《The Walker Of Voids》


 Chapter 1 Lloyd Elrod

    A boy''s gaze lingered upon a holographic screen that floated in front of a skyrise building. His parents stood right behind him with loving gazes.


    The cities were bustling with activity, men, and women walking beside each other in sync and harmony. Different sounds could be hearding from every section of the bustling city ranging from screams of excitement to roars ofughter.


    Cars could be seen flying above the city in an orderly fashion while floating inds in the distance cast a shadow down upon the lower grounds, yet despite it obstructing the path of the moon''s lunar light, the city did not see a change in the intensity of light.


    Billboards could be seen in almost every corner of the city, but for a moment, every single one of them flickered, an event that sent a wave of darkness through the city and quieted down its residents.


    This was Friday, the 13th of March 2093, the day when Earth fell, and Sris ascended. Mana descended upon Earth for the very first time in millions of years, and because of it, several spacial tears erupted out of thin air and created the thing we now know as dungeons.


    Humans began to receive unique abilities, ssifications, affinities, and prowess'' that could only bepared to ancient fiction books.


    Earth, now more well known as Sris, began to expand its territory after a few hundred years. The spacial tears, better known as gates or dungeons, had be ordinary urrences. At the same time, humanity''s prowess reached a level where an average gate would no longer have the ability to threaten people''s lives if the monsters inside were to break out.


    Humanity began tomunicate with different species. On the 21st of August, 2298, they united with the Elven Empire, the Dwarven United Front, and the Undead Union to fight off the Void Walker who rose up against these factions.


    Billions died in the war against a single man, yet the universe learned a lesson that day. A lesson that would be engraved into the rule books for millennias toe.


    *Zim*


    The hologram at the front of the lecture hall vanished into a projector before the lights that had been built into the ceiling brightened up.


    Seeing that the lights wereing on again, a ck-haired boy instinctively squinted his eyes as several grunts sounded in the room, but he was not one of the people who did so.


    Pushing his chair back, he stood up and extended his hand towards his table, and when his palm finally hovered the items on his table, his wrist watch lit up with a radiant blue that had be all too familiar to those of this era.


    *Zoop*


    In an instant, all the items that had previously been ced on the table vanished from sight before a blue hologramic light shone from the wristwatch once again, this time informing Lloyd of his use of the wristwatch''s inventory feature.


    Lloyd was a boy, barely 16 years old, who would have been considered of low birth if it were not for his parent''s brave deeds in the army. While his mother was mostly a stay-at-home mom, she was, in reality, a retired 3-star general. His father was also a man of honor who ascended through the army ranks against all odds and had be a 4-star general, something not even Lloyd''s mother could achieve despite her aplishments.


    This was the only reason Lloyd coulde to such a prestigious academy, not that it mattered all that much in the first ce. The academy''s only goal was to condition the students for the future, whether that would be by teaching them history, science, mathematics, or martial arts.


    As Lloyd started to walk away from his desk, he felt a sudden yet familiar nudge to his side.


    "Lloyd! Are you going to the training studio after this? Wanna spar?!" A boy with medium-lengthed blond hair and glistening blue eyes looked asked, his voiceced with excitement, causing him to raise his voice unintentionally.


    "Yes, but what''s the point of you going? The awakening ceremony is tomorrow, and with all honesty, no matter how much you train now, the result won''t change." Lloyd replied his face as expressionless and aloof as always, not at all affected by the arm that had suddenly wrapped itself over his shoulders.


    "Then why are you going if it doesn''t matter?!" Asked the blonde boy despite knowing the answer due to having heard it over a thousand times.


    "Zack... I''ve been giving you the same answer for thest nine months..."


    "Still, I want you to tell me again!" Zack grinned, his voice grabbing the attention of many of the popr girls who were still in their seats chatting to each other.


    Lloyd narrowed his eyes before finally sighing out in defeat.


    "Because It''s thrilling"


    "You really are a battle maniac!" Zack chortled before pping Lloyd''s back, which resulted in Lloyd arching his back and grimacing at the tingly sensation that spread out from the point of contact.


    While Lloyd knew that he could have dodged the attack, counter-attacked, or even broken his arm quite easily, Zack was a friend, so he allowed Zack to hit him.


    "Zack? What are you doing with the likes of him?" A feminine voice entered their ears, and when they looked back, they saw a girl looking at them, her face scrunching up in disgust.


    ''This again?'' Lloyd sighed in annoyance.


    ''Well, this is the least I expect from a high school girl who ssifies herself as an elite.''


    Zack slowly turned around, his eyesnding on the girl that had appeared behind him. His gaze automatically turned cold, a scene that sent a shiver down her spine.


    Without skipping a beat, the girl slowly began to retreat under Zack''s icy gaze while the rest of her friendsughed at the scene of her quivering in fear.


    ''She is pretty new to the academy, but isn''t it a little toote for students to transfer? I mean, some people transfer to this academy on the day before the ceremony, but I still think their reasons are stupid.''''


    As Zack''s icy expression faded, he looked back at Lloyd, who raised an eyebrow while his gaze remained on the retreating girl.


    After a few seconds, both boys descended the lecture hall''s stairs before quickly thanking their teacher for the history lesson, leaving through the hall''s doors, and strolling their way to the martial arts studio.


    The academy was a ce for almost everyone. While people of low birth were an exception, anyone with high enough status could enter, and they would be amodated warmly by the teachers and staff no matter what path they chose.


    However, this did not mean that the academy was equal to its spending since they leaned toward spending more on martial arts studios and things that would enhance the battle prowess of their students, something that was painfully obvious after a nce at the sizes of different facilities.


    As Lloyd and Zack entered the area with fighting facilities that took up half the school, they walked into one of therger studios using Zack''s ID.


    The atmosphere inside was bustling with sounds of weapons shing, skin hitting skin, and crowds cheering entering their ears; however, after another moment, the studio became silent and lost its energy.


    Fierce gazes flickered with several emotions ranging from irritation to awe, yet there was one emotion that all of them felt when looking at the two figures. Each and every one of those students felt immense respect towards the two in front of them, as no matter their background or battle prowess, they knew that the two before them had worked harder than anyone else.


    Lloyd and Zack grabbed their respective weapons and stood in front of each other in the middle of a stadium. Turning around and taking exactly sixteen steps away from one another, they both began to unsheathe their weapons as battle intent surged out of the duo.


    Zack held two wooden short swords while Lloyd brandished a wooden katana. The faint sounds of the crowd around them cheering entered their ears, yet to them, it was nothing but muffled sound.


    Before they knew it, they had already shot toward each other at speeds that should not have been possible for normal human beings, and as they grew closer to one another, they swung out their weapons and let out battle cries that echoed throughout the hall.


    *Boom*


    -----------------------------------------------------------


    Thank you for reading the first chapter of my first novel. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please do me a favor by giving this novel a power stone or two. It will be greatly appreciated. One more thing, please inform me of any mistakes youe by, it would allow me to make this experience better for you and other readers.

 Chapter 2 Entering The Void

    "Those two are our best fighters in our academy." A man with a pair of spectacles resting on his nose bridge pointed at a screen where two 16-year-oldsy on the ground while inhaling and exhaling in quick bursts. Both were covered in bruises and cuts, yet that seemed to be the least of the crowd''s worries as they could be seen roaring out in cheers.


    While spectacles were no longer needed since there was technology that far exceeded the use of sses, many people wore them for fashion.


    "They are pretty impressive, I have to say. Now all they have to do is have a good awakening." A bald man nodded in satisfaction.


    "That boy, Zack, was it? I believe he is from the de family, so we might as well try to ept him now in hopes that he woulde with us before the other academies try to snatch him." A white-haired man with a skinny physique suggested.


    "I agree. His awakening is bound to be exceptional since he is from that family, but what about the other boy?" A dark-skinned man with bulging muscles and a skin-fade for a hairstyle, asked. His voice was deep and intimidating, but his expression only showed kindness andpassion.


    "I believe that the other boy is beyond exceptional." The first man spoke despite being a teacher in Lloyd and Zack''s academy.


    "Why do you say so?" Asked the bald man, something that caused the teacher to curl up his lips into a prideful smile.


    Turning around, he pointed at the screen again, but instead of it showing CCTV live footage, it showed a video of a young and petite boy standing alongside several other students in front of an adult who was clearly teaching them.


    On the side of the screen shed a few documents, which the recruiters looked at curiously, yet they stayed silent.


    A few secondster, they watched a 5-minute clip of a ck-haired boy struggling to perform a few exercises.


    "As you can see, this boy is the son of two generals, one being a 3-star general, and the other being a 4-star general in the army. Both his parents are exceptional, and despite them clearly not having taught their child anything aboutbat even after reaching the age of 11, his battle prowess has reached the level where he can rival even the likes of Zack, who have been cultivated from an extremely young age to be battle machines." The teacher exined, causing several recruiters to nod in understanding and agreement.


    "You are right. We should recruit this boy even if he gets a mediocre awakening. His battle potential is high, and while it doesn''t seem like he will get a mighty awakening, we know that awakenings aren''t everything when ites to strength." The bulky man with dark skin suggested while ncing at the others who could not help but reminisce on ''that'' man''s power.


    ***


    Hours seemed to pass in the blink of an eye as both Zack and Lloyd were healed back to their peak states. Healers were notmon in this world, but when one appeared, they would be very sought after. However, since Lloyd''s school was one of the most prestigious schools in the country, it was only expected that it would have at least one healer at stand-by at all times.


    Dressing up, both Lloyd and Zack left the school and met up with a few of Zack''s friends. While Lloyd was not one to enjoy socializing with others, he didn''t mind Zack due to their simr thinking and hobbies. It wasn''t that he thought everyone else was too stupid or ''lower'' than him, it was simply that he disliked socializing as a whole and always chose to stay away from it, yet today, due to Zack''s begging, he had been dragged into a restaurant alongside some of Zack''s friends.


    They spent some of their final days as high school students eating, and despite Lloyd being a huge foody, today, he felt a slight lump in his heart that only began to weigh him down more and more as the minutes passed.


    He thought that it was just a feeling that everyone got when they felt their high school lives slipping away while slowly being thrown into the lives of adults, but he couldn''t have been more wrong.


    Zack and the rest of his friends began to drink, but Lloyd was adamant about not drinking, his reason being, "I like having the ability to think normally."


    Seeing that his friend started to ck out, Lloyd sighed and took Zack home despite it being very hard to do so. Drinking for people under the age of 18 was prohibited, but since Zack came from an influential family, this did not affect him.


    As Lloyd walked down the streets and started to move closer to the wealthy neighborhoods, he saw a white care in his direction, making him widen his eye before beginning to wave fanatically towards the driver.


    As the car stopped right next to the two of them, one of the windows lowered itself, and a familiar face entered Lloyd''s eyes.


    "Uncle Rubert! Good thing you are here! Can you take Zack back home for me, please? He''spletely cked out, and I don''t have any sobering pills on me." Lloyd asked.


    Rubert was the de family''s personal butler, and despite looking seemingly fragile, he was as strong if not a little stronger than the current family head.


    "Young Lloyd, it seems like we are meeting more often nowadays." Rubert chuckled and appeared right in front of him.


    "Well, uncle Rubert, that is because Zack is cking out more often. I''m sure that you guys have some kind of GPS on him, so I''m surprised that I hadn''t seen you sooner." Lloyd replied nonchntly


    "As sharp as ever I see!" Rubertughed aloud before throwing Zack into the hovering limo behind him.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I didn''te sooner because I had a bit of business with Master de, but now that we have resolved our problem, I will have to take Master Zack back to the de instead of taking him back to his mansion. He has a few things to settle with his father before getting ready for the awakening ceremony." Rubert exined, causing Lloyd to nod in understanding.


    "I''ll see youter then, Uncle Rubert!" Lloyd waved before beginning to walk away, yet despite Rubert wanting to ask if Lloyd wanted a ride, he already knew the answer he would receive.


    Letting out a repressed sigh, Rubert entered the hovering limo and shot into the air at break-neck speeds, and once he reached outside the atmosphere, the limo''s engines began to work themselves into overdrive, and space began to fluctuate in front of the car.


    Suddenly, a tear in space appeared, and the car entered through it, flying through a tunnel that was known to humans as the ''Void Tunnel.''


    Back on Deroxa, Lloyd could be seen dashing through the night, and after 30 minutes of him running at extraordinary speeds, he finally slowed down and halted his movements.


    Pushing the gate in front of him, it slowly opened, and he quickly found himself walking past a few 100x100 meter grasnds before finally appearing before the front door of what would have been considered a mansion in ancient times.


    Opening the door, he walked into the house and announced, "I''m home!"


    Suddenly, out of the corner of his eyes, he watched as a figure blurred and appeared in front of him before barging him to the ground and grabbing him by the cor.


    "Lloyd! We were so worried!" A girl, barely a few years younger than Lloyd, shouted while constantly pulling and shoving onto his cor.


    "I''m fine, Alice. No need to worry" Lloyd waved his hands in surrender.


    "Little bro, you''re back?" Asked another girl who walked out of the kitchen with her hand holding her phone and a pair of earbuds in her ears.


    While technology had advanced by miles, many old designs stayed the same due to no other suitable design matching the new trend. Many people started to dress the way people before the descent of mana used to dress as it was a part of the new wave of fashion that also suited some of the desires of the older generations.


    As the girl on top of Lloyd took a whiff of his scent, she sent a cold re toward him, one that sent a shiver down his spine.


    "Have you been partying with girls?" As the other girl heard those words, she also looked a Lloyd with an icy re, but the atmosphere quickly lightened after another figure walked into Lloyd''s line of sight.


    "Hey, mom. A little help here?" Lloyd asked and received a soft chuckle from his mother.


    After the incident, they all rxed and started to chat about random things that were on their minds, but after a while, Lloyd realized that his father was not around and quickly excused himself to sleep, not wanting to miss out on his big day that was now, less than 12 hours away.


    Going to his room, hepleted his usual routine, fell onto his bed, and rxed all his muscles.


    Struggling to get the nket over him, he further sunk into the soft material of his mattress, and eventually, he closed his eyes and fell asleep...


    Or at least his body did.


    As his vision faded to ck, he could see a slight shimmer of violet light in the distant dark void, but instead of ignoring it like he usually would have done, he felt as if his gut instinct was telling him to grab it.


    He felt his consciousness grow closer and closer to it by the second before finally, his palms appeared out of thin air before sping them over a purple crystal and encapsting them with his hands.


    "The Void Walker has been chosen."


    "Let the Void Walkmence."


    A robotic voice entered his ears, and in the next second, a bright purple light overshadowed the darkness, and before he could understand what had truly happened, he found himself appearing in a strange ce devoid of light yet, at the same time, somehow filled to the brim with it.


    "Wee to the Void, entity Lloyd Elrod... We have been waiting for you."

 Chapter 3 Evolving [1]

    "Wee to the Void, entity Lloyd Elrod... We have been waiting for you."


    The mncholic, almost robotic voice entered his ears and sent several shudders down his spine.


    "Choose your weapon." The voicemanded in an authoritative tone that Lloyd found himself unable to disobey. It was as if an emperor was telling a peasant to do something, and despite that thing possibly risking the peasant''s life in the future, they would still be forced to do it in hopes that luck would be on their side.


    Unfortunately for Lloyd, luck in the Void was close to nonexistent.


    Three different weapons appeared in front of Lloyd, and within a few seconds, he understood what was happening.


    Stretching his hand, he ignored the staff and daggers and immediately grabbed onto a katana that seemed to have been forged out of the ckest material in the universe. It was almost invisible because it absorbed all light that touched it, but Lloyd could still feel its presence.


    However, unexpectedly, the moment he touched the de, his body seemed to have been flung through space and time, and in an instant, he found himself in a dark area with very minimal amounts of light.


    However, despite theck of light, one thing became visible to him when he appeared where he was.


    A pair of white fangs shone with the reflection of the minimal amount of light created when Lloyd was transported to where he stood, yet that was all it took for Lloyd to act.


    ''W-Wolves?!'' Lloyd asked with a tinge of fear in his voice.


    *Swoosh*


    A stinging pain coursed through the right side of his cheek while a clear cut had been created, deep enough to draw blood and cause it to trickle down his cheeks.


    If it weren''t for Lloyd''s excellent reflexes, he most certainly would have died on the spot.


    Despite the stinging pain in his right cheek, Lloyd refused to believe that this was anything more than an ultra-realistic dream. Any human would have acted this way; after all, all logic pointed to it being a dream, so why would he not believe it to be the case?


    Panic threatened to take over Lloyd''s senses, but as if his muscles had been honed by instincts, his arm flung out and swung his de in a wide arc before finally...


    *Dung*


    A loud, ear-ringing metallic sound entered Lloyd''s ears and made him widen his eyes in shock.


    ''Their skin... It feels like it''s made out of-'' Lloyd could not finish his sentence as ws sliced through the air and appeared in front of Lloyd in an instant.


    Lloyd barely jumped back in time for the attack to fall to the ground, but despite believing he was fast enough to have fully dodged the attack, a wave of pain almost made his knees buckle under the weight of his body.


    Four long deep gashes appeared on Lloyd''s chest, and blood began to seep out as if his wounds were fountains of blood.


    His instincts red once again, and before he could understand what had hit him, he found himself blocking to fangs of another beast with his arm, sacrificing it in the process for just a few more seconds of survival.


    His eyes widened in pain and shock as a scream of agony threatened to leave his mouth.


    "Your goal is to survive." The voice spoke again, yet despite it being mostly monotone, it wasced with a tinge of amusement.


    Taking advantage of the creature''s fangs digging into his flesh, he pulled the creature towards him and, with a moment of hesitation, thrust a de through its eye and into the beast''s brain.


    The beast fell onto the ground, its body unmoving and its eyes listless.


    This was Lloyd''s first kill, and the feeling did not seem to lessen despite it being on an animal.


    The feeling of dread as his de shot through the brain of his enemy made the feeling even worse as he could feel the texture of the beast''s brain in the form of resistance.


    Lloyd wanted to puke, but it was not the time for that. He had to survive... Fear threatened to take over his senses, but instead of falling to the temptations of simply running away, he gritted his teeth and stood unmoving.


    He felt a sudden surge of power run through his veins. Simultaneously, he felt a link or attraction with the shadows around him, as if seeing through them and feeling the creatures inside of them had be a little easier.


    However, he didn''t have enough time to think about something so inconsequential.


    He didn''t know why, but he felt like dying in this ''dream'' would mean the end for him, and because of that, he was able to unlock something within him.


    Suddenly, the area around him became less dim, light illuminating the area from all sides as if the sky itself was shining down on the area, but Lloyd knew that such a thing was impossible because of one thing.


    ''A cave system?'' He grimaced. From what he could see, several pairs of red eyes were looking at him from the cave''s shadows, yet for some reason, he could see their entire bodies as if the shadows didn''t exist.


    Another shadow turned into a blur as it moved toward his neck. He could feel the sharpness of its ws on his neck despite it still being several meters away. Fear seeped into his mind again and his mind worked on overdrive to find the best way to survive.


    ''I-I''m going to die!''


    Unbeknownst to him, his eyes had slowly begun to change, not only in color but also in properties. They were slowly fading into a deep shade of purple, but that was not all.


    Not only were his eyes beginning to change, but his entire body. No... His entire being was changing into something more. Something with meaning.


    His sudden attraction to shadows was no mere coincidence...


    The sudden surge of power was nothing to scoff at.


    Lloyd was evolving.


    ***


    Rubert opened up one of therge doors that led to the de family head''s Throne room.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Inside, one could see several paintings of men that looked quite simr to one another; whether that would be their facial features or physiques, they all looked simr in some way, shape, or form.


    Several pieces of furniture were created out of mana-enforced emeralds gold, and even diamonds littered the throne room as if they were a statement of both wealth and untidiness.


    Rubert walked into the room, his aura retracting to an extent where it would have be hard for anyone other than the de family head to feel his presence. However, none seemed to care.


    10 people ranging from the age of 5 to 30 stood in two neat rows, both made in a way where they would be standing along the red carpet that reached the throne made out of ckish dark crystal.


    A blonde-haired man sat on the crystal throne. His aura was powerful and domineering, yet it was nullified by the warm and calm aura that seeped out of the woman next to him, who found herself sitting on one of the armrests of the throne, her legs crossed and her gaze on Rubert, who stood barely 7 meters away from them.


    "Master de... I have brought Zack with me toplete his ritual..." Rubert stated, his voice cold and emotionless, yet at the same time, the two in front of him knew that it was just an act imposed by Rubert to hide his contempt for their current actions.


    While Rubert respected all the rules of the de family, there was one that he could barely stand, and today he had to watch one of his favorite children from the de family go through the same pain ''he'' did.


    "Rubert, please understand that this is for his own good." Benjamin de sighed, his gaze warm and his expression sympathetic, yet instead of calming Rubert down, it only made his rage harder to control.


    Seeing that his words did not do what he intended, the man on the throne, Zack''s father, sighed in defeat.


    After a few seconds, he gestured toward one of the guards to allow Zack to enter, and in an instant, the doors were flung open, and in walked Zack, his stride long and his chest puffed out in pride.


    "What is it, father, mother?" Zack asked in confusion, his eyes darting between the two lines his siblings made and his parents that stayed unmoving from their throne.


    "Zack... It is time for your awakening ritual... I hope nothing but the best for you, my son."


    ***


    *Pant*


    *Pant*


    *Pant*


    Lloyd stood in the middle of the cave, surrounded by several wolf corpses.


    His ck hair was drenched in blood, one created out of a mixture of his own and the blood of the beasts around him. His once ck eyes now shone like a pair of violet stars in the endless abyss that was the natural darkness of the cave.


    Yet despite it being pitch ck, theck of light seemed to not affect the boy in the least as his eyes continued to dart from one corpse to the other as if trying to scan for any signs of life.


    A long and sharp katanay in Lloyd''s hand as he held it firmly, using it as support by stabbing it into the soft ground.


    Wounds littered his body, but they were a drop in the oceanpared to the decimation and havoc he caused while fighting these wolf-like beings.


    At a nce, one could see that he was missing an arm, arge chunk of his right thigh, and most of his left calve, yet for some unknown reason, none of these wounds leaked any blood anymore. It wasn''t that the blood clotted and already stopped the bleeding; it was that it looked like there was no more blood to be drained.


    He was on the verge of death...


    Lloyd''splexion was several shades paler than before his battle to the death with the wolves, but the cold and frightening glint within his eyes could not be ignored.


    He didn''t know how much time passed, but every minute felt like days to him. Time seemed to slow under the threat of constant and imminent death that loomed over his head.


    "So, you think of me as nothing but prey, huh..." Lloyd asked, his gaze piercing through the vast darkness and meeting the eyes of a feral creature. Its gaze screamed for one thing, and that was blood.


    A pressure simr yet different from Lloyd''s battle aura seeped out of the creature, yet he knew exactly what it was despite not having felt it before. He felt as if the pressure resonated with him... As if he could make it his own...


    He still felt fear, but he wasn''t going to allow something so feeble to control his thinking, movement, or decisions, not that he had a choice either way.


    He had be a killing machine without realizing that such a thing had urred. His mindset had changed, and his muscles had adapted to his situation.


    It was kill or be killed.


    "Then let''s end this..." Lloyd let out a savage grin that showed all his teeth.


    At that very moment, something snapped inside of him again. And finally, it happened.


    Shadows loomed over his body and began to cling tightly to his skin. His emotions were fully disyed as a iling dark purple hueced with a crimson light left his body.


    Despite the battle against the wolves seeming endless, his determination did not falter. Due to this, he unlocked something inside him, an ability that millions would fear in the near future.


    An ability that had the potential to make the weakest human into the strongest being in the universe.


    A powerful pressure washed over the cave, spreading in each direction and entering several tunnels, yet the creature in front of Lloyd only grew more ferocious.


    Lloyd raised his katana once more, shadows covering his body from head to toe and increasing the power that raged within his body.


    Everything around him lost its color and became ck and white.


    Runes engraved themselves into his katana.


    The shadows around him felt like they were nourishing him once more.


    It was as if he was being...


    Reborn

 Chapter 4 Evolving [2]

    Lloyd''s eyes shone with determination, and he shed down with immense speed that caused a dust cloud to be kicked up behind him.


    The creature also disappeared from where it stood and dashed forward, its speed unmatched and the power behind its w enough to slice a house into 4 pieces from its wind pressure alone.


    Death loomed over Lloyd''s head for the umpteenth time ever since entering this ''Void.'' He could feel himself slowly but surely bing stronger over time as he sliced and killed several beasts, his life being supported by an untethered rope.


    His killing intent reached new heights, to an extent where every single one of his breaths sent out waves of chilling bloodlust.


    Letting out a world-shaking warcry, he sliced down with all his might and resigned his fate.


    Yet fate was a concept that went beyond mortal understanding.


    Before the ws of death could destroy Lloyd''s life, his body suddenly disappeared, and the ws struck at nothing but air.


    Wind currents sliced through the air and destroyed several beasts instantly, the same beasts Lloyd found himself on the brink of death with after a single sh with them.


    As the Void became eerily quiet once again, a pair of eyes shining with a vibrant violet light shone in a room that had been shrouded in darkness... Unnatural darkness seeped out of the body to which the pair of violet eyes belonged.


    This was Lloyd''s room...


    There wasn''t a single scratch on his body, something that made the previous scenes seem no more than a dream.


    However, those thoughts were flung out of Lloyd''s mind as he realized that he couldn''t move, and as if waiting for that, a wave of excruciating pain washed over his body, and the once looming shadows shot into his body at speeds that created a whirlpool.


    In a few seconds, the thick and viscous shadows were no more while the once repressed killing intent shot out of his body, bloodlust spiraling out of control and forcefully moving through every crack, hole, or crevis in the house.


    In a room on the third floor, a middle-aged couple had their eyes shot open after feeling an immense killing intent, almost suffocating them in their sleep.


    The pressure was so immense that the moment they felt it, they could not help but freeze where they slept, mainly because they were caught off guard.


    After a few seconds, they shot out of their beds, cold sweat covering them from head to toe, causing their clothing to cling onto their delicate skin.


    Their hearts dropped, and their eyes were filled with terror.


    "Lloyd..." They spoke with horror-filled expressions, and in an instant, their bodies flickered as they appeared in front of Lloyd''s room.


    Simr scenes could be seen all over the house, as Lloyd''s three sisters and two brothers all dashed out of their rooms, some much faster than others due to having already gone through their awakenings. However, in the end, all of them were in front of Lloyd''s room with weapons held in their firm grips despite some of them clearly being far from capable of fighting off an average human.


    Without hesitation, the middle-aged man''s foot rose into the air and mmed into Lloyd''s door, which caused the reinforced steel hinges to break and the door to be flung into the room.


    Once the door touched the other side of the room, it immediately turned to ashes.


    Lloyd''s father and mother barged into the room and looked around with fear, but the sight that entered their vision was more unsettling, but not in the way they expected.


    Lloyd was leaning on the floor room with his back to them. A pitch-ck katana was held firmly in his grip before disappearing like it had never been there. In the eyes of his parents, it was as if the de was a part of their imaginations.


    The room had been turned upside down, everything from the ground to the ceiling left on the verge of copse despite having several mechanisms that made such a thing close to impossible.


    Finally, after a few seconds of shocked silence, Lloyd''s father regained his wits to speak again. He didn''t know why, but when the killing intent was out, he felt speaking would be a dangerous act. However, he was a 4-star general and therefore was the first one to regain his wits.


    "Lloyd, are you okay?" Lloyd''s father asked with evident worry. He didn''t believe that his son would have the ability to release such a powerful killing intent and therefore had concluded that there must have been someone else who had entered the room and had released it instead.


    Hearing the sudden voice that echoed inside his room, his survival instincts red, and with a turn of the head, he looked directly into his father''s eyes with a side nce; however, that was enough to make most of them frown.


    Those were not the eyes of an intelligent human; instead, they were the eyes of a feral creature that would eradicate everything and anything that stood in its path.


    Lloyd''s fierce eyes locked with his father''s worried ones for a bit longer than what was necessary, but after a few seconds of them staring into each other''s pupils, Lloyd looked away while standing up.


    Turning around again, he was like a changed boy. His eyes had returned to normal, while his gaze did not feel like sharp des ready to cut through hell itself to reach its enemy''s throat. His family almost have problems linking the two to each other.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I''m fine. I was fought them off for a few seconds" Lloyd replied, an innocent and warm smile on his face while the katana he once held seemed to have been a product of their imagination due to it having disappeared into thin air despite Lloyd not wearing his wristwatch.


    "Do you know what they looked like? Are you hurt?" Lloyd''s mother barraged him with questions that only made him smile slightly while feeling an ounce of guilt in his heart since he caused his family so much stress.


    "W-W-We felt a huge pressure!" A little girl with snow-white hair looked up at her brother and opened her arms wide to show Lloyd how enormous the pressure was. She had been holding a mace in her hands, yet the moment she felt her brother''s gaze, she dropped it out of fear.


    Lloyd didn''t really understand why his younger siblings tried toe for his aid, but he didn''t question it since he had other things bothering him.


    pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 The rest of the siblings were also startled by Lloyd''s gaze, yet now that he was acting normal again, it was as if that sight was nothing but a distant dream.


    They all entered, their eyes not even ncing at the semi-destroyed room around them... This was the case with everyone except two who watched on from a few meters away with worried expressions failing to leave their faces.


    "Are you sure you are okay?" Lloyd''s father asked, yet all he received in response was a slight wave and a smile. He immediately knew something was incredibly wrong, yet he did not dare bring it up in front of the rest of the family as he could already imagine the mess that would be created.


    Two hours passed, and the sun had already risen.


    ording to all the clocks in the house and Lloyd''s wristwatch, he had only slept for a couple of hours, yet for some odd reason, Lloyd struggled to believe that it was just a 6-hour dream.


    While it might not seem like it, Lloyd was barely holding it together. In fact, the moment he had left the ''Void,'' he was attacked by a wave of excruciating pain that would have sent anyone into a mad frenzy of screams, yet not him.


    He endured what felt like days, weeks, if not months of constant injuries, wounds, and battles to the death.


    He had scraped death so many times that in just 6 hours, he was capable of unlocking killing intent, something no other man in the world had been capable of unlocking in less than a few years of going to battlefields and fighting to the death.


    Taking in a shaky breath, Lloyd stood up from the couch and walked back into his room. The awakening ceremony was barely two hours away, and he needed to change into some presentable clothes.


    After a few minutes, he left his room with a blue denim jacket while wearing navy jeans and a pair of white sneakers. He also wore a white shirt under his denim jacket.


    Hesitation could be seen in his steps as every movement seemed to remind him of the hell he went through. Two words kept echoing in his mind...


    "Void Walker..." He muttered


    ''It said that I was going to void walk... What is that even supposed to mean!?'' Lloyd mmed his hand onto the wall but immediately braced himself for the pain, yet after a few seconds of waiting, he opened his eyes and looked at the wall with widened eyes as a cobweb of cracks could be seen spreading out from the point of contact.


    "I-I did that?" He asked himself...


    ***


    A many on the floor, their breathing weak and extremely shallow as if something was stopping them from taking in a deeper breath.


    11 others stood in the room while two sat on a nearby throne. Their eyes lingered on the boy below them, their gazes unflinching, yet simultaneously filled with worry. None of them dared look away for even a second, while others had reddened eyes due to what a passerby could only guess as either grief or prolonged periods without blinking.


    The woman, Zack''s mother, continued to sit on the throne''s armrest, yet despite her posture indicating that she waspletely unfazed, she constantly bit on her fingernails while looking at he son''s brutally battered body that was littered with wounds ranging from cuts to bruises.


    Rubert, on the other hand, looked the most worried. He had already seen one of his young masters pass away due to this ritual, and the grief was not only hard on the child''s parents but also on Rubert himself.


    Many would have considered Rubert as being the family''s third parent who took care of everything no matter how hard it was. From raising the children to helping eliminate any threats to the family, he was always there.


    Yet now, he had to watch one of those he cared for getting thrown into a ritual where they could possibly die. However, unlike their biological parents, he did not have a say in the matter. If the parents could watch the scene before them, who was he to say anything?


    "The ritual is a sess." An unknown 14th voice entered the ears of everyone in the room, causing them all to let out a collective sigh of relief.


    "Well, now that that''s done, let''s get a move on. We have an awakening ceremony to attend to." Zack''s father grinned in both happiness and relief...


    He finally had a worthy sessor to cultivate.

 Chapter 5 Evolving [3]

    "I-I did that?" Lloyd asked himself...


    He was just an average human... He didn''t even awaken yet. The only thing that made him strong was that he was good with the katana, and that was it. How could a human like him put the slightest dents on the reinforced wall of a house built to withstand the power of anyone under the average prowess of a 1-star general?


    "Impossible..." He staggered back and threatened to fall, yet as his body descended, his frightening reflexes kicked in, and as if his life had been put in danger, his instincts red and instantly flipped andnded into a battle stance.


    A few secondster, he sighed in relief, but the realization hit him like a truck.


    Why did he flip like that?


    How was his reaction so fast despite not being awakened?


    ''I can''t be a void walker. It''s impossible! I am human for godsake!'' He inwardly cried out, but his expression had already been filled to the brim with terror, while his chest began to feel tight and his breathing had be quick and heavy.


    His heart rate began to quicken, and his vision blurred as he fell to the ground, his breathing now loud and audible while his hand clung to the middle of his chest.


    This was no longer aughing matter... He had to take this seriously because if his theory was true, he could say goodbye to his everyday life. He can say goodbye to having a loving family, a wife, and even kids.


    Void Walkers were creatures that humans and the other races knew very little about, yet there were always a few things that all void walkers had inmon.


    To the coalition of races, Void Walkers were threats to the very establishments of their races. They believed that a single Void Walker could have the ability to crumble everything those races had built for hundreds of years, especially if the Void Walkers would be strong enough.


    ording to many of the books Lloyd read, Void Walkers were a race of beings that were born from the essence of the Void. Despite being a race of their own, there were very few of them even before they became well known, and after ''that'' incident, they had be the most hunted race in the universe where it was treason to not attempt to kill them on sight.


    The people didn''t know much, but they knew that a Void Walker would most likely mean the decimation of a race and, if left to grow, possibly the decimation of several races.


    ''Haha... There is no way I am one of them...'' Lloydughed, his voice monotone and his eyes nk.


    There were many ways to identify a Void Walker, but a few certified ways could bepleted rtively quickly, one of which was the blood test.


    Void Walkers were creatures devoid of blood. In fact, they had no organs, muscles, or cells. All they had were mana cores that kept them intact.


    If one were to slice through a Void Walker, all they would see inside would be an endless abyss, and due to not having any organs, muscles, or cells, not only did it mean that they could not grow stronger through working out, but it also meant that their only weakness was their mana cores and any other damage would cause temporary and insignificant damage to their bodies.


    Slowly, Lloyd got up from the floor and walked to the kitchen where his mother was cooking, and without hesitation, he grabbed one of the knives and left the room without his mother even realizing that he had entered in the first ce.


    Such an act would have been impossible since his mother was so much more powerful than him, yet she did not feel him enter the kitchen nor leave it despite him not hiding his presence.


    When he reached the empty living room, the knife rose into the air, and with one quick movement, the knife shot down and stabbed right through his hand without a trace of resistance.


    Lloyd retracted the knife out of his hand and narrowed his eyes towards the wound he had created, yet his gaze quickly changed from one of suspense to one of dreaded terror.


    He didn''t feel an ounce of pain, nor did he see a drop of blood fall to the ground. Looking at the de with a semnce of hope, he saw that it was stainless, but at the tip, one could see that it was a bit eroded, not that Lloyd could notice in the first ce.


    Slowly, the wound began to close as pitch-ck threads that looked like they had been created out of the fabric of space left the palm and stitched the wound closed in a minute.


    Lloyd felt like falling to the ground and crying his heart out. His life was over. His dreams, his family, his loved ones. He would lose them all. Once the government discovered his sudden mutation, they would instantly kill him or use him as ab rat to learn more about the Void Walkers.


    Yet, the moment tears were about to leave his eyes, he felt footstepse towards the living room from almost 10 meters away, and as if the emotions he felt had be nothing but a facade, he stood up and dusted his clothes with a cold expression on his face.


    In fact, his face wasn''t the only thing to be cold. Even his emotions had disappeared, and eventually, he forced himself to look behind him and lock gazes with a girl that held a phone in her hands while wearing a pair of earbuds.


    "Why are you looking at me like that? I get that you are nervous about your uing awakening ceremony, but don''t take it out on us!" The girl sneered and flopped onto the sofa next to her.


    Lloyd looked at her for a few more seconds before choosing to leave.


    45 minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time for Lloyd to leave for the ceremony.


    Lloyd had already resigned himself to being taken away or killed on the spot, so he wrote a goodbye letter to his parents and sisters while putting it under his pillow.


    He didn''t know why, but after he was almost caught stabbing himself by his sister, he felt oddly calm about everything that was about to happen. One could say that it was the calm before the storm, while others could say that the stress has snapped his mind and put it into a state where his mind would cease to work correctly and experience something as simple as stress.


    Leaving his room which had already been refurbished with the help of the robots on stand-by, he went towards the door and wore his wristwatch.


    He lowered his wrist once again, and at speed too fast for him to see, the wristwatch glowed red for a split second before purple runes appeared on it.


    The screen shed purple for a moment, but the shine dimmed, and the blue screen returned.


    "I''m leaving." Lloyd stated with a cold yet domineering tone that echoed throughout the house despite Lloyd not raising his voice.


    "Good luck!" Alice shouted and, in an instant, appeared like a ck blur and tackled him, but instead of falling, he stood there unmoving and patted her head warmly, scruffing her ck and white hair.


    "Thanks..." He replied, his voice still cold but his expression warm. It was as if his real emotions were shing with those he wanted to show to the outside, but he didn''t mind it since it might be thest time he gets to meet his family.


    Even if they remembered him with this memory, at least they remembered him in a good light rather than a bad one.


    Lloyd saw his two parentse out of the living room while his older sisters, Ana and na, walked behind them.


    Ana had a bright, encouraging smile on her face as her ck hair swayed from right to left as she walked towards the front door in her work attire, while na had a permanent sneer on her face, her white bangs covering up the scrutinizing gaze she threw at Lloyd.


    Lloyd looked back at her and narrowed his eyes after seeing her stare, which only shocked her more since she was confident that her eyes were covered by the shadow of her bangs.


    "Good luck son... We''ll be seeing you when the the awakenings begin." Lloyd''s father grabbed his wife''s hand and held it tightly. He was just as nervous as Lloyd''s mother, yet his mind kept returning to the scene from earlier in the day when they were all forced to wake up at 6 am.


    Shaking his head rightly, he sighed a left the house without saying another word.


    The journey to the school was excruciating, to say the least. Lloyd felt every step he took and knew that it only brought him closer to his death, but denying the inevitable would be stupid and careless, if not selfish.


    He knew that there was no turning back at this point, and the only thing he could do from now on was move forward and hope for the best.


    He finally walked into the ceremony hall, where roars ofughter, cheers of excitement, and chatter filled with theories and bets sounded out and entered Lloyd''s ears. The sudden loud noise that would have usually pumped him up for his uing fights had not thrown him into the pits of despair.


    He didn''t know exactly how the ceremony worked because he never attended his older sibling''s ceremonies for various reasons, but he knew one thing for sure: the entire academy would know his ss the moment he touched the blue tablet.


    His abilities and affinities would be kept secret to everyone except the higher-ups, and while Lloyd understood that Void Walkers were a race of people, not people with specific stats, how was he supposed to know how his race change would affect the scans?


    After half an hour, the flow of studentsing in began to slow while the flow of parents began to speed up significantly. While parents had another hour toe, many of them chose toe early because it is an unspoken rule that the higher, more important families woulde in thest 10 minutes, and therefore, after another 30 minutes passed, Lloyd felt a few significant gazes on him.


    Turning back at an angle, he nced at the 7 figures who had entered the hall. While two were significantly younger than him, the others were his older siblings and his parents.


    His parents were shocked to see that he felt their gazes, while his two older sisters and older brother narrowed their eyes and had a single thought in their minds.


    ''He''s changed...''


    Lloyd let out a small fake smile that wiped the nervousness off his face, yet other than calming down his little sister, it did nothing but worry the rest of them except Lloyd''s little brother, who looked like he couldn''t give a crap about the situation.


    It was normal for someone of Lloyd''s age to feel nervous, yet they had never seen him be this nervous before. Usually, even if the thing he was about to witness had the chance to change his life, he wouldn''t react too much to it, especially not while knowing others were looking at him...


    The doctors said it was because of his ''incident,'' when he was still in the fourth grade, so no one questioned it... But now, he was more than openly nervous, to the extent where most of his ssmates noticed the sweat that trickled down his forehead.


    After everyone settled down and the doors closed again, the hall went silent before an echoing boom resounded inside the hall, and everyone turned their heads towards the door.


    Several known figures came in, ranging from the de family, the Crimson family, the Quinn family, and the most influential one on sight, the Lightbreaker Family.

 Chapter 6 The Awakening Ceremony [1]

    The family heads took slow, loud, and confident steps as if they wanted to ingrain their statuses into the minds of everyone watching. Their eyes scanned the audience like the gazes of hawks, trying to find someone suitable for their family to possibly sponsor. Yet, at the same time, looks of disgust were stered on their faces as they looked at those they believed to be lower than them.


    Dozens of families walked through those doors, and almost all of them had the same looks on their faces except the de and Crimson families. Their eyes were neutral, but that quickly changed after Rubert, Zack, and Zack''s parent''s eyesnded on eight familiar figures.


    Pausing their steps, the de family heads, including their children, walked into the ''lower'' sections of the seats instead of the section that held most of the higher families.


    "Noah, Olivia... It''s nice meeting you both again." Zack''s parents extended a hand while happy smiles extended from the corners of their lips.


    A man who worked in the school quickly walked over to the de and Elrod families before kindly asking them if they would like to move to the higher booths. After a few words of trying to argue, Lloyd''s family eventually followed the de family to the higher booths where they could see everything through both the ss and the screens that had been constructed into the rooms.


    Feeling a nudge to his right, Lloyd looked in the direction and smiled wryly.


    "Took you long enough..." He looked at Zack''s tired and paleplexion, causing Lloyd to frown in worry.


    Before he could ask anything, however, Zack looked at him with a smug smile beforementing-


    "You look scared stiff, what''s wrong?"


    Snarling at thement, Lloyd looked away with a harrumph and directed his eyes towards the stadium''s center, where a man with a microphone stood. He let out such a fierce aura that many found it hard to breathe in his very presence, while others looked at him with ounces of amusement, especially the invigtors.


    This was the headmaster of the academy.


    "Hello, and wee to our academy''s very own awakening ceremony!" The headmaster spoke, and following his words, a roar of excitement broke out in the audience, making his smile only increase in length.


    "First off, we will ask students to silently move towards the awakening podium in groups when called up. Look at the number on your wristwatch and it should tell you the group you are in." The headmaster exined, causing many to look down at their wristwatches before trying to look at the wristwatches of others around them.


    "27." Lloyd stated before looking at Zack.


    "26? Isn''t that a bit weird if you ask me? I''m clearly more talented than you, and I came into the hallst, so why am I 26?" Zack said with a yful smirk.


    "Talented my a$$. I doubt you have the talent to even wash properly; how the hell do you expect yourself to rank highly in the eyes of the headmaster. Of course, I would be higher than you!" Lloyd smiled confidently, yet it failed topletely mask the nervousness he felt, something that did not go unnoticed by Zack, who was analyzing Lloyd''s facial expression with extreme detail.


    "How strong do you think that headmaster is?" Zack asked as the students quieted down.


    "I don''t know, but I''m guessing that he is at least someone who had reached the thirdmandment." Lloyd shrugged before focusing on the headmaster once again.


    "We will be doing a small tournament in a month where the previous top 100 students who participated in the tournamentsst semester." The headmaster exined and finally looked towards a holographic screen that shone bright enough and big enough for almost everyone to see.


    "Group 1,e up and put your hands on the blue podium." The headmaster asked, and after the students got up while hearing words of encouragement and wishes of luck, one of them walked up to the podium and put his hand on it.


    [Name: Oliver Cromwell]


    [ss: Warlord]


    [Talent: 3-Star]


    [Passive Ability: Calction]


    "And right off the stars, we have a unique ss and a 3-star talent! Amazing!" An announcer roared out while the headmaster was nowhere to be seen.


    [Author''s notes: "Right off the stars" is amonly used phrase that reced "Right off the bat" after the ascent of Sris and the expansion of the human territory. It was first used after a meteorite filled with mana crystals bounced off the sun''s surface and went at a trajectory that would have hit Earth directly if not for the interference of the Elf race.]


    After seeing the result, many widened their eyes while others nning on gaining recruits took notes. On the other hand, many of the ''higher'' families narrowed their eyes and began to look at the screen that popped up from their wristwatches.


    There it told them everything about the child, from their parents to their non-passive abilities, and their eyes turned from ones of scrutiny to ones of amusement after seeing the boy get two abilities.


    It was well known that getting more than one ability after their awakening was rare, but since many out there have gotten upwards of four abilities, children and ancestors of their families included, they were not too shocked.


    Cheers roared out again from many directions while the boy jumped up in celebration, and after a few more seconds, the next person went up to the podium before touching it with his hand.


    [Name: Frachid Smith]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [ss: Swordsman]


    [Talent: 1-Star]


    [Passive Ability: None]


    The boy''s nervous smile vanished, and a look of horror reced it. His parents, that were sitting in the distance, looked down in shame as their child begged the man next to the podium to try and do the test again. However, the man shrugged with annoyance and immediately kicked the boy off the stage.


    Scenes like these continued to ur as more and more people began to get 1-2 star talents; however, out of many of the groups came some hidden gems.


    One of them was a boy with beautiful blonde hair and a nervous expression on his face. The boy was barely 5ft 3, and his muscles were nearly nonexistent. His entire aura radiated weakness, yet the moment his hand touched the podium, a wave of light shone every bit of the hall, and a screen appeared above his head.


    [Name: Alex Relic]


    [ss:  Sorcerer]


    [Talent: 4-Star]


    [Passive Ability: Mana Ocean]


    Several gasps sounded out in the hall, yet it remained mostly silent. Even the announcer stayed silent before his eyes widened in realization.


    "Oh my god..." His voice echoed in the hall and entered the ears of everyone.


    "We have our first 4-star talent!" The announcer roared in disbelief while many students shot up from their seats and cheered their hearts out. Tears of happiness streaked out the boy''s eyes, but the higher families ignored that. Instead, they looked at his history, abilities, and the description of his passive ability.


    "Amazing..." Benjamin, the head of the de family, muttered with excitement while Rubert nced at the screen before nodding wryly.


    "Truly is fantastic. For someone of such background to get a 4-Star talent before reaching the firstmandment... It is close to unheard of in this generation.


    "Three abilities huh... And that Passive ability is broken as well." The Crimson family head nodded in satisfaction.


    The roars of excitement eventually quieted down, and the ceremony continued as usual. Some got 3-star talents, while most got something between 1 or 2 stars.


    Groups went and came; eventually, the 25th group returned without even a three-star talent. Many had be bored of theck of talent, yet most of the remaining students were starting to stress out. However, out of everyone in that hall, Lloyd was stressing out the most, and it wasn''t even for the same reason as the rest.


    While the rest might lose some future opportunities, they can still be ordinary foot soldiers, guards and even work in service jobs to barely live from paycheck to paycheck.


    Lloyd, on the other hand, only had two things in mind.


    Either they find out about him being a Void Walker and kill him on the spot, or they don''t, and he gets to keep his life no matter the oue of his awakening. Simple as that.


    "I''m going. Wish me luck!" Zack shouted before leaving his seat and walking up to the stage; however, he purposefully ensured that he was thest to get into the line of students.


    The line seemed to shorten fairly quickly, and after someckluster talent, he finally stood up to the podium and extended his hand towards it with a smug grin. Many looked at him with excitement building while the tension in the room had be so thick that it could be through like a hot knife through butter.


    [Ding!]


    [Entity Zack Varlen de has already awakened]


    ---


    [Name: Zack Varlen de]


    [ss:  Berserker]


    [Talent: 5-Star]


    [Passive Ability: Anti-Debuff]

 Chapter 7 The Awakening Ceremony [2]

    [Name: Zack Varlen de]


    [ss: Berserker]


    [Talent: 5-Star]


    [Passive Ability: Anti-Debuff]


    Many looked at each other with disbelief, while the higher families nodded with widened eyes. They expected this from an influential family like the de''s, and to see that their son had gotten a 5-star talent was surprising but expected.


    "That''s my son!" Benjamin roared as his eyesnded on the de''s Berserker ss and the 5-Star talent. Close to no one gets higher than 5 stars in their awakening, and even though it is unlikely, talent could change after everymandment whether it would be for the best or for the worst.


    Many family heads tried to look at Zack''s information, but all they got was a series of question marks followed by the information they already knew.


    They red at the roaring man, yet all he did was look back at them with a mocking smile, showing that he already knew what they would do.


    Coming back to his seat, Zack looked at Lloyd, shaking in his seat. The stress was finally getting to him, and he was beginning to hyperventte. "H-Hey! Lloyd! Are you alright bro?" Zack asked, the worry recing the smug smile on his face.


    Benjamin finally sat down and looked at his son again with pride in his eyes, yet his expression turned grim after he saw the worried expression on his son''s face. However, before he could alert Lloyd''s parents, Benjamin''s expression returned back to normal while his mind raced for a few moments.


    Back in the audience, Lloyd stood up and walked out of his seating area and towards the stadium. At a certain point, his mind had be eerily calm while his heart rate dropped back to 40, while his breathing went back to being slow and steady.


    Seeing him as calm as ever, many could not believe that he was the same person that was losing his mind a few seconds ago, yet his expression was all they needed for them to be convinced. They knew he wasn''t the person to pull a stunt like that, but they were also certain that his anxiety attack was real.


    Many of the people in the line moved forward, and one after the other, they all touched the podium and left with sullen expressions.


    After a few minutes, it was finally Lloyd''s turn, and he could already feel countless gazes on him, one filled with worry and others with scrutiny.


    Taking onest nce at his family, he smiled warmly and took a stand in front of the podium. His hand hovered above the blue podium, and his mind became as calm as ever while taking several breaths in.


    This was it.


    This was the moment he had stressed over for what felt like days despite it being less than 5 hours.


    He felt his world begin to copse, yet he still could not bring the courage to put his hand on the podium.


    "Any day now?" The announcer tried to crack a joke, but the atmosphere remained thick while a little more than a thousand people stared at him. Not a singleugh resounded.


    Lloyd finally opened his eyes and locked them with Zack''s before looking at his mother.


    In the same instant, he pressed down on the podium, a look of determination swapped for one that showed he epted his fate.


    ...


    ...


    ...


    [Ding!]


    [Entity Lloyd Elrod has already awakened]


    Many shocked gasps echoed in the hall while all the family heads raised a brow.


    Benjamin narrowed his eyes and looked at the Elrod family, but after seeing that, they were shocked beyond belief, including the cold Anna that rarely showed emotion; he understood that they also didn''t know. However, when looking into Lloyd''s eyes, he knew something that the rest did not.


    "Lloyd knew... But he''s waiting for something..." Benjamin exined, causing almost everyone to look at him with inquisitive yet shocked faces.


    "What do you mean, he knew?" Olivia asked, but she did not gain an answer straight away since Benjamin was tapping away at the interface next to him.


    [Name: Lloyd Elrod]


    [ss: Shadow Assassin]


    [Talent: 2-Star]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Passive Ability: Night Vision - Shadow Sustenance - Soundless Steps]


    Everyone looked at the screen nkly with two words echoing in their minds.


    ''Three passives...''


    None of them could speak.


    Every one of them was shocked beyond belief.


    While it wasn''t unlikely for someone to have more than three abilities, to have three passive abilities was another thing in its entirety.


    Less than 1 in a million would get 2 passive abilities, while less than 1 in half a billion gained 3... So how were they supposed to react when something so unexpected urs before their very eyes?


    On the other hand, the higher families had begun to check Lloyd''s information, yet when they stumbled upon it-


    [ess denied]


    "What is the meaning of this!" The Quinn family head roared out while walking up to de, yet before he could even touch him-


    *Thud*


    The man''s head mmed to the floor while his arm was put at an ufortable angle that made him whimper in pain.


    Rubert above him with closed eyes while his right foot rested atop the head of the Quinn family''s leader.


    "I suggest you check your tone of voice before speaking to master de..." Rubert''s voice boomed out in the luxurious booth and made everyone except the family leaders shudder under his cold voice.


    The de family ignored his and quickly shuffled together while leaving space for the Elrod family. Eventually, they looked at a holographic screen that told them everything about Lloyd.


    "F-Fou-" Olivia''s mouth got covered by Noah''s. They knew such information should never get out to the public, but they were still confused about one thing.


    "Why is his talent evaluation only 2-Stars though?" One of the de children asked, making everyone in the booth raise a brow.


