest second ¨C when the Abomination copied his lightning and blew the surroundings to smithereens¨C the first thing Nathan did was to put up defenses for others, not save himself. "Sure, he was trying to kill the Abomination, but he didn''t let others go through the pain. He didn''t even utter an ounce of cry when he was fighting that monstrosity with half of his body burned. Yet he didn''t ask for help" Leon gritted his teethes. If all Nathan cared about was killing the Abomination, he could''ve asked others to help him. But he didn''t. Despite telling everyone to run after the Spear strikes, Nathan didn''t and instead fought. Alone. Clenching his fists, Raikou could only stay silent. ''You shouldn''t trust him, my lord.'' There was a lot to say, but the time and ce didn''t give them the leeway. "The Abomination wille any second, my lord. You need to start moving." "I will fight it here." Leon''s tone left no room forpromise. "I''m sick of running away. If I''m going to die, then I''ll die facing my fears." *** -(Present ||Location: Nathan''s soul)- Eth was standing in front of the dark veil with determination in his eyes. Exhaling deeply, he stretched his hands and entered the veil. He felt as if he was walking through a marsh, a deep, thick marsh. Coldness bit on his skin, digging its fangs deeper with each second, yet Eth did not stop walking. This is the only way. Repeating the same sentence over and over in his mind, he braved through the endless darkness. Stepping out of the ck mist, he suddenly heard clunking of chains. A familiar clunking. [??? has used his used his Authority [Chains of Order] ] Before Eth could glimpse at his new surroundings, the chains covered everything. They meshed into each other, split, meshed again, and continued to do so until Eth was standing inside a tunnel made of chains. The chains were tightly interlocked and didn''t leave an ounce of a gap to peek through. [??? says you took a long time to make up your mind] (But I''m ready now) His steps held conviction as he marched forward. His green eyes peered through the tunnel, trying to see the person standing at the end. [??? asks your reason foring here] Eth was the one who had told Nathan to nevere here. It was because Eth could tell,ing here was a step one could not take back. It would not end well. (Please help, Nathan) But for someone lost, even a speck of light at the end of the tunnel is as bright as the sun. (I''ll pay any price. But please help him.) At that moment, no system window answered but an actual voice. "He is living through his own choices. This is not my ce to intervene." (I''ll do anything, please¡­.) When did he grow so close to Nathan? Eth himself didn''t know. What he did know was that he didn''t want him to die. He wanted to support his dreams. "No matter how much you beg, the answer won''t change." A disapproving voice came back. "Even if I agree, saving him is something I cannot do, for it is impossible to go against the providence." Chapter 211 Three Ways Of Survival (N..no way¡­.) Just as Eth was lost in his grieving the system window changed again. [??? tells you toe closer] "I cannot change anything, but that does not mean there is no way." With trembling steps, he walked ahead. The tunnel felt long and unending but the events that were unfolding were of more concern. What did he mean by saying that it was impossible to save Nathan? Why was he going back on his word? What was the reason behind transmigrating Nathan, and why in his body? (W-what do you mean?) A dozen meters in front, Eth saw someone seated. The darkness was inhibiting him from making out the being''s features but he could still see his two golden eyes shining brightly. "There are three ways to save him" nk- nk- A small gap formed in the chains, through which the being pulled something. A book. Flipping the pages, the being continued. "Firstly, do nothing. As the holder of the title [Pseudo Ego Weapon], he has already be an ego weapon, albeit partially." He exined in a calm and poised tone. "Ego weapons are weapons with artificial souls, they don''t need a soul core. Chances aren''t low that he can recover without outside intervention. However¡­" nk- nk- Putting the book back, he stood up and came toward Eth with slow steps. "He might die any momentter. With him being only a partial ego weapon, no one knows what can happen next. This brings me to the other two methods." Suddenly, the being''s tone changed and he spoke, almost amused. "Resonance. Be his soul core. Previously both of you were two separate entities so you could revert back from assimting into each other. But with the absence of Nathan''s soul core, the assimting will be permanent. Of course, the control will go to Nathan and his psyche won''t change. The only demerit is that ''you'' will cease to exist." As the being circled him, Eth''s confusion turned into conviction. The being felt¡­ familiar, but Eth shook his head, he could think of these thingster. (¡­.What is the third way?) "Oh, you don''t want to lose your ''self''? Then the third method suits you the best." The being crouched and whispered in his ears. "Snatch the control from Nathan and devour his soul" (W..what?) Sitting back, the being crossed his legs and his golden eyes stared at Eth. "Why are you shocked? With the absence of his soul core, only one of you can gain control with the other being devoured." The being''s tone as he walked back to his seat turned from arrogant and poised to enticing and tempting. "Why are you shaking? Isn''t this a good deal? You get a body that at Iota-rank is capable of fighting Enma-rankers. Besides, with his knowledge, you''ll only grow even more." (That isn''t the answer I want.) Eth gritted his teethes. The being in front was essentially saying either gamble with Nathan''s life, sacrifice his own life, or sacrifice Nathan''s life. "Don''t be sentimental. Nathan doesn''t belong to this world, he has no goals except for living, and neither is he mentally stable. On the other hand, we have you, a dweller of this world. Someone who lived his life here, someone who has his goals to achieve, someone who wants to protect his family." "There is no need to think about it. Isn''t the 3rd option the best?" *** -(Present || Location: Floor: 13)- "What was¡­ that shine¡­?" Eyeing the grimoire that shined brightly for a few seconds earlier, the Abomination questioned. Cough- Cough- Lark couldn''t answer as his bodyy on the cold, rugged ground. He had stalled the Abomination for 1 hour before being defeated. As much as strong as he was, even he couldn''t contend against the Abomination with this fake body. ''Where is it?! Where is the [Fragment of Eternity]?!'' Unknown to the Abomination, a thin stream of mana was going underground, forming a hugework of mana channels. Throughout the battle, Lark had been trying to find the ore, but he had been unsessful so far. ''At least with the [Miracle] activating Leon won''t die.'' The shine the monster had talked about was the activation of [Miracle], the inherent power stored in [Grimoire of Hope]. "Die¡­." The Abomination''s hand erged, turning into a giant hammer. At that moment, Lark finally got a response from the manawork. Bang-! The hammer struck his defenseless body, blowing him away. His limbs had been shattered, his bones grounded to dust. ''Damn it! So close¡­'' But he couldn''t change the oue anymore, this was the end for Lark. "I... missed...." Contrary to his words, the Abomination was smiling. The reason Lark was alive even after taking itsst hit was that the Abomination was trying to throw him into the rift. Countless rifts had opened on Floor 13 due to Abomination [Space Devourer] trait. "Don''t worry¡­you''ll still¡­die" Bang-! The Abomination brought his hammer down. Bang-! The ground cracked from the force of impact. Bang-! The air shook from the continuous beating. Bang-! Bang-! Bang-! The Abomination took joy in killing Lark as painfully as possible. As a being from chaos, it was its inherent nature. However, it suddenly stopped. "You¡­you don''t feel pain¡­do you?" ''Of course not. This is a puppet. Why would I feel pain?'' Thinking like this, Lark continued to control the mana streams. He was about to die, and this was hisst goal. ''Leon is already safe, but I''ll leave this just in case for Susan.'' Bang-! With onest attack, Lark exploded into the mud along with the grimoire. "What was he¡­.trying¡­.to do?" The Abomination questioned as it stared at the ce where Lark''s corpse rested a few moments prior. But the monster did not find any anomalies and decided to leave. The monstrosity went toward the boss zone, ready to follow after Leon and kill him. Standing in front of the ck curtain, the Abomination abruptly stopped and turned around. It curled its body and shrunk its figure then, with a snap, its figure opened back and hundreds of spikes grew out of it. The spikes continued to grow endlessly, killing monsters, destroying the jungle, andying waste to the terrain. In a few short minutes, the Abomination annihted the entire floor and reaped every life. "No life¡­.detected.." With a snap, the spikes went back into the body, pulling the monsters along with it. Indeed, the monsters killed by Abomination did not disappear instead, their corpse remained. It looked at the corpses of monsters and muttered. "Weaklings¡­.you are shame¡­.of beings of chaos¡­" Absorbing hundreds of monsters, the Abominations figure turned more human-like. Suddenly, as if a bulb lit up above its head, the Abomination manipted its appearance carefully. A rainbow color me spread from the center of its chest and covered its body. With the colors appearing on its grey self and the monster fine controlling its appearance, it gained a very specific appearance. "This will make killing the child of destiny more fun¡­or should I say killing my friend Leon?" Swiping its bangs back, the ''human'' smiled and his red eyes shone dangerously. *** -(Present || Location:???)- In an almost empty room, a girl was lying on a couch, watching the TV in front of her while munching food. Suddenly, in the corner of the room, a portal formed and a figure entered. "Why aren''t you killing the Abomination? That kid is already dead!" Lightning crackled around the figure as he spoke, enraged. However, the girl paid him no heed and spoke only a single word. "Shut-up" The figure''s mouth closed on its own as it was being made to do so by some invisible pressure. The figure could only helplessly wait until Administrator decided to let him speak. Finally, after a few minutes of procrastinating, the Administrator turned to the figure. "Why areing here repeatedly, Raikou? Wasting your energy like this will be detrimental for you and it''s bad for my ears, too." "Why aren''t you descending? The sessor of the Devil has died at the hand of the Abomination. If you dy any longer, the lord will die too!" Administrator shrugged as if saying it doesn''t matter to her. "Killing the Devil''s sessor is a higher priority than saving Leonidas. Even if Leonidas dies, he can reincarnateter, but if the devil''s sessor survives and grows, he will be a Code ck-level threat." Raikou punched the wall in seething anger. "Is how you will repay lord''s grace? He loved you like his family and you are letting him die?" "He never met me. Don''t mistake me for ''System'', the one he took care of is not me." The pressure acting over Abomination increased by many times and he was almost brought to his knees. Clearly, he touched on a sensitive topic for Administrator. "But saving lor-!!" "!!!" Raikou and Administrator suddenly felt an unknown presence that sent chills down their spines. Turning their heads, both of them stared at the TV with a horrified expression. The one who they believed to have died.... "H..how?" ...was moving Chapter 212 Two Sides Of The Same Coin [1] -(Present || Location: Floor 13)- ''It''s cold.'' Two ''corpses'' were lying on the far corner of Floor 13. Susan''s injury had healed with the hole in her abdomen closing while Nathan''s eyes were empty. ''I''m¡­cold¡­.'' Hundreds, if not thousands, of rifts spread throughout the floor. The fabric of space was being torn apart, pulling everything into itself. ''I''m cold.'' Suddenly, one of the two corpses twitched. Ba-dump-! Ba-dump-! Nathan''s red eyes returned the moment his heart started beating again. However, they had lost their luster. ''Something¡­.warm¡­'' With eyes devoid of intelligence his figure curled, pulling his knees into his chest. ''Isn''t there¡­.anything¡­.warm'' Broken thoughts swept through his mind. While he was unable to understand even his own thoughts, a voice came from the depth of his soul. (Use your art) He agreed without hesitation. [Enchantment: Fire] A warm sensation ovepped his left arm and slowly covered his entire figure. His pale skin turned slightly pinkish, and a bit of intelligence returned to him. "E¡­th¡­?" A feeble voice asked. Barely able to form thoughts, he was having a hard timeprehending the situation, let alone talking. (Haah¡­ Looks like you''ll be okay) A relieved voice filled with slight sadness continued. (The entire Floor 13 is breaking. You need to escape to Floor 14 as soon as possible. But take [Fragment of Eternity] with you, it is possible that Abomination is on Floor 14 and hasn''t yet reached Floor 15) Slowly, vigor returned to Nathan''s eyes. (Don''t do too many crazy things and look out for yourself. You are first to jump headfirst into problems although youin otherwise) (Don''t think too much of the future and focus on yourself too, there is no need to carry all the burden alone.) (Look out after our family and don''t go fighting against them. Say goodbye to Isabell, Sis, Mom, and Dad from my side.) Regaining a bit of rity, Nathan put what little strength he had into his limbs and tried to stand. (And! And! Don''t try to keep everyone away, no matter what others say, this is the world you now live in. You belong here. There is no need to keep ming yourself for your past and don''t let yourself be put down.) "W..hat are y¡­ou ¡­trying to s-ay?" For Nathan, he had to put in conscious efforts to even breathe. He was focusing on making his heart beat, his blood flow, he was barely able to leave enough mind to understand Eth. (Take care) Thud- His limbs gave out and he lost consciousness. An unknown amount of time passed. Nathan, who had regained consciousness, was lying on the ground lifeless, however, this time his heart was beating, his pulse was moving, he was alive. "Ag..hh" Groaning, Nathan opened his eyes and scanned his surroundings. Rifts and destruction, that was all he saw. His body felt heavy and his thoughts were muddled, but, recalling what transpired before everything went dark, he pulled himself toward Susan. ''Eth'' No response came. Nathan repeated his name. He called him again and again. However, in the end, Eth never answered. ''Resonance'' Recalling thest time he lost contact with Eth, Nathan concluded. They were in Resonance. ''The Abomination pulled¡­.a¡­. a rainbow-colored me from me. Rainbow color, was it my stigma?'' Nathan tried to use his stigma, but he failed. ''The reason I lost consciousness was that I lost a part of my soul. So, when Eth and I entered resonance, I regained consciousness?'' Eth was also telling him something. It was¡­was¡­ "Errrhgh" His head hurt. It felt like his head was being split apart, someone forcefully pouring molten metal into it. Thinking straight was more tedious than fighting for the whole day without rest. Every time he formed a new line of thought, he forgot the previous one. He was feeling lightheaded, yet it was painful at the same time. The duality was tearing him apart. "Healthy.." He roughly checked Susan''s pulse and found her to be alive. How? Shouldn''t she have died? Maybe it was thanks to the Legendary-grade skill? Appraisal couldn''t read Epic and Legendary-grade skills of others yet. It might be¡­be¡­ "ARgghhhh!" He pulled his hair, tearing his skin in the process. ''Eth'' No response. Why wasn''t he responding? Take care? What was that? Who said that? rrack- A familiar noise. Nathan raised his head. Did he use his art unconsciously? "Ah, rifts" Right, Abomination. He needed to defeat it. Defeat? Shouldn''t he run? "No, I''ll get the reward for defeating Abomination. With it, I can save Et¡­" Who? Tears slid down Nathan''s cheeks. He couldn''t think of a reason why he was crying, only that the loss he felt was tearing him from the inside. "Defeat Abomination" No, he must ensure his survival first. He had already lost [Fragment of Eternity], let alone having a weapon made of it. Defeating that monstrosity was impossible. Phzzzt- A colossal spear materialized in the air. Pulling himself and Susan over it, he flew into the sky and activated [Appraisal] to find the ore. "There is a weapon" There is not. [Fragment of Eternity] will not show its power to kill beings of chaos without a weapon, which Nathan did not had. At that moment, a system window appeared in Nathan''s vision. [Fragment of Eternity [Legendary] ] "I am" Buried deep underground was a purple shine that couldn''t hide from his skill. *** -(Present || Location: Floor 14)- Leon listened to the rustling of leaves with an expressionless face. [ [Full-Frame] is evolving¡­. 99.01%...91.12%....] "Two hours¡­" That was the amount of time since Leon gained consciousness on this floor. The Abomination had yet to appear on this floor, that or maybe Leon couldn''t sense it. Suddenly, he turned his head with a snap and stared in a specific direction. Not thinking twice, Leon bolted in that direction. He jumped from tree to tree. Without his stigma''s reinforcement, he was a bit slower, but for some reason, this Leon felt more dangerous. Reaching the destination, he silently stood on the branch and looked at the figure sprawled on the ground. Left arm twisted in the wrong direction, a chunk of abdomen blown away, blood and dust covering the clothes, was a familiar figure. A human figure. "Nathan" He smoothlynded on the ground and rushed toward Nathan. "You are alive?" Cough- Cough- "Of c..course.." Although Nathan said so with a smile, the amount of blood pooled beneath him was saying otherwise. "How are you here?" cing his arm in the correct position, Leon fed him an elixir. It took Nathan a few minutes to heal to an average level, good enough to talk without exerting himself. "I.. I don''t know. I somehow woke up and found that I was alive. Rifts were covering the entire floor, so was moving to the next floor quickly. Thankfully, I was able to find the ore and wasing to you when¡­when¡­" Nathan''s arms shook and he clenched his jaw with hateful eyes. "The Abomination returned. I thought it had left earlier, but I was na?ve. The monster was hiding, waiting there for the prey. I, along with Susan, used the ore to defeat the Abomination, but Susan¡­she¡­" Blood dripped from his jaws as he clenched them too tightly. Leon patted his back slowly and spoke the words of constion. "What about Lark?" "I don''t know¡­" Nathan''s head hung low in shame. "He wasn''t there when I regained my consciousness." [ [Full-Frame] is evolving¡­. 99.87%...99.91%....] Covering his mouth, Leon sighed and moved away. He removed his hand and, with his back toward Nathan, spoke in a shaky tone. "I''m sorry. It must have been hard on you, too. No matter how strong your art is, it wouldn''t have been an easy battle. At least you came out alive." "Yeah¡­" "But" Leon looked at the sky. "The weapons you create, wasn''t that your stigma?" Crackle- "There is no way your stigma can provide such an amount of versatility." For a moment, Nathan forgot how to breathe, but he exhaled deeply in the next second. Hearing the conviction in Leon''s voice, he knew he couldn''t deny it. "Yes, it is an art. I di-" Leon suddenly cut him off. "Didn''t you say it was a growth-type stigma, though? In that case, the versatility is a given." Nathan froze. Like a door that hadn''t been oiled in years, he slowly turned to face Leon. But with Leon''s back toward him, he couldn''t see his expression. "I can exin." "Ahahahahaaa" Suddenly, Leon burst intoughter. Wiping his tears, he looked back at Nathan. "Why are you so serious? I was joking. Of course, you never said something like that." Turning back, Leon and Nathan stared at each other. Seeing the apologetic expression, Nathan shook his head and looked away. At that moment, Leon suddenly stoppedughing and revealed his expressionless face. "Oh, that was a lie, too. Nathan did say it was a growth-type stigma. But thanks for letting me buy time." [ [Full-Frame] is evolving¡­. 99.99%...100%....] Crackle! Boom! Lightning shot from the sky and struck in between them. Coming out of the seas of me, Leon walked with an unhurried yet imposing gait. For the first time, he failed to hide his true self. His mask had cracked. Chapter 213 Two Sides Of The Same Coin [2] "Child of destiny, you have such a sca-" [Raikou] Cutting Abomination off mid-sentence a 30-meter big asura appeared in the air. "Fifth Form: Thousand Divine sh" The asura moved, swinging the two swords vertically. Massive arcs of golden electricity flew into the air. Destroying everything onto their paths, the arcsnded on the location of the Abomination. Moving swiftly, the Abomination figure jumped out of the dust covering the air. It hopped back, creating a distance between Leon and itself. Zapp- The distance the Abomination opened up was at least 100 meters yet Leon suddenly appeared in front of the monster, leaving a trail of lightning crackling behind him. "Seventh Form: Deadline" This time Raikou didn''t attack but Leon himself. His de descended swiftly, bing faster with each passing second as the concentration of lightning around him increased. Bang-! The Abomination''s figure flew back from the impact while knocking down trees in its path. However, even before the monster''s figure coulde to rest, Leon was already above it, preparing another strike while wearing an expressionless face like a Noah mask. This was the real Leon, something Leon himself didn''t know. He had watched his parents beings eaten alive, his sweet and sour childhood memories were shattered by demons, he had trained day and night for years until he fell unconscious from exhaustion. It was impossible for him, who had been carrying a seed of hatred and revenge in his heart, to be normal. The kind and na?ve Leon was a mask, a mask he unconsciously created and believed to be his true self. Bang-! Bang-! The monster, although unharmed, was unable to resist. Turning into lightning himself, Leon''s speed was faster than what the monster could stop. ''It''s not working.'' Raikou swung its fist and threw the Abomination into the sky. Leon didn''t follow the Abomination and took a stance on the ground. ''Remember the feeling from the [Singrity]. Just once, once should be enough to cut this thing.'' Rapidly falling back to the ground, the Abomination entered the 100-meter range on Leon. Closing his eyes, Leon muttered the name of his technique. "Fourth Form: Domain" Instantly, an invisible sphere spread out from him, enabling him to sense even the movements of grass in a 100-meter radius. The Abomination watched in anticipation. ''Only once. Remember the essence of the seventh form'' "Seventh Form¨C" The sword moved in an instant. Its weight bearing down on the world. This attack was different. Abomination moved, its arm turning into a massive gate-like shield, but suddenly the monster sensed a presence behind him. "¨CDeadline" The attack came from behind the Abomination! It appeared out of thin air! Swinging the massive shield and using the generated momentum, the monster changed its position mid-air and used the other hand to form another shield. As it believed to have blocked the two attacks, it abruptly felt multiple familiar presences. Five more attacks appeared out of thin air! With his perception and agility enhanced to his limit, Leon was able to watch everything in slow motion. His attacks were about to strike the Abomination, the monster still thinking of what to do, when¨C Vupp- "That''s unoriginal" ¨CLeon was teleported to the sky! No, he had swapped ces with the Abomination! Unable to dodge or defend, the attack crashed into him! Bangg-! Thrown into the air, Leon helplessly crashed into the ground, only alive thanks to [Raikou]. "I''ve seen those moves already. If you don''t show something new, you''ll be devoured, child of destiny." The Abomination, still wearing the appearance of Nathan, strolled in front of Leon. Having faced Lark, Leon''s ''new'' techniques did not surprise the monster. Turning into lightning, using a domain tounch attacks from anywhere, andstly, trying to tear reality, the monster had seen it all. *** -(Present || Location: Floor 13)- Bam- Nathan crashed into the ground. In his numb state, he was unable to feel the branch that pierced his thigh as he fell. Susan was lying unconscious on the God-Killing Spear, flying in the sky. Not bringing Susan down was a subconscious act on his part, as his mind believed that if a monster attacked, Susan could be in danger. He hadn''t yet realized that no monsters were remaining on the floor. Rather, it was a blessing he could make out the appearance of rifts and avoid them. "Haah..haah.." Sweat and blood trickled down his figure. He was unable tomand his body to dig the ore out. Almost as if he was driving a car with loose steering, his actions were out of control, his body refusing to listen to him. "Argghh.." He pulled himself to the ce where the ore was buried. His flesh was torn apart, his body fluid mixing into the mud as he dragged his unprotected self over the ground. It took him time, but he managed to reach to ce. Not thinking twice, his left arm moved, the only limb following his instructions, and began digging. Pachk- He dug. Pachk- And dug. Pachk- His nails broke. Pachk- His ck bones were exposed. Pachk- Yet he dug. And dug and dug and dug. Pachk- Kill Save Only two thoughts remained in his head as he forced himself to not forget them. And finally, he reached his goal. ng- A dull echo, as if two metals struck each other, rang. Nathan pulled the purple stone out. [Fragment of Eternity [Legendary] ] Now he needed a weapon. Nathan tried to recall why he chose this ore as his prize. ''My arm¡­'' His arm. He was nning to rece the metal in his left arm with the ore. The ore couldn''t be broken, so it had to be smelted into his arm. The process would''ve been extricating, but he was ready to do it if he could be stronger because that would mean fewer enemies who could kill him. But what was he doing now? ''Evolution¡­.Second protagonist'' Forcing himself to evolve, something that was only supposed to happen after every three ranks. However, when the powerless second protagonist was thrown into a distant, he had no choice but to attempt it. The attempt was made by mistake, nevertheless the result was there. Fortunately, as the materials the 2nd protagonist used werepatible with himself, he was sessful and gained enormous power. The only downside was losing his humanity, figuratively and literally. But Nathan was going to use an ore, an unalive object. Even the second protagonist used a Lich to evolve with his [Necromancer] stigma. Nathan circted and concentrated Nether on the tips of his fingers on his left arm. He moved without hesitation. Sizzzle- A burnt smell of flesh wafted in the air. Sinking his fingers into his abdomen, he opened his stomach. Fortunately, or unfortunately, this wasn''t the first time he did something like this, although the previous attempts weren''t made in the real world, so he knew the extent he could move without spilling his innards. He didn''t cry or utter a groan. As his stomachy open, he grabbed the ore and, moving his hand inside his stomach, held it next to his ether core. "Mumfphh!!" Cracks appeared on his core and ether spilled out. The pain was worse than having his flesh melted, but he didn''t stop. Gripping his own core tightly¡­. He crushed it. "Aaarrgh!!" The heat melted his organs, his blood vessels burst, his nerves went haywire. The pain was unbearable, it was as if he was being skinned alive, burnt in a pot, being chopped into pieces, stabbed, pierced. All kinds of pain assaulted him. He almost lost consciousness. Almost. Swoshh- Vroom- Burning the little ether left in his body, he ced the ore in the ce of his previous core and began wrapping it in ether. His figure withered rapidly, strands of his ck hair turned white as he turned his life force into ether. He couldn''t stop before he fused his energy into the ore. A golden light wrapped around the [Fragment of Eternity] as he attempted to fuse them. His life force depleting rapidly. But he went a step further. He added Nether into the fray, too. Nathan didn''t know if he was doing it correctly, but he didn''t think about it. He was waiting for the signal that would tell him the answer. [Attempting evolution¡­.] [User it interfering with Law of Weapons, Law of Demons, and Law of Humans] [Checking requirements¡­.] Concept, that was the other name for Laws. Nathan was trying to integrate an ore, solely made to develop weapons, into himself, a human with Nether. Thus the concept of weapon, human and demon, respectively. [Permission granted. With the user''s title [Pseudo-Ego Weapon(Cursed)] he is allowed to attempt the evolution] "ARRRRGG!!" Nathan''s skin cracked, and a subtle purple glow permeated from beneath. The energy from ore fused into him, but it was too much for his body to handle. A few white strands turned purple, a small purple glow appeared in the center of his pupils. The Nether from his left arm retracted and fused into his bones. His body thrashed around. He was acting like a beast, crying out in pain while inflicting self-wounds. Nevertheless, not everything was going smoothly. The energy from the ore started to overwhelm him. His red pupils turned purple entirely, his ck hairs lost their color and became purple after turning white, the golden ck sphere trying to cover the ore also developed into a purple sphere. His body was breaking down. But Nathan knew this could happen. Vrrrooom- [Zero], a reddish-ck me, covered his body. The hungry me devoured the extra energy from the ore, trying to maintain a bnce between the three. Nathan felt something blooming inside him. The sensation was familiar. Every time he used [Zero] he sensed something growing inside him, but thinking that it was from [Zero] itself, he never thought much of it. As [Zero] hungrily ate the energy from [Fragment of Eternity] a string of notifications appeared and disappeared in front of his eyes. [Warning! Warning! The evolution will be halted due to the specificbination of ingredients used by the user] [Warning! Warning! Further attempts will result in interference by the System.] [Warning! Warning! [Chaos] energy of the user is rising rapidly. This is thest warning from the System. Stop the process] The energy from the ore wasn''t decreasing, however, the same couldn''t be said for [Zero]. There was a limit to the speed at which Nathan could burn his life force to use Ether. He was beginning to fall back. At the same time, the feeling of swelling inside him had reached its peak. At hisst leg, Nathan pushed for the final struggle. And as a result. [Error! Error! Seed of Chaos ha$ &%##@23r23] Something bloomed. Chapter 214 Forged Endless amount of reddish-ck mes gushed from Nathan. The mes devoured everything in their paths be it the trees, the surface, or the rifts. [Error! Error! Birth of a new Overlord detected!] [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö found] [Requesting permission to increase the rate of Edna] [Permission granted] [Beginning the Extermination] [Error! Error! Interference detected] [Increasing rate of Edna] [Error! Error! Energy Insufficient] [Searching for other methods to exterminate ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡­..] [Searching¡­] [Searching¡­.] [Method found! Generating¡­.] Nathan, having trouble maintaining his consciousness, was unable to read system notifications. His bones expanded, muscles shrank and became denser, his height grew. His body was undergoing phenomenal changes. In the span of a few minutes, he grew physically by a few years. Reaching the physical age of 20 years. At the same time the endless amount of [Zero], or [Chaos], suppressed the energy from the [Fragment of Eternity]. Nathan''s ck hair returned with a few white bangs, his eyes reverted to their original red color and his left arm became pale white like the rest of his body. As [Chaos] energy reached the ends of Floor 13, it began rushing back to him. [Title upgrade! Your title [Pseudo Ego Weapon(Cursed)] is undergoing evolution!] [ [Pseudo Ego Weapon (Cursed)] --> [Ego Weapon (Cursed)] ] Sizzle- Beneath his shoulder, at the top of his upper arm, a tattoo of a snake eating its own tail appeared. Slowly, consciousness returned to Nathan and he was able to think clearly. "Did I¡­ seed?" Checking his body he noticed that his thoughts were no longer muddled. The injury he self-inflicted on his stomach had disappeared and his left arm had been restored. After inspecting his core, he sighed. A lot had changed. "I can tell that all my stats increased and it is easier to do this." A reddish-ck me hovered above his hand. The process was almost instantaneous. This was thanks to his cores being closer to each other. Yes, cores. He now had an Ether core that housed [Fragment of Eternity] and a Nether core. "It seems a Nether core formed because it didn''t fusepletely with Ether. Also, theher core feels suppressed." Nathan crouched and jumped into the sky. He was surprised again, as he realized that his stats had increased by arge margin. Landing on the God-Killing Spear, he checked on Susan and flew toward the Boss Zone without hesitation. "Eth¡­ no I can still change it." Biting his lips, Nathan resolved himself. He was going to kill the Abomination. First, he decided to check his stats. "Leaderboard" Nothing happened. Calling out the leaderboard, Nathan realized he couldn''t ess the status screen. However, he recalled his title as Ego Weapon and muttered in his mind. ''Status'' A screen flickered before him. ======= Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Iota Grade: -/- Rating: 9.8/10 Title(s): [Sessor of the First King], ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö, [Ego Weapon (Cursed)] True Name: -/- (Locked) -Reach Legendary grade to get a True Name Stigma: [Iridescence] (Cannot be used) * [Stats] Attack Power: 2789 Durability: 2500/2500 Speed: 3000 Defense: 1200 Luck: (-13) Ether: 5700/5700 Nether: 19000/19000 (Dormant) Chaos: ???