    "It means that his cultivation talent iscking, but I guess that is something we should have expected.


    Lloyd had already closed his eyes on the stadium, yet they flung open when he felt a weak vibration from his wrist.


    He gulped and opened the file, yet when he saw it, he could not help but feel like his heart was about to explode.


    ''I''M NOT GOING TO DIE!'' He inwardly screamed with happiness as the results shone on the blue screen that had been designed in a way where only his retina could see it. However, before he could continue celebrating, the screen flickered, purple runic patterns appeared all over the watch, and a few changes could be seen.


    [Name: Lloyd Elrod]


    [Commandment: --- ]


    [Race: Void Walker]


    [ss: Walker of Voids]


    [Talent: 2-Star]


    [Affinity: Shadows]


    [Passive Ability: Night Vision - Shadow Sustenance - Soundless Steps]


    [Abilities: 4-Dimensional Thought - Shadow Enhancement- Shadow w - Shadow Movement]


    [Passive Race Ability: Monarch''s Aura]


    [Race Abilities: Aspect of Void - Void Channel - Void Gaze - Void Step]

 Chapter 8 The Awakening Ceremony [3]

    After themotion died and Lloyd finally found his seat, he could not help but feel relief wash over him while all his stress seeped into the seat under him.


    However, at the same time, he could not help but feel like the future would be challenging for the likes of him, yet he still shook his head before a dedicated expression appeared on his face.


    He had never heard of anyone getting race-specific abilities simply because humans don''t have any, and even when races that do have race-specific abilities wear the watches, from what Lloyd knew so far, they didn''t usually show as much information as his watch did.


    ''The headmaster said that they keep our information safe from prying eyes, but I doubt that is the case. How are recruiters of the higher academies supposed to recruit someone without knowing their abilities first?'' Lloyd scratched his chin and quickly thought back to the runic pattern he saw on the wristwatch a moment before the screen changed.


    ''If my theory is correct, the recruiters will only be able to see the first screen while I can see the true extent of my abilities. However, this means I will have to hide my real prowess and wait until either my life is in danger or until I am alone.'' Lloyd grimaced as his dreams of joining adventurer squads, growing closer to his teammates, and creating friendships along the way crashed before his eyes.


    Of course, that was nothing but a child''s silly dream, one that was too unrealistic for the cold world he lived in.


    "You sure look like sh*t for someone who''s just received 3 passive abilities and possibly more than 3 abilities. We all know you can''t get fewer abilities than passive abilities, so tell me, what abilities did you get?" Zack snarled before whispering thest part and perking up his ears.


    "No saying..." Lloyd snorted and ignored his friend''s pleading for several minutes until the students were dismissed.


    As they left, they met with the de and Elrod families. Benjamin, still curious about the expression Lloyd showed after seeing his stats, couldn''t help but ask-


    "You seemed a little stressed there for someone who already knew he was awakened. Did you not know your abilities, or is it something unique to you? I can check them if you want, and Rubert can try his best to exin them to you." Benjamin offered with genuine curiosity, and while this did not let off any rm bells in the Elrod family''s minds, Lloyd''s grim expression, followed by the slow unconscious retraction of his wristwatch hand, made them think otherwise.


    ''He''s hiding something...'' All the adults thought simultaneously, yet before  Lloyd''s family could even think about pressuring him, Zack came to Lloyd''s rescue without even realizing it.


    "Wanna pick out our weapons?" Zack asked excitedly while wrapping his arm around Lloyd.


    "Sure..." Lloyd replied without an ounce of hesitation.


    Benjamin nced at Rubert, and in an instant, Rubert nodded and disappeared from where he stood.


    Without skipping a beat, Zack pulled Lloyd alongside him while the scrutinizing gazes of everyone made Lloyd''s body shudder, and cold sweat drenched his back.


    ''Thank you, Zack; I will one day repay you for your kindness. I''ll do you any favor... Except marry one of your sisters, of course. I like keeping my head intact with my body. Quite a nice feeling to have blood pumping through my brain.'' Lloyd pped his hands and nodded before disappearing into the crowd alongside Zack


    ***


    Millions of lightyears awayid a figure that drifted through space like a rogue. However, it was far from being a rogue. While its size did not match the size of average rogues since the figure was barely 9ft tall, the power it emanated caused several celestial objects to be pushed away from the entity.


    The entity sat in a lotus position while several runes that looked like they had been created out of the liquified versions of the universe traveled up its limbs and burned through its clothes.


    This process seemed to go on for hundreds of years as several spacial rifts, tears, and portals opened up, yet the man''s expression only continued to turn for the worst.


    At specific points, one could see Void tunnels beginning to form, and even when they did form entirely, the man did not seem impressed by his achievement.


    His expression went from grim to rageful, and in an instant, he exploded out with the full strength of his aura, which only caused more spacial tears to form around him.


    His roar echoed through the vacuum and seemed to pierce the very fabric of space.


    "If only those humans, elves, and damn dwarves didn''t betray my master! The Void Walker race wouldn''t have to hide like this anymore! We would be-" His words refused to leave his throat while a feeling caught his attention despite being so far in the distance.


    "Another Void Walker? I thought the universe wouldn''t make any more after thest failure... Maybe this one will do it... Maybe this one willplete the mission that every other chosen had failed toplete..." He narrowed his eyes and cleaved his hand through space itself. After a few more moments, a tear in space formed, and he entered it without thinking twice.


    ***


    Back on Deroxa, several students could be seen traversing the streets and avoiding everyone that stood on their paths as if their lives depended on it.


    Two youths stood out from the rest, as despite both of them being newly awakened, they moved through the crowd with practiced ease as if this was something that they had done for their entire lives.


    This was especially surprising for the youth that had gained the Berserker Sub-ss, known for being violent, blood-thirsty, and an overall nuisance to everything other than battle against an unmovable battalion of enemies.


    These two youths were Zack and Lloyd.


    After a few minutes, they finally found themselves standing in front of a cksmith shop where several loud ear-piercing ngs could be heard, entering everyone''s ears yet not causing a single person to flinch.


    "Phew!" Zack breathed out in both relief and exhaustion.


    Both he and Lloyd had been running from the small recruiters for almost an hour. Many small recruiters came from small guilds, while the more influential ones came fromrger guilds to huge academies. At their ages, one could choose between joining a guild, joining the army, and joining an academy. There wasn''t much difference between joining the army and academy since they would still be considered minors in both, but joining a guild would automatically make them adults despite not reaching that age yet.


    "Let''s go in before any of those bastardse and try recruiting us again." Lloyd said with a shudder as he remembered their gazes that were mixtures of both envy and greed.


    "Yes!" Zack stood up with the speed of a bullet and quickly went into the cksmith store.


    It wasn''t the most luxurious store out there, as it chose to keep theyout of cksmith stores from the medieval eras while keeping a few things that kept them distinct, unlike the ancient buildings they took inspiration from.


    "Uncle Roldeck!" Zack shouted, his voice echoing within the building they had just entered. Everyone inside nced at them for a second, but after a nce, they all looked back towards their work and continued as usual.


    "You are so damn loud!" A man with short brown hair and a muscr physique walked out of one of the rooms, his hazel eyes trailing toward the two individuals who had entered his shop.


    "Sorry, Uncle Roldeck!" Zack apologized, yet even his apology was loud.


    "Ugh, shut up already! What do you want?" Roldeck asked, but before Zack could say anything, Roldeck red at him and caused him to seal his mouth shut.


    "We wanted to ask you if you could forge us some weapons. You know how the merchants are regarding these things, especially at this time of year." Lloyd sighed and quickly exined. He was not a big fan of talking to strangers, but he had no other choice when situations like this happened.


    "Ah, I see... I have a few pre-made weapons if you want to take a look. You guys have just awakened, so you shouldn''t be hasty about having a personalized weapon. You are both young after all, and even if you were once proficient with a weapon, this might not be the case anymore." Roldeck exined, which caused Zack to nod solemnly.


    ''Why did he choose to use daggers if he already knew he would be a berserker? Did he hope that it would somehow change his fate?'' Lloyd thought while ncing at Zack, but he quickly shrugged nonchntly despite wanting to know the answer.


    Leading them to one of the rooms, Lloyd and Zack looked around for a few moments and almost simultaneously said the same words.


    "How much is this one?"


    After a few minutes of speaking Roldeck, they both left the cksmith store with different expressions on their faces.


    While leaving the cksmith shop, Zack had a beaming smile while Lloyd had the same nonchnt expression on his face.


    Despite wanting to believe it was just a nightmare, Lloyd could not. A pressure continued to grow in his heart, and his steps grew heavier after every hour. He tried his hardest to think of anything other than the nightmare, but even after trying so hard, he could not forget the physical and psychological torture he went through that night.


    People who got into car idents in the past had trauma sprout in them. Immense fear would ovee them whenever they entered a car, and usually, it would take several months to several years for that person to heal from their trauma. If that was the case with something as basic as a car crash, how would Lloyd feel after having his limbs torn off for what felt like weeks despite it being only 6 hours?


    "-Oyd... Lloyd!" Zack waved in front of Lloyd, making him snap out of his dazed state.


    "What?" Lloyd asked, a tinge of annoyanceced within his voice.


    "As I was saying, should we go test out our abilities? Maybe we should go on a dungeon or two!" Zack shouted, causing many people to look at him with stupified grins. Some even looked at him as if he was stupid, while others snickered behind his back.


    "We are too weak for that kind of thing." Lloyd rubbed the bridge of his nose.


    "Not if we bring bodyguards with us! We will be fine, don''t worry. Since my father and siblings are at your house, why not ask them?" Zack asked and caused Lloyd to sigh in annoyance again.


    "You go ahead of me. I have something to do in the meantime." Lloyd exined but seemed to refuse to exin further. It was as if those words were the limit of what he could say, so he chose not to say anything else.


    "What!? W-Why are you leaving me out of the scoop, bro!? Do you have a girlfriend!? GASP! Is that why you have be taller? You even put on purple contacts on for her! How could you get a girlfriend and not tell me!? You know what they say. Bros before ho-." Lloyd quickly shut him up by cing his hand over Zack''s mouth. He already knew what Zack was about to say, and his mission was to ensure that no one else would have to find out.


    "I don''t have a girlfriend! Now leave before I remind you of what happened 4 years, 3 months, and 21 days ago." Lloyd shouted and made Zack freeze for a moment. A shudder went down his spine as the memory was still vivid in his mind even after so many years had passed.


    "Ugh! You win. I''ll make you tell me about that girlfriend of yours one day! Mark my words!" He shouted while getting further and further away. A pink hue threatened to dye Lloyd''s face, but once he could no longer see Zack from his line of sight, his expression turned grim, and seriousness overshadowed his previous embarrassment.


    ''I need to get stronger no matter what... If I want to ever experience another memory with my family, my best friend, and even her, I need to get stronger.'' Lloyd clenched his fists tightly to where his nails had dug into his skin.


    No blood came out, but that was simply because of his Void Walker anatomy


    This was no longer a game. Lloyd was no longer that same child who had a choice regarding the future he wanted for himself. There were only two paths ahead of him, one that led to an endless pit that would mean instant death and another that led a path of infinite power, enough to rule the cosmos and be an emperor whose name would shake the very souls of those who heard it.


    Without another thought, Lloyd left silently, not a single sounding from him as he merged with the crowd. He quickly looked down at his wristwatch and could see a map with a purple dot blinking while dashed lines told him his route.

 Chapter 9 First Dungeon [1]

    If he had learned one thing from hisst encounter with the Beasts he fought against in his void walk, it was that no matter how much someone trains, they will never reach their full potential if they are not fighting real battles. Ones that could threaten their lives and make them exceed all expectations.


    He wanted to break his limits and shatter all the walls that stood before him, and to do so, he would have to fight on his own rather than fighting while knowing there was someone behind him with enough power to turn his enemy into dust at the snap of their fingers.


    Countless minutes passed and an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Lloyd had followed the trail his watch had told him, but what confused him was how he was continually being led towards the suburbs and in a direction that only had 3 well-known dungeons.


    Eventually, Lloyd found himself standing in front of an abandoned hospital, and even though he was skeptical, he did not think twice before stepping forward and entering it while moving toward the source of the energy fluctuations.


    After reaching the 6th floor, his eyes moved about and finallynded on something unbelievable...


    "An unauthorized dungeon!? How could no one have realized that there was something like this here? Tha mana fluctuations are more than enough evidence, yet no one came here? This is dangerous, but..." An uneasy grin appeared on Lloyd''s face as he finally seemed to understand something.


    "It must be the runes that hacked into the watch... Not only did it change my profile screen, but it also made it so I could see dungeon portals from miles away... Now all I have to do is survive this, leave, survive against my parents, and s-s-sleep..." Another shudder went down his spine.


    He did not have to think twice about what he was about to do. He stood unmovingly in front of the portal that, ording to his wristwatch, was not even a 1stmandment dungeon.


    Stepping through, the portal shimmered for a moment before rippling, and in the end, Lloyd disappeared into the portal without leaving a trace.


    [You have entered a dungeon]


    The message shone onto Lloyd''s face from his wristwatch, yet it was the least of his worries.


    His eyes darted around, and he quickly looked at the sky.


    The scenery before him was otherwordly. Greenery littered the area and could be found everywhere, while not a single sign of technology could be seen for miles. It was as if he hadnded on another world, yet he quickly reminded himself that this was nothing but a dungeon.


    Instantly, every hair on his body shot up, and he stood straight and alert. His eyes darted from side to side as if trying to find the thing that was going to threaten his life, and not for a second did he dare let his guard down.


    This dungeon might not have amandment, but the same case could be used against him. No matter what creature he was, he was still without amandment and therefore put on the same level as the creatures of this dungeon.


    Making sure to not make a sound, he took out a short katana de a little longer than his forearm. The wristwatch shed blue for a few moments but quickly subsided, and no monster was alerted.


    ''I need to get stronger, so my primary objective isn''t to kill the dungeon boss monsters but to kill and train with as many monsters as possible.''


    With that thought, he moved through the forest-like dungeon with extreme caution, and after around 15 minutes of walking endlessly, he finally found something worth killing.


    ''An insect dungeon?'' He thought to himself and was reminded of how he had learned about all the types of dungeons that could show up.


    This was an insect dungeon, and this was something anyone could easily conclude by simply looking at the creatures that were found inside.


    Lloyd raised his left hand and pointed his wristwatch at the creature in front of me. A translucent blue light came out of the watch and scanned the creature from head to toe, and after a few seconds, the light disappeared, and a new notification appeared on the watch.


    [You have discovered a Wasparitica]


    By scanning monsters, one could rack up points on their records and be considered useful to society the more point they have. The system was a bitplicated for even the likes of Lloyd, who barely understood a fraction of how everything worked, but all he needed to know was that he could scan monsters and get points.


    However, while doing so, the monster felt his intense gaze and looked at him inly, and after a few seconds of both of them registering what just happened, the Wasparitica didn''t pull any punches and immediately attacked Lloyd with his stinger, going for the killing blow from the start.


    Lloyd, on the other hand, was not idle either. His hand moved quickly, and in an instant, his katana de cut through the air and shed with the stinger, pushing them both back by several meters.


    Lloyd slid on the muddy floor but did not lose footing while the wasp flew into the air and tried to relocate for its next strike.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Wasparitica''s are known for their speed and viciousness. Even if I leave now, it will follow me to the ends of the world and continue the attempt to take my life.'' Lloyd nodded at himself and tried to think of a solution.


    He was not an expert when it came to fast-moving creatures, but one thing he knew was that despite a wasp being fast, it was far from being anything like a dragonfly that could easily move around and change its momentum at a moment''s notice.


    The wasp instantly relocated to Lloyd''s blind spot and shot toward him at whistling speeds.


    He could feel the waspe closer by the second, but he continued to be calm despite feeling death approach him at a speed he would barely have the ability to follow.


    However, his will had been tempered in less than 6 hours of him staying in the void the night before, and so the pressure the wasp gave off was nothingpared to the pressure any of the void beasts gave off.


    pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 10 meters...


    His breaths became shallow.


    5 meters...


    He could feel the stinger''s sharpness and already began shifting his weight to his heel.


    4 meters...


    He took a deep breath and held it in, ready tounch an explosive strike to slice down all his enemies.


    2.5 meters.


    The wind pressure could not be felt on the back of his neck, and he knew it was time to move.


    With a sudden movement, he used all his weight and speed to spin on his heel andpletely remove himself from the attack''s trajectory. The wasp on the side of a child''s bicycle also seemed to realize what was happening, yet it had already put all its speed and momentum into the strike, making all its wings ppingpletely useless.


    0.5 Meters...


    The monster was right in front of him; he had already struck down with all the power he could muster. His mind had gotten so into the battle that hepletely forgot about his abilities, but it was better if he didn''t use them in a life or death situation since he knew that a single mistake could end with him dead.


    His de reached the head of the wasp, and before it could realize what had happened, the de reflected in its eyes and sliced through its head.


    Lloyd could feel resistance push against his de, but he quickly grits his teeth and sliced right through, detaching its head from the rest of its body.


    Blood sttered all over the floor, and Lloyd finally sighed relief.


    He had done it... He had killed his first real-life monster, and the adrenaline that rushed through his veins was more than intoxicating.


    However, there was something distinct about the sensation. It was as if his body was being filled with energy while invigorating energy ran throughout every cell in his body.


    He was growing stronger...


    ''What is this... Feeling?'' The katana returned to his watch, and his eyes widened slightly. He could not believe what he was feeling, but he quickly remembered why Void walkers were creatures that terrified almost every being in the universe.


    ''Is this what they called the Void Walker''s Blessing?''

 Chapter 10 First Dungeon [2]

    "Zack, you havee back faster than we thought you would. What is the matter?" His mother asked with a worried expression on her face.


    "I''m fine, mom! Anyway, dad. Can you hire some bodyguards for us? We want to enter a dungeon but Lloyd said we are too weak." Zack snarled while the rest of them nodded in relief.


    "It''s a good thing you have a friend like Lloyd. Truly a voice of reasoning." One of Zack''s sistersmented while trying to look for Lloyd, yet after a few seconds of searching, she expanded out her senses, and despite them covering the entire household, she could not feel him nearby.


    "Talking about Lloyd, where is he?"


    "I don''t know. He said he had something to do, but now I am convinced he has a girlfriend that he is hiding from the rest of us!" Zackined.


    "Something is wrong with him today. Sorry about that." Olivia, Lloyd''s mother, apologized, but Benjamin only waved her off.


    "You should be worried about what''s going on with him. It feels like I am watching a man have an endless inner battle."


    Listening to Benjamin, Noah looked towards the door and spoke under his breath-


    "I didn''t think it would affect him this much."


    "What would?" Zack''s sister asked with a raised brow.


    Despite Lloyd''s parents not wanting to say anything, Alice did not hold back and told them everything about what happened a few hours ago.


    "Zack, do you know anything about this? He tells you everything." Benjamin asked.


    "I realized he was acting a little weird today too. He didn''t tell me anything though so I didn''t think much of it." Zack replied.


    "Do you know where Lloyd is right now?" Benjamin turned toward Noah and Olivia, but they shook their heads slowly and looked at the ground.


    Benjamin quickly looked at Rubert with a side nce before asking- "Can you find him?"


    "Of course, master." Ruber nodded before taking up his wristwatch and beginning to tap on several different buttons that appeared on the hologramic screen.


    "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" Anna said out loud, which caused everyone except Lloyd''s little brother and Zack to nod wryly.


    ***


    "Is this what they call the Void Walker''s blessing?" Lloyd thought to himself while looking at his hands with squinted eyes.


    He slowly clenched his hands into fists and could feel the power behind the muscles. He felt like one hand could crush a boulder into nothing but dust.


    "I thought it was just a myth the government created to scare people! To think that it might actually be real..." Lloyd''s hands shook with excitement.


    Void Walkers were known for many things, but for those who did a little digging on the subject, one ability stood out more than the others.


    The Void Walker''s blessing was an ability given to all void walkers. It allowed them to be stronger by taking lives.


    Everything from humans to beasts could make them stronger, and while there were many theories on how this ability worked, no one could find any concrete evidence that any of the theories suggested are even close to being correct.


    However, none of this mattered to Lloyd. The moment he felt the energy course through his body, a semnce of hope shone within his eyes for the first time ever since the nightmare. If one were to look at him right now, they would only be able to describe him in two words.


    True Joy.


    Clenching his hand into a fist again, he looked up with a grin stered on his face.


    For the next quarter of an hour, Lloyd traversed the forest and tried to find any monsters, and after what felt like an eternity of searching, he finally found what he was looking for...


    In fact, it seemed like he found a little more than he bargained for.


    "A nest?" He muttered under his breath while standing on a tall tree branch. He wasn''t an expert when it came to traversing forests, but after a few minutes of practice, he found himself capable of easily jumping from one branch to another.


    "This might be a little irritating... No. This will 100% be very dangerous, but I must do it. For now though, I should try to iste one of the wasps and kill them with one hit when they least expect it." Lloyd devised before jumping back into the shadows and blending with them.


    [Shadow Enhancement]<novelnext></novelnext>


    The shadows around him began to warp and deform before eventually wrapping around Lloyd and making it look like he was made out of shadows. While he was left in awe, he couldn''t stay like that for long since he knew time was of the essence.


    Power rushed through his body and made him feel like he was invincible. It made him feel like he could take on the world itself all on his own... At the same time, he could not help but feel like the ability was slightly familiar.


    His figure blurred through the forest and appeared on a branch in the shadow of a tree in the distance.


    A low hum could be heard passing above him. His eyesnded on the monster, and without skipping a beat, shadows concentrated around his hands and created what looked like a w.


    [Shadow w]


    With an explosive speed that he himself didn''t think he possessed, his body blurred, and within an instant, he found himself hovering above the wasp with killing intent seeping out of him in the form of a purple glow.


    *SLASH*


    His hand swung down, and the wasp was instantly turned into 4 detached pieces while blue blood sttered all over the tree in front of him. Thebined power of [Shadow Enhancement] and [Shadow w] was truly a force to be reckoned with.


    However, the instant before the ws had reached the wasp, it had already let out an ear-piercing screech that echoed in the vast forest and alerted hundreds of monsters simultaneously. It died, but it still made sure that its death was useful.


    "Oh no..." Lloyd''s expression turned grim.


    Landing on the ground, he spun on his heel and began to run in the opposite direction of the wasp nest, yet even he knew it was toote.


    Several hummings flew above him before some began to surround him. He could easily find which paths were blocked and which were open for him to use, yet after a single inspection, he knew that the only way out was to fight.


    Lloyd swiftly took out his de and held it firmly in both hands'' grasp.


    [4-Dimensional Thought]


    A small amount of his mana left his body, but the amount too miniscule for him to notice, especially when it came to a situation like this.


    *bzzzZZZZ*


    Hearing the buzzinge closer, he quickly turned around and swung out in an arch.


    The sound of two metals shing rang out on the battlefield, and as if it was some kind of wake-up call, every wasp in the area dashed at Lloyd with their stingers pointing at him and their eyes overflowing with killing intent.


    Images of what happened in the ''Void Walk'' shed in Lloyd''s mind, and despite not having fought such arge number of enemies in real life, he could still vividly remember how he fought against the hundreds of wolves that attacked him.


    His eyes shed with a violet light, and the expression on his face had bepletely devoid of emotion. His power reached an all time high, and the pressure around him couldd have made an elephant drop.


    [Monarch''s Aura]


    Simultaneously, Lloyd''s bloodlust exploded out in every direction and caused many of the wasps to stop moving. Lloyd took advantage of this, and the moment his eyesnded on the monster closest to him, his de ripped through the air as he swung it out in an arch and decapitated the monster with a single attack.


    Lowering his head, he dodged the stinger that aimed to pierce through his neck. Without skipping a beat, his hand shot out as the shadows that once covered the whole body concentrated around the hand, creatingrge and sharp ws that caught and pierced 5 holes into the wasp''s body.


    Taking a step back, Lloyd shed down with his katana, slicing a wasp in half.


    Before he could understand what was happening, his body and instincts had already turned him into a killing machine. Blue blood sttered on the ground while the greenery had been reced by the distinct color of the blue blood.


    His dodging had slowly be more and more refined, while his attacks had be swifter and straight to the point. No enemy survived the first sh, and every time Lloyd took a life, the addicting sensation of power running through his veins caused him to smile like a battle maniac. However, more than anything, his mind remained cold and calcting. Morality was thrown out of the window, and the only thing he could think of was the most efficient way of killing the monsters before him.


    Lloyd was growing stronger, and before he knew it, there was only one normal wasp for him to kill. He could already see the soldier wasps begin to close the distance between Lloyd and the wasp nest, but rather than feeling anxious, his excitement only rose to new heights.


    ''I feel slightly drained... This must be what they call mana fatigue. I''ll avoid using my mana for now and hope that I can just fight the soldier ants without having to use any of my main abilities.'' Lloyd concluded and shed down the wasp that tried to escape.


    He was tired of being the hunted; therefore, today, he would be the hunter.


    Killing intent washed over all the soldier wasps, and before they could understand what was happening, a ck blur with a pair of violet eyes appeared on one of the trees that branched in front of them.


    Lloyd slowly opened his mouth, and a cold voice boomed out in every direction, shocking the wasps into halting their movements.


    "Bring me your queen."

 Chapter 11 First Dungeon [3]

    Lloyd''s voice boomed out in every direction despite being cold, low, and emotionless. Scientifically speaking, his voice should not have been carried such a far distance, especially because he had not raised his voice. Yet, in a world of mana and magic, breaking the rules of physics was something that had bemon.


    All the wasps let out loud screeches and quickened their paces before beginning to attack Lloyd with their stingers and maws, yet when they reached him, one could say that their fates were already sealed.


    His ability [4-Dimensional Thought] was already showing its prowess bypletely neutralizing any emotions that could stand in the way of his bloodbath. He only felt the immense desire to kill the wasps before him.


    His eyes grew cold, and when the forefront wasp came within a certain distance, Lloyd did not hesitate to swing up in an arch and slice the wasp vertically, turning it into two pieces with a single attack.


    While he felt much more resistance this time, the creature before him was still far too weak to be considered a threat.


    If anything, the normal wasparitica''s battle prowess and strength were probably just a little higher than a full-grown non-awakened tiger''s strength. The soldier wasps, though, were another conversation on their own as one could notpare them to any of the non-awakened animals, yet they still proved to be nothing but weaklings in front of Lloyd and his katana.


    Lloyd''s void walk might have only been 6 hours, but it was more than proficient in both giving Lloyd real battle experience and forming the first embers of his battle style. A battle style that, in the future, would cause many to shudder to their cores and others to wet themselves at the very sight of it.


    Lloyd continued to cut down the remaining wasps. Lloyd''s battle style could have been considered beautiful to many due to his de weaving through the air and striking down his enemies... It was the battle style of his father, and therefore, he had inherited it, yet that all changed after the void walk.


    His sword, rather than looking like an entrancing de, now looked bestial and even ferocious. There was no elegance in Lloyd''s movements, and behind every sh was the pure and heavy intent to kill.


    Covered in blue blood, Lloyd quickly used his sleeve to wipe off the blood that had sttered on his face.


    Thinking back to his abilities and how they could help him in the uing boss fight, he could not help but scratch his chin.


    Abilities were things that were learned on instinct when a person awakened. This was also the case with his racial abilities, yet there was one crucial difference between his normal and racial abilities that came with being a void walker.


    ''Racial abilities use way too much mana. Especially that Void Channel ability. I have a feeling that I would instantly die of mana fatigue the moment I use it. Void Gaze has a very low minimum mana requirement for me to use the ability, but it also left the maximum requirement open-ended...'' Lloyd nodded to himself and side-nced at the nest in the distance.


    Having no maximum mana requirement meant that the user could use all their mana at once with this ability.


    ''Void Step is just... What the hell is it? It sounds like an ability that would allow me to teleport short distances or even create portals, but I have no idea how to use it. Its mana requirement is huge though...'' Lloyd sighed


    ''And thest one...'' Lloyd furrowed his brows and looked at his watch, which was telling him all his racial abilities. His eyesnded on one of the abilities, and he could not help but scratch the back of his neck.


    ''Aspect of void... it feel like I know what it is, and I know that it would take a little over half my mana if I used it right now. But just like void channel, I have no idea how to use it!''


    Minutes passed, and eventually, Lloyd stopped contemting everything and started to move toward the nest. He knew that he had to finish the dungeon as quickly as possible. The faster he finished the dungeon, the less likely it would be for someone to find the dungeon and report it to the authorities.


    Most dungeons had a time discrepancy, meaning that 5 minutes inside a dungeon could mean 1 minute outside it. An example was thebyrinth permanent dungeon that had a time discrepancy of 10 to 1.


    shing through the forest, he appeared in front of the nest in mere minutes.


    [Shadow Movement]


    Lloyd began to sink into his shadow; before he knew it, he had be nothing but a blob of shadows on the ground. Despite being shocked by the sudden feeling of sinking into the ground, he became even more amazed when he finally entered his own shadow.


    pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m ''I don''t know what I was expecting, but this was certainly not it!''


    Despite being nothing but a blob of shadows, he could still see and observer everything quite easily. Another thing he felt was that his movement speed had almost quadrupled in an instant, so now he had be a shadow capable of moving on the ground and seeing everything above.


    Not wanting to waste any more time, Lloyd shot into the nest and again felt his speed increase.


    When he entered the shadows created by the nest, his speed increased threefold, and his mana consumption dropped significantly. The amount of mana used was proportionate to how far away from the starting point he was. He could not regenerate mana in his current form, but now he realized that he could use the shadows of other objects or people to move quicker and further while using less mana.


    However, the mana consumption was still a little high for Lloyd, so instead of taking his time, he blitzed through the nest, and after looking for almost 2 minutes, he finally found the queen''s location with a little more than half of his mana left.


    Leaving the shadow, he took a step to the side and blended in with the darkness of the walls while peering into the boss room. While he could have chosen to stay in the shadow, he could not regenerate mana inside there.


    Peering inside the boss room, he could see an absolute goliath of a wasp, and immediately, he knew what the creature was.


    Scanning it with his watch, he looked at the holographic screen and squinted his eyes.


    [Warpiritica Queen]


    Instead of charging in like aplete fool, he blended in with the shadows and waited for his mana to reach at least 75% or more, depending on his recovery speed. To his surprise, he regained his mana at a much faster rate than he thought he would, while at the same time, he felt like his body felt slightly stronger.


    Thinking back, he quickly linked his feelings to one of his abilities, or to be exact, one of his passive abilities.


    [Shadow Sustenance]


    [An ability that gives a 30% boost in categories (Agility, Strength, Mana, Mana recovery, Damage output, Etc.) whenever the user enters an area with minimal light.]


    After almost half an hour, Lloyd stood up again and entered the boss''s room. He knew that the Wasp Queen hadn''t reached the firstmandment yet, so he had nothing to worry about. Or so he thought...


    The moment he entered the room, a gigantic pressure pushed down on his body, and as if he was being looked at by an apex predator, he could not help but begin to sweat buckets.


    ''Maybe I should have just run away...''


    Seeds of doubt began to sprout in his mind, but he quickly realized what was happening.


    With a shaking body, he muttered-


    "4-Dimensional Thought."


    [4-Dimensional Thought]


    [Once 4-Dimensional Thought is activated, the ability user will lose all irrational thought. Their minds would be calctive, and their thinking speed would skyrocket.]<novelnext></novelnext>


    In an instant, all the fear Lloyd felt dissipated into nothingness. His eyes went from wariness to beingpletely cold, while his expression showed no emotion.


    In what seemed to be a flick of a switch, his personapletely changed, and he had be apletely different person.


    Killing intent seeped out of his body while he suddenly began to leisurely walk towards the Wasp Queen, who was staring daggers at him.


    Standing up, the Wasp Queen let out a nest-shaking roar, yet despite the power and pressure behind the roar, Lloyd seemedpletely unaffected.


    Unbeknownst to him, he had previously used a fraction of 4-Dimensional Thought''s power. Now, however, he was using it to its full potential.


    Only one thought went through his mind, and it was-


    ''I need to get stronger.''


    Analyzing his opponent, he immediately found several weak points that he could try and exploit, and in the middle of a single step, he had already created a n.


    The moment his foot touched the ground, the battle started for real.


    Without waiting for another second, both of them began their attacks.


    In an instant, several smaller wasps began to appear from behind the Wasp Queen. While alone, those wasps were not a threat in the least; together, they stood a chance against him. However, he was not idle either.


    His body slowly began to sink into his own shadow, and before the Wasp Queen could understand what had happened, he had already disappeared.


    A few secondster, she felt overwhelming pain surge from her stomach as blood gushed out like a waterfall.


    Letting out another screech, she disappeared from where she was with a single p of her wings before appearing 30 meters high.


    The wind pressure alone was enough to make all her children get flung into the distance, yet due to Lloyd having submerged from under her, he was leftpletely unscathed.


    ''It has a wind affinity...'' Lloyd thought, and without waiting for an instant, several ns formed in his head.


    Affinities were things that people could naturally awaken. While not many awakened an affinity before their firstmandment, it was not rare for someone to have an affinity before that.


    The Wasp Queen had the win affinity, and therefore she was extremely fast...


    While the [Shadow Movement] ability was powerful, Lloyd found it difficult to control what direction he would reappear in. If the Queen happens to have a quick reaction speed, she would not have a problem killing Lloyd the moment he appeared since she already saw him use the ability before.


    Despite the Wasp Queen clearly having the advantage of being airborne, Lloyd was not worried in the least.


    Looking at her with an apathetic gaze, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.


    Opening his eyes again, they began to glow brighter than ever before.


    In the same instance, the Wasp Queen suddenly felt a powerful pressure weigh down on her before her vision changed.


    Suddenly, she found herself in the middle of an infinite void. It spanned out for millions of miles and seemed to have no end. However, this was not what startled the Wasp Queen.


    In an instant, she felt a shudder that reached her core as her eyes slowly drifted towards the thing that caused her to feel this way.


    A pair of enormous illusionary eyes stared down at her from the depths of the abyss. Its gaze was one that saw her as nothing but an insect, and ironically enough, she was just that. An insect in front of a king.


    A bug in front of a limitless void walker.


    While Lloyd''s talent assessment suggested that he was barely a 2-star talent, in reality, that was just the assessment of his mortal body, or to be specific, it was the result he would have gotten if he wasn''t a void walker.


    There was no way that a machine so pathetic would have the ability to scan a void walker''s talent, and this was due to one thing...


    A void walker''s talent was limited only by their dedication and hard work.


    After a few seconds, the void the Wasp Queen was put in had be no more, and her mind was promptly returned to her body.


    Before she could do anything, however, she found herself falling to the ground with several cuts on her body that sent blue blood gushing out in all directions.


    She immediately tried pping her wings but quickly realized that her wings were falling alongside her, yet this time, they were detached from the rest of her body.


    *BOOM*


    A loud explosion shook the nest as the Wasp Queen finally reached the ground. She was on the verge of death, yet she still forced herself to look up one more time and see the person responsible for this.


    Peering through the dust cloud, her eyes met with a pair of cold bright violet eyes that looked down on her. As those eyes came closer, a figure stepped out of the dust cloud while brandishing their de. Despite being unintentional, a pressure far exceeding the power of a normal human seeped out of their body and pressed down on the Wasp Queen.


    "Looks like this is the end for you..." Lloyd muttered under his breath as he was more than aware that the Wasp Queen would not understand a word of what he said.


    Lloyd continued to walk to the Queen''s side while not uttering a single word.


    *Swoosh*


    *Thud*


    With a single swing, he decapitated the Wasp Queen, her head dropping to the ground with a loud thud, and its cries of agony no longer echoing within the nest.

 Chapter 12 First Dungeon [4]

    In this world, there were a few types of dungeons, but usually, they were put into three categories.


    When finding a dungeon, it was either an artificial dungeon, a permanent dungeon, or a temporary dungeon.


    Artificial dungeons were dungeons created by humans, ancient races, or even races that existed today. Some created dungeons in hopes of passing on their inheritances to those they believed were worthy, while others simply did it to create havoc.


    Permanent dungeons, on the other hand, were dungeons created by the world or universe. Permanent dungeons would stay where they were formed and, in a way, were technically links to different worlds, gxies, and even dimensions.


    On the other hand, temporary dungeons were dungeons that would either break and let all the creatures within it out, creating a dungeon break where hundreds if not thousands would die, or they would be conquered, shattering and bing no more.


    That was the main reason powerful people were so sought after, as humanity would have suffered greatly without them.


    Lloyd walked through the Wasparitica Queen''s nest and leisurely walked toward the middle. While many in the pastpare dungeons to video games, and rightly so, unlike video games where a monster would turn into pixels and loot would drop, one had to scavenge through the corps and gain any loot for themselves.


    Hacking away with his de, Lloyd finally saw something deep within the corpse.


    Plunging his hand in, he quickly retracted it, yet this time a spherical object that shone with a distinct greenish light could be seen held in his hand.


    While monsters who had not reached the firstmandment usually wouldn''t have cores inside them, the boss was another case on their own. Eventually, if one got enough cores of a certain rank, they could make a weapon, artifact, or essory.


    Monster cores are particrly rare even after the firstmandment. While bosses are practically guaranteed to give you a monster core, it is very unlikely one would get a core from a normal monster. On the other hand, while it is just as rare as getting a core, normal monsters can sometimes drop items like in video games.


    Of course, this only happens in artificial dungeons, yet monsters from the other dungeons can also drop raw materials, while their bodies itself can also be used to create fantastic weapons, armors, potions, and even pills.


    However, despite Lloyd knowing this, something still seemed to be on his mind as he looked at the core in his hand.


    The core was just a little smaller than a ping pong ball and released a green hue with a tinge of wind mana.


    Having already deactivated 4-Dimensional Thought, Lloyd furrowed his brows and asked himself the question that had been bugging him for thest 3 minutes.


    ''When I killed the wasp queen, I felt an enormous amount of energy enter my body... Hell, I feel so much stronger now that I''m almost certain that the fight against the queen would be several times easier on the current mepared to the one who was fighting a couple of minutes ago... Though, despite having killed the wasp queen and taking her energy, the monster core filled with mana didn''t get absorbed either. In fact, I can still feel a bit of mana inside the wasp queen''s body, so I have to ask the question...


    What the hell do I absorb every time I kill something?''


    Scratching his chin, Lloyd felt a headache emerging. This topic was too much for the current him, especially after deactivating his 4-Dimensional Thought ability.


    One side-effect that he noticed was that after using the 4-Dimensional Thought, his ability was that after the use of the skill, his mind would not only return to how it was before but also temporarily slow down for a couple of minutes, depending on how long Lloyd had used the ability.


    Sighing and throwing his current thoughts to the back of his mind, he slumped to the ground and let out a loud and arduous sigh.


    He had fought almost 3 hours straight, and while it was nothingpared to the void walk, he was still human and needed a little rest.


    What he was scared of, however, was the idea of possibly going to sleep in the wrong ce at the wrong time and being forcefully sent into the void without being prepared.


    Despite feeling a tinge of sleepiness, Lloyd pped himself away and stood up to ensure he wouldn''t even think about it.


    Looking around, he watched the cracks that appeared out of thin air while the entire world seemed to copse.


    This was known as a dungeon copse which was a state a temporary dungeon would go into after someonepletes the dungeon. Seeing that the cracks had begun to appear, Lloyd nodded before beginning to wait for the dungeon to copse.


    After a few minutes, a loud bang resounded in the area before everything turned ck.


    It was oddly soothing for Lloyd to be in a ce like that, but hisfort was quickly taken away as the sky''s lights beamed into his eyes and almost blinded him.


    Covering his eyes, he walked up to one of the walls remaining in the shadows before slumping down again.


    Not every dungeon had a treasure at the end of it, and the one Lloyd had entered was no exception. In reality, the only thing Lloyd gained was the monster core, yet even then, for the amount of effort he had put in, it was simply not worth it.


    Others would have been paid by the government for protecting the public, yet he had done it all for free.


    Of course, he gained quite a bit of strength in fighting so many creatures, but that was beside to point.


    A few minutes quickly passed before Lloyd finally realized how filthy he was and how tattered his clothing looked. While he was never really hit directly, his clothes were not meant for battle and were slowly but surely being destroyed.


    The fact that they were loose did not help in the least, as sometimes Lloyd would find himself dodging an attack, but instead of the creature flying away, it would rip his clothing, especially when he dodged by a hairsbreadth.


    Seeing the state of his clothing, he quickly moved toward one of the bathrooms and took off his clothing. By using the self-cleaning function of his watch, all the blood and grime on his body disappeared into thin air while his body''s odor vanished.


    Seeing that he was spotless, he could not help but inspect himself in the mirror, but after looking for a couple of seconds, a frown appeared on his face.


    With a quick wipe, all the dirt on the mirror was wiped away, and the view became clear again.


    Stepping back, Lloyd inspected his body one more time, yet nothing really changed despite having cleaned the mirror. In fact, the view had be even more profound without all the dirt and grime in the way.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Right now, Lloyd was looking at his shirtless upper frame, yet he still could not believe that what he saw in the mirror was actually his body.


    From childhood, Lloyd had struggled with forming muscles. Of course, he was technically physically fit because he was easily stronger than the average unawakened man, but what he was looking at now was apletely different person.


    He now had a pair of pecks, defined shoulder and arm muscles, and even signs of a six-pack.


    While he was around 5ft 10 before, now he was easily 6ft tall. This change was not something he realized before going to the awakening ceremony, but now that he was no longer under the stress of possibly being taken away and killed if not experimented on, he could finally tell the difference.


    However, while everything might have seemed like flowers and rainbows, one thing made him worry...


    A pair of violet eyes stared back at him from the mirror''s reflection. While before, his eyes were clearly a very dark brown color, now they were violet, unlike in the morning when they were dull enough for no one to take a second nce.


    While the color seemed to fluctuate to his emotions, he knew that maybe a pair of tinted sses, if not some contact lenses, could work to hide them. Finding contact lenses in this day and age is extremely hard since people never choose to change their eye color. People took pride in their eye color; despite arge majority of people usually having brown eyes, people with other eye colors were seen as more beautiful or attractive.


    However, no one dared to fake their eyes colors as it was very easy for people to find out if someone was wearing contact lenses or not.


    Despite that, there was one eye color that was the rarest amongst all people, and at the same time, it was also considered a taboo eye color amongst most people.


    That eye color was violet.


    Looking into the mirror for a bit longer, Lloyd could not help but sigh while rubbing the bridge of his nose.


    Quickly clothing himself, he walked out of the bathroom and went towards the stairs.


    Reaching the bottom floor, Lloyd nced around and found the exit.


    The soft tapping of water droplets hitting the hospital windows reached his ears, and despite the weather being considered quite depressing by many, Lloyd liked the rain.


    Putting his hood up and exiting the hospital through one of the side exits, he took a deep breath before exhaling with a wry smile. The fresh and grassy scent wafted into his nose and set his heart into a calm state. He felt as if every worry in the world had disappeared all at once. It felt like nothing could worry him anymore, and everything in his life was in order.


    "Young Lloyd, you mustn''t stay out for too long. You have worried your parents."


    However, the calming and elegant atmosphere was quickly ruined by the interruption of a croaky, stern familiar voice. From the sound of the voice alone, Lloyd could tell that the person talking to him was quite elderly, and despite being startled, he could still recognize the voice even if it was a whisper.


    Letting out a sigh, Lloyd closed his eyes and said-


    "Uncle Ruber... What are you doing here?"


    "I can ask you the same thing. Plus, is telling you that your parents are worried for you not enough of a reason?" Rubert replied with a wry, warm smile.


    "I wanted some time alone." Lloyd opened his eyes and looked into Rubert''s. For a split second, Rubert was surprised by the color of the eyes that were looking at him, but after narrowing his eyes, he saw something else.


    ''Master de was right... Something had changed about him. Those are not the eyes of a boy green behind his ears. Those are the eyes of a-...''


    "In an abondened hospital?" Rubert tilted his head to the right.


    "Well, you can say that this ce is kind of like my... Nevermind. You know what I mean." Lloyd shrugged and began to walk, but he quickly realized that a car was in front of the hospital and someone was currently inside it.


    Stepping out, they made their figure visible for Lloyd to see, and the moment his eyesnded on her, he could not help but frown.


    "Lloyd... It''s been a long time since west talked alone." An elegant woman chuckled with one hand over her mouth and another holding an umbre.


    "Mrs de... What brings you here?" Lloyd asked with a slightly cold voice. They only spoke alone after difficult situations, an example being the ''incident.'' That time was hard on everyone, but it hit Lloyd the worst, mainly because he was in the center of it.


    If anything, Mrs. de only reached out to Lloyd when she saw that he needed support or something was wrong with him. However, despite Lloyd requiring support that day, he was almost certain that he had put on a good enough act for everyone to believe he was okay.


    ? "Oh, Lloyd... You poor boy. I can feel your distress from miles away. Actually, your stress levels right now are a bit higher than before. You were an absolute wreck on the podium, but now you seem to have it worse." She exined, a pitying expression on her beautiful face.


    ''That damn ability of hers...''


    "And from your emotional response, can I assume that I am right?"


    Sighing, Lloyd knew he couldn''t lie to her. She could instantly tell if someone was lying, yet despite knowing 4-Dimensional Thought could get him out of his predicament, he knew that she knew his abilities as they were probably disyed to most of the higher families, not that he cared in the least despite it making his predicament quite difficult.


    Seeing that Lloyd waspletely silent, Mrs. de took a long look at him, her eyes analyzing every fiber of his being from head to toe.


    "You''ve grown a few inches and built a bit of muscle. Wow... You''re going to be onedy killer. Just make sure to not go for any of my daughters. You know how my husband is about his daughters." She chuckled before her gaze finally reached mine.


    "And those violet eyes..." Coldness shed through her eyes for a split second, but it disappeared too quickly for Lloyd to see it. Rubert, on the other hand, didn''t even need to directly look at her to feel her spike in emotions.

 Chapter 13 Second Void Walk [1]

    "What happened to your eyes?" She asked with the corners of her lips perking up into a smile.


    "Oh, it''s nothing. Just a mutation after I awakened. It started this morning and became more and more purple over time." Lloyd nodded.


    He wasn''t lying, but what he said wasn''t the whole truth. The best lies are the ones with truths in them.


    "That is quite unfortunate. I''ll order you some contact lenses to hide your eye color. You know how people are..." She said while looking at Rubert. Lloyd, on the other hand, solemnly nodded to this information.


    "Anyway, its been nice speaking with you again. Thank you for the talk." Lloyd nodded and began to walk away.


    "You''re leaving just like that? It''s raining; let Ruben drive you home. We are staying at your household today, so you might as welle with us"


    Hearing this, Lloyd could not help but halt his movement. Looking back, he stared into her eyes.


    "Mrs. de. Thank you for the offer, but I will have to decline. You know that I like the rain, but that isn''t the only reason. I''d like to have an hour or two alone before going home so I''d like to resort to walking. I hope you understand." Lloyd slightly bowed and began to leave. Despite his words sounding polite and his tone being humble, Rubert and Mrs. de could not help but narrow their eyes.


    They could feel a tinge of coldness within his voice. It was distant, but it was there. Only the likes of them could hear it because their senses were amplified after ascending so manymandments.


    "When was thest time he called me Mrs. de?" She asked while looking at Lloyd''s back with a worried expression stered on her face.


    While she was slightly confused at first, she threw it to the back of her mind, thinking that it was some kind of new sarcasm Lloyd had decided on using.


    After a while, however, she felt like Lloyd was distant, not physically but emotionally. He didn''t want to show anything to her, so hepletely suppressed his emotions, something Rubert and her could easily discern with one conversation.


    Appearing next to her, Rubert opened his mouth and replied-


    "He has not called you that since the day you met... Remember? It was a year or so before the incident."


    Solemnly nodding, she let out a sigh and walked herself to the car. Entering it, one question constantly went through her mind.


    ''What on earth happened for him to turn like this?''


    "Madam, I suggest you just tell his parents about the situation rather than trying to fix it yourself. It is the best course of action..." Rubert said while entering the car.


    "Sure, sure... Whatever you say Rubert..."


    ***


    Lloyd had been walking through the city, and despite the rain pouring out of the skies like waterfalls, the streets were as bustling as always.


    Rain was no longer a problem as most diseases that existed before the awakening of mana disappeared or evolved.


    One simply could not get cold anymore while most if not all cancers had been cured, followed by terminal illnesses and even disabilities. In fact, the only way someone could get ill was if they contracted a mana illness that could only be cured by priests, clerics, and all the other holy/light magic users. This made it much easier for people to go out and have fun despite rain or snow.


    After walking for a bit longer, Lloyd''s violet eyes under the shadow of his hood got a glimpse of a shop that was selling some masks. His mind raced for a moment, but he quickly shook his head and threw the thought to the back of his mind while taking a mental note to visit this ce in the future.


    He knew that he could not use his Void Walker abilities in the open, and if he actually wanted to do so, he would need to cover up his identity, as not doing so could not only put him in danger but also endanger his family and everyone close to him.


    Before Lloyd knew it, he was already in front of his door and using the drying feature that came with the wristwatch


    "Mom! Dad! I''m home!" He shouted.


    "Lloyd, honey? Come to the living room." She shouted, and heplied.


    Entering the living room, he widened his eyes slightly as he looked in shock.


    On an enormous couch sat Zack, with his younger brother and sister on his parent''sps. Beside Zack sat a beautiful girl a little older than Zack and Lloyd, making her the same age as na, who was also sitting beside her.


    On the other side of the couch sat Lloyd''s parents, his younger siblings Alice and Josh on theirps, while Ana seemed to be sitting right next to them at the coach''s end.


    ''Richard is out today too... He is a busy man after all so this should be expected.''


    "Scooch over and let Lloyd sit with us." Olivia, Lloyd''s mother, waved at Ana and made her give Lloyd some space to sit.


    Sitting down, they began to watch the movie disyed on the holographic screen in front of them, and before they knew it, hours passed in what felt like moments.


    The more powerful someone got, the less they needed to sleep, so after a few hours of this, none but the adults were awake, or so they thought until they saw Lloyd stand up.


    "Honey? I''m surprised you are still awake." Olivia stated.


    "Yeah... I''m going to go to my bed. The couch isn''t veryfortable." He replied with a forced smile.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to sleep on myp like when you were a baby?" Ava teased.


    Despite it being true, Lloyd felt a little betrayed that his sister would expose him like this in front of the des, but instead ofining, he chuckled and turned away, something none of them expected.


    He wanted to seem fine. The only reason he was still awake was that the stress was beginning to get onto him, and he knew very well that Mrs. de, also known as La, could see and feel his emotions.


    He knew that the moment he left, she would tell his parents and worry them, but he really needed to get to his bed before beginning to void walk.


    Sprinting up the stairs, he entered his room and fell onto his bed without bothering to put a nket on top of himself.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Feeling his heart thump loudly into his ears, he slowly closed his eyes and began to shakily breathe in and out.


    After a few minutes of doing this, his mind began to calm down, and his heart rate slowed down to about 40 to 50 beats per minute.


    The world around him began to gradually turn darker. Every time he tried to force himself away would be met with nothing but failure, and at that moment, he knew that there was no turning back.


    [Wee to the void. We have been expecting you.]


    Despite the voice saying something slightly different this time, that was the least of Lloyd''s worries. In front of him were 5 weapons this time, yet despite there being two more options, his hand simply extended towards the katana.


    [You have chosen your weapon.]


    [Let the void walkmence.]


    As the the voice entered his ears, he felt a sh of light almost blind him beforending on the ground once again. Everything around him seemed to form in a matter of seconds before extending as far as the eye could see, as if the world was rendering as he gained conciousness


    *Grrr*


    *Awoooooooo*


    *Rawr*


    Several animal sounds entered his ears, and he quickly took out the katana that seemed to have been created out of the very fabric of darkness.


    Looking around, he could see several crimson red eyes piercing through the air and reaching him. As the gazes began to lock on him, panic grew in his heart, but without hesitation, he used [4-Dimensional Thought].


    When he had entered, he was no longer in the same cave as before and instead found himself in a lush green forest.


    Despite there not being a sign of darkness, that was just Lloyd''s night vision abilitying into use and making it seem that way. The moonlight shone upon the forest around him, making the scene look even more beautiful.


    However, Lloyd quickly noticed something when looking at the creatures around him, and that was-


    ''All of them are wolves. The exact type of wolves that I met in my first void walk at that. This might not be the same cave, but it sure as hell is the same world... Wait... World? Why can''t this be a pocket dimension like those temporary portals? If I think about it, wouldn''t it-''


    *Swoosh*


    Before Lloyd could finish his thought, his ears perked up as the sound of the wind whistling entered his ears.


    Due to it being night and him being in the shadows of the trees that basked in the moonlight in his stead, his passive ability [Shadow Sustenance] automatically activated. This boosted all his senses and made it much easier to hear the abnormal whistling of the air.


    Turning around, Lloyd swung his sword out in an arch.