(Locked) * [Skills] Slots ¨C5/5 -> [Pierce [Common]] -> [Synchronization] -> [Golden Turtle [Unique]] -> [Appraisal [Legendary]] -> [Multiply [Unique]] * [Techniques] -> [Armory of Eridu [Legacy]] Mastery ¨C Proficient * [Equipment Perks] -> [Domination Decree Lvl2] -> [Absolute Evil Lvl1] (Passive) ====== "This¡­ this is the same as [Sword of Eternity]? Ah!" Nathan re-read his status. "It changed because I became an ego weapon." [Sword of Eternity] was also an ego weapon and had a simr status screen. "[Chaos], is this the official name of [Zero]?" Nathan also noticed Nether stat. He could tell that the total amount of his Nether had decreased, probably because it was no longer stored in his left arm, but it was still a lot. His eyes became firm and he closed the screen. Everything was an added bonus, he only wanted the power of [Fragment of Eternity] to fight the Abomination. Although it wasn''t mentioned on the status screen, he could feel its energy coursing through his veins. Suddenly, he heard a familiar chime. Ding! [Yuor SeED of ChAOs ash cmpolteely bloMeMd] [yo''VE gAINeD a NEW tiTTLe] The notifications were weird but the title shook Nathan to his core. [Overlord of Chaos] *** -(Present || Location: Floor 14]- "You are bing predictable, child of destiny" Zap- ng-! The Abomination effortlessly blocked Leon''s strike. Leon''s figure shed and the next moment he was standing dozens of meters away. ''It''s not working¡­ I can''t recreate the Seventh From with its essence'' Leon moved at an unimaginable pace. He was zapping throughout the battlefield. One second he was standing near you, the next second he was already dozens of meters away, leaving a trail of lightning behind him. ''Just once. Once is enough'' "Seventh Form: Deadline" Schwing-! Three arcs of swords shes attacked the Abomination from a different direction, but the monster merely dodged them. "You are weak, child of destiny." Leon wasn''t weak. At this moment, he was capable of fighting multiple peak Enma-rankers in a head-on fight and win, but the Abomination, knowing all his techniques, was ying him for a fool. "How about this, child of destiny? If you can survive for the next 15 minutes, I''ll let you live!" Leon jumped and took a deep breath. ''I need to cut his core.'' Even the high-ranking Royal Demons, who are nigh invincible, have one weakness. Everything will have a weakness, it was a Law, a concept everything had to follow. For some, their weakness would diminish as they grow stronger, for some their weakness will grow, many will aim for abilities to cover for their weakness. Yes, a being will always have a weakness. And in most cases, it is a core. ''It''s letting me cut it some times but stopping me the other times. The core must be in those ces at that moment.'' Huuuu- Crklee- Holding his katana in both hands, Leon took a deep breath. The giant asura swung its fist and attacked the ground. Boom-! Massive chunks of ground were flung in the air, along with trees that were uprooted from the impact. Tentacles grew out of the Abomination and caught therge pieces of rocks and trees. Lashing with them, it threw everything onto Leon. Boom-! Boom-! Zaap- Leon dodged the onught by turning into a bolt of lightning. The bolt of lightning danced on the battlefield and rapidly covered the distance between them. This was one of his new abilities after his stigma evolved. But that wasn''t all. His [God War Physique] also recovered a bit as it removed restrictions over Leon''s stigma. As a result, he was able to convert a portion of the damage he received into stamina and mana. "Be original, child of destiny. Be original" Bangg-! The Abomination dodged [Raikou] fist and retaliated. By taking it easy, Abomination was trying to let Leon grow. It had learned a lot of abilities from Lark. Naturally, among those abilities, the strongest ones belonged to Leon. Regrly pointing out the familiar techniques, the monster was hoping for Leon to create a new technique for it to steal. Its hand turned into a scythe. Schwing-! Jumping, Leon barely managed to avoid the horizontal grey arc. Looking behind, he found almost every tree in several hundred meters to have been cut. But it was a chance too. Abomination will slow down for a few seconds after every big attack. ''Now!'' Zap- Leon appeared behind the monster. This was hisst chance, he felt it instinctively. "Seventh Form¨C" Light converged at the edge of his de, the air split apart creating a path for the sword, he seeded. He recreated the essence of Seventh Form. To Separate. The essence of the seventh form was to separate everything, be it light, air, thunder, or the reality. "¨CDeadline!" Schwing-! The de cut through the silence. A true strike. Even the Abomination wouldn''t be able to block it, after all the attack was meant to tear the fabric of reality itself, however, Leon abruptly changed the trajectory of his swing. The attack was as fast as lightning yet as slow as a breeze. The moment the tip of the de touched the ground, a deep chasm was created. BOOOOMM-! The space struggled to hold itself together and not be torn asunder. The fissure running through the surface was at least 20 meters deep and ran a few hundred metres long. "Haah¡­haah¡­" Leon fell to his knees, exhausted. "Why did you stop, child of destiny?" Watching his re, Abomination smiled manically. Covering the entire body of the monster was a thinyer of ever-changing fire. The flickers of the me continuously changed color, telling Leon its identity. "Ah, this? Don''t think much, it''s the ability I gained after absorbing your friend''s soul core. Oh, did I mention that if you return these mes to him, he can be revived? You ca-KAkakakakaka" The Abomination couldn''t hold it longer and burst into a fit ofughter. Leon''s eyes, which had been emotionless till now, shook when he came to know that he could save his friend. "Kakakaka! But you need to save yourself first!" Bang-! Leon''s back arched as a kicknded in his stomach and threw him away, breaking through dozens of trees. "5 minutes are up!" The Abomination jumped into the skin, and for the first time, initiated an attack from his side. Blood flowed down Leon''s temples. Wood splinters had been embedded into his flesh, making it difficult for him to stand. It seemed that this was the end of Leon when, abruptly, a magic circle appeared beneath him. Chapter 215 Essence Of Techniques Banngg-! Abomination struck with the intent to kill, however, a shield appeared from the magic circle beneath Leon and protected him. He was blown away. Fishhhh- Leon stabbed his sword into the ground and managed toe to a halt. "Er..gh.." A groan escaped his lips as he tried to stand. He had broken his left leg in the earlier sh. With this amount of damage, his mobility became zero. Leon gritted his teeth and shifted his focus to the magic circle beneath his feet. It had suddenly appeared out of thin air. He could tell that it was an Aether magic circle and fortunately, he was also able to deduce the main function of the magic circle. ''Summoning'' Someone was summoning him. But who? Analyzing it further, he found the amount of time he had left before he was teleported to the summoner. Summoning would take 1 minute toplete. "Do you have nothing original, child of destiny?" Baanng-! Abomination covered the distance in the meantime and struck Leon. Nevertheless, the previous scene repeated. A shield formed and saved him. ''The summoning circle is to save the summoned until the summoning isplete'' It was a high level of summoning. Coupled with the fact it used an aether magic circle and worked in the pocket dimension of the tower, the summoner had to be of high rank. ''No, this isn''t the time for this.'' Raikou scooped Leon with its two front hands. ''I need to take Nathan''s soul core before that.'' Holding Leon with two front arms, Raikou raised its two sword-carrying arms. ''Essence of Sixth Form: To deceive and Essence of Seventh Form: To Separate'' He barely managed to execute theplete seventh form, yet Leon was trying tobine the essence of the sixth and seventh forms for hisst attack. That was the only way to snatch the soul core from the Abomination. However, Leon suddenly stiffened. ''What if the monster knows about this technique, too?'' Up till now, although this was Leon''s first time using so many techniques, Abomination had been dodging and deflecting his moves as if it had seen them already. For a second, Leon froze from fear. For a second only. "Come" He provoked the Abomination. ''I''ll defeat you even if you know this form'' Failure was not an option. If there was even a slight glimmer of hope, he would fight for it. "Did youe up with a new technique?" Looking at the [Raikou] that was raising its swords in the air, Abomination wondered if Leon had finally made a new technique for it to steal. Bam-! The Abomination shot towards the asura. "Seventh Form: Deadline" "Sixth Form: Empty Fade" Tearing through the air at breakneck speed, Abomination noticed that Leon was giving up on defense and putting all into offense for onest attack. Smoke swirled around Raikou and 4 more arms appeared on its back, all carrying swords. "Do not disappoint me, child of destiny!" The two met. BOOOOMM-! The Floor shook as the Abomination attacked [Raikou]. A momentary pause formed, but their auras suddenly erupted! Golden lightning wrapped around the grey lightning and danced into the sky! Leon clenched his jaws until they bled. His des kept pushing further as he tried to defeat the monster. An enormous explosion engulfed both of them. Waves of heat exploded outwards, trees and the forest was uprooted from the impact, fissures ran through the ground and smoke filled the air. Then silence reigned. A bitter, one could make the figure of a giant with four arms and an upper torso through the smoke. Baangg-! Suddenly, Leon''s figure flew out of the mist and crashed into the ground. "That was unoriginal, too" Coming out of the mist was Abomination, a cut running from its right shoulder to its left waist. Leon had almost seeded in cleaving the monster in two, but he was unsessful. Behind Abomination, [Raikou] was slowly disintegrating into the air. A hole was created at the chest of the asura, it formed when Abomination punched Leon through [Raikou] and destroyed [Raikou] in the process. Cough- Cough- Leon''s limbs were facing the wrong direction. The shield was protecting him, yet the Abomination''s attack had rendered him to this state. Nevertheless, his eyes held relief in them. "G..ot it" An ever-changing me hovered over his palm. He had let Abomination strike him in order to snatch the soul core in the gap that would appear. At the same time, Abomination was looking at the tiny me remaining with it and muttered to itself. "As I thought, this soul core isn''t normal. My attack would''ve killed the Child of Destiny if not for this me acting up and diverting my attention for a split second." It was only a soul core, yet it was trying to take over Abomination. It baffled the monster, the amount of will to live of its owner was unimaginable. "It was a good choice that I took the soul core before killing the owner." Naturally, Abomination had sensed that something was amiss with Nathan''s soul. Thus, the monster proceeded to extract Nathan''s soul core before killing him physically. Although Lark had rescued his physical body after that, Abominations was confident Nathan was dead. Nobody can survive without a soul core. Shifting its attention back to Leon, Abomination mused. "Are you hoping to run away, child of destiny?" Grabbing the empty air beside it, the Abomination flicked its hand. In response, the magic circle beneath Leon dimmed and stopped. Leon''s eyes widened. "You can analyze this circle''s purpose?!" It was a monster. It shouldn''t have such a high level of intellect, not at Iota rank. Not to mention, it was able to stop the spell, too. Leon attempted to stand however, he fell back. Giving up on defense during hisst attack turned out to be lethal. Not seeing any meaning in letting Leon live, Abomination attacked but suddenly¡­ Bang-! Bang-! (x5) Swords fell from the sky and pinned the monster on the ground! Leon''s eyes widened. He looked into the sky, only to find a colossal Spear heading toward the Abomination! BOOOOMM-! An explosion, no smaller than the previous one, erupted. At the same time, reddish-ck mes spread from the Spear. "Wait!" The mes broke the barrier inhibiting the summoning magic circle, and before Leon could confirm his guess, he was teleported. * The Abomination came out of the dust. It had already sensed the disappearance of Leon and looked into the sky. There it saw someone it believed to be dead. A gigantic Spear was floating far into the sky and on top of it was the owner of the ever-changing mes. "Oya, how are you alive? Or is this some sort of borate trick?" Leisurely strolling, it taunted Nathan. No matter how strong he was, the monster was still stronger. A spear materialized in Nathan''s hands, and purple mes wrapped around the weapon. Tauting his back like a bow, his arms bulged, and he threw it. Fwosh- The monster ignored the oing attack. The colossal Spear wasn''t able to harm it, let alone this puny one. There was no need to dodge. "Shouldn''t you think of surviving first? You cannot de-" Bang-! The spear struck the Abomination''s head and it burst! The monster tried to regenerate its head, only to realize it wasn''t possible! Its body trembled! Finally, Nathan opened his mouth. "Change that appearance before speaking." Chapter 216 Overlord Of Chaos The Abomination shuddered, but it regained itsposure quickly. Its abdomen split apart and opened. Inside the abdomen were countless jagged teethes that cluttered as it spoke. "You are real, but how did you survive without a soul core? You are also able to harm me now." The monster was as rxed as ever. "It seems I need to experiment with you to understand you. I-" Haaaa- Nathan''s sigh interrupted the monster. "I don''t have time for you. So¡­" He raised his arm and 50 weapons materialized in the air. Bringing his arm down, he spoke "¡­do your best to survive." Fwosh- (x50) Boom-! Ayer of frost appeared on the weapons as they fell. Thick frost permeated from them and froze everything in a 50-meter radius. Immediately, another volley appeared behind Nathan. At the same time, 25 cracks opened in the air, each containing a different weapon. Nathan was about to attack when the Abomination suddenly spoke. "I don''t have time myself. How about this? We''ll attack with our strongest attacks and let it decide?" The Abomination wasn''t worried. Nathan may be able to harm it, but after learning from Lark, it had grown countless times stronger. It could tell that the human in front of it had also grown a lot stronger, but it wasn''t enough to defeat it. A small smile appeared on Nathan''s lips and he nodded. "As you wish" Phhhhzzzzt- (x50) Cc¡­rack (x25) Weapons appeared in multitude but Nathan went a step further. [Multiply] A golden hue enshrouded the sky and the number of weapons increased by 5 folds! As the Abomination looked at the innumerable weapons with sweat flowing down its back, the God-Killing Spear also became 5! The density of ether increased to the point that it became visible to the naked eye. Above all, Nathan wasn''t tired at all! Countless spikes jutted out of the Abomination''s waist and dug into the ground. With the support in ce, two thick tentacles appeared from its back and formed massive shields, the likes of which would make [Raikou] appear puny. The Abomination had lied to Nathan about not killing him. Since Nathan could harm it, it was going to kill him with its strongest attack. ''Kukukuku¡­stupid human. Just because you got the power to harm me, do you think it will be easy to defeat me?'' The mouth on its abdomen opened to an unnatural degree and a ck sphere hovered above it. Slowly, the space around the ck sphere started deforming as it sucked everything into it. Huuuu- Looking at the deforming space beneath himself, Nathan breathed out and whispered. "[Enchantment: Eternity]" He applied the enchantment he gained from [Fragment of Eternity] to all weapons. That included himself too! His white bangs turned purple. At the same time, a purple star appeared in the center of his red eyes. A purple hue enfolded the sky itself. The unending energy coated all the weapons. The Abomination sensed danger to its life. Suddenly the shields changed their shapes and formed two behemoth-sized Abominations. Kreeeeeech- Innumerable spikes grew out of the two behemoth Abominations and shot toward Nathan. Fwosh- The legion of weapons marched ahead in response. Booooomm-!! The sh generated tempests. The purple energy from the weapons corroded the spikes attempting to harm Nathan, while the spikes themselves continued to grow in number. As they fought for supremacy, Nathan and Abomination exchanged nces. For a second, none moved. Then¡­ "Go" The five God-Killing Spears finally entered the battlefield! It was as if the sky was descending, bringing the end of the world along with it! The Abomination roared in response and shot the ck beam! BOOOOOOMM!!! Searing heat exploded without restraints. The ck beam tore through the first Spear and moved toward Nathan. But two more Spears appeared and shed with it. BBOOOOOOOOMMMM!!!!!! The ck beam was pushed back! As the Abomination struggled to understand the might behind those attacks, the final two God-Killing Spears tore through the atmosphere and struck the behemoth Abominations! KREEEECCCHHHH- The behemoth Abominations cried in agony as their bodies rotted and crumbled into dust. The Abomination was shocked! This power was beyond itsprehension! What it didn''t know what that with Nathan bing an [Ego Weapon] each of his attacks was strong as if he was doing it himself. Thus, it wasn''t wrong to say that the 280 weapons that were attacking but 280 Nathans were wielding those weapons themselves and strengthening them! BOOOM-!! The earth shook as the two Spears struck the ground. A purple hue spread from them and rapidly covered the surface of the earth. The Abomination fearfully stepped back. It would die if that hue touched it. "S-stop! Please stop. There is no need to kill me. I''ll give you much more if you let me live." It sounded afraid. "Did you think I would behave like this?" Puchi-! A hand suddenly appeared behind Nathan''s back and stabbed his heart. At the end of the arm, the space tore apart and the Abomination walked through. The monster had created a quasi-portal and dealt with Nathan in a single strike. "Humans truly are stupid. If you haven''t been drunk on that power, you could''ve killed me with a surprise attack. Yet you decided to show off." Spikes grew out of the hand inside Nathan. Facing Nathan, whose internal organs had been skewered and stopped functioning, the Abomination looked at the ground. Floor 14 had turned into hell. Massive fires were eating the forest, dozens of craters had appeared on the ground, the ces where the giant Spears struck were pulverized to dust. It was a sight that sent shivers down one''s back. "Truly. Stupid and arrogant humans." "Aren''t they?" An arm wrapped around the Abomination''s shoulder as if the person was a close friend. Turning its head with a snap, the monster looked at Nathan, nevertheless, he was dead. Then the owner of the arm was¡­ "You?! H-how?!" It was Nathan! As the monster mutted Nathan, another Nathan was standing beside it, casually looking at the scene below with it! Puchi-! Before the monster could speak another word, the real Nathan''s other arm pierced Abomination''s chest. "Apparently, I''m Ungraded-grade so I can create a constetion of myself." "What¡­?" A confused expression appeared on the monster''s face, but it couldn''t question Nathan further. "I told you, do your best to survive. Yet you jumped at the first opening I showed." Purple mes burst from the hand piercing the Abomination and burned the monsterpletely. The monster couldn''t even resist as everything ended before it could respond. Nathan had won. But he didn''t stop. Absorbing the small piece of soul core, Nathan raised his arm. Phzzzzzt- (x5) "Third technique: Folding" Chapter 217 Eternal Reabsorbing my soul core a string of notifications appeared. Ding! [User can now use [Iridescence] ] [Rating: 9.8/10 --> Rating: 10/10] Ding! [Rating has reached the upper limit! Evolution conditions are now avable!] "I see... so I had to regain my soul core for the evolution condition to be revealed." Nodding my head, I removed the notifications. "I''ll check the evolution conditionster. First I need to..." ''Kill the Abomination.'' Judging from the past actions of the monster, it must have left something to regenerate in case it lost to me and... ''There is no system notification about its death.'' Before moving I rechecked the amount of time I had left in my [Self Enchantment]. ====== [Eternal] Affinity: Eternity Type: Self-Enchantment - Increases damage against [Monsters] by 400% - Increases [Durability] and [Ether] by 900% - User is able to nullify the protection of >Beings of Chaos< Duration: 5 minutes Cooldown: 6 hours ====== [Time Remaining a€" 02:46 minutes] Durability stat increases came from [Unbreakable] enchantment of [Fragment of Eternity] while the increase in Ether stat came from the fact that the ore was inside my ether core. As for the absurd stat increase, it was because an Overlord is not restricted by the System. ''2 minutes. It should be enough.'' Phzzzzt- (x51) Cc...raack- (x25) "Third Technique: Folding" The air vibrated from the huge amount of ether that was being moved. The weapons began being absorbed into the God-Killing Spear and refining it. ''I need to destroy Floor 14.'' The only way topletely kill the Abomination was to eradicate it. Unfortunately, as an Iota-rank I didn''t have enough firepower to destroy a pocket dimension. ''Well, calling myself Iota-rank is toote.'' Below everything in several kilometers area was demolished to bits. It was almost like an apocalypse had descended. The God-Killing Spears were the cause of over 90% of the destruction from my side. And this was how I was nning to destroy this Floor. ------ God-Killing Spear - Completion Rate: 2% - For every 1 meter covered +1% damage - Contains Essence of Destruction ------ When thepletion rate reached 2%, I was able toprehend a bit about the strange ability of the God-Killing Spear. Shiiiing- Suddenly, 9 ck beams shot out from different corners of Floor 14. "You areing out already?" [Enchantment: Light] Fwosh- A subtle glow covered the sword I was standing upon and it shot towards the sky at breakneck speed. Kreeeeech- A grey sea began emerging from the ground while the ck beams continued to shoot. I kept dodging while changing weapons. [Time Remaining a€" 01:15 minute] I had assimted almost 30 constetions into the Spear, leaving less than half remaining. KREEEEEEECCHHH- As if the Abomination understood my intent, the grey sea turned into a typhoon. The hurricane grew in size and nearly reached the sky. Grey droplets shot out from the spiral and spread in all directions. [Golden Turtle] Bang-! Just as I summoned the golden shield, the surrounding droplets grew spikes all over themselves. In a few seconds, the sky was filled with ils with only the spikes balls. The Abomination roared again, the world shook as the mighty hurricane bellowed. The ck beamsing out of the hurricane tried to skewer me without rest. [Time Remaining a€" 00:30 seconds] "It''s done!" Flying several hundred kilometers above the ground, the God-Killing Spear was now 80 meters long. The colossal Spear was emitting the essence of destruction. Waves of energy were rushing out from it, mming into the smaller weapons and even me, almost throwing me off my feet by its force. The hurricane began changing shape, but before it could, I threw the Spear. FWOOOOOSSH- "[Multiply] !" It was only thanks to [Eternal Mode] that I had enough ether to use manyrge-scale attacks consecutively. The five giant Spears covered in purple energy tore through the mist and struck the ground around the grey hurricane. BOOOOOOOMMMMMMMM!!!!! A massive mushroom cloud formed. The ground shook, and a shockwave mmed into the surroundings, sending trees flying in all directions. Fissures ran through the sky as the fabric of space began to be ''destroyed''. The essence of destruction had been used on such a scale that it was able to tear holes in the pocket dimension. While the power of eternity corroded the hurricane. KREEEEEeeecchhh- A second after the explosion, the sound of the rain hitting the earth was reced with a dull roar. What emerged from the hole created by the st was a gigantic beam of ck light. I nimbly dodged the ck beam by shooting the weapon in another direction. I could tell, this was thest attack of the dying monstrosity. Turning around, I saw the boundary of Floor 14 being eaten by the final attack of the Abomination. "So it''s over." I felt a sense of satisfaction at the fact that I had finally killed an Abomination. At the same time, the essence of destruction seeped deep into the ground. The world began crumbling down, and darkness obscured my vision. Ding! [Congrattions! You have eradicated a D-grade Abomination!] [You have achieved an impossible achievement!] [Calcting rewards....] [Calcting rewards....] [Error! Error! Rewards cannot be calcted!] [User will be teleported to a proxy to receive rewards] Before I lost consciousness, I received a few more notifications. Ding! [Forpleting an impossible achievement, you have received a new title!] [Title Received] [Hated One] *** -(Past || Administrator and Raikou meeting; Location: ???)