    *ng*


    In the next moment, he felt as if something was pushing against his de, and finally, he saw the creature that tried to attack him.


    Sneering, Lloyd pushed further and forced the wolf to retreat several steps. Not wanting to let go of his advantage, Lloyd leaned forward and shot off the ground. He was already in front of the wolf in less than a second with a readied over-head sh.


    "Die!" Lloyd roared out, yet he would grow to quickly regret his choice of not remaining silent.


    Despite the wolf looking like it was about to die, it attacked Lloyd instead. Widening his eyes and retreating several steps, Lloyd looked down at the shallow gash on his chest. While this didn''t mean much for a void walker since they had no blood, if this was in the real world, his ss and race would have been exposed.


    The only reason the wolf''s ws didn''t reap Lloyd''s life was because it was hesitant, and that moment of hesitation was all Lloyd needed to cut its head off and jump back several meters.


    After several seconds, he finally realized his mistake...


    He had be too confident.


    Massacring the wasps had gotten to his mind, and a sense of invincibility washed over him, especially after killing the wasp queen without getting a single injury.


    However, he could not even go a few seconds without getting injured, let alone 6 hours in the void. He thought that with his new abilities, he''d be capable of massacring the wolves the same way he massacred the wasps, but now he knew that such a thing would be nearly impossible.


    Remembering hisst attack, he instantly found over a dozen weak spots and openings in the attack.


    An over-head sh at such a close distance was like asking for death, yet his newfound pride and confidence temporarily made him forget that. While he could have used [4-Dimensional Thought] and simply killed everyone without making any ring mistakes, he opted not to.


    When everyone was watching movies together, he was secretly thinking about everything that happened in the dungeon. While [4-Dimensional Thought] was an amazing skill, Lloyd recognized that it had its own ws and setbacks.


    Using it constantly would not allow Lloyd''s normal mind toprehend his acts, weakening his mental fortitude and making him an overall weaker person without it. If anything, [4-Dimensional Thought] should be used as ast resort, as using it constantly would be detrimental to his growth.


    He also had very minimal control whenever he used the ability as it would do anything and everything toplete a goal that had been set, whether that would be the massacring of hundreds or something as simple as killing a fly was up to luck.


    *Grrrr*


    Several low growls suddenly entered Lloyd''s ears, and as he turned around and met the eyes of several dozen wolves, he remembered his second mistake.


    ''I should have not shouted!''

 Chapter 14 Second Void Walk [2]

    "I see..." Lloyd''s gaze lingered on the several dozen pairs of red eyes looking at him from the shadows. Despite them being in the shadows, Lloyd did not have any problems seeing them.


    Narrowing his eyes at the sight of so many wolves, a smile eventually emerged from the corners of his lips.


    "No point being sad about it, right?" He asked no one in particr. In the same instant, his eyes began to glow with a bright purple color.


    *ROAR*


    Simultaneously, a wolf''s body began to merge with the shadows. In the next instant, it was already behind Lloyd, yet not a tinge of worry could be seen on his face.


    With a cold smile, Lloyd quickly ducked to dodge the iing w before slicing upwards.


    *Shing*


    Two halves of the wolf dropped onto the ground, and the shadows began to consume them as they slowly began to melt away. At the same time, Lloyd felt power emerging inside him, confirming the theory that killing in the void would still give him strength.


    ''In fact... Isn''t this much stronger than what I got from the wasps? Granted, the wasps are a little weaker, but every wolf here gives the same amount of energy as a quarter of the wasp queen...'' An excited smile stretched across Lloyd''s face. This was it. This was what he was waiting for.


    It was an opportunity... An opportunity for him to be stronger and know no bounds in his improvement.


    It was a step in the right direction.


    Filled to the brim with excitement, Lloyd activated [Shadow Enhancement] and shot forward with all the power he could muster in his legs.


    In an instant, he appeared in front of one of the wolves while shing downwards.


    *Shing*


    *Swoosh*


    Hearing the wind parting to his right, he slightly turned his upper body and shed horizontally, killing another wolf with a single strike once again.


    [Shadow Enhancement] not only made Lloyd physically stronger, but it also made it very easy for him to blend in with the shadows and move around without being noticed. However, he knew that the instant he kills one of the wolves, the the rest of the pack would spot him and, in a rage, attack him relentlessly.


    Yet, in the end, they were simply animals that hadn''t reached the firstmandment yet, making their thinking process slow and weak at best.


    Outsmarting them was a piece of cake.


    Blending in with the shadows, Lloy quickly used [Shadow Movement], something that allowed him to instantly melt away and submerge himself with the shadow under him.


    This was another problem with the ability [Shadow Movement], and it was the fact that the user would immediately ''melt'' into the shadows. This did not mean that they could not be hit, though. In fact, anyone using this ability would be quite vulnerable in the state between entering and leaving the shadow.


    However, this was the least of his problems at that moment because, through his eyes, everything was being calcted despite being at a much slower rate if he were to use [4-Dimensional Thought].


    Everything from the speed of the wolves to the distance he could travel was within his calctions.


    Before the wolves could reach him, he was already in the shadow and was beginning to move around.


    *Swoosh*


    2.5 meters behind the 5 wolves that had tried to attack him prior to his use of [Shadow Movement] appeared a blob of a shadow. In the next instant, a figure shrouded in shadows and darkness jumped out, and the moment his body had be impermeable, a sword cut through the air and aimed straight towards the heads of the five wolves in front of him.


    *Woosh*


    *Shing*


    In an instant, 5 heads flew into the air while blood sttered all over the ground. The resistance Lloyd felt as his de cut through 5 throats was unimaginable, yet he was capable of doing it with thest bit of power he had left in his arm.


    Scenes like this continued to ur again and again until, finally, Lloyd found himself in front of an enemy that was slightly more troublesome than the others.


    After killing so many of the wolves, Lloyd realized that the wolves he was fighting could have been killed by an unawakened version of him, making the scene where he gained a gash in the middle of his chest even more pitiful.


    However, now in front of him stood 3 wolves that emanated an overpowering bloodlust than almost made Lloyd lose track of his senses. The pressure they gave out was enough to suffocate anyone at his power level, but Lloyd quickly regained hisposure and stood with both hands gripping tightly to his katana.


    Closing his eyes and letting out a steamy breath, Lloyd opened his eyes once again; however, this time, his eyes were like a pair of violet stars that shone within the darkness.


    An imposing aura seeped out of his body and caused the wolves in front to take a step back as their auras shed with his.


    This was [Monarch''s Aura], a passive racial ability that, until now, had never activated.


    Despite the imposing name of the ability, to Lloyd''s disappointment, all it did was sh with the auras of the three wolves.


    pAn,Da-n0v e1,c ''Passive my a$$! What is this, some kind of game? Isn''t a passive ability always supposed to be on? Yet now, when it activated, it barely did anything.'' Lloyd gnashed his teeth and looked at the 3 wolves with anger ring in his eyes.


    Little did he know that the [Monarch''s Aura] was doing much more than he ever thought it would be capable of.


    Moving around without hindrance, Lloyd shot in the direction of the three wolves with his de horizontally to his side, ready to create a cut with the flick of a wrist.


    While the wolves were startled, they quickly regained their witts and began to let out loud howls, bearing their teeth at the iing enemy.


    *ng*


    *Step*


    *Step*


    A low metallic ring echoed in the silent forest before Lloyd was forced to take two steps back.


    As if having hit an immovable enemy, the de shook slightly before stopping after a while.


    *Swoosh*<novelnext></novelnext>


    Another wolf moved, and within one move, it cut through the air while its ws appeared mere inches away from Lloyd''s face.


    *ng*


    *ng ng ng!*


    Deflecting the iing attack, Lloyd had to block several more attacks as the wolves seemed to take turns attacking him while slowly surrounding him on all sides.


    Forced into taking several steps back, Lloyd let out a low grunt while knitting his brows as he realized he was being forced onto his back foot.


    He knew that if everything carried the same way, he would eventually lose, and the biggest mistake he had made was to allow himself to be surrounded.


    Looking around warily, his grip around his katana tightened while a bold n began to formte in his mind.


    ''Right now, they are way too close for me to use shadow movement. I''m certain they will attack me the moment I attempt to submerge into the shadows, so that is a no-go...''


    Suddenly, a small smile appeared on his face as a few words echoed in his mind.


    Not wanting to waste any more time, Lloyd pushed off the ground and immediately charged at one of the wolves.


    Slightly startled, the other wolves froze, yet the wolf Lloyd was charging at was quick to react.


    ws suddenly protruded out of the paw, extending its paw upwards before it began to swing it down diagonally.


    Lloyd let out a small smile while running straight at the w covered in shadows.


    He was waiting for the right moment...


    The moment to dodge, and the moment to strike...


    *Swoosh*


    Tilting his head and torso to the side, Lloyd watched as the razor-sharp ws narrowly missed him. Simultaneously, shadows gathered around Lloyd''s hands, and in the blink of an eye, his hand blurred, trialing over the extended foreleg, before blood spurted out and covered him from head to toe.


    *ROAAA-*


    The wolf''s roar stopped mid-way before being reced by the sound of gargling.


    *Thud*


    Before anyone could understand, the wolf in front of Lloyd dropped to the ground after drowning in its own blood, a fine and almost invisible clean cut trailing from one end of the neck to the other.


    "Attack a weak point in the encirclement, creating a breakthrough, and then move through that gap to freedom."


    Those were the words that echoed in Lloyd''s mind as he created his n that was, in all reality, quite simple.


    With a single nce, Lloyd identified the weakest wolf and attacked it without holding back. Now that there were only 2 wolves left, they could no longer try encircling him.


    ''At best, they can try to chase me and have one of them cut me off, but I wasn''t going to run away in the first ce.'' A wry smile stretched from the corner of his lips. It was subtle to the point where no one would see it at s first nce, but it would have made anyone who looked closely feel a chill in their mind.


    That smile was terrifying.


    Looking down at his hands, Lloyd closed his eyes as his lust for power was satiated by the dopamine pumped into his mind. The feeling was refreshing, while the cold and powerful energy that entered his body made him feel as if his muscles were being given enough energy to hold an entire building above his head for several days.


    His grip around his sword only tightened while his eyes looked at the two monsters in front of him.


    A wild aura filled with killing intent sted out of Lloyd, before his figure blurred, and the sounds of metal shing began to echo within the forest once again.


    As the sounds continued, more and more monsters began to be attracted towards the battle area, yet not once creature dared to take part in the battle as they all watched from afar.


    The battle against the two wolvessted almost 45 minutes, and it was finally in itsst moments.


    Deep scars could be seen on the ground.


    Injuries littered the bodies of all three of them, and while Lloyd was having it much better since he had no vital spots or blood in his body, he was not spared from injury as several cuts and cracks could be seen on his skin.


    However, one thing had be prominent after the fight, and it was that Lloyd was dominating.


    Despite the wolves'' shadow abilities, they barely found themselves ever hitting him directly as he would dodge, swerve, deflect and block all the attacks that came his way.


    He would have won long ago if he was fighting against one monster, but now that he was fighting against two, he found it much harder to attack and defend at the same time.


    Being littered with so many injuries made the wolves sluggish, and after a while, Lloyd finally found himself capable of taking advantage of their decrease in speed with one final-


    *Sching*


    In an instant, one of the wolves'' visions split, and its two halves fell onto the ground.


    Taking a step back, Lloyd narrowly avoided the enraged attack of the other wolf, yet that very attack spelled its demise.


    *Sching*


    Lloyd''s de cleaving through the wolve''s neck echoed in the surrounding forest, and absolute silence followed before a distinct yet familiar sound entered the ears of every creature that spectated the battle.


    *Thud*


    The battle was over in less than a second, and Lloyd, covered in both blood and gore, stood tall as its clear winner.

 Chapter 15 Second Void Walk [3]

    *Shing*


    Lloyd''s sword shed, sliced, and cut everything in its way.


    *Shing*


    Everywhere the sword would move, blood would stter on the forest floors.


    *Shing*


    The forest floor had be dyed red with the blood of wolves, and the perpetrator stood in the middle of this very forest, panting while struggling to swing their sword.


    *Shing*


    Yet despite that, their sword would slice through their opponent, a clean cut traveling through their necks and decapitating them in one fell swoop.


    *Shing*


    Their de would reap their opponent''s souls before they could even understand what hit them... That was the power behind the shadowless de.


    *Shing*


    *Pant*


    *Thud*


    "That was thest of them..." Lloyd panted.


    After fighting against the tworge wolves and killing them, he had felt an unsurmountable amount of energy course through him. He was beyond excited, yet his excitement was cut short after several sky-shaking roars resounded from the surrounding forest.


    Holding his de tightly again, he found himself fighting against a wave of wolves that ranged from being as strong as the ones he had just fought against to being as weak as the first wolves he had ever fought.


    3 hours quickly passed, and the forest had been dyed red as the blood of the wolves sttered all over the ground.


    "These damn shadow wolves... Especially those with abilities. What a pain in the a$$!" Lloyd grunted while punching the air in front of him with an irritated sigh.


    Forcing himself to get up, he dragged his feet to one of the shadows nearby, allowing his passive ability [Shadow Sustenance] to activate and let him regain his mana.


    After 15 minutes of pain coursing through his body while it slowly healed, his body suddenly melted into his shadow.


    *BOOM*


    Leaving his shadow and appearing almost 50 meters away, Lloyd looked at the scene in front of him with cold sweat drenching his back.


    ''I almost died! Just like that!''


    When Lloyd felt a tinge of danger, he already reacted by activating [Shadow Movement] before traveling 50 meters as quickly as possible. Before he knew what was about to hit him, an enormous explosion rang out from behind him, and as he left his shadow, his eyes finallynded on what was left of the area hey on.


    As the dust began to clear up, Lloyd narrowed his eyes, yet a few secondster, a cold shudder went through his being and made him instinctually take a step back.


    A crater at least 10 meters in radius and 2 meters in depth could be seen past the dust cloud. Everything in that area turned into ashes at the moment of impact, and so would have Lloyd if he didn''t react fast enough.


    His eyes darted for a while as he tried his best to find the creature that had caused the explosion, yet suddenly, an ominous feeling grew in his heart.


    His eyes suddenly shot wide as he quickly turned around, his de in hand, swinging at the iing attack with a de strike filled with killing intent and parts of his [Monarch''s Aura].


    However-


    *BOOM*


    Before Lloyd could understand what hit him, he was sent flying like a broken kite, smashing through several trees and leaving behind a trail of debris and dust that reached the skies.


    A trail of destruction could be seen behind him, and at the end of it was Lloyd as he motionlesslyy in the middle of a crater with cracks all over his body.


    ''If this continues...'' Pushing himself off the ground, a pained grunt left his mouth and caused him to clench his teeth tightly.


    Every centimeter of his body ached, and despite not having muscles, it still felt like they had been ruptured, destroyed, and turned into ashes.


    Plunging his katana to the ground, he pushed off it and stood up, his body visibly shaking as pain coursed through him.


    However, before he could fully stand up, a gunshot-like sound raptured the air and reached his ears, and as if on instinct, he moved to the right in an attempt to dodge the iing attack.


    *Swoosh*


    *BOOM*


    Before Lloyd knew it, the 3-meter tall wolf appeared next to him. The next instant, he flew in the other direction before tumbling head over heels.


    [4-Dimensional Thought]


    Lloyd finally mmed into a tree as air forcefully left his mouth. He did not understand how it worked since he had no internal organs, but he knew that his body was acting the same way a normal human body would have.


    Falling to the ground, Lloyd quickly looked up and opened his eyes. From his point of view, the world around him was beginning to lose color, and the only thing that regained even a tinge of its former vibrance was the creature with piercing eyes that gazed at him from over 100 meters away.


    Now that 4-Dimensional Thought had activated, the ring rage in his eyes vanished, and what reced them were cold and merciless violet eyes that released enough killing intent to cause anyone with a weak will to drop to their knees or pass out.


    Slowly, the shadows around Lloyd began to shift and move towards him, a single goal in mind.


    To kill the creature before them.


    Pushing off the ground, Lloyd''s figure blurred and traveled several meters in a single second while shadows covered his body from head to toe.


    [Shadow Enhancement]


    However, the wolf did not stand idle either, as the moment Lloyd had gotten within a 50-meter radius of it, it had already disappeared from its previous spot.


    *SWOOSH*


    Despite the wolf suddenly appearing at Lloyd''s side, he did not feel any signs of displeasure or fear. Instead, battle intent surged out, and with a pair of cold eyes, he locked gazes with the wolf for a split second.


    To the wolf''s dismay, while this amount of time might have seemed inconsequential, in fact, it was all Lloyd needed as his instincts kicked in and one of his void walker abilities activated on their own.


    [Void Gaze]


    For a split second, the wolf lost all sense of its surroundings as its mind was sent into a ce that could only be described with three words.


    An infinite abyss.


    However, as the wolf saw something deep within the darkness of the abyss, it slightly squinted its eyes. In the distance, a pair of violet eyes gazed at it, and as it locked eyes with this being, it felt as if its soul was being peered into, and all its secrets had beenid bare in front of it.


    Its entire body stiffened, yet before it could regain what littleposure it had left, it was thrown back into the real world, pain coursing from a particr spot in its body.


    A deep gash could be seen on its side, yet the party that had created that gash did not seem pleased at all, their cold eyes simply narrowing at the disy of blood gushing out of the side.


    ''Void gaze won''t work a second time... and even as it froze, I was only capable of creating that? I guess this should be expected, after all...''


    Lloyd''s thoughts paused as he narrowed his eyes further-


    ''That thing is clearly in the firstmandment.''


    It was a well-known fact that fighting betweenmandments was close to impossible. All records show that fighting a person of a highermandment, no matter how talented the weaker party is, was impossible. Only a few people in history had done it, and even then, it was mainly because of their immense talent and the fact that they were half steps.


    Due to half steps being people who were already half a step into the nextmandment, it made their fights much easier. It should be pointed out that the gap betweenmandments was immense, to the point where not even 20 average people of a lowermandment could create a scratch on an enemy with a highermandment.


    However, throughout all of history, there has always been one exception to this rule... A race that broke every rule in the universe without batting an eye. A race that shattered all scales and had to be ranked on a scale of their own.


    Those were Void Walkers.


    As Lloyd''s eyes lingered on the gash that gushed blood out from the wolf''s side, his eyes apathetically scanned the rest of its body before sighing in disappointment after not finding any more openings.


    From what he could see, the wolf was enraged beyond belief, and doing anything at that moment would sign his death warrant.


    Using [Shadow Travel], Lloyd''s body began to melt before it finally submerged into his shadow. Without a second thought, Lloyd used [Shadow Travel] to retreat several dozen meters away before reappearing on a branch in the distance.


    His apathetic eyes nonchntly gazed in the direction of the wolf, and from what he could see, the wolf''s gaze was like a pair of sharp daggers pointed in his direction. The bloodlust emanating from the wolf alone was enough to indicate the level of anger that boiled within the wolf''s heart.


    ''It''s much stronger than me, and its speed is unrivaled. However, despite that, itcks techniques, while all its attacks are telegraphed. I easily figured out its attack patterns, and it doesn''t seem to have much variety in how it attacks.'' Lloyd mused.


    However, his thoughts paused there as he watched the wolf in the distance get enveloped in shadows before suddenly disappearing.


    *Thud* *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*


    Lloyd could audibly hear the wood get knocked as the wolf blurred between trees like a ping-pong ball, jumping from one tree to another in a zigzag pattern that would have confused anyone who saw it.


    However, Lloyd had a neutral expression on his face as his cold eyes darted around, clearly following the moves of the wolf.


    *Swoosh*


    Shifting his shoulder slightly, Lloyd attempted to avoid the iing attack that would cut his arm off, yet despite knowing that the attack wasing, he could notpletely dodge it in time.


    However, that''s when something clicked in his mind.


    In an instant, everything turned a different shade of their normal color before darkness enveloped Lloyd''s vision. He didn''t know what was happening, but when his eyes opened one again, he was in a different location, havingpletely dodged the attack in a way that he could not exin norprehend.


    Taking several steps back, his wariness only increased while the grip on his katana tightened. Three gash marks could be seen on his shoulder, yet not a drop of blood came out of that wound. These gashes came from the previous attack, and he was sure that the wound would have been much worse if he had not mysteriously dodged it in the nick of time.


    Lloyd did not even let out a grunt, his eyes still darting about, trying his best to find the wolf''s next move.


    While at first, it might seem like its movements were random due to its dominant speed, in fact, with a bit of time, Lloyd could easily begin to read its pattern. However, time was one thing Lloyd did not have.


    *Swoosh*


    The wolf tried to attack again, but this time Lloyd had readied his de and swung in the direction of where he expected the attack.


    *CLANG*


    A loud metallic sh almost raptured both of their eardrums, and despite Lloyd not having any eardrums, he, for some reason, still felt the pain that associated itself with loud sounds, ear-piercing sounds.


    However, despite blocking the attack, Lloyd was still flung back like a broken kite, smashing into every tree and breaking it in the process.


    Regaining his bnce mid-air, Lloyd''s foot mmed into the ground and pushed him upwards, canceling out his momentum and allowing him to safelynd on a branch mostly unharmed.


    While several cracks continued to run throughout his skin, he continued to not feel an ounce of pain. Every fiber of his being was demanding one thing and one thing only, and it was to kill the wolf, no matter the consequences.


    *Boom*


    Suddenly, a wave of pressure shot out of the wolf, and from what Lloyd could see, it was the wolf''s ultimate attack.


    The shadows around the wolf began to shift, and in an instant, they all shot towards it at an unfathomable speed before beginning to spin around it like a vortex.


    At the same time, Lloyd felt a weird feeling inside his chest, and as if on instinct, he held his de horizontally in front of him before his left hand moved towards it, and two of his fingers rested on the base of the katana.


    At the same time, the wolf disappeared from where it stood while shooting off like a bullet in Lloyd''s direction. It was no longer moving left or right, and instead was now shooting off in a straight line, a technique optimal for gaining as much speed as possible in a short amount of time.


    Dust was thrown into the air as a shockwave shot out from the wolf''s figure, indicating that it broke a sound wave.


    On the other hand, Lloyd let out a breath with white steam leaving his mouth.


    *VHOOOOM*


    Killing intent in the form of purple and ck threads explode from his body before engulfing the surroundings and continuing to expand without stop. The wind was thrown in every direction, yet Lloyd did not face one bit as his eyes continued to stare at the iing figure that made his instincts scream, "Instant Death!"


    With his index and middle finger on the base of the katana, he slowly began to move them towards the tip as they traced over the cold pitch ck metal that the de was made of.


    As Lloyd''s fingers moved, bright violet runes would engulf the de and shine brightly, and when his fingers finally reached the tip, the runes expanded and made everything but the handle of the katana, a bright violet that shone brightly in the darkness of the forest.


    Before long, Lloyd had his katana over his head, ready to slice down at any moment and instantly kill anything that got in his way.


    However, he did not have to wait long as not even a secondter, the figure d in shadows appeared before him.


    His sword cleaved that air before it and moved down towards its enemy. Time and space fluctuated around the violet de, yet that seemed to be the least of Lloyd''s concerns.


    Suddenly, 3 words left Lloyds mouth, and despite their simplicity, when muttered, nothing but chaos would descend on thendscape they happened to be summoned in.


    "Aspect of Void"

 Chapter 16 Second Void Walk [4]

    "Boys! Girls! The food is ready!" La, also known as Mrs. de, shouted in an attempt to gain the attention of all the children.


    However, she didn''t ount that she would also have to drag her husband and Noah, Lloyd''s father, out of their couches to eat.


    From what she had observed, they were currently watching a game on the TV, yet she did not care in the least about what they were watching, as in her eyes, the meal that she and Olivia had cooked was much more important than some silly game on the TV.


    In fact, she never really understood what enjoyment there was from watching lots of men wrestle for a ball.


    After a minute or so of calling everyone, they eventually all conceded. Before she knew it, the table was full, and everyone was ready to eat... Well, everyone if you exclude Lloyd''s older brother, Richard, who was barely at home anyway due to him having to work all the time, and Lloyd himself.


    "Where''s Lloyd?" Asked Zack while stifling a yawn.


    pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 "Oh yeah, where''s big brother?" Alice asked, her eyes squinting at the chair empty chair across the table.


    Suddenly, aplicated expression appeared on all the adult''s faces. They remembered the chat they had the night before when Lloyd had decided to leave and go to sleep.


    La had told them all about Lloyd''s emotional state when she had met him in front of the hospital, on the podium, and even right before he left to sleep upstairs.


    Despite La being careful with her words, this only served to worry Lloyd''s parents, as they were not stupid enough to take her "Careful words," as a sign of good news.


    Many things happened after that, and even Ava was there to take part in the conversation, yet after Zack awoke, they quickly changed the subject into a more light-hearted matter.


    Now that it was brought up again, they could not help but react weirdly, as what La had said the day before lingered in their minds and caused the words to echo vividly.


    "He seems awfully stressedtely. I don''t know why, but be more open with him and allow him toe to you for support. It was the best think you can do in situations like this."


    As they thought of those words, they all let out a collective sigh before their eyes darted towards the stairs. This did not go unnoticed by the children, but they still chose to ignore it, thinking that it was just a coincidence.


    However, that''s when it hit...


    *DOOOOOM*


    All their eyes slowly widened as cold sweat covered the backs of everyone younger than Ava.


    Frowns appeared on the faces of the adults as every one of them stood up with their weapons suddenly appearing in their hands.


    A white hue expanded out of Rubert and enveloped the children in the room, allowing them to breathe again.


    Even Zack was having a problem moving as he felt like a mountain was on his shoulders.


    "Who dares!" Benjamin roared, making the wind blow around him violently.


    "I believe the killing intent ising from Lloyd''s room, sir. Do not worry, though; he is the only person in the room, so he is not in danger."


    "L-Lloyd? Are you suggesting that this is Lloyd''s killing intent?" Olivia stuttered with disbelief.


    "Hmm... I''m not sure. There are many ways to make killing intent appear in ces despite not being there yourself. This doesn''t feel like Lloyd''s-"


    Before Rubert could finish speaking, the killing intent disappeared, yet he did not continue since he could only helplessly watch Ava, Noah, La, Olivia, and Benjamin disappear from the room and appear in another area of the house.


    ***


    Lloyd''s eyes fluttered open before an expression filled with rage reced his cold and stoic one.


    The killing intent that he had mustered up in the fight against the wolf identally surged out of his body, yet he did not seem to recognize this fact as rage continued to burn within his eyes.


    ''I was so close! Damnit!''


    He could still feel pain course through his body despite not being hurt in the least... Or, to be precise, his real body wasn''t hurt in the least.


    The scene of the wolf suddenly disappearing from in front of him caused him to grit his teeth, while the image of it appearing behind him and shing at his back caused him to clench his hand into a fist.


    However, after a few seconds, he finally let go and let his body rx.


    Staying angry would do him no good, and while his mood might have been destroyed, something else made him feel a tinge of hope in his heart.


    Looking down at his watch, a wry smirk perked up the corner of his lips while his eyes shone like violet saucers.


    [Next Void Walk: 06D:23H:59M:59S]


    However, the smile disappeared as fast as it came. Nothing but that wolf''s death would be able to fix Lloyd''s mood. The long wait for the next Void Walk only meant that Lloyd would have more time to prepare, and this time, he would not hesitate to kill that wolf the moment he saw it.


    ''Now that I think about it, I don''t think that wolf was in the firstmandment. Most likely, it was a half-step firstmandment since the firstmandments are much stronger than the wolf showed.'' Lloyd scratched his cheek, his mood worsening after the sudden realization.


    Knowing that he was beaten by a half-step hit his pride much worse than thinking he was beaten by a firstmandment shadow wolf. However, despite being angry about how the fight went, he was d that he was still alive.


    Slowly, the killing intent that had unknowingly exploded out of him began to seep back into his body, and not before long, the killing intent vanished and what remained was an eerily quiet atmosphere.


    Standing up, Lloyd walked to his bedroom door. A brow raised after feeling 5 presences behind it, yet he did not shy away from opening the door and taking a step out.


    As he stepped out, a loud yawn left his mouth, and ck circles were engraved under his eyes, indicating that he got very little sleep.


    "L-Lloyd honey? Are you okay?" Olivia asked.


    Looking at his mother, Lloyd raised a brow and replied. "Yeah, why?"


    Seeing the nonchnt attitude, they all looked at him weirdly. They all knew what they felt, so they were surprised to see Lloyd''s nonchnce.


    However, even though the answer indicated Lloyd was fine, a few of them could not help but flinch when hearing his answer.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Despite his normal answer, they all heard a tinge of coldness behind it.


    Seeing they had nothing to say, Lloyd shrugged and moved out of the way; however, his mouth could not help but twitch as his parents began to scan his room.


    ''Oh well... They can do whatever the hell they want. I don''t actually care.''


    Lloyd moved along and quickly entered the bathroom, and after seeing that Lloyd was nowhere to be seen, all of them slowly looked towards La, who was standing behind them with tightly knit brows.


    "Rage..." She muttered.


    "What?" Asked Olivia and Ava, almost in sync.


    "His intent to kill, despite being suppressed, was extremely high. The rage behind it too..." Her frown deepened.


    "So you are saying that-..." Benjamin''s words halted his gaze on his wife''s deep frown.


    "Yes... The killing intent was his."


    "What!? That''s not possible." Noah shouted, but his wife held him back.


    "It should be impossible, but the rage and resentment were enough to conclude my theory. It wasn''t targeted at us, but it was targeted at something..." La rubbed the bridge of her nose.


    "Maybe he had a bad dream?" Ava asked her expression the same as La''s.


    "Dream? Pfft! What he went through has to be the worst of nightmares for him to build that amount of rage. Let''s not forget that there have been a lot of things about Lloyd recently that don''t make much sense. Why was he at the abandoned hospital? When had he awakened? Three passive skills? The killing intent both yesterday and today. His purple eyes? You should begin questioning him because I am certain he won''t tell you anything without an interrogation." La snorted while the rest had grim expressions on their faces.


    ***


    "I feel much stronger, and my physique has improved again..." Lloyd muttered while looking at his shirtless upper body and flexing his muscles.


    His body, while being muscr, was more on the lean side. It meant that he was both flexible and strong, which in hindsight, was the best physique for his fighting style.


    ''I still have no idea how my body works... Despite having read a lot about void walkers in the past, a lot of the information seems false. I don''t have blood in my system, but I have muscles and organs. In fact, I wouldn''t be capable of breathing if I didn''t have muscles and organs, so how?''


    Scratching his chin, he sighed out in frustration and promised himself that he would look further into the matter in the near future.


    After a while of looking at himself in the mirror, he grabbed a lock of his wet hair and couldn''t help but narrow his eyes.


    Since his hair was disheveled before entering the shower, he did not see the full length of it, yet now that he was looking at it, he could not help but notice that it had grown a little.


    It wasn''t too tall, yet it was just enough for it to hinder his vision, or so he thought.


    Despite the hair being in front of his eyes, he did not seem to have any problems seeing past it. In fact, to him, it was as if the hair wasn''t even there as it did not disturb his vision in the least.


    "Weird... But it still looking kind cool!" he muttered with a smirk.


    After another 15 minutes, he finally left the bathroom.


    *Step Step Step Step*


    "Oh? You''re finally awake sleep head?" namented with a mocking smirk before going back to using her phone.


    "Sit here. Make it quick!" Lloyd''s mother waved at him; before long, he was already sitting at the table.


    Eating his food in silence, Lloyd did not say a word and simply listened as the rest spoke with each other, with no signs of the previous event hindering their conversation, not that Lloyd knew what the event was in the first ce.


    Well, that was until-


    "Lloyd! Did you feel the killing intent earlier? Even though it was scary, it was still kinda cool. I wonder who''s killing intent that was."


    Hearing Zack''s words, Lloyd almost choked on his food.


    ''Killing intent? Earlier!? Oh sh*t, I think that was me!''


    Coughing lightly, Lloyd tried to act as if he didn''t almost choke on his food.


    "Uhm... Well, of course, I felt it. Its the reason I woke up." Lloyd lied through his teeth.


    "Ah, I see. You must have not felt it fully them. It was kind of amazing!" Zack eximed while Lloyd rubbed the bridge of his nose, something that did not go unseen by the rest of the adults in the room.


    After eating all of his food, Lloyd stood and took his te to the kitchen.


    "Lloyd. Don''t stand up until everyone is finished," Olivia suddenly reprimanded.


    "I have something I need to do." Lloyd replied while entering the kitchen, and within seconds, he left and moved towards the coat hanger.


    "Where do you think you are going so early in the morning?" Olivia asked.


    "It''s important. I''lle back in a few hours." Lloyd replied, traces of irritation threatening to appear in his voice.


    Noah suddenly frowned, and with one movement, he was right next to Lloyd, his hand stretching to touch his shoulder.


    ''Danger.''


    That was the only word that went through Lloyd''s mind as the hand grew closer. Lloyd''s mind raced, and his body moved independently.


    *Swoosh*

 Chapter 17 Null [1]

    After having fought several dozen wolves with his life on the line, Lloyd gained something. While at first, it might have been deemed simple and not worth speaking of, yet, the moment he felt his father''s hand reach out to him, that very thing he gained turned into somewhat of a curse.


    *Swoosh


    The word ''Danger'' rang out within Lloyd''s mind, and before he knew it, he narrowly dodged the had by sidestepping. A nk look appeared on his face as his body moved independently.


    His arm readied itself by stretching back, but before he could throw out an explosive punch that held all his power and might, the nk look on his face disappeared, and one filled with panic reced it.


    A worried and shocked expression appeared on La''s face, yet everyone else did not seem to understand what was happening. From where they were looking, it looked like Lloyd either dodged his father''s hand, or that his father had purposely missed him.


    Without skipping a beat, Lloyd used the momentum gathered to swing his upper body downwards, and without a second of hesitation, he began to do hisces.


    The whole thing could only be described with the use of one word.


    Smooth!


    "..."


    Everyone stayed silent. Anyone with strict parents knew that dodging their parents was the same as signing a death warranty, and at that moment, everyone kept their eyes on the duo in an attempt to witness how Lloyd would die (Metaphorically, of course.)


    However, the corpse they were expecting never came.


    After tying hisces, Lloyd simply stood up and left through the front door. He could feel his heart thumping loudly despite the fact he was 95% sure he didn''t have one.


    Leaving his house and closing the door behind him, he could not help but breathe a sigh of relief.


    Touching himself all over, his mind rxed as a thought perked up in his mind.


    ''Looks like I am still intact.''


    "Young Lloyd?"


    "Good morning uncle Rubert!" Lloyd greeted and quickly sprinted out of the front gates, moving past the cleanly cut front yard.


    As Lloyd left his house, he instantly entered his shadow, and by the time Rubert looked over, not even his shadow could be seen lingering in the area.


    ***


    After leaving his shadow and ensuring no one was following him, he turned off his GPS system and began walking through the bustling street.


    Since it was a holiday, the streets were even more crowded, with children, adults, and teenagers walking around without qualms.


    However, Lloyd cared very little about his surroundings, as the moment his eyesnded on a certain shop, he skillfully traversed the crowds and dodged everyone in his way.


    While he could have used [Shadow Travel], it was considered taboo to use your abilities in public. While it wasn''t outright banned, it was looked down upon; however, that was not Lloyd''s main reason.


    Despite using his ability for what felt like two days, Lloyd still did not know how his shadow travel would be affected if other people chose to touch it. While there have been instances where his shadow was targeted, he did not have the pleasure of allowing the attacks to hit him, as in thosendscapes, a single hit could have marked his death.


    After finally moving past the crowd, he found himself standing in front of an extremely popr destination.


    Dozens of people were leaving and entering the buildings, yet there wasn''t an ounce of traffic as the crowd moved in and out without a hitch.


    While the outside looked like a normal high-tech 20-story-high building, the inside was another story all by itself. If Lloyd was forced to describe it using one word, he would find that the only word that would fit the scene before him would be magnificent.


    While the outside looked fine, it was a far cry from the magnificence of the inside.


    "Get out of the way already. We don''t have all day!" A man shouted from behind Lloyd while subtly tapping on his shoulder.


    "Oh, crap! Sorry about that." Lloyd apologized after realizing that he was standing in the middle of the door and blocking the entrance for many of the people behind him.


    While the door wasrge enough to let 4 burly men through without many problems, a single person holding up a section of the door would only clog up, making the outburst of the man behind him more than reasonable.


    After a while, Lloyd finally found his way toward one of the receptionists.


    "Hello sir, how can I help you today?" The woman behind the counter asked with a professional smile.


    While the woman in front of him was extremely beautiful, Lloyd did not care in the least.


    "I want to register as an adventurer, please," Lloyd replied while the woman''s expression remained the same as she gave him a form to fill out.


    After doing so, he returned the form; yet, despite thinking that this was the end of the process, the woman''s next words told him otherwise.


    "Would you like to be known as Lloyd, or would you like a code name?" She asked with a tilt of the head.


    "Oh, that..." Lloyd replied before scratching his head.


    After ncing at his outfit, his ID card that told him his ss of a "Shadow assassin," and all his shadow abilities, Lloyd let out a small grin and replied-


    "Shadow... My code name will be Shadow."


    Scenes of him entering the battlefield as a ck streak of shadows and leaving nothing but decimation behind him made him smile widely.


    He could already hear the cheers in the distance, the name ''Shadow'' being roared out by hundreds of thousands of people.


    "Sorry, sir, but that name has already been used. In fact, that is the name of an S-rank adventurer. I would suggest you try finding another name." The receptionist let out a small chuckle that made Lloyd''s dreams of sess crash and shatters into hundreds of pieces.


    ''She''s mocking me! Don''t worry; when I be an infamous SSS rank Adventurer, you will be the one groveling at my feet,dy!''


    However, no matter how much Lloyd wanted to say those words aloud, he still wanted to be an adventurer, and insulting the receptionist would not get him closer to his small goal. In fact, he was certain that it would just make something as small as registering much bigger than it should have.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Uhm... Then how about The Monster yer." Lloyd asked with a small smile on his face. While he didn''t think of the name much at the moment, he said it in the future; he would look back at this day and feel toe-curling cringe infest every part of his mind. He would go through several sleepless nights, yet somehow, a miracle happened!


    "That one is used to." The receptionist responded, and future Lloyd would look back at this day while praying for the goodwill of the man who chose such a cringy name.


    "Assassin!"


    "Used."


    "Wraith?"


    "Uh uh"


    "Prince of Darkness?"


    "Nope... An organization called the Elyon Company has already trademarked that one."


    "876?"


    "Used by some A rank weirdo who has an obsession with chess. He''s handsome and rich, though..." The receptionistmented before her eyes became unfocused, while Lloyd could practically see her thoughts at that moment.


    "I heard he has over 40 wiv-"


    However, Lloyd quickly cut her off with his final suggestion, and the one his future self would cringe the least at.


    "How about Null?" Lloyd asked, yet after waiting for several seconds, he did not get an answer, so he asked again.


    "Null?"


    "Yeah, so I checked all the databases, and surprisingly enough, no one has the name Null. Congrattions, adventurer Null! Now all you have to do is go through the little testing procedure. Since many came here after finishing school, it will take a little longer than usual. Please be patient with us." The receptionist exined before giving a little boy and handing Lloyd a receipt with the number 192 on it.


    Sitting down and waiting for what felt like forever, Lloyd finally heard his number being called up.


    In this day and age, the adventurers association was one of the only organizations that weren''t being controlled and manipted by the government. Not even the likes of Benjamin de or the de Patriarch could affect the decisions of the adventurer''s organization or gain any information about someone who registered with them.


    By registering with the adventurer''s association, one would gain many benefits, one of the main ones being that registered people could enter permanent dungeons owned by the adventurer''s association. At the same time, unless someone were tomit a crime or do something bad, they would always be protected by the adventurer''s association no matter their background.


    The only thing that mattered to them was power, and rightfully so, since power was the only thing that could dictate the life of people in this era of dungeons and monsters.


    After walking up to one of the workers and showing them his receipt with the number 192 on it, the worker took him to the back before entering a room and showing Lloyd to one of the podiums.


    A tinge of fear could not help but appear on Lloyd''s face, yet after exhaling slowly, the fear disappeared, and Lloyd returned to his usual self.


    "Please ce your hand on the podium." A man''s voice entered Lloyd''s ears, and despite not seeing the man anywhere near him, he quicklyplied with the order.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    After what felt like forever, the voice spoke again.


    "Alright. Your adventurer''s card should be printing itself. One will be sent to your wristwatch in case you lose the card. Please make your way to the front entrance. One of the workers should give you your card there."


    Nodding, Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief before strolling to the front door.


    Bidding the receptionist farewell, Lloyd stepped out of the building and looked down at his wristwatch.


    [Name: Null]


    [Commandment: -----]


    [ss: Shadow Assassin]


    [Talent: 2-Star]


    [Rank: F+]


    While Null wasn''t the best choice of all the names Lloyd could have chosen, Lloyd was never good with names in the first ce. All he thought of at that moment was the word Void, and despite wanting to use the name, it was probably not the best of ideas.


    Having a name like Void and showing up with violet eyes, shadow abilities, and the capabilities of beating creatures of a highermandment were bound to create suspicions, not that Lloyd nned on using his Void Walker abilities in the first ce.


    It was always better to stay safe than sorry.


    ''F rank, huh... Well, I should have expected this.'' Lloyd scratched his chin before shrugging.


    Ranks were based on thebination between abilities,mandments, and experience. A man stuck in the firstmandment for thest 20 years might only be capable of moving towards the D rank if they were lucky, while someone with 10 abilities yet 0 experience would be lucky if they got anything close to C rank.


    In the minds of the adventurer''s association, power and abilities trumped all, yet one needed a bnce between them all to get a solid foundation and a low death rate.


    With a swipe of Lloyd''s finger, he changed the holographic screen to one of a map that showed several blue dots all over the city, but at the same time, he could see several red dots shining too, followed by a few purple dots as well that he was familiar with.


    ''Purple means unauthorized... Blue should mean a normal permanent dungeon, and even though I don''t know what red means, if I were to guess, it probably meant that it was a temporary dungeon with a risk of breaking if not conquered within a certain amount of time. I should probably try out the blue one first. Usually, permanent dungeons are a lot more secure than temporary ones.'' Lloyd inwardly concluded.


    With the aid of his wristwatch, he walked toward one of the nearby dungeons.

 Chapter 18 Null [2]

    Arriving at a highly guarded, Lloyd could not help but raise a brow at the disy in front of him.


    This was a high-tech area, and while it was made to look like this was just a governmental facility created and raised around a scientific phenomenon, it was, in fact, just the adventurer''s association putting measures in ce to ensure that no one would get close to the gate.


    Leaving a dungeon gate essible to the public would cause horrible consequences, to the point where not even temporary dungeons would be easily essible.


    Before deciding whether or not he should enter, he quickly snatched a ck mask out of my wristwatch''s dimensional space and put it on.


    The ck mask was quite in. Its face waspletely smooth, making it look like it was a part of an egg''s shell, while near the upper middle were two eye-sized holes that made it very easy for anyone to see Lloyd''s deep violet eyes that seemed to pierce through people''s souls with a single nce.


    While usually, a mask like this would have hindered Lloyd''s vision, it was created with battle in mind, making it so that despite only two holes, Lloyd could see through the ck material of the mask. This made it so that his vision wasn''t hindered in the least, while his peripheral vision could still be used even if the mask continued being on.


    "Halt! State your business!" One of the guards shouted and stepped forward with his weapon in hand while the other guard silently shook his head in both embarrassment and disappointment.


    Clearly, it was the loudmouth''s first day; otherwise, he wouldn''t have acted like that.


    Lloyd sighed and was about to rub the bridge of his nose, but he quickly realized he was wearing a mask.


    "Mitchell, there is no need to shout at everyone whoes around!" The other man''s face palmed. Hearing this, Lloyd could not help but let out a small chuckle while taking several steps towards the door.


    "I''m an adventurer. I''d like to enter the E-rank dungeon, please." Lloyd asked the face-palming man, his voice slightly cold. Taking out his adventurer card, he handed it to the man and waited for him to say something.


    Adventurer cards were the one thing that could not be forged without trillions of dors. At the same time, they could not be stolen because they were biometrically linked to the person that owned them.


    "Seems legit. One thing, though... You can''t enter the dungeon alone when you are under D rank. I suggest you try and party up with an E rank squad." The man informed while giving Lloyd back his card.


    Moving towards the door, Lloyd put his card in and looked around to face the man.


    "Thank you for your advice..." Lloyd thanked, yet it was cold and distant. He didn''t understand why his voice kepting out this way, yet he did notin in the least. The more distant he seemed, the less connections he would make, and therefore the lower the chances of anyone finding out he was a Void Walker.


    "Your wee kid. Well... I think you are a kid. I don''t actually know." He shrugged while the man behind him clenched his weapon even harder than before, his anger reaching a boiling point.


    *Pshhh*


    The door behind Lloyd opened, and he immediately entered. While he was curious about what the man who was beginning to glow red in anger would say, after seeing him almost reach his boiling point due to being ignored, Lloyd thought against his n and ran away.


    ''Better safe than sorry.'' Lloyd thought.


    Moving towards the center of the room, he looked around for a bit and found quite a few groups of people talking to each other.


    After eavesdropping for a couple of seconds, he moved from one group to the next, yet it was one disappointment after another. None of them seemed to be talking about anything relevant, and from what Lloyd was seeing, none of them needed an extra teammate.


    While Lloyd wanted to join a group, he would not lower himself to being a porter where he would do nothing but carry items all-day. At the same time, he was too socially awkward to go to random people and ask them if they wanted another teammate, not that the chances of them agreeing in the first ce were high either way.


    Lloyd pondered about his situation for a few seconds before he finally lost interest and began to walk out, yet on the way out, he caught a glimpse of something from the corner of his eye.


    Walking over, he stood in front of a ''Squad referrals table and asked-


    "Can I be assigned to a squad?"


    "Yeah. Just give me your card, and I''ll tell you the squad you should go to." She exined while Lloyd did as she told him.


    A few seconds quickly passed, and his card was returned to him before he was directed towards a specific squad in the distance who wereughing and chatting their hearts out.


    Walking over to them with a stoic expression under his mask, Lloyd looked at their burly leader and gave him a paper detailing how he would join their squad for their next dungeon raid.


    "Oh, nice. Well, seems like we have ourst member." The man smiled widely before extending his hand in a friendly manner.


    "My name is Osmygold, but you can just call me Osmy. I''m a Pdin," the squad leader stated while shaking Lloyd''s hand.


    ''Strong grip...'' Lloyd thought while peering into Osmygold''s eyes.


    An expression of slight shock appeared on the man''s face, something Lloyd noticed, yet it disappeared as fast as it came making it so that the others did not see it.


    "Hey, I''m Peacexelr. You can just call me Peace. I''m an archer and usually fight as support. I can be a very good damage dealer, though, so sometimes I deviate." A man with a bow on his back walked over to Lloyd and shook his hand.


    Pushing up his spectacles and pushing away his long ck hair from his eyes, Peace turned around and looked at the girl behind him while waving her over.


    "Oh?" She tilted her head a few degrees to the right before a bright smile appeared on her face. It was a smile akin to an innocent girl, yet Lloyd knew better than to trust that smile of hers.


    Those who have the most innocent smiles are either fools or the deadliest tricksters known to man. No adult should be capable of unleashing such a smile, especially with how cruel the universe can be to those most ignorant.


    Seeing Lloyd''s wariness around her, she could not help but smile even more widely than before as she extended her hand for a handshake.


    "I''m Rosepetal. I''m an elemental swordsman." She stated simply, yet something else ran through the minds of everyone as she spoke. Everyone but Lloyd.


    ''What a melody...''


    And to a certain extent, that was true. Her voice was melodious to the ears. It was as if her voice was created to please the ears and rx the mind.


    "And this right here is my friend-"


    "Trishaless... I''m a Barbarian" Her friend cut her off while grumbling under her breath. Despite the girl seeming quite fragile due to her petite physique, a giant waraxe could be seen tied to her back as she moved wlessly without a hitch.


    It almost looked like she didn''t feel the weight of the waraxe on her back.


    ''A pdin, elemental swordsman, barbarian and archer... Pretty good team if you ask me.'' Lloyd thought to himself.


    A pdin was considered a ss of the Magic rarity, making it very rare for anyone to have the ss. The same goes for the elemental swordsman, a ss also in the Magic category.<novelnext></novelnext>


    While barbarians were strong, they were only in the rare category, one rank lower than the pdin and elemental swordsman, and to a certain extent, it was considered nothing more than a cheap copy of the legendary ranked berserker ss that a barbarian has the low chance of evolving into every time they go up amandment.


    [Author''s note: The ranking goes like this-


    -Common


    -Rare


    -Magic


    -Legendary


    -???


    -???]


    After everyone introduced themselves, they all looked at the slightly disinterested Lloyd standing in the middle of them all with folded arms.


    After a few more seconds of staring, Osmy finally spoke up with a disgruntled voice that he tried his best to hide.


    "You haven''t introduced yourself..."


    "My name is Null, Shadow assassin." Lloyd kept his introduction brief and as concise as possible, making the others look at him weird but eventually shrug it off as him ''Trying to act cool.''


    Not many wore masks, and those who did were criminals or wanted to act cool; very rarely would there be another reason.


    After a bit more small talk, they finally packed up and moved towards the 7-and-a-half-meter tall rapture in space-time.


    After continuing to walk in the lead alongside Osmy and Peace, Lloyd could not help but have a bad feeling emerge within his heart. However, he simply threw the feeling to the back of his heart.


    Despite that, the sweating did not halt, nor did the feeling of unease go away, yet he had done the best he could to suppress it, and he knew that.


    As he watched all of them enter the space rapture nonchntly, Lloyd took a deep breath and finally entered behind them.


    *VHOOOM*


    Lloyd''s vision twisted and warped in many different ways, and before long, he felt as if he was about to get ejected, so he braced himself for the impact.


    *Fwoooosh*


    *Thud*


    Leaving the dungeon gate, Lloyd found himself falling from 5 meters in the air.


    Without thinking about it, Lloyd quickly regained his bnce mid-air by discerning which was way up and which way was down, allowing him tond on both his feet.


    *Thud* *Thud* *Thud*


    The remaining threended beside Lloyd, and despite some falling and othersnding on their feet, Lloyd only spared them a nce before looking back at their leader.


    One might have called this an egregious act or a crappy thing to do, yet every time Lloyd looked at them, he could not help but have a bad feeling about them.


    It wasn''t that he felt danger from them, no... He felt he needed to distance himself from them and have the least amount of interactions with them.


    It was a feeling he felt before whenever he found himself in social situations, yet now, it was as if that feeling was being amplified 100 times.


    "Hmm... A fores-" Before Osmy could say anything, he instinctually pushed himself back, causing him to roll and regroup with Lloyd and the rest.


    "What was that?" He asked, a tinge of fear in his voice as his life seemed to have shed before his eyes.


    However, before anyone could think of analyzing their surroundings, the archer pointed toward something and caused the rest to look at the thing sticking out of the ground.


    "An arrow?" Trishaless asked with a raised brow.


    Lloyd could not help but narrow his eyes, looking at the arrow lodged into the ground.


    ''So these are goblins, huh... They are a lot more intelligent than I thought they were.'' Lloyd mused with cold and apathetic eyes.


    Looking up, he narrowed his eyes and quickly made a conclusion.


    While it might have looked like there was a sky above them, Lloyd had researched enough to know how this dungeon worked and what the creatures inside it would be.


    They were on the first floor of the greatbyrinth, which humanity had still not found a way out of.


    While many permanent dungeon portals linked to this specificbyrinth, not only on Deroxa but also on several others in the human domain, it was well known that the first 3 or so floors were filled with creatures without amandment, making it very easy for anyone toe here and train, yet this did not mean that the training would all of a sudden be easy.


    People could very well lose their lives with one mistake here, and while it wasn''t as amodating as the human-colonizeds, there were still a veryrge amount of people who had chosen to move into thebyrinth and create small civilizations.


    Lloyd knew that going to the lower floors waspletely prohibited if they did not kill the boss of the floor they were on, and since bosses and other ''mobs'' respawned after a while of being killed, it meant that most people would go to the next floor, or die trying.


    "We are being ambushed. Since we spawn at random ces, we can only me our luck for spawning next to a goblin vige!" Rosepetal exined and got into the formation with the rest of them, yet despite that, Lloyd had no idea what he should have been doing, so instead of joining them in their cool little formation, he slowly melted into the ground and disappeared from sight.


    ''This is going to be fun...'' Lloyd muttered to himself, but despite his jovial words, his voice in his mind was bone-chilling, while his expression under the mask remained the same, continuing to be cold and uncaring as his head finally melted into his shadow.


    This was going to be a one-sided massacre; it just wasn''t obvious who would be on the receiving end this time.

 Chapter 19 Null [3]

    "D-Did he just run away?" Trishaless could not help but stutter as she watched Lloyd''s figure slowly melt into the shadows.