- "Dammit...What have we done....?" Raikou spoke as we witnessed Nathan''s transformation on the TV inside the room. In front of him was a girl who appeared to be no older than 20. "He became an... Overlord" Both of them shuddered as the word ''Overlord'' came out. Administrator''s brows creased and she muttered to herself. "If I knew this was possible, then I would''ve killed the Abomination myself!" "What are the chances?" Raikou interrupted. "What are the chances that he''lle out of this alive?" "I... I don''t know." Administrator massaged her brows. "A newly born Overlord shouldn''t be a very high-level threat. They only have System restrictions removed but...." She looked at Nathan, who was flying on God-Killing Spear before continuing. "He has ''that'' art." "[Armory of Eridu], the first art to be created and the reason why ''One person one art'' Law was implemented." Raikou''s voice was grim. "The one art that showed that hard work could defeat talent." "Dammit! If I knew his ''Seed of Chaos'' would bloom here, I wouldn''t have messed with his trial. At least that way he would have no way to defeat the Abomination." Administrator had bent rules as much as she was allowed to eliminate the threat known as Devil''s sessor. Ultimately, she sighed. "We can only hope that the Abomination kills him now." Both of them watched the events unfold when Nathan stepped on Floor 14. After reaching the Floor, he didn''t engage and first carried Susan to a safe ce. Making sure she was far away from the battlefield, Nathan created ayer of [Chaos] energy to stay undetected and observed the battle between Leon and Abomination. Throughout the battle, Leon was on the back foot because the Abomination knew about his techniques and he could harm it. "Leonidas, his art is on the verge ofpletion." Administratormented. "Indeed, at this rate, as long as Lord gains enlightenment, he should be able toplete his art and receive a grade worthy of it." The art Leon was practicing in this life was created by a human. At first, Raikou was nning on teaching Leon techniques from his past life, but when he found that his new art could interfere with the fabric of reality, he was left baffled and, he decided to let continue Leon practice the [Genesis Style]. When it seemed Leon was about to be defeated, the [Miracle] performed by Lark finally showed effect and a summoning circle appeared beneath Leon. "Who is summoning, Lord?" "...." Administrator didn''t answer. It would breach the Tower rules. A subtle change urred in Administrator''s gaze when Leon snatched Nathan''s soul core. ''Why is he such a busybody? He is creating problems for himself.'' Administrator noticed the Abomination leaving a small piece of itself in Nathan''s soul core. The monster knew that as the Child of Destiny, Leon might escape at thest second and thus left a way to kill him. However, she didn''t tell this to Raikou. Finally, they witness Nathan''s battle with the Abomination. "What....? First King was already too powerful, but he is even stronger than him at Iota-rank." Even though Nathan was an enemy, Raikou couldn''t help but praise him after watching his prowess. "What are his stats?" "I don''t know." Administrator shook her head. "I can''t check his status anymore." They watched in anticipation when Nathan killed the Abomination once. Knowing that the Abomination wasn''t yet defeated, they hoped that Nathan would make a careless mistake. But it seemed Nathan also noticed how no notification about the monster''s death came. "It doesn''t matter either way. Why is he fighting this hard? Even with him gaining the ability to nullify protection of chaos, the Abomination won''t die until he kills every part of it." Raikou didn''t understand. For what reason was Nathan trying so hard? Was it enough for him to bet his life even though he just came back from maws of death?" However, both of them stopped thinking about such thoughts and color drained their faces. "H-he can''t be... He is trying to destroy Floor 14!!" Administrator almost punched the TV in anger however, Raikou held her back. Letting aside the problem of how an Iota-rank was hoping to destroy a pocket dimension, it would cause her a lot of trouble if she had to build an entire floor from scratch. "Please...please fail" She helplessly watched as her hopes were smashed to smithereens along with Floor 14. "Dammit... I shouldn''t have helped with your business!" Defeated, she could only divert her anger towards Raikou. Chapter 218 [Hated One] As I was floating in endless space, a few words were hovering above me. [Please wait for a while. The user will be teleported when the proxy agrees to the summon] ''She is doing it on purpose.'' The proxy should be referring to Administrator and considering that I destroyed an entire floor, it was understandable why she was trying to annoy me. ''Eth'' No response came. I tried going inside my soul but for some reason, I couldn''t do it now. I was being stopped by some kind of interference. If I had to guess it was because of this ce I was floating in. Haaaa- ''Calm down. There is no need to panic, he isn''t responding because we are in Resonance. This isn''t the first time it is happening. I should check my status in meantime.'' Opening my status, I examined my titles. Originally, titles could only be checked after the status screen gets the 2nd upgrade when one reaches Sandra-rank, but it was different for weapons. ------ [Sessor of the First King] You have inherited the lifeblood of the First King. One of the pirs of the ancient society, the First King, reached the apex solely with his art. As his sessor, you hold the key to [Eridu], the ancient city of Gods. ------ [¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö] ?????? ------ [Ego Weapon (Cursed)] Combining the Law of Human, Law of Demon, and Law of Weapons, you have be the first true ego weapon. You have managed to create a mix between true life and the true machine and transcended both. ------ [Overlord of Chaos] !#@!DSCA@E@#E@!E@ ------ [Hated One] Born in thend of the living while carrying the seed of chaos, Universe has always rejected you since your birth. Nevertheless, you fought against the beings of chaos to protect thend of the living and thus dered war on the ones who might have called you one of their own. Rejected by both sides, you ¡ö ------ I read the Title description one by one. ''Key to [Eridu]? I don''t have something like that but maybe I''ll get one after reaching higher proficiency.'' After all the art''s name had ''Armory'' in it. Although I was building a new armory, the previous owner of the art must have also left something inside it. From my spections [God-Killing Spear] blueprint was only one of the few things the art had. ''This Redacted Title doesn''t give any information.'' ''Ego weapon title and Overlord of Chaos are also rather simple to understand. One gives a basic summary, the other doesn''t exin anything.'' Lastly, my eyes fell on the title I received from eradicating the Abomination. ''Didn''t the title Leon got was [Fated One] when he killed an Abomination for the first time? Why is mine called [Hated One]? And what is with this depressing tone and redacted information?'' Agonizing over unknown information wouldn''t do me any good, so I decided to focus on other things. ''With this, I have 5 titles. It''s a sufficient, no, it''s a good number considering the Sandra-rank evolution is far away.'' Next, I checked my stats. ====== [Stats] Attack Power: 3000 Durability: 1978/2500 Speed: 3000 Defense: 1500 Luck: (-13) Ether: 5800/5800 Nether: 19000/19000 (Dormant) Chaos: ??? (Locked) ====== ''The [Attack Power], [Defense], and [Ether], stat increased. Also, the [Durability] has decreased but it is recovering on its own.'' [Durability: 1978/2500 --> 1980/2500] There was a lot about the new stats I didn''t understand. For starters, what I did know was these values were inted, by a big margin at that. For one, my Ether stat, although 5800 in value, was not 100 times my ether reserves from back when I was human. ''The stat intion must be rted to the difference between living beings and weapons. Since I am technically a weapon, my stats are now quantified by their standards.'' However, this wasn''t the biggest news. It was something else. ''My new stats can increase by training and¡­'' ''I can no longer level up.'' This was only a doubt, but I was convinced when I didn''t receive any notification of receiving exp after killing the Abomination. ''No, this is for the better. Considering the name of the System I was told by Administrator, it is better this way. If I can get out of System''s grasp, not leveling up is a small price to pay.'' Pandora This was the name of the entity governing the System. Consequently, bypleting my quest, I will get [Pandora''s Heart]. Besides, if regression was real, then there is no way the System wasn''t involved. ''Either way, there are ways to get stronger without System.'' Unlike leveling, ranking up was natural and not a System function. Although gaining levels was necessary to rank up, it was due to Law and since I was an Overlord now, it wouldn''t be a problem for me. ''Well, looks like I need to go to Delmond and get the Glyph before 2nd protagonist. I wasn''t nning on doing it before because it was dangerous, but the situation is no longer the same.'' Thinking like this, I shook my head. ''Until I get a way to move betweens, I should focus on evolution.'' Evolution was a path with which the ego weapons grow stronger while Glyph could be used by anyone. As an Ego weapon, it was natural for me to focus on both. ====== Rating: 10/10 Evolution conditions: -Consume 1 Tempter-ranked demon core. ====== ''Ha?! I have to get a Tempter-ranked demon core for my first evolution?!'' If my body wasn''t frozen in space, I would''ve made the stupidest expression of my life. ''¡­Isn''t this too easy?'' By bloodline purity, Demons were ranked by the closeness of their birth location to the Tree of Damnation. There are 5 rivers that circle the Tree of Damnation called Rivers of Ruin. Tempters Minor Lords Lords Archdukes and Dukes Primal Emanations Depending on the river, demons have these five bloodline ranks. The Demons born in the farthest river have the most impure bloodline. While the one born in the river closest to the tree had the purest bloodline. Tempters were the weakest demons and were like insects, too many to count. Also, all the ranks above Minor Lords were Royal Demons. While only 7 Primal Emanation-ranked Demons existed. They had many names, the 7 Demon Kings, the 7 Sins, or the 7 Monarchs. ''One Tempter ranked demon for my first evolution. How should I say, I expected a lot more?'' It was like going to market thinking of buying the most expensive gaming station only to know that it costs a lot less than you expected. You wouldn''t this ''Wow, it''s so cheap!'' but ''So cheap? Is the product defective?''. ''Caim''s clone I was nning on defeating will have a high bloodline-ranked core. Will that work? I guess I''ll knowter.'' As I was ending my inspection, the message floating above me changed. ------- Permission granted. You are being summoned. ------- And darkness again covered my vision. * "Congrattions, on defeating a D-grade Abomination." "You don''t look happy though." Administrator congratted me in a monotonous tone. Looking at her I inwardly clicked my tongue. She then began exining to me the details about my rewards but I interrupted her. "About your rewards, you ca-" "Why didn''t you kill the Abomination? Isn''t that a job thates under your domain?" Staring at me with suspicious eyes, she didn''t speak anything for a good minute. How did I know about it? Administrator must be questioning it. But although it was dangerous to show my cards I had to know the answers. "I had to use a lot of [Authority] for preparing the special Trails. Because of it, I had to wait before descending to regain the lost [Authority]" ''Special Trials, so it means Leon also fought an Overlord. That would exin his growth.'' Surprisingly, Administrator answered but I promptly shook my head. "I''m asking the real reason, not this bullshit." "¡­What do you mean by that?" "If it was only due to the loss of [Authority], you would''ve at least prepared a warp gate beforehand to descend as soon as you regained the [Authority], but you didn''t. So, tell me why you didn''t want to kill the Abomination." A stifling pressure appeared in the room and she spoke in a cold, almost robotic, tone. "You. Don''t. Need. To. Know" "Okay" "Eh?" The pressure abruptly disappeared reced by a startled expression on Administrator''s face. "I thought you wanted to know the answer at any cost. Also, I can''t answer this question even if you ask for it as a reward." "It''s fine if you don''t want to tell me." I nodded again but my thoughts were different. ''It''s me. She wanted me to die at Abomination''s hand.'' It might be a bit of a stretch to think like this but I had my reasons. ''Leon is a reincarnation of an ancient hero. Administrator wouldn''t let him die so easily, nor would Raikou allow it.'' If they were ready to risk Leon then the reason must have been something big. ''Like a legacy carrier of Devil.'' [Mephistopheles Earrings], at first I thought they were a simple artifact of the Devil but maybe I was being too na?ve. This was only wild spection on my part, but it wouldn''t hurt to be cautious. ''I need to look into these earrings more.'' "Is there anything else you want to ask?" "Actually, yes" Administrator''s brows twitched. From her expression, it was clear she wanted to kick me out at the first chance but had to tolerate my existence. I think I''ve been irritating a lot of people with my questions. I should do it more. "Is Leon alive?" "Why are you asking that?" "Didn''t the Abomination leave a piece of it in my soul core that Leon took?" "!!!" She stiffened. "How do you know that?" "A guess" I smiled. "Well, not entirely a guess. The monster was too smart and it already did something like that before so I thought maybe it might have done it. But your reactions affirm my doubts." I couldn''t help but narrow my eyes. If Administrator wanted to kill me with Abomination, why wasn''t she going to save Leon, after all, he was now somewhere away. Contemting, Administrator ultimately sighed. "You saw the [Miracle] ability in that grimoire, didn''t you?" I nodded. "After you died the [Miracle] was activated. What do you think the [Miracle] was?" "The summoning circle that saved Leon." Administrator nodded. "You are half-correct. The summoning circle was the help of the [Miracle] but that wasn''t all." [Miracle] was one of the ability of the [Grimoire of Hope] that Lark had on him. "The other [Miracle] was you." Chapter 219 Odysseus [1] -(Past || After Leon was teleported and before Nathan defeated the Abomination on his side)- The world reassembled piece by piece and before Leon could confirm the identity of the neer he was already standing somewhere else. Grrrrr- His perception picked multiple presences surrounding him. Just as he tried to take a stance to fight again, he reeled, clearly too injured to continue. At the same time, a somewhat familiar voice entered his ears. "Defeat these monster- huh? You aren''t a summon. You are¡­ Leon?!" A girl in her early twenties was covering him while the monsters attacked. Squinting he tried to recall where he had seen her. Aquamarine eyes, a bit fatigued, short trimmed aquamarine hair that didn''t even reach her shoulders and a battle hardened appearance. He didn''t recognize her. He found her voice to be familiar, but there was no one who looked like her in his memories. However, this wasn''t the time to rest and question her. Cough- "Where am I? And what is the situation?" He brought an elixir out of his storage ring and downed it in one gulp. Although the girl was stopping the army of monsters alone, she couldn''t counterattack. Staring at him for a few moments, she hesitated to answer. "Dungeon of Trials, 3rd [Singrity] Trial, [Puzzle-Type]. I used [Rescue Summoning] to call for help and you were summoned." Blinking for a few seconds, Leon''s brain went into overdrive. After saving Nathan''s soul core, he was back to his previous self. As for the one who arrivedter to fight the Abomination, he didn''t think it was Nathan, or rather, he was refusing to believe that it was Nathan. Because that would mean he had abandoned Nathan even though he returned to fight the Abomination. The girl gave Leon a side-along nce andmanded a dozen magic circles at her fingertips. The sight was ludicrous. She was only Iota-rank, yet the magic she was deploying was beyond Rank 4, no, looking closely he realized that he couldn''t evaluate the rank of the magic she used. She wasn''t using magic chants nor was she using spells to increase the number of her magic spells, Leon doubted she was using skills to increase the magic circles, yet without a doubt at least a dozen magic circles were floating in front of them, stopping the magic attacks of the eagles attacking them. Nevertheless, Leon had seen too much today to be shocked by this alone. It was the identity of the girl which shook him. "Anna¡­?" "Hmm" The girl hummed in agreement, too busy to give a proper reply. What happened to her appearance? Why was she on the 3rd [Singrity] Trial? How did she be so strong? There were too many questions, but too little time to ask them. While his limbs were almost healed, Anna spoke awkwardly. "Ehm, can you help?" Anna could defend at best. Stopping a hundred high Iota-rank monsters was already remarkable, almost heroic¡­ and a bit absurd, she couldn''t do more than this. If they didn''t escape, they would be defeated. And given the weird System messages that came weeks prior, defeat meant death, a permanent one at that. "I can now" Zap- Leon jumped to his feet and, activating his stigma, went out of the protective area created by Anna. "Wait! All of them are at least high Iota-rank! Don''t go outside! We need to run!" Anna paled. Although it was years ago they met, it would''ve been only a few months for Leon, he couldn''t defeat a hundred high Iota-rank monsters by himself. "You''ll die! What are you doing?!" Knowing it was best to show results than asking her to believe in him, Leon jumped into the middle of the fray. The eagles were each 2 meter big and throwing wing des and using wind magic to attack. Making sure that every monster was in range, Leon closed his eyes and took a stance. "Fourth Form: Domain" Taking a deep breath while sensing every little movement of all monsters, Leon used a technique from his traditional art. "Fifth Form: Thousand Divine sh" He slowly yet powerfully swung his de as if dancing. Twirling around, his figure blurred, but at the same time, it was as if he was moving in slow motion. Anna almost forgot to breathe at the mesmerizing scene, at least until he stopped dancing. Thud- Something fell. Thud- Thud- Thud- Before Anna could realize what transpired, the eagles fell from the sky. Some had their entire bodies cleaved while some were deactivated, some had a small yet fatal cut on their bodies, and some were unharmed yet undoubtedly dead. [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.21 Azure Eagle. You have gained¡­.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.24 Azure Eagle. You¡­.] [Congrattions, you have killed Lvl.20 Azure¡­.] [Congrattions, you have killed¡­.] [Congrattions, you have killed¡­.] [Congrattions, you have killed¡­.] [Congrattions¡­.] [Congrattions¡­.] [Congrattions¡­.] [Congrattions¡­.] ¡­ ¡­ [You have leveled up!] [You have leveled up!] An endless amount of notifications covered Leon''s vision. Engrossed in analyzing the technique he used, he missed the fact that he leveled up twice. It shouldn''t have been possible with his low umtion rate, but now his [Full-Frame] had evolved and he was reaping the benefits. ''I see. Even if I use the original version of my art and not the variant version, as long as I remember the essence of the technique, it shouldn''t be a problem.'' Unknowingly, he clenched his fists. He couldn''t forget how the Abomination toyed with him and thus he was trying to create something new. Defeating the monster, Anna took Leon to her hidden area. She was excited, a little apprehensive, and to some extent, afraid. Leon, an Iota-rank awakener, had defeated almost hundred high Iota-rank monsters in a few seconds. She had every right to feel what she was feeling. Leon fell to his butt. He was too exhausted to move, both physically and mentally. As time passed, none spoke. Noticing the side nces Anna was giving, Leon understood he had to be the one to initiate the conversation. Fortunately, once he spoke, the ice was easily broken and Anna told him about what happened over the past few years. "You chose [Puzzle-Type] [Singrity] since the beginning and because of this you werete for midterm exams?" Having chosen an artifact, simr to Leon''s artifact, from the 2nd Trial reward to change her appearance, nobody suspected her. After the exam, she re-entered the tower immediately to grow stronger and reach a higher floor to get merit points so that she could revoke her uing expulsion. Thankfully, since [Puzzle-Type] trials didn''t depend on brute force, even she, a support mage, was able to clear them. The problem arose when she entered 3rd trial and difficulty shot up by arge margin. Due to her depressed mental psyche from missing the exam, she hadn''t prepared ordingly and made a mistake after beginning the trial. "Hmm." Anna nodded. "[Puzzle-Type] is the easiest and the hardest type among the three types of trials. If you don''t make a mistake, you can clear the trial without fighting, but if you made a mistake, you might have to fight monster 2 whole ranks above you." Leon scowled. Two ranks higher, Te-rank. An Iota-rank defeating an Enma-rank was enough to call the awakener a top genius of Earth. Defeating Te-rank monster as an Iota-rank? Even Pioneers wouldugh at you if you tell them that this was possible. Not only was there arge gap in stats between Enma-rank and Te-rank, Te-rank meant having already undergone one evolution. This, coupled with the fact that their enemies were monsters which are generally stronger than awakeners, made it more troublesome. Anna continued. "I didn''t want to use my 1st Trial reward but a few weeks back the Support system of Tower suddenly went down andter I was forced to use the [Rescue-Summoning] artifact to save my life." "[Rescue-Summoning]" Leon mumbled to himself. He recalled seeing something simr in his 2nd Trial clear reward list. "How many uses are left for the artifact?" "None. You were summoned in thest attempt. The previous two summons were spirits, but they died quickly due to the overwhelming number of monsters." Scribbling at the ground, Leon was lost in his thoughts. [Rescue-Summoning] an artifact with fixed uses that can summon summons based on luck and the summoner''s immediate problem. It wasn''t anything but a miracle that Leon was summoned and thus escaped the jaws of death at thest second. "What about you?" Anna''s question made Leon freeze. He recalled everything that had happened in the past day and his Noah-like expression began returning. He had been trying to forget everything, trying to believe that everything had ended. But even if he didn''t focus on the identity of the person on Floor 14, he couldn''t forget the faces of all those who died. "Uhm, you have weird naming sense." Anna''s social skills were never good, and years of istion only made the condition worse. She could tell that Leon didn''t want to talk about the topic and tried to change it. But what came out of her mouth was a blunt response. Not understanding what she was trying to say, Leon tilted his head. "You also choose [Singrity] Trial." Leon nodded. His growth made it clear as day that he had chosen [Singrity] Trial. "Why did you choose such a unique name for your alias?" Blunt as always, Anna didn''t mince her words. Although her tone didn''t show it, she was trying to tease Leon for the name. Actually, she was thankful to Leon for choosing that ''unique'' alias. Back when she almost gave up on her trial, the alias would make her giggle and uplift her mood. No matter how little it was, thatfort was her sole sce during those hellish days. "Alias? For what?" Anna was about to answer her when the ground shook heavily. Boom- Boom- Boom- The tremors increased in intensity, and a monsternded in front of them. "How did it find us?" Anna grimaced. The monster was high Enma-rank, something they could never hope to defeat. However, thinking more, Anna got ready to fight. Maybe with Leon here, they could win. Boom- Boom- At that moment, four more Enma-rank monsters appeared. Chapter 220 Odysseus [2] "Huff¡­ Huff¡­" Leon plopped to the ground. Sweat glistened on his forehead along with the blue blood of monsters that was slowly disintegrating into pixels. "What was the level of monsters?" An incredulous Anna asked. Years of survival in these damned trials had honed her instinct. She was proud to say she could judge the approximate strength of monsters at a single nce. And this was why she couldn''t believe that Leon won. ''The monsters must have been low Enma rank for Leon to defeat them alone.'' She tried to tell herself. "The two leading the pack were Lvl 46 and Lvl 48, while the rest were a bit weaker, Lvl 41, Lvl 43, and Lvl 42." "I-I see" All Anna could do was stutter. Leon defeated the five Enma-rank monsters. Although she helped him, it was still unbelievable that they won without any casualties. Two mid-Iota-rank awakeners defeated 5 high Enma-rank monsters. If this news spread outside, they would be ced on top of their generation. ''My hard work wasn''t in vain.'' Anna couldn''t describe her feelings. For one, she was incredibly happy that even as a support mage she had grown stronger to the point she could contend against Enma-rank monsters, but on the other hand, it made her more curious about Leon, who engaged in close-quarterbat with the monsters and came out on top. Drinking a stamina potion, Leon turned to her. "You said previously that because of your mistake, some strong monsters appeared in the trial. Were these those monsters?" "No, the one that was released was¡­." Grrrrr- The air trembled and an unfathomable amount of pressure copsed on Leon and Anna. Cold sweat ran down their backs, yet Leon couldn''t stand up. His senses were telling him. One wrong move and he would die. From the corner of their eyes, they saw the monster stepping into the light. Pale blue body, the head of a lion, a goat''s torso, the end of the tail hissing at them with its frolicking tongue and its massive wings simr to an eagle''s. A chimera. And a powerful one at that. The monster roared and breathed mes from its mouth. Anna, who reacted swiftly, conjured 5 consecutive magic circles to act as a shield. But the smoldering mes bypassed the shields without any obstruction and hit the ground. Boooom-! The four-armed ethereal giant appeared in the air and picked them up at thest second, saving them from the explosion. Leon, who had reacted a bitte, jumped to his feet and spluttered. "Is that the monster that you were talking about? What is its level?" "It''s a Chimera-type monster with Lvl.100." "¡­what?" For a moment, Leon forgot to breathe. Lvl.100 was the limit of Te rank. It was one step away from reaching Hatamoto-rank. But he regained hisposure fairly easily. ''It shouldn''t be harder than Abomination.'' ''I''m not weak anymore.'' Was it thest victory against Abomination that instilled such confidence in him? He didn''t cower, and without a moment''s hesitation, decided to fight. "I''ll fight the monster. Please back me up with your magic and-" Fwosh- Leon felt a strong gust of wind touch his cheek. Majestically spreading its wings, the chimera was flying in front of them. The monster swung its talons. ''Raikou can block 90% of physical damage. I should use this chance.'' Strengthening his grip at thest second, Leon retaliated. BOOOOOOOM-! His katana broke and, like a projectile, his figure shot back. Blood spurted from his mouth and both of his arms bent unnaturally. Crashing into the four-armed giant, the impact was strong enough to drag Raikou along with Leon for several kilometers. The two crashed into the ground far away from the area they shed with the chimera. "Can you move?!" As she was protected by the giant, Anna was rtively healthy and able to move. But the same couldn''t be said about Leon. His eyes were hazy, and he couldn''t stand properly without her support. Laboriously breathing, he looked like he would die any second. "We need to run away!" Anna threw a disc on the ground. The disc whirred and expanded. Jumping on it, the disc floated and moved at an extremely fast pace. "I didn''t want to do this." Moving in a specific direction, Anna used smoke-screen artifacts she had on her. Thick smoke filled the area for several hundred meters. With smoke''s special nature, anyone who would enter it would lose their senses and get lost. Despite this, Anna wasn''t very optimistic. She fed Leon the elixir he had given her earlier and watched him healing at a rate visible to the naked eye. "A¡­are we r-running?" His voice croaked as he attempted to speak. A single hit from peak Te rank had decimated him. "In a way, yes." Giving an ambiguous response, Anna focused on running away. Grrr- The chimera''s growl came from next to them. Without thinking twice, Anna touched the ground and executed a short chant. "" The ground beneath them turned squishy and bought them a few more seconds. Swiping her forehead, Anna focused on maintaining the spell. As they were escaping, she realized that the heat was slowly bing unbearable. "huh, heat¡­.?" Before they could react, a massive fireball dropped from the sky. It was the size of a 5-story building and the forest was set aze before the spell even hit the ground. Gritting his teeth, Leon summoned Raikou and attempted to use the 7th form along with its essence. Since they couldn''t escape the impact radius in time, he could only try to cut the fireball. Vrrrooom- However, a single massive magic circle appeared in the air. As the fireball phased through the magic circle, Leon realized that the spell had lost its power by a big margin. Besides him, veins almost burst on Anna''s neck as she used her magic. Although Leon also wanted to help, he was stunned beyond belief, too shocked to move. He finally realized what kind of magic Anna had been using. "Deconstructing¡­? You can deconstruct the visualized magic sequences?" Magic spells are activated with magic circles. Thebination of chants, mana, and the mage''s visualization forms these circles. Depending on the mage''s mental image, the spell might not work even if they use the exact chant. Vice versa, two people could use the same fireball while using different chants. Of course, randomly changing the spell''s visual imagery never works. A visual image has to beplemented with specific chants and a set type of magic sequences. Thus, it was hard to create new spells. Nevertheless, if two people use the same chants and visual image to create a spell, the magic circle they would create would always be different. It is because a magic circle is made up of magic sequences. Every person has a different structure of mana nerves in themselves, thus when they pour mana through their mana nerves, the resulting magic sequences are always different. As a result, , a magic spell shown in many kids''mercials, where one could destroy other magicians'' magic spells, couldn''t be used in real life. Because every person has different magic sequences, every spell would need a different to deconstruct it. Yet Anna was doing that very thing at this very moment. The sheer audacity of the fact that she was analyzing, creating, and adjusting her magic sequences to counter the magic of the chimera baffled Leon. "You were using this magic to stop those hundreds of eagles¡­?" Not one, ten, or dozen but a hundred. Earlier she was using hundreds of simultaneously. It made Leon realize, maybe the past few years Anna spent alone weren''t as simple as she made them out to be. "C¡­an you stop gawking and hel¡­p?" Veins wriggled on Anna''s forehead and blood flowed down her eyes. Leonmanded Raikou to attack, but he suddenly felt cold wind flowing from beneath him. Instantly, they fell to the ground under the influence of gravity. Boooom-! The magic circle stopping the giant fireball disappeared, and it hit the surface. However, Anna and Leon were already far under the ground to be included in the attack radius. * The smoke inhibiting the chimera''s senses slowly disappeared. pping its wings, the chimera looked below to find its prey. Below it, arge section of forest had been burnt andid waste. Grrrr- Noticing the dark, deep canyon the chimera growled. Due to the smoke, it didn''t notice that it had reached this part of the jungle. As soon as it noticed the canyon, it flew back to its abode without even trying to find the two preys that it was hunting. For the chimera, a monster known to hold deep grudges against enemies, to leave its prey spoke lengths about the danger lurking in the canyon. By this time, Nathan had defeated the Abomination and moved to collect his reward. While Anna and Leon fell into the canyon, Nathan was waiting in the empty space for Administrator to call him. However, Leon and Anna had yet to get any notification about the Abomination''s defeat. Chapter 221 Odysseus [3] At the depth of the canyon that was filled with dark green gas,y Anna and Leon. Both of them were unconscious. Their rising and falling chests were the only signs that they weren''t dead. Jumping into this canyon was Anna''s n to escape the chimera. For the past months, she had noticed that no monsters went near the canyon. Although she knew that there must be even greater danger lurking inside the canyon, she had no choice but to jump here. Nevertheless, she had been too na?ve. Because the dark green gas was so thick that measuring its depth was impossible she hadn''t thought of what could happen once they jumped there, or rather she didn''t have time to think about it. It was thanks to Leon''s timely intervention that Raikou covered both of them and the impact of the crash didn''t kill them. Several hours passed in the same manner but none of them awoke. Whenever anyone among them would almost regain consciousness, the gas would gush into their mouths in great amounts and they would lose hold of their consciousness again. A day went by. Exactly 24 hours after they fell, a change urred in the canyon. Sudden noises of cluttering echoed. The jarring cacophony drowned the canyon. Hundreds, if not thousands glowing dots appeared, seemingly moving toward the two unconscious prey. Leon and Anna''s brows furrowed, and they scowled, but they were unable toe out of their dreams. The effects of the gas were overpowering their instincts. The gas twirled and a monster stepped out. Tworge pincers, lustreless green exoskeleton, 10 legs supporting their weight, and two beady eyes. nking their pincers, the monsters jeered and raced to dine. Swosh- Puchi-! Puchi-! Puchi-! Suddenly, the three monsters at the front dropped to the ground and turned into pixels. Before the monsters at the back could react, a thin grey vine moved at a terrifying speed and killed another 10 monsters. Kreeehh- The vine-covered Leon and Anna, and growled at the monsters. Monsters of their rank shouldn''t have retreated as they couldn''t think, but they instinctively felt that the grey vine was a different ''species'' altogether. It was something superior than them. When the monsters finally retreated, the grey vine turned and stared at the two unconscious humans. kreeEHHH- Bubbles swelled and burst on the vine''s trunk and, like a tree undergoing rapid growth, it becamerger. The vine grew two legs, two arms, a torso, and a head. It had the appearance of a human, the difference being its grey color. The bubbles kept bursting on the Abomination''s skin and it thrashed around. kkRRRehHH- Even in pain, the Abomination tried to kill Leon as itsst job but it failed. At thest second, as its limbs were about to pierce their skulls, a rainbow-colored me burst from within it and the Abomination''s body stiffened. Ear-piercing howls rang for hours in the canyon as the grey monster and the rainbow-colored me fought for supremacy. "Haah¡­ haah¡­" At the end of the battle, the monster breathed and dropped to the ground. * "My head¡­ it hurts" Hourster, the silence of the canyon was again broken. Groggily sitting, the ''human'' looked around. "Leon¡­Anna¡­? Why are they here¡­." The ''human'' looked shocked and then hurriedly checked his own body. "Didn''t I die with Susan? How am I alive?" The ''human'' bore a strikingly simr appearance to Nathan, only his eyes were grey. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours. ''Nathan'', noticing that monsters in the canyon were afraid of him, stayed near Leon and Anna while thinking of reasons for what was happening. "Thest thing I can remember is ''me'' dying with Susan. But how did I fuse with the Abomination?" He rubbed his chin and thought more. "The only possible way I can think of that it has something to do with [Miracle]. Maybe X merged me with the Abomination to save me?" As the cluttering returned, ''Nathan'' red into the fog and the monster retreated in fear. "But why is Leon here and how are we supposed to get out of this [Singrity] trial?" Knowing the terrain of floors, and noticing the physical age of Anna, he guessed that he was in a [Singrity] trial inside the tower. ''Nathan'' didn''t know how he reached there. He didn''t know if others were alive, too. But because the Abomination, ''he'', was alive, the tower restrictions were still in ce. Bizarre things were happening, yet ''Nathan'' was calm, eerily so. Was he a human? Or was he an Abomination? Was he even alive? HISSSSSSS- The appearance of the new monster broke him out of his reverie. Turning his head, ''Nathan'' used the previous trick again, ring at the monster to make them back away. But when it didn''t work, he issued a warning, "Get lost if you don''t want to¡­." Fwosh- Bang-! A massive tail swung at him and smashed him into the walls of the canyon. HISSSSS- Killing ''Nathan'', two glowing slits slithered toward Leon and Anna. A snake came out of the mist. It was big and wide, wide enough that two of the same snake wouldn''t fit side-by-side in this canyon and the end of its body was nowhere in sight. The monster lunged at the two prey. "So, physical damage doesn''t work anymore, huh." Fwosh- ''Nathan'' appeared suddenly beside Leon and Anna, and carried them away before the monster could eat them. Moving at an unbelievable speed, he ced them far away from the monster and reappeared in front of the snake monster. Swinging his fist, he hit the monster''s overgrown body. "Eh?" His punch went through the monster and hit empty air. ''Nathan'', could ignore physical damage, but he also couldn''t attack physically. Barely suppressing the twitching corner of his lips, ''Nathan'' jumped back. He kept Leon and Anna in his presence to make sure monsters did not attack them while facing the snake monster. "You are¡­ I have seen you somewhere." While ''Nathan'' was drowned in his thoughts, the monster lunged at him, intending to kill him. As the king of the canyon, it took it as an insult that ''Nathan'' survived his attacks. Moving with minimal movements, ''Nathan'' kept dodging the snake''s attack without any effort. "You''re J?rmungandr! The World Eating Serpent! Well, at least the copy of the real one." ''Nathan''s'' brows furrowed. "But then, why do I feel like I''ve seen you somewhere?" J?rmungandr was one of the four cmities that would almost destroy Earth in the near future. While that one was real J?rmungandr, the one in front of Nathan wasn''t. Suddenly, Nathan''s eyes brightened. "That merged Leviathan in my First Trial! You''re that!" As he recalled where he had seen the monster, Nathan failed to realize that he was dodging the monster''s attack with terrifying uracy. Although this J?rmungandr was only Lvl 50, it still had 3 [Traits]. The one Nathan had faced in the [Singrity] trial had only one [Trait], and on top of that, Nathan won only because he defeated the main body of the monster. He wasn''t able to kill the merged Leviathan. Throughout the time he dodged J?rmungandr''s attack, ''Nathan'' held a rxed expression. However, the grey color from his eyes suddenly burst and covered the upper half of his torso. At that moment, Nathan momentarily lost control of his body, allowing the J?rmungandr to hit him. Bang-!! The canyon shook greatly and rubble flew into the air. The monster was hissing in victory when ''Nathan'' stepped out of the crater. He was back to normal with the grey color only present in his eyes. "I was dodging it this whole time¡­?" Grasping his action in the past minutes, ''Nathan''s'' face hardened. "When did I grow proficient enough to dodge a monster''s attack without breaking a sweat?" He would''ve let it go if this ability came from Abomination, but it didn''t. Feeling something on the tip of his tongue, ''Nathan'' unconsciously touched his earlobes, he was forgetting something. HISSSS- "Dark world" ''Nathan'' swiped his hand and covered the valley in ck color. A gigantic ck sphere appeared in the canyon. Losing its vision, the monster lost track of ''Nathan''. Using the gap, he picked up Anna and Leon, and ran away. ''Nathan'' didn''t worry about his current predicament. He didn''t pay attention to his absurdly strong stigma. He ignored his merging with Abomination. But for some reason, as soon as he tried to recall when he got so much proficient inbat, his back was drenched in cold sweat. Gulping heavily, ''Nathan'' continued running without a second thought. His mind screamed at him to stop trying to remember. The more he dug into his memories, the more he shivered. Bam- Unable to continue running, ''Nathan'' fell along with Leon and Anna. "Huff! Huff!" Ironically, there was a small puddle where he fell. He looked at his face in the reflection and the missing pieces clicked in ce. "The earrings. They are missing." Chapter 222 Odysseus [4] "I''m not the real Nathan, or the earrings wouldn''t be missing." ''Nathan''s'' fingers ran on his earlobes. "After all, every time those earrings are removed I have to go through that ''hell''." epting the fact that he was not the original Nathan, he didn''t dwell deeper. "Oh, well, this would exin how they were hoping to kill the Abomination." The canyon shook heavily, signaling the oing J?rmungandr. Picking a random stone, ''Nathan'' spoke. "Stretch" Bang-! Bang-! The two edges of the stone stretched horizontally and stuck into the valley walls. Flicking his wrist while touching the stone b, ''Nathan''manded the stone to stretch again, but this time vertically. The stone bs extended almost instantly. Tremors ran through the walls of the valley as the stone broke through its surface. By the time ''Nathan'' stopped, a stone wall was blocking the path between them and J?rmungandr. "Acquired Skills are really overpowered. Just [Pierce] can do this much if I use it at my discretion." He picked Leon and Anna and put them on a stone te he found. The stone te then stretched towards the sky and grew into a long pir. ''Nathan'' stopped increasing the stone pir''s size when they were out of the valley and jumped back at the surface. Looking around, ''Nathan'' felt the presence of the monsters and decided to kill them before J?rmungandr came out. "Fifth Technique: Spirit Awakening." Nothing happened. Blinking with a stupid expression, ''Nathan'' used his other abilities. "Zero Maximus" ¡­Nothing happened again. Calling out the names of the techniques wasn''t necessary, but something ingrained in his spirit because of the ''hell'' he went through in the memory world. Scratching his head, an imaginary light bulb appeared over ''Nathan''s'' head and he coughed in embarrassment. "Cough cough..right, I can''t use my art without ether and since I''m not the original soul, I don''t have Seed of Chaos to create the [Chaos] energy without ether." Booom-! Booom-! HISSSSS- A massive shadow fell over the jungle and J?rmungandr came out of the valley. "How big is it¡­?" The part of J?rmungandr''s body out of the valley was easily 200 meters long, but the monster''s entire body had yet toe out. Without waiting for a moment, ''Nathan'' jumped toward the monster. As his feetnded on its thick scales, he ran and jumped on the other side of the valley. "It would be a problem if Leon or Anna dies as coteral damage. I should take the monster away from them." In the memory world, Nathan melted his ears to see what would happen if he removed his earrings quite a few times. He would then have to go through ''hell'' as punishment. His current abilities were what he cultivated and learned in that ''hell''. "I''m here, you overgrown snakey!" Taunting J?rmungandr, he ran at his top speed to pull the monster away from Leon and Anna. "Those damned earrings." He cursed under his breath. "What is the point of making me go through that ''hell'' if all my memories will be sealed when Ie out of that ''hell''?" The only reason Nathan stopped burning his ears, even after losing his memories every time, was because the fear and pain of the ''hell'' was etched into his soul, making him unconsciously stop doing it. But he shook his head shortly. "It''s not my problem anymore, though! It''s Nathan''s! Sucks to be you!" ¡­This ''Nathan'' was also goofy. He learned a lot from the master of the ''hell'', fought a lot, and died a lot too. Thinking back, it was weird because Nathan would never gain those memories until he removed the earrings. But then, as punished for losing the earrings, he would go through ''hell'' and aftering back, ultimately lose his memories again. So, thebat experience he gained in his soul form was useless. It was nothing but an irony of fate that the "new" ''Nathan'' was using those memories. Suddenly, intense tremors surged. ''Nathan'' looked back and found J?rmungandr ring at him, but the monster wasn''t moving. As he thought of the source of tremors, the ground beneath him broke and he was flung into his air. "Tail¡­?" Coming out of the ground beneath him was the massive tail of J?rmungandr. The monster broke the terrain to get him in one hit without moving from its ce. As the king of the valley, J?rmungandr was aggravated that it had toe out of the valley, but its pride wouldn''t allow it to take one step further. Not like it had feet to take any step. As ''Nathan'' fell back to earth under the influence of gravity, the monster flung its tail again and hit him with a clean attack. Baangg-! Baangg-! Baangg-! Baangg-! ''Nathan''s'' figure blew through the jungle while destroying several small hills in his path. His body flew at an extremely fast pace and did not show any sign of stopping. BOOOOOM-! Finally, after covering several dozen kilometers he crashed into a massive temple in the middle of the jungle and came to a halt. HISSSSS- J?rmungandr hissed condescendingly at its show of might. As if a puny portal could survive its attack. The snake was able to see everything in several kilometers easily. It was waiting for the dust to settle and mock the squashed human before returning. "Zero physical damage. Abominations are something else." Cranking his neck, ''Nathan'' stepped out of the dust. His clothes were also made from his ''skin'' of Abomination, so, at this moment, he looked nothing like someone who had been blown several kilometers away and survived the crash. "I can use my stigma [Iridescence], System skills, my acquired skill from [Pierce] and I have an indestructible body at this moment." He counted on his fingers. "And I can''t use [Chaos] energy and my art, both of which are my main fighting abilities, nor can I attack physically myself." Enraged, J?rmungandr slithered toward ''Nathan''. Every time its massive body moved, it left disaster in its wake. "Oh, well, it would take longer to defeat it." He smirked. "5 minutes should do." * Grrrr- The temple in which ''Nathan'' crashed was the nest of the chimera, the top predator of the jungle. Nevertheless, it hid in fear when it sensed J?rmungandring out. It may be a higher rank than J?rmungandr, but the two were no match. One was a decent Te-rank monster with above average [Traits], while the other was among the strongest monster with [Traits] that earned it the name World Eating serpent. Even if J?rmungandr was a replica in Enma-rank, it was leagues above the chimera. The chimera had no choice but to hide from the apex predator. At the same time, a ''human'' who should have better intelligence than the chimera was doing exactly the opposite. He ran toward the gigantic snake monster without hesitation! "Dark World" With Nathan as the center, a ck sphere with a 100-meter radius appeared. J?rmungandr lost its vision as its head was in the range. But the monster wasn''t helpless in front of the same trick again. BOOOOOOM-! Its tails struck the ground inside the sphere! It couldn''t see inside the sphere? Then it will kill everything in the area! There was no need to hold back, anyway! The ck sphere dissipated. ''Nathan'', who was covered in a golden shield, waved at J?rmungandr teasingly. "I''m alive!" The snake was momentarily stunned. There were too many ''Nathans''! At least a few hundred! It hissed angrily. How did the human not die but rather multiplied in numbers?! Opening its maws, green gas poured out. It sucked the life out of everything that touched the gas. The ground shriveled, the trees withered, and the monsters died without knowing what hit them. But even then, the hundreds of ''Nathans'' stood unperturbed. J?rmungandr''s ruthless attacks rained. But nothing worked. The monster used a more potent poison. It dived headfirst and created another explosion from the impact, and the pieces of rubble kept attacking like projectiles. Nheless, all the attacks did was flickering the figures of ''Nathans'' slightly. Like a mirage, the ''Nathan''s'' figure would quiver for a moment when an attack passed through them before returning to their normal state. As if they were an army of immortals, they stood in their position with a smirk. J?rmungandr didn''t stop, however. Its vigor only increased when it realized that the human wasn''t dying. Suddenly, a mocking tone echoed. "tsk tsk, for a replica of World Eating Serpent, you certainly are stupid." The air above J?rmungandr''s head distorted. "You can''t even realize that they are only illusions." The colors in the air contorted and ''Nathan''s'' figure sitting atop J?rmungandr''s head was revealed. The army of ''Nathans'' disappeared in an instant, and the colors rushed back to ''Nathan''. HISSSS- Flinging its head, the monster threw ''Nathan'' into the sky. At its actions, ''Nathan'' sighed. "Predictable" He took out a stone from his pocket and used his acquired skill. "Expand" [Pierce] was a System skill that allowed the user to extend the tip of the weapon. But as an acquired skill, the limitations on the length of the extension, the ''weapon'', and the ''tip'', everything was decided by the user. Earlier in the valley, ''Nathan'' designated the stone''s edges as ''tips'' and extended them. He used his skill simrly at this moment, but this time the ''tip'' was the entire surface of the stone. "Meteor Impact" The stone expanded without limits and grew to the size of several hundred meters. In an instant, it returned under the influence of gravity. BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM-! The earth quaked and the terrain was turned upside down. These were the abilities Nathan gained after challenging and dying at the hands of the master of ''hell'' thousands of times. Even if he couldn''t use his art and [Chaos], he wasn''t someone who would be defeated at the hands of mere Enma-ranks. Chapter 223 Odysseus [5] 223 Odysseus [5] If someone asked ''Nathan'' what was the strongest technique he learned while undergoing the ''hell''. His answer would be¡­ None Depending on thepatibility with the enemy, techniques be useless or useful. There was no absolute technique to call it strongest. But if he had to answer nheless, it would be ''Information''. Master of Hell, although cruel, gave him a lot of necessary information he was missing. The reason behind his reincarnation, the truth about the world, the real enemies, and a lot more. It was something ''Nathan'' was almost thankful for. Almost. What was the point of everything if his memories were sealed?! "And why aren''t you dying, you fatty snake!" BOOOOOM-! Another deep crater was carved onto the earth but J?rmungandr came out alive. ''Nathan''s'' attacks were not weak, rather they were too powerful, the problemy with the [Traits] of the monster. "[Poison Maniption], [Enhanced muscles] and [Undying]." He knew he was in [Singrity] trial but seriously? [Undying] trait? This was cheating! Had it not been ''Nathan'' anyone else would''ve died a dozen times already! "Since I can''t kill you, just lie down!" The ground ruptured at ''Nathan''s'' touch and several massive pirs came out. Using his acquired skill, he manipted the pirs, each of which was at least 50 meters big, to wrap around J?rmungandr and tied it to the ground. HISSSSSS- "Good, this should give me a clean hit." The monster tried to thrash around in hopes of breaking the structures tying it, but couldn''t seed. ''Nathan'' then used his acquired skill on stones to expand them and hurl them at the monster. Without his art and [Chaos] energy, this was the only method with which he could do any substantial damage. As ''Nathan'' jumped into the sky, he suddenly stiffened and fell back to the ground like a log. KReeeechhhHH- Coming out of the crater was Abomination, the monstrosity looked at J?rmungandr and then toward the valley. -Priority¡­Child of Destiny¡­ Bam- Crouching, the Abomination tensed its calves and jumped into the sky. Reaching a fairly high elevation, it stared at where Leon should''ve been. Its arms shot out in that direction and stretched endlessly. As the arms reached their destination, they wrapped around the trees and pulled the Abomination. -Die¡­. Without waiting for itself tond, tentacles came out of the Abomination''s back and slithered towards the unconscious Leon and Anna. Nevertheless, the Abomination too stiffened abruptly and went limp. Its attack missing, the monstrosity crashed. When the dust settled, the Abomination and ''human'' appeared simultaneously. The right half of the body held the appearance of Nathan, while the left half had the Abomination''s appearance. -Kill¡­.Child of Destiny¡­ "Oh, god, why can''t you shut up?" Although they were a single entity, ''Nathan'' attempted to converse with Abomination to quell its urge for destruction. -Can''t take over¡­human soul strong¡­.need time "I know you will takeplete control, but can''t you let me enjoy until then?" ''Nathan'' held a smirk on his face while, from the left half of the body, tentacles were trying to move and kill Leon. Due to ''Nathan''s'' exceptional soul, the Abomination was having trouble taking over. But, with time, ''Nathan'' would naturally lose this tug of war and the control would go forever to the Abomination. Both of them knew this. The reason Abomination was trying to kill Leon before gaining full control was that it was worried that some unforeseen incident might save Leon and so it was moving with haste. But the human''s soul was too damn stubborn to let the Abomination kill Leon. "You know, the Master of Hell told me quite a few things." Suddenly ''Nathan'' spoke to the Abomination. "If I had to take the Hell Master''s words, Leon is too damn important to die here, heck everyone in the main cast is too important to let them die." -Kill¡­Child of Destiny¡­ "The moment they die, a bad end is almost guaranteed. Why? Because there is a high chance they are one of the Sessors." Nathan was a sessor himself. He was the sessor of 2 of the 13 ancients, the Devil and the First King. Though, unlike other sessors, bing a sessor wasn''t in his fate, but something that was tampered with. Saga of Heroes. The title the readers unanimously chose seemed to be quite fitting. "And on the other hand, there is me, ''Nathan'', but I''m not the real Nathan. To top it off, I have somehow merged with a being that needs to die no matter what." -Let me take over¡­ human¡­ what do you want? "I will kill myself." The Abomination abruptly halted its attempt to reap Leon''s life. -D-don''t lie¡­.someone with an as powerful will to live as you¡­ will nevermit suicide The Abomination spoke the truth, yet uncertainty and fear could be sensed in its voice. "I''m not real anyway, no one will bother even if I were to die. Besides, the reason I want to live¡­ the real me would fulfill it." The figure stood up with a dull smile. -Stop¡­ it¡­ The Abomination sounded worried. There was no way it could be killed without the power of eternity or {Authority}, but for some reason, it could that Nathan wasn''t joking. Standing above Leon and Anna, ''Nathan'', who had gainedplete control for a short time, wrote something on Leon''s arm. ------- Find the sessors Chasm, Roots of Tree of Damnation The phrase you used to ess the cave where your manuals were ------ He carved the words on Leon''s arm with his stigma. This way, only Nathan would be able to see and read the words. Moreover, it could only be erased by Nathan. "This much help should be enough." He would''ve written more, but there was a possibility that either System or the one who brought him into this world would interfere. Although the words were for Nathan, he wasn''t worried that anybody else would be able to read them. But even if someone could, these phrases were something only Nathan would be able to understand. "Let''s get started." He picked up Leon''s katana and went toward J?rmungandr. -Human, let me kill Child of Destiny¡­ then I will give you the reigns to this body The left of his face wriggled and became the face of Abomination. ''Nathan'' ignored the Abomination and used hisst moments to enjoy the view before killing himself. "I guess this is it." He sighed and held the katana above its hand. -Stop human! Stop! "[Ignition]" A subtle white hue enveloped the de of the katana. -stOP iT hMAAN ''Nathan''s'' figure began distorting as Abomination unleashed its fury. But his eyes were fixed on J?rmungandr, the monster that had broken its restraints anding to kill him. Swosh-! He swung his de. Unlike what ''Nathan'' expected, there was no crazy explosion or anything shy upon activating the skill. The world was simply¡­ destroyed. Unable to support its existence, the world crumbled into dust. Starting from J?rmungandr, the undying existence, everything ceased to exist. The trail takers, Anna and Leon, were taken out as soon as the trail began being destroyed. ''Nathan''s'' POV- The moment I merged with the abomination my fate was sealed. If I didn''t kill myself, the me overtaken by Abomination would''ve killed everyone. Ryukurou Chapter 224 Odysseus [6] 224 Odysseus [6] As ''Nathan'' floated into the void created from destruction, the white hue spread from his sword and grew into a massive tree of light. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when ''Nathan'' spoke. Two massive eyes appeared from the abyss. [??? has descended] Terror struck their hearts at the gaze of the existence from the abyss. It was System. It was Pandora. With the penalty of death failing to kill ''Nathan'', System got the excuse to descend and kill him. This was how ''Nathan'' was nning on killing the Abomination... and himself. A palm appeared in the void and crushed the Abomination. [Pandora has used her Authority {???}] The Abomination immobilized from fear couldn''t as much utter a word. The monster that could only be killed by {Authority] wielders, the Monarchs, was snuffed out of existence. * "Time Maniption: Temporal Reversal" The pieces of the tree stopped drifting into the endless void. The shattered white dust flew back, forming the tree of life. At the end of its roots, a human figure slowly formed. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when¨C "Temporal Pause" Time froze and so did the existenceing out of the abyss. ''Nathan'' looked around in surprise, he could see the visage of the existence from Abyss, but it wasn''t moving. Almost as if it was paused. The space in front of him rippled and a figure stepped out. Quietly staring at the figure, ''Nathan'' again looked at the System that was also frozen in time and his vignce peaked. ''This guy is dangerous.'' "Let''s talk." The figure was blurry, or it was better to say, he wasn''t allowed to see him. When ''Nathan'' gave no response, the being spoke again. "I can save you, so why don''t we talk?" "Thanks for the offer, but I''m afraid I''ll be refusing." Although outwardly calm, ''Nathan'' was anything but calm inside. ''Just when I thought I knew everything, a new guy pops up, and he is powerful enough to toy with Pandora.'' The figure scratched the back of his back. "Ugh, please don''t refuse, those brats are killing me, they are a pain in the ass. If you refuse, I''ll have to find another nanny for them and I''d rather not waste more time in finding someone with negative causality." He stopped and hurriedly shook his hands. "No, no, I mean they are good kids, so don''t you ept my offer? I''ll save you and in return, you will only need to be the caretaker of those brats in my ce." "Hah?! You want me to what?!" "Hehe, don''t worry, they are good kids, you wouldn''t face any problem in looking after them." Rubbing his hands together, he spoke like a true salesman with a ttering tone. "The heck¡­?" ''Nathan'' didn''t know how to react. An entity capable of controlling time at its whims was asking him to be a nanny to some kids. He forcefully calmed himself. "First of all, who are you?" "Odysseus, you can say I''m a traveler of sorts." He again spoke cheesily. "So, are you looking at my offer in a good light?" For better or worse, ''Nathan'' was stumped. ''Since he is asking like this, maybe the job isn''t bad? I can also get a rxing life if I only have to look after the kids. No, wait! Why am I thinking of even epting his offer?! It''s too fucking suspicious! Even the bastard who brought me into this world is less dubious!'' His thoughts raced, and he settled on a decision. "I''m sorry, but I''ll have to refuse." "Eh? But why?! Ah, are you worried about the children? Don''t worry you have to look after only 13 brats." He nodded to himself, trying to assert that the offer was too good to be passed. "Moreover, the oldest is already good enough. The actual number you need to caretake is 12!" ''Nathan'' shook his head. Yeah, no way he was going to ept the offer. It was getting shadier by the minute. "My answer is still no." Who would''ve thought that a day woulde when Nathan would try to die, but someone else would try to save him? Moreover, his savior reeked fishy. "I swear on my name as the [Forgotten One] and the [Creator of Chasm], I''m not lying! I''m not trying to trick you! Please, let me wash my hands off thos-ahem" The figure coughed and continued. "Anyway, I''ll save you and I''ll make sure no one here knows what happened to you. For them, you''ll have died at the hands of System and they would know nothing more." His ability to freeze System, an entity outside the bounds of time, confirmed his capabilities to back those words. Before ''Nathan'' could interfere, the figure parroted. "I''ll also seal the >Being of Chaos< trying to take over you. You are getting an offer with no equal and no strings attached! And you only have to say a yes!" Those words went in one ear of ''Nathan'' and came out of the other. He had heard something rather important. "You are the creator of chasm¡­?" "Ah, yes? Why?" ''Nathan'' blinked. "I''ll ept your offer, but I have one more condition." Chasm, that damn thing was the reason behind everything, and this guy was its creator, he couldn''t let this chance pass up. "I want to know everything about the Chasm." "Deal!" ---- [Author''s note - Do not unlock the Next Chapter. The next chapter is wrong and you should skip it.] Chapter 225 DO NOT UNLOCK (^^;) For those who are confused aboutst few chapters, (I''ll exin the Odysseus chapters here.) Nathan soul core that Leon snatched merged with a piece of Abomination. This Nathan(Abomination ver) had more memories. Apparently [Mephistopheles Earrings] when removed makes Nathan goes through a ''hell'' but after returning from that ''hell'' he loses his memories. Nathan(Abomination Ver) fought with World Eating Serpent(Replica) with his new memories and experience he regained. However, Nathan(Abomination ver) had to kill himself because Abomination was taking over the control. He used [Ignition], the reward he gained from 1st [Singrity] Trial to kill himself. Of course, Abomination can''t be killed so, Nathan didn''t die but he also knew this would happen. Neverhtless, this gave Pandora an excuse to descend and kill Abomination(Nathan). After he is killed a new entity suddenly appears and reverses time before Nathan(Abominatio ver) is killed, this new entity then offers him a job offer and takes him away. ---------------------------- -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when ''Nathan'' spoke. Two massive eyes appeared from the abyss. [??? has descended] Terror struck their hearts at the gaze of the existence It was With the penalty of death failing to kill ''Nathan'', System got the excuse to descend and kill him. This was how ''Nathan'' was nning on killing the Abomination... and himself. A palm appeared in the void and crushed the Abomination. [Pandora has used her Authority [???]] The Abomination immobilized from fear couldn''t as much utter a word. The monster that could only be killed by [Authority] wielders, the Monarchs, was snuffed out of existence. * "Time Maniption: Temporal Reversal" The pieces of the tree stopped drifting into the endless void. The shattered white dust flew back, forming the tree of life. At the end of its roots, a human figure slowly formed. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when¨C "Temporal Pause" Time froze and so did the existenceing out of the abyss. ''Nathan'' looked around in surprise, he could see the visage of the existence from Abyss, but it wasn''t moving. Almost as if it was paused. The space in front of him rippled and a figure stepped out. Quietly staring at the figure, ''Nathan'' again looked at the System that was also frozen in time and his vignce peaked. ''This guy is dangerous.'' "Let''s talk." The figure was blurry, or it was better to say, he wasn''t allowed to see him. When ''Nathan'' gave no response, the being spoke again. "I can save you, so why don''t we talk?" "Thanks for the offer, but I''m afraid I''ll be refusing." Although outwardly calm, ''Nathan'' was anything but calm inside. ''Just when I thought I knew everything, a new guy pops up, and he is powerful enough to toy with Pandora.'' The figure scratched the back of his back. "Ugh, please don''t refuse, those brats are killing me, they are a pain in the ass. If you refuse, I''ll have to find another nanny for them and I''d rather not waste more time in finding someone with negative causality." He stopped and hurriedly shook his hands. "No, no, I mean they are good kids, so don''t you ept my offer? I''ll save you and in return, you will only need to be the caretaker of those brats in my ce." "Hah?! You want me to what?!" "Hehe, don''t worry, they are good kids, you wouldn''t face any problem in looking after them." Rubbing his hands together, he spoke like a true salesman with a ttering tone. "The heck¡­?" ''Nathan'' didn''t know how to react. An entity capable of controlling time at its whims was asking him to be a nanny to some kids. He forcefully calmed himself. "First of all, who are you?" "Odysseus, you can say I''m a traveler of sorts." He again spoke cheesily. "So, are you looking at my offer in a good light?" For better or worse, ''Nathan'' was stumped. ''Since he is asking like this, maybe the job isn''t bad? I can also get a rxing life if I only have to look after the kids. No, wait! Why am I thinking of even epting his offer?! It''s too fucking suspicious! Even the bastard who brought me into this world is less dubious!'' His thoughts raced, and he settled on a decision. "I''m sorry, but I''ll have to refuse." "Eh? But why?! Ah, are you worried about the children? Don''t worry you have to look after only 13 brats." He nodded to himself, trying to assert that the offer was too good to be passed. "Moreover, the oldest is already good enough. The actual number you need to caretake is 12!" ''Nathan'' shook his head. Yeah, no way he was going to ept the offer. It was getting shadier by the minute. "My answer is still no." Who would''ve thought that a day woulde when Nathan would try to die, but someone else would try to save him? Moreover, his savior reeked fishy. "I swear on my name as the [Forgotten One] and the [Creator of Chasm], I''m not lying! I''m not trying to trick you! Please, let me wash my hands off thos-ahem" The figure coughed and continued. "Anyway, I''ll save you and I''ll make sure no one here knows what happened to you. For them, you''ll have died at the hands of System and they would know nothing more." His ability to freeze System, an entity outside the bounds of time, confirmed his capabilities to back those words. Before ''Nathan'' could interfere, the figure parroted. "I''ll also seal the >Being of Chaos< trying to take over you. You are getting an offer with no equal and no strings attached! And you only have to say a yes!" As ''Nathan'' floated into the void created from destruction, the white hue spread from his sword and grew into a massive tree of light. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when ''Nathan'' spoke. Two massive eyes appeared from the abyss. [??? has descended] Terror struck their hearts at the gaze of the existence from the abyss. It was System. It was Pandora. With the penalty of death failing to kill ''Nathan'', System got the excuse to descend and kill him. This was how ''Nathan'' was nning on killing the Abomination... and himself. A palm appeared in the void and crushed the Abomination. [Pandora has used her Authority [???]] The Abomination immobilized from fear couldn''t as much utter a word. The monster that could only be killed by [Authority] wielders, the Monarchs, was snuffed out of existence. * "Time Maniption: Temporal Reversal" The pieces of the tree stopped drifting into the endless void. The shattered white dust flew back, forming the tree of life. At the end of its roots, a human figure slowly formed. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when¨C "Temporal Pause" Time froze and so did the existenceing out of the abyss. ''Nathan'' looked around in surprise, he could see the visage of the existence from Abyss, but it wasn''t moving. Almost as if it was paused. The space in front of him rippled and a figure stepped out. Quietly staring at the figure, ''Nathan'' again looked at the System that was also frozen in time and his vignce peaked. ''This guy is dangerous.'' "Let''s talk." The figure was blurry, or it was better to say, he wasn''t allowed to see him. When ''Nathan'' gave no response, the being spoke again. "I can save you, so why don''t we talk?" "Thanks for the offer, but I''m afraid I''ll be refusing." Although outwardly calm, ''Nathan'' was anything but calm inside. ''Just when I thought I knew everything, a new guy pops up, and he is powerful enough to toy with Pandora.'' The figure scratched the back of his back. "Ugh, please don''t refuse, those brats are killing me, they are a pain in the ass. If you refuse, I''ll have to find another nanny for them and I''d rather not waste more time in finding someone with negative causality." He stopped and hurriedly shook his hands. "No, no, I mean they are good kids, so don''t you ept my offer? I''ll save you and in return, you will only need to be the caretaker of those brats in my ce." "Hah?! You want me to what?!" "Hehe, don''t worry, they are good kids, you wouldn''t face any problem in looking after them." Rubbing his hands together, he spoke like a true salesman with a ttering tone. "The heck¡­?" ''Nathan'' didn''t know how to react. An entity capable of controlling time at its whims was asking him to be a nanny to some kids. He forcefully calmed himself. "First of all, who are you?" "Odysseus, you can say I''m a traveler of sorts." He again spoke cheesily. "So, are you looking at my offer in a good light?" For better or worse, ''Nathan'' was stumped. ''Since he is asking like this, maybe the job isn''t bad? I can also get a rxing life if I only have to look after the kids. No, wait! Why am I thinking of even epting his offer?! It''s too fucking suspicious! Even the bastard who brought me into this world is less dubious!'' His thoughts raced, and he settled on a decision. "I''m sorry, but I''ll have to refuse." "Eh? But why?! Ah, are you worried about the children? Don''t worry you have to look after only 13 brats." He nodded to himself, trying to assert that the offer was too good to be passed. "Moreover, the oldest is already good enough. The actual number you need to caretake is 12!" ''Nathan'' shook his head. Yeah, no way he was going to ept the offer. It was getting shadier by the minute. "My answer is still no." Who would''ve thought that a day woulde when Nathan would try to die, but someone else would try to save him? Moreover, his savior reeked fishy. "I swear on my name as the [Forgotten One] and the [Creator of Chasm], I''m not lying! I''m not trying to trick you! Please, let me wash my hands off thos-ahem" The figure coughed and continued. "Anyway, I''ll save you and I''ll make sure no one here knows what happened to you. For them, you''ll have died at the hands of System and they would know nothing more." His ability to freeze System, an entity outside the bounds of time, confirmed his capabilities to back those words. Before ''Nathan'' could interfere, the figure parroted. "I''ll also seal the >Being of Chaos< trying to take over you. You are getting an offer with no equal and no strings attached! And you only have to say a yes!" Those words went in one ear of ''Nathan'' and came out of the other. He had heard something rather important. "You are the creator of chasm¡­?" "Ah, yes? Why?" ''Nathan'' blinked. "I''ll ept your offer, but I have one more condition." Chasm, that damn thing was the reason behind everything, and this guy was its creator, he couldn''t let this chance pass up. "I want to know everything about the Chasm." "Deal!" As ''Nathan'' floated into the void created from destruction, the white hue spread from his sword and grew into a massive tree of light. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when ''Nathan'' spoke. Two massive eyes appeared from the abyss. [??? has descended] Terror struck their hearts at the gaze of the existence from the abyss. It was System. It was Pandora. With the penalty of death failing to kill ''Nathan'', System got the excuse to descend and kill him. This was how ''Nathan'' was nning on killing the Abomination... and himself. A palm appeared in the void and crushed the Abomination. [Pandora has used her Authority [???]] The Abomination immobilized from fear couldn''t as much utter a word. The monster that could only be killed by [Authority] wielders, the Monarchs, was snuffed out of existence. * "Time Maniption: Temporal Reversal" The pieces of the tree stopped drifting into the endless void. The shattered white dust flew back, forming the tree of life. At the end of its roots, a human figure slowly formed. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when¨C "Temporal Pause" Time froze and so did the existenceing out of the abyss. ''Nathan'' looked around in surprise, he could see the visage of the existence from Abyss, but it wasn''t moving. Almost as if it was paused. The space in front of him rippled and a figure stepped out. Quietly staring at the figure, ''Nathan'' again looked at the System that was also frozen in time and his vignce peaked. ''This guy is dangerous.'' "Let''s talk." The figure was blurry, or it was better to say, he wasn''t allowed to see him. When ''Nathan'' gave no response, the being spoke again. "I can save you, so why don''t we talk?" "Thanks for the offer, but I''m afraid I''ll be refusing." Although outwardly calm, ''Nathan'' was anything but calm inside. ''Just when I thought I knew everything, a new guy pops up, and he is powerful enough to toy with Pandora.'' The figure scratched the back of his back. "Ugh, please don''t refuse, those brats are killing me, they are a pain in the ass. If you refuse, I''ll have to find another nanny for them and I''d rather not waste more time in finding someone with negative causality." He stopped and hurriedly shook his hands. "No, no, I mean they are good kids, so don''t you ept my offer? I''ll save you and in return, you will only need to be the caretaker of those brats in my ce." "Hah?! You want me to what?!" "Hehe, don''t worry, they are good kids, you wouldn''t face any problem in looking after them." Rubbing his hands together, he spoke like a true salesman with a ttering tone. "The heck¡­?" ''Nathan'' didn''t know how to react. An entity capable of controlling time at its whims was asking him to be a nanny to some kids. He forcefully calmed himself. "First of all, who are you?" "Odysseus, you can say I''m a traveler of sorts." He again spoke cheesily. "So, are you looking at my offer in a good light?" For better or worse, ''Nathan'' was stumped. ''Since he is asking like this, maybe the job isn''t bad? I can also get a rxing life if I only have to look after the kids. No, wait! Why am I thinking of even epting his offer?! It''s too fucking suspicious! Even the bastard who brought me into this world is less dubious!'' His thoughts raced, and he settled on a decision. "I''m sorry, but I''ll have to refuse." "Eh? But why?! Ah, are you worried about the children? Don''t worry you have to look after only 13 brats." He nodded to himself, trying to assert that the offer was too good to be passed. "Moreover, the oldest is already good enough. The actual number you need to caretake is 12!" ''Nathan'' shook his head. Yeah, no way he was going to ept the offer. It was getting shadier by the minute. "My answer is still no." Who would''ve thought that a day woulde when Nathan would try to die, but someone else would try to save him? Moreover, his savior reeked fishy. "I swear on my name as the [Forgotten One] and the [Creator of Chasm], I''m not lying! I''m not trying to trick you! Please, let me wash my hands off thos-ahem" The figure coughed and continued. "Anyway, I''ll save you and I''ll make sure no one here knows what happened to you. For them, you''ll have died at the hands of System and they would know nothing more." His ability to freeze System, an entity outside the bounds of time, confirmed his capabilities to back those words. Before ''Nathan'' could interfere, the figure parroted. "I''ll also seal the >Being of Chaos< trying to take over you. You are getting an offer with no equal and no strings attached! And you only have to say a yes!" Those words went in one ear of ''Nathan'' and came out of the other. He had heard something rather important. "You are the creator of chasm¡­?" "Ah, yes? Why?" ''Nathan'' blinked. "I''ll ept your offer, but I have one more condition." Chasm, that damn thing was the reason behind everything, and this guy was its creator, he couldn''t let this chance pass up. "I want to know everything about the Chasm." "Deal!" As ''Nathan'' floated into the void created from destruction, the white hue spread from his sword and grew into a massive tree of light. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when ''Nathan'' spoke. Two massive eyes appeared from the abyss. [??? has descended] Terror struck their hearts at the gaze of the existence from the abyss. It was System. It was Pandora. With the penalty of death failing to kill ''Nathan'', System got the excuse to descend and kill him. This was how ''Nathan'' was nning on killing the Abomination... and himself. A palm appeared in the void and crushed the Abomination. [Pandora has used her Authority [???]] The Abomination immobilized from fear couldn''t as much utter a word. The monster that could only be killed by [Authority] wielders, the Monarchs, was snuffed out of existence. * "Time Maniption: Temporal Reversal" The pieces of the tree stopped drifting into the endless void. The shattered white dust flew back, forming the tree of life. At the end of its roots, a human figure slowly formed. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when¨C "Temporal Pause" Time froze and so did the existenceing out of the abyss. ''Nathan'' looked around in surprise, he could see the visage of the existence from Abyss, but it wasn''t moving. Almost as if it was paused. The space in front of him rippled and a figure stepped out. Quietly staring at the figure, ''Nathan'' again looked at the System that was also frozen in time and his vignce peaked. ''This guy is dangerous.'' "Let''s talk." The figure was blurry, or it was better to say, he wasn''t allowed to see him. When ''Nathan'' gave no response, the being spoke again. "I can save you, so why don''t we talk?" "Thanks for the offer, but I''m afraid I''ll be refusing." Although outwardly calm, ''Nathan'' was anything but calm inside. ''Just when I thought I knew everything, a new guy pops up, and he is powerful enough to toy with Pandora.'' The figure scratched the back of his back. "Ugh, please don''t refuse, those brats are killing me, they are a pain in the ass. If you refuse, I''ll have to find another nanny for them and I''d rather not waste more time in finding someone with negative causality." He stopped and hurriedly shook his hands. "No, no, I mean they are good kids, so don''t you ept my offer? I''ll save you and in return, you will only need to be the caretaker of those brats in my ce." "Hah?! You want me to what?!" "Hehe, don''t worry, they are good kids, you wouldn''t face any problem in looking after them." Rubbing his hands together, he spoke like a true salesman with a ttering tone. "The heck¡­?" ''Nathan'' didn''t know how to react. An entity capable of controlling time at its whims was asking him to be a nanny to some kids. He forcefully calmed himself. "First of all, who are you?" "Odysseus, you can say I''m a traveler of sorts." He again spoke cheesily. "So, are you looking at my offer in a good light?" For better or worse, ''Nathan'' was stumped. ''Since he is asking like this, maybe the job isn''t bad? I can also get a rxing life if I only have to look after the kids. No, wait! Why am I thinking of even epting his offer?! It''s too fucking suspicious! Even the bastard who brought me into this world is less dubious!'' His thoughts raced, and he settled on a decision. "I''m sorry, but I''ll have to refuse." "Eh? But why?! Ah, are you worried about the children? Don''t worry you have to look after only 13 brats." He nodded to himself, trying to assert that the offer was too good to be passed. "Moreover, the oldest is already good enough. The actual number you need to caretake is 12!" ''Nathan'' shook his head. Yeah, no way he was going to ept the offer. It was getting shadier by the minute. "My answer is still no." Who would''ve thought that a day woulde when Nathan would try to die, but someone else would try to save him? Moreover, his savior reeked fishy. "I swear on my name as the [Forgotten One] and the [Creator of Chasm], I''m not lying! I''m not trying to trick you! Please, let me wash my hands off thos-ahem" The figure coughed and continued. "Anyway, I''ll save you and I''ll make sure no one here knows what happened to you. For them, you''ll have died at the hands of System and they would know nothing more." His ability to freeze System, an entity outside the bounds of time, confirmed his capabilities to back those words. Before ''Nathan'' could interfere, the figure parroted. "I''ll also seal the >Being of Chaos< trying to take over you. You are getting an offer with no equal and no strings attached! And you only have to say a yes!" Those words went in one ear of ''Nathan'' and came out of the other. He had heard something rather important. "You are the creator of chasm¡­?" "Ah, yes? Why?" ''Nathan'' blinked. "I''ll ept your offer, but I have one more condition." Chasm, that damn thing was the reason behind everything, and this guy was its creator, he couldn''t let this chance pass up. "I want to know everything about the Chasm." "Deal!" As ''Nathan'' floated into the void created from destruction, the white hue spread from his sword and grew into a massive tree of light. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when ''Nathan'' spoke. Two massive eyes appeared from the abyss. [??? has descended] Terror struck their hearts at the gaze of the existence from the abyss. It was System. It was Pandora. With the penalty of death failing to kill ''Nathan'', System got the excuse to descend and kill him. This was how ''Nathan'' was nning on killing the Abomination... and himself. A palm appeared in the void and crushed the Abomination. [Pandora has used her Authority [???]] The Abomination immobilized from fear couldn''t as much utter a word. The monster that could only be killed by [Authority] wielders, the Monarchs, was snuffed out of existence. * "Time Maniption: Temporal Reversal" The pieces of the tree stopped drifting into the endless void. The shattered white dust flew back, forming the tree of life. At the end of its roots, a human figure slowly formed. The roots of the holy tree dug into his skin and absorbed his life force. This was the penalty for using the legendary skill, death. Nheless, the holy tree, the tree of life, failed to kill him. ''Nathan'' was no longer a living being, the concept of death doesn''t exist for an Abomination. Not gaining nutrients from the tribute the tree withered and ultimately shattered into millions of pieces. -You failed¡­human¡­ From his fading consciousness, he heard the Abomination talking to himself. In response, he opened his mouth. "I did?" A suffocating pressure smashed into them right when¨C "Temporal Pause" Time froze and so did the existenceing out of the abyss. ''Nathan'' looked around in surprise, he could see the visage of the existence from Abyss, but it wasn''t moving. Almost as if it was paused. The space in front of him rippled and a figure stepped out. Quietly staring at the figure, ''Nathan'' again looked at the System that was also frozen in time and his vignce peaked. ''This guy is dangerous.'' "Let''s talk." The figure was blurry, or it was better to say, he wasn''t allowed to see him. When ''Nathan'' gave no response, the being spoke again. "I can save you, so why don''t we talk?" "Thanks for the offer, but I''m afraid I''ll be refusing." Although outwardly calm, ''Nathan'' was anything but calm inside. ''Just when I thought I knew everything, a new guy pops up, and he is powerful enough to toy with Pandora.'' The figure scratched the back of his back. "Ugh, please don''t refuse, those brats are killing me, they are a pain in the ass. If you refuse, I''ll have to find another nanny for them and I''d rather not waste more time in finding someone with negative causality." He stopped and hurriedly shook his hands. "No, no, I mean they are good kids, so don''t you ept my offer? I''ll save you and in return, you will only need to be the caretaker of those brats in my ce." "Hah?! You want me to what?!" "Hehe, don''t worry, they are good kids, you wouldn''t face any problem in looking after them." Rubbing his hands together, he spoke like a true salesman with a ttering tone. "The heck¡­?" ''Nathan'' didn''t know how to react. An entity capable of controlling time at its whims was asking him to be a nanny to some kids. He forcefully calmed himself. "First of all, who are you?" "Odysseus, you can say I''m a traveler of sorts." He again spoke cheesily. "So, are you looking at my offer in a good light?" For better or worse, ''Nathan'' was stumped. ''Since he is asking like this, maybe the job isn''t bad? I can also get a rxing life if I only have to look after the kids. No, wait! Why am I thinking of even epting his offer?! It''s too fucking suspicious! Even the bastard who brought me into this world is less dubious!'' His thoughts raced, and he settled on a decision. "I''m sorry, but I''ll have to refuse." "Eh? But why?! Ah, are you worried about the children? Don''t worry you have to look after only 13 brats." He nodded to himself, trying to assert that the offer was too good to be passed. "Moreover, the oldest is already good enough. The actual number you need to caretake is 12!" ''Nathan'' shook his head. Yeah, no way he was going to ept the offer. It was getting shadier by the minute. "My answer is still no." Who would''ve thought that a day woulde when Nathan would try to die, but someone else would try to save him? Moreover, his savior reeked fishy. "I swear on my name as the [Forgotten One] and the [Creator of Chasm], I''m not lying! I''m not trying to trick you! Please, let me wash my hands off thos-ahem" The figure coughed and continued. "Anyway, I''ll save you and I''ll make sure no one here knows what happened to you. For them, you''ll have died at the hands of System and they would know nothing more." His ability to freeze System, an entity outside the bounds of time, confirmed his capabilities to back those words. Before ''Nathan'' could interfere, the figure parroted. "I''ll also seal the >Being of Chaos< trying to take over you. You are getting an offer with no equal and no strings attached! And you only have to say a yes!" Those words went in one ear of ''Nathan'' and came out of the other. He had heard something rather important. "You are the creator of chasm¡­?" "Ah, yes? Why?" ''Nathan'' blinked. "I''ll ept your offer, but I have one more condition." Chasm, that damn thing was the reason behind everything, and this guy was its creator, he couldn''t let this chance pass up. "I want to know everything about the Chasm." "Deal!" Chapter 226 "Victory" And Its Rewards -(Present || Nathan is with Administrator to take his reward; Location: ???)