    While they all knew he was a shadow assassin, they were slightly startled when they saw him suddenly melt away and leave them behind. For some reason, they almost felt betrayed.


    "Should we go back?" Peace asked while taking out a rune engraved stone that shone with dim green light before waving it at Osmy.


    "Go back? Who do you think we are? That kid is a first-timer, so I didn''t expect anything from him. We can deal with these guys all on our own, but after dealing with them, we will have some unfinished business with that k-" Yet before Osmy could finish his speech, a low voice entered their ears with the volume of a hushed whisper, yet continuing to emanate and overwhelming pressure.


    "Kukukuku..." Theugh rang out in their ears despite its low volume, but it did not seem to lessen the shock and sudden paralyzing fear that everyone except Osmy and Rosepetal felt.


    "W-w-what''s happening!?" Peace shouted, slowly losing his cool while frantically pointing his bow at everything and anything that moved.


    "That is..." Rosepetal blinked, her breathing erratic while her heart beat quickly and unevenly.


    One could see several silhouettes stepping out of the shadows of the vegetation around them, ranging from trees to bushes.


    The rustling caused all their ears to perk up, and when they finally looked around, they saw several goblins around them looking at them with both disgusting and hungry eyes.


    ''Goblins are truly the most detestable creatures.'' Lloyd thought while his eyes scanned over all the enemies that suddenly popped up. While some were licking their lips, others trembled in excitement while holding their rusted and blunt weapons in their hands, ready to slice anything that stood in their way in the hopes of seeing human blood for the first time in a long time.


    However, unfortunately for them, they did not consider the power of the humans before them. Of course, how were they supposed to know that the team of humans before them had an elemental swordsman and a Pdin who was in the initials stages of the firstmandment?


    After Lloyd finally scanned all the creatures before him from on top of a tree, he quickly dropped from the branch he was standing on and entered his shadow again.


    "31 goblins in total. None are in the firstmandment, but there is one with high-quality equipment. A sword, to be exact." Lloyd suddenly announced and caused Peace to yelp like a little girl as the shadows near his feet slowly pushed a person out of it. On the other hand, the others pointed their weapons at Lloyd before sighing in relief and looking at their enemy.


    "-He is also the strongest one out of the bunch..." Lloyd stated with a neutral voice, yet his next words were cold enough to send a shiver down the spine of even Osmy.


    "An his eyes are the most disgusting out of all of them..." Lloyd''s cold voice seeped into the ears of the goblins and made them silent for a couple of seconds. Their bodies refused to budge, and they had no idea why. They only knew that the boy with a mask and purple eyes was the reason for this. After all, such a monarchical aura was very hard to hide from the prying eyes of their leader.


    *SCREEEECH*


    Letting out an ear-piercing screech, their leader, who also happened to have a high-quality sword, lunged forwards and shot toward the man making his soldiers freeze.


    His screech was enough to wake them up from their stupor, but he could not allow such a thing to happen again, so his main priority was to kill the boy who did it.


    "Oh?" However, when Lloyd''s mocking cold voice entered his ears, he could not help but be covered in a cold sweat.


    This was the effect of Monarch''s Aura, a passive ability that could be toggled on and off and use no mana in the process. This was an ability that made even kings of the same level of power bow to you, and right now, despite the leader of the goblin unit being quite a bit stronger than Lloyd, he still felt a tinge of fear in his heart.


    The goblin leader''s ws sharpened and elongated while Lloyd''s hands simultaneouslynded on the handle of his katana, ready to take it out, and shed his opponent''s neck with a single swing.


    This goblin was nothingpared to the Alpha Shadow Wolf he fought in the Void Walk; after all, that was a void walk, and this was real life.


    That shadow wolf was much more dangerous than any enemy Lloyd had faced before, to the point where a single direct strike could have caused his death, yet due to his use of Aspect of Void, his life was sustained.


    However, in Lloyd''s mind, he could not help butpare every enemy that hees across to the Alpha Shadow Wolf, something that made the Goblin leader feel much slower, weaker, and less intelligent in Lloyd''s eyes.


    However, before Lloyd couldnd a well-timed sh upon the neck of the abomination that was sprinting towards him, a loud boom resounded in the area while Lloyd''s hair fluttered away from his mask.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    They all watched in slightly stunned silence, but after seeing what was happening, Lloyd was the first one to regain hisposure and take another look around.


    Since Osmy had flung the leader into the distance so they could fight alone, Lloyd knew that the other goblins would attempt to attack when they were weakest, and therefore he quickly shifted his feet and appeared Peace with a sword being swung out in a wide arch.


    *Schin*


    In an instant, the de flew through the air and decapitated one of the goblins, and despite them closely resembling human children if it was not for their green skin, pointed noses, and fang-like teeth, Lloyd felt nothing as he took the life of one of them.


    To a certain extent, it almost felt like he was a spectator in his own body, his actions feeling detached from his own, yet at the same time feeling as if he would have done the same thing no matter what.


    These were monsters with no feeling, willing to do many disgusting acts of evil without remorse. They were nothing but beasts, so why would Lloyd hesitate to eliminate one of them the moment he saw one?


    In his mind, he was just ridding the world of another evil, not realizing the irony of his thoughts since those would have been the same excuses the united races would have created in order to kill all void walkers.


    Finally regaining theirposure, they all steadied their weapons and began to shoot and cleave at their opponents.


    While Rosepetal''s sword swings seemed elegant and graceful, they held an abnormal amount of power within them, as if its momentum would never break even after slicing through hundreds if not thousands of opponents.


    As long as her de didn''t sh with the de of someone of the same or higher strength, she was bound to have a chained cycle of death, her de turning them into corpses cleanly and efficiently cut in two.


    Trishaless, on the other hand, seemed to be theplete opposite. Despite her petite figure, she deserved the barbarian ss since her fighting style was simply too brutish.


    Her enemies would simply turn into mangled corpses, while the lucky few turned into a dozen pieces due to how much she would cut them with her axe.<novelnext></novelnext>


    If she were to be described in one word, the word would be overkill.


    Peace, on the other hand, was very efficient with what he did.


    Every arrow he knocked on the string of his bow would fly through the air and make one of the goblin heads explode into a million pieces, while others created fist-sized holes in the middle of the chests, destroying their hearts and killing them in an instant.


    It wouldn''t have been an exaggeration to say that this was a one-sided massacre, yet one person was missing from the equation.


    *ching*


    Lloyd sliced a goblin vertically into two pieces; however, due to it being slightly fatter than the others, the resistance was much higher, making his slice through the goblin more audible and longer than it usually would have been.


    "I think that should be thest of them..." Lloyd reached his hand towards the goblin and collected the corpse into a dimensional ring that was given to him by the adventurer''s association for them to put the corpses and loot inside until they left.


    This was for many reasons, such as the 15% split the association got from every dungeon run someone from their association would go to. However, the main reason people used the dimensional storage was that they had veryrge storage space, and while they did have to return them after leaving, they were very useful inside dungeons, especially whenpared to wristwatches that had limited space.


    "We should check on Osmy..." Peace suggested while the others nodded... Everyone except Lloyd, yet it either seemed like no one cared enough to make a fuss about it or that they were too busy with their worries for their leader to realize.


    *ng*


    *ng*


    *ng*


    The sound of metal shing increased and became faster and more rhythmic.


    Despite Osmy being a Pdin, he was very agile even while holding arge shield and an enormous hammer-axe in his hands.


    However, despite that, the goblin seemed to bending more hits on Osmy, and while this would have been considered a win for the goblin, not a single scratch could be seen on Osmy''s meticulous white armor and he continued to dodge, block, and swing.


    Looking at the disy of power before him, Lloyd could not help but narrow his eyes and analyze both of them with his cold eyes.


    ''Osmy''s movements are way too obvious and unnecessary. His face changes every time he attacks, while his bodynguage and aura re, telling an entire story to his opponent right before the attack.


    While pdins are tanks to a certain extent, this does not mean he should be so... Weak? I''m pretty sure that even Rosepetal could beat this guy in a one-on-one fight despite not being in the firstmandment yet.'' Lloyd mused with a mockery seeping into his gaze as he continued to look at the man in front of him who was barely fighting against the goblin.


    ''Pretty sure I could kill that one too... I think...'' before Lloyd could understand what was happening, his hands began to itch for battle while his mind began to imagine how the fight would go.


    However, before Lloyd could get his hopes up, he heard both Rosepetal and Trishaless step forwards while brandishing their weapons. mes quickly engulfed Rosepetal''s de, while a powerful pressure was released from the battle axe that Trishaless held in both hands.


    ''So much for getting my hopes up.'' Lloyd''s lips parted, and a breathed out a sigh simultaneous to the explosion that urred right after.


    Looking back at the goblin, he watched as its charred body fell to the ground, releasing the sword from its grip before being snatched by Rosepetal.


    "Hey!" Peace cried out while folding his arms.


    "Hey what?" Rosepetal let out a victorious smile while looking at him from head to toe with a suffocating aura of smugness.


    "We all worked for that!" Peace argued.


    "Yet I am the only one who uses a sword." She retorted.


    "T-That''s not true... Null has a sword, he might want it." Peace tried to argue again, yet his words fell on deaf ears as Trishaless continued.


    "Yeah, but he didn''t do anything the whole fight." She sighed and tried to take a nce at Lloyd, yet when she looked in the direction shest saw him, he was nowhere to be seen.


    "I could have sword he was over there." She muttered under her breath but quickly shrugged after a few moments of pondering on the situation.


    Unbeknownst to her, Lloyd was standing atop of a tree, looking down at what looked like a growing civilization of goblins.


    However, while there might have been a lot of valuable things here and there, one thing caught his attention and wasn''t particrly valuable in the least.


    ''I see... So they are enving humans now huh...'' Lloyd mused before closing his eyes and shaking his head.


    Anyone seeing the sight below him would have either freaked out, felt an immense amount of rage build within them, orsh out in an enormous tsunami of emotions.


    However, Lloyd felt nothing. He didn''t feel angry or snap and tried to murder every goblin in the vige. His heartbeat remained the same, while his breaths did not change the entire time.


    He waspletely fine with the scene before him, as if he was watching a boring old movie,pletely detached from the characters on the screen yet a little bit curious about what would happen to them.


    However, he was not there to fool around and observe. He was there to increase his strength, hoping he wouldn''t die in the next void walk because, for all he knew, he might suddenly appear in apletely different location with different beasts, levels of strength, and overall climate.


    Without another thought on his mind, he closed his eyes and quickly jumped down beforending gracefully without making a noise.


    Despite that, all the goblins seemed to feel his presence, their eyes piercing daggers at him while their younger generation slowly handed out weapons to fight with.


    Lloyd opened his eyes, his eyes shining purple more than ever, yet his voice continued to echo within the forest with a tinge of coldness that would have forced most sane men to buckle under their own weight.


    "Let the massacre begin..."

 Chapter 20 Null [4]

    "This is one good a$$ sword!" Rosepetal eximed.


    It had been almost half an hour since the Goblin''s death, and despite how much time had passed, Rosepetal could still be seen swinging the sword around and getting used to its weight while imbuing it with her mes.


    "You should try resting a little, don''t ya think?" Osmygold advised.


    "What are you talking about? There is no time for rest. There is only time for war!" She closed her eyes and raised her de towards the heavens exaggeratedly, making both Trishaless and Peacexelr chuckle.


    "Yeah yeah... Seriously though, you should get some food into that stomach of yours. God knows when we will have time to rx like this in the next week." Osmygold sighed.


    "Next week, huh... It''s a good thing that there is a time disparity between here and the outside world." Trishaless let out a relieved smile.


    "For sure." Peacexelr chuckled.


    A silence quickly descended on them, yet instead of it being filled with awkwardness, it was a tolerable silence that indicated everyone in the group wasfortable with one another.


    They all began eating the food they had packed for the trip into the dungeon, and after a while, one of them realized something.


    The atmosphere was toofortable... Especially when there is supposed to be a stranger amongst them.


    "Uhm... Quick question." Peacexelr raised his hand and made the rest of them look at him with raised brows.


    "Where''s our fifth?" He asked.


    Again, a moment of silence fell on the group as they slowly took in his words.


    Their eyes widened at the same rate, and eventually, after a good while, they all looked at each other and asked-


    "Where''s Null?"


    *Boom*


    *SCREECH*


    *ROAR*


    And as if waiting for its queue, a loud explosion followed by screams of pain and roars of rage entered their ears, and when they looked in the direction of those sounds, they were all left with agape mouths, unable to form the correct words for a situation like this.


    ''That can''t be Null, right?'' They all asked themselves and chuckled self mockingly.


    Of course, that wasn''t their teammate! No one is stupid enough to take on a whole tribe of goblins on their own, let alone someone who hadn''t even broken through to the firstmandment.


    This must have been another squad that hade to vanquish the tribe... It had to be, right?


    ...


    *ng*


    *Step* *Step* *Step*


    *ng*


    *Step* *Step* *Step*


    "I have to give you credit, I never thought that you would be this powerful..." A figure draped in dark robes spoke from behind his pitch ck mask.


    He held a katana in his hands as he continuously shed with a 5ft 10 goblin. While it was slightly shorter than him, it more than made up for it in power.


    It was a half-step firstmandment. It was a lot weaker than the shadow wolf he had fought against in the void world, not only due to the difference inmandments, but itsck of abilities and trump cardspared to the shadow wolf.


    Monsters, in a way, were different from humans.


    While many of themcked the intelligence a human had, a monster was usually always stronger than a human of the same level and would require several humans of the same level to take it down.


    However, to Null, they were all the same. Humans and monsters. One made up for theirck of power with intelligence that trumped any other race, while monsters made up for theirck of intelligence with primal instincts and overwhelming power.


    However, what made the Goblin before Null so dangerous was not the fact that it was extremely powerful and would take several people of the firstmandment to beat it, but it was that goblins were one of the most intelligent monsters one could find.


    And at that moment, it was using its intelligence to its advantage.


    "If you keep grinning like that, I''ll be forced to detach the top part of your mouth from the bottom." Null narrowed his eyes at the Goblin.


    For 20 minutes, he massacred several dozen goblins and freed the humans held captive. He grew stronger by the second, but it was nowhere as fast as his speed of growth when fighting the shadow wolves.


    He had not expected a monster of the half-step firstmandment to show up since the first 3 floors were supposed to be for monsters without amandment, yet when he found one half-a-step in, he did not react in the least...


    *ng*


    *Step* *Step* *Step*


    Seeing that the spear was pointed towards him again, Null lifted his de and blocked the iing attack but was forced to take several steps back due to the power behind the attack.


    ''It''s trying to corner me...'' he narrowed his eyes at his opponent while ncing around.


    The ditches in the ground. The alignment of the trees. Even the wind. It was all a trick. It was all formed and manipted in a way that would make it hard for Null to fight back, and it was working much better than he would have liked to admit.


    However, his merciless cold eyes simply looked at his enemy while a thought shed in his mind.


    Null recognized that many of his abilities became useless in the face of an intelligent enemy with a weapon and the skills to wield it.


    His opponent had a spear, so using a [shadow w] was as useless as trying to punch his opponent. None of the hits wouldnd, and he would most likely get injured.<novelnext></novelnext>


    His counter-attack parrybination didn''t work either, as whenever he tried to parry and counter-attack, he would always find himself on the back foot since the spear would bend at unnatural angles and attack him from all sides before he could send out a counter-attack.


    He could try using [Shadow Enhancement], but that was also useless since the sun was out and the trees weren''t close enough to one another to allow him to fully envelop himself in the shadows.


    Even [Shadow Travel] would have left him in a difficult spot due to how long it takes to enter and leave the shadow, only making it a good ability to use when choosing to run away.


    In a way, the only thing he had left was [4-Dimensional Thought], and after seeing the situation he was in, he activated it without thinking twice.


    His eyes suddenly became colder and even more distant while his mind raced with ideas and decisions, alongside several calctions that showed the likeliness of the n working.


    Everything turned into a grid of sorts, where nothing but the goal mattered, and no distractions could be created.


    Touching the base of his de with his index finger and middle finger, he began to trace it from the bottom to the top, but before he could finish the action, an idea sparked in his mind.


    Null''s eyes remained a cold bright violet as he narrowed them once more, but after thinking for a moment, he removed his fingers from his de and instantly shot toward the Goblin of them while using [Shadow Travel].


    He knew his abilities alone were not overpowered enough to give him an instant victory, but instead of crying about it, he decided to use his brain and think of the best way of winning.


    He waited for a precise moment to leave [Shadow Travel], and when the time came, he left within 3 seconds and carried to the momentum he had gained in his shadow to fly toward the Goblin and let out a powerful sh that tore through the air and sliced its way to decapitate the Goblin.


    However, before I could reach the Goblin, it had already reacted to his maneuver, allowing it to thrust a spear towards Null''s head.


    *ng*


    *Boom*


    Reacting quickly, Null barely blocked the attack, yet he could not negate the power behind it, but before he could be flung into the distance due to the amount of power behind the spear, his shadow-engulfed hand grabbed onto the spear and didn''t budge an inch.


    "Kukukuku-" The Goblin began tough while cocking its arm back and readying itself for a punch, yet all this got out of Null was a scrutinizing gaze that told the person before him that they were stupid no matter thenguage.


    The Goblin''s face turned grim while rage red in its eyes, but due to its slow build-up and extremely obvious attack, Null activated [Shadow w] in his other hand and swiped towards the iing fist.


    *Puchi*


    A nk expression appeared on the Goblin''s face, yet a secondter, a terrifying screech left its mouth.


    The screech alerted everyone in the area no matter what and who they were, but even behind the mask, Null did not show a change in expression.


    His eyes continued to be cold and serious the entire time, and if anything, theck of emotion made it seem like he wanted to rip the Goblin''s other arm off too.


    *Swoosh*


    However, before his ns could be furthered, a spear struck towards his head, making him expertly dodge the attack while spinning around and unleashing a devastating sh that could not be seen by the naked eye.


    pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m *Sching*


    ...


    ...


    ...


    *thud*


    Sheathing his de, Null''s eyes fell on the decapitated head on the ground that continued to leak out blue blood.


    "It seems that despite being a half-step firstmandment, your power is quite unsatisfactory... You weren''t the strongest, nor were you the brightest." Null closed his eyes and walked towards the burning goblin vige after retrieving the golden spear that the goblin leader held.


    "And in the end, that was the reason for your death..." Null muttered, and within an instant, he was covered in shadows before disappearing into thin air.


    Screams continued to echo throughout the forest, yet those screams died down after a little more than a minute, yet for some, those were the final screams they could let out before dying a gruesome death.


    The goblins were killed and cut up into a hundred pieces before being burned in the already existing fire. Null had no idea what hade over him, but one second he was fighting their leader, and the next, he was chasing after the rest of the weaker goblins, ensuring to exterminate everyst one of them.


    "Null?" A familiar feminine voice entered his ears, yet instead of looking back at the new arrivals, his eyes remained on the being before him that seemed to beg for something.


    "Sorry... Language barrier." Null muttered, and before anyone knew it, his de flew through the air and had already sliced right through the Goblin''s neck.


    "H-Hey, Null. Did you do all of this? On your own?" Rosepetal asked as she moved forward in order to scan the burned-down vige.


    Her red hair danced in the ember-filled winds, creating an image straight out of a fairytale as she blended in with the embers that flew past her face.


    "Quite impressive." Trishaless snickered while patting Null on the back. The gesture was quite manly for someone of her size, but the same could have been said about the axe that she continued to carry on her back despite having storage rings that made carryingrge weapons like a waraxe much more convenient.


    In Null''s eyes, however, it looked like a little girl trying to ovee her petite figure and feminine body by creating a barbaric personality. While she might have gained the barbaric personality after awakening her barbarian ss, people usually only felt the change in their personality after reaching the first or secondmandment, while it wouldn''t be prominent until the third.


    It was more of a coincidence than anything, but there was still a minute chance that something might have affected her in the past that made her the way she is, and allowed her to awaken the Barbarian ss.


    At the same time, Null could not help but think back to when hest fought against his best friend, who had continued to use short swords for the longest time. Yet despite that, he became a berserker and was forced to embark on the path of heavy weapons.


    "No! This is not impressive! He didn''t follow orders and attacked an entire tribe without consulting any of us!" Peacexelr shouted and pointed at Null usingly, yet before he could carry on, Osmygold grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back in order to convey that he would deal with it.


    "Null... I need you toe with me. We need to have a talk." Osmygold pulled Null aside and began to walk to a nearby tree.


    On the other hand, Trishless and Rosepetal were looking at each other with the same thought in mind, but before they could voice disgruntlement on how they were thinking of the same thing, they turned around after a sound entered their ears.


    The sound of Peacexelr grinding his teeth, his hands clenched, and his veins close to popping.


    [Author''s note: Before anyoneins about why I am calling Lloyd "Null", I''d just like to tell you that it will make sense in a few chapters.]

 Chapter 21 Gaining Strength [1]

    Walking a few meters from the group, Null and Osmygold have a short chat about how Null shouldn''t go alone and how he should follow orders instead of making his own n.


    Osmygold exined how it is not only dangerous for Null to go out alone but also dangerous for the rest of his squad since the difference of one person could be the line between life and death.


    Returning to the group, Null could not help but feel like someone was ring at him, and after turning around and looking someone in the eyes, he knew exactly what was happening and why it was happening.


    After seeing that the person ring at him wasn''t much of a threat, he did not bother with him anymore. Null was already wary of most people in the group, and despite most of them being weing, he did not trust them one bit. In fact, the only reason he had chosen to go with them was because he couldn''t go in without a squad unless he became a D-rank adventurer.


    They continued to walk for a few more hours, most of them following Osmygold since he was the only person who knew the direction of the closest human territory on this dungeon floor.


    In the meantime, Null stayed wary of any creatures nearby, and whenever he would sense one, he would dash towards it and kill it in an instant by slicing it into a million pieces before it could react.


    He was trying to see how strong he currently was, yet due to theck of technology on them, he could not tell how strong he was unless he were to fight someone on the same level as him.


    He knew that he was barely as strong as a half-step firstmandment goblin if he were to not use any of his voidwalker abilities. However, he was also certain that his aspect of void ability was beyond impressive, since even Null as the caster felt threatened by the de he held.


    [Author''s note: For those who don''t know, half-step means that they only need a little nudge to be full-fledged firstmandments.]


    "There it is!" Trishaless pointed into the distance and let out an excited squeal as if this was the first time she had seen the ce.


    "It''s a town?" Rosepetal asked with a raised brow.


    "Yes... I grew up here for a few years you know." Osmygold chuckled while the girls looked at him with sparkling eyes, wondering how the story would go.


    "Before I start boring you with my stories, let''s go there and find an inn. We will stay here for the night before leaving with a few other squads tomorrow to kill the boss monster of this floor." He exined while everyone except Peacexelr nodded.


    It took another 5 minutes to reach the town''s gates, and when they finally got to them and were about to open therge gates, Osmygold stopped and pointed towards the walls.


    "State your names and tell us your reason foring here!" A man with a spear shouted with a straightened back and arge frown.


    "Hey, Richard! It''s me!" Osmygold waved and made the guard rx before finally letting out a rxed smile.


    "Look who''s finally here!" He shouted while jumping down and hugging Osmygold.


    "Who are these behind you?" The man asked.


    "They are my team. We n to invade that goblin vige that respawns every 3 or so days. Do you happen to have a map for it?" Osmygold asked.


    "You''re nning on killing that firstmandment bastard on your own? Hahahahaha!" The guard began tough while the rest of the team began to argue with the man.


    "No. We n to join a few other teams in the fight against this thing. When is the next raid?" He asked while the guard touched his chin and thought for a second before answering-


    "If I''m not wrong, there should be one the day after tomorrow. They are pretty famous, so a lot of people will take part in it."


    "Wait, aren''t the first three floors supposed to have little to no firstmandments?" Peacexelr asked.


    "Well, this is the boss we are talking about. The boss for the first, second, and third floors are in the firstmandment despite most of the normal monsters not being in it. The third to 10th floor are mostly the secondmandment. 10th to 25th are the thirdmandment." Trishaless exined.


    "Enough of that!" Rosepetal pped her hands and got everyone''s attention.


    "How about we set up for the night and go out for some drinks? On me!" She grinned.


    "I don''t drink." Null replied coldly. He didn''t want it to sound cold, yet despite his efforts, that''s how it came out. He didn''t know if the mask made his voice more monotone or if his demeanor changed after killing semi-intelligent creatures for the first time. All he knew was that he was changing; he was just hoping that he would change for the better, not for the worst.


    "Oh...Sorry." She pouted.


    At the same time, Null could not help but feel like someone was staring daggers at him.


    He knew it was Peacexelr, or Peace for short, but he couldn''t be bothered responding to people like him anymore. He knew that Peace was jealous about something; he just didn''t know what it was, nor did he care for it.


    After a short silence, they all decided to find an inn first before anything.


    Once they entered the inn, Osmygold paid for all of them since he was their leader, and after putting all their belongings in their rooms, they all went down to one of the pubs, leaving Null behind to rest in his room.


    Null ced his hand on his mask and slowly took it off.


    When he once again felt light on his skin, despite it being artificial and nothing like proper sunlight, he could not help but feel refreshed.


    A wave of soothing warmth traveled through his skin and made him feel energized, while simultaneously, the coldness that was taking form within his eyes for thest few hourspletely melted, leaving behind an aloof and slightly ignorant 16-year-old.


    "Hmm... I still don''t feel anything. Maybe it''s easier since I know goblins aren''t humans, despite having high intellect and a natural thirst for battle... Maybe being a-..." Lloyd''s voice turned into a whisper as he continued, "Maybe being a void walker makes things easier?" He muttered to himself before finally shaking his head and putting his mask aside.


    When he had his mask on, Lloyd felt like he couldn''t feel emotions, yet now that it was off, he felt severalplicated feelings rummage around within his heart.


    It was as if Null and Lloyd were slowly but surely bing different people.


    The night passed as fast as a morning breeze, and when Lloyd finally opened, he stretched his hand to the side and put on his mask, an action that caused his eyes to turn extremely cold once again.


    Walking out of his room, he looked to the side and saw Rosepetal looking at him with an embarrassed expression, yet before she could voice out some kind of apology, Null stopped her with a wave of his hand and a question of his own.


    "Do you want to spar, Miss Rosepetal?"


    He had seen her fight earlier, and despite her not being as calcting as Trisha, he knew she was very talented with the sword and would make a much better sparring partner than everyone but Osmygold.


    While he could have asked Osmygold, he still chose against it. Osmygold was older than everyone at the party and much less talented. He needed someone he could grow with side by side, and in a way, Rosepetal was the perfect permanent sparring partner for Null.


    "Y-Yes!" She waspletely flustered by the sudden request, but after calming herself with a few breaths, she smiled and continued-


    "Please call me Rose."


    "Alright, Miss Rose... I''ll meet you in the gymnasium in exactly 15 minutes. Please be ready. I prefer fighting people who are wearing a more..." Null paused and looked her up and down.


    "-befitting attire for a battlefield."


    With an expression of confusion, Rose also looked down. In an instant, her face almost became as red as her hair, and before she knew it, his face was buried in her hand as she sprinted into her room to change.


    "I have to say, I never thought I''d see that bloodthirsty girl in such cute pajamas." A familiar voice entered Null''s ears and made him turn around and meet a pair of hazel eyes.


    "Mr. Osmygold? I did not expect you to be awake this early." Null tilted his head a few degrees.


    "Oh,e on! Do I look like an old man to you?"


    "Yes." Null replied without any hesitation.


    "I''m only 35!"


    "That is quite old for a man who is still in the firstmandment."


    "Hey, man! That kinda stings..."


    "I am only speaking the truth, Mr. Osmygold." Null retorted


    "You can call me Osmy." Osmygold sighed while Null nodded.


    "I-I''m ready..." Rose''s soft voice entered Null''s ears once again, and while Lloyd would have been slightly flustered by the warm breath that tickled the back of his ears, Null didn''t even give her a nce despite Rose invading his private space.


    "Alright." Null muttered before turning away and walking down the stairs and towards the gymnasium, yet beforepletely moving out of sight, he secretly nced at a door that was partially cracked open with an eye ring at him from the other side.


    ''Peacexelr... Let''s see how far you are willing to go.'' Null mused.


    ...


    "How do you want to do this?" Rosepetal asked while standing on the other side of the tform.


    While being quite smallpared to the one in the academy, the gymnasium still had the capability of holding and hosting several 100x100 tforms for people to spar on, and at that very moment, both Null and Rosepetal were standing on one while Osmygold stood in the middle as a referee.


    "This will be a simple spar, alright? Don''t attack each other''s vitals. Don''t aim for the head. Don''t seriously hurt your opponent. Everything else is allowed." Osmygold exined.


    "Ready?" Null asked.


    "Yep!" Rosepetal got into a battle stance, yet before she could fullyprehend the situation, she felt immense dangering from her right, causing her to sh in that direction before rolling to safety.


    *ng*


    Null took several stabs back due to the force of her sh, yet instead of reevaluating his approach, he instantly dashed towards her again while swinging his de vertically.


    *ng*


    Rosepetal quickly blocked the iing attack and once again rolled to the side, yet instead of waiting for the next attack, she took the initiative and sted out an attack of her own.


    Red mes enveloped her de and turned it into a ming sword as she shed at Null with all her might, yet despite the impressive mes, Null easily stopped the attack with his own and pushed back, yet instead of following up with an attack of his own, he jumped back and created some distance between the two.


    "So, this is all you have, Miss Rose?" Null asked while looking at her with a raised brow behind his mask. While being a very talented swordswoman, Rosepetal was still quite inexperienced, and while Null knew that he shouldn''t underestimate her, he also knew he could not let his guard down.


    "You haven''t even shown me your true strength," She retorted.


    "Is that so?" Null muttered before stepping to the side, followed by several more as he began to circle around Rosepetal.


    "Come at me then." He taunted with a cold tone.


    Rosepetal was about to take the bait, yet before she could, Null suddenly disappeared from her vision and reappeared behind her.


    ''What the-''


    She could not finish her thought as she was forced to turn around and block the iing attack that sent her tumbling for meters.


    She had no idea how Null had done it, but she was not about to question him in the middle of a battle.


    She quickly got back up and was about to sh at Null with all her might, yet when she looked to the side, she noticed that Null was not there anymore.


    Just as she was about to turn around, she felt a sharp pain in her stomach, and when she looked down, she saw Null''s de piercing through her flesh.


    "Null!" Osmygold shouted, yet Null ignored him and retracted his de before kicking Rosepetal in the stomach and sending her flying towards the wall.


    "Null! I said don''t hurt her!" Osmygold shouted again, yet Null still ignored him and dashed towards Rosepetal with his de held high.


    Just as he was about to sh down, Osmygold appeared in front of him and stopped his de with his own.


    "Null, what the hell are you doing?!" He shouted while looking at him with a stern expression.


    "I am sparring with Miss Rose. What does it look like I am doing?" Null asked with a cold tone.


    "You are not sparring! You are trying to kill her!" Osmygold retorted.


    "No, I am not. I am merely trying to find out the limits of miss Rose''s strength." Null innocently retorted.


    "By trying to kill her?!" Osmygold shouted while pushing Null back.


    "I was not trying to kill her. I merely wanted to find out how much she could take. I did not even use my full strength. I was merely toying with her." Null exined.


    "You expect me to believe that?" Osmygold asked with a raised brow.


    "It is the truth." Null shrugged.


    "Fine. I will believe you this time, but I do not want to see you do that again. You understand?" Osmygold sternly said.


    "Yes, Mr. Osmygold." Null nodded.


    "Alright. Now, let''s go check on Rose." He said before walking back to the tform where Rosepetal was still lying down.


    Null followed behind him with a bored expression, and when he finally reached the tform, he saw Rosepetal slowly getting up with a hand on her stomach.


    "Rose, are you alright?!" Osmygold asked with a worried expression.


    "Y-Yes... I''m fine." She nodded while slowly getting up.


    "What about your stomach? Let me see." He said while slowly moving her hand.


    "It''s fine, really. I just got the wind knocked out of me, that''s all." She smiled while moving away from him.


    "Are you sure? I can take you to the healer if you want." He said while following her.


    "I''m fine, really." She nodded.


    "Alright. If you say so." He sighed before finally giving up.


    "Null, are you sure you were just toying with her?" He asked with a raised brow.


    "Of course. I would never try to kill someone I am sparring with. That would be pointless." Null shrugged.


    "If you say so..." Osmygold sighed before walking back to the tform and sitting down.


    "So, what do you think?" Null asked while sitting down next to him.


    "About what?" He asked.


    "About Rose''s abilities." Null shrugged.


    "Well, she is quite talented with the sword, yet she is still quite inexperienced. She needs more training." He exined.


    "Is that so?" Null muttered before standing up and walking back to the tform.


    "Miss Rose, are you feeling any better?" He asked.


    "Y-Yes, I''m fine." She nodded while looking away.


    "Good. Then let''s continue." He said before once again getting into a battle stance.


    "W-Wait! I''m not ready yet!" She shouted.


    "If you are not ready, then you will lose." He narrowed his eyes.


    "B-But..." She stuttered.


    "If you are not ready, then I suggest you forfeit." He said while taking a step forward.


    "I-I won''t forfeit!" She shouted while once again getting into a battle stance.


    "Good. Then let''s begin." He said before once again disappearing from her vision.


    They continued to spar for the next 4 hours with Rosepetal continuously being on the losing side of the spar. Eventually, Null''s void walker physique''s stamina won over Rosepetal''s, causing her to finally copse in the middle of the tform out of exhaustion.


    Null, who was standing in front of her with his de above her neck, could not help but let out a long but deep sigh. He retracted his de and sheathed it in an instant with a subtle but echoeing-


    *Click*

 Chapter 22 Gaining Strength [2]

    Null began to walk away from Rosepetal, yet he heard Osmygold''s voice again enter his ears before he could get too far.


    "Null. Let''s talk." Osmygold suggested.


    "What is this about, Mr. Osmygold?" Null asked.


    "I''d like to talk to you about one of your abilities." Osmygold exined and immediately caught Null''s attention.


    "Which one?" Null asked immediately.


    "The one where you attract shadows to you and enhance your body."


    "Shadow Enhancement?" Null asked.


    "Probably. Can you activate it real quick?" Osmygold asked before crossing his arms and taking several steps back. He had almost tripped on one of the broken tiles, but he quickly regained his bnce and looked at null once again.


    Despite Null''s suspicions, curiosity took over, and he instantly activated the ability.


    *Swoosh*


    Suddenly, shadows from all over the room began to surround Null, making it very hard to see him. However, after a few seconds, Null''s figure became clear once again, yet instead of looking like he hade out of a matrix movie due to his robe and ck clothing, he now looked like an ungendered figure shrouded in shadows from head to toe.


    "How does the ability work?" Osmygold asked.


    Null narrowed his eyes, yet after a few seconds, he let out a sigh and exined-


    "It enhances most of my physical capabilities, as well as the explosive power I can produce from my muscles alone."


    Despite his suspicions, Null knew that Osmygold was a genuine man. He didn''t know how he knew it, but it was as if his instincts told him he could trust Osmygold with his life if he needed to.


    "So your whole body?" Osmygold scratched his chin.


    "Yes." Null replied straightforwardly.


    ? "Have you tried using the ability on a single body part?" Osmygold asked.


    "I do hope that my ability grows to that extent when I reach the firstmandment.."


    Hearing Null''s reply, Osmygold showed and irritated expression.


    "Here is the problem with this generation. They don''t take enough time to consider how they can get stronger without breaking into anothermandment.


    When you became a shadow assassin, you embarked on the path of shadows. However, this does not mean that you instantly know everything about shadows because such an assumption is tantly wrong.


    While one can increase their strength and abilities by taking potions, cultivating all the time, and going out for battles every now and then, the best way to improve the power and control of one''s ability is to try andprehend the ability or the element of that ability." Osmygold exined while Null tilted his head in confusion


    "Before breaking into the firstmandment, try to learn more about shadows. What are they, and how do they work? For example, fire is created due to oxygen, a fuel source, and heat. While mana is your fuel source, what is heat? High energy atoms that are vibrating at a rate that would create heat? These are the questions that you should be asking yourself to improve the power of your abilities, as well as your control over them. At the same time, try to use your ability over and over again, your understanding of the ability will eventually make it stronger." Osmygold exined.


    Nodding slightly, Null dispersed his ability and walked away without saying a word. While it might seem like Null didn''t care about what Osmygold said, in reality, he had gone into such a deep state of thinking that hepletely forgot about his surroundings and instantly went to his inn and took notes of his current thoughts.


    What he learned could be aplete game changer. In fact, it could change the very foundations of his future ns as a void walker.


    Sitting down in the middle of the room, he took off his mask and quickly activated [4-Dimensional Thought] before closing his eyes. A notebook rested on hisp while he held a pen in his hand, ready to write down anything the moment it enters his mind.


    After entering the Void for the second time, he realized something about his shadow abilities, which was linked to the [???] racial passive ability.


    At first, he thought it must have been a coincidence, but after further inspection with much thought and analysis, he understood that his shadow abilities weren''t his own and hade from the Shadow Wolves instead. Of course, in that moment theory was just that. A theory. To confirm anything he would have to do several tests that had the chance of killing him.


    However, what he did recognize was that [Soundless Steps] and [Shadow Nourishment] were both passive abilities all Shadow Wolves had, no matter what.


    [Shadow Enhancement] and [Shadow w] weren''t abilities that they all had, but he noticed that many of the Shadow Wolves, particrly the bigger and older ones, had these abilities and would use them expertly.


    He also noticed that they were much stronger than his shadow abilities, which ties in neatly with the information he gained from Osmygold.


    Shadow Wolves, in particr, were much more attuned to the shadows than Lloyd was, the prime example of this being the extremely fast and effortless execution of shadow travel performed by the alpha Shadow Wolf.


    However, there was also something else that Lloyd recognized when going over these memories, and it was the fact that he was gaining these abilities as he killed more and more wolves, as well as the fact that his control and power over the abilities had grown the more he killed them.


    While, at first, he had mistaken the increase in the power of his abilities for his overall increase in strength, he was gravely mistaken.


    Suddenly, a thought came to mind, making him open his eyes and look at his wristwatch before opening his mouth.


    "Can you show me how long I have left until I reach the firstmandment." Lloyd asked, and with a chime, the watch blinked several times before a bar separated into four sections appeared in front of him.


    Each section represented 25%, and while they usually had words above them to exin what they were, I hadn''t broken into the firstmandment, so there was no point in showing them.


    [57%]


    ''I''ve already reached the 50% range despite only awakening 3 days ago... But I guess I should have expected this. What''s more impressive is the fact that I can fight toe to toe with someone in the firstmandment despite only being a little more than half of the way there. Osmygold might be in the very early stages of the firstmandment, but he is a firstmandment regardless.'' Lloyd thought to himself with a subtle smile tucking up the corner of his lips.


    ''On the other hand, he is incredibly weakpared to most of the firstmandments that I''ve seen on the inte and TV.''


    He was bing stronger faster than ever, which only meant that he would have a higher chance of surviving the next Void walk.


    ''On the other hand, he is incredibly weakpared to most of the firstmandments that I''ve seen on the inte and TV.''


    However, despite his previous thoughts, he also recognized a possibility that was bing more and more likely when he continued thinking of it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''There is a chance I will gain an ability after killing the alpha shadow wolf. But since I won''t have anything to do after killing it, there is a chance that the void will create a new world with other beasts and monsters for me to fight. While this might mean that I might gain more abilities, the second void world would likely be a lot more dangerous than the first.'' Lloyd concluded.


    After contemting everything and writing down several pages of notes, he flipped the page and began attempting toprehend the shadows and increasing his attunement to them.


    While he knew that he could simply kill more shadow wolves to increase his attunement, he still chose to increase hisprehension of the element even by a little bit. This way, his abilities might be more useful in the raid, and since he doesn''t want to use all his abilities in the battle, it would be useful to have an ability he could rely on.


    Unfortunately for him, the only ability he could use out in the open to deal any damage was [Shadow w].


    Of course, shadow enhancement was also a fine choice, but it consumed too much mana, a drawback that made it impossible for Lloyd to take advantage of it all the time.


    Lloyd continued to sit in the same ce for over 14 hours, and despite not sleeping, when he finally opened his eyes again, he felt more rejuvenated than ever.


    Putting on his mask, he quickly wore his long ck coat and left his inn before walking towards the meeting ce.


    They had all decided to meet in front of the town gates, so Null only followed the n they had alreadyid out.


    After walking leisurely for almost 10 minutes, he finally saw the rest of the crew.


    "Null!" Rosepetal waved at him with a bright smile, yet he did not care to reciprocate the action or excitement.


    "What is the current n, Mr. Osmygold?" Null asked.


    "We''re gonna join them." Osmygold pointed towards the group of luxuriously dressed individuals.


    "Those 7 are known as the Seven Reapers. Its a groupposed of seven individuals with immense talent, wealth, and fame who also happen to have Magic or Legendary tier sses." Rosepetal exined while a low and subtle "hmph" came out of Peacexelr''s mouth.


    "Can''t we join another team? There are so many other teams around; what''s the point of joining the most popr one?" Trishalessined.


    "Well, they were the ones that asked us to join them, and they will pay us quite a heavy sum. All in all, it''s worth the hassle." Osmygold sighed.


    "They''re gonna live stream it to." Peacexelr snorted.


    "Hm? I never understood how the live stream worked. Isn''t there a time dtion?" Rosepetal tilted her head to the right.


    "Since 10 seconds here is the same as 1 second on the outside, they just receive the signal through the portal at around a 10x speed. It gives them enough time to edit,pose and show what they want to show without embarrassing themselves." Osmygold exined.


    Peacexelr could not help but sneer at Osmygold''s remark, yet before he could follow up with a few words of his own, a melodic feminine voice entered his ears and made him stiffen instantly.


    "Are you guys ready?" A girl with short ck hair with the underside dyed green asked with a warm and weing smile on her face that would have tricked anyone into thinking that she was friendly.


    "You must be Poisonlily..." Trishalessmented.


    "Hey." Poisonlily waved at Trishaless before asking-


    "You a fan?"


    "Not really." Trisha shrugged and walked away from the woman.


    ''Cold...'' Null inwardly thought, yet Poisonlily did not seem to have the same thoughts.


    "And who is this cute looking one?" She asked while turning her attention to Peacexelr, who instantly became beet red when he heard her words.


    "He''s Peace." Rosepetal butted in before continuing to introduce everyone.


    "And this is Null, our newest teammate."


    Looking at Null, the woman could not help but narrow her eyes for an instant before having them return to normal. This scene did not go unnoticed by Null, but just like everything else that didn''t affect him in the short run, he ignored it and continued to look at her nkly, as if he was thinking about something else.


    "So this is everyone. Let''s go I guess." Poisonlily said before turning around and walking away. The rest of the team followed her without any hesitation, yet Null stayed in his spot for a few more seconds before following everyone else.


    "Do you know the specifics of the raid?" Osmygold asked.


    "Not really. Our leader probably knows a little more than we do, but he kept some of the information to himself. Ignorance is bliss after all." Lily chuckled.


    While she was extremely beautiful, she blocked most of it with the gas mask she constantly wore, no matter the asion. One could still see that she was extremely beautiful, but it was a guarantee that she looked better without the mask.


    She wore a long green dress that danced in the iing winds.


    Her olive-brown skin stood out as the sun shone down upon her, while his silky ck hair reflected the sun-rays with equal intensity.


    "All I know is that the main boss is a Goblin in the firstmandment. There is a chance that it might be a goblin chief, if not a goblin general. If we are unlucky, we might even have a Hobgoblin on the loose ready to be dealt with. Unfortunately, we aren''t strong enough to fight an elite hobgoblin of the firstmandment." She exined.


    "Your team formation? How is is?" Null finally voiced a question.


    "We only started entering dungeons a few months ago so only half of us are in the firstmandment. However, none of us are far from entering the firstmandment. Most of us need a little nudge, while Oracle over there is a half step firstmandment so all she needs is one more push. Anyway, our leader, Damien, is the the mid stages of the firstmandment and he has the highestmandment out of all of us. Grisha and I are the support mages, while OracleOfmes is the DPS mage. Monarch and Relish are the ones that take on all the closebat, while Damien is a Warden, so he control the battlefield to arge extent." Poisonlily exined


    "Didn''t you say you had 7 memebers?" Trishaless asked.


    "Well... Transcendent is Transcendent. Damien is our leader, but Transcendent is by far the strongest out of all of us due to his ss. He is still in the early stages of the firstmandment, but he is super strong." Poisonlily sighed.


    "What''s his ss?" Rosepetal could not hold back her curiosity anymore.


    "He is a...


    Starforger"

 Chapter 23 Killing A First Commandment Hobgoblin [1]

    "Starforger? Like, from the Starforger n?" Peacexelr gasped.


    "Correct me if I''m wrong, but the Starforger ss is a pseudo-mythic ss," Null questioned, yet Poisonlily remained silent without any intention of saying anything. However, that was enough to confirm Null''s suspicions.


    Of course, he wasn''t intimidated in the least. He had a ss that could only be considered as something above the mythic rank, and while it might look like a curse on the surface, he saw himself growing faster than ever, so he wasn''t about toin.


    "You finally made it?" A burly man no older than 22 years old crossed his arms and looked at Null''s iing group with a curious nce.


    "Sorry for the wait. Are we ready to move?" Poisonlily asked as her gaze swept past all her teammates.


    "Yep. We have all our supplies on hand. Firstly, We should get into formation so as to not separate or be attacked suddenly. We can have the scouts check the areas in front of uster on if need be." Damien exined while the rest nodded.


    Looking at Relish, Null nodded his head while Relish nodded back after feeling Null''s gaze.


    "Got it, boss." Relish nodded.


    "Null and Relish will be at the front, so your main goal will be to stop the enemy from attacking the rest of us. The rest of you spread out and surround us in a semicircle formation with the mages at the back.


    Monarch, you will be right behind them, so you''ll have to take the brunt of the attacks in Relish''s and Null''s stead if they let one go on ident." Damien exined.


    Null didn''t mind the arrangement, so he didn''tin; however, someone else had aint.


    "What about Trisha and me? You know, we are also close range fighters." Rosepetal voiced.


    "Oh, sorry... You seem to have slipped my mind." Damien gave a charming yet apologetic smile that shut Rosepetal''s mouth.


    ''Damn these handsome people...'' many of the men thought simultaneously.


    "Peacexelr... A very hard name to pronounce, but you can stay with thedies since you''re an archer, and we''ll need you as support alongside Grisha and Poisonlily. The beautiful Miss Rose and Miss Trisha can stay behind Monarch guarding the sides and protecting our support, while Osmygold will guard the support from behind. Transcendent will be all over the ce helping us where he can, while Oracle will be doing whatever she sees fit." Damien exined, yet his expression became serious instead of descending into silence.


    "A few goblin scouts up ahead." Null announced, making Damien widen his eyes in surprise. However, his surprise did notst long as he returned to reality and ordered everyone to get into their formations.


    "You''ve got good senses..." Relishmented while brandishing his short swords created out of ck metal.


    "Thank you. Your sword is quite... adequate." Nullplimented, if it could even be called that.


    *Sching*


    *Click*


    Null quickly unsheathed and sheathed, and in the blink of an eye, a goblin fell to the ground in a sequence of two thuds, one lighter than the other.


    "I have to say, these ones are quite weak." Nullmented while the rest looked on with widened eyes or raised brows.


    Most of them didn''t see the de as it cut through the air; the only ones who did were Transcendent and Damien.


    "Hey, dude... Are you sure you''re not in the firstmandment?" Relish chuckled, but instead of getting a reply, he saw Null enter his own shadow before appearing behind him.


    *Sching*


    *Thud*


    "I suggest you try being a little more alert." Null sighed and stepped over the headless corpse on the ground.


    Null and Relish continued to ughter the goblins in their path easily, yet the rest of the group was not having as much fun.


    "I swear, these things just keeping!" Monarch cursed as he cut down another goblin.


    "I know, right? It''s like they''reing out of nowhere!" Rosepetal eximed as she blocked a goblin''s crude sword with her shield.


    "You''re telling me! I just killed like 20 of them, and yet there are still so many!" Trishalessined as she beheaded a goblin with her giant ax.


    "Well, what did you expect? This is a goblin raid, after all." Poisonlily sighed as she sted a group of goblins with a barrage of arrows created from a green poison mist.


    "Yeah, but still! This is just too much!" Monarch protested.


    "Hmph, you''re just too weak." Grisha scoffed as he unleashed a torrent of mana sts at the iing goblins.


    "Hey! I could say the same thing to you!" Monarch retorted, but he was interrupted by the sound of an arrow piercing through the air.


    "What the-?" Monarch cursed and turned around just in time to see an arrow aimed at his face.


    *Thud*


    "Urgh! That hurt..." Monarch cursed and clutched his forehead; he had just been hit with an arrow


    "You okay?" Damien asked as he stopped a goblin from attacking Monarch from behind.


    "Yeah, I''ll be fine. I''m just pissed that I got hit." Monarch grunted and cut down the goblin in front of him with a single sh.


    Since the arrow had simply bounced off his skin, he wasn''t too hurt, but his face had be extremely red. Looking at him, Null could not figure out whether he was red because of the boiling anger waiting to explode out of him due to being hit by an arrow or the pain he was feeling.


    "Good. Now focus on the enemy instead of ying with them like you usually do. You are our tank after all." Damien sighed.


    While the rest of the team was busy fighting off the goblins, Transcendent was nowhere to be seen.


    "Hey, where''s Transcendent?" Poisonlily asked as she scanned the surroundings.


    "He''s probably doing something... Transcendent-like." Damien shrugged.


    "I don''t see him anywhere." Poisonlily insisted.


    "Well, he''s not with us, so he''s probably scouting ahead or something." Damien shrugged again.


    "You''re telling me that he''s scouting ahead by himself? That''s way too dangerous!" Poisonlily eximed.


    Null, however, could not help but raise a brow. Wasn''t it his job to go ahead and report on anything he could see? However, he did not me them for not allowing him to go ahead; after all, who wants someone who hasn''t reached the firstmandment to scout out the enemy forces?


    "Rx. Transcendent can take care of himself." Damien assured.


    "But still..." Poisonlily sighed.


    "Are you worried about him?" Damien asked with a raised eyebrow.


    "Of course not! I''m just worried about the team''s safety, that''s all." Poisonlily denied.


    "Yeah, I''m sure you are." Damien chuckled.


    The group continued to fight their way towards the boss''s location, yet they were stopped in their tracks by the sudden appearance of a Goblin that emanated an aura much stronger than the rest.


    "What the hell? Where did this guye from?" Monarch cursed and blocked a powerful sh from the goblin''s greatsword.


    "I don''t know, but we need to take him down quickly, or we''re all dead." Damien growled and stabbed the goblin in the side with his spear.


    "No shit! You think we don''t know that?" Relish scoffed and shed at the goblin''s other side, but his swords were stopped by the goblin''s greatsword.


    "Oof!" Relish grunted as he was forced to take a few steps back.


    "This guy is way too strong!" Monarch eximed as he was forced to take a few steps back as well.


    "Yeah, I noticed." Damien sighed.


    While the rest of the group was busy fighting the goblin, Null and Transcendent were nowhere to be seen.


    In fact, they were having a problem of their own.


    "I seem to be prone to trouble these days." Null sighed.


    "Oh really? I think calling this situation ''trouble'' is putting it lightly." Transcendent chuckled.


    "Hmm... You might be right. That goblin we passed was in the initial stage of the firstmandment, meaning this thing is..." Null halted his words and narrowed his eyes at the pot-bellied 15-foot-tall goblin. However, what distinguished him from the other goblins was his size, power, and equipment, which was clearly much better than all of the other goblins.


    "Are you thinking of what I''m thinking?" Transcendent asked.


    "If you think this is a hobgoblin, I believe you are mistaken." Null stepped forward.


    "What are you doing!" Transcendent roared and tried to do something to push him back, but he could not reach him in time.


    *BOOM*


    An enormous bat mmed Null into the ground, or it at least seemed like it.


    "You said you were live streaming this, am I correct?" Null''s cold voice entered Transcendent''s ears while simultaneously confusing the giant goblin.


    "If yes, then let''s make sure to give the audience a spectacle they will remember for the rest of their lives." Null dered as he appeared behind the enormous goblin''s head, covered from head to toe in shadows with his leg stretched back, ready to let out a devastating kick.


    [Shadow Enhancement]


    Null''s leg was engulfed in a ck aura as he put all his strength into the kick.


    *BOOOOM*


    The impact sent the enormous goblin flying through the air, crashing into a nearby tree with such force that it was obliterated into pieces.


    "That was... impressive." Transcendent murmured.


    "Was it?" Null asked as he looked at the broken tree.


    "Well, for someone who''s not even in the firstmandment yet, it was." Transcendent chuckled.


    "Hmm... I see. Thank you for thepliment." Null nodded.


    *ROOOOAAR*


    The goblin let out a devastating roar that uprooted most of the trees in the area while sending both Null and Transcendent several steps back.


    "Are you sure this thing isn''t a hobgoblin?" Transcendent asked with an ounce of worry. At the same time, he was trying his best to not tumble over and crash into the trees behind him.


    "I am certain. Do not worry; this thing is far too weak to be a hobgoblin. If I''m right, this must be a goblin chief. The one we left behind was a goblin general." Null exined as he slowly slid back due to the shockwave created by the roar.


    "Oh, crap... So this thing is an early stage firstmandment?" Transcendent frowned.


    "Unfortunately. I am surprised that I am still alive, especially since my attack didn''t even leave a scratch despite flinging him away." Null finally stopped sliding.


    "Ugh... Don''t worry, I have this under control." Transcendent narrowed his eyes and let out a deep and long sigh before sping his hands together and parting his mouth.


    "Fabrication: de of a Copsing Star!" Transcendent roared at the top of his voice, causing a shockwave to shoot out in every direction and pushing Null a few steps back.


    The winds stopped moving, and everything became quiet for a split second, yet that was just the calm before the storm. The winds began to increase in speed and intensity before also changing the direction of their trajectory.


    *Woosh*


    The wind began to focus in the middle of Transcendent''s outstretched hand, and before anyone knew it, a bright light began to shine upon thends, almost scorching them with its sheer intensity.


    ''How interesting...'' Null mused before beginning to grin behind the mask.


    Fabrication was a well-known ability used by those from the Starforger n. It was an ability that allowed someone to recreate, or in better terms, fabricate, an item the user had seen and touched before. However, this does not mean that the user of this ability can fabricate any item, as items of highermandments of one''s own will take longer to analyze to fabricate, while some might not even work.


    The de of a Copsing star is a de considered a 7thmandment weapon, capable of being wielded by anyone of the Starforger n... The one twist, however, is that it will fall to the level of the person wielding it, making it the perfect weapon to use the fabrication ability on.


    Suddenly, the light disappeared while the wind was sucked into the forming de, and before anyone could react, a pitch-ck long sword with bright white outlines appeared within Transcendent''s hand.


    The de was beautiful as the pitch-ck void it was created out of seemed to be decorated by thousands of small white stars glimmering in the vast infinite void. On the other hand, the white outlines looked like they were an event horizon, ready to bend the fabric of space and rip apart every atom that came within its reach.


    "That was quite an impressive disy... Are you showing off for the cameras?" Null asked with a chuckle after appearing at Transcendent''s right.


    "I don''t think showing off is the correct terminology here." Transcendent retorted before lowering himself into a fighting stance.


    "Is that so?" Null sighed while twirling his katana in a rxed stance. He didn''t look like a man who was about to take on a goblin chief in the early stages of the firstmandment, but Transcendent didn''t seem to care since he had his own problems to deal with.


    *ROOOOOAAAAR*


    As if trying to taunt the duo, the Goblin chief let out a sky-shaking roar, yet when it was about to touch Transcendent and Null, they moved in sync and did something no one would have expected them to do.


    Taking a step to the right, Null used Transcendent to shield himself from the iing shockwave while Transcendent shed down to slice and open within it.


    *Boom*


    As if having rehearsed this battle hundreds of times, the two moved inplete fluidity, both moving in a different pattern yet somehowpletely in sync with one another.


    While Null moved in a semi-circr pattern to attack the goblin from the right, Transcendent shot in a straight line without any intention of moving out of the way despite an enormous bat being swung at him.


    Null''s katana cut through the air with such speed and force that it created an invisible shockwave that nudged the enormous bat to the side while Transcendent''s de of a copsing star ripped through the bat as if it were paper, almost as if it were a hot knife through butter.


    The goblin chief was momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events, but he quickly regained hisposure and charged at the duo with all his might.


    Null and Transcendent didn''t even bat an eye as they calmly side-stepped the charge and shed at the goblin''s back.


    *Boom*


    However, before their attacks couldnd, something unexpected urred, something they had not put into their calctions when fighting the goblin chief all on their own.


    The goblin chief was suddenly engulfed in orange and blue mes while its eyes slowly became red.


    Simultaneously, its power began to skyrocket while its rage could be felt in the paralyzing bloodlust that was flooding out of it.


    "I believe this is what we call a slight miscalction." Nullmented.


    "A slight miscalction?! We just allowed this thing to break through!" Transcendent roared, his eyes slightly fearful as he looked at the dreadful creature before them.


    Truly a force to be reckoned with.

 Chapter 24 Killing A First Commandment Hobgoblin [2]

    "What are you watching?" Delly, Zack''s older sister, asked while looking at na, who was looking at the holographic screen on the living room wall.


    "Those look like the Seven Reapers. Why didn''t you tell me they were live streaming?" Ana suddenly asked after appearing behind Delly and startling her.


    "You almost gave me a heart attack!" Delly let out a deep and exhausting breath.


    After regaining her breath, Delly finally asked-


    "Who are the seven reapers? Are they some big shot adventurers?"


    "No. They are pretty weak. Right now, they are walking toward the area of the first floor''s boss. I believe they are fighting the goblin general this time since the second and third floors have the goblin chief and hobgoblin." na exined without taking her eyes off the screen.


    "Really? Why are you watching them when they are so weak?" Delly asked.


    While Delly was na''s best friend, she sometimes found it hard to understand her behaviors. na could sometimes be the most predictable person in the world or the most unpredictable person in the world. It is what made her such a fearsome opponent while also making it hard for her to find friends she could connect with.


    However, since Delly was a daughter of the de family and also the same age as na, they became good friends over the years.


    Yet, despite their closeness, there was a lot that Delly didn''t know about, and it seemed like TV shows that na liked were just another thing Delly had no idea about.


    "I mean, it''s nice to see someone weak for a change. Secondly, they are prodigies that started entering dungeons a few months ago. More than half of them are firstmandments, and even then, they are pretty strong for theirmandment. They only starteding to thebyrinth recently." na exined before describing all the members to Ana and Delly, despite Ana already knowing all of them


    "Who are the rest then?" Delly pointed


    "Well, most of them are newbies."na shrugged.


    "Newbies, huh... That one with a mask is fighting pretty well, though. And he is pretty attractive too." Delly snickered.


    "Stop ogling him. Anyway, I think his name is Null or something. What a crappy name." na sneered.


    "Ogling? You are one to speak." Ana let out a soft chuckle; however, before na could retort, Delly suddenly pointed toward the TV and eximed-


    "Masked guy and the boy from the starforger n are leaving the formation. I think they''re running away." Dellyughed.


    "I don''t think so..." Ana narrowed her eyes, and when her words reached the girl''s ears, they also saw something on the screen.


    "Wait, isn''t that a goblin chief?" na eximed.


    "I think it is..." Delly muttered.


    "Holy crap thements are going crazy! Did you see what happen with the seven reapers?" Zack asked as he descended the stairs.


    "Yeah, we are watching it right now." Ana replied.


    "Do you think they will send a squad to save them?" Delly asked.


    "Maybe, but you know how thebyrinth is. Unless you go with aplete neer, you start on the floor you finished on. Its hard to find that many neers nowadays. You just gotta hope that there are still people on the first floor." Ana frowned.


    "Hey guys, that aside, doesn''t that masked dude look like Lloyd?" Zack asked while everyone else''s eyes brightened in both horror and realization.


    They all looked at the screen simultaneously, yet after seeing Null kick an early firstmandment goblin into a tree, they all shook their heads and felt the urge to p themselves for thinking about something stupid.


    ***


    ???, Labyrinth 1st floor.


    "Who knew goblins had elemental abilities too..." Null scratched his chin in interest.


    "They don''t... Only hobgoblins do." Transcendent gnashed his teeth in frustration.


    "I see... Then how should we-" Null words halted as his instincts kicked in, and he quickly moved to the side.


    *Boom*


    An enormous fist mmed down on the ground, creating a small crater.


    Null and Transcendent quickly retreated a few steps back, now surrounded by a ring of mes.


    *Roar*


    The goblin chief let out another roar, this time apanied by a hurricane-force wind that sent Null and Transcendent flying away.


    Null crashed into the trunk of arge tree, while Transcendent crashed into the trunk of a slightly smaller tree.


    *Cough*


    ? Transcendent coughed up a mouthful of blood while Null felt several cracks slowly crawl up his back and reach the sides of his neck. He was very close to being knocked out unconscious, but he kept himself awake despite not having any adrenaline to wake him up


    *Boom*


    A bright light began to shine on the duo as the goblin chief approached them.


    ''This is bad...'' Null thought.


    ''We''re going to die...'' Transcendent thought.


    However, instead of panicking, both of their minds ran at 100 miles an hour, trying to figure out a solution on how to not be incinerated by the iing fireball.


    "Trans! Wall!" Null roared, and Transcendent knew exactly what to do.


    Despite his body begging him to sit down and rest, Transcendent ignored the paining from coursing through his body and quickly shouted-


    "Creation: Steel wall!"


    Out of seemingly thin air, a powerful steel wall formed in less than a second, and despite it being 2-meters thick, the steel wall began to melt, and within seconds, it had be molten steel.


    However, a few seconds was more than enough time for both Null and Transcendent to move out of harm''s way and allow the fireball to pass them.


    The fireball collided with the wall of molten steel, instantly vaporizing it and continuing onward, eventually disappearing into the horizon.


    Null and Transcendent both breathed a sigh of relief, now that they had bought themselves some time.


    "Null! You okay?" Transcendent asked as he approached Null.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. Just a few bruises and some cracked ribs. You?" Null lied as he stood up.


    "I''ll be fine. Just some bruises." Transcendent smiled.


    "We need to find a way to kill this thing. Even if we can hold out for a while, we can''t keep this up forever." Null sighed.


    "I know, but... What can we do? We don''t have anything to counter fire magic." Transcendent sighed.


    Just as Null was about to reply, they both heard a loud boom, and when they turned to look, they saw arge fireball hurtling toward them.


    "Shit! Move!" Transcendent roared as he quickly moved to the side.


    Null quickly followed suit and the duo narrowly avoided being hit by the fireball.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "What the hell is this thing?!" Transcendent roared in frustration.


    However, instead of feeling anger or frustration, Null could not help but smile as he thought of what he would get when he finally killed the creature before them. Not only would there be a lot of loot to get, but there was a chance that he might get the fire ability the hobgoblin has.


    ''If I can get that ability, maybe I can learn how to use fire magic too.'' Null mused.


    However, before he could continue thinking, the duo heard another boom, and when they looked up, they saw another fireball hurtling toward them.


    ''This has to stop.'' Null narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip around his de, but instead of doing something potentially reckless, he moved out of the way as an idea popped into his mind.


    "I need you to distract the Goblin chief for 7 seconds." Null asked while Transcendant frowned but stillplied by nodding and creating a spear.


    *Swoosh*


    As a fireball came towards him, he hurtled it through the mes and towards the goblin chief''s eye, and despite the goblin chief dodging, the spear still hit, yet not its intended target.


    With its ear ripped cleanly off, the goblin let out a powerful earth-shaking roar that sounded throughout the forest and alerted the rest of the group of Null and Transcendent''s location.


    ''Good... Going for the ear means that the goblin chief will have bncing issues, and I knew Transcendent knows that, so he will be trying to get the goblin chief to trip over and identally impale himself with something that just happened to be on the ground in that very moment.'' Null concluded as the world around him began to turn ck, white, and surprisingly, red. Only the color of blood could be seen, not the color of anything else, yet Null was not in the state of mind to question anything that was happening.


    [4-Dimensional Thought]


    He had one goal in mind, and despite it being more gruesome than anything he had ever done before, he was willing to go the extra mile to make sure he was the one who got the final hit.


    3...


    Everything for thest hit...


    2...


    Anything to get the power of mes.


    1...


    Null was now standing several meters behind the goblin chief as he watched it continuously attack transcendent with both mes and fists.


    "YOU!" Null roared at the top of his lungs while shing down, and due to the power behind it, an arch of wind pressure tore through the air and hit the goblin chief in the back, sessfully grabbing its attention and almost tripping it over.


    Without hesitation, the goblin threw a fire st towards Null, one much stronger than the rest, yet it did not stop him from doing what he was nning.


    "Hey! We heard themotion." Damien stated as he and the rest of the team left the forest''s shadows and entered the burningndscape.


    Despite hearing the voices of Damien and the others, Null still waited... Waiting for the right moment... The moment the goblin makes the mistake of making eye contact with him.


    He knew that a fire st wasing toward him, but he didn''t care.


    He had one goal in mind and would do anything toplete it.


    Every second felt like an eternity...


    Yet he waited-


    Until it finally happened.


    [Void Gaze]


    [Monarch''s Aura]


    [Shadow Enhancement]


    *Boom*


    *DOOM*


    Dread.


    Absolute Dread...


    That was the best way to describe the feeling everyone felt despite it not being directed at them.


    They all knelt even though they knew they didn''t have to.


    They knelt out of instinct, yet they did not dare stand up again when their knees touched the ground.


    They knew they were outmatched, but their minds could notprehend why.


    It almost felt like they were in the presence of an absolute sovereign...


    A ruler... the king of kings.


    The moment Null made eye contact with the goblin, he released the full power of his killing intent that was thick enough to create a literal cloud created out of darkness, shadows, and mysterious purple energy that made it close to impossible to see from within it.


    And the goblin chief had taken a direct hit...


    ''Their minds are so... Weak?'' Null thought to himself with mockery in his voice.


    However, he snapped out of his thoughts and tried to dodge the fire de, yet it was toote.


    *BOOM*


    Before he could move out of the way, the fire st erupted into a cyclone of mes that Null found himself trapped in. Yet, such a thing was a part of his n...


    He knew that it would go like this. In fact, he knew everything that would happen from the moment he saw the goblin chief for the first time... All of it was leading up to this. The final attack.


    Closing his eyes, Null took a step forward, and the instant before his foot touched the ground, he felt the very world around him freeze.


    Opening his eyes again, he no longer saw the zing mes nor the molten magma he was standing on. Instead, he saw nothing but purple lines...


    They looked like arcs of violet lightning going to several ces, and for some reason, he felt like he had a connection to them... As if he touching them could grant his wish andplete his n.


    Without wasting another second, Null looked at all the arches of lightning and took a step forward, and within that moment, everything turned ck.


    Several seconds passed, and before he knew it, he found himself above one of the drone cameras, his foot slowly descending upon it to find a stable foothold.


    [Void Step]


    [The user of his ability can step into the void and reappear anywhere you can see within range. The user can use this ability once per minute as long as the user has enough mana to reuse this ability.]


    Null narrowed his eyes as he saw the goblin chief that was regaining his senses.


    His hand quickly moved to the base of his de, using his finger to slowly trace it to the top of the de as violet runes gradually etched themselves onto it.


    When the final runes were created, the steel de became pitch-ck while the runes glowed even brighter.


    ''Time to end this.''


    [Aspect of Void]

 Chapter 25 Killing A First Commandment Hobgoblin [3]

    [Aspect of Void]


    The purple runes on Null''s de suddenly started seeping out a purple light that gradually covered the entire de, yet before that could happen, Null had already jumped off the drone and began to shoot down toward the stunned goblin chief.


    Before the goblin chief could regain its senses, pain surged from its right side before an audible thud entered its ears.


    Looking toward the pain, it was forced to clench its teeth while watching blood spurt out of the open wound where its arm was supposed to be.


    The cut waspletely clean and silent as if a zing hot knife cut through butter.


    The goblin chief let out an ear-piercing roar that traveled throughout the entire floor, causing the entire forest to tremble as if a magnitude 7 earthquake had hit it, yet this did not seem to affect Null, who had already entered a zone of his own.


    His violet eyes were cold, while his aura was as calm as an unperturbedke.


    Suddenly, Transcendent shot through the air and mmed his foot into the goblin''s torso, making it st backward before being forced to slide and take several steps back.


    Using shadow movement, Null appeared by its side, sliced its calves, and disappeared before the goblin could turn around in time.


    Null knew that taking a hit from the goblin chief would mean instant death, but now that he had [Aspect of Void] on his de, he felt like he could take on anything and everything the goblin chief had in store for him.


    He felt like he could cut through time and space itself, yet he chose against it since his instincts told him it was best if he avoided doing so at his current level, especially in front of so many cameras.


    Before the goblin chief could fully turn around and meet Null''s eyes as he submerged himself in his own shadow, Transcendent appeared again and swung his de in an arch to decapitate his enemy.


    The goblin, however, had other things in mind. Without thinking twice, it shrouded itself in mes and forced Transcendent to leap back.


    When Null finally left his shadow, the duo looked into each other''s eyes for less than a split second before nodding and dashing in two different directions.


    The goblin chief found itself forced to only focus its attention on one thing at a time, as due to Null being the one who sliced its arm off, it turned to him with the conclusion that he was a much more dangerous opponent than the one who kept kicking it every now and then.


    However...


    *Boom*


    A green arrow shot through the air and hit the goblin on the torso, yet it exploded and released a poisonous green mist instead of prating or bouncing off the skin.


    Simultaneously, several arcane spells were created purely from mana shots and curved in the air like mana missiles homing towards their target.


    The goblin raised its hand and made a wall of orange mes, yet those mes froze alongside every ember and me on the battlefield, as if time itself froze.


    Without a wall of mes to stop the iing attacks, the mana missiles barraged the goblin chief, causing several explosions to go off while kicking up a dust cloud in its wake.


    When the dust cloud finally dissipated, one could see a severely injured goblin being ravaged by blue mes and screaming out in pain and terror, yet when its eyes fell upon a figure that had appeared in front of it, the fear within its eyes only increase in intensity while the terror in its screams became more audible.


    The goblin chief, who had already be a hobgoblin, looked into Null''s eyes with visible rage before lifting its fist and shooting it directly toward  Null''s face.


    The fist''s power rippled the air around it, and despite seeing that, Null still took a step forward.


    *Sching*


    In an instant, the de transformed into a purple light arch that tore through the air and sliced the iing fist into two pieces.


    The goblin opened its mouth to let out another roar, yet what came out were muffled screams as Null shoved its fist into its mouth while stabbing it through the stomach, causing blood to spurt out from the other side.


    The goblin''s screams echoed in the air as its eyes started to bulge out, and with a flick of his wrist, Null pulled out the de.


    It continued to struggle, and right before an attack fast enough tond on Null came his way, A man with a white and gold shield appeared in front of Null before mming his hammer down and creating an illusory, muchrger ethereal form of himself to block the iing attack.


    Another man with a shield shot through the air and mmed into the goblin from out of nowhere, and while this might have only made it take a few steps back to regain its bnce, it was enough for Null to enact the final step of his n.


    From the beginning to the end, he had already calcted and thought of all the observable possibilities and therefore had nned everything for it to go in his favor.


    Submerging into his own shadow again while using most of his remaining mana, Null appeared behind the struggling goblin and swung his de in an arch.


    His de shed purple as the aura covering it sharpened and made the de more powerful than ever before.


    For some reason, Null felt like he was holding a de of the secondmandment, yet instead of focusing on that, his eyes shed with the coldness of a frozen tundra as his de tore through the goblin chief''s neck, beheading it in the process.


    The headless corpse fell to the ground with a thud, and as the blood pooled around it while the purple light on the de gradually started to fade.


    Null jumped up andnded on the headless corpse as he looked down at it with a hint of disdain.


    "I must say..." Null breathed out as power began to surge into his body, making him feel a million times stronger than before.


    "This experience has been a disappointment from start to finish."


    "Disappointment, my ass! We almost died on several asions!" Transcendentined while falling onto his backside and unsummoning his de.


    "Are you two okay?" OracleOfmesnded right beside the two and asked with a tilt of her head. Her expression didn''t disy any worry, nor did her tone of voice, making it seem like she was simply asking out of respect rather than worry.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yeah. The fight was mediocre at best." Null shrugged.


    "I want to punch you in the face so bad. The only thing stopping is your injuries, so... Oracle, can you heal him, please." Transcendent asked with a seemingly innocent smile, yet Null could see that hidden petty intention behind it.


    "I would, but I can barely stay standing myself." OracleOfmesined while ruffling her orange hair.


    "Why is that?" Null asked out of curiosity, yet this did not overshadow the cold tone in his voice from the first time the group met him.


    While OracleOfmes was slightly taken aback by Null''smanding tone, when looking into his eyes, she knew that he meant no harm, making her conclude that the mask he was wearing must have changed his voice slightly in order to keep his identity secret.


    She wasn''tpletely wrong since the mask did change Lloyd''s voice slightly, but it was not to the extent that it would make him sound could. It would only make his voice slightly deeper.


    While this would have been a small measure to keep his identity secret, another factor came into y in hiding his identity, and one that he had not nned in the least.


    "Well, despite what you saw, it is not easy to control the mes of a hobgoblin even if it just awakened its elemental affinity and barely became a hobgoblin." She breathed out in exhaustion.


    "I can try healing you if you want." A familiar voice entered their ears and made them turn around just to see Grisha shyly smiling at them, her long blonde hair reaching her midsection, while her piercing pale blue eyes looked away when their eyesnded on her.


    "You are an Arcane Master. Am I correct?" Null asked dismissively.


    "Yeah, but I know a few healing runes I learned a few years ago... Before I awakened, they taught us all the basic runes that we might need to use to ensure that we are ahead of all the other kids when we awaken." She exined.


    Null slightly nodded before quickly looking towards his de that had corroded and weathered beyond recognition.


    ''I knew that using Aspect of Void would damage my de, but I had no idea it would be to this extent.'' Null was shocked, and his eyes refused to leave the de in his hand. However, what shocked him most was not only the state of the de, but the fact that it had gotten to this stage without using the ability''s full capabilities.


    He knew that the ability had much more than simply increasing the level and quality of the weapon he wields. All he had done so far was using the base features of the ability.


    The reasons he had not gone further were both because of the cameras that were being pointed at him, and the fact that he knew that the base abilities of Aspect of Void were enough for the likes of the hobgoblin.


    While he was certain that increasing his attack output would have secured his life and made the fight much easier, he also knew that he had already done too much to catch the eyes of the public, and doing any more would only hurt him in the long run.


    "I can try fixing your de too if you want, but I''m no cksmith or starforger, so I most likely won''t have the ability to fully replenish it." Grisha asked while fumbling with the wand in her hands.


    "I would be most thankful if you do me this favor." Null bowed slightly before walking to her and handing her the de, yet instead of looking at the thing that she was being given, Grisha was transfixed by the pair of violet stars that were staring at her from behind the mask.


    "You have violet eyes..." Grisha muttered unconsciously while the other two raised a brow.


    While Transcendent had seen Null''s eyes before, he didn''t think much of it since they were in the middle of a battle, and it almost made sense for the guy with shadow abilities to have ck or purple eyes. However, now that he thought of it, Null''s feats in this battle and his abilities felt slightly off. As if there was something that didn''t make sense about him anymore.


    ''How can he take on a mid-stage firstmandment despite not being a firstmandment himself?''


    ''Why does he have so many abilities?''


    ''Why are his eyes violet?''


    ''Why was his killing intent so powerful?''


    ''How did he get on top of the drone so quickly?


    OracleOfmes had many of the same questions, but since she had only seen Null fight once, she was more close-minded about the ideas entering her mind.


    After all, why would she be worried? Because he is a void walker? What a joke.


    Everyone knew that the chances of a Void Walker reappearing were slim to null. And even if they were to reappear, the government had put so many procedures in ce to ensure they would be immediately spotted and killed.


    Everything from the Awakening Ceremony and the Adventurer''s Association exam to portals and IDs are used to scan if someone is a Void walker or not.


    And who would believe some weak boy without amandment would be a Void Walker? Throughout history, Void Walkers have been seen as forces of nature. Literal walking cmities capable of destroying entire governments with a single attack.


    Many believe that Void Walkers are born at the top of the food chain and don''t have to work their way up there, so why OracleOfmes believe something as stupid as Null being a Void Walker?


    "Do you not like it?" Null asked, his voice feeling much more chilling this time than his usual neutral-cold voice.


    "N-No! I just thought that they were beautiful, that''s all... It''s just so rare to see someone with violet eyes nowadays so I was slightly stunned." Grisha waved her hands frantically while his eyes began tearing up, making her look like she was on the verge of crying.


    The scene would have been considered extremely cute by anyone watching, yet Null simply nodded and turned around before strolling back to his teammates.


    "Ophelia..." Transcendent narrowed his eyes at Null, who was getting further and further away before turning his head to the orange-haired beauty beside him.


    "Didn''t I tell you to not call me that when we are in public? You''re lucky we turned the cameras off after killing the big guy." OracleOfmes shook her head, but she could not help but let out a sigh when she saw Transcendent re at her.


    "I know what you are thinking, but your thoughts are illogical. Just try to think of the chances of him being what you think he is, and if you aren''t convinced by then, you can try finding the files on his awakening ceremony. I am more than certain that you have the political power to find his true identity, or am I wrong?" She asked while Transcendent nodded slightly before shaking his head and the thoughts guing it.


    ''If he really is one of those monsters, then it will show in due time. If he is one of them, then he will eventually lose to his bloodlust and lose control of himself. That is when I will end it all for him.'' Transcendent red at Null, his golden eyes flickering for a moment before returning to their previous calmness.

 Chapter 26 Third Void Walk [1] - Stage 1 Collapse

    As Null walked away from the trio he was previously talking to, he returned his attention to the energy that was coursing through his veins and running rampant within his body. He felt as if cold water was streaming his insides, and while the experience felt as good as a cold breeze in the middle of a summer day, he could not help but feel slightly worried about the volume of energy within his body.


    However, his worries were unfounded as almost half the energy had been digested in the 1 and a half minutes it took him to reach the others, and from what he could feel, nothing had happened yet except the gradual return of the pain coursing through his very being.


    ''Must be mana strain...'' He thought to himself.


    It made sense. He used an enormous amount of mana that he would have been capable of using if not for his second void walk, which gave him an immense boost in all his attributes, including his mana pool.


    "What''s my current progress?" Null asked while looking at his watch.


    [64%]


    Null simply nodded, yet he was internally shocked by how killing a single hobgoblin could bring him so much closer to bing a firstmandment.


    Of course, he also knew that the path from here on out would be extremely difficult, not only because of the predictable increase in the difficulty of his Void Walks, but also due to how long it might take to reach the nextmandments.


    ''Everymandment has its own power scaling. People choose to power scale using anything from metals to titles. Us humans can be so simple sometimes. Superficial even.


    "Hey, Null! Over here!" Rosepetal waved, causing Null to look towards her with a tilt of the head in response to her annoying shouting.


    "Watch this!" She waved him over, and when he finally got to her, his eyes were locked on her mobile phone that was showing the battle between him and Transcendent against the goblin chief.


    "I have to say, you two do make a pretty good team. I''ve never seen him fight like that with anyone before. He is more of a loner when ites to these things. I''m worried that it might kill him one day haha." Poisonlily chimed in.


    However, instead of replying to Poisonlily, Null looked around for a moment before asking-


    "Do any of you happen to have something that can cure mana strain?"


    "Hmm... I think I have a mana replenishing bottle in my storage device. Why do you need it?" She tilted her head in curiosity.


    "My insides feel like they are on fire." Null shrugged.


    "Hahaha. Nice try. If you were actually going through mana strain, you would be crying and puking non-stop. It is incredibly painful, you know." Sheughed.


    "I would never do that. That would be incredibly humiliating." Null sighed.


    "Well then, you''re probably faking it then."


    "How long does it take for the pain to subside?" Null asked without a change in his cold tone.


    "Usually a few hours." She exined.


    "I see. I''ll just wait then." Null muttered and began to walk away, but Rosepetal quickly stopped him.


    "Are you sure? It looks like you used a lot of mana..."


    "No need. I''ll just-" However before Null could refuse, a hand holding a ss bottle with blue liquid inside it extended towards him.


    "She''s correct, you know. You haven''t even reached the firstmandment. Don''t be stubborn." Damien argued while shing his signature smile.


    Seeing Damien''s gesture, Null knew what wasing but took the bottle anyway, turned around, and gulped it down after lifting his mask slightly.


    Returning the ss bottle, Null tried to walk away, but he was quickly stopped again.


    "Mr. Null. I have a propesition." Damien announced, catching the attention of almost everyone.


    Halting his steps, Null turned around.


    "Not interested."


    Without skipping a beat, he turned around and walked away.


    "Wait!" Damien shouted.


    ''This clearing is starting to agitate me. Could have sworn there were more trees here.'' Null rubbed his temple.


    "We can give you anything. Money? Fame? All our families are rich and famous with varying degrees of political power. Our families can easily nurture you and your family!" Damien attempted to persuade.


    "Apologies, but I am still not interested." Null waved, but instead of walking away like his previous attempts, he slowly sunk into his own shadow, leaving everyonepletely stunned.


    "Did he just sink into his own shadow to avoid a conversation..." Rosepetal asked with aplex expression on her face.


    "Absolute genius." Monarch nodded approvingly while the rest looked at him with a disapproving expression.


    The rest of the day went as expected. The reapers and Osmygold''s team went out to get some drinks and stayed out for the rest of the night before returning at sunrise.


    On the other hand, Lloyd was sitting in the middle of his room in the lotus position as he continued to meditate for longer than he could recall. The main reason for that was the fact that he had to absorb a lot of the hobgoblin''s dormant energies into his cells equally.


    While the body would havepleted that task of distributing the energy if the amount was small, the same could not be said when the energyes from a creature in the mid stages of the firstmandment. This forced Lloyd to take things into his own hands and direct the energy to all his cells equally.


    After several hours, Lloyd finally opened his eyes and looked at the mirror to see if there were any changes.


    "What the hell? Did my abs be more defined? I mean, I''m notining, but damn. At this rate, I might qualify for a bodybuildingpetition." Lloyd chuckled while posing in the mirror.


    "I don''t have any real muscle, so I''m not sure why my body is making it look like I do... Wouldn''t it just reduce my mobility while making me less flexible?" He asked himself, but after another nce, he narrowed his eyes and came to a conclusion.


    "My muscles don''t seem to have increased in size. They''ve just be more defined. In due time, I''m more likely to look like a statue of a greek god rather than a heavy professional bodybuilder."


    Nodding, Lloyd quickly put on his mask, changed into suitable battle wear, and went to the gymnasium to train.


    Of course, no one he knew was there due to them either puking their guts out or beingpletely cked out, making the session both lonely and extremely productive. Of course, he didn''t have Osmygold''s expertise in training, but instead, he had a variety of strangers willing to spar against him, allowing him to create a variety of newbos, as well as creative ways to use his abilities.


    After that, he would go hunting for goblins in the forest to increase his power before returning to the inn and meditating in order toprehend his shadow affinity.


    3 days passed in a sh, and before Lloyd knew it, he had been in the dungeonbyrinth for a little over 5 days.


    [Ding]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Unread message: 3 days ago]


    "Hmm?" Lloyd frowned and thought of what it could be, but when he couldn''t think of anything significant, he simply tapped onto the light purple inbox message and checked it out.


    [Unread message: -


    Changes have been made to your status screen]


    "Oh? Show my my status screen then." Lloyd replied with a slightly excited tone of voice.


    A low chime entered his ears as the screen in front of him disappeared before being reced by another purple transparent screen.


    Lloyd''s eyes quickly scanned over the entire screen onto two words that made his mouth gape in surprise while his eyes arched upwards in excitement.


    A smile could not help but crawl up the corner of his lips, and before he knew it, he was muttering the words-


    "Holy f*cking sh*t."


    ***


    Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and while everything seemed normal on the surface, there was on a particr difference that some have noticed.


    "Is Null some kind of training maniac?" Asked a girl no older than 17 years old. Her crimson hair gently danced in the winds as she sat atop a tall wall that had been erected around the town for what looked like decades.


    "You guys know him the best, I would have expected you to know." A girl with ck hair and emerald eyes sneered.


    "We''ve known him for two days more than you guys. However, I have to say, his training has be a lot more intense in thest 2 dayspared to the other 5." Osmygold stroked his beard before scanning the city with his hazel eyes.


    "What a show-off. I bet he''s doing all this to impress the girls." Peacexelrined.


    "I don''t think he is that kind of person." A boy''s voice chimed in, causing the red of them to widen their eyes before looking towards the source.


    As their eyes darted toward the source, their shook for a moment before a collective sigh of relief left their agape mouths.


    "Trans... You shouldn''t scare us like that." Poisonlilyined while Trans simplyughed at her.


    "Starforger, huh..." Osmygold sighed while eyeing the hoverboard Transcendent was standing on, allowing him to float above the wall without making any noise other than a low wooshing on the wind whenever he glided around.


    "Have you checked on Nulltely?" Rosepetal asked with a tilt of the head.


    "Hmm? Why me?" Transcendent asked with an irritated smile.


    "Well, you guys seemed like a dream team. I watched back the footage, and you guys worked really well together. I would have thought that you would have checked up on him, or he would have opened up to you?" Rosepetal shrugged.


    "Well I haven''t really talked to him at all so..."


    "He''s been training for about 20 hours a day before returning to his room on 4. That has to be unhealthy, right?" Poisonlily groaned while the rest simply nodded with different expressions on their faces.


    "Wait... I actually haven''t seen him leave his room today. Have you guys?" Rose asked before seeing everyone else shake their heads.


    "Maybe he''s getting some sleep?" Transcendent joked.


    "No way. For more than 7 hours? Impossible!" Poisonlily gasped while the restughed without a care in the world.


    ***


    [Choose your weapon]


    A monotone voice entered Lloyd''s ears before 10 weapons appeared before him.


    Lloyd didn''t bother looking at the rest of the weapons, as within an instant, his eyes locked upon a katana before his hand stretched towards it and wrapped around its hilt.


    [You have chosen your weapon]


    [Void Walk shallmence in 5]


    [4]


    [3]


    [2]


    [1]


    The darkness of the void around loid began to warp and break before it wrapped around him and made him disappear from that ne.


    In an instant, Lloyd found himself standing in a forest clearing, yet unlikest time, he could not feel the hundreds of presences around him...


    Instead, he only felt one...


    "Come on out wherever you are..." Lloyd muttered with a cold-blooded smile on his face. Unlike theck of expressions when he put his mask on, Lloyd''s expression was crazed...


    It was the smile of a predator. A serial killer.


    And the Alpha Shadow wolf recognized that.


    However, it was toote for it to run since-


    *DOOOM*


    Lloyd''s vibrant violet eyes darted toward the wolf before his smile extended to a widened grin.


    "Let''s y a little game, shall we?"

 Chapter 27 Third Void Walk [2] - The First Void Walker

    "Let''s y a little game, shall we?"


    With those words echoing throughout the lunar forest, silence descended upon it while an intense killing intent exploded out of Lloyd''s body and covered its entirety.


    Without a second of hesitation, the wolf began to flee with as much speed as possible, yet it was toote for it to do anything at this point.


    That small creature it bullied a little more than a week ago had be a creature that could contend with it, and if that wasn''t enough, it had also turned crazy in less than a week.


    Its animal instincts told it to get as far away as possible, while its pride as an alpha wolf begged it to stay and fight to itsst breath.


    Who would have known that a second of hesitation would doom it?


    *Boom*


    The ground cracked around Lloyd''s feet before a dust cloud was kicked up several meters into the air.


    As Lloyd left the ground, his body catapulted through the dust cloud, allowing him to speed past the clearing and narrowly miss the trees that were still standing.


    A loud whoosh echoed throughout the forest, and before the wolf could understand what was happening, Lloyd was in front of it with a katana blitzing past its tail and cutting it cleanly off.


    The wolf let out a loud howl while Lloyd slid to a stop before readying his de and shooting forward, yet this time, the wolf was ready for what wasing.


    The shadows around it began to flicker wildly while mana began to flood out of its body.


    "So you wanna participate now? Fine by me." Lloyd let out a savage grin and shot forward, but what he saw next made him widen his eyes in surprise.


    As the shadows flickered, they slowly rose and began to form in the shape of a wolf.


    "Shadow clones?" Lloyd muttered with a frown and quickly jumped over one of the clones to avoid its extended paw and sharp ws.


    ''So that''s how you escapedst time...'' Lloyd thought to himself and recalled hisst encounter.


    ''I thought it teleported when I hit itst time, and it became nothing but shadows, but to think it had this trump card the entire time? Truly fascinating...'' Lloyd thought with an excited grin before shing in an arc and decapitating one of the clones.


    ''They are weaker than the original. I''d say they have 1/10th of the original''s strength, but this ability was never made for fighting... It was created to trick and overwhelm. However, if a thirdmandment individual were to get their hands on this, they would be capable ofpletely and utterly ruining an army of 2ndmandments with ease...'' Lloyd thought to himself as he snapped his wrist and killed two clones in the process.


    "What an amazing ability..." He thought aloud, yet in an instant, his curiosity and fascination vanished before his aura flickered green in envy and greed.


    Several wolf clones attacked him at the moment, and despite their attacks still having the capability of killing Lloyd due to their shadow w ability, he did not retreat and instead ced one of his palms on the ground.


    At that moment, it was like time itself froze while the winds began to howl all on their own.


    Lloyd''s eyes slowly shifted upwards, and when he finally locked eyes with the original, he let out a devilish smile.


    "I want it..." Lloyd muttered, his eyes shing an orangy red for a millisecond before returning to normal.


    "And I''m going to take it."


    *Crackle*


    "Whether you like it or not..."


    *Crackle Crackle*


    "Burn."


    *FWOOOOOSH*


    In that very instance, mes gushed out of the palm of his hand before engulfing everything in a 5-meter radius.


    The clones did not even have a second to whimper in pain as their bodies had been incinerated before realizing what had hit them. On the other hand, the distance between Lloyd and the original was simply flung away in the other direction, causing it to crash into several trees before regaining its bnce.


    Wounds and burns littered its body, but it did not wait another second to dash to the side as something wooshed past it, barely grazing its cheek.


    Opening its mouth wide, it let out a deafening howl that sent shockwaves toward Lloyd.


    "Tsk..."


    Seeing that he could not duck or move away from the attack in time, Lloyd ced his two forefingers on the base of the de before beginning to slide his fingers to the top.


    Of course, there was no way that he had the speed of casting his ability before the sound wave hit him, yet he didn''t have to.


    His body immediately disappeared after taking a miniature step forward before reappearing behind the wolf; however, instead of coating his de with runes, he covered it with vibrant blue and orange mes that flickered beautifully.


    The de tore through the air horizontally, causing it to distort slightly, and while the wolf finally understood what had happened, it was already toote for it to do anything.


    *Sching*


    *Sizzle*


    *Fwhoooom*


    [Flower Petal Style - Horizon sh]


    It was nothing but a sh of light, yet when the light finally subsided, all that remained were the ashes of a wolf that once ruled thosends.


    Every tree within a certain radius turned into dust, while the ground had be scorched beyond recognition, making it look like hell herself had stepped foot onto thosends.


    *Pant* *Pant* *Pant*


    Breathing heavily, Lloyd lowered himself to the ground and held his chest.


    ''I used too much mana... I haven''t learned how to control my fire abilities, yet here I am trying to erase a forest from existence.'' Lloyd chuckled, but a moment after, he began to grimace in pain.


    *Crack*


    *Rumble*


    "Hmm?" Lloyd''s eyes widened before darting around in confusion. However, it did not take him long to find the source of the disturbance. After all, it was toorge for him to miss.


    Tilting his head upwards, Lloyd stared at the crack in the sky as it slowly expanded to envelop the stars and moon.


    Lloyd could do nothing but watch as the crack becamerger andrger, and before he knew it, the crack had expanded to the point of no return, deleting everything in sight while expanding into a white void with no end in sight.


    "Wow... I didn''t think you had it in you." A feminine voice entered Lloyd''s ears, yet even after looking around for several seconds, Lloyd could not see her. It was as if she was the white void itself, yet how could that be possible?


    Unless...


    "Three void walks and you already beat the first stage? That has to be a record, right?" She eximed in surprise, but that did not change how Lloyd looked at her at the moment.


    "Oh, sorry. You, humans, tend not to trust things you can''t see with your own two eyes-" The voice chuckled as the white void began to shift and warp randomly.


    "Yet..." She muttered, and with that mutter, the space warped to create a figure.


    "You''re not human anymore, are you?"


    Finallynding on the ground, a soft click echoed into the vast void, yet he felt something touch his shoulder before Lloyd could understand what was happening.


    *Swoosh*


    Without a moment of hesitation, Lloyd''s hand swung back in an arch towards the thing that touched him, yet a frown appeared on his face after not feeling like he had hit anything.


    "Come on now, no need to be hasty with your attacks."


    Lloyd''s eyes widened, and he quickly turned around, yet he saw something this time.


    A light-skinned woman with pitch ck wavy hair draped down her shoulders. Her beauty was otherwordly and almost angelic, while her aura seemed to scream with the power of a monarch.


    She wore a cosmic dress that clung to her well-endowed figure. A dress that seemed to have been created from the very fabric of space itself. However, despite her otherworldy beauty and immense power, it was her piercing violet eyes that caught Lloyd''s attention. The eyes of a sadistic maniac mixed in with the eyes of a grieving, vengeful soul that had lost everything in its pursuit of salivation.


    He didn''t know why he recognized those eyes, but at that moment, the thought of recognizing her eyes were the least of his worries.


    "Who are you?"


    After all, why would anyone care about such things-


    "Oh, I must have forgotten to introduce myself. You get clumsy when you are alone for a few millennia."


    When they are in the presence of-


    "My name is Eris , The Queen of Chaos..."


    "And the first Void Walker."

 Chapter 28 Third Void Walk [3] - Luck And Misfortune

    "The first void walker?" Lloyd asked with suspicion.


    "Yes! The first void walker ever!" The woman boasted.


    "You said your name is Eris?" Lloyd asked with now narrowed eyes.


    "Yes! Yes! Look, you''re getting it! If you had the mental state of those humans, you probably would have fainted by now hahaha!" Eris Laughed.


    "Eris, the Greek goddess of discord, strife and chaos?" Lloyd sighed.


    "Hey! What was with that disappointed sigh?!" Eris grumbled while crossing her arms.


    "Nothing..."


    "Nope! It was clearly something." She argued while pointing at Lloyd usingly.


    "Stop the act. I know fake when I see it." Lloyd sneered; however, instead of denying the usation, her puffed cheeks quickly returned to normal while her energetic mood disappeared instantly, making it seem like it was never there in the first ce.


    It was as if Lloyd was looking at a totally different person as if she had just taken off her mask and shown her true colors.


    "You''re more impressive than I thought." She muttered under her breath before resting her face on her fist.


    "Why did you bring me here? I''m assuming that you don''t meet with all void walkers..." Lloyd took a step back and stared into Eris'' now ice-cold violet eyes.


    "I don''t, but it has been quite a long time since someone had beaten the first stage in less than 5 void walks." She exined, her voice now monotone, almost as if conversing with Lloyd alone would have bored her to death.


    "Okay? Then can I leave?" Lloyd let out an innocent smile that caused Eris to chuckle.


    "Of course not. I want to see how good you are up close." She let out a grin that reached from ear to ear, making Lloyd almost see the devil behind her pearly white teeth.


    "Actually, I''m good haha." Lloyd tried to argue while slowly retreating, a scene that Eris looked on at in amusement.


    "Why not? It''s a simple inspection." Sheughed.


    "Nope! There arews against this, now you know!"


    "Oh, really?" Eris asked with sincere curiosity in her eyes.


    "Y-Yes!"


    "Too bad, there are nows like that in my realm." She shrugged and disappeared from where she stood, and before Lloyd could understand what had just happened, he watched as his perspective began to descend before two loud thuds reached his ears.


    He could barely move his eyes, but when he did, the sight of a bleeding headless corpse entered his vision, followed by the scene of a ck-haired beauty wiping the blood off her hands with a cloth that seemed to have appeared out of thin air.


    "What are you doing?" She asked while Lloyd''s vision began to fade.


    Was this the end of him?


    Did he just live 8 days of his life on the edge of death at every moment, just for him to die to the likes of her?


    ''If I look at the bright side... I died to someone with power beyond humanprehension...'' Lloyd tried to smile, but due to his brain slowly shutting down, the only thing he could do was allow his eyes to flicker in a final effort to live.


    Yet it was all in vain... Or so he thought.


    "Get up already."


    *GASP*


    Taking a deep yet quick breath in, Lloyd began to gasp to refill his brain with oxygen, yet after a few breaths, he realized that there was no need for such an effort.


    "I-I''m alive?!" Lloyd roared out in happiness while touching every part of his neck to ensure it was still intact. He was still hyperventting due to the stress and pain he felt after being literally decapitated, but it was nothingpared to the mental scar he had just gained.


    "That was probably the closest you will evere to death without actually dying. This will make your killing intent stronger, but you''ll need a few days to recover properly." Eris exined, yet when hearing her voice, Lloyd felt nothing but seething rage bubble inside him, ready to burst at a moment''s notice.


    Killing intent gushed out of Lloyd''s body like water through a floodgate. Of course, it was nowhere near powerful enough to prate the naturally dominant monarchical aura around Eris, yet it was just enough for it to grab her interest.


    Her eyes slowly widened as she looked at the thick aura around Lloyd, yet after a few moments, she closed her eyes and let out a sincere smile.


    *Boom*


    On the other hand, Lloyd did not wait for another second as, within an instant, he catapulted himself into the air with his mes before pointing his hands at Eris.


    "Incinerate!" He roared, and within an instant, blue and orange mes burst forward in a blinding array of colorful explosions.


    However...


    "I have to say..." A feminine voice entered Lloyd''s ears, but that was to be expected. There was no way some normal mes would have the ability to even touch Eris in her own realm. However, Lloyd wasn''t idle either.


    Without wasting another second, he burst forward with a pitch ck saber in his hand as several purple runes shone upon it.


    *Boom*


    ''Sh*t!'' Lloyd cursed when he saw that his kick hadnded into the palm of her hand and had beenpletely nullified alongside his foot''s mobility since it was stuck within a tight iron-d grip.


    Gritting his teeth, Lloyd manifested mes behind his other foot and used them as thrusters to let out a devastating kick.


    *Thud*


    Eris did not even bat an eye as she caught the other foot effortlessly.


    Seeing this, Lloyd let out a devilish smile and, without any notice-


    *BOOM*


    mes burst forth from the soles of his feat as the rest of his mana disappeared. The mes expanded, creating a beautiful flurry of enormous blue and orange fireballs rising from the ground in a spectacr fashion.


    However, as the mes dispersed, the silhouette of two figures could be seen through the ze.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Good mes. That attack would have killed the average mid-stage firstmandment." Erisplimented with his two hands still gripping tightly onto Lloyd''s feet without letting go.


    Despite that, she was spotless, without a single dust particle on her. It was as if she lived in apletely different realm, making her indestructible in the perspective of any mortal.


    However, Lloyd was no mere mortal.


    *Woosh*


    Lloyd swung his de in a horizontal arch aiming for Eris'' neck, however-


    *ng*


    Without exuding any signs of effort, Eris blocked Lloyd''s de with nothing but her finger.


    "Hmmm. Aspect of Void? The ability to enchant anything you touch and make it a powerful weapon capable of easily killing anyone in yourmandment... Well, that''s the case for at least the first and secondmandments. The power difference bes quiterge in thetermandmentsm." She chuckled while Lloyd gritted his teeth.


    "It''s a good ability to have early on, alongside that monarch''s aura of yours." Eris nodded in apparent satisfaction.


    "Monarchs... How do you know about-" Lloyd tried to ask, yet instead of hearing him out, Eris snapped his de in half before digging half of it into his heart while slitting his throat with the other.


    It all happened in the blink of an eye, yet Lloyd continued to suffer as he slowly drowned in his own blood, struggling to swallow and breathe until eventually.


    *Thump-...*


    His heart ceased to beat.


    Without even giving Lloyd''s corpse a second nce, Eris slowly walked toward her throne while contemting on her encounter.


    After finally sitting on her throne, Eris leaned back and let out a sigh while muttering-


    "Uni... Just what are you thinking going around creating another of my kind..." Eris paused before a frown appeared on her face as she looked at the small star at the center of her palm flickering between ivory purple-


    "A human at that..."


    And crimson red.


    ***


    *Gasp*


    Laying in a puddle of his own sweat, Lloyd flung up and took in a cold breath.


    ''W-What happened... I-I don''t remember...'' Lloyd rubbed his temples as he tried to recall any memories of what happened after killing the alpha shadow wolf, yet despite how hard he tried, he always felt like he was just inches away from those memories without the capability ofing any closer.


    As ifing closer would be detrimental to him, possibly even hurting him.


    *Ding*


    Suddenly, a low ring entered his ears, making him look at his watch, which looked like it had been blinking purple for quite a while now.


    "Uhm, uh... Open message." Lloyd finally gasped out while trying to get his thoughts straight.


    [Unread message: -


    2 Changes have been made to your status screen]


    "Uh... I don''t know. Show me the changes then!" Lloyd grumbled.


    [Name: Lloyd Elrod]


    [Commandment: --- ]


    [Race: Void Walker]


    [ss: Walker of Voids]


    [Talent: 2-Star]


    [Affinity: Shadows]


    [Passive Ability: Night Vision - Shadow Sustenance - Soundless Steps]


    [Abilities: 4-Dimensional Thought - Shadow Enhancement- Shadow w - Shadow Movement - me Control - Presence Concealment - Shadow Clone]


    [Passive Race Ability: Monarch''s Aura, ???]


    [Race Abilities: Aspect of Void - Void Channel - Void Gaze - Void Step]


    For a moment, the streets outside seemed to have turned silent, as if the winds had stopped and the itself had stopped spinning.


    Everything became silent as Lloyd''s eyes widened as if they had suddenly be saucers.


    "Oh... I see." Were the only words Lloyd could mutter, but who could me him? He had never seen anyone have as many abilities as him in the samemandment.


    Scrap that; only elites of the thirdmandment would have the number of abilities he does, yet he gained all of these abilities without even reaching the firstmandment. What are the chances that he is that lucky?


    As a war general from world war 4 had exined, "Lucky men are followed by a streak of misfortune, and those who have been followed by a streak of luck are bound to fall the hardest."


    However, there was one problem...


    Lloyd had no idea which category he belonged to.


    Was it just dumb luck, or was it an borate chain of events that would eventually lead to his death?

 Chapter 29 Return [1]

    Back at the wall, Rosepetal looked into the distance with narrowed eyes as if the she was trying to look past something and peer into another realm.


    While this caught the attention of many, most of the guards and the people of the town saw her as nothing but a tourist who happened to be interested in everything she saw; however, to her team, she looked like she had seen a glimpse of something important and was trying to find it again.


    "Are you sure she is okay?" Poisonlily asked with a worried tone.


    "I''m sure she is fine. I don''t know what it is, but sometimes she says that she sees things that others don''t. She calls them fluctuations." Osmygold sighed.


    "Fluctuations of what exactly?" Poisonlily tilted her head a few degrees, allowing her long ck and green hair to fall to her side.


    "What I told you is everything I know." Omsygold closed his eyes and shook his head, yet a momentter, his eyes opened as he was pulled toward them roughly by a hand.


    "Osmy... Look! Can you see that?" Rosepetal asked with widened eyes. Herplexion suddenly worsened in mere seconds as his face became oddly pale. Her hand shivered without any signs of stopping, and the look in her eyes would have made anyone think that the apocalypse wasing.


    "What is it?" Osmygold asked calmly, yet his expression looked severe.


    "S-Something ising... Something big!" She screamed and pointed toward a particr area.


    "That''s..." Osmygold froze before a frown slowly took form.


    "Isn''t that the inn you guys are in?" Poisonlily asked, yet instead of getting an answer, she saw a brilliant sh of light before the two people beside her disappeared.


    Carrying Rosepetal in his arms, Osmygold flew through the air by jumping from building to building, leaving nothing but a streak of white light behind him.


    "Osmy..." Rosepetal muttered, yet her voice sent a chill down Osmygold''s spine.


    "It''s here..."


    *DOOOOOOM*


    In an instant, everything within arge radius of the inn was enshrouded in powerful killing intent; however, unlike the killing intent they felt when Null had unleashed bloodlust, this one was different.


    It was a calcted cold energy as if it weren''t created to intimidate, but rather, as if it derived from the very existence of a being.


    An energy created by the very atoms in the air shaking in fear, distorting the air and everything around it to create the illusion of killing intent.


    A fluctuation only created by the descent of a being of the highest race, like a monarch stepping foot into the mortal slums.


    However, just as it came, it disappeared within seconds, allowing everyone in the affected area to let out a breath they had no idea they were holding.


    While most stayed frozen at their spots for several seconds, not a second passed before one of the inn doors creaked open and a man wearing a long ck trenchcoat and jet ck mask left through them.


    Everyone stared with bbergasted expressions, yet Rosepetal and Osmygold rushed over to the man without thinking twice.


    "Null! Are you okay? Did you feel that?" Rosepetal asked while Osmygold narrowed his eyes at Null with slight suspicion.


    "Yes." Null simply replied.