- After my evolution, my mind cleared up. I was able to recall the words Eth spoke while I was half-conscious. His words were strangely mncholic, as if it was thest time we would talk. ''No, he wouldn''t do something stupid.'' I reassured myself repeatedly. ''He has his family, his goals, and his ambitions in this world. He wouldn''t give up on them.'' Why was feeling this sadness then? Of course, Eth would return after the Resonance ends, just like how he returnedst time. But why wasn''t the Resonance ending? And why did he say ''Take Care'' at the end? "Are you sure about these rewards?" Administrator words shook me out of my thoughts. After saying that the other half of [Miracle] to save Leon was me, she had refused to borate further and proceeded to talk about my reward. For defeating the D-grade Abomination, I was allowed to ask for any 3 rewards. Abominations are ranked by their grades, that is, G, F, E, D, C, B, and so on. Although the Abomination I defeated was a D-grade, it was an impossible task, nheless. After all, Abomination can be killed only by using weapons made with [Fragment of Eternity] or using [Authority]. For reference, [Authority] is an exclusive ability solely belonging to a Monarch. The only exceptions were the System and powerful entities outside the Universe, while there were only 13 [Fragment of Eternity]. This was enough to exin the degree of achievement Ipleted. "Yeah, but before that, can you help with myst choice?" The condition for choosing my reward was that it must be a material reward, meaning that I cannot ask Administrator toplete a task for myself or ask for knowledge. Also, Administrator would give advice based on the specifications Iid out as my reward requirement. "What do you want?" "A new human body with the highest talent and potential." It was time I fulfilled my promise with Eth. With this Eth will be able to live the life that he wished for and I would leave Ward. Administrator pondered for a bit before speaking. "It''s possible, but before that, for whom do you want the new vessel? The demon soul inside you or the human soul?" Her hand moved as if she was touching a screen in the air and scrolling through it. "The human soul inside me." "Then I''m afraid it''s not possible." She sighed. "Before you argue, my job here is to advise you so that you can choose a reward best suited to your needs. I''m refusing you because of this." I felt an ominous premonition crawling up to me. "...Why is it not possible?" "Because the soul is no longer there, you have devoured it." She didn''t let me speak, and her words stung like nails in my heart. "The reason you regained consciousness after dying was thanks to that soul. It acted as a fertilizer by nourishing and temporarily stabilizing your soul." I felt my world spinning. This shouldn''t be possible, no, please. "After you evolved, your soul was strengthened, and you consumed whatever was left of that soul." "Dammit¡­" Unconsciously, I bit my lips hard enough that they started bleeding. Although I was trying to be optimistic till now, Administrator''s words left no room for doubt. "Dammit, dammit, damm..it¡­." To me, he was a younger brother whom I watched grow, yet I couldn''t let him live the life he deserved. Instead, I snatched that from him. I took from him what he rightfully deserved. "What did he do to deserve this¡­?" He lost things close to him in his childhood. Even then, he didn''t cower and continued to move forward, and just as he was about to achieve his dreams, his body was stolen from him. Still, he never resented me. He only ever asked me to help his family in return for giving me his identity. I felt like an entitled piece of shit. Not only did I refuse to help his family, but I couldn''t also fulfill my promise of letting him live his life. The reason I was alive was because that child sacrificed himself for me. "So, what are you going to choose for your third reward?" Mercilessly cutting through my inner turmoil was Administrator''s detached voice. As a transcendent, matters of mortals were of no regard to her. "Speak, I don''t have all the time in the world to waste on you." Forcefully suppressing my emotions, I nodded my head.please visit "Is there a way to revive the human soul inside me?" "There isn''t. As I told you, it''s simr to giving nutrients to a nt to grow. That soul has been consumed and assimted into you." "¡­Okay, then, for my third reward..." I knew what I had to do, but words wouldn''te out of my throat. A muddy feeling enveloped my heart. This was the right thing to do, yet knowing that I could only give up and ask for another reward for myself was the worst feeling ever. "I want a resurrection elixir." This should have been an auspicious moment. I secured a backup for myself. However, I only felt bitter. *** "Huu¡­." Inhaling the cold air of the forest, I sat under the shade of the tree. After taking the three rewards from Administrator, I was sent to Floor 15. The rewards I choose were, [Mother''s Embrace], [Mark of Return], and [Phoenix Tears]. [Phoenix Tears], the name spoke for itself. It was a one-time use resurrection elixir. I could''ve asked for a resurrection skill, but those skills have strict restrictions. Rather an elixir, although a single-use item, has no such thing. [Mark of Return] was the red plus sign etched on my left palm. It allowed me to return to any Dungeon I would visit from here on. This was a great item, as dungeons were generally dangerous, and had a high death ratio. But with this, I could escape from a dungeon by teleporting to another dungeon if things get rough. It had more functions, but these were the basics. [Mother''s Embrace] was a Stage-0 Ruin and a pocket dimension. It could be collected as the 4th [Singrity] Trial reward, but I decided to take it now. For one, Leon was on a higher-numbered floor than me and could thus clear the trial before me. Moreover, given the extra difficulty of my trials, there was a chance I might fail. The main reason, however, was different. "Almost everyone died today. The families of cadets would know that their children died and would be waiting outside. I need to leave Ward before things take a turn for worse." Every family makes an Oath with their members. This way, when someone dies, they know about their death immediately. "Goliaths are already suspecting me. Although it was earlier than nned, it shouldn''t have been a problem, at least if the Abomination didn''t interfere." Leon knew that I was Mr. Pepe, and I had to escape before he leaves the Tower. "I should look for Susan first." ording to Administrator Susan had woken up and was present on Floor 15. I was about to go search for her but stopped. Clenching my fists and rxing them a few times, I sighed heavily. "It''s time I stop running away from things I don''t want to acknowledge." Closing my eyes, I entered my soul. * As soon as I entered my soul, a piercing chill permeated my body. The scene before me was vastly different from before. The lightless veil was as daunting as ever. There was the God-Killing Spear constetion in the sky, it wasrger than before and surrounded by a few other smaller constetions. There was also a constetion that resembled me. The changes didn''t stop here, however. Far from my location, my soul was no longer the dark abyss it was before. At some point, everything was grey. The abyss was stopped by a grey line, after which only greyness extended. I moved there and the only difference I felt was its appearance. The cold piercing chills wereing from here, but nothing else was different from before. It was like a part of my soul had been eroded. Shaking my head, I moved toward the veil. As I continued to move everywhere, I failed to sense the presence of Eth. If possible, I didn''t want toe here. After all, if I didn''t find Eth, it would prove Administrator''s words. I called out to him many times but with no sess. It only proved the words for the Administrator to be true. Eth was no longer alive. As I was absentmindedly looking at the surroundings, I muttered to myself in a daze. "Where are the chains binding Caim?" Slowly, my eyes widened. I spoke those words to distract my hazy mind, but it cleared my mind in an instant. Those chains were the [Authority] of the one who brought me here, they shouldn''t disappear unless the reason was very much important. I cleared my mind and focused to sense the location of Caim inside my soul. -Hero, is that you? At that moment, a shadow appeared behind me. ------- [Author''s note- Thest chapter cannot be edited even after many tries. Since I''ve edited a written chapter quite a few times before this, I didn''t know this was possible. I''ve contacted the webnovel support regarding the issue, but I don''t know when it will be fixed. Sorry for the inconvenience.] Chapter 227 Fake Hero [1] -(Present || Moments before System descended; Location: Somewhere in Great Universe)- A man was standing in front of a massive ss pane and watching the night sky outside. He was adorning a white and golden archaic armor, his silver hair extended to his waist and his blue eyes reflected the destruction ongoing outside as two races shed against each other. Despite his human-like appearance three pairs of unfurled white wings were attached to his back. "Archangel-nim, we''ve reached the enemy doorsteps. With our current progression, we''ll quell the rebels in a few weeks." Another man with one pair of white wings and slightly inferior armor spoke while dropping to his knees. "Good work. You should go." At the words of the archangel, the trooper left. A small sigh escaped Michael''s lips, finally, after months of constant strifes he would be able to return to the greatnds. He closed his eyes and hummed in contentment but suddenly he sensed an otherworldly presence descending in the Great Universe. With a snap, he opened his eyes and muttered with quivering lips. "S-system¡­? Oh, lord!" It was only for an instant but he wasn''t mistaken about the sensation. His tiredness vanished in an instant, reced by great tion. "I need to return Seraph-nim and report to him!" The archangel turned around and was about to leave when his feet abruptly halted. He looked at the war that showed no signs of ceasing, with displeasure. "I can''t leave my post without finishing the matters here." For the past months, he had never entered the battlefield himself. But today he would have to. His figure disappeared and reappeared outside. Millions of battleships, each at least a hundred timesrger than the sun of the sr system, were firing beams at the enemy side. Far behind the enemy lines was a green, protected by a gigantic transparent blue sphere. The archangel opened his mouth. "Rebels of Kaneriah! I''m Michael, one of the archangels under the Great Seraph. On his behalf, I will give you onest chance to surrender. If not, be ready to be annihted here and now." Like a booming thunder, his voice reached everyst corner of the battlefield. Suddenly, from every small skirmish to the shes betweenmanders of both sides stopped. Everyone was thrown into turmoil. "Why is Archangel-nim entering the battlefield?!" "Oh lord, it looks like the war will end today itself!" "Archangel-nim! Please don''t let yourself burden with such trivial matters! Such a battlefield is beneath your excellence!" "Cmander, that is¡­? Is he really an archangel?" "Those blue eyes and pure silver hair! It''s an archangel! Run!" "Why is an archangel here?!" Themander of the rebels was swarmed by his quivering troops. Taking a deep breath, he stared at the levitating six-winged figure that was emitting a holy aura in the middle of the battlefield. Straining his throat, he thundered. "Men is this the extent of your love for the home! Tell me, are you cowering because of one enemy warrior! Are you going to let them plunder your mothend! Did our years of struggle amount to only this much! No, they don''t! We are proud citizens of Kaneriah, thend of warriors! " The archangel waited for the enemy to finish. "Even if we breathe ourst today, we will fight! For it is to protect everything precious to us!" The enemymander had six arms, and ck mes were covering his head. He pointed his axe at Michael. "Sir Archangel, we''ve made our decision. We will fight!" "So be it." Sometimes one must continue moving forward even if there was no path ahead. Michael understood that. A bow appeared in his hands and he pulled the bowstring with another hand. At that moment, a white me extended from his fingertips and formed an arrow. The troops of the angel race sped their hands unconsciously at the presence of Divine mes. Xiu! The white arrow flew at unimaginable speed. Before anyone could react, it grewrger than the warships and was already upon the battleship of the enemymander. BOOOOOOOOMM! The arrow tore the hull of the ship without resistance and continued moving toward the. Just as the was about to be blown to smithereens, the six-armedmander, who was gravely injured, appeared in the path of the arrow. "[Aura Gate] !" Bellowing pressure spread and he swung his tyrannical axe. BOOOOOOOOOOMMMM! Blue blood burst from his veins, his bones creaked, and cracks spread on the blue barrier protecting his home. He relentlessly struggled and, ultimately, at the cost of half of his life, managed to stop the arrow. "Huff! Huff!"please visit As the greatest warrior of the Ululu race, this was the first time he was brought to this state. The damage dealt by Michael''s arrow was astronomical. Almost 60% of his troops had been annihted. "Commander!" Suddenly, a troop from his side shouted. Michael''s hand blurred, and... hundreds of arrows shot out in the next second. *** -(Present || Location: Floor 15 Dungeon of Trials)- Opening my eyes, I scanned my surroundings. "Can youe out?" -I''m trying, hero Caim''s words resonated from deep inside my soul. The chains binding him had disappeared, though he didn''t know how it happened. Suddenly, the Nether from myher core surged and was sucked by the ck ouroboros tattoo on my left arm. [Nether: 19000 (Dormant) --> 9000 (Dormant)] Fwosh- ck smoke gushed out, and an apparition appeared in front of me. -Caim A M Mongre greets the hero "There is no need to act stiffly." We had spent a few years together, yet Caim always acted formally. As he stood straight, I spoke to him. "Exin to me everything when the chains disappeared, down to thest detail." Caim also reverted to his serious expression. The disappearance of [Authority] was so a small matter. It took him 5 minutes to recollect every detail. ording to him, a few hours before, a grey arm suddenly invaded my soul andter disappeared. Although the grey arm went back, a major portion of my soul had be grey too, in other words, it had been eroded. It was then that Eth left, saying he would do something about it. Caim could tell that a precarious situation was happening outside in reality, but he didn''t question Eth. Nevertheless, Eth never returned and a few hours passed. Slowly, the eroded portion of my soul mended on its own. At that time, the chains also disappeared abruptly. ''Judging by the timing of events, the chains disappeared when my evolution waspleted.'' Both were rted, but the problem was how. ''Evolution, huh?'' It reminded me that there was a notification saying System had found a way to deal with me. After the notifications about insufficient energy, such notifications came but I was unable to read them. ''Either way, the only thing I can do is prepare.'' We then proceeded to check Caim''s capabilities. Although he wasn''t as strong as the original Caim, he still had a Royal Demon bloodline. I wanted to see how strong he was. The results were apparent quickly. The Caim in front of me couldn''t touch anything. No, it was correct to say he had zerobat ability. His attacks passed through monsters when he attempted to attack them, and he couldn''t use Nether to conjure his curse or any other ability, for that matter. That said, the monster couldn''t also harm him in any way. This made Caim a perfect scout. As for the duration, he could stay outside my soul, it depended on the amount of Nether I used to conjure him. One point of Nether roughly amounted to 5 seconds. "Caim, please scout the floor and search for a silver-haired girl. She has blue eyes, and will mainly use a sword." Giving him a detailed description of Susan, I asked him to bring Susan here. Nodding, he flew away to search for her. I had a very limited amount of time left inside the Tower. Utilizing that time was of paramount importance. Since there was a chance Goliaths now knew about my identity as Mr. Pepe, I had to analyze all the abilities I gained and where I stood in terms ofbat ability before going out. The reason I told Caim to bring Susan was that I wanted to know if she would follow me. With her dying once, the oaths binding her have been erased. If she wanted to leave, this was her chance. "But before that." Closing my eyes, I entered my soul again. * Standing before the lightless veil, I opened my mouth. "It was you, wasn''t it? The one who ''advised'' Eth to sacrifice himself." Eth didn''t know about his childhood because of his partial memories. No matter if he wanted to save me or not, he wouldn''t know how to do it. The only way was for someone else to teach him. And there was only one person who could do that. The one inside my soul. Huuuuuu- Exhaling deeply, I reaffirmed my decisions. I won''t ignore the truth in front of my eyes any longer. "What are you trying to do, Eth? Or, should I say, ''real'' Eth?" Chapter 228 Fake Hero [2] -(??? || ???; Location: ???)- "10,839 deaths, one more time and I can leave this hell." I whistled while smirking at the figure in front of me. The figure was covered in ck obscurity, preventing me from making out their appearance. The only parts visible were their ck wings and the pair of horns on their forehead. Far behind me was a gigantic tree, if I had to guess it was bigger than our sr system. The trunk of the tree was made from ck bones and so were its branches. In ce of leaves were ck mes wailing in anguish, and five rivers formed circr rings around the tree. This was a Hell. "Huh, where am I?!" Suddenly, the haze covering my mind disappeared. Wasn''t I going to talk to the being inside my soul? I remember standing in front of the lightless veil inside my soul, but why am I here suddenly? Remembering him, anger boiled inside me. "You¡­ awakened?" The ck figure circled me. "Are the restrictions loosening because you became an Overlord?" Shifting my gaze to the ck figure, I tried to think of a reason for the gap in my memory, but nothing came to my mind. "Maybe you''ll remember this time?" Mumbling to itself, the ck figure snapped its fingers. "I''ve decided. It''s worth a try." At the snap, the innermost river surged and seven figures came out from it. They looked almost alive, but for some reason, I knew they weren''t. In this realm, the only one alive was me. Not even the ck figure beside me was alive anymore. Those figures looked around, seemingly searching for something, or someone, when suddenly one of the seven figures looked at me. pping its wings once, the one who looked at me earlier was flying towards me at an astonishing speed. Only destruction remained in its wake. "A man cannot y a God, only a hero can." The figure devoured the space in between us to cover the distance faster, even if by a second only. My body moved on its own and I took a stance to fight, an unreasonable reaction I know, but I did that unconsciously. I was alive, but I wouldn''t die here. The source of confidence was unknown, but it came to me almost naturally. "But if you must, you need to be the enemy of creation itself." My vision shifted suddenly, and the world turned upside down. As the world spun, I saw a headless body falling to the ground. "10,840, you can wake up now." Darkness engulfed me, but I heard the ck figure speaking for thest time. "Take this as my gift for bing an Overlord. Don''t take too long for the farewell and don''t worry about ''him'' watching your meeting." Contrary to waking up, I was pulled somewhere else. * I was walking. When did I start? Why was I doing so? I knew not, but my feet would not stop. The words of the ck figure echoed in my mind and encouraged me to reach my destination. A Farewell. I wanted to meet him onest time. With my distorted sense of time, I couldn''t tell how long it took but I reached my destination. In front of me were colossal gates with intricate engravings of warriors triumphing over forces of evil. Screeech- The doors opened with an ear-piercing creak when I reached the doorsteps. Stepping inside, I found myself standing in an ancient court of someone like an emperor of the past. A figure was sitting on the throne on the other side of the room. With a crown on his head, and a spear resting next to his thrown, he stared at me with a helpless smile. "To revive me even if for a moment only, I can''t fathom Mephis'' limits." The appearance of the person sitting on the throne was familiar to me. After all, it was the appearance I used in this new world. "Which Eth are you? The one I know, or the one who transmigrated me?" "As I thought, you knew, huh?" Snap- The figure flicked his wrist, and our surroundings changed. Broken buildings, a shattering sky, countless corpses with the same appearances, it was the scene Ist saw in my dream after using [Synchronization]. ''Eth'' pointed at the corpses and spoke to me. "I am him and he is me. All of us are one and the same." My face hardened, but ''Eth'' didn''t stop speaking.please visit "No matter how many times he(I) tried, we failed. It was after countless tries he(I) decided to change our approach and¡­" He turned to me. "¡­summoned you." Mixed emotions surged in my heart. It was like I had thought. These corpses were ''Eth'' from previous timelines, and the one who brought me to this world was the same. I felt betrayed. At first, I believed that the Eth with me had no memories about the previous timelines, but was I mistaken? "Did you¡­ did you¡­" "Have memories of my previous self?" He shook his head. "I was as clueless as you. It was only after I became your soul core that I was given ess to the memories of previous selves at thest moment." My eyes widened. Relief and sadness both were crushing my reasoning. But we didn''t have much time left, ''Eth'' apologized in our farewell. "He(I) was tired, nothing seemed to work, and he(I) took drastic measures in frustration. Even if I didn''t have my memories, the one who brought you into this god-forsaken world was me(him)." "You aren''t him." I clenched my jaws. "If you didn''t have those memories, then you aren''t the same person." ''Eth'' smiled back. "If only it was that easy. Ultimately, I(he) was the one who left the burdens of my sins for an innocent soul to bear." The illusion of the surroundings broke, and we were back inside the courtroom in the castle. ''Eth''s'' voice was filled with sorrow. "Even if I apologize for eternity, it wouldn''t be enough. All I can do is help you as my parting gift." Feeling something amiss, I tried to speak, but ''Eth'' cut me off. "Do not trust him(me). He(I) has gone too far to turn back, he(I) won''t stop until he(I) has achieved his goals." He stood up from his throne and walked toward me. "You must focus on your >Seed of Chaos<. It is a power that is a must for an Overlord. In every era, beings with >Seed of Chaos< are born, but only a handful remain alive until adulthood, let alone to be able to die of old age." "Blooming that seed is even harder. Since the era of creation, not even ten Overlords have been able to bloom their seeds." Stopping in front of me, he bowed. "He(I) will try to use you, not only him others will, too. An Overlord is the greatest and mightiest weapon of destruction, but that is your chance, too. This is the first timeline with an Overlord. The future is no longer certain to anybody." "Ancient horrors of the past will arise, heroes will be born, and the enemies from beyond are lying in wait. But I cannot guarantee that anyone will take your side. That is the path you started walking when you killed the Abomination." His voice was trembling as he looked below, suppressing his feelings. A small pool of tears formed beneath. His sincerity and grief were being transmitted to me through our connection. "But we are desperate. It is wrong of me to ask you, but please help him(me)." "Is that what you want?" "What?" ''Eth'' eximed at my question. "Helping the ''Eth'' on the other side is that what you, who only lived this life, want?" I refused him once, yet he sacrificed himself for me. Even if he said that he was the same person who brought me here, for me he wasn''t. He didn''t have those memories when he decided to sacrifice himself, even at this moment, he was apologizing to me for bringing me here. He was different from the one hiding behind the veil. "Yes, that is my final wish." Raising his head, he smiled. "Maybe for you I''m a different Eth, but for me, he(I) is something I would be in the future, for me we are the one and the same." As our parting came close, I spoke my honest thoughts. "You are right. I can never acknowledge you two as the same person. And... I''m sorry, too." The world around us started to flicker out of existence and ''Eth'' was turning into dust, to be lost forever in darkness. "Why?" "Because I''m going to kill him." ''Eth''s'' eyes widened, but ultimately he smiled back. "It''s just like you. Are you trying to take revenge for me?" I shook my head. "It''s something I was going to do either way." "Sigh, a tsundere until the end." Heughed at me. Finally, he disappeared and left his parting words. "Thank you for being with me until the end." Chapter 229 Fake Hero [3] The sweet aroma of Jasmine tickled my nose. Opening my eyes, I found silver strands covering my face. -You are awake, he-Sir A ck shadow peeked at me from the corner. The silver strands pulled back and I realized I was lying on Susan''sp. Silently, I watched both of them. ''If Caim is here then only a few hours have passed at most after I entered my soul.'' Eth''s farewell still lingered in my mind, and so did the strange dream and the gaps in my memory. While I was trying to sort out my feelings, I tried to stand only for Susan to pull my head back into herp. "What are you doing?" Although it wasn''t my intention, a cranky voice left my throat, but Susan calmly pointed out the issue. "You were crying in your sleep and saying sorry repeatedly." "!!!" My eyes widened and, reflexively covering my face, I blurted out. "I have dry eyes, so they water whenever I sleep." This time Susan again tried to stop me from standing, but with her level and stats halved, I was able to forcefully pry away. As Caim and Susan stared at me, they didn''t point at my poor excuse¡­ and I was thankful for that. p- I pped both my cheeks hard. ''This isn''t the time to mop around.'' Turning back to Susan, who was staring at me with a bewildered expression, I decided to proceed. "You must have a lot of questions. Ask away because I also have something important to discuss with you." The light in her eyes flickered and she understood the intent behind my words. * I exined to Susan that I was the one to kill Abomination. She didn''t ask me anything else and epted those facts. From the looks of it, she was feeling guilty and wanted to apologize, as her [Ugly Squid] was the nail in the coffin of my death, but seeing as how I was alive in front of her she was unable to bring the topic up. I wasn''t able to use [Appraisal] on Epic-grade and Legendary-grade skills and didn''t know what [Ugly Squid] did. Well, I wasn''t able to before but I could do that now. It was time. Taking a deep breath, I bowed. "I''m sorry. I''ve been lying to you till now. There is no organization backing me. For most of the part, I''ve been acting alone." "What¡­?" Staring at my motionless stature, the harsh reality sunk it''s fangs into her. "No, Y-you are trying to fool me now." Susan stiffened. Her already white skin became paler and her lips quivered. For her, whose goal was to escape her cage, my words would be the biggest betrayal. Her eyes shook from fear and loss, but I didn''t reassure her. Even if our paths didn''t diverge today, she needed to grow by herself, not with the help of assurance from someone else. To my surprise, however, she recovered faster than I anticipated. "Why are you telling me this?" "Because you died today, with the death the oaths that had been binding you are no longer there." Unconsciously or not, she gripped the handle of her sword, but I ignored it. "This is your chance to escape your cage." She bit her lips. "Are you telling me toe with you?" I nodded. At my response, a hollowugh left her lips. "Why now when I''ve been believing your lies till now? Or are you nning something again, Mr. 6th Irregr?" Although she spoke sarcastically, she was only putting up a strong front. Suddenly, being told that the oasis she was trying to reach was nothing but fleeting mirage made her reject my new advances to help her. She wasn''t thinking logically. Fear was clouding her mind. Sighing, I sat down with crossed legs. It was to show I won''t fight back even if she tried to attack. "You don''t need toe with me if you don''t want to. I won''t be against your choice." I decided to borate a bit more to make her rx her wariness. "If you want, I can help you escape. At this point, you are dead to everyone. I can bring you out of the Ward and you can leave from there. " "But if you are worried that I''m trying to trick you, you can report about me to Ward." Since she called me 6th Irregr, she must have known about the Underworld incident and connected it to me. "It won''t be under the wraps for long that I was the one to defeat the Abomination. After that, authorities naturally suspect me of being the 6th Irregr." "You can use this chance when they have yet to confirm my identity and secure a better foothold for yourself in human society. By reporting me, you''ll get support from the masses, and since the Oaths are no longer there, you can reveal your identity as the 5th Irregr." "How is that going to help me? Retaliation will¡­ it will only bring greater punishment¡­" The fear of fighting back had been strictly ingrained in her bones and I meant that literally. Thanks to her physique, her bones can store mana in them. She had been repeatedly operated on time and again. Her flesh and muscles had been torn open to dissect her bones and fed potions excessively by the scientists to heal faster to progress their research. Honestly, it wasmendable that she was even able to think of escaping. "This time it won''t." I spoke further. "Your identity as 5th Irregr will bring unconditional support from humanity as a whole. While if you report me and say I had been ckmailing you till now, it will bring Headmaster to your side. Headmaster knows about the meetings between us, so he will realize that you are telling the truth." Headmaster was a cautious man. With the help of CCTV footage only essible to him, he closely monitors talented cadets to filter out spies. Before I knew this, and still got closer to Susan. It was to drag Headmaster out and confront him to get his support. But I was unlucky enough that he had gone to Tartarus. "¡­Give me some time to think." Nodding, I rejuvenated Caim and left him with her. *please visit "It is time I analyze everything." Standing with my back to the tree, I opened my status page. ====== Name: Nathan Hunt Rank: Iota Grade: -/- Titles(s): [Sessor of the First King], ¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö¡ö, [Ego Weapon (Cursed)], [Hated One], [Overlord of Chaos] True Name: -/- (Locked) -Reach Legendary grade to get a True Name Stigma: [Iridescence] * [Stats] (Click to expand) * [Skills] Slots ¨C 6/5 -> [Pierce [Common]] -> [Synchronization] -> [Golden Turtle [Unique]] -> [Appraisal [Legendary]] -> [Multiply [Unique]] -> [Ignition [Legendary]] Penalty: Due to an excessive number of skills, the performance of all the skills will be decreased by 10%. * [Techniques] -> [Armory of Eridu [Legacy]] Mastery ¨C Proficient * [Equipment Perks] -> [Domination Decree Lvl2] -> [Absolute Evil Lvl1] (Passive) ====== First were the skills. Since weapon skills weren''t blocked inside the Tower, I was able to use all of my skills. Consequently, I was supposed to have lost [Ignition] because of the limited slots. But, I suddenly received a notification of the skill being used after waking up earlier. "So, this was the other [Miracle] Administrator talked about." Somehow or the other way, the portion of my soul core with Leon must have materialized. The materialized soul core used [Ignition] and killed the Abomination. "But [Ignition] wouldn''t kill the Abomination. The only way I can think of is the soul core and Abomination bing one. This way when the soul core dies from the Penalty, it will also kill the Abomination." Of course, a Monarch or someone with a weapon made of [Fragment of Eternity] could''ve summoned Leon too. I had no way of knowing what happened with him. But since the [Miracle] included me, I considered my theory to be correct. With this, thest piece of the puzzle was found, and I got theplete picture of the incident. "While I defeated the Abomination, Leon was able to save a portion of my soul core before he was summoned somewhere else." Things became messy from here. It was a headache, if nothing else, that the part before defeating Abomination was easy to understand. "Leon was summoned thanks to [Miracle] ability of X. And my soul core fused with Abomination was also thanks to [Miracle], after which my soul core used [Ignition] to kill itself(Abomination)." Chances were slim but not zero than Administrator lied, but right now, my focus was to get the order of events straight, not trying to see if she was lying or not. "Since the Abomination snatched my soul core before I became Overlord, it could use my System-skill." As for who summoned Leon? I had zero idea, honestly. ''After gaining my prize from Administrator, I decided to confront the being inside me regarding Eth''s death. But I don''t know what happened after that.'' For some reason, there was a gap in my memory. ''I was suddenly standing in a hell confronting a ck figure.'' My memories of that dream were hazy, only remembering tids and bits. If I recall the details of that ce, only one location came to my mind: Tree of Damnation and the 5 Rivers of Ruin, the birthce of Demons. ''That ck figure showed me something after saying that I might remember this dream, so I had dreamed of that ce at least once before.'' I was killed, and then I met Eth, who shouldn''t have been alive anymore. From Eth''s words, it sounded like he was also surprised that he was revived for a moment. ''Eth then confirmed that the one who brought me into this world was himself, the one who had gone through regressions and he had almost given up.'' Then I woke up after saying goodbye. "This was everything that happened." ''Now the important questions are the memory gap, and if the dream I saw was made by the being inside my soul.'' But I was almost sure that both of them had nothing to do with the being inside my soul. It was because of what the ck figure showed me and if I wasn''t wrong... ''I finally know what the being inside me meant when he said that I would die within a year.'' Chapter 230 An Impending Calamity And... Finally Overpowered? The possibility I came up with had a low chance of being true. Yet, it was terrifying enough that I couldn''t ignore it. ''A Monarch will descend in 7 months and he is after me.'' Goddammit, there was no time to rest! The seven figures that appeared in my dream came from the innermost River of Ruin. They had to be Seven Demon Monarchs, and the ck figure showed one of those seven figuresing for me while hoping that I remember the dream after waking up. Maybe this was why I was given [Chains of Order] with the [Synchronization] skill. "Should I run away?" I pondered, but I knew the answer already. "No, that isn''t possible." Until the Great Barrier is lifted, there were only two ways to escape: Rifts and, well, Destroying whatever the Monarch, aka Demon King, is using to pinpoint my location. Our Universe was not the main Universe. It was a pocket dimension, a so-called hidden dimension, which was concealed inside the Great(main) Universe. This was the reason the races had to use portals to invade Earth. Consequently, the Great Barrier, the boundary between our Universe and the Great Universe, was thinning. Ultimately leading Aether to seep into our Universe. The barrier would dissolvepletely after 10 years, and then other races will locate Earth, allowing them to travel here through space. But the order was now reversed. The Demon King wasing first, in less than a year to boot! ''The being inside me didn''t tell me what was going to happenter this year, only that it will most definitely kill me. But the dream gave me an idea.'' So, maybe the being had nothing to do with the dream. "Argghh! It''s overloading my brain to think of an answer!" The threat was beyond anything I could fathom, even remotely. Since I was short on time and this needed more careful nning, I decided to move it to a few hours after. ''Let''s get out of the Tower first.'' Rustle- I was about to start analyzing my new abilities when Susan returned. "I will leave with you." Exchange was short, but she ultimately decided to give her answerter. She would leave with me and decide on how to proceed from there on. * Huff! Huff! "Damn¡­these upgrades are crazier than I thought them to be." I couldn''t help but gasp in surprise while looking at the section of forest razed to the ground. Susan had left with Caim to kill monsters and level up. In the meantime, I was confirming my stats. We had decided to rest for 3 hours before leaving. Flicker- The fire dancing on my body subdued and was reabsorbed into my body. Snap- Snapping my finger, a small frozen tempest burst from my body and froze the mes burning the forest. These were a few of my ''Transformations''. ------ [Igneel] Affinity: Fire Type: Self-Enchantment -Increases Attack Power by 400% -Increase Fire-attribute damage by 200% -Applies Fire-attribute to attacks Duration: 30 minutes Cooldown: 30 minutes ------ [Azhdaha] Affinity: Earth Type: Self-Enchantment -Increases Defense by 650% -Increase Durability by 650% -Applies Earth-attribute to attacks Duration: 2 hours Cooldown: 24 hours ------ [Dvalin] Affinity: Air Type: Self-Enchantment -Increases Speed by 900% -Applies Air-attribute to attacks Duration: 10 minutes Cooldown: 30 minutes ------ [Baqiu] Affinity: Water Type: Self-Enchantment -Increases Recover Rate by 200% Duration: 3 hours Cooldown: 6 hours ------ These four were my ''Modes'', or ''Transformations'', when I used [Enchantment] of different elements on myself. The stat boosts propelled mybat ability to another level! But there were three more Modes, and they were even more powerful! ------ [Yule] Affinity: Ice Type: Self-Enchantment -Increases Water and Ice attribute attack damage by 900%please visit -Frozen World: Decreases movement speed of enemies in a 10-meter radius by 60% -Decreases Durability and Ether by 10 per second. Durability and Ether will decrease by 100 per second upon sessful activation of [Frozen World] ------ [Nova] Affinity: Light Type: Self-Enchantment -Increases Speed by 900% -Glory World: Stuns enemies within a 30-meter radius for 5 seconds -Decreases Durability and Ether by 10 per second. Durability and Ether will decrease by 100 per second upon sessful activation of [Glory World] ------ [Eclipse] Affinity: Darkness Type: Self-Enchantment -Physical damage Nullification -Shadow World: Move through the shadows -Decreases Durability and Ether by 10 per second. Durability and Ether will decrease by 100 per second upon sessful activation of [Shadow World] ------ [Yule], [Nova], and [Eclipse] were different from other enchantments in terms they decreased my durability and Ether upon usage. Other than these I also had [Eternal]. But the advantage they could give was undeniable! Above all, these three didn''t have any cooldown or activation duration! All the abilities granted by [Self-Enchantments] were techniques, not skills. In simpler terms, I had to execute them myself, so though they were amazing, using them required a great amount of concentration. "The stats changed for the better, too." I finally had a rough estimate of my stats. Except for Luck, all my new stats equaled 100:1 to my previous stats. An example would be: My 5800 Ether stat would be roughly equal to 58 stats for awakeners. Bing an Overlord removed the stats cap, but I had yet to know if my new stats were linear or parabolic. Durability was a sort of health bar. (Pretty weird that I had a health bar in reality) Speed was simr to agility, with minor differences. Unlike agility, which increased reflexes only by a small margin, speed had a major effect on reaction speed and cognitive abilities. Defense was probably the amount of damage reduced before being transferred to me. I needed more observation on this. ''The loss of Stamina and Intelligence was surprising though.'' I don''t get exhausted no matter how long I run, though it decreases my durability after a certain amount ofbor. Intelligence was a necessary stat that increases one''s magic output and maintains one''s internal energy. Its job was to keep the flow of energy flowing inside an awakener''s body, flowing smoothly and unconsciously. Thus, even Aura users needed to invest in Intelligence or they would burst like a watermelon popped open on the beach party if they invest too much in Aura stat and too less in Intelligence. ''Yeah, and I don''t have Intelligence stat anymore.'' For a moment, I imagined myself recing the watermelon and shuddered. ''Forget it, the mechanism must have changed. I better focus on other stats.'' The best advantage I got was not my [Modes] but my [Stats]. Why was I saying this? ''Attack Power is simply overpowered!'' Phzzzt- Schwing-! Grabbing hold of the sword, I swung it at the tree. Thud-! The tree was cut in half with a clean cut and fell off. Another thing I noticed was that my fighting techniques became more refined after that dream of hell. But maybe I was confused due to my evolution and mistaking it? I shook my head. It was beside the point I was trying to get at. Phzzzt- (x3) Fwosh- Fwosh- Fwosh- Three swords flew and punctured holes in the trunks of three trees. Bam- As the trees fells, I smiled. This was what Attack Power stat did. It standardized the damage output between my weapons and myself. Didn''t understand? Heh noobs, Let me exin! Before Evolution: Let''s say with my strength stat I could create a damage output of 30 units. And onemon-grade sword does 20 units of damage on its own. Shooting the sword would do 25 units of damage, thanks to the force gained due to velocity. If I swung the sword myself, I could reach 45 units of damage(A portion from 30 units of myself and a bit from 20 units of the sword''s individual damagebines). After Evolution: If my damage output is 30 units, with the previous measurements, if I now ''shoot'' my sword, the damage output will be 50 units and so would be when swinging it. Why? Even without touching them, my attack power was being added to my weapons and as a result, the damage output was increasing further. Pretty neat, right? Needless to say, it was the same as swinging every weapon myself at the same time. It wasn''t an Iota-ranker firing 100 weapons anymore, but 100 Iota-rankers attacking together. This would increase further as I rank up. In the future, I could do carpet bombing quite literally! ''The weapons are still Common-grade, but the damage increased by at least two folds.'' This was what I meant by saying [Stats] evolution was more amazing than [Modes]. "I think I should be able to fight Te-rankers with my stats and enchantments." Actual battle results still needed to be checked, though. After all, there is always a difference between theory and practice. Sadly, the monsters on Floor 15 were barely a challenge. "Should I enter 3rd Trial?" I denied the idea myself. "I don''t know long it will take, and Leon might have exited the Tower already." The reason I waited till now was that I needed to know my abilities after evolution. I might need to fight the moment I leave the Tower. In that case, it was better to know what I was capable of. "Outside, the Tower would have been flooded by people when cadets died. There is a high chance I might need to make a run for it immediately after leaving." As I tested my skills and new abilities, Caim and Susan eventually returned. "Should we go?" It was time I returned. Chapter 231 A Villain -(Present || Location: Somewhere in the Great Universe)- "Archangel-nim, it''s done! The rebel has been quelled!" An enthusiastic angel celebrated. The months of war had finally ended. As Michael looked at the angel from the corner of his eyes, he noticed him quivering. Although the angel was trying, he couldn''t hide his fear from witnessing the overwhelming might of Michael. The war which had dragged on for several months ended within a few hours with the annihtion of the enemy side. All done single-handedly by the archangel. "Make sure everything is done." Speaking as such, Michael pped his wings and left. Reporting to Seraph was of more importance than improving his reputation among their citizen, especially when System had descended. A figure shot through the Great Universe as Michael used his Divine mes for flying. Silver hair, blue eyes, and white mes which were known as Divine mes. These were the symbol of the highest ranking angels, Archangels. Michael covered a distance of a gxy every second with his flying speed. It took him a few hours to reach his destination. p- p- "Michael greets Seraph-nim." In a courtyard with a throne that was missing a roof and walls, Michael descended. Despite the venue having no walls or roofs, the evesting dawn on the horizon and the floor made of clouds gave it an ethereal appearance. On the throne was sitting a handsome man with his eyes closed and a rxed smile. Compared to Michael, the man had almost zero-presence, too feeble to exist, yet Michael dared not raise his head in the man''s presence. Keeping his gaze on the floor, Michael spoke. "An otherworldly presence descended a few hours earlier, Seraph-nim!" While he was one of the leaders of the angel race, the fact that their God, their deity, the System, had descended was too significant for him to be able to keep hisposure. "It was to kill an Overlord." However, his excitement was doused with a bucket of cold water from the man on the throne. The man held a serene expression, yet Michael''s eyes shook. "A-an Overlord." Taking a deep breath, he regained hisposure, feeling ashamed of the pathetic sight he showed to the Seraph moments earlier. "But Seraph-nim even System never descended to kill an Overlord directly." ¡­At least in recorded history. He swallowed hisst words. Seraph''s melodic voice echoed again. "Send an invitation to the Monarchs. We will hold a council of Genna." "!!!" Michael''sposure crumbled instantly, but the Seraph wasn''t finished. "Invite the Demon Monarchs too." "What?!" He looked up reflexively at the man on the throne. Council of Genna, a meeting between the 13 Monarchs to decide the course of development for the Great Universe. Thest time the Council of Genna was called was when¡­. The city of Gods, Eridu, was sealed. After that, the Monarchs grew too distrustful of each other, and without an overseeing faction, they didn''t leave their bases, believing the other Monarch will raid in their absence. "I apologize for my brazenness but¡­ the Council of Genna wasn''t initiated even during the War of Chaos when 5 Monarchs were killed. Why now¡­." By the end of his sentence, Michael grew quiet. The System''s descent, the birth of a new Overlord, and the council of Genna. An uneasy premonition spoke into his mind, but he was too afraid to speak those words. Afraid that they woulde true if he spoke them out aloud. Fortunately or unfortunately, the Seraph, the Monarch of Virtues,pleted the archangel''s thoughts. "The System couldn''t kill the Overlord." Absentmindedly nodding, Michael listened to further instructions. "Pull back from all the battlefronts and re-focus our efforts into searching for the ''Hero''. Now, go." p- With a single p, the Archangel disappeared and was already a few gxies away. It was then that the Monarch of Virtues opened his eyes and stared at the screen in front of him. ====== [Emergency Quest] Eliminate the Overlord of Chaos, the newborn Overlord, before he gains strength. Reward: ??? Penalty: ??? Time limit: 5 year ====== Re-reading the questing, the Monarch closed his eyes again. "The other Monarchs must have gotten the same quest. They won''t refuse the initiation of Council of Genna, not after knowing the new Overlord''s title." The details of the quest were not properly given, but the Monarch wasn''t fixated on those issues. "Every Overlord needs a Seed of Chaos, but to be the Overlord of Chaos itself...." The Monarch unfurled his wings and stood up. "Perhaps the prophecy has finally begun." *** -(Present || Back on Earth; Location: Outside the Dungeon of Trials)- Vupp- A ck-haired, red-eyed youth came out of the portal. As soon as he stepped outside, he noticed the tense atmosphere. At least 100 people were standing guard, ready to fight the horror that massacred the Golden Generation.please visit "Cadet Nathan Hunt, is that you?" A loud shout from a familiar voice erupted from the crowd. Unlike what Nathan had expected the people didn''t rush him, asking for details. They were calm, eerily so. It was then that it happened. "It will be best for you to surrender, Mr. Pepe! On charges of terrorism, vition of Global rules, and massacring the most talented generation of humanity, you have been assigned a 5-star viin ranking!" A 5-star ranking, the highest ranking a viin could achieve. "Surrender, or die here!" Dozens, if not hundreds, of awakeners, spread their Rank pressure toward Nathan. Among there were a few Hatamoto-rank awakeners and a few dozen Te-rank. Nathan raised his hands. At his surrender, three people stepped out from the crowd. They were wearing ck masks. Most wouldn''t realize their identity, but Nathan wasn''t the same. He had shed with one of them before. ''Goliaths'' His expression turned grim. No matter how precarious the situation was, Goliaths never came out of their hiding in the novel, yet they did so now. Not only that, his secret had been exposed far too early. "Do not resist..." The Goliath at the front walked closer and removed her mask. "...Eth." Ba-dump-! His heart shook. Coldly looking at him was Gwen Hunt, ''his'' sister, and¡­ the vice leader of Goliaths, pressing the de against his neck. "Your atrocities have been revealed to the world by ''him''. We have strict orders to eliminate you on the first signs of resistance." Nathan didn''t have time to digest the identity of Gwen. Closing his eyes, he analyzed the situation. Three Hatamoto-rankers, 30 Te-rankers, and over a hundred Enma-rankers, everyone was at least one rank higher than him. But the biggest hurdle was his location, Ward. Ward, the top institution to raise future heroes, was a prison too. It was a fortress to fight against the Demons when the Gates of Hell reopen. Its defenses were second only to Tartarus. Not to mention, the Goliaths appearing in public and Huntress revealing her identity. Something had gone horribly wrong. He lowered his hand to let them cuff himself. "It''s a good desc¨C Back away!" Suddenly Nathan''s energy surged and a reddish hue washed over the gathering of awakeners. Before the awakeners could realize that they had been weakened, a legion of weapons appeared in the sky and rained. Amidst the confusion, Nathan moved. ''I need to esca-'' Bam- Puchi-! "Huntress told you. You move, you die." It was over before he could react. Crushing his heart with her hands, the woman wearing a hat and old-fashioned outfit spoke. She then turned around and threw his corpse to the crowd. "He is dea- What?!" However, before the corpse could hit the ground, it broke into a bright cluster of light. "How¡­?" "He knew we wereing." Tempo answered the incredulous Knuckle. But their conversation was cut short by Huntress. "Search for him. With the barrier in ce, he can''t leave Ward or renter the Dungeon. He must be hiding near us." Unlike thest time, they hade prepared. There was no way for Nathan to escape. "Orders remain same: Kill on sight." ---- Volume 1 ''Hero has Returned'' - The End Volume 2 ''The Man, the Ghost, the God'' ¨C Will start in a few days ---- Author''s Note ¨C Yosh, it''s the ''official'' end of Vol 1! I can''t describe how happy I am! Thanks to all of your support, I was able to pen Nathan''s journey. It has been an unforgettable adventure for me and I hope the same is for you guys. Was the volume confusing whenever the mysterious ''figures'' showed up? Did anyone notice the identity of X? What kind of chaos is brewing? There''s a lot I want to say, but I''ll keep it short. The new volume will start after an epilogue chapter and a side story featuring Miller. Look forward to it! Many mysteries will be solved and many more will rise. The stakes will go higher as Nathan rows through the harsh world of his favorite novel. So, did you learn anything? It is that all of you who like grim-dark novels should stop. If you don''t want those worlds to be an option for transmigration, that is~ Peace out Chapter 232 Epilogue -(??? || ???; Location: ???)- "I''m¡­ alive?" The figure took a moment to let the fact sink in, but suddenly a sh of sadness appeared in their eyes as they touched their abdomen. Taking a moment to digest what happened before their death, they finally looked at their surroundings. "Where is this? I don''t recall a ce like this existing." Auroras. All around the figure existed a void filled with different auroras. As they switched from one color to another, a deep voice came from the void. "Beautiful, isn''t it?" "Who!?" The figure searched around, but they couldn''t find anyone. They closed their eyes and attempted to sense the unknown presence from before. "W-what¡­?" But that only brought more surprises. "This bloodline reaction¡­ a dragon?" "It''s good that you can at least recognize your ancestor." Nine pairs of eyes appeared from the void. The figure couldn''t find the rest of its body but they instinctively knew the identity of those eyes. "Hydra, the nine-headed primordial dragon." Biting their lips so hard that blood dripped from them, the figure questioned the entity. "Why did you save me?" There was no free lunch in this world especially if your savior was an infamous entity from Dark Ages, and supposedly dead. "No need to be on your guard, my child. I will tell you what I want and I promise that it is something beneficial to you. But before that, I need you to watch a few things." Before the figure could question the entity''s intention, a screen appeared from them. Inside the screen was a scene ying. ------ "W¡­what was the point of all this? In the end, we still lost." Tears dribbled down the man''s cheek. Standing in front of the graves of hisrades, he stared at the shattering sky. Behind him, a second man, who had golden eyes, spoke. "It''s not your fault, Ethaniel. No matter what, we seeded in repelling the devil." "And what of it!" The man called Ethaniel smacked the hand of condolence away. "We¡­ won? Tell me, Leonidas, what was the point of winning!? We lost everything." He grabbed Leonidas'' cor. "Everyone died! Our brothers and sister died! Millions of races perished! And, you are telling me we seeded!?" Pointing at the shattering sky, the green-eyed man roared. "The Universe is on the verge of copse because of us. How did we win!? Tell me¡­how¡­" Ultimately, he fell to his knees and his tears wouldn''t stop. As Leonidas watched his brother''s breaking visage, his eyes still held the determination they had when he fought against the Devil. They had won. But they couldn''t save anything. Even the Universe, the home they fought to protect, was about to be destroyed. "This isn''t the end." [Lord of Lightning is using his Authority [???]] Golden hue burst forth and expanded endlessly. It went outside their, their gxy, and finally their universe. "W¡­what are you doing?" "If it isn''t a happy ending, then it''s not the end." Watching the smirking face of Leonidas, an ominous premonition sunk its fangs into Ethaniel. "Stop!" The figure of Leonidas broke into millions of specks of lights. They flew into the sky towards the ces where the cracks were appearing in their Universe. The golden light touched the cracks, and astonishingly, the cracks began being mended. As the Universe miraculously recovered, the lone man, the First King, couldn''t do anything. That day, he lost hisst sibling. ------ "Was that the end of the Dark Ages?" The figure asked incredulously. It was widely known that the strongest ancient hero sacrificed himself to save everything. But shockingly, not everything known was the same as in the scene. Unlike what was widely spread, an ancient hero did survive. "It is, but it was also the beginning of a new age."please visit The hydra''s deep voice echoed again, and another scene continued. ------ "The Council of Genna is dismissed." The man sitting at the seat of the leader dered. Nodding to him, the Monarchs disappeared one by one. Although they were leaders of their races, the man''s presence was too much for them to handle. It was only because of the iron fist rule of the man that, despite their fears, they always epted the man''s summon. "How is the project going?" "My king, it''s about 60%plete." A shadow appeared from thin air and bowed. "But is there any reason for such haste?" The shadow was one of the few ones who had fought with the man in the dark ages. Though the impertinence of the question would''ve given anyone a heart attack, the shadow dared to ask such. "Complete the task that has been given to you. No need to pry into other''s trade." "Understood, my king." The shadow sighed and disappeared. Since the day that everything ended, his king had changed greatly. Losing everything dear to him in the war made him change his ways. Ethaniel stood up from his throne and a fissure appeared in front of him. Stepping through the fissure, he found himself in an old cottage. He walked around a bit, reminiscing, and stood in front of a picture. In the image were 13 kids. The kids were ying around, jumping to catch a little fairy, while their caretaker, the old man as they often called him, was trying to bring them back to the house. He smiled. A lonely and aching smile. "Are you sure about it?" A thin voice interrupted him. Shaking his thoughts off, the man, who was also known as the First King, turned to look at the fairy who had disturbed him. She was the very same fairy the kids were ying with in the picture. "I am and¡­" The First King frowned. "Are you okay with descending every time like this?" "It takes a bit of toll on me, but nothing worth mentioning." Though the fairy disregarded his concern, her thoughts said otherwise. ''How could I not? This might be thest time we will meet after all.'' The First King, reading her like an open book, patted her head. "Don''t be sad. I''m not dying, I''ll reincarnate in the future." "Is it¡­ is it necessary?" "Both of us know the answer." The man smiled, something which he had never done since the end of the war, to reassure her. "We never won, not yet. The danger will return in the future, and it will be stronger than ever." "But you can leave it to our future generations! You¡­ you''ve already done enough. Why is it always you who has to sacrifice?" After the end of the war, he was the only surviving ancient. He had rebuilt the foundation of civilizations alone. Most would call him a heartless and cruel king, but only those who were close to him knew about his sacrifices. But the man was okay with it. It was the responsibility he shouldered when he called himself the First King of the Universe. "Pandora" He pinched her cheeks. "My siblings gave their lives to protect this world. It is my duty, no it is my selfishness that I want to protect what they loved." The fairy blushed a bit at the man''s touch, but she didn''t pull back. Instead, she further dug into his embrace. "If the prophecy is correct, Leonidas will also reincarnate. Can you help him if something happens to me?" The method of reincarnation wasn''t safe. The longer the time passes, the more his soul would weaken. If it took too much time before the time of the prophecy came, the man''s soul would be eroded from the passage of time and he would never rouse. Yet, he was ready to brave those dangers. "I''ll be waiting for you." ------ "The first king stepped into the cycle of samsara, but a miscalction urred on his side. He started reincarnating endlessly, each time he would reincarnate his memories and his soul would weaken." The hydra spoke in mncholy. "He had already lost his powers and couldn''t do anything to reverse that." "Pandora also couldn''t help him. But thankfully, no matter how little, he would remember his past in every life." The figure turned towards the 9 pairs of eyes as their owner talked. "It was a struggle on a thin line. Would the prophecye true first or would Ethaniel lose his memories first?" "What happened in the end?" The figure knew that Ethaniel had reincarnated into the period of prophecy. But the way Hydra spoke bugged them. "He failed. The period of prophecy came and Leonidas reincarnated, but he didn''t awaken." Hundreds of questions appeared in the figure''s mind, but the Hydra wasn''t finished. "The tragedy struck, Leonidas lost, and an endless cycle began." "The hero fought and continued to struggle. But he failed every single time. No matter what he did or where he went, nothing changed. In the end, defeat was what he always ended with." The Hydra finally stepped into the light. As its scales shone, it looked the figure into their eyes. "In the repetitive cycles of desperation and defeat, a variable was suddenly born. A variable that no one had ounted for." Chapter 233 Side Story: Two Brothers -(Past || When the gang is left alone while Nathan goes to Ward after he escapes from Underworld; Location: ck T-shirt Gang''s headquarters)- Talent In this world where a sudden change on the Frontlines could mean the end of humanity, every human wished to be talented. Jonathan, the eldest son and the next heir of the ck T-shirt gang was also the same. Like the billions, he also wished for Talent, for it was necessary to acquire Strength. But ultimately he was one of those billions, an average talent. As he came to terms with his own mediocrity, he continued praying. Not for himself, but for his brother. ''Please give him a mediocre talent.'' He didn''t wish for Miller''s sess, but for his fall. Yet fate was fickle. His wish was denied once again. Bam- "Bro, did you see ''SIS''? I can''t find her." Flinging the doors open, Miller called out to him, clenching his jaws as he spat the word ''Sis''. "¡­We haven''t seen her since the day you left." "Got''cha!" Miller left without as much as a second look. Jonathan was thankful for that because he didn''t think he could control his expression if he saw Miller right now. Talent A Monstrous Talent His brother was blessed with unparalleled talent. It wasn''t something that could be suppressed, even though he tried to do so. He could vividly remember the day when Miller awakened as a child at a very young age. For humans, the earlier they awaken, the higher their talent and potential limit. Of course, Miller didn''t have a better-than-average talent and potential limit, but his true worthy somewhere else. It was his stigma. Jonathan couldn''t help but wish¡­ If only Miller wasn''t a prodigy. * "Bro, help me!" Bam- Throwing the doors open, Miller entered the room for the umpteenth time today. Acting reservedly, Jonathan helped him, again, and sent Miller away. "Did something bad happen, bro?" Not leaving immediately, Miller questioned with a serious face. He had not lived long with Jonathan, but he could tell that something was burdening his brother. Unable to see him in the eyes, Jonathan dug his head deeper into the document. "It''s nothing, just some minor problems with our business, you can leave." "Y''know you suck at lying?" Grinning, Miller stood behind his brother and massaged his shoulders. He thought that maybe his brother had been under the stress because of Chloe. "You start scratching your forefinger with your right thumb every time you lie." Proudly disclosing the secret, Miller puffed his chest. "That was how I could tell in childhood when you had permission to meet me and when you sneaked out to meet me." Jonathan couldn''t help but smile. His brother had grown, yet he never changed, showering him with unbridled affection. Tap- A drop of tear slid down Jonathan''s cheek. "I-it''s nothing. Something went into my eyes." He hurriedly denied it. "I knew it! It''s that bitch, right!? She must''ve done something when I wasn''t here!" Anger and concern clouded Miller''s mind. He stormed away to search for Chloe. "Don''t worry, if I ask for that bat''s help, I can find her! I''ll make her pay!" "STOP!" Unconsciously, Jonathan yelled at the top of his lungs. He didn''t regret it though. Chloe was strong, Miller wouldn''t be able to do anything to her. But Jonathan knew his brother all too well. If he set his mind to it, he wouldn''t back down even if it cost him his life. "Only if you tell me what''s going on" As both brothers red at each other, the first to pull away was Jonathan. Sighing, he nodded. Talent It wasn''t something Millercked. And Jonathan hated that. Because talent wasn''t necessarily a blessing. ¡­Sometimes it was a curse.please visit * ''Should I tell him? ¡­But what if he hates me?'' Jonathan shivered at those dreaded thoughts, but he steeled his heart. ''I must. If not, he might get into the same situation again.'' Of course, Jonathan had recognized the Miller at a nce at the diator Championship. Regrettably, he was watching thepetition from their base, or he would''ve fought to save his brother himself. "I-I¡­ lied to you about your stigma¡­" It was easy to say it in his mind, but when it came to it, he could barely eke out the words. "You are not weak, rather your stigma holds¡­ enormous¡­ potential¡­" "h-huh? Does this mean¡­" ''I knew it.'' "You are okay with me using it!" "Eh? Y-yeah" Unable to understand the meaning behind the simple question, Jonathan stared at his brother''s face, but suddenly¡­ "Buhahahah! Wait for me, you damned bat! Let''s see if you can beat me again!" Miller startedughing like a crazy scientist! Jonathan''s brain froze for a good few seconds. "You aren''t¡­ angry with me?... Don''t you hate me?" "Why?" "I lied to you throughout your childhood and made you believe that you shouldn''t use your stigma." "And?" Titling his head, as if he didn''t understand the intent of those words, Miller asked, genuinely curious. "What about it?" "You almost died because you didn''t use your stigma! Shouldn''t you be angry tha¡­." Jonathan''s eyes widened, and he bit his lips. "¡­I''m sorry for shouting like that." Miller blinked. "Didn''t you do that because you were worried about me? After all, with our background, anyone who knew about my stigma would target our brothers to take me away. Andter I would be brainwashed, or something along those lines, so I don''t take revenge." It was amon trick used to ''adopt'' children from slums, aka Downtown, and raise them to serve the family. It was an adoption only in name and many forcefully took the talented younglings. After all, a powerful pawn was useless if its roots didn''t belong to them. Miller''s tone as he said those words didn''t falter. Tearing, Jonathan barely managed to stop them from overflowing. He was happy, incredibly so. ''I shouldn''t cry. Not in front of my little brother.'' Turning his face away, he spoke while suppressing his quivering voice. "You aren''t stupid a-anymore, I see." "Bro, you too!? Why does everyone call me stupid!?" With a wronged expression, Miller cried tears of injustice. Suddenly, both brothers erupted intoughter, and a whisper entered Jonathan''s ears. ''You aren''t smart either. Why did you think your brother, who always looked up to you, would hate you?'' ''Old man'' A blurry figure vanished from the corner of the room, and Jonathan shook his head. It didn''t look like that creepy habit of his father of watching people while hiding was going to stop anytime soon. "Y''know and then bos-err Cap, moved so fast that¡­" Looking at his brother, who was happily talking about his past days, Jonathan heldplicated emotions. On one hand, he didn''t trust Nathan, especially after how brutally Miller was beaten in the tournament. Even if Nathan saved him at thest moment, he believed that Nathan must''ve been the reason Miller didn''t surrender. But on the other hand, watching his brother enthusiastically talk about Nathan as if they were decade-old friends, he understood. Miller wouldn''t follow his words if he told him to stay away, or better yet, run away from here. ''I was going to tell me to run away if Nathan was threatening him, but maybe I was being paranoid.'' Nevertheless, he decided to keep an eye on Nathan. "Err bro?" "Yeah?" A sweating and panicking Miller stopped Jonathan''s train of thought. "I just remembered¡­ Cap told me to keep those things a secret. Could you not tell anyone what I told you?" "Haaah¡­" Jonathan covered his face with both hands. Was it alright to trust his brother? He wouldn''t be tricked by a scammer, right? RIGHT!? Chapter 234 New Dangers [1] -(Past || While Nathan was inside the Dungeon of Trials; Location: Inside a random house on Bermuda Ind)- "Mom, Dad, here''s your morning tea!" "Thank you, dear." A young woman, seemingly in her mid-20s, passed tea to her parents. Looking at their tired and scrawny appearance, her heart ached. But she hid that aching and smiled. "I''ll prepare the breakfast" "Dear, you rarelye home, you should take a rest. Let me cook something good for you." Pinching her brows, the young woman acted like she was thinking before speaking ultimately. "No offense, but your cooking¡­ sucks!" She hurriedly ran away and locked the kitchen from the inside. "I''ll cook myself!" Those who knew the woman''s identity would''ve received a heart attack if they saw her now, but to the woman who knew of the hardships her parents carried until a few years ago, she didn''t mind them seeing this side of her. The old man and woman shook their head. For them, their daughter would always be a child no matter how old she grew, but it was still unfortunate. "You won''t get a boyfriend, let alone a husband if you don''t stop acting childishly." "Mom!" With the sore spots poked, Gwen pouted in anger. A mouth-watering aroma wafted in the area as Gwen was finished with the dished. Preparing the table, everyone sat together to eat. "Dear, why do you keep checking your smart device? Is a boy going to message you?" Gwen looked at her mom with nk eyes but, before she couldin, her father intervened. "Don''t be mean to her." He spoke with his characteristic expressionless face. "There is no way she has the courage to ask a man for his contact or to give hers." "Hmph!" She started stuffing the food at a swift pace to leave as fast as possible. Maybe she should''ve eaten alone in her room. Her father spoke again, albeit seriously. "So, what''s the matter?" "I was thinking about Eth." Immediately, a heavy silence descended. The parents looked 10 years older at the mention of Eth, their eyes unable to hide the sorrow in them. It took a moment for Gwen to realize that she had spoken her true thoughts. But the damage was already done. She awkwardly switched on the TV and put up a random channel. Matters regarding Eth, her brother, were¡­ sensitive. Hisck of zeal to interact with everyone, sole desire of growing stronger, and above all, the parents'' guilt of not being there when he needed them the most created arge gulf between ''Nathan'' and his family. -Phhzzzzzt¡­. Greetings, fellow humans Suddenly, the TVgged, and a different channel started ying. It depicted someone Gwen was familiar with. "Techno¡­?" -The time for your salvation hase. Gwen''s bracelet buzzed, signaling the oing horde of messages. Skimming through them, she realized that Techno, one of the members of Goliaths, had hacked Gia''s main server. The scene was being shown to the entire world. -As one of the three messengers of God, I had the opportunity to read the Gospel, and he has allowed me to present an chance to all of you! A chill ran across Huntress'', aka Gwen, back. Something big was going to happen. Techno was floating above an ocean. He spread his hand and¡­ -Let the game begin! ¡­.a massive tree grew out of the ocean. *please visit "I need reports of his every activity, down to the seconds he slept, now!" Gwen barked orders at her subordinates. She had left her parents'' home and rushed back to the headquarters. A few hours ago, a behemoth tree appeared over the Indian Ocean. As if it wasn''t bad, the tree never stopped growing and was already 10 kilometers big. "H-Huntress, we have a problem" A subordinate rushed back with a frightful expression. In normal cases, the members of Goliaths would never intervene in Aegis'' matters, but due to the 2nd wave of the Dungeon break that urred weeks ago in the northern hemisphere, they were short on personnel. "What is it?" "The Mana density over the Indian Ocean is rising rapidly a..and so is the Aether level of the." "Dammit!" She skimmed through the report about the tree. ------ Code Name: Yggdrasil Origin: Unknown Cause: Techno, a secret agent belonging to Aegis'' undisclosed unit ''Goliath'' Size: Unable to determine. The tree is growing every second. Danger level: Code-ck The tree is causing the mana levels of Earth to rise rapidly. Due to the naturalws, the other constituents of Aether are also increasing to keep up with the mana density. If nothing is done, the formation of Gates and Dungeons will rise in the number and so will Earth''s transformation to the next Stage. ------ "What are you waiting for?! Go,plete your reports!" The subordinate ran back. Watching their fading back, Gwen''s brows creased. "Transformation to next stage¡­ dammit! We can barely protect Earth while it is Stage-2, but if the stage increases again so suddenly¡­" Taking a deep breath, Huntress exhaled loudly. She reyed the recordings of Techno''s broadcast. "Why did he suddenly turn traitor?" Lost in her thoughts, she couldn''t help but question. "And what did he mean by three messengers of gods and Gospel?" She bit her nails. "If it wasn''t enough that Eth is being doubted of being Mr. Pepe." Knowing that Shadow, Knuckle, and Tempo were inside Ward to keep an eye on her brother, she was deeply frustrated. But she held back, there was no way Eth would be a criminal. If she wanted to keep him safe, she would have to let the investigation run its course, and let him prove himself innocent. Her brother''s goal was to be strong, but she was among the few who knew that his real goal was to protect those he held dear. Strength was a means he pursued to achieve that goal. Tring¨C Tring¨C A hologram materialized in the air. -The Councilmen are asking for your presence. The man who spoke those words was the spokesperson of Gia, the central government. Huntress could only give a heavy nod in reply. "What on Earth is happening?" Chapter 235 New Dangers [2] Aether caused great damage to Earth and the lives living on it when it first came. The First Great Disaster surpassed any and all kinds of natural disasters seen in the past. Nevertheless, it also brought life. Animals evolved, the gic codes of survivors strengthened, life expectancy grew, biodiversity increased by many folds, and life was birthed and thrived at ces where it was impossible before. Antarctica. The only continent where humans couldn''t live changedpletely. With this emerged 7 leaders, each belonging to one continent, to discuss matters revolving around the survival of humanity. Although, 3 of the 7 continents had been left uninhabitable, thanks to the Second Great Disaster. The tradition of 7 world leaders continued. The 7 Councilmen They were the 7 leaders of Gia, the central government that was the unified humanity front tobat invading forces and ensure humanity''s survival as its top priority. It could be said their authority was second only to Pioneers and a few special individuals. "Huntress, we hope that you know why you have been called here." In a dark room spoke one of the 7 holograms with a young woman, seemingly in her early 20s, standing between them. "I don''t, actually. Can someone shed the light as to why I was called from the middle of my job?" "What is this insolent way of speaking to the 7 couc-" "It''s alright, 2nd Councilman. I''ll exin the matters to Huntress." The hologram of what seemed to be a buxomdy interrupted the 2nd Councilman and turned to Huntress. "Recently, all the servers belonging to Gia were hacked-which is an immediate death sentence, mind you-and the hacker belongs to your unit, Huntress." Thedy spoke in her characteristic sweet voice. "Not only that, the traitor seemed to have caused-or at least has hands in-what could very well spell the doom of humanity." A massive hologram of a tree appeared in the background. "Since you were busy doing ''your job'', I''ll believe that you know the possible consequences of Yggdrasil and jump directly to the newest findings." Huntress clicked her tongue inwardly. She could tell that the councilmen had an objective in calling her despite the urgent situation, but it seemed she had to listen to their ramblings first. "Ignoring the social and religious implications of Yggdrasil, the biggest issue is ''Impact''." A new hologram popped up. ------ Code Name: Impact We have identified that the foreign object that appeared over the Indian Ocean is, in fact, not a tree, but a living being. Its roots ¨C as we are calling them ¨C are burrowing themselves deeper into Earth. With thetest finding, it has been confirmed that the roots are moving towards Earth''s core. Moreover, Yggdrasil has already killed 1 Gamma-ranker, 5 Hatamoto-rankers, 345 Te-rankers, and countless Stage-1 awakeners. ------ "This is troublesome." Gwen muttered to herself. "A Lieutenant General died." Trees are generally categorized as living beings, but specifically adding that in the report did not bode well. The next lines proved her to be true. "Frontlines are going to be affected badly."please visit Pioneers were tactical weapons of humanity that could change the tides of battles single-handedly. They needed to be in their top condition in case an emergency arises and thus rarely entered the battlefields. The main fighting units consisted of Gamma-rankers and Hatamoto-rankers. From Te-rank, every awakener was an indispensable unit on frontlines. The casualty caused by Yggdrasil was by no means small. Unfortunately, it was only the beginning of bad news. The report on ''Impact'' continued. ------ The rapid rise in Aether levels is forcefully increasing Earth''s Stage causing geography to undergo substantial changes. The tectonic tes are shifting rapidly. Thetest reports suggest that the Continents are moving. In a few weeks at thetest, the continents will converge at the area with the highest concentration of Aether on Earth: Bermuda Ind. ------ "What the¡­.?" Her eyes shook at the implications this would bring. "So you do understand, Huntress." The buxomdy gave a pretentious smile. "Earthquakes are the least of our problems. Three of the converging continents are overflowing with beasts, and the fact that the continents are converging at Bermuda Ind, of all ces, is more threatening." "Bermuda Ind is an artificial ind created from the spears used by Magi Roy to close the Gate of Hell." Huntress expression worsened when she understood the point councilman was trying to get at. "Unlike other Gates ¨C¨C Gate of Jungle, Gate of Brawl, and Gate of Inferno ¨C¨C Spatial Interference devices cannot and have not been installed on Gate of Hell." The Underworld was inside Bermuda ind, not because it was fancy but because it was the first line of defense if the Gate of Hell ever reopens, the 2nd line of defense being Ward and the Families that live on the top of the ind. "Aether currents circting over a move and intersect at the ces where life exists. Law of Evolution. As Aether gathers at those ces, it pushes the evolution of life further." "There is a high chance of Gate of Hell''s reopening thanks to the increase in Aether that is going to ur once the continents merge." Taking a deep breath, the buxomdy spoke grimly. "It is not wrong to say: If nothing is done, Earth is done for." Huntress closed her eyes. Countless thoughts moved through her head within a few seconds, and she reopened them. "Why have I been called here?" The buxomdy smiled again. "Gia will be announcing the existence of Goliaths to the world. In other words¡­." "We are the scapegoats of you Councilmen." p¨C¨C p¨C¨C p¨C¨C "Hahahaha, I wouldn''t call Goliaths scapegoats." The Councilmen guffawed. "Your Unit has served Gia unconditionally since the beginning, we would never do something like that. We are only revealing your existence. After all, all of this is indeed happening because of Techno, a member of your unit." ''This was why Techno''s affiliation was written in Aegis'' reports.'' Huntress gnashed her teeth. "Why? We did every task given to us no matter what it was, and now we are being discarded?" Chapter 236 Exposed Chapter 236 Exposed Gwen red at the 7 holograms of the Councilmen. The Councilmen only cared about their own positions. They were ready to discard Goliaths without a second thought. Although they were ''only'' revealing their identities to the world, it would bring scorn and hatred from entire humanity and they would be forced to take the brunt of the damage for Techno''s action. ''If only Captain was here.'' She could feel her anger rising. ''These bastards wouldn''t think of doing anything like this.'' At that moment, the buxomdy spoke. "Moving to the 2nd topic for this meeting. We will discuss the matters regarding Mr. Pepe or as his real alias¡­" A hologram of a 16-year-old boy appeared in the air. "Nathan Hunt" "?!!!" Gwen''s eyes widened to their limit and her wrath finally exploded. "What is the meaning of this?! I won''t tolerate any kind of schemes that invo-" "Huntress, please listen to the report first." A man¨Cand the only one whose hologram wasn''t blurred¨Cspoke. "First Councilman¡­" Taking a few deep breaths, Gwen calmed down. Although one could tell that she was barely suppressing herself, First Councilman was someone she respected and thus forced herself to listen. The hologram of the buxomdy coughed before continuing. "Techno didn''t leave after hacking the servers empty-handed. He left..Phzzzztttttt" Suddenly, the holograms fluctuated, and a new hologram appeared in the air. A man wearing a long purple robe with a hood over his head was sitting on a throne made of what seemed to be the bark of a tree. Surprisingly, although the man wasn''t hiding his face, it seemed like there were no features behind that dark shadow of his hood. "Long time no see Vice Cap and Councilmen!" "Techno¡­" The man waved his hand heartily, almost as if he wasn''t responsible for the uing destruction of Earth. "Don''t worry about them. Or rather, let me continue from where the 5th Councilman left!" The holograms of 7 Councilmen were moving frantically. They were opening their mouths and straining their lungs, but Techno had disabled their voice feature. He had hacked into Earth''s one of the most secure ces twice and effortlessly at that. "Why are you involving my brother in these matters?" She stared at Techno with nk eyes devoid of their previous rage. "Sacry~ I didn''t know you could get angry like that~" Techno spoke frivolously, showing apletely new side to him. "To start with, do you recall how I said I was one of the three chosen by God?" Huntress nodded. "That was bullshit~ Not the one of three chosen part, but the chosen by a God part~" Heughed. "And your brother is also like me! The one who fought in the diator Championship was Nathan Hunt!" His unrestrainedughter echoed. "I can''t believe he was going around like an idiot, believing that he was the only one and exposed himself like that!" "Don''t lie¡­." "Did you say something~ I couldn''t hear ya~" "Don''t lie!" BOOOM-! Maddening pressure swept over the room. Webbed cracks formed on the reinforced walls, but that only made Techno merrier. He was enjoying her suffering. "I..I almost killed him" Gwen couldn''t care less about the survival of humanity. "I tried to kill him a..again and again." She no longer seemed like a warrior who could face armies alone, but a helpless girl who didn''t know what to do anymore. "Oh, how the mighty has fallen. But I''m not done~" The cackling continued, leaving the Councilmen shell-shocked. Only now they were realizing how important her brother was to Huntress and that made their back drench in a cold sweat. If they had continued with their original intentions, Huntress might had¡­ ''Don''t target her brother, no matter what.'' The spokesperson of the Council had warned them. They hadughed at that warning, but it seems they should''ve known better. Techno ignored the sorry excuse of world leaders and continued. "Majority of Top 25 Cadets of Ward''s first year are dead." ''How did he know? We made sure to keep the news under wraps, going as far as threatening the Families so that they don''t disclose their heirs'' death!'' The terror of a technomancer was finally sinking its fang into their hearts. No information, no matter how confidential, was hidden from Techno. "What does it have to do with Eth?" An ominous premonition dawned on Gwen. Techno, however, spoke to his own rhythm. "The only surviving first years cadets who went inside the Dungeon of Trials are Rank 9 Anna Kenward, and Rank 23 Lilith Ashdown." He mused. "Everyone else has been confirmed dead thanks to their Life Oaths." Her world was turned upside down. She knew from Tempo and Shadow that Nathan also went inside the Dungeon, and looking at the behavior of the Councilmen it didn''t seem like Techno was lying. However, her eyes brightened again. "Eth doesn''t have a Life Oath. He might be alive." "tsk, so you are calm enough toe up with that conclusion, huh. But¡­" By the end of his words, his voice was filled with anticipation. "Why do you think he survived, but nobody else could? Maybe he was the one who killed others?" Zap- "¨Ccall them and request¡­." The Techno''s hologram vanished, and the Councilmen were able to speak again. Noticing that no one was in the condition to continue, the First Councilman took the helm of the meeting himself. "Huntresss, we have yet to get subject Nathan Hunt''s Ward''s schedule in past weeks, but it has been confirmed that his stigma is simr to the one ability Mr. Pepe used in diator Championship. The timing of Techno''s betrayal and Mr. Pepe''s appearance is also too close forfort." Looking at her devoid eyes, he couldn''t tell if Gwen could hear him, but he continued nheless. "Moreover, ording to thetest report from Goliaths, the shadow fragment following the subject Nathan was killed by him. From hisbat rank analysis when he entered Ward, he shouldn''t have been able to do this." Gwen had yet to see this report, but by now it was clear to her too. No matter how much she tried to deny she couldn''t do it any longer. "Nathan Hunt is¡­" Her brother was¡­ "Mr. Pepe." Chapter 237 We wont Fail Chapter 237 We won''t Fail While Gwen was lost in her thoughts, the First Councilman received more information from his secretary about the infiltration done by Techno. Reading through the documents, he spoke in a grave tone. "Techno has left a note. It says ''If you don''t tell the world about Nathan, I will''." Looking up, he stared at each hologram before his eye''s rested on Gwen. "With this, it''s confirmed. He is targeting Nathan Hunt specifically." "But why? Other than Mr. Pepe being a possible prophet, does he have anything to warrant Techno''s attention?" The 7th Councilman interjected. "Maybe¡­." The 6th Councilman rubbed his chin. "¡­Techno wants to eliminate Mr. Pepe? And he is using us to do his work?" "If Mr. Pepe is one of the three chosen ones like Techno, then it might be possible that Techno is also a prophet. That would exin why Techno wants to eliminate Mr. Pepe: To remove threats that could endanger him and his ns." The Councilmen nodded but suddenly the buxomdy, the 5th Councilman, shook her head. "In that case, we should bring Mr. Pepe under us to fight against Techno? I hope nobody is thinking like that." She pointed at Yggdrasil''s hologram. "It is too suspicious that Techno will reveal Mr.Pepe''s identity but not the 3rd Prophet''s. This might be their n to infiltrate Gia from inside while we are trying to fight the outside threat, Yggdrasil." "It might also be possible that Techno isn''t aware of thest prophet''s identity..." "Why would he¡­.." "We should help¡­." "No, that¡­" "Danger? Earth is¡­" A heated debate opened. The Councilmen put their individual thoughts on the matter forward. A few among them wanted to bring Mr. Pepe under them to fight against Techno. If Mr. Pepe was a prophet as they had predicted, he would be a great help inbating Techno and other future threats. Others were against protecting Mr. Pepe. It wasn''t guaranteed that he would work with them after what he did in the Underworld. Besides, Techno''s actions involving Mr. Pepe were ambiguous at best and suspicious at worst. There was no guarantee that Mr.Pepe and Techno weren''t working together. In the midst of the discussion, Gwen didn''t speak even once. She was looking back at her actions in the Underworld during the diator Championship. "I..it can''t be Nathan." Repeating to herself, she was regrly shaking her head. "I almost k-killed him back then." "Stop it." Suddenly, an authoritative and dignified voice echoed. "We will have a vote." Everyone nodded to the 1st Councilman''s suggestion. The voting began without a dy. "I vote for supporting Mr.Pepe." "I vote against protecting Mr. Pepe." "I vote in Mr. Pepe''s favor." "I vote against Mr. Pepe." "I''m against." "I vote in the support of Mr. Pepe." From the 2nd to the 7th Councilmen, they voted unhesitatingly. Surprisingly, half of them voted in Nathan''s favor. The first Councilman was the only one remaining. He stared at Gwen for a moment and opened his mouth. ¡­.. ¡­. ¡­ .. . -(Present || Location: Ward)- Huntress stared at Nathan''s previous location. She turned to Shadow. "Where is he?" "I am¡­looking¡­give me¡­few minutes." Shadow''s voice was raspy. It was difficult to judge the shadow''s gender from voice alone. Every time Shadow spoke, it was as if hundreds of snakes were hissing together. The group dispersed, but a snobbish voice held Huntress from leaving. "We hope that the Goliaths won''t betray us again, Huntress. Not for personal reasons, this time." The hint of mocking was apparent in the tone of the speaker. Huntress turned to look at the speaker. It was a man with two great swords on his back. If she wasn''t wrong, the man was a high-ranking awakener in Aegis. "Why aren''t you saying ¨C !!!" The man suddenly retreated. He gripped the handle of his sword and spoke with a grim smile. "I was joking, Huntress, no need to get angry." Her brows furrowed. She didn''t understand what the man meant by that and followed his gaze. "Ah!" She had pulled her bastard sword out of the scabbard without realizing it. The tense atmosphere took a few moments to dissolve. The man, Armin, walked up to Huntress. "I''ll apologize again. It wasn''t my intention to insult you. But it looks like¡­ I''m still bad at opening a conversation." He mumbled thest part to himself. While they were briefing, the man scanned his surroundings quietly and whispered to her. "What are Aegis and Gia thinking? Why did they allow an unsolicited awakener into this mission and he is barely Iota-rank." At the corner, a kid wearing arge robe was standing. Although his features were hidden by the robe, it was easy to determine his age. He was also by far the weakest awakener on the field. "Don''t worry, we won''t fail." The answer didn''te from Huntress. A bright voice directly entered Armin''s head. His eyes widened, and he hurriedly looked around. "Who''s there!?" Huntress stopped him before he created amotion. "It''s Dreamer. He is also present here." "Dreamer¡­? The reaper of the Elven frontlines is here¡­?" Gulp¨C "Yes, he is. But he won''t join the battle directly." "I know about his abilities." A thin line of sweat formed on Armin''s forehead. He unconsciously shivered. "It''s more terrifying that he isn''t going to fight. Doesn''t that mean he has already fini-" "Don''t speak unnecessarily." Dreamers'' abilities were kept under tight wraps because of their uncanny yet overwhelming nature. Only the high-ranking awakeners and officers of Gia know of his abilities. But there was one fact that everyone knew. Dream was a Gamma-rank awakener. "Hahaha, you were correct. We won''t fail." Armin shook his head. A space lock barrier was deployed alongside all of Ward''s security measures. There was 1 Gamma-rank, 3 Hatamoto-rank, and dozens of Te and Enma-rank awakeners. It would be a miracle if Mr. Pepe managed to escape. Armin''s confidence shook in the next second, however. "Huntress, we have a situation!" Knuckle shouted. "Tempo has gone missing!" The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!