    "Did you see what caused it?" Rosepetal asked, and while Lloyd would have usually thought of telling them to truth, his thought process as Null was a little different.


    "No. I just felt a powerful killing intent and left immediatley." Null lied through his teeth.


    He was well aware that the energy was caused by him, but he was certain that it wasn''t killing intent. The only reason he had not tried to further investigate was due to the fact that he was too entranced by his status that he hadpletely ignored the energy leaking out of him for several seconds.


    "Oh, good then. That thing was powerful. Could have probably killed all of us pretty easily." She sighed while Null simply narrowed his eyes before looking away and ncing at his watch.


    ''I might have made a slight miscalction.'' He thought to himself.


    Null has spent approximately 7 days inside thebyrinth, and while that would have been fine if he had entered it in the morning, he found himself slightly dyed by the sign-up process, which meant he would have had to enter thebyrinth at 4 pm.


    7 days in thebyrinth dungeons equates to about 16 hours and 48 minutes in the outside world, meaning that if he were to leave at this instant, it would be around 10 am.


    ''I''ll need an excuse for noting home the day before, and right now, I can''t think of any. If I lie, Mrs. de will definitely recognize it. I need a lie that incorporates the truth.'' Null stroked his chin, yet after several seconds, he simply shrugged. It wasn''t his problem; after all, it was Lloyd''s.


    "We should get going." Null stated.


    "Yeah, 7 days is more than enough. I don''t think another ''boss'' goblin will spawn soon." Osmygold nodded before looking at his watch and sending out a signal to everyone on the team alongside the 7 reapers.


    They did not have to wait long as they all appeared at the meeting location in a matter of minutes, Peacexelringst.


    "You look horrible." Null remarked when seeing Peacexelr, a statement that made everyone chuckle due to Null''s cold tone when saying it.


    "Shut up." Peacexelr snarled, making Null raise a brow in surprise.


    ''I never knew his hatred for me would be this intense. I thought of him as nothing but a child throwing a tantrum, but now I can see that he might be a problem in the future.'' Null thought to himself but quickly chose to forget about it in the meantime.


    "We were thinking of leaving today too, and since you guys are leaving, why not go together, share contact details, and have a drink every now and then. We can go on raids together if you''d like." Damien suggested.


    "Sounds good." Osmygold grinned before stretching out his hand.


    "It''s been nice working with you, and I hope we work together in the future. I know I am an old man now and probably won''t ever have the capability of keeping up with all of you, but I''d like it if we work together for now and until I can no longer work with you guys." Osmygold announced with a sad yet determined smile.


    "Don''t worry, old man, even if we pass you in strength, with your exprience, I''m certain you''ll surpass us in no time." Monarchughed, causing the broadsword on his back to rattle in its chains.


    "Haha. I sure hope so."


    "Does everyone have everything on them?" Null asked coldly, cutting off the conversation and getting to the part he perceived the most important.


    "Yep."


    "Yes."


    "I believe so."


    "Most likely."


    "I don''t even have an inn."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."<novelnext></novelnext>


    Everyone simply stared at Transcendent with an agape expression, looking at him as if he were a member of a new alien species.


    "Where the hell did you sleep?" Trishaless could not help but exim.


    "He''s always like this. A rich cheapskate." OracleOfmes sneered.


    "Let''s stop wasting time with chit-chat. How are we going to leave?" Null asked.


    "Oh, there is a teleportation ring in this town, but we can also just tap our dimensional space ring 3 times with the intention to leave." Rosepetal exined while taking the opportunity to inch closer to Null.


    "I see." Null nodded and looked away without giving her a second nce.


    "Then let''s go shall we." Damien smiled before tapping his ring and disappearing from where he stood.


    Everyone quickly followed, leaving Null to take onest nce at the ce before tapping his ring three times and disappearing from where he stood in a bright sh of light, yet unlike everyone else''s shes, his one seemed to have been contaminated by a little bit of ivory purple.


    ***


    "The adventurer''s association thanks you for your services. I hope we get to see you again." The cashier smiled before looking at the next person in line.


    Null walked off while looking at his watch, which showed him a screen stating-


    [Current Bnce: $20625]


    ''I''ll be damned...'' Null thought to himself, yet after recalling all the hunting, he did as part of his training, it made sense.


    "Uhm. Mr. Null?" A girl with blonde hair and blue eyes walked up to Null with a sheathed de in her hand.


    "Yes Grisha?" Null turned towards the girl.


    "I fixed your sword, but with the money you gained you should probably think of buying a new one." Grisha advised before handing the katana to Null.


    "Why is that?" Null unsheathed the de and began to examine everything from its texture to the sharpness of the edge itself.


    ''Feels the same... In fact, it feels a little bit sharper. I can also feel mana beating inside it so she most likely used runes to make the de itself better.'' Null analyzed.


    "There are cksmiths out there that can do a much better job than that." Grisha pointed at the katana before continuing.


    "I think you should consider it. They are masters of their crafts and are capable of creating amazing swords."


    "They are expensive though." Null retorted.


    "It''s worth it." She tried to argue.


    "Why would I ask someone else to make me a weapon...


    When I have you?" Null asked as he continued to analyze the de from tip to base, so he could not notice that Grisha had be beet red.


    "W-W-W-Wha-at?" She stuttered.


    "I trust that you are talented and will also improve at your crafts... Or am I wrong?" Null shifted his view and looked her straight in the eyes.


    Grisha felt a warm feeling inside her heart in that instant before a determined expression appeared on her face.


    "I will do my best, Mr. Null!" She eximed before walking off with confidence.


    ''Mr. Null said he trusts me!'' She inwardly squealed. Null, on the other hand-


    ''Free weapons supplier, check.'' He inwardly thought.


    "Uhm, by the way, who should get the hobgoblin core? We split the goblin general''s money between all of us, but the hobgoblin was all Transcendent and Null." Relish, who was usually quiet, could not help butment.


    "I did something too!" OracleOfmes retorted.


    "They did 90% of the work. You just happened to be there when they killed the hobgoblin." Damien stated matter-of-factly.


    "Well, I think Null should have it." Transcendent cut in before an argument couldmence.


    "Huh... Why?" Monarch could not help but ask.


    "Well, he was the one to decapitate the hobgoblin, right? It only makes sense for him to get it." Transcendent argued, and since he was the only other person who could have gotten the core, no one argued against his decision.


    Taking out a crimson orb no bigger than the side of one''s palm, Damien handed it to Null, who quickly stored it in his watch''s storage space.


    ''I''ll need to get an upgrade after this. My storage space is almost full,'' Null scratched his temple.


    "Let''s exchange contact information then shall we?" Damien suggested, and without skipping a beat, everyone pushed their wrists forward until the familiar *ding* entered their ears.


    Quickly saying their goodbyes, everyone went on their merry way, trying their hardest to avoid all the press outside the building. While most of the seven reapers left in a limo or a luxurious car, Null and the rest decided to leave on foot while being escorted by members of the adventurer''s association.


    "We have arrived at your destination sir." The association''s escorting driver announced, snapping Lloyd out of his daydream.


    With a smile, Lloyd thanked the man for his service, yet before he could leave, the man could not help but advise-


    "Sir. I know it is not my ce to speak, but as someone much older than you and with much more knowledge and experience, I''d advise you to tell your family about your identity as Null."


    "Why is that?" Lloyd asked, his eyes narrowing down onto the man driving.


    "It is better if they know from you rather than find out by having to identify your corpse. In situations of disaster, too, it is always good to keep those you love close, no matter what. Pushing them away with silly things like secret identities is foolish. And if they find out in another way, they might have hard time trusting you properly again." The man replied.


    "Am I right to think that the association will not spread my information?" Lloyd asked, his voice now cold.


    "That is correct, Sir. We are not allowed to tell others of your information even if you are a threat to the government, so do not worry about any of us telling your family. All I was doing was advising you." The man shrugged.


    "Thank you for the ride." Lloyd simply replied before stepping back and turning around.


    Taking a deep breath, he rxed his face into a warm smile.


    *Knock Knock Knock*


    [Author''s note: Sorry about the crappy scheduling. I couldn''t upload any chapters for the past few days because I was really busy with university work. I''ll try not to have that happen again, but if I do get busy, I''ll try my hardest to have more chapters in stock, just in case. Also, please vote using your power stones. Votes have been dropping dramaticallytely, and it would be nice to have a few more votes every now and then, haha.]

 Chapter 30 Return [2]

    *Knock Knock Knock*


    Lloyd waited several seconds, yet even though he was almost certain that his family would all be home this early in the morning, he could not help but think of several things that might have kept them out of the house, an example being him going missing for an entire night without a GPS signal to track his whereabouts.


    ''I don''t think I thought this through properly. If my GPS signal suddenly disappears after all the weird behavior I exhibited, they will think I am likely in trouble. They will most likely attribute all my behaviors to my joining a criminalmunity or organization I''m not allowed to tell anyone about.''


    Scratching his chin, Lloyd''s frown deepened before a sigh left his mouth in defeat.


    Allowing the scanner to take a scan at his watch, he heard the sound of mechanical locks unlocking the door before it opened with a final click.


    ''I guess I can do nothing but wait until they get back. Calling them would also be a suitable option since it would relieve them, but feigning ignorance would help me get past the situation without many problems. On the other hand...''


    Lloyd''s footsteps halted as he entered the dimmed hallways and towards the living room.


    *Ring Ring*


    *Ring Ring*


    "Hello?! Lloyd is that you?" A voice shouted from the other side of the speaker.


    "Yeah. Where are you guys? Did my family go somewhere with you guys?" Lloyd asked as he sunk into the sofa before using the tv remote to open the tv.


    "What the f*ck, bro!? Where have you been? We haven''t seen you since you left, and your parents are worried sick. We searched the entire city for you!" Zack shouted from the other side, making Lloyd let out an inaudible chuckle.


    "Isn''t that a little bit of an exaggeration? Why would you search the entire city just because I''ve been gone for a few hours?" Lloyd asked with audible amusement in his voice.


    "You think this is f*cking funny bro?!" Zack roared in feigned anger. Lloyd could tell that Zack was relieved to hear Lloyd''s voice, but he could also feel a little resentment behind his words.


    "Alright, alright!" Lloyd waved his hands in defeat even though he knew no one could see him doing such an action.


    While most people liked talking with face time, people like Lloyd enjoyed not having their facial expressions scrutinized over the phone. One could say it was Lloyd''s inner introvert speaking, while others would simply call him old-fashioned.


    "I''llpensate for the time you guys spent looking for me. I didn''t know you guys would take it so seriously, to be honest." Lloyd chuckled while Zack simply sighed in frustration. He could hear the tv in the background and could already imagine Lloyd sitting on the sofa with his legs up, rxing as he watched thetest news channels.


    "Alright, talk to youter. I''ve already messaged everyone, and they should being back. Also, ording to my mom, my sister and I will stay over for a couple more nights, or at least until the entrance ceremonies begin." Zack exined before hanging up immediately after.


    "Bastard didn''t even say bye." Lloyd sneered, but a smile crossed his face when he looked up at the TV showing thetest news.


    [Presenter: Today on our show, we have an esteemed member of the seven reapers group, Arthur Starforger, better known as Transcendent in the adventurermunity.]


    Apuse rang out through the studio as the camera panned toward a man sitting in the shadow. However, the next instant, lights began beaming toward him, allowing the audience and watchers to fully see the man.


    His 6ft 2 stature was not undermined by the fact that he was sitting since his lean yet ripped stature trumped most.


    With his hair that boundaries between silver and blonde, alongside his pale blue eyes that shone through the very shadows themselves, one could tell at a mere nce that Arthur was ady killer in his own sense.


    Lloyd had heard of adventurers with significantly good looks getting their ownmunities online, but he had never seen a crowd of women cheer so loudly before for someone who was not an intergctic celebrity.


    [Presenter: Mr. Starforger, it hasn''t been too long since west met, has it.]


    [Arthur: No, it has not. I believe we have been meeting a little too often, actually. Have my actions been that eye-catching to the public?]


    [Presenter: Hahahaha. For someone with a pseudo-mythic ss, you sure are very humble about your talents. However, I''m sorry to disappoint you today, but your fame in thest 24 hours has been shared by another individual] The presenterughed heartily, causing Arthur to let out a small smile.


    [Arthur: I am well aware. If I''m talented, then I have no idea what he was. He deserves his current fame.]


    Several gasps could be heard throughout the studio, but Arthur simply continued.


    [Arthur: My main partner for this raid, Mr. Null, is remarkable in every way, shape, and form.]


    [Presenter: Why do you say that? He seemed to have done just as well as you in the raid despite us not having heard of him before. You would think such a talent would have been spotted sooner.] The presenterughed but eagerly waited for Arthur''s answer.


    [Arthur: Well, regarding that, what I''m about to tell you might shock you, but ording to Mr. Null''s team, this was the first time he had gone out for a raid.]


    [Presenter: Hahaha... Well, that''s impossible. It would simply not make sense. One cannot have the experience shown by Mr. Null without fighting monsters like the goblins in the past. Goblins are intelligent and cruel; their sight alone would have caused most to wet their underwear] Heughed.


    [Arthur: I don''t know what to tell you, but that''s all I know about him. He is a very secretive person, and it was very hard to get him to talk to me, let alone divulge his secrets.] Arthur shrugged, causing the presenter to feel even more excited than before.


    The interview continued for another 30 minutes or so, and in that time frame, the presenter had asked everything he could think of rting to Null, from how the rest of the reapers felt about him to the question of if Null would be joining them.


    Of course, Arthur kept many things to himself, but to give credit where credit is due, Arthur did not lie once, an act that caused a small smile to creep up Lloyd''s mouth.


    *Click*


    Lloyd''s smile disappeared for a moment; however, after remembering the role he had to y to make his story believable, he let on a cheerful smile and continued watching tv as if he hadn''t just heard the front door click open.


    "Lloyd?!" A feminine voice entered his ears, yet he waited until she was in his line of sight before answering nonchntly-


    "Yeah?"


    To his surprise, he was wrapped into a tight hug he could not escape from within seconds.


    "M-Mom! You''re killing me!" He pleaded.


    "What happened?! Where were you?" She asked with a crestfallen expression.


    "I was just outside for a few hours." Lloyd argued.


    "Few hours!? You''ve been gone for an entire day! You''ve been acting all weird since that break-in. Is there something I should know? You know you can tell me anything, right?" She pouted but didn''t let go of Lloyd.


    "You worried your mother sick you know." Another voice berated.


    Looking at the woman standing at the door frame, Lloyd''s eyes flickered with worry before the emotion disappeared as if it had never been there.


    Taking in a deep breath, he calmed his heart and slowly pushed his mother off him, to her dismay, of course.


    "Sorry?" Lloyd scratched his head.


    "Where were you?" She asked, but instead of answering straight away, Lloyd''s face turned into a mixture of confusion while a frown appeared on it.


    "With all due respect, Mrs. de-"


    "Mrs. de?" Lloyd''s mother asked in confusion.


    "... Aunt La, there is no need for all of you to know about my whereabouts at all times." Lloyd argued.


    "Why didn''t you answer your calls then?" La frowned.


    "I wanted a little bit of privacy," Lloyd replied, and since half of that was true, it didn''t set off rms in La''s head.


    However, it did tell her-


    ''A half truth?'' She thought, her frown deepening.


    "For an entire night?" She asked.


    "With all due respect-"


    "Answer her question. And stop being so formal. This isn''t an interview," Lloyd''s mothermanded, causing him to wince slightly before sighing out in defeat.


    "Come on. What were you doing." La crossed her arms.


    "Uhm, well... I was out with a girl."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Uhm... Sorry for not telling you." Lloyd scratched the back of his head with an innocent smile, and while Lloyd''s mother had a hundred questions running through her mind, La seemed preupied with something else as a frown crawled down her face.


    "You got yourself a girlfriend, left with her for over 24 hours and didn''t tell us a single thing?" Lloyd''s mother roared, yet he still seemedpletely unfazed, mostly because of the fact he could not imagine his mother''s reaction if she even knew a fraction of the truth. Hell, she might not have even believed him.


    "I wanted a little bit of privacy. You guys are so up my ass all the time that I just felt I could not be around you anymore." Lloyd lied. In reality, they were pretty good at giving him personal space unless it was the sisters he talked about.


    He used this to his advantage by distancing himself from his family and making La think he was telling the truth.


    "R-Really?" His mother asked, her voice on the verge of breaking. Seeing this, Lloyd could not help but feel an ounce of pain in his heart, but at the same time, he was certain this was the best thing to do. On the other hand, La had a nerve bulging behind her bangs, but she kept her facial expression the same.


    After a few more minutes of speaking to his mother, the rest of the family came back alongside the des, who all had equally annoyed expressions on their faces.


    Lloyd said the same thing to them, and La held back the urge to smack him in the temple and leave him unconscious.


    "So when do we meet this bitc-... I mean, when do we meet this girl." Zack''s older sister asked, making everyone look at her with a weird expressions.


    "You don''t. I like my privacy." Lloyd sneered.


    So you made us run around out there like maniacs just for us to not know who this mysterious woman is?" Zack asked.


    "Yep." Lloyd let out a smile and showed Zack a thumbs-up. The two bickered for a while before they all retreated to their bedrooms after a long day of both stress and activity, yet in a way, Lloyd needed that sleep the most as he knew the next week-


    [Next Void Walk: After the entrance ceremony.]


    Would be a stressful one.

 Chapter 31 Show-Off [1]

    "Sir... Sir!" A panting man with a clipboard in his hand barged into a luxurious room, his eyes staring at the floor as he tried his best to formte the words in his mind.


    "Christopher... How many times have I told you to knock before entering? Just because you are my cousin does not mean you can disrespect me. Imagine what your colleagues would think of me if I let you do this all the time?" A silver-haired man sighed while turning around on his gold-embroidered chair.


    "It''s important, sir!" Christopher stood up and attempted to straighten his back, yet before he could fully do so, he felt a mountain-like pressure fall onto his shoulders, causing him to almost lose bnce and fall to the ground.


    "Let me guess. This is about that new boy, am I correct? He calls himself Null I believe." The man stood up from his chair with a speed that caused it to fling back and m into the ss window situated behind him.


    However, despite the power it had mmed into the window with, there was not a single scratch on it, let alone a break in either item.


    "Y-You knew?!" The man gasped as his knees finally gave out.


    "Of course, I knew. Who do you think the top organizations call when they want to speak with the adventurer''s association?" The man smiled while walking around his desk and fixing his cuffs.


    He looked like he was wearing an expensive three-piece suit with golden runes that looked both aesthetically pleasing and immensely powerful.


    He wore several rings on his fingers, and while one would not be capable of seeing it at first nce, if they were to look closely, they would recognize that the rings were for purebat use.


    "S-Sir... I didn''t know that you were already informed!" Christopher pleaded, yet the silver-haired man did not stop walking until he was right in front of the kneeling man.


    "Do not worry. I do not wish to hurt you." The silver-haired man whispered, and despite the wordsing out of his mouth being ones that would cause Christopher to dance in celebration, he did not move a muscle.


    Shivers went down his spine while cold sweat covered his back, dripping onto the floor below him and creating a small puddle formed out of pure fear.


    "Instead, I need you to go downstairs, gather the press and tell those assholes that we won''t sell out any of our members even if the emperor himself asked us to. Is that understood?" The man asked with his signature smile, casting a shadow over Christopher.


    "Y-Yes sir." The man cried before getting up and running out of the room. Unbeknownst to him, a faint shadow followed right behind him. While most would not be capable of seeing it, those who could see it had a name for it.


    ''The shadow of death'' is what most called it, yet they also had a name for the person it followed.


    ''The Death King''s Curse...''


    ***


    "I know you two are kids and all, but to be great warriors like Noah and me, you must start training from the first day of your awakenings. No more cking around, no more taking breaks whenever you want to, and definitely no more of that crappy half-assed behavior I saw in both of you before. Is that understood!?" Benjamin roared an act that caused the entire training area to shake uncontrobly.


    The training room was vast, reaching close to the size of football fields that scattered the world during the Technological Explosion, an era that is deemed the most important period in human time.


    While it was quiterge on the inside, that was a simple change created by a space-time refraction module. Different artifacts would be capable of producing such a result, making a small room the size of a football field and making the time inside flow much slower than the time on the outside.


    The training room was fully white, almost like a mental asylum, yet a little worse.


    "Yes sir!" Lloyd and Zack both shouted while saluting, a scene that put a smile on Benjamin''s cold and emotionless face.


    "Now run around the training area 15 times ande back here to carry out your warm-up exercises." Benjamin smiled warmly, yet both Lloyd and Zack could see past it and into his sinister smile, enjoying every second of their dreadful expressions.


    To be exact, he was only enjoying Zack''s dreadful expression since Lloyd wasn''t showing anything despite this torturous activity being put on mainly to punish Lloyd for all the crap he had put them through the night before.


    Without batting an eye, Lloyd simply turned around and began to jog. On the other hand, Zack tried to give his father a pleading expression, yet his father simply acted like he didn''t see it.


    A few minutes quickly passed, allowing Zack to catch up to Lloyd, yet when he finally got to him, all he could do was grit his teeth and swear under his breath.


    "You better pay me back for this. They are trying to punish you while bringing me into it." Zackined.


    "Sure." Lloyd replied without even looking at Zack.


    They quicklypleted 15ps around the training room, and while this might have seemed like a menial task to even those who had not awakened, this was simply not the case.


    Training rooms had been created with the design and intention of training the body, the soul, the mind, and a person''s ability. Different features could be applied to the room, such as increasing the gravity and the room''sndscape.


    ''The gravity is at least three times higher than that of the outside world.'' Lloyd concluded after jumping around on one leg for a few seconds.


    "For now, there is no need for you guys to do muscle training, and instead, I''m going to teach you how to control your abilities and strength." Benjamin announced with his back facing them, yet despite not being able to see his face, Lloyd could still sense that Benjamin was annoyed.


    "Ugh! Finally!" Zack shouted and instantly fell onto his knees, sweat dripping from his brows and chin.


    "Lloyd, you don''t seem too tired. How about you start us off by showing us your abilities?" Benjamin asked with the same smile as before.


    "Sure." Lloyd shrugged, and without skipping a beat, he sunk into the ground.


    Despite his exhaustion, Zack watched on with widened eyes while his father looked at the shadow with a scrutiny one would not see in the eyes of many.


    After fully sinking into the ground, Lloyd moved 5 meters away and reappeared before walking to the same spot he was standing on a few seconds back.


    He repeated the activity with [Shadow w] and [Shadow Enhancement], showcasing them without batting an eye or breaking a sweat. While he knew this would be suspicious in the eyes of the others, he could still use the same excuse asst time.


    Of course, he did not make the mistake of showing off any of the abilities he had gained from killing his opponents, but he made sure to show off the ones that he knew Zack and the others were aware of.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You don''t look tired at all. Where did you learn how to use your abilities so well?" Benjamin asked with narrowed eyes, yet after seeing Lloyd blush, look away and scratch the back of his neck, he could only let out a sigh and continue his training session.


    "Alright, Zack. Get your ass up here and start showing off what you''ve got." Benjamin shouted, making Zack grunt as hezily got off the floor before getting into a fighting stance.


    "I only have like 2 abilities, so don''t mind me if it a little underwhelming." Zackined.


    "Making excuses already?" Lloyd chuckled, an act that made Zack grit his teeth and re at Lloyd.


    "I''ll show you!" He roared, and within an instant, both Benjamin and Lloyd were left wide-eyed.


    *Fwoosh*


    The wind in the room picked up quite quickly, and before the two knew it, two objects created out of a translucent red light formed behind Zack in the shape of 2-meter-long swords.


    ''To think one could use bloodlust this way... It is his ability after all, but his use of it is brilliant.'' Lloyd inwardly praised with folded arms.


    On the other hand, Benjamin had a grave expression on his face, and while Lloyd did not understand why this was the case, he did not have to wait long for the answer to reach him.


    *Swoosh*


    *Swoosh*


    ''Ah... Damnit.''


    Lloyd stepped to the side with a mildly rmed expression, narrowly avoiding one of the swords before turning around and catching the other by holding it from the de''s hilt with his shadow w.


    "God damnit, Zack! Was there a need for you to try and kill me?!" Lloydined while struggling to keep the de in his hand.


    *Shatter*


    Before Lloyd could stabilize the de, he felt it shatter in his hands as Benjamin appeared at his side with an unnerved expression. Lloyd assumed that the reason for this expression was Zack''s loss of control. Little did he know, it was because of him.


    Looking forward, they could both see Zack kneeling on the floor with his hands firmly ced on his ears while a pair of swords slowly formed behind him.


    "Zack! You must try and control it. You cannot let the bloodlust take control of your mind! That is the trial of a berzerker!" Benjamin shouted, yet both of them were aware that Zack would not be able to hear them no matter how much they cried for his attention.


    "I''m guessing this is where you go and knock him out?" Lloyd asked with a raised brow.


    "Me? Hahaha! Of course not."


    "What do you mean of course not?!" Lloyd pointed at Benjamin usingly. He had a bad premonition about what was toe.


    "You''re the one who''s going to knock him out." Benjamin smiled.


    "Me? Fight him? You must have gone made." Lloyd tried tough, but it was quickly caught in his throat when he felt himself pushed forward by arge hand.


    "You can''t be serious, right?" Lloyd asked as an imaginary tear trickled down his cheek.


    "Woo. I believe in you, Lloyd!"


    ''I hate him!''


    *Boom*


    Realizing that he could not avoid fighting Zack in his current state, Lloydunched himself forward at 10% of his max speed, yet even that was faster than what would usually be achieved by those who had been awakened for less than 3 days.


    Benjamin''s eyes narrowed as he analyzed Lloyd''s every movement, and while he could not see anything wrong for now, he kept a keen eye on everything Lloyd did, from his martial arts to his casual fighting style.


    After Lloyd reached within a 4-meter radius of Zack, he felt the wind and mana in the room shift slightly, and without skipping a beat, he leaned to the side and dodged the iing sword by a hair''s breadth.


    Within that instant, the room''s shadows flickered while the room''s bright white light became dimmer. It was as if a shadow had been cast onto the room itself, yet Lloyd''s eyes seemed to shine a brighter shade of violet despite everything seemingly bing dimmer.


    "Shadow Enhancement." Lloyd muttered, yet his words echoed like thunder.


    The shadows in the room quickly flickered before morphing into a tangible substance that promptly wrapped itself around Lloyd''s entire arm and a bit of his torso.


    On the other hand, Zack was not one to wait for his opponent to power up. Within a moment, a bright sh of light seemed to have blinded Lloyd, yet when the de had shot past him, Zack could see that he hadpletely missed his target...


    The target was leaving the shadow below his feet and appearing right behind him with a shadow-covered arm waiting to explode with all its might.


    Zack did not waste another second as he immediately took out his waraxe and swung it toward Lloyd''s head.


    "Sleep." Those were the only words Zack could hear before something seemed to stop his axe in its tracks while his vision turned white before fading to ck


    *Thud*

 Chapter 32 Show-Off [2]

    "Sleep."


    *Thud*


    *Thud*


    *Thud*


    *Boom*


    As if his body had suddenly be a skipping stone, Zack''s body was lifelessly flung threw the training room. His unconscious body bounced off the floor several times before he finally crashed into the wall on the other side of the room, yet the explosion from it was enough to make Lloyd let out a small breath of relief.


    He didn''t want to have to use any more strength than he had just done. While he had expected to use at most 20% of his power, he was forced into using 25%.


    While this number might not seem like much of a difference to a normal person, it was enough of a jump in power to make the likes of Benjamin suspicious.


    Of course, Lloyd could try ming the increase in power on his ability, but that is a short-term solution, not a long-term one.


    "Good work. Didn''t know you had such moves." Benjaminmented.


    "Moves? I simply used my abilities with the correct timing." Lloyd replied with a small smile.


    "Haha. As humble as always, I see. Good to see that didn''t change in you." Benjaminughed, and while Lloydughed right after him, it was more awkward since he didn''t know why they wereughing.


    He couldn''t have changed that much, right? His eyes were purple, but that was about it, right?


    Yes, he also realized that his personality changes a little when he puts the mask on and takes upon the name of Null, but that would happen with everyone, right? No one like to be observed. No one likes to be watched, so their personality and demeanor change when they are anonymous...


    Right?


    Shaking his head off those thoughts, Lloyd took in a deep breath before looking away from Benjamin''s enormous frame to look at the unconscious Zackying behind him.


    "You think he''s going to be okay? I hit him with everything I got... That can''t be good, right?" Lloyd asked, yet all he received was a hearty bellyugh before arge hand-held rested on his shoulder.


    "We are the des..." He whispered, his voice now more serious than before despite the expression on his face remaining the same, yet, Lloyd could not help but have a sinister feeling crawl up his back.


    "Do you think that we would fall to such a punch?" He asked, and as if on queue, a loud explosion entered their ears, causing Lloyd to look over before widening his eyes in surprise.


    Zack stood in the middle of the rubble with bloodshot eyes and bulging muscles. It looked like he had been taken over by a wild animal, yet Lloyd knew better than to underestimate Zack''s power at that moment.


    "That is our berzerker form. When our bodies refuse to stand, it takes over and makes us into wild beasts. It took me decades to get a semnce of control and rationality in that form, yet the boy before you has no such practice." Benjamin chuckled before taking several steps back.


    "Don''t worry! I won''t let you die, haha-" Benjamin tried tough, yet his eyes widened in an instant before creasing into a deep frown.


    Lloyd simply stood there with a nervous expression, yet after feeling the bloodlust emanating from Zack and the power exploding off his muscles, he finally made a decision, something not many would have been capable of making under the pressure of such a powerful bloodlust.


    ''His father is going to protect him anyway, right? So it''s okay if I just try...'' Lloyd paused, his eyes losing a glint they had before, while his nervous demeanor vanished into thin air like it had never existed in the first ce.


    ''To kill him, right?''


    The silence in the training room was deafening.


    The tension could have been cut with a knife.


    Everything was silent, yet it was not.


    The low panting was almost inaudible.


    The sound of Zack''s blood boiling raged, yet Lloyd and Benjamin heard none of it.


    ''Right?'' Lloyd thought as his eyes suddenly radiated violet light that came out in the form of ethereal smoke.


    Without thinking twice, Lloyd summoned his katana, which began to glow with the runes that Grisha had embedded into it. Killing intent seemed to seep out of his skin, slowly flooding the training hall.


    The ground around his feet began to crack, and just when he was about to shoot forward with the speed of a bullet, a subtle click drowned the room and entered his ears with a loud bang.


    "Dinner is ready!" Olivia, Lloyd''s mother, shouted as she opened the door.


    The tension in the room seemed to almost melt like ice cream in 100-degree weather, and within that instant of distraction, it also seemed like Zack had snapped out of his berserk state.


    "We''ll be right there..." Lloyd answered while returning his de to his watch to be stored safely before walking towards the exit. On the other hand, the other two didn''t move from their spots, as one of them was gasping for air while the other was shocked beyond words.


    "Big bro! How was training?"  Asked Alice with a goofy smile on her face.


    "It was good Alice, thanks for asking." Lloyd replied with an equallyrge smile that seemed toe from the bottom of his heart.


    "Let''s dig in, shall we?" La smiled and served everyone, yet behind her smile, her heart was pounding like never before.


    "Honey, is something wrong?" She asked with a frown, yet instead of answering the question, Benjamin simply stared at Lloyd for a bit longer before shaking his head.


    La looked at her son; however, he also seemed fine despite being particrly exhausted.


    "So who won?" na teasingly asked, yet after feeling the gloomy atmosphereing off both Benjamin and Zack, her eyes widened, and she was finally forced to look over to her brother, who was casually eating.


    "Holy sh*t! Lil bro, did you actually win?" She eximed, yet before anyone could answer-


    "Lloyd? Win! Hahahahaha!" Delly cut in before letting out a heartyugh that seemed toe out of the pits of her stomach.


    ''Is she a demon?'' Almost everyone thought simultaneously after hearing herugh, yet they quickly shook the thought out of their minds before turning their attention toward Lloyd.


    Feeling the eyes of everyone on the table lingering on him, Lloyd could not help but fluster-


    "Why is everyone looking at me?" He asked, his cheeks being dyed slightly pink.


    "Who won!" na shouted.


    "Uh... What do you mean who won? It was a spar."


    "I know it was a spar, but who did better?" na asked, her hand balling into a fist as she got herself ready to punch her brother in the head out of annoyance.


    "Well, I guess it was a draw then?" Lloyd replied, yet before his sister''s fist could tten him, Benjamin parted his lips and muttered-


    "Lloyd won, fair and square..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Ben, are you sure? Like, I know we are friends and all, but you don''t have to-"


    "I''m not lying, right Zack?" Ben cut off Lloyd''s father before looking over to Zack.


    "Yes... I lost pretty badly." Zackughed awkwardly before ruffling his own hair.


    "Hey, Lloyd. Are you sure you''re only a 2-star talent? I know talents can change and all, but that only happens to people who are 1 in a million. Plus, it only urs when someone ascends to the nextmandment." Ana asked.


    She was skeptical, yet when she saw her brother''s innocent and clueless food-stuffed face, she could not help but let out a sigh and drop the subject.


    "I don''t understand why everyone is surprised. I always beat him when we sparred in the past, what''s so different about it now?"


    Hearing Lloyd''s words, they all wanted to say something but chose against it.


    How were they supposed to tell Lloyd that Zack was simply born gically superior to Lloyd? That is a conversation that would ruin a child''s dreams and hopes; how could they do that to him over a simple dinner table.


    Of course, Lloyd was more than aware of what they were getting at, but they didn''t know that.


    Dinner after that was eaten inplete silence. While the rest of them felt awkward, Lloyd was never one to start a conversation, while Zack''s body hurt too much for him to care about a bit of awkwardness.


    After dinner, everyone went to do their own thing. The girls watched reality tv shows, while Benjamin and Noah simply went outside to do whatever grown men did at that time of day.


    Lloyd''s little brother simply used his smartwatch to look at some children''s videos, while Layal and Olivia went out back to have a ss of wine in peace.


    That left Lloyd and Zack, however-.


    "Zack? Are you awake, man?" Lloyd asked and nced over to the bed across the room, yet after hearing Zack''s rhythmic breathing and calm heartbeat and sensing his close-to-nonexistent presence, he could not help but let out a defeated sigh.


    Getting up from his bed, Lloyd muttered under his breath-


    "Show me nearby dungeons."


    [Nearby Dungeons]


    A holographic map appeared in front of him, one that only the user of the watch could see, or at least that''s what he believed after doing countless tests.


    ''I can go to an unauthorized dungeon. Dungeon finding is a pretty good job. Depending on the grade of the dungeon, I can be paid between $5k and $50 Million... God knows how much a 4thmandment dungeon would give me.'' Lloyd inwardlyughed, yet his face turned grim after thinking of the implications of such a dungeon.


    ''However, I don''t think it would be good for anyone if I found such a dungeon. The entire would have to be evacuated, and the army''s best would have toe over. It would be a disaster.'' He thought as a shiver went down his spine.


    In the end, Lloyd chose on an authorized temporary dungeon and tried to go to sleep, yet after an hour of failing to do so, he finally got up and made a decision.


    ''I have to be back by sun rise... If I''m not, then I''m as good as dead!''

 Chapter 33 Volcanic Waste [1] - Magma Lake

    Standing before Lloyd was a crowd of adventurers wearing all kinds of armor and wielding weapons that ranged from staffs and bows to gauntlets and knuckle dusters.


    He didn''t really understand why they didn''t just keep it in their storage devices, but who was he to judge? He was probably the least normal out of all of them.


    Without thinking about the people around him too much, he simply pushed past them to get to the front desk. Some of them got angry at him, yet when they saw his mask and how he was dressed, they instantly became quiet.


    "He''s a fake, right?" A man whispered.


    "Probably just a fan or something." A woman whispered back.


    "I mean, real or fake, I''m not taking that risk." A burly manughed, causing everyone to re at him with dagger-like eyes before looking toward''s Lloyd again.


    "You think he heard us?"


    "No way, right?"


    "Haha. It''s not like he has super hearing an ability."


    Ignoring the soundsing from the humans behind him, Llo-... Null simply shook his head before speeding up.


    He found the reception desk in less than 30 seconds before joining the line.


    While the people in front of him did not recognize him, those behind him did, while those who worked there also seemed to recognize him. Most of those who worked in the booth were those who worked for the army, yet there were still a few who looked like they worked for the local police.


    "Mr. Null?" A man no older than 40 called out from Null''s right.


    ''Peak secondmandment?'' Null thought to himself with a slight frown.


    People in the secondmandment were notmon, especially not in an area like this.


    While entering the firstmandment was particrly easy, less than 20% of humans reach the secondmandment, and even if they do, most are usually stuck in the initial stages of it.


    Only the elite can reach the peak of the secondmandment, and while it might not seem like much, they are still considered powerhouses of society, especially on a like Deroxa, where there are close to no thirdmandments actively living there.


    "Yes?" Null simply replied, making the man smile before gesturing to Null toe with him.


    Since Null didn''t feel anything weird about the man before him, he simply replied-


    "Lead the way."


    The man''s smile broadened before he finally began to walk towards the receptionist sitting on a table covered with gold cloth. Everything about it felt fancy, and Null was notining.


    ''Hmm? How did I know how strong he was from one look?'' Null asked himself, yet since he wouldn''t be getting an answer any time soon, he simply threw the thought to the back of his mind.


    "Mr. Null, please register yourself with this man over here." The greying man pointed at the receptionist, who simply gave Null a weing smile like they were supposed to.


    "Why take me here?" Null asked.


    "Its a procedure for those who be famous."


    "Who said I''m famous?" Null asked, knowing fully well what the man was talking about.


    "Hahaha. Nice one Mr. Null." The greying manughed before walking away.


    "So you''ve got to meet the lieutenant? Can''t say You''re lucky." The receptionistughed.


    "..."


    "Anyways, name?"


    "Null."


    "Real name?"


    "I don''t have to tell you that." Null replied, his eyes growing brighter for a moment and making the man before him shudder for a moment.


    "O-Okay Uhm... Emergency number?" The man stuttered.


    "No need."


    "Sir, I''m going to give you this form, and you canplete anything you want toplete. Is that fair?" The man asked, yet he did not wait for a reply as he instantly slid the paper over to Null.


    Reading over it, Null only put in everything he needed, like the number on his adventurer card, the number of supplies he had, and the ones he would need.


    The rest of the contract stated that the army and the association could not be sued if he died, and even though he was 16, he could still sign this since anyone awakened would be considered an adult.


    Of course, while they are viewed as adults no matter what age they awaken, the age of consent is still 16; however, even that varies depending on the or sr system.


    "25%?" Null looked up at the man, who simply nodded.


    "Why?"


    "Sir... I''m not the one who makes that number. The association is." The man replied with a shaky voice.


    "Understandable." Null simply sighed before signing the agreement and giving it to the man.


    "Anything else?" Null asked,


    "N-No, sir. Have a great day." The man stuttered while Null walked into the crowd and waited like everyone else.


    Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye, and by the time the dungeon was about to open, almost 50 people were waiting outside it.


    "The dungeon is going to open in less than a minute. Please have all your equipment ready. Do not rush in, and do not run. Fighting each other is strictly prohibited."


    "Try to move in groups to minimize casualties, and finally, 4 hours in, there is only 1 hour out here. This dungeon is particrly weak, so we have about 48 hours out here toplete the dungeon. You guys have 4 times that, but try to be a little quick on your feet. We are trying to break a record here!" The announcer shouted before a roar of warcries washed over the entire area.


    Seconds seemed like hours to those who were here for their first time. For others, the seconds felt too short.


    ''It''s opening...'' Null thought to himself, and without thinking twice, he sunk into his own shadow and began manoeuvering around people''s feet.


    3


    2


    1...


    The woman looked at her watch, which started pinging her, and when she finally saw the message, she roared-


    "The dungeon is open!"<novelnext></novelnext>


    *ROOOOAAAAR*


    Despite the earlier warning, everyone charged forward with everything they had, yet Null was way ahead of them.


    Leaving his shadow, Null immediately entered the dungeon, yet the instant he stepped inside, he felt his entire world turn upside down.


    *Thud*


    Flung out of a portal, Null fell onto the ground and tumbled towards a tree, yet just when he was about to hit it, he used his arms to fling him upwards, allowing him to do a small backflip beforendingfortably onto one of its branches.


    It was only then that Null realized something. The trees had no leaves on them, and the branch he was standing on was extremely weak... Almost too weak...


    The sky above had an ashy grey tint to it, yet at the same time, Null felt like behind those ashy clouds was an orange sky stuck in an endless sunset that dyed the entire sky the same color.


    Looking down, he saw that the ground he had stepped on was grey sand, yet the ground right under the trees seemed to be dry mud that had cracked and shrunk.


    The air felt poisonous, and despite Lloyd being a void walker and knowing that he could literally live in the vacuum of space if he wanted to, he still had the urge to close his nose and hold his breath.


    "What is this dungeon called?" Null asked.


    [Volcanic Waste]


    Null squinted his eyes at the answer, yet instead of dwelling on it any further, he simply jumped off the branch and entered his shadow.


    ***


    3 hourster


    "I still can''t believe I met Null in person!" A girl shrieked while the rest of her group clicked their tongues.


    "Why don''t you just go and ask him out then." A boy no older than 16 chuckled.


    "You know what, I will!" She replied, causing the boy to widen his eyes in shock while the restughed at him.


    ? It was a solid group of 5 with two melee''s, two range, and one healer.


    "You will?" The boy sniffled before looking away as if he was about to cry.


    "I''m kidding babe!" The girlughed, causing the boy to also chuckle despite trying to stifle it.


    "2 o''clock." A man with a magnificent ck mustache pointed out, causing the rest to look in that direction with squinting eyes.


    "Is that... A magma bat?" The archer at the back asked.


    "Yes, it is." The boy at the front replied before taking out his sword and shielding his girlfriend, who happened to be the healer.


    *Screech*


    "How strong do you reckon it is?" The boy asked the man with the mustache.


    "It''s a half-step firstmandment... I think." The man replied.


    "I''ll try to shoot it down. Flynn, protect me. John, protect Lea." The archer stated.


    Without thinking twice, they both did as they were told while the archer knocked an arrow onto his bow. Yet, before he could evenunch his first arrow, they all froze before their attention shifted slightly to the right.


    The sound of a low sizzle entered their ears, and by the time it had reached their line of view, it was already toote.


    *Swoosh*


    Seemingly melting through its head, a small me shot right through the bat''s head, killing it instantly before leaving it to slowly fall to the ground.


    Scenes like this continued to ur over and over again all over the dungeon, and despite most of these monsters being ustomed to the heat, these me-like bullets seemed to pass right through their skulls as if they were made of butter.


    Magma bats rained from the skies, and since no one associated Null with mes, no one recognized that it might be him causing this.


    ***


    Looking into the distance, Nullnded upon a tree branch just a few meters away from a gargantuanke created purely out of bubbling magma.


    However, despite the beauty of the scene before him, Null''s eyes were locked onto a single point in the magma, and after looking at it for a bit longer, he could not help but take in a sharp and cold breath despite that being near impossible due to how close he was to theke.


    Null instantly created a fireball in his hand, and without thinking twice, he threw it to the center of theke where-


    *Boom!*


    A loud explosion echoed throughout the dead forest while a strong gust of hot winds short in every direction, causing them to catch fire and burn down in less than a minute, a fate that Null barely avoided by running away and shielding himself with several trees.


    It did not take long for a reaction to stir the forest awake, and when it finally came, it swept the grounds and sent a shiver down the spines of whoever heard it.


    *ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAR*


    A booming roar entered Null''s ears, yet unlike those who were shuddering in their boots, Null stopped in his tracks, turned around, andunched himself in the direction of the creature without a second thought.


    With red scales covering its body from head to toe, as well as tworge horns protruding out of its head, simply put, the creature was beautifully terrifying. A fire drake capable of destruction far beyond the normal human''s understanding.


    Yet, despite everything from its color to aura telling Null to run away, for the first time since he had taken on the identity of Null, he felt something.


    A burning anticipation?


    A driving excitement?


    Bubbling rage?


    No, that wasn''t it...


    What he felt was something else...


    A feeling that humans had forgotten a long, long time ago.


    A desire that made them who they are today...


    Yet, as a void walker, it was as if this desire was second nature.


    The desire to devour-


    And an endless hunger for strength.

 Chapter 34 Volcanic Waste [2] - Black Hole Eclipse

    *Boom*


    Without a second of Thought, Null used all the power in his legs tounch himself toward the fiery drake.


    His eyes glowed more violet than ever, and despite the stoic expression under his mask, killing intent seemed to spew out of him like water out of a broken dam.


    He hadn''t even realized it, but he had triggered the passive ability, [Monarch''s Aura].


    Purple and ck ethereal energies left his body, flooded the surroundings, and began encapsting thevake.


    ''I need to get close without burning to death; to do that, I need to have a way of traveling above theva without touching it...'' Null thought to himself, yet despite not knowing the answer yet, he did not stop moving at full speed.


    But it was about time he started to think at full speed too-


    [4-Dimensional thought]


    In an instant, everything around Null seemed to slow down, as he was in a camera that was putting a piece of footage into slow motion.


    The once-vibrant colors of the magma bubbling and rocks sizzling all seemed to dull down even more than when he put the mask in.


    Everything became ck and white at that moment, while grid-like patterns appeared all over his vision, sectioning the entire area into chunks as if he was looking at schematics rather than real objects and beings.


    From his perspective, everything changed... Everything except the one thing he had his concentration on this whole time.


    ''The drake looks the same...'' He inwardly thought, yet the rest of his brain was working on something else.


    [Conservation+efficiency+precision]


    Stepping onto theva, Null surprisingly didn''t sink and seemed to have stepped on solid ground instead. The fumes and heat also seemed topletely avoid Null, traveling around him as if he had a bubble that encapsted him inside, making any heat unable to enter this bubble.


    ''Gotcha...''


    *Boom*


    With another deafening explosion, Null stepped forward once again before disappearing from where he stood while uplifting hundreds of gallons ofva into the air.


    The scene ofva flying into the air could be seen for several miles, causing many to go green in envy and green before shooting off in the direction of whoever''s fighting the boss.


    "I can''t believe someone found the boss already!" A bald man with a goatee shouted while fixing his sses. He wore a yellow fully-body hazmat suit, excluding the helmet.


    The man held several of what seemed to be recently concocted potions on his belt.


    "C''mon, Mr. ck! Do you actually think that a person has actually found the boss?" A younger boy, no older than 23, asked perplexingly.


    "Listen here, Jamie! We need those scales to cook! You understand that, Jamie! We have to cook!" The man replied before gulping down a cyan potion tagged ''Blue Sky.''


    The man''s speed tripled in an instant, allowing him to far outpace the boy behind him.


    "Mr. ck! Wait!"


    Scenes like these happened all over the dungeon. However, at the same time as this, Null was fighting with everything he had.


    Taking a step back, Null closed his eyes and flipped several times, allowing him topletely avoid the iingva spikes, followed by a giant red tail that mmed right in front of him, sending him flying several meters back.


    Skidding and sliding on theva below him, Null waved his hand and created 20 fire bullets made purely out of pale blue mes.


    Without skipping a beat, Null shot every one of them toward the drake, hitting it in several spots and creating several explosions.


    As the smoke began to disappear, Null narrowed his eyes to see for any damage, yet-


    ''Completely unscathed... But that''s what I was hoping for...''


    [Void Step]


    Within a moment, Null''s body shone purple before it disappeared, yet not a second passed before it appeared again as he could be seen floating right above the drake''s open maw, ready to consume him the moment he came to close...


    And he didn''t resist.


    Instead, it looked like he was weing to the fact he was being consumed, yet just when the drake thought it had him, the unexpected happened.


    *Crack*


    *Crack Crack*


    *Crack Crack Crack*


    Without warning, fiery red cracks began to appear on Null''s skin.


    For the first time in a long time, the drake not only felt danger but also danger from an element it thought it was the king of.


    mes burst out of the cracks in Null''s skin, while the eye holes in Null''s mask shone brighter than ever as.


    In an instant, the mes seemed to freeze at the moment, yet in the next-


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    The entirety of theke''s center disappeared in a mushroom cloud of an explosion. Lava rained out of the sky and scorched the earth around theke, destroying all the nearby trees while turning a lot of the rocks into grey sand.


    "Aww! Is it over already?" A man who had gotten there on time to barely see the explosion wined, yet everyone else was too preupied with the scene before them to care about what he was saying.


    "That''s one hell of an explosion, though. It''s something you would probably see from a peak firstmandment mage." A girl thought out loud.


    "Hey. I''ve seen artificers of the same level create an explosion twice as big." Another girl smugly replied.


    Seconds felt like minutes as everyone waited for theva to fall down and reveal the creature in the middle, yet after a while, instead of seeing a dead creature...


    "Hey, I think I see movement in there..." A man pointed out with his boy aimed towards the area just in case he would have to finish the creature off.


    "Hahaha! I think you''re going senile, Robin. No way in hell anyone can survive a st like that, especially not anyone from the excursion team nor that dungeon boss you keep yapping about. Unless its a peak firstmandment-"


    *Boom*


    Cut off in the middle of his sentence, the man was forced to watch as a person cloaked in shadows sted out of the magma pir before skidding alongva and mming into several trees to stop his momentum.


    At the same time, a loud, ear-shredding roar entered their ears, causing them to look back at the source just to see a drake with fiery red scales and a burnt face look at the person covered in shadows with pure hate in its topaz eyes ring daggers at him.


    "Oi! Over here" A void sounded from behind it, causing it to look back just to see-


    "You hit the wrong one... Clearly..." Null sighed before shaking his head in disappointment.


    On the other hand, the drake did not waste a second as it instantly gathered me into its maw before shooting it toward Null, but instead of dodging like a normal person would have, Null extended his hand forward and simply waited as the fireball came even closer.


    *Snap*


    *Boom*


    With a snap of his fingers, Null caused the fireball to instantly explode just a few meters in front of him.


    Null quickly activated [Presence Concealment] before disappearing into the smoke that had covered him as if he was never there in the first ce.


    *ROAR*


    The drake waited a few seconds as it frantically looked around, yet just when it was about to give up and try to escape, it felt danger surround it... As if it had been doomed to death, unable to move, its bones and muscles frozen stiff out of pure fear.


    "Over here." Null muttered.


    *ng!*


    Just as Null swung, the drake gathered all its courage and whipped its tail toward his de, deflecting it in the process.


    Gritting his teeth, Null slid back a few meters before concealing himself again, attacking another spot on its body to kill it, just to be blocked again.


    This scene carried on for minutes as the spectators recorded everything.


    *ng* *ng* *ng*


    Null looked like he was a phantom... A literal shadow appearing and disappearing. There, but also not there.


    *ng* *ng* *ng*


    It was as if the human eye did not register his existence until he attacked.


    *ng* *ng* *ng*


    It was like he was the perfect assassin.


    ''Enough with this.'' Null finally thought, and in thest act of determination, Null jumped back several meters, allowing the creature to look at him head-on.


    [Shadow Enhancement]


    Covering himself in shadows, Lloyd quickly put two fingers on the base of his katana before tracing up it until he reached the tip.


    Purple runes slowly engraved themselves into it, and before anyone could understand what was happening, the once silver de becamepletely ck, to the point where even light could not be reflected onto it anymore.


    [Aspect of Void]


    On the other hand, the drake gathered a me in its mouth. It began as a deep red me before slowly bing orange. After orange came bright orange, orange and blue, and then white before the me finally became a beautiful pale blue.


    "A drake huh?" Null spoke aloud for the first time ever since fighting the drake.


    This caused it to freeze up for a moment, yet instead of waiting for him to finish his sentence, it simply sted its attack and waited for its prey to cry out in pain.


    Yet, that cry would never reach its ears since its fate had already been sealed.


    "...How disappointing"


    *Swoosh*


    Appearing before the ball of mes in an instant, Null sliced at it, yet instead of it exploding into his face, something else happened.


    "Is that sword..." A man pointed with an agape mouth.


    "It is isn''t it..." another cried out.


    "It-"


    [Aspect of Void - Elemental Absorbtion]


    The mes slowly seeped into the de while the rest followed it like a light trail, illuminating everything in sight as it moved.


    [Void + mes]


    The mes burst into a bright purple before a shadow cast over it to make it seem like it had turned ck.


    [Void Walker Style-]


    And as if a ck hole had appeared in the middle of the dungeon, it happened.


    Just like that, the lights disappeared, and everything turned ck.


    [ck Hole Eclipse]

 Chapter 35 Volcanic Waste [3] - Void Walker Style

    While most of those who watched the battle between the mighty drake and Null wouldn''t believe it, Null was struggling more than ever.


    Every time he disappeared from sight, he felt his mana plummet and strain every muscle, cord, and cell in his body. While he was not low on mana by any means, the drake''s mana pool simply outssed his in every way.


    Not to mention that usingrge amounts of mana in a short amount of time has a chance of damaging the mana channels permanently.


    After having fought the drake for several minutes, he thought that the clone suicide explosion tactic would be the end of the drake, yet he had underestimated the defense of a creature who lived in the very element he was attacking with.


    At that point, Null had run out of [4-Dimensional thought] and therefore was consciously using me control to ensure a bubble around him at all times.


    This not only stressed his mana channels but also his mind, making it hard for him to think logically about anything other than the mes and magma below him.


    He struggled for a while, yet after vanishing and appearing several times to the point where his mana was almost non-existent, he chose to do something reckless.


    A final move of sorts. One that would quench the thirst for battle that burned inside his heart while ensuring that he would win and survive this battle, no matter what.


    Generally speaking, it was the thinking of a madman. Yet Null did it anyway, because, unlike Lloyd, Null was the kind of person to believe that the ends justify the means.


    Because Null was not like Lloyd...


    Because Null was different...


    Because deep down, Null is just Lloyd with the mask on.


    Yet, a person with a mask can avoid the consequences of his actions.


    A person with a mask is like a loser behind a keyboard and a screen without a real name or face to point at.


    As a wise man once said, "A man with a mask is two entirely different men."


    ...


    [Void Walker Style]


    And as if a ck hole had appeared in the middle of the dungeon, it happened.


    Just like that, the lights disappeared, and everything turned ck.


    [ck Hole Eclipse]


    The drake''s eyes slowly widened in shock as it realized what was happening, yet it was already toote.


    It slowly tried to move its body, yet it was like its body had been frozen in time.


    Just as it was about to give up, it felt something wrap around it.


    It was as if the darkness was alive and hade to consume it.


    Suddenly, everything around it disappeared as it felt itself being dragged into a deep and endless abyss...


    As if it were being dragged into the void itself.


    *...*


    Silence prevailed as not a single sound could be heard. Not a single light could be seen. Not a single scent could be smelled.


    Yet, every single person felt the same thing.


    The tingle up their arm.


    The shudders down their spines.


    The itch behind their ears.


    The cold sweat running down the back of their necks.


    And the feeling of doom sinking its fangs into their heart, followed by the fear that would have made their legs buckle if they had not been frozen in ce.


    Not a single one of them dared let out a peep, yet despite that, they all had a feeling that they wouldn''t be able to even if they tried.


    ***


    "What the hell do you think you are doing?" Asked a woman with long ck hair and ivory-purple eyes.


    Opening his eyes, Lloyd looked around in confusion, unable to understand the situation he was in. Yet, when his eyesnded on the woman''s hourss figure in front of him, he could not help but frown while taking several steps back.


    Images of him lying on the floor gasping for breath entered his mind, yet before those could corrupt his train of thought, he asked the question he was thinking of from the start.


    "Why couldn''t I remember you when I left?"


    "I ask the questions here." She replied arrogantly.


    "Too bad, ''cause I ain''t answering sh*t until you tell me why the hell I didn''t remember you after leaving." Lloyd crossed his arms and sat down on his stop, unwilling to move unless she were to physically force him.


    "Ugh... Long story short, if I let you leave this ce and you were to umte the karma of knowing my existence, you would almost instantly have you and your entire family fall into a great cmity. Chances are, you will instantly die as your luck would hit rock bottom." She exined before looking Lloyd in the eyes again and asking.


    "So, what the hell were you thinking?"


    "What the hell was I thinking? To survive, I guess?" Lloyd replied, not too sure about what he was doing either.


    Normally he would have simply retreated, especially when he is going against a peak first-grade monster, yet instead of running away and going as far as possible, he fought it head-on without a care in the world.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Well, you are wee to kill yourself in whatever way you want, just don''t do that." She shook her head.


    "Don''t do what?" Lloyd looked at Eris with a confused expression.


    "Don''t do what you just did."


    "What did I do?"


    "You''re telling me you don''t know what you did?" Her bbergasted expression seemed to worsen.


    "No! That''s why I''m asking you!" Lloyd shouted back.


    "No point in telling you. You won''t remember this anyway." She exined.


    "Then put it in my subconscious or something. As if it is something I instinctually found out the moment I used it."


    "..."


    "..."


    "You are more intelligent than I give you credit for."


    "..."


    "Anyway, what you did over there is what most void walkers call a Void Walker Style/ Technique. To put it simply, the Void Walker Style is the main martial art that we Void Walkers use. I''m very proud to say that I created it alongside some martial arts masters of my time, and Aries, who seemed to be around at the time." She exined.


    "What you used is what I named the ''ck Hole Eclipse.'' A horizontal sh symbolizing a horizon, followed by the power of the void that just burns and sucks everything around it."


    "I don''t see a problem here." Lloydined.


    "The problem is that I didn''t think someone below the 3rdmandment could gain [Aspect of Void], let alone f*cking [Void Channel] that is 4thmandment at least! Hell, if these are your starter abilities, I''m really looking forward to seeing whatever you get a unique ability." Erisughed.


    "What? Unique ability? 3rd and 4thmandment!? What the hell are you talking about?"


    "That''s besides that matter." Erisughed again before continuing-


    "What really matters is what we are going to do from here on out. Your little stunt would have eradicated the entire dungeon alongside yourself if I had not stopped it." She exined.


    "Now, to make sure you don''t get any karma, I''m simply going to reduce the area of effect to thevake alone, killing the drake in an instant, giving you the ability, and destroying all the recording devices.


    Those not within the range will be automatically corrupted with a little bit of void turbulence, and the rest should be fine as long as you don''t do anything stupid." She finally sighed before crossing her legs and cing her hands on the throne that looked like it had been carved out of a ck crystal.


    "Understood, I guess. What is karma, by the way? I think I have an idea, but-"


    "No need for you to know that. Knowing about karma and how it works usually results in the person inducing more karma than before. Anyway, have a safe trip back." She waved her hand, and before Lloyd could mutter another word, he felt as if his emotions had be slightly repressed while the world around him faded into a dimmer color palette.


    Before Lloyd knew it, he was Null again and was looking forward.


    *SWOOOoooosh*


    The winds howled onest time before darkness copsed into itself, disappearing in an instant alongside all theva in theke, most of the flying cameras, and the drake itself.


    It was as if they had disappeared out of existence, and while most would not believe such a story since there was no proper footage of it, what else could it be?


    Null simply looked at where the drake once stood. Tall and strong. Powerful and majestic.


    Yet it still fell to his de.


    He didn''t know what he was feeling anymore. Guilt? Angry? Happy?


    There was a feeling at the back of his neck that told him what he did was dangerous and that the technique he just used was deadly, yet he knew he would do it all again if he had to.


    He felt a thrill more than ever before in his life.


    The drake''s ability surged through his veins while its power entered his mana channels and began to strengthen him further and further.


    Once again, he was one step closer to bing the firstmandment.


    "Percentage?"


    [96.21%]


    "New ability?"


    [Heat Resistance]


    "Good... Good..." Null muttered to himself as he stood motionless on the emptyvake.


    Everyone around looked at him as if he was some kind of monster even more terrifying than the drake that stood before him a few seconds ago, and who could me them? They just watched a man erase argevake out of existence, and on top of that, the person who did so is an assassin!


    Not a mage or artificer... An assassin.


    However, instead of paying heed to the dozens of people watching him, Null grabbed the red core off the floor before turning around and leaving without looking back.


    The policy in the association is people get to keep boss drops such as cores or its body while having to share the rest. This makes it much easier for the adventurers while also making it easy for the association to keep their member''sints to a minimum.


    *Rumble*


    And with the sound of a rumble, the fastest 1stmandment dungeon raid had been recorded into the history books with the name "Null" solidly burnt into those pages as the tales of his erasure of a drake would be told for generations.

 Chapter 36 The Offer [1]

    "How long do you think these guys are gonna take? I have a feeling that they might just break the record this time." A man eximed with excitement.


    "Break the record? Don''t be ridiculous. If any group is about to break the world record, it will not be those guys. Did you see them? A bunch of nerds, narcs, and wimps who can barely carry their weapons!


    Instead of wasting their time here, they should go to the military to do somebat training and make themselves useful!" The lieutenant cried out in annoyance and anger, forcing the man next to him to quiet down and hope that the lieutenant would calm down.


    "What about Null?" A voice came from behind and made both individuals look back, yet when they saw who it was, they could not help but widen their eyes in surprise.


    "Principal Relworth! What are you doing here?" The lieutenant asked, his voice now calm without a semnce of anger in his eyes.


    Principal Relworth was a tall man, towering over the lieutenant at the height of 6ft 5. If his size was not enough for anyone to spot him, even from a mile away, his snow-white hair and silver-cyan eyes were simply the cherries on top.


    "I was told by one of my associates that someone I am looking to recruit into my academy could be found here. I am simply waiting for that person to show up." The principal chuckled while the other two tensed up.


    "You mean, you''re looking for Null?" The lieutenant asked.


    "Yes, precisely." The principal let out a weing smile, yet the lieutenant could not help but feel like he was being taunted.


    One of the main reasons the military ''hosted'' these events alongside the adventurer''s association was because it helped them recruit individuals that would usually overlook.


    Now that Null had shown up, the lieutenant was nning on recruiting him after the raid, but it seemed like he now hadpetition.


    "Well, either way, they won''t being out for at least a few more hours at least. If we are unlucky, we might have a dungeon break on our hands- Huh?" The man standing to the lieutenant''s side frowned before looking at the dungeon gate that was beginning to shift and morph.


    "What is it?" The principal asked with narrowed eyes.


    "It just felt like the dungeon was about to-."


    *FWOOOOOHM*


    As if on queue with the man''s words, the dungeon imploded into itself before the sound of faint cracks entered the ears of everyone in ears. Instantly, they all panicked, thinking it was a dungeon break of some kind and that they had miscalcted, yet their fear quickly turned into awe.


    Men and women of different sizes and ages began to appear where the dungeon used to be.


    Every single one of them seemed to carry a different armor style and equipment, yet despite how different they all were, there was one thing that united them.


    "Hey, why are they out so early?" The lieutenant asked, yet no one answered, as if the answer was obvious from the very start.


    After all, the people''s expressions already said it all.


    Fear and confusion. That''s the feeling that every single of them exuded.


    "I''d like my payment?" A man draped in ck clothing from top to bottom asked, his voice muffled by the mask he wore, yet his eyes seemed to shine even brighter despite being suppressed by a mask.


    "Y-Yes! Of course sir." The receptionist stuttered before taking out a small sum and pushing it forward towards Null.


    "I have a few bodies too. Where should I put them?" Null asked.


    "J-Just transfer them to this storage ring if you don''t mind." The receptionist replied before handing over a pitch-ck ring that Null promptly used to store all the bodies of the creatures he killed.


    "The money will be transferred to you within the next 3 minutes." The receptionist bowed before leaving as quickly as he could.


    Without skipping a beat, Null ignored everyone around him and created a pathway by releasing his killing intent and forcing everyone to move out of his way.


    Yet, before he couldpletely leave-


    "Mr. Null. I would like to give you the privilege of joining the military-"


    "Not interested." Null cut off the lieutenant before he could get another word out, and despite the lieutenant''srge body blocking his way, Null simply used [Presence Concealment] to move around him instantly.


    Before the lieutenant could turn around and retrieve back whatever was left of his broken pride, Null waspletely gone, and as if that wasn''t bad enough, Principal Relworth seemed to have disappeared as well.


    ***


    Null continued walking for a few minutes, yet instead of removing his mask in a random alleyway and going straight home, he decided to take a wrong turn.


    Null continued to walk like this for over 15 minutes, continuously taking wrong turns left, right and center.


    Eventually, Null finally turned into a dark alleyway and walked a few meters before his Presence disappeared.


    "What do you want?" Null asked in a deep and spine-chilling voice.


    "Impressive. I can count on one hand the number of times I had been found out while tailing someone." The man with snow-white hair chuckled with his hands up.


    "Why are you following me?" Null asked.


    "Well, I want to recruit you to my academy. You would be a great addition, and I am almost certain you would limate well with your ssmates. Don''t you think so, Mr. Elrod?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "Mr. Elrod?" Null asked with confusion in his voice.


    "I''m sorry, Lloyd, but while your genuine confusion might have made anyone else rethink their points, I am certain my sources are correct." Principal Relworth exined, yet instead of being bombarded with questions like he had expected, he found a de resting upon his neck.


    "You do know that I am in the thirdmandment, correct?" He chuckled.


    "I am aware." Null replied.


    "Then why bother?"


    "..."


    "You''re lucky that lieutenant let you run off like that. If he really wanted to, he could have caught you in an instant." The principal exined.


    "And am I correct to assume that you stopped him?"


    "Correct."


    "How did you get my real name?" Null finally asked.


    "Ugh! Finally, you''re asking some real questions." The principal sighed before continuing-


    "You don''t really put much effort into hiding your true identity. Had my right-hand woman follow you around for a bit." He exined.


    "And now you''re ckmailing me into joining your academy?" Null tilted his head to the right in genuine curiosity.


    "No, no! Of course not. I just had to ensure I wasn''t recruiting aplete stranger. Anyway, I am saying that if you do happen to join an academy, you might as well join ours.


    We have several celebrity students who would rather keep their identities secret, and if you join, you might just be one of them!" The principal exined with a fervor that made Null feel like this was an advertisement.


    "Okay? Is that all?" Null asked with a voice much colder than before.


    "Just, consider my offer. We have facilities for people just like you who do not want the government watching their every move. We have facilities that would hide your abilities from the public while encouraging you to be stronger."


    "Sure, sure. I''ll think about it. Now leave before I throw a harassmentwsuit at your academy." Null sneered, making the principal sigh in disappointment.


    "I really hope you consider it properly." He muttered before disappearing in the blink of an eye.


    Null took his mask off without skipping a beat before entering his shadow and leaving the area.


    Returning home, Null had immediately gone upstairs to get some sleep before waking up and training under Zack''s father.


    No one saw him as he entered the house, nor did they feel his Presence. Of course, they might have felt his Presence if they were specifically looking for him, but since they weren''t, he had nothing to worry about as thebination of his Void Walker physique, as well as his [Presence Concealment] ability, made it extremely hard for most to even spot him walking across the street, let alone entering their house.


    The next day, Lloyd and Zack trained with Benjamin before they came out to have dinner, just to train to the point where Zack was puking his guts out, and Lloyd was sweating buckets.


    Lloyd never really understood why; as a void walker, he still felt like vomiting. He also never understood why his body did things that were so human-like. An example is sneezing, coughing, and sweating, followed closely by the sound of his heartbeat and the need to breathe.


    Lloyd knew he could hold his breath for an infinite amount of time, yet despite hisck of lungs, it always felt right to breathe. As if it was the right thing to do.


    Maybe it''s the final bits of humanity left him that tried their hardest to stay attached; Lloyd would tell himself, but in reality, not even he knew.


    Lloyd and Zack continued training together while the rest of the family chose to use this week to spend more time together.


    Lloyd''s father, Noah, also chipped into the training wherever he saw necessary, something that only served to make the exercise harder, but at the same time, it was to carve Lloyd and Zack into the best shape they could be before the entrance ceremony of all the different academies.


    2 hours in the training room was equal to 1 hour on the outside, so before Lloyd and Zack knew it, they had spent a little under a week training.


    Of course, Lloyd continued to go into different dungeons while making a name for himself, yet he did that in the hours they weren''t in the training room.


    "Remind me, will you. Why can''t we just sleep in the training room?"


    "For the hundredth time, Zack, because it has been strictly advised against by thepany who made the damn thing." Lloyd sighed before sitting down at the dinner table with Zack doing the same right beside him.


    "I mean... It can''t be that bad, right?" Zack replied with a chuckle.


    "They say those who spend a night in there start to go crazy. They lose it by night 2, and their minds turn to mush by night three." na whispered with a sense of terror in her voice that caused Zack to shiver to his core while Lloyd and Dellyughed to his dismay.


    Before long, The two families ate their breakfast, and washed their dishes before packing their things and heading for the door, yet just before they could leave, everyone looked towards Lloyd and Zack with longing eyes of worry and pride.


    "What?" Lloyd asked with a confused tilt of the head.


    "Make sure to take care of yourselves, okay. I know you two might not get into the same academies, but if you do, make sure to take care of each other, too, okay? Don''t worry us too much." La gave a warm smile to both of them.


    "Show ''em who their fighting and make sure they remember your names, alright?" Noah asked, making Zack agree with a burst ofughter in between his words.


    "Sure." Lloyd replied with an almost stoic tone.


    "Nervous much?" na asked with a smug grin on her face, causing Lloyd to scratch his cheek in embarrassment. Yet, despite his seemingly embarrassed and nervous state, Lloyd''s "heartbeat" stayed the same throughout the entire conversation while his mind yed static as if he was thinking of nothing at all... As if his mind waspletely empty of any thoughts.


    His "heart" felt cold, while his emotions didn''t show a single spark. It was as if his mindscape waspletely empty. As if he was hollow from the inside out.


    And La felt every minute detail of it as it slowly ate at her mind, heart, and very soul.


    As if Lloyd''s darker emotions were poison to those who felt them. An interior that should never be uncovered.

 Chapter 37 Battle Royal [1]

    "Ladies and gentlemen. Boys, girls, and whatever you specify as, I''d like to wee you to the Entraaaaance Ceremony!" A man with a floating microphone announced, causing the crowd of millions to cheer simultaneously throughout the star system.


    "Today, we have over 300,000 contestants participating from all over the star system. They will be divided into 30 groups of 10,000 contestants based on their talent and ss.


    Those who have already gotten several invitation letters do not have to participate. However, we do have a few that chose to participate anyway, so stay tuned for their challenges to see the best of the best from the new generation."


    Cheers erupted once again before dying instantly as the man raised his hand to silence them all.


    Everyone watched in anticipation as the man broke out into a grin.


    "However, 300,000 is a number much higher than the number that we wanted, so we''ll just have to filter them out with a mini-challenge of out own. Call it challenge number 0, the filtration system." The man shouted with excitement and vigor in his voice.


    "We will be cing all thirty groups in different unconquereds and waiting to see how and if they will survive. If they do happen to ''die'', they will be sent back here and disqualified." The presenter exined while having his hands to create a dramatic effect.


    Fireworks and different spells seemed to explode behind him to add to the effect, yet it was as if no contestant saw them as they were too focused on what he was saying.


    On the other hand, the audience felt thrilled as they cheered once more as, vigor filled them to the brim and excitement washed over their being.


    ***


    "You nervous?" A boy no older than 16 turned to his right and asked a specific ck-haired boy wearing sunsses despite being indoors.


    The sunsses were tinted purple, matching the rest of his clothing varied from ck to dark grey. The interior of his jack also seemed to be made out of a bright halo violet that shone whenever the boy moved.


    "Why do you ask?" The ck-haired boy questioned while looking up at the other.


    "Sitting their all silent and gloomy. I know that most of here are rogues, assassins and what not, but we''re all in this together, you know?" The boy scratched the back of his head while Lloyd simply sighed at the stupidity of the child before him.


    Lloyd saw through almost everyone in the waiting area. Everyone was trying to find out more about their opponents by acting like each other''s friends while manipting one another into doing what the other wants.


    However, Lloyd could tell that the boy before him was not trying to deceive him but was just oblivious to these happenings.


    ''How naive...'' Lloyd thought to himself, yet he did nothing to help the boy. This was a world where the weak and innocent were eaten alive, and he must be ready for that beforemitting to an academy filled with other students who simply wanted to be better than the person next to them.


    ''If he goes to the academy at this state, he''ll be eaten alive.'' Lloyd thought to himself before looking away.


    "Hey man, if you don''t wanna talk, it''s cool. Just tell me to go away-"


    "Go away." Lloyd cut him off without a shred of sympathy.


    "Whatever suits you." The boy shrugged and moved on to the next set of people. However, unlike all the other people he had talked to, they looked rich from their outfits alone.


    Looking away from the scene, Lloyd continued to daydream for another 45 minutes before he finally looked at th tv screen when a certain announcement hit his ears.


    [Top 25 Warriors Division 2]


    [1. Zack Varlen de | Berserker | 1992 Points]


    [2. Jane Fisher | White Knight | 959 Points]


    [3. Felix Alemio | Lancer | 687 Points]


    [...]


    [...]


    [25. Tuco Smanca | Arcane Monk | 314 Points]


    The moment the results hit the screen, everyone in the waiting hall burst out in a fit of chatter.


    "Holy shit! 2000?! That guy doesn''t even have to do any of the challenges. Anyone will have him!"


    "Zack Varlen de... Where have I heard that from?"


    "Oh crap! That guy is a de! A f*cking de!"


    "de? Of course, he is. That entire family is filled with monsters from the start to now."


    On the other hand, Lloyd simply smiled before looking down again and waiting for his group to be called up.


    20 minutes of silence passed in the blink of an eye


    "Oi, you!" A voice entered Lloyd''s ears again, yet he felt that the words said had been directed at him this time.


    Looking up, he looked into the eyes of the 5 boys looking at him before replying-


    "Yes?"


    "What''s your name?" The boy at the front asked with what seemed like a genuine smile, on the surface at least.


    "You''ll know my name when you look at the top of the leaderboards. Now if you don''t mind, leave me alone." Lloyd replied, his eyes shing purple with a tinge of coldness within them.


    If the human race was scared of anything, there would be three things that would take the top spots.


    One: Humans are terrified of extinction. As if it''s in their genes to avoid it at all costs.


    Two: Being controlled. No one likes to be told that they are manipted, and humans seem to be the most terrified when ites to being controlled.


    Three: Void walkers.


    Seeing Lloyd''s eyes sh purple, the boys could not help but flinch and take a step back, as if it was in their genes to be terrified of the color purple.


    Due to the Void Walker attacks all those years ago, not only have people with purple eyes been discriminated against and outcasted, but the color purple itself has be taboo in nature.<novelnext></novelnext>


    No one would wear purple, and no''s gs would have purple, and no houses would have even a tinge of purple. Of course, as generations went on, people began to forget the meaning of the color, and therefore the taboo on it had weakened.


    Yet the feeling of despair still held on, going from generation to generation in the form of bedtime stories and films. Purple was almost like the new red. It meant danger to everyone who saw it, and multiples had already begun using it in traffic lights and signs.


    Lloyd knew this. It was how he was brought up and what he was taught, so he chose to take advantage of it. He knew he couldn''t change the color of his abilities nor the color of his eyes, so why not embrace it as it is?


    "Is that understood?" Lloyd asked in a low and monotone voice. The boys before him felt as if the hall had dropped in temperature by several degrees, while the minute amounts of killing intent that Lloyd had released caused the hair on the back of their heads to perk up.


    Their instincts told them to run. Run! Run as fast as they can. Their instincts screamed out in fear and told them to bow to the monster before them. Kneel and beg for forgiveness. Yet, right before they could do so-


    "Is there a problem here?" A mature feminine voice struck their ears like thunder and snapped them out of their condition.


    "W-What?" One of them muttered.


    "Is there a problem here?!" The woman asked again, frowning deeply as she rested a hand on her hip while tilting her head to the side.


    "No, ma''am, Not trouble here. These guys were just leaving." Lloyd replied with a genuine smile as the coldness in his eyes disappeared in an instant.


    The woman, however, did not seem totally pleased as she turned toward the boys, who nodded their heads.


    She could see fear in their eyes and was slightly surprised since she knew they were pretty rich and arrogant, yet she could do nothing in a situation like this, where it was obvious that the victimized party were the ones to engage the assant.


    Looking at Lloyd one more time, she sighed and walked off. Once she had left for more than 10 seconds, the rest of the boys also turned around and left the scene.


    *"Rogue ss Types Division 1, please ready yourselves to be transported to unexplored 195CH 11. The challenge shall begin in T-300."*


    ''So, 5 minutes?'' Lloyd thought to himself before standing up and checking his gear.


    Since his katana had been damaged beyond repair when he used the void-walker-style technique, he was forced to buy a new one. Despite that, the new de was much better than the old one, which was to be expected.


    After all, Grisha might be an arcane mage with knowledge about runes that far surpassed Lloyd''s, but she was still a beginner when it came to fixing or enchanting gear.


    Taking out his de, Lloyd held it tightly within it hands since he didn''t have a sheath to put in.


    Looking at his clothes, he could not help but smirk at the workmanship done to create such a masterpiece.


    He had asked his parents to make him some gear that would easily disguise himself as normal clothes.


    The clothes he was currently wearing could be considered firstmandment armor, yet they also had some additional features that made them so much more powerful than the regr firstmandment armor.


    It was a known fact that you could not use weapons or gear 2 or moremandments above the user, so there was no need to make any rules against it since whoever does such a thing did it at their own risk.


    Lloyd waited a few more minutes before finally-


    *"3"*


    *"2"*


    *"1"*


    *"Teleportation shallmence"*


    When Lloyd heard those words, a bright sh of light seemed to surround him while a warm, almost tranquil energy wrapped around him and submerged him within it.


    The feeling of blisssted for what felt like less than a dozen minutes, but eventually, Lloyd and the rest of the Rogues found themselves on a flying ship above an enormous forest that spanned out for what felt like miles.


    Looking at his watch, Lloyd raised a brow in surprise before looking at everyone else, staring at the same thing he was.


    Arge screen floated above their watches with the disy of a map showing an ind the size of Ennd... Well, the old Ennd, to be precise.


    *"Looking at your maps, you can click anywhere on the screen to be transported to the exact location. There are three ways to earn points.


    You canplete the missions personally associated with you and the area you decide tond. You can kill monsters and send their bodies back to us. The better shape they are, the more points you will get. A core will get you 10x the amount of points of the corpse.


    Finally, you can hunt your fellowpetitors for their umted points. Those in the top 10 will have their locations shown at all times."* The voice exined through the inte.


    However, since it didn''t say anything else, everyone froze for 10 seconds before they first chose to tap onto their screen before disappearing into a bright sh of light.


    shes of light continued to illuminate the ship as several hundred disappeared simultaneously.


    While some chose to go on their own, others found someone to go with, making a group in order to be most efficient.


    Before long, there were fewer than 50 left, including Lloyd himself, yet despite the emptiness in the room, they all looked like they knew exactly what they were doing.


    Looking at the map, Lloyd narrowed his eyes at a certain point on the map before a smile stretched across his face.


    Strolling to one of the windows, Lloyd looked at the direction of the location he was looking at on the map, and after a few seconds, he confirmed his suspicions.


    *Tap*


    The instant his finger touched the screen, a voice only he could hear entered his ears.


    *"Would you like to be transported to [Central City]?"*


    *Tap*


    *"You will now be transported."*


    *Zoom*

 Chapter 38 Battle Royal [2] - Mosquito Madness [1]

    *Zoom*


    As the bright sh of light disappeared, Lloyd opened his eyes and allowed them to shower themselves under the scene of destroyed and abandoned buildings.


    While Lloyd might not be a tracker or a navigator, he still had senses far surpassing any other in his ss group unless they were scouts since they had abilities to aid them with a skill like searching.


    While there were many reasons as to why Lloyd had chosen the abandoned city at the center of the map, one of the most important reasons was because of the mana signatures he felt hiding inside the city.


    ''Monsters living in an abandoned city... They will most likely not be herbivores.'' Lloyd thought to himself before looking at the buildings around him and narrowing his eyes.


    ''They can most likely fly or climb. However, house cats would thrive in an environment like this because rats and flies would likely thrive here too. So felines, insects, and rodents. There is always the chance of mutated humanoid species, but there is also a chance of lizards living here too.''


    ''The possibilities are narrow but endless. Hey, there might even be some creatures that no one had ever seen before.'' Lloyd thought to himself as a smile pulled up on the corner of his lips.


    *Screeeeech*


    "And it looks like my first victim has offered itself to me. Honestly, how charitable." Lloyd chuckled before turning around and locking his eyes upon a creature zooming around in the skies.


    ''Nothing on this should go above the initial stages of the firstmandment. This makes the entire thing a little boring, but I guess I have to settle for boring if I want to enter the academy.'' Lloyd mused, and with that thought, the sound of a gunshot echoed throughout the better portion of the city as Lloyd turned into a blur, destroying the ground below his feet as he jumped towards the screeching insect in the sky.


    *"First Blood: Lloyd Elrod"*


    As the announcement rang throughout the ind, Lloyd simply dropped to the ground with a giant mosquito following right behind him.


    mming into the ground, it left a dust cloud in its wake at a nearby radius that was barely outside Lloyd''s location.


    ''Wow... After killing all those firstmandments, the amount of energy that just entered me feels so abysmal. Maybe it''s because I''ve almost reached the threshold to bing a half-step firstmandment threshold.'' Lloyd thought to himself, but he did not linger on it for too long.


    *Squeek*


    "Hmm?" Lloyd raised a brow, turned around, and stared into the darkness of the shadow between two buildings. Due to his night vision, he could see everything, but to anyone else, it would have looked like nothing more than a pair of red eyes staring at him with utmost ferocity.


    *Sching*


    The rat hiding in the shadows didn''t know what had hit it, yet before it could truly understand its situation, its vision became ck, with thest thing it saw being a pair of ck boots walking away from it.


    Screeches, roars, and screams echoed throughout the city, and even though Lloyd was no longer in the top 10, he was very close to it despite having only killed monsters so far.


    [Mosquito Madness (Part 1/3) - Find the mosquito nest: 50 Points]


    [Mosquito Madness (Part 2/3) - Kill 100 mosquitoes: 200 Points


    [Mosquito Madness (Part 3/3) - Kill the mosquito queen: 500 Points]


    "Hmm... That would easily put me in the top 10. Their bodies aren''t worth much, but through this mission, I could earn 2 points through 1 mosquito. It is easily a much better use of my time." Lloyd mused aloud before opening up his map again.


    ''Mosquitos don''t really build nests. They find undisturbed water andy eggs in there. So, they are most likely going to be... Here.'' Lloyd let out a smile as he pointed his finger at thergestke within the city itself. It happened to be in the middle of a park that had chosen to surround theke with trees.


    ''It''s hot, meaning that ce will most likely be humid. It is perfect for mosquito infestation.'' Lloyd concluded, and without skipping a beat, heunched himself in a certain direction.


    [18. Lloyd Elrod: 134 Points]


    As Lloyd glided merely a few inches from the ground, he did not hesitate to cut down any living creature in his way, whether they were feline or rodent. To him, they were all the same.


    It took him no more than 10 minutes to reach his destination, and when he finally did, he could not help but suck in a cold breath.


    Hundreds. No... Thousands. Thousands of mosquitos, every single one of them being between the size of a human or double that. The scene before Lloyd could have been described as an entomophobia''s worst nightmare.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Mosquitos spiraling upwards and reaching for the heavens. A sky turned dark from their presence alone, as well as an aura that could have been defined as truly terrifying in its own sense.


    It wasn''t powerful per se, yet it gave off such a lingering feeling of dread and despair that people would feel when facing an unstoppable enemy...


    ''What a useful defense mechanism. If the sight alone doesn''t make them run away, it just makes them feel dread and despair, revealing the fear within them. It''s almost genius.'' Lloyd inwardlyplimented.


    Of course, he could have simply activated me control and burned every single one of them to cinders, but of course, that would not be the correct decision unless he nned on exposing the fact that he, a shadow assassin, had somehow gotten even more abilities, from a different element at that.


    ''Think... THINK!''


    Holding his temples, Lloyd paced backward and forwards, yet despite all his thinking, he could note up with a solid n that would take less than 30 minutes to execute.


    However, that''s when it hit him.


    ''I don''t need to use my mes, [Shadow Clone]s or [Presence Concealment]. I don''t even need 30 minutes to do it. It doesn''t matter if it takes more or less time. I don''t need to beat Zack; I just need to put my name on the leaderboards so I can have the eyes of both the recruiters and other students on me.'' He thought with particr excitement in his voice.


    "There may be thousands of you, but I only need to kill 100 regrs and that boss of yours. What do you think, a good n?" He asked no one in particr, but despite that, his voice was loud enough for many of the mosquitos to hear him.


    He could already imagine his family''s reaction to such a stupid action on his part, yet he didn''t care.


    *BBZZZZZZZZ*


    As if enraged, the buzzing seemed to multiply in strength as the pping of the mosquito''s wings vibrated the very air they beat on to stay afloat.


    Their eyes had be bright red while their bloodlust seemed to coat the sky and city in a dark crimson hue.


    This only alerted the rest of the storm as hundreds, if not thousands, of steel-like needles pointed themselves toward Lloyd. Some of the stronger andrger ones even pointed their sword-like front legs at Lloyd, yet he stood unperturbed by anything they threw at him.


    "Are you done yet? I would have loved to handle this with des, yet since you see that intimidation is the way to go, who am I to stop you?" Lloyd asked with a genuine curiosity in his voice, yet before the mosquitoes could act upon their threats, Lloyd spoke again, but this time his voice felt a thousand times colder.


    Cold enough to turn the Sahara into an icy desert. To make the very grains of sand turn into pebbles of reflective ss, shining the very moon back upon itself with equal vibrance.


    "However, since you''ve already gone down the route of intimidation-" Lloyd paused, with the silence between his words feeling like an eternity for all those who watched.


    There Lloyd was, standing tall with his bright violet eyes, shining with luminance equal to only the stars above, being watched by millions as they looked upon their screens.


    His face and name are broadcasted throughout the entire star system and live-streamed to several other star systems all over the gxy, and being called a fool by every single one of them.


    "-Why shouldn''t I return the gesture?" Lloyd asked, his foot finallynding upon the mud as he took his first step forward.


    pAn,Da-n0v e1,c And that''s where it began.


    *DOOOOOOM*


    A dark cloud enveloped the park, yet this one was not like thest. It was dark with shes of purple and just thick enough to make the crimson color of the world around him disappear.


    The sky seemed to shift into the color of an ivory purple, yet the ground was not spared.


    A bubble expanded out of Lloyd''s body and reached the ends of the swarm. As the bubble moved, it seemed like space itself shifted around it while a power beyond anything the mosquitos had seen began to bubble within Lloyd.


    The clouds wept and thundered while the winds howled like a mourning pack of wolves.


    It felt like the gravity in the area had multiplied, while anything in it felt like several hands had gripped onto their throats, waiting and waiting to hear the sound of a snap. A snap that would nevere.


    "Let''s see how you survive this, then. I hope you''re not going to try and intimidate me again. It was quite pathetic thest time you tried."

 Chapter 39 Battle Royal [3] - Mosquito Madness [2]

    [Void Gaze + Killing Intent + Monarch''s Aura]


    Unable to move a muscle, the mosquitoes began to fall out of the sky. Their wings no longer worked, so they simply fell.


    As they dropped into the waters below them, bubbles rose to the top as they struggled to breathe, yet despite their best efforts, it took about 2 minutes for the life to leave their bodies.


    Their bodies simply floated upwards right after, as if life was the only thing weighing them down and forcing them to drown.


    Lloyd used these floating corpses to walk across theke, insects still falling out of the sky while he did so, yet the scene did not seem to affect him in the least.


    His eyes remained the same cold violet color, while his sovereign-like demeanor never left him for a second.


    To all those who watched the scene ur, they felt as if they were watching an emperor walk amongst the lowest of peasants, yet only the dead ones dared eveny a hair on him.


    [Mosquito Madness (2/3) - Kill 100 mosquitoes: 200 Points]


    [854/100]


    [Complete]


    Lloyd continued to watch as the number rose and rose without any stop. He felt like screaming out in excitement, yet he knew he would need to put on a cold persona to be taken seriously. He wanted to intimidate everyone else, not make them think he was a muscle brain with no real intelligence.


    *Boom*


    *SCREEEEECH*


    Just when Lloyd thought of provoking the mosquito queen in other ways, the sound of water sshing entered his ears before the shrill shriek of the mosquito queen made him scrunch his nose in difort.


    "You''ve finallye out?" Lloyd asked, yet instead of waiting for an answer, he immediately activated [Void Gaze] as he locked eyes with the creature before him.


    Unlike the other mosquitoes, the mosquito queen''s weaponry looked much deadlier than the rest of her children.


    It had a long needle-like stingering out of its back that looked like it could puncture through almost anything. Its front legs looked like two des ready to cut through anything at a moment''s notice, while its eyes shone red with a ferocity that Lloyd had not seen in many monsters.


    "A humanoid mosquito?" Lloyd asked with a slightly dazed and even confused expression. He was almost mesmerized by the crystal-like membrane wings, but he held himself together.


    The mosquito woman before him looked beautiful in her own right. Her beastly characteristics and her razor-sharp ws, hands, and feet went nicely with the vicious yet lustful demeanor she put on.


    Her pale white skin looked like it had been made out of marble, yet it was still as soft as a baby''s bottom to the touch.


    Despite [Void Gaze] still being active on her, her soft lips parted, and rity returned to her eyes. A low yet soft sigh left her mouth, before a voice finally left it, too, entering Lloyd''s ears in the form of melodious rings and bells that would have entranced most of those who heard it.


    "Human? Why have you chosen to murder my children?" The mosquito queen asked, her voice breaking over what Lloyd could only guess was heartbreak.


    "What have they ever done to you?" She asked in an almost pleading voice as if she was begging them toe back... For Lloyd to bring them back to her.


    "Since when did monsters have feelings?" Lloyd asked in a sarcastic tone, yet it quickly returned to the stoic, cold one as he asked-


    "Since when did monsters know how to speak?"


    "Is that all you see me as? A monster? Prey!?" She roared out in rage, yet Lloyd wasn''t falling for her fake tears and melodic voice, yet he didn''t have to.


    Her face seemed to distort into a bloodthirsty grin stretching from ear to ear. Her red eyes seemed to narrow as if Lloyd was the only thing in her vision. Her skin also began to change, turning red, while her ws and stinger seemed to double in size.


    They looked sharp enough to cut a wound through time and space itself, yet Lloyd was more than aware that he only thought this way because of the dread-filled aura that seeped out of her like water through a broken dam.


    "Shit!" Lloyd cursed and blocked his torso with his arms, forming an X in front of his chest.


    He saw iting. Hell, every hair in his body seemed to stand up as dread filled his consciousness.


    *Crack*


    *BOOOM*


    As if he was hit by a truck, Lloyd felt himself being catapulted through the water, passing by several mosquito corpses on the way before finally mming into theke bed as the air in his lungs forced itself out.


    ''Oh wait... I don''t have lungs...'' Lloyd thought to himself with gritted teeth as he tried his best to suppress the pain that would have usually made him scream out.


    ''Should have kept low-key...'' Heined, yet he knew thatining wouldn''t remove the pain radiating through his entire body, as if every bone in his body had shattered or fractured, despite his not having bones.


    Yet, instead of crying out in pain, Lloyd''s eyes red in bright violet as he channeled his pain into the only other thing he could feel at that moment.


    Rage.


    ***


    "To everyone at home... You have just watched the mosquito queen m Lloyd Elrod into theke, yet it seems like he is not out just yet as there are no reports of him returning to the ship."  A man wearing an ear-mic announced before looking at the woman to his right.


    "I believe that was to be expected. We have watched Lloyd kill nearly two thousand mosquitoes without lifting a finger. How can anyone like that be sent out of the battle with a single attack? If he was, I would have toment on the validity of these challenges. Assuming he is out would also insinuate that the mosquito queen is at least an early firstmandment, if not more." The woman exined with a stern voice.


    ***


    Lloyd''s family watched the screen, not a single one of them making a single peep. The tension in the air was so heavy that the casual observer would have worried that the room might identally copse into itself.


    "He''s fine, right?" na finally asked after almost 30 seconds of silence that not even the des dared to disturb.


    "I''m sure he''s fine." Benjamin replied, yet he could not help but lower his voice to a whisper by the end, showing that not even he was certain of the words that came out of his mouth.


    Sure, Lloyd was strong. Stronger than most of those pre-firstmandments, but that was it. Lloyd might be strong, but fighting someone with an entiremandment above him was another thing on its own.


    [Man: Oh? I think I see something in the water. It looks like-]


    [Woman: A light? It looks purple. Despite Lloyd wearing sunsses to hide his eyes, we know for sure that he had bright violet eyes that shone through the sunsses themselves. Do you think that he is rising from the water-]


    Before the woman could finish her sentence, her eyes widened before the man followed right behind her.


    It would not be an exaggeration to say that most of those who watched the scene ur held their mouths agape while their eyes seemed to bulge out of their sockets.


    ***


    *BOOM*<novelnext></novelnext>


    Water erupted and reached the clouds. Steam covered the battlefield, while mosquito corpses fell from the sky like raindrops.


    The bodies were disfigured, mangled, and almost unrecognizable, yet some of them looked like they had been turned into charcoal. As if they had been burned into nothing but a charred corpse, just to turn into ashes as they dropped from the skies.


    "You survived?" The mosquito queen asked with genuine surprise. However, despite her eyes being widened in shock, one could easily see that there were hints of amusement shining deep within her eyes which were further implicated by the taunting smirk stered onto her face.


    Lloyd, on the other hand, simply stood in the sky surrounded by falling corpses and an entire body of water.


    He was covered in shadows, yet one could easily see the distinct frown on his face as he looked down upon the mosquito queen. His eyes shone like a pair of violet stars while his aura exploded out of his body in the form of a bubble that made everything in its vicinity a shade of grey.


    Seeing this, the mosquito let out her aura, too, allowing it to sh with Lloyds and push it back.


    *DOom*


    To her surprise, however, despite being the queen of an entire nest of thousands of mosquitoes, she felt her aura only held up for a couple of seconds before she started being pushed back.


    "W-What is the meaning of this! I am a queen! A QUEEN!" She roared at the top of her lungs, yet the only thing she seemed to aplish was to make Lloyd smile. A smile filled with amusement. The same smile she showed him before mming him to the bottom of theke.


    Without waiting for another second, Lloyd took out his de and covered it in shadows, and without skipping a beat, Lloyd used [Void Gaze] and shot forward with everything he had.


    His sudden speed caused the air to ripple while the water before him separated like the red sea did to Moses.


    Any corpse that happened to be in front of him found itself being immediately obliterated, and before the mosquito queen knew it, Lloyd was standing before her, his aura pressing down on her while his [Void Gaze] made her legs feel weak.


    Yet, just before her legs buckled, she let out an ear-piercing scream that traveled throughout the entire city and possibly beyond it.


    "Calling for backup?" Lloyd chuckled.


    "Damn you!" She roared and sliced at Lloyd with all the power she could muster.


    Lloyd dodged without much effort, yet the power behind her attack created enough air pressure to send out an arch of wind that shot across the water before shooting upwards and mming into an abandoned building.


    *Swoosh*


    *Catch*


    Lloyd didn''t even have to look at the mosquito queen to know what she was doing. Without a second of thought, Lloyd caught a stinger that shot his way.


    ''It broke the skin,'' Lloyd thought to himself as he looked at the cut in his palm while a burst of loud maniacalughter entered his ears.


    "You human fool! It might look like a simple cut, but I have poisoned you with one of the most dangerous venoms on this. You will lose the ability to see, hear and smell by the end of the first minute. You''ll feel your body shutting down my the second, and You''ll be dead by the third!" She burst into another fit ofughter


    "Oh really?" Lloyd asked without much emotion in his voice. There was nothing. No pain. No despair. Completely null with emotions, and that seemed to scare the living hell out of the mosquito queen.


    She immediately began to sweat while her eyes darted around as if she was trying to find a way out of the situation she had found herself.


    The moment she saw Lloyd''s expression, she instantly knew that her final trump card had failed her, and the only thing she could do now was run away.


    And run away, she did... Or at least tried.


    *Boom*


    *Boom*


    *Boom*


    *crash*


    *BOOM*


    The moment Lloyd saw her turn away, he used shadow travel to enter his own shadow before shooting toward her at a velocity far beyond his normal speed.


    Despite the fact she was flying, the momentum he had gained from traveling in his shadow alone allowed him to catapult himself far above her before shooting down and mming his foot into her back and waiting to hear the sound of a crack.


    In that instant, her body shot across the city as it mmed itself through several buildings before finally crashing at the bottom of one, just to have it crash upon her, subsequently kicking up a muchrger dust cloud than any of the other crashes.


    The copse of one building seemed to create a chain effect, and before Lloyd knew what had happened, he was already watching arge portion of the city turning into dust as they crashed into the ground and killed hundreds of creatures at the same time.


    Suddenly, Lloyd appeared before the mosquito queen out of the dust cloud itself. Raising his de, he was about to go for the strike, but he hesitated.


    Was it because she looked human, or was it because she had the intelligence of a human, he didn''t know.


    "Anyst words?" Lloyd asked with a sign of hesitance in his voice.


    "Yeah..." She muttered, blooding out of her mouth and forcing her to cough.


    "Go on." Lloyd shrugged, yet his heart beat had begun to speed up while his breath had be ragged. He didn''t see killing her as killing a monster. He was it as murder. As if he was killing another of his kind.


    Hearing Lloyd''s words, she could not help but grin and look him in the eye as if he was the biggest moron in the world.


    ''Crap.'' Lloyd snapped out of it as he wrapped himself in his own shadow and sliced toward the mosquito queen''s neck, but it was already far toote.


    A circr glow shone through her stomach, and before Lloyd could kill her-


    *BOOOOOOM*


    An enormous explosion went off, one that would have evaporated herke in an instant while incinerating everything and anything around her.


    [Mosquito Madness - Kill the mosquito queen: 500 Points]


    [1/1 Killed]


    [Complete]


    -----------------------


    [Please vote using your power stones to support this novel if you have enjoyed it so far. You can also use golden tickets if you think that my novel is worthy of it. Thank you]

 Chapter 40 Battle Royal [4] - 99.99% [1]

    [Thank you, TheWallOfFantasy, for your generous gifts]


    *BOOOOOOM*


    A burning wave of mes created out of poison mana exploded outwards in a magnificent explosion that sent a shockwave throughout more than half the city.


    However, unlike most of the city, Lloyd took the brunt of the explosion and had it much worse than anyone else.


    In an instant, he felt himself being flung through dozens of cement walls,rge trees, and even metal doors.


    His armor had absorbed arge portion of the attack, and while this usually wouldn''t have been enough to allow Lloyd to avoid heat damage, Lloyd had something on his side that almost everyone else did not have.


    At that moment, his subconscious activated [4-Dimensional Thought] and elerated Lloyd''s thought process by almost 100x. This activation did rip away arge portion of his mana pool but also made him something different.


    Time seemed to crawl to a stop, yet Lloyd felt his thoughts speeding just as fast as they usually did, the only difference now being the fact that he could make hundreds of calctions in less than a second.


    His mind began to work, and as if he had done it a million times before, Lloyd used [me Control] to move the mes around him with the least amount of mana needed.


    In the next instant, he covered himself with shadows 3 times thicker than before while using [Heat Resistence] to tank the rest of the mes on its own.


    All he could do now was pray, and pray he did.


    "Ugh." Lloyd grunted, his vision shifting between ck and red as he struggled to stand up. He could feel pain shooting through every inch of his body as if it resounded in his veins, mixing with his blood and transmitting it to his body with every heartbeat.


    ''Why do I taste iron? I don''t even have blood.'' Lloydined before spitting to the side to remove the taste, yet it remained in his mouth.


    With another grunt, Lloyd looked at his side, where he saw arge cut followed by cracks spreading out from it.


    "No blood, but it hurts like hell." Lloyd muttered since that was the only thing he could do. Speaking any louder would have made him feel an insurmountable amount of pain that would have definitely crippled him.


    ''Why am I still here? Shouldn''t I have been kicked out of this ce when the explosion went off?'' Lloyd asked himself, yet since he knew an answer wouldn''t being anytime soon, all he could do was specte.


    "My parents will definitely kill me after this." Lloydughed before getting up while holding his side as if blood was about to spew when he let go.


    Most of his clothes were destroyed in the st, with only his lower body''s clothing still being mildly intact.


    On the other hand, his watch waspletely unscathed despite being at the forefront of the st, but Lloyd did notin. He thought that it might have even been a blessing or a miracle, not that he believed in those things.


    Taking his clothes off, Lloyd put on a new pair of pants and a jacket that was an exact replica of his old one that became ashes barely a minute ago.


    ''I don''t have a shirt, but this jacket should be enough.'' Lloyd thought to himself.


    However, right before zipping up the jacket, he could not help but pause to admire his look.


    "I believe this is what they call ''peak human physique.'' Well, something close to it at least." Lloyd muttered in awe of his new condition.


    From what he could tell, he was about 6ft 1, and from what he could tell by just looking down, he looked like he was a greek god carved out of marble to look like an unstoppable force.


    His body, from head to toe, was covered in bulging muscles. They weren''t too big, yet at the same time, they weren''t too small. The body of a martial artist. A body that forms every single muscle with a purpose. Both flexible and agile, yet strong and tough.


    The perfect body.


    "He''s over here!" A voice entered Lloyd''s ears, and from how far the sound seemed to have traveled, they were about 5-300 meters away from him and moving fast.


    Another grunt left Lloyd''s mouth, yet he did not waste time zipping up his jacket and simply took out a pair of weapons from his watch.


    These were weapons he had never used in battle before, yet since he couldn''t find his katana anywhere, they were the next best things.


    Two short words, no longer than an arm yet no shorter than one''s forearm.


    "Ugh... These bastards have toe at the worst time, don''t they?" Lloyd muttered to himself while standing tall. It was only then that he realized that he was on the 7th floor of a building, but he couldn''t care less.


    Gritting his teeth, Lloyd cursed his luck and jumped out of one of the buildings with two des in his hands and a pair of violet eyes glowing more violently than ever.


    *Boom*


    Landing, Lloyd kicked up a dust cloud that caught the attention of everyone in the area.


    "I know I said that I wanted to get your attention-..." Lloyd spoke through gritted teeth, pain shooting through his body more than ever.


    "But this many?" Lloyd asked, his tone seemingly bbergasted by what he was seeing.


    More than 4 dozen people looked at him like he was prey, and to make the situation even worse, he was injured to the point that anyone else would have fallen unconscious at this point.


    "He''s over there!" One of them shouted, his voice filled with so much excitement and fervor that it immediately got on Lloyd''s nerves.


    "We can see that, you idio-."


    *Boom*


    Without warning, the man was forced to stop as he watched his fellowrade get a foot nted onto his mouth before beingunched into a building in the distance.


    Silence fell upon the battlefield, yet Lloyd had every intention of it settling that way. At least until the reste to im his points.


    While Lloyd hesitated for a moment, he snapped back to reality and forced himself to do what he had to. This was the first time he had ever fought humans seriously with the intention to hurt them, and despite still struggling with it, he knew he had to do this no matter what.


    ''It''s okay. just think of them as monsters. Goblins... Yes. These people are goblins. Disgusting and filthy goblins. They are nothing but Goblins, and I can kill goblins. I can kill these people, because-...


    They aren''t human.''<novelnext></novelnext>


    *DOOOOOOOOM*


    Without any intention of holding back, Lloyd let out all his frustration, anger, and overwhelming pain in the form of unbridled bloodlust. A bubble formed and expanded outward from where Lloyd stood, making everything inside it inverts in colors before suddenly bing ck and white with particles of violet energies floating around.


    The people around Lloyd were weak, and he knew and was more than willing to take advantage of that fact. Well, at least until the others came.


    Suddenly, however, Lloyd''s bloodlust disappeared alongside him without leaving a single trace. There was a second where almost everyone breathed a sigh of relief, yet releasing someone from bloodlust is like letting a hostage go.


    It''s like showing someone a ray of hope at the end of the tunnel.


    *DOOOOOM*


    While releasing it just a secondter is like shooting the hostage in the head just as they begin to run toward the exit. Killing them the moment they felt hope and crushing it where it stood.


    Every single one of them went pale, yet only one dreadful scream could be heard as Lloyd swung his de horizontally to sh right through one of the men''s necks, killing them on the spot.


    Well, at least that would have happened if a yellow barrier hadn''t suddenly appeared out of thin air, not only blocking Lloyd''s de but also copsing to teleport the man to safety.


    ''So the process is painful despite being harmless. I see.'' Lloyd thought with a smile crawling up the corner of his lips.


    Lloyd''s jacket fluttered in the dreadful winds that sent a shiver down the spines of almost everyone in that area. All they could do was watch Lloyd; his silhouette became a blur as it moved around, cutting down everyone in its way.


    Those who tried resisting would only scream more in the end, while those who epted their fatesy on the floor, wailing as the bloodlust entered their minds and made them almost go mad with thoughts they would have never had pass their minds in a million years.


    Eventually, there was only one left.


    Lloyd didn''t bother slicing at his back or trying to decapitate him. Well, to be precise, Lloyd wanted something else.


    "W-W-Wait! Please! I beg of you! Spare me! I can be helpful! I can help you! J-Just don''t kill me. I have to get into the academy. Please!" The man pleaded while slowly crawling away from Lloyd.


    His face was pale, and every inch of his body shuddered in fear.


    "Hmm?" Lloyd tilted his head slightly before a chuckle left his mouth.


    The pain was no longer as prominent as earlier, so Lloyd was capable of thinking with a little more rity.


    "Who said i need a servant?" Lloyd raised a brow.


    "Then I can be-"


    *sh*


    "AHHHHHHHHHHH-"


    ***


    20 Minutes had passed in the blink of an eye, yet the situation had changed.


    "So you guys must be the top 10, right?" Lloyd asked from the middle of ake where he stood upon one of the many floating dead mosquitoes.


    "What is the meaning of this?" One of them asked as he stepped upon the water, yet instead of dropping inside theke, it seemed like the water supported the weight of his body.


    "Killing so many of these monsters on your own is an impossible act. Who are you working with?" Another asked before using the mosquito corpses to cross theke.


    "You do understand that we are all assassins, correct?" A girl with cyan hair asked mockingly as she formed air below her feet and floated a move to theke.


    "I am aware." Lloyd smirked.


    "Then you are not only a lousy assassin, but you are also a fool." A British man with a magnificent mustache sneered, yet this only caused Lloyd to look at him with amusement as if they were simply children in his eyes.


    "Lousy and a fool? Is that really what you see?" Lloyd chuckled, yet his demeanor took less than a second to drop into a menacing smile.


    "You might call me foolish, but what I''m presenting to you, morons is the utmost confidence." Lloyd roared out before taking off his jacket and letting it fly into the wind picking up.


    "Are you trying to show off?" One of the girls asked, her voice seemingly unamused by what she saw.


    On the other hand, the men could not help but squint their eyes at Lloyd as they saw his upper body in its full glory.


    Every male has some kind of appreciation when they see the muscles of another.


    It usuallyes off in two forms. Either respect or jealousy. And in that very moment, every man who saw Lloyd could not help but feel an ounce of respect towards him, as if they understood the dedication and time it took for him to gain what he has now.


    "What are you waiting for?" Lloyd roared as killing intent exploded out of his body and flooded theke.


    "Do you not want to win?" He asked, his arms open wide without a weapon in his hands.


    *SWOOOOOOSH*


    The sound of 10 figures ripping through the air entered Lloyd''s ears, yet one of them was far faster than the rest, and Lloyd could feel it.


    Without skipping a beat, Lloyd turned around and threw a devastating punch just in time for his fist to collide with the dagger coated in lightning.


    Yet, despite what it seemed, Lloyd did not lose out in this exchange. After all-


    [Commandment: 99.99% - Half-Step First Commandment]

 Chapter 41 Battle Royal [5] - 99.99% [2]

    [Commandment: 99.99% - Half-Step First Commandment]


    *BOOM*


    Instantly, a shockwave shot out, pushing Lloyd a few meters back while throwing the lightning-shrouded figure several dozen meters back.


    Losing his upper body and waist, Lloyd''s iron-d grip caught the wrist of someone carrying a de with the wind element.


    Looking into the eyes of the girl who attacked him, Lloyd didn''t show an ounce of sympathy as he immediately crushed her wrist, causing her to let out an ear-piercing screech that made most of the boys look at Lloyd with killing intent.


    "Oh,e on. Don''t look at me like that." Lloyd sneered as he held the girl up by her broken wrist before pummeling her as if she was nothing but a punching bag.


    "I only hit her a few times." Lloyd smiled.


    "Bastard!" One of the boys seemed to finally snap as they shot towards Lloyd with all the speed and power he could muster, yet instead of waiting for him to get close likest time, Lloyd''s smile slightly widened as he threw the girl in his hand towards the boy.


    "Wha-" The boy could not even mutter a word as he immediately felt dangere from all sides.


    Dropping his weapon, the boy caught the girl, yet he would find that doing so would be the biggest mistake he could make.


    "Behind you!" One of the girls shouted, but it was far toote.


    It only took a second for Lloyd to cover his arm in shadows, yet a second was all he needed.


    Using [Presence Concealment], Lloyd had no problems sneaking behind the boy.


    *BOOOOOM*


    Lloyd''s fist mmed into the boy''s face just as he turned around.


    Before he knew it, he and the girl saw a yellow barrier appear before them just before disappearing, yet the damage was already done.


    "2 down, 8 to go," Lloyd muttered, his killing intent only bing more powerful by the minute.


    "Everyone! Attack together!" A girl with white hair roared before disappearing in a bright sh of light.


    ''A light assassin. Interesting.'' Lloyd thought to himself before using [Presence Concealment] to hide himself in in sight.


    Of course, he wasn''t using it to the extent that he would hide from cameras, but it was enough to make it, so humans have a hard time seeing him.


    "Where did he g-" The boy was cut off mid-sentence as he felt something grip onto the back of his neck.


    One might say that this was simply a challenge where no one''s life was at stake, yet everyone who met Lloyd would tell you differently.


    The boy felt Lloyd''s killing intent disappear, yet somehow, he felt like it wasing through the hand itself.


    The hand gripped the back of his neck tightly.


    Making it hard to breathe.


    Making his heart beat quickly and his eyes shake in fear.


    A hand capable of breaking the strongest of wills.


    Yet, when the boy looked into Lloyd''s eyes, he felt like he had let heaven pass him. Because the fear he felt at that moment was something that bubbled deep within his primal core.


    At that moment, he felt the primal fear of facing a void walker.


    And then it became red, just before turning ck.


    ...


    "Oh?" Lloyd muttered, his eyes widening slightly as blood sttered onto his face.


    "Well, this isn''t right." He narrowed his eyes slightly before shrugging and throwing the boy''s body away.


    "You killed him..." The girl shrouded in light whispered, yet one could feel the rage in her voice as her killing intent skyrocketed.


    "Hey! I did no such thing. We simply found out that ording to the shields, a stab to the left side of the small intestine isn''t lethal enough to send them away. Look how much we learn when we work together!" Lloyd pped, yet he was forced to move to the side as a de created purely from light sliced down in a fabulous arch followed by a streak of stars.


    "Fuck-"


    *BZZZ*<novelnext></novelnext>


    "YOU!" The boy covered in lightning suddenly showed up at Lloyd''s right.


    However-


    *Thud*


    "I''m sorry, but I don''t really have time for you." Lloyd sighed, his killing intent bing increasingly oppressive by the minute.


    "I''ll just have to kill you now." Lloyd smirked, and in the next instant, the boy was forced to take multiple steps back as Lloyd''s killing intent disappeared and was reced by a presence that seemed to suck the very life out of the area.


    "W-What are you?" The boy asked, his voice trembling.


    "Me? Nothin'' much, to be honest." Lloyd chuckled.


    "I am Lloyd." He introduced himself before taking a step forward.


    It only took a moment for Lloyd''s demeanor to change again, and this time his smile disappeared and was quickly reced by a powerful stare capable of crumbling mountains with its intensity alone.


    "And you... You are nothing."


    Without bothering to look back, Lloyd shot his elbow back and mmed it into the stomach of one of the boys.


    As the boy copsed, Lloyd grabbed his head with one hand before turning him towards an arrow created from pure light energy, and without a moment''s notice, the boy disappeared in a yellow sh of light.


    ''This is a lot of fun!'' Lloyd thought to himself before covering his foot with his shadow and kicking the lightning-covered boy in the stomach, causing him to puke out anything he had for breakfast.


    "Bastard!" The boy with red hair appeared in front of Lloyd with a de made from mes in his hand.


    "I''m sorry, but I really don''t have time for you." Lloyd sighed as he used [Presence Concealment] to disappear from his sight.


    "Shit!" The boy cursed as he tried to look for him, yet it was as if Lloyd had vanished into thin air.


    "H-How is this possible?" The boy asked, his voice trembling.


    "Your friend up there isn''t the only one who can appear and disappear whenever they want." Lloyd''s voice suddenly rang out from behind him, and before he could even turn around, Lloyd had already covered his mouth with his hand.


    "Don''t bother struggling." Lloyd smirked as he used his other hand to snap the boy''s neck, sending him back to the ship in the process.


    "Who would like to volunteer to be my next punching bag then eh?" Lloyd asked with a bright smile as he looked at the girl shrouded in light.


    "You won''t be able to hide forever." The girl threatened, yet Lloyd only chuckled in response.


    "And you won''t be able to run forever." He countered before disappearing in a blur.


    "You think you can just hide from me? I can just use my light to find you!" She roared, yet it was in that instant that she felt every hair on her body suddenly stand up.


    "That is my intention." Lloyd muttered as several light missiles shot towards Lloyd at extreme speeds, but there was a twist.


    *Zoop* *Zoop*


    Disappearing in a sh of light, the two individuals that were in Lloyd''s hands let out bloodcurdling shrieks as light passed through the left side of their small intestine whilepletely missing Lloyd.


    Dropping them to the ground, Lloyd looked up at the girl with an innocent smile.


    And all it took was a blink for him to disappear.


    *Spulech*


    -And appeared right behind her with his arm around her neck in a tight chokehold.


    For several seconds, she struggled as she continuously used light energy to attack Lloyd, yet none of it seemed to work.


    She hadn''t even realized it, but she was thest one left.


    The lucky ones were sent back, yet the unlucky ones were left bleeding in theke or ground, waiting for their condition to reach lethal so they could be teleported to the ship and sent back home.


    The girl''s heartbeat wavered, and slowly but surely, her vision faded, and she was left in nothing but a deep abyss.


    "An ironic twist if you think about it." Lloyd whispered into her ears as she lost consciousness.


    "A woman of light, despite her struggle, is still consumed by the infinite abyss." Lloyd chortled before letting her go and allowing her to drop into the waters below.

 Chapter 42 Intermission [1] - The Offer [2]

    [Thank you TheWallOfFantasy for your generous gifts]


    ? *Ssh*


    As the girl fell to the ground, Lloyd''s eyes darted to the right, watching as several floating cameras approached him from a distance.


    "Perfect timing." Lloyd muttered to himself before sinking into his shadows and disappearing from sight.


    ***


    15 Minutes earlier


    Upon a building, Lloyd held a small knife covered in purple runes as he tinkered with the spherical object on hisp.


    While most would have thought that the sphere was some kind of weapon, especially since he was in the middle of a battlefield where he could be attacked at any second. However, at a closer look, one would realize that he was not holding a weapon. Well, not in this particr sense.


    "If I reroute the wires in this order with a capacitor at the maximum input, I single shock to its processor would send an electrical current through it. If I just-" However, that''s when it hit him.


    Halting his rampant mutterings, Lloyd let out a small smile before touching a certainponent.


    When Lloyd''s finger touched theponent, he felt a small amount of mana leaving his body before that same mana ingrained itself into theponent in the form of purple runes.


    "If I''ve done this correctly, this camera should send out an electric pulse that will deactivate all electronics in a certain area. The cameras will continue to float around since they use mana crystals as a fuel source, but they won''t have the ability to transmit without electricity." Lloyd muttered before his smile widened.


    Lowering the device, Lloyd turned it around and looked straight into therge lens at the front of the spherical.


    "I''ve already gained the attention of the higher-ups, now all I need are points."


    ***


    Sitting on a tree branch in the forest, Lloyd yed with his fingernails until an announcement made his ears perk up.


    *"Time''s up! You will now be transported to a different area. Please refrain from moving."*


    It only took a few seconds for bright shes of light to coat the ind''s entirety, causing many of the smaller creatures to run into their ''homes'' while others simply closed their eyes due to the blinding light.


    When the lights finally subsided, Lloyd and the others returned to the same waiting hall they had been in a few hours ago.


    Lloyd could not help but look around for a moment as he felt something weird about the room he was in, but just before he was about to let go of the matter, his eyesnded upon a familiar white-haired man surrounded by people dressed just as luxuriously as him.


    Just as Lloyd made eye contact with the man, the man also seemed to see him.


    And then they all looked towards Lloyd...


    They all had the same expressions on their faces, yet while some seemed to radiate an air of confidence, others protruded the stench of desperation.


    ''The rest are simple recruiters who have been given the job to find anyone with talent. Those four, on the other hand...'' Lloyd squinted his eyes before beginning to talk toward them, his eyes shining bright purple as he got closer to them.


    The moment he got to a certain distance, he felt an overwhelming pressure press down upon him, but after a moment, he simply walked through the pressure as if it didn''t affect him.


    However, the same could not be said for the recruiters who had gone pale and had already dropped to the ground, gasping for air and trying their hardest not to faint.


    ''Zombies...'' Lloyd mused while looking at them, trying to reach out for him as if he was some kind of messiah.


    "Hello principle." Lloyd smiled slightly, causing the three of them to widen their eyes while the white-haired man extended his hand while also letting out a smile simr to Lloyd''s.


    "So, have you thought over my offer." The white-haired man asked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I have, but I''ll need a little more time to think about it. You know, after the little stunt I pulled, I will be gaining a few more options, don''t you think?" Lloyd smiled back, yet this time it had a hint of deviousness within it, an amount that made the principal narrow his eyes for a moment before shaking his head.


    "No worries. You wille to see that my academy gives much more than the others do." He winked, but that was the extent of what the other principles were going to allow him to do.


    The instant they felt like the conversation had stopped, they all came forward to introduce themselves.


    "Mr. Elrod. I''d like to introduce myself. I am Elijah Quinn, and the principal of the Caraxes academy. Ie from a family with the dragon bloodline, and we only take in the best of the best." A man with brown hair and hazel eyes smiled while extending his hand toward Lloyd.


    Lloyd simply looked at his hand for a second before finally returning the handshake.


    "Lloyd Elrod. What a beautiful name." A woman with crimson eyes and hair muttered before letting out a smile when she saw that Lloyd''s eyes had been drawn to her.


    Flicking her back, pursing her lips, and narrowing her eyes, she walked forwards in an exaggerated manner before extending her hand, not into a handshake, but in a way that implied Lloyd should kiss her hand.


    "Seducing me will not work, Principal Crimson." Lloyd narrowed his eyes before grabbing her hand. Yet, instead of kissing it like she had expected, he simply turned it to the side and gave a normal handshake.


    "Ignore the fool beside me. She is not suited to be the principal of her academy. She was simply the rightful heir or the next in line before someone from her family kills her to take her throne." A woman with golden red hair stepped forward before extending her hand.


    She had a serious expression on her face that could not be mistaken for anything other than pure determination.


    However, there was something else that made her different. Something that made her stand out from the rest the moment she entered Lloyd''s line of sight.


    She radiated a majestic aura that could not be replicated by anyone else. It was one that made people cheer in a time of peace and roar in a time of war. It was an aura that gave people the instinctive sense to serve her, and it had a power behind it that had the capability of making the weakest of minds into the minds of soldiers.


    She was, in all senses and purposes, a queen.


    "I am Alexa Windsor, and I am the Principal of the Royal Elizabeth Academy."


    "What is someone of the royal academy doing in the same vicinity as amoner like myself?" Lloyd chuckled, yet for some reason, the tension became much harder to bear as silence descended upon the conversation.


    Lloyd felt a shiver go down his spine as he looked into the empty eyes of the "Queen" before him. He could tell that she was powerful at a single look, yet he could not tell how powerful she was.


    Whether she was a secondmandment or a fourth, that was up to fate to decide.


    After what felt like a minute of silence, Lloyd''s patience had almost run out as he began to reach for his watch to pull out his des and gain distance on her, yet right when he was about to do so, he felt the wind shift around him.


    Feeling this, he could not help but narrow his eyes and look at Alexa carefully.


    "Hahahaha." Yet, in contrary to Lloyd''s expectations, she began tough before wiping her eyes and exining-


    "You might think of yourself as amoner, but in the eyes of many of the higher families, you are already one of us. Of course, no one is truly willing to ept that fact since you don''t have the same history as our families that goes back generations; being associated with the de family alone is capable of giving you high stature."


    "Not only are you associated with them, but your parents fought alongside other family heads. It just happens that you grew closest with the de family. You have many connections Mr. Lloyd Elrod, and you don''t even know it." She smiled, yet her smile only served to make Lloyd more anxious.


    Not knowing what to say, Lloyd stayed silent.


    "You do not have to make your decision now. I will send you an invitation to my academy that shoulde in a day or two. The invitation will have all the details you need to make your decision. Just make sure that you are careful what academy you choose." She exined, her voice bing sterner by the second.


    "It''s been nice meeting you, and I hope I hear from you in the near future." She saluted before disappearing into an array of blue light.


    The other two were about to take advantage of this moment, yet when they saw the look in Lloyd''s eyes as he turned away from them, they knew they had no chance of recruiting him.


    Principle Relworth smiled, seeing this before disappearing in the same fashion as Alexa before the other two followed shortly behind him.

 Chapter 43 Intermission [2] - Second Trial

    "Why do you stand in my way?" A voice reverberated throughout the stars. It was deep and powerful, yet simultaneously, it felt low, as if it was a sound that barely reached the ear.


    "I may stand in your way today, but tomorrow I shall not..." A being made of light spoke, his voice soft yet powerful, while his aura extended to the gxy''s edges as if it was reaching for every star within it.


    Grasping at the very confines of the universe that it stood on.


    "How many times do I have to tell you guys spouting words in random patterns does not create a sentence. You''re speaking gibberish at best!" The man standing across the bright figure sneered and tried to fly past it, but he was quickly stopped as a barrier created out of light seemed to sprout before him.


    "Let me advise you, friend, this is not her will. This will only bring your downfall. They will besiege the walls of Cbria and bring you to the end."


    "What?"


    "The stars are going out, Void Walker. Darkness ising, and silence will fall. Yet before the silencees a bang. An explosion bigger than any other!" The being made out of light roared as star-like tears came out of its eyes, and its light faded to finally give shape.


    A little girl...


    That was behind the light, which was holding it together.


    "The Walker Of Voids has been birthed and light has shone upon the universe!" The girl wept while the man, who was covered in a dark purple mist, simply stood in ce, mortified by the shrill screamsing out of the girl''s mouth.


    Space fractured around the man, yet he knew that the girl before him was equally strong, if not stronger.


    He was not particrly strongpared to Void Walkers at their prime, but he was still considered a Cmity level threat by every race in the universe.


    Yet, in front of this little girl, he felt he was nothing but average. In front of a star spirit, everyone either became weak or average.


    "Yet it is his death that shall take that final light away. It is his death that will darken the nebs and open the abyss."


    "The Void will break through, and silence shall fall."


    ***


    "Lloyd! What the hell was that!?" A voice made Lloyd''s ears perk up before making him look back, yet the moment he did so, he could not help but grunt as a figure tackled him to the ground.


    All the other participants simply walked around them, while some could not help but throw a few curious nces at the situation before walking off.


    "What do you mean?" Lloyd asked through gritted teeth as he pushed Zack off him.


    "Did you not see how many points you got? You even beat me!"


    "Oh really?" Lloyd asked, his voice showing that he was genuinely surprised by what Zack told him despite already being aware that he did much better than Zack.


    "Yeah! Look!" Zack shouted before opening a screen showing leaderboards across all divisions and groups.


    [Leaderboards]


    [1. Deligia Pendragon - 6821 Points]


    [2. Fatima Khan - 5718 Points]


    [3. Lloyd Elrod - 5539 Points]


    [4. George Cassidy Quinn - 3013 Points]


    [5. Scarlet Crimson - 2051]


    [6. Zack Varlen de - 1992]


    [...]


    [...]


    [...]


    "The only reason you didn''t do as well as us is because you don''t use that brain of yours." Lloyd sighed while knocking on Zack''s head.


    "HUH! You wanna go bro?!"


    "I don''t ''Wanna go, bro.'' I wanna get this over and done with so I can eat a nice meal and sleep for as long as I want." Lloyd sighed while walking away from Zack, who pitifully followed behind.


    ''A little more than a day till my next void walk. Sure as hell hope that the ceremony won''tst that long.'' Lloyd thought to himself as he walked over to a food stand and ordered something to eat.


    A few hours went by in a sh before Lloyd and Zack were called back to their groups.


    Zack had asked many questions about how Lloyd did it, but all the answers Lloyd gave were that he deceived all of them, robbed their points, and left before the cameras could show up.


    He would continue to ask about things such as surviving the explosion that the mosquito queen created by overcharging her mana core.


    "Mr. Elrod?" A man with a ck suit and sunsses asked as he suddenly appeared beside Lloyd.


    "Yeah?" Lloyd tilted his head.


    "You have been fined $20,119 for destroying a camera and deactivating the rest." The man stated.


    "Camera damages? I did no such thing."


    "You are the main culprit."


    "Being the main culprit does not mean that I deactivated them. Hey, they might have been destroyed during the explosion." Lloyd reasoned while an awkward and slightly agitated expression appeared on the man''s face.


    "I will further review this case with my bosses." He spoke through gritted teeth and disappeared from where he stood as Lloyd simply waved him goodbye with a bright smile on his face.


    ''20k? What a load of bullshit. I''m certain that the cameras that were following me around would have cost close to 50-70k each. The rest only suffered minor damages due to it only being an electro-maic pulse, not an attack that fully destroyed its infrastructure.''


    ''They would have lured with the 20k into confessing before suddenly bringing up the rest of the destruction and fines to throw me down a rabbit hole of fines.'' Lloyd thought to himself as the smile on his face refused to waver.


    *"Wee to the second trial!"* A voice roared throughout the expansive hall filled with hundreds of people.


    ''Hundreds?'' Lloyd raised a brow, yet after looking around, he realized something.


    "They mixed some of the other assassin divisions with ours." Lloyd muttered as he looked around the room.


    However, a frown suddenly appeared on his face as his eyesnded on a group of individuals he had barely seen a few hours ago.


    ''Well, it makes sense that they would bring them back. They had good scores until I came and knocked them out of the game. They did well enough to stay in the entrance ceremony.'' Lloyd mused before looking away from with.


    *"All contestants shall be ced into teams of five. Every single team member will be from a different group or division. Team cement will be random. However, the challenge will be lowered ording to the group''s overall power."* The voice exined with a monotone, almost robotic tone, yet despite that, Lloyd could feel a hint of amusement within its voice.


    *"Every team will enter a dungeon created to test the members. You will be forced to work as a team; the less time it takes to get to the end, the more points you will have. ''Losing'' a team member will cause the team to lose 20% of their points. The more team members you lose, the higher the percentage of points lost."* The voice further exined, causing everyone in the hall to nod with serious expressions on their faces.


    *"A message showing your team formation will be sent to your watches."*


    Looking at his watch, Lloyd tapped on it a few times before allowing a screen to appear before him.


    "I see..." He muttered, a smile slowly stretching across his face.


    ***


    30 Minutester.


    Before an enormous blue dungeon gate stood 5 people, each one of them dressed magnificently that not only showed their personality but also their skills, abilities, and ss.


    "Yo!" A girl with ck hair and brown eyes waved, her hair dancing as she turned toward her teammates.


    ''Goddamn it! Another extrovert!'' Lloyd could not help but inwardlyin, but he couldn''t do much more than that.


    "My name is Fatima Khan, number 2 in this star system and the best archer of my generation!" She grinned before turning to the boy who stood to her right.


    "My name is John. I''m going to be the best knight in the universe one day!" The boy thrust his fist into the air as an expression of confidence appeared on his face.


    "Yeah! That''s more like it!" Fatimaughed almost maniacally as she crossed her arms and raised her chin.


    After a fit ofughter, she looked at the girl to her right and asked the same question, and as if Fatima''s energy was contagious, the once shy girl who hid behind her shoulders was now filled with both power and confidence.


    "My name is Jenna... And I''m going to be the best oracle in the human race-... No. I will be the best oracle in existence!" She roared.


    "My name is Jack and... And I''m going to revive martial arts and make them stronger than the art of magic!" Jack screamed, his voice high-pitched, indicating he hadn''t fully hit puberty despite being the age of 16.


    Just as Jack finished his monologue, the entire team looked toward me with equal anticipation.


    *Sigh*


    Letting out a sigh, Lloyd looked at Fatima with a bit of curiosity. It would be a lie to say that she wasn''t moderately cute, as she seemed to have all the characteristics needed to fit that description.


    Her face was round, and her eyes sparkled like a child seeing a magic trick for the first time.


    She was also quite short in stature, but that was not what caught Lloyd''s interest.


    ''Her aura... It is a little bit like my [Monarch''s Aura]... Well, not exactly. My passive is much stronger and has an effect that can be expanded for close to a mile. It can even change the perception of things. However, the fact that hers is weak and almost subtle makes it deadly in its own sense.'' Lloyd mused as he parted his lips to finally introduce himself.


    "My name is Lloyd Elrod. #3 in this star system and a pretty good shadow assassin if I say so myself." Lloyd chuckled, yet his introduction was anti-climactic at bestpared to the enthusiasm the others showed.


    However, while he could feel the disappointment seeping out of the other 3, Fatima looked at him differently.


    ''Amusement?'' Lloyd asked himself. He couldn''t help but think he had seen that exact same expression on someone else''s face before, yet he couldn''t put his finger on it.


    ''I think she was powerful? Hmm. I can''t remember at all. Oh well.'' Lloyd shrugged to himself.


    "Goal?" Jack asked as Lloyd felt close to losing himself in his own thoughts.


    Looking at Jack for a moment, Lloyd broke out into a grin.


    "Isn''t it obvious? I want to be the strongest..."


    ''To survive.'' Lloyd inwardly thought.


    "Oh. I forgot to tell you guys my goal haha!" Fatima rubbed the back of her head.


    However, as if a switch had been flipped, his whole demeanor changed instantly as her once goofy aura was reced by one filled with seriousness.


    The smile on her face disappeared instantly, and before the other three team members knew it, they had turned pale and began to sweat profusely.


    "My goal...


    Is to get rid of every single stinking Void Walker from the face of the universe."

 Chapter 44 Labyrinth [1]

    "My goal is to eliminate every single stinking Void Walker from the face of the universe."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Before anyone could make ament on her future goals, the same smile she had earlier returned to her face, causing everyone but Lloyd to let out a breath of relief. A breath they didn''t even realize they were holding until they let it go.


    The tension in the air was so thick that it made everyone in the group feel like they were suffocating, except for Lloyd, since he had faced pressure that was a hundred times worse than what he was facing at that moment.


    ''Exins the slight resentment I got from her.'' Lloyd shrugged.


    "Hey, guys. No need to be so gloomy. We have a mission and will get first ce no matter what. Am I right, or what?" She giggled before cing her hand in the center of Lloyd''s group''s circle.


    Seeing this, the others felt like they had no choice but to ce their hands in the center of the circle too.


    ''This girl... She might be a problem in the future.'' Lloyd thought to himself as he followed through and did the same as the rest.


    "3... 2... 1... Team Fatima!" She shouted while the other three chanted after her, their excitement seemingly appearing again despite disappearing earlier.


    Without batting an eye at Lloyd looking at her intently, Fatima turned around with her bow in her hands and walked into the dungeon, forcing the rest of her team to follow her as well.


    ''It took her less than a minute to be the leader. Of course he score helped her with such a menial task, but to think that her aura is this powerful.'' Lloyd narrowed his eyes before closing them and allowing himself to be submerged by the energy of the dungeon gate''s spacial tear.


    ''Oh man, I love this feeling. Feels a bit like home.'' Lloyd smiled as the warm energy of the spacial tear trickled along his skin and moved around his body as if he was being hugged by the universe itself.


    However, all beautiful thingse to an end, and so did the bliss that the spacial tear brought.


    Instead, when he stepped foot into the dungeon, Lloyd was hit by a horrible stench that he felt he could never get rid of.


    "Oh god. What is that smell?" Lloyd asked while pinching his nose, yet it took a single nce around for him to understand his situation.


    "Ugh..." he couldn''t help but grunt before looking away from the grotesque sight.


    "You guys. Can you stop puking for a minute? We have a dungeon to go through." Fatimained, but if one were to hear her voice, one would understand that she was notining with malice in her voice but with... Love?


    The entire group seemed to feel a little better in an instant, allowing them to stand up and look around as if they hadn''t just puked out their entire lunch.


    ''She''s not only a threat, but now she has a power that I cannot fully understand.''


    ''Maybe I should just...


    Kill her?''


    ''...''


    ''...''


    ''What?'' Lloyd''s eyes widened slightly as the thought of killing her entered his mind. It was abrupt and almost surprising. Never in a million years would he have thought of killing another human being, but now that the thought entered his mind...


    ''Isn''t it the most logical approach?''


    ''...''


    ''Ugh, what am I thinking.'' Lloyd shook his head before rubbing his temples as he felt a headacheing on.


    "Alright, guys. Huddle up a little." Fatima shouted her voice cheerful yermanding. It was a weird mix since you wouldn''t expect to be bossed around by such a petite, upbeat person, yet it seemed to work like a charm as everyone walked over to her with a smile on their faces.


    "As you guys can see, this is not your average dungeon. It isyered to look more like a fortress than anything." She exined, causing everyone else to widen their eyes before looking around.


    The ce was made out of grey, weathered bricks that barely held themselves together to make the structure they were in.


    There were no windows, and the only things that were keeping the area lit were the torches that hung upon the walls and sides of the tunnels.


    "We''re underground. Possibly a tomb or an underground castle dungeon. I hope that we are in thetter, because the former means there are going to be traps." Lloyd exined while adjusting his sunsses.


    While his sunsses had been shattered earlier, he had an extra pair in his dimensional storage. Sadly, the same could not be said about shirts.


    Of course, he could have bought one earlier when he was with Zack, but the thought of getting a shirtpletely left his mind due to being showered with questions that his best friend could not wait to ask.


    "What makes you think that we are underground?" Fatima asked with a raised brow.


    "Oxygen levels have reached 13%pared to the 32% we were breathing in earlier. On the other hand, carbon dioxide levels have risen by about 5%. Air pressure seems to have skyrocketed too, which further proves that we are deep underground." Lloyd exined.


    "The dungeon could have simply been engineered that way, you know..." John, the knight, countered, but this only made Lloyd chuckle.


    "You think these guys are that simple? Everything in here has a reason. Look around. No windows, but they still have torches here. Why do you think that is?" Lloyd asked while walking closer to John.


    "I don''t know. It will probably make senseter!" John sneered, yet when Lloyd reached him, he could not help but puff his chest out and push him back.


    Yet...


    ''Unmovable wall...''


    Those were the two words that rang out within John''s head as he tried to move Lloyd, but before the situation could escte, John heard Fatima''s melodious voice snap him out of his small moment of anger.


    "We''re running out of oxygen, aren''t we." She asked, her eyes slightly narrowed as she stroked her chin.


    "Yes!" Lloyd pointed at Fatima with a hint of excitement in his voice.


    "Then why aren''t we moving!" Jenna asked with panic in her voice and pale face, yet when she looked into Fatima and Lloyd''s faces, she got her answer.


    "Where''s the fun in that?" Fatima grinned while Lloyd covered his mouth as his smile had almost gotten out of hand.


    "Well, actually, I think we should get going." Lloyd spoke after taking a few breaths in.


    "Huh?" Fatima eximed with confusion.


    "For all we know, this might be a dungeon that rates out performance on how long it takes us to finish it. Yes, there is a time limit, but I don''t think wasting time is a good look upon our group." Lloyd exined while the rest nodded after a moment of thinking.


    Fatima grabbed a torch off the walls without skipping a beat before turning around to face her group again.


    "Let''s get going then, shall we?"


    And just like that, they all began to move through the tunnel.


    There were no more torches on the way, so they were forced to use the 5 torches ced around the dungeon''s entrance.


    5 minutes felt like hours to the group as they moved through the tunnel. They could all tell that they were getting deeper and deeper as they went on, which was indicated by the steepness of the ground the group was walking on.


    Another 5 minutes passed quickly, and there was still nothing. While Fatima wasn''t too worried about the situation, Lloyd was as calm as an unperturbedke.


    And the reason for that was-


    ''I''m so d I have night vision.'' Lloyd smiled to himself as he walked behind the group. He could tell everyone was bing tenser by the minute, but he didn''t really know how to deal with it.


    He had never really thought of himself as a leader before. Usually, he acted as a support or a solo, so when it came to a situation where he had to raise morale, he could do nothing but watch. Or at least, that was the only thing he thought he could do.


    "Guys. I''m sure we''re almost there." Fatima finally broke the 10-minute-long silence with a few encouraging words, yet despite her aura still ring out and allowing the hears of everyone in the group to rest a little, the effect didn''tst for long as the tension only came back worse than before.


    ''It feels wrong to walk around with my hand in my pocket when the guys in front of me are shaking in their boots.'' Lloyd sighed, but his breath halted in its ce before he shouted-


    "Stop!"


    Without skipping a beat, every single person in the group froze in ce, some of them even bncing in ufortable positions that would have made the average person cramp.


    "Now, Fatima. Slowly take 2 steps back, and don''t move a muscle afterward. Understood?" Lloyd ordered while Fatima simply nodded while doing as he said.


    Despite only doing what Lloyd told her, it took her less than a second for her to realize why he had shouted for everyone to stop.


    ''He saw that from all the way there? Just... Who are you?'' She asked herself, but she quickly threw the question to the back of her head as it wasn''t important for the time being.


    "Alright, I''m going to go to the middle, everyone try to let me through without moving too much." Lloyd asked before moving forward and squeezing everyone.


    While the tunnel at the start could have fit two 7ft muscr guys walking side by side, now it could only do 3/4 of that, which only meant that the tunnel was bing narrower by the second, and Lloyd knew that.


    After finally getting to the ground, Lloyd squinted slightly.


    From what he could see, traps were going as far as he could see, but at the same time, he felt as if there was some kind of mana field that he could both not see through and see through at the same time.


    Without a second thought, Lloyd threw his torch as far as he could until it finally seemed to go through some kind ofyer.


    As it went through, it sent a ripple throughout thisyer, yet that was far from what caught everyone''s eye.


    *Kiching*


    The instant the torch left Lloyd''s hand, the sound of mechanical gears started to enter everyone''s ears, and by the time the torch had gone through theyer, the group was forced to watch as several traps went off in a sequence.


    They all seemed to vary from one another as one swung arge mace through the tunnel while another shot a dozen arrows at random intervals within a 2-second period.


    "Everyone! Move move move!" Fatima roared while everyone ran as fast as they could without bumping into one another.


    While they didn''t know whether or not there was a trap behind thatyer of mana they saw earlier, they also knew they couldn''t die in these dungeons.


    *Click*


    Lloyd''s eyes widened as the sound of a mechanical click entered his ears.


    *Clich*


    He could hear gears turning as the traps reassembled.


    *Click*


    The second click entered his ears, and he already knew what that meant.


    ''The traps are ready to be shot again.'' He thought to himself, yet by then, he had already jumped through theyer of mana and into the other side before rolling and turning around.


    He quickly counted as 2 more followed right behind him, and since Fatima entered before him, that made 4 people in total. However, there was a problem.


    "Where''s John?" Jenna asked with shaken pants.


    "John..." Fatima muttered while clenching her fist.


    They knew he was not dead, but he would most likely get teleported outside the dungeon if he hadn''te through.


    Some would say that a fate such as that was even worse than death, yet Lloyd would simply tell you to stop overreacting as there are a million other things someone could do with their lives rather than join some prestigious academy.


    They could also always retake the exam next year, so there was that.


    "Welp, we should probably get going-" However, before Lloyd could utter another word, He watched as a bloodied and injured knight crawled through the manayer.


    "John!" Jenna practically screamed, causing Lloyd to rub one of his ears with a pained expression. However, after looking at John and the injury he had sustained, he could not help but look at the boy in pity.


    Jenna quickly got to healing the wound on his thigh, yet due to not having taken out the arrow that had pierced through the thigh and broken through a bone, the tissues simply reformed around the arrow while the bones reconstructed with an arrowhead stuck in them.


    Seeing this, Lloyd simply said nothing. Well, it was already toote for him to say anything. They would have to wait until they get out of this hell hole for John to get properly healed.


    "What are you doing!" On the other hand, Fatima could not keep silent as she watched Jenna do something stupid.


    Fatima began toin and berate Jenna, but after looking at Jenna''s expression of worry and defeat, she forced herself to breathe in and out before looking back at the group with her signature smile and confidence.


    "Alright, guys. What''s the n for this one?" She asked, her aura radiating out of her as if she were a sun giving off sr res.


    "Well. You see, the n is quite obvious when you look at it." Lloyd chuckled while the rest simply stared at him with confusion.


    Yet, it only took them a few more seconds for them to understand what he was saying, as the answer to their question was staring them right in the face.


    Quite literally, at that.


    "We''re gonna kill a dragon." Lloyd grinned.

 Chapter 45 Labyrinth [2] - Undead Drake

    "We''re gonna kill a dragon." Lloyd grinned.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    Silence befell the group as they all waited for someone else to move first. Of course, Fatima was the leader of the group, and therefore everyone was waiting for her to do something, yet after seeing that she had been frozen in ce too, Lloyd could not help but let out a small sigh before turning around to face the creature standing a few meters behind him.


    "Hmph... You humans and your obsession with ending lives." A raspy and old voice breathed out, yet despite the hint of ancientness in his voice, Lloyd looked at him with an unamused expression.


    "Dragon?" Lloyd asked to confirm.


    "Incorrect. I am a drake. I hate it when humans mess those two up." The creature growled, its piercing amber eyes sparkling in the darkness like two stars shining in the deep abyss.


    "My bad. Never seen a drake before." Lloyd exined before shrugging and walking forward. However, before taking the third step, he was quickly stopped by the same raspy voice as it announced.


    "I, an earth drake, shall supervise this section of the trial."


    "You''re wasting our oxygen." Lloyd muttered with dissatisfaction clear in his voice.


    "I am simply a spiritual projection. I am not actually there. Us creatures of higher races can do that." It exined.


    "Last time I checked, drakes were not listed as ''higher races''." Fatima finally spoke after gaining back her courage.


    "Andst time I checked, you are nothing but a bunch of small insignificant tiny humans who would not even be ssed as town-level threats on any considered a level 5 or above." The drake retorted before immediately disappearing from sight.


    "Did it just... Run away from an argument?" Jack couldn''t help but ask.


    "I think it did..." Jenna muttered, surprise evident on her face and tone of voice.


    "Did Fatima just send a dragon running?" John almost screamed like a 14-year-old girl.


    "I wouldn''t be so sure." Lloyd cut them off before they could say anything else, and despite John wanting to argue due to the sudden interruption, when he looked towards what Lloyd was looking at, he could not help but feel a shiver go down his spine.


    "That wasn''t a spiritual projection, was it." Fatima asked as she took a step back while forcing the team to group behind her. Well, everyone did except Lloyd.


    "Nope." Lloyd muttered before picking up a rock and throwing it towards the only exit they could see.


    However, the rock simply fell to the floor as it bounced off a pile of bones.


    "What did you do that for!" Jenna whispered angrily.


    Yet before Lloyd could articte a reply, they all heard it.


    The sound of bones grinding on one another as the skeletal structure slowly formed into something more dragon-like.


    "Alright, guys, the goal is to drop that thing, not defeat it. Understood?!" Lloyd roared, yet instead of waiting for an answer toe, he covered his hands in a pair of w-like shadow gauntlets before allowing the rest of his shadow to trickle up his arms and legs and reinforce them as he shot forward without any care for his own safety.


    *Boom*


    The ground cracked under his feet, and before anyone could understand what had happened, Lloyd threw a devastating uppercut toward the bottom jaw of the reanimated skeletal structure.


    The head flung back so quickly that Lloyd thought that it would have suffered from whish, yet instead of standing around and waiting for his suspicions to be confirmed, Lloyd spun mid-air before transferring all his shadows into his right foot and mmed it into the skeleton drake''s side.


    The kick was so powerful that the drake went airborne for a few seconds before regaining its bnce andnding on all 4 of its feet, yet despite the seemingly useless use of his power, Lloyd got exactly what he wanted.


    "Everyone! Go now!" He roared while standing before the skeletal drake, a smug grin on his face as his group got closer and closer to the exit.


    However...


    *ROAR*


    Lloyd felt the hair at the back of his neck stand up, and before he knew what was happening, his legs were moving on their own, throwing him out of the way as a torrent of purple me shot toward him while simultaneously blocking off the exit.


    Rolling to the side, Lloyd looked at the exit before ncing at his team and then turning back to the skeletal lizard.


    "It''s probably been designed to stop anyone from leaving..." Lloyd sighed.


    While he had fire resistance, he was certain that none of his teammates did. Also, he wasn''t about to take the chance against literal purple mes. For all he knew, they could be mes that afflict damage on the soul itself.


    ''If only I could move people around in my shadow too...'' Lloyd frowned while forming a n in his mind that would be sessful in taking the drake down.


    "Why don''t we just try to take it down?" Fatima suggested.


    "Well, that''s the only thing we can do for now. But you have to remember that not only are we wasting oxygen here, but that the mes are using an exorbitant amount of oxygen." Lloyd exined before his frown deepened.


    "Also, the mes are cold. It doesn''t make any sense scientifically, but the mes are created through an endothermic reaction rather than the usual exothermic one." Lloyd continued, causing everyone on the team to also frown at the revtion.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "No worries. You have the people who scored second and third on your team. We''re going to do better than everyone else. You don''t have to worry." Fatima smiled, and as if her smile was contagious, everyone''s frown suddenly disappeared before being reced by arge grin.


    Well, everyone except Lloyd since the ability didn''t seem to work on him.


    He didn''t really know why that was the case, but his theory was that he was either desensitized to aura-like abilities the same way he is desensitized against killing intent and bloodlust, or that his monarch''s aura ability nullifies Fatima''s ability, therefore not allowing it to work the intended way.


    ncing back, despite knowing that Fatima was the appointed leader, Lloyd chose to take charge temporarily.


    "Fatima, I need you to get to the back with the oracle. Okay?"


    "Since when were you in charge?" She asked with a dissatisfied expression that spread to everyone she was affecting.


    "Since the moment I saved your life." Lloyd replied.


    "You didn''t-" Before Fatima could finish her sentence, she felt every hair on her body suddenly rise, yet before she could evenprehend what was happening, she felt a foot-shaped object m into her right torso and throw her out of the me''s range.


    The other saw iting long before Fatima and had enough time to dodge due to being further away, yet that single moment had cemented Lloyd as their leader, not because they all thought he was a good one, but because Fatima''s gratitude spread to the rest of them.


    ''I see...'' Lloyd thought to himself with a grin as he finally understood how her power worked, but he knew that there was no time to gloat about his newfound knowledge since he could see 3 fireballsing towards him from his peripheral vision.


    Without thinking, Lloyd quickly performed 5 tumbles before ending it with a backward somersault.


    When Lloyd finally reached the wall, he simply sprung off it and flipped over one of the fireballs to eventually appear above the skeletal drake.


    Covering his leg in his shadow, Lloyd descended and performed a devastating axe kick upon it that sent a web of cracks over its skull before mming it into the ground.


    "Serpent Style..." A low whisper entered Lloyd''s ears before a glint of blue energy within the dust cloud caught his eyes.


    Lloyd simply smiled before flipping himself off the skull and watching the rest.


    [King Cobra]


    The image of an illusory cobra appeared above Jake''s silhouette before attacking the skeletal drake.


    "Nice one J-... What''s his name again?" Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck with an embarrassed expression as hended on the floor, but after looking around for a bit, he saw that no one was near him.


    *Swoosh*


    Lloyd''s eyes widened as several arrows passed by him. His eyes widened, even more when he saw the elements surrounding the arrows.


    ''3 different elements... Impressive.'' Lloyd smirked.


    Fire, Air, and Water. Those were the ree elements surrounding the arrows, and what made the feat even more impressive was the fact that the three elements she was using was using were primary elements, not secondary.


    Primary elements were a bit like primary colors, despite the fact that there were four rather than three of them.


    Yet, even then, the surprises didn''t end.


    "I shall y this beast in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit!" The boy wearing knight armor roared at the top of his lungs as light beamed out of his sword and illuminated most of the dungeon that was visible to them.


    *Tap*


    [BOOST]


    As the boyunched forward, a small ball of milky white energy shot toward his back before enveloping him and increasing all his attributes by 30%. Well, all the attributes were visible at the time. Lloyd had yet to learn if his intelligence had increased or if his mana pool had followed suit.


    For all he knew, this boost was only physical.


    *Boom*


    *Swoosh*


    Lloyd simply watched with an agape mouth as Jack flew out of the dust cloud, yet right before he could retain his bnce, he threw two cobras at John that didn''t waste a second as they quickly wrapped themselves around John''s de and gave him even more strength.


    At that same moment, Lloyd witnessed the arrows explode upon contact while elemental energies viciously attacked the creature.


    Within a second of the arrows reaching its target, John appeared above the skeletal drake with his de held high, and without wasting another second, John put his entire weight behind his sword and sliced down with all the power he could muster.


    *BOOOOOOOM*


    In a spectacr performance of bright and sparkling blue and white lights, an enormous dust cloud rose and spread across the small room they were in.


    Yet, throughout this entire performance, only one thought went through Lloyd''s mind.


    ''I''ve never felt so useless in my entire life...'' Lloyd thought with an agape mouth that forced him to cough as the dust cloud neared him.


    [Author''s note: For those who don''t know what tumbles are, they are basically those gymnastic backflips where the person strings off their hand to perform a vertical cartwheel of sorts. You can google it if you want.]

 Chapter 46 Labyrinth [3] - Tenacity, Courage, And Intelligence

    After the feeling of uselessness finally disappeared, Lloyd surveyed the area.


    ''Pretty sure that thing is alive, but on a good note, the mes are gone...'' Lloyd mused before repeating his findings aloud.


    "Just follow my voice." Lloyd shouted while constantly snapping his fingers so they could track his location.


    They quickly regrouped after a few minutes of them trying not to trip over debris, and when they finally found each other, they could not help but let out wide smiles.


    "Felt my life sh before me." Jenna shuddered.


    "Hey! I don''t see you holding a sword and getting into close quarter battles!" John sneered.


    "I don''t see you using all your mana and stamina to boost and heal a stupid moron who jumps into the middle of a battle the moment he sees on." Jenna sneered back.


    "Who are you calling a moron!" John pointed at her usingly, yet she only ignored his antics while the rest of the group simplyughed at their antics.


    "We don''t have time to waste. It''s getting harder to breathe by the minute." Jake informed, causing everyone except Lloyd to nod.


    There were two reasons for him not nodding.


    One, he didn''t feel a difference when breathing.


    Two, he was more preupied with something else, yet after a moment, he simply shook his head and looked back at his team.


    "Let''s go." He ordered, and everyone followed his lead. It made sense, after all, since he was the only one with night vision.


    "Ooo! Are those new torches?" John spoke excitedly, but after everyone looked at him weirdly, he cleared his throat and repeated the sentence moreposed instead of screaming like a 15-year-old girl who got a car for a birthday present.


    "I believe they are. But I suggest we limit the amount we take to only two..." Lloyd spoke.


    "Why?" Fatima asked while taking a bite from a nutrition bar she had brought with her. While nutrition bars were still a thing during Lloyd''s time, they were considered to be a lot more useful than the ones of the past.


    To be exact, a nutrition bar was considered to be a normal meal for those in the army or on missions as they were small, healthy, and filled with enough calories to keep someone filled for an entire day.


    It was actually one of the main ways people of the 22nd century defeated obesity.


    "I have a bad feeling about them." Lloyd simply exined as they all moved forward.


    5, 10, 15 minutes quickly passed, and everyone was getting restless again. It made sense, though. After such a heart-racing fight, 15 minutes of nothing could make the calmest soldier feel agitated by the sudden and utter silence.


    However, after that, 2 hours seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.


    They encountered many things, from groups of small creatures they had to kill to traps and even puzzles they had toplete.


    After the 2-hour mark, ''Fatima''s Group'' found themselves before a puzzle, yet this was a little different from the other ones.


    Arge illusory figure floated in the middle of the cold room. It was surrounded by mist, as if the room itself was a foggy graveyard; well, at least it was designed that way. But Lloyd knew better than to believe that such a design had no ulterior motive.


    ''Scary + Low Oxygen = Hyperventtion.'' Lloyd thought with an unamused expression.


    However, that was not all.


    He could tell that his teammates were bing increasingly drowsy on the way to this room, and while an idiot would think that the journey had caused them to tire out, Lloyd knew that it was something else...


    And what terrified him was the fact that he was certain that the reason for this drowsiness was not theck of oxygen...


    No... Anyone with half a brain could make that one up. He wasn''t certain what it was, but he had a suspicion.


    Of course, he could tell his team about it, but he was certain that it would worsen the situation for anyone other than Fatima. Yet, he still chose to say nothing.


    He knew how Fatima''s ability worked, so on the off chance she became upset by the news, it was more than likely that it would cause a chain reaction that he did not have the social ability to stop.


    "Wee to the trial of intelligence." An ethereal voice entered their ears and caused all of them to widen their eyes.


    "They''re a bit like the drake." Jennamented.


    Sighing, Lloyd asked the most important question.


    "What is the trial of intelligence?"


    "It is a trial that tests your intelligence..." The ethereal voice replied unemotionally, yet Lloyd could not help but feel like it was mocking him for asking such a stupid question despite that being obvious.


    "Then, why don''t you start this test of yours." Lloyd asked with a condescending tone of voice.


    A long silence descended upon the group, and no one dared speak.


    "I think you pissed it off."


    ? Well, no one with any semnce of a brain dared speak. John was clearly an anomaly amongst humans.


    However, before anyone could silentlyin about his stupidity, the ethereal voice entered their ears again.


    "Who will you choose to represent you?" It asked.


    Fatima: "..."


    John: "..."


    Jack: "..."


    Jenna: "..."


    Lloyd: "???"


    In an instant, everyone turned toward Lloyd.


    "Why is everyone looking at me?" He asked.


    "Because you''re the only one who is particrly intelligent. You also did all the other intelligence-based rooms, so we kind of assumed you''d do this one." Jenna replied innocently, yet everyone else in the group couldn''t help but feel like a vein on their forehead would burst.


    They all knew it was true, but they felt a little angry when it was said like that.


    "Ugh, fine." Lloyd snarled before stepping forward with a look of defeat.


    "Do you represent your group?" The spirit asked.


    "Yeah, sure, whatever." Lloyd shrugged.


    "Who will you choose to represent you for the trial of courage?" It asked; however, this time, the answer was not was unanimous.


    "What are all the trials?" Lloyd asked


    "Tenacity, Courage and Intelligence." The spirit exined.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "John should do Tenacity, and Fatima should do Courage." Lloyd suggested with folded arms.


    After hearing Lloyd''s words, they both looked at each other for a moment before shrugging and walking to the designated areas.


    Lloyd felt like Fatima would do well in courage, and since John is a knight willing to jump into anything for the "Father, son and holy spirit," he should be fine in a trial like this.


    On the other hand, Fatima had shown that she was a good leader not only because of her ability to make everyone around her feel less stressed out but also because she could put on a smile no matter the situation.


    As spacial energy covered Lloyd, John, and Fatima, Lloyd couldn''t help but feel confident about his choice; little did he know that this decision would be one he would look back on and think-


    "I was so wrong."


    ***


    Appearing in a dark room, Lloyd opened his eyes and looked around for a bit before the lights slowly turned on.


    ''I won''t be there to keep the mes in check, but they should be capable of going a few minutes without me doing so.'' Lloyd thought to himself before his eyes widened for apletely unrted reason.


    "Uh... What the hell is this ce?" Lloyd muttered under his breath, but after a few seconds of analyzing the ce, he seemed to understand what was happening.


    As the darkness faded from his vision and everything became as bright as day, Lloyd''s eyes scanned the entire room, yet unlike the previous older castle dungeon theme that the dungeon was going with, this ce looked more modern.


    "This is..." Lloyd frowned.


    He was in apletely ordinary room, the only significance of it being that it was clearly a room from an age before the awakening.


    "The technology looks 21st century..." Lloyd mused while walking up to the tv.


    The room was dyed mostly white; if it wasn''t, it was probably either marble white, silver, or creamy.


    He was currently in the living room, but with a single nce, he could tell that this house was either a two or three-story house.


    "Looking outside indicates that we are at least on the 7th floor... And this tv." Lloyd muttered before touching it.


    "It uses gas cells that emit ultraviolet rays. They go through the screen to create an image... It was genius for its time, but its quite crap now that I think about it." Lloyd thought to himself while tapping the screen of the tv.


    "4k Resolution and-..."


    Looking at the tv, he watched as a casket was held high while a white, red, and blue g with 4 lines in it fluttered above it.


    "British g? I think? Is this the British empire? Wait, no, they didn''t have televisions this good. This is clealry the passing of a monarch, but I can''t tell who." Lloyd folded his arms and thought with closed eyes, yet after a while, he simply shrugged and said he would research itter.


    "Why am I here?"


    Without taking another nce at the TV, Lloyd searched the entire house, and for the most part, it looked pretty ordinary.


    It was nothingpared to the standards he was used to, but he could tell that the house he was in was considered a luxury home by people of the 21st century.


    However, when he finally reached a window and tried to open it to let Earth''s breeze in, he realized something important.


    "They won''t open..." He frowned before disappearing and appearing at the front door, trying to open it as well, to no avail.


    "So, I have to escape this ce. Like an escape room?" Lloyd asked himself.


    ***


    In apletely different ce, a boy wearing heavy knight armor was walking in a desert that spanned out for what looked like light years.


    It didn''t take him long to take his armor off, and while it was a load off him, quite literally in this sense, he still felt the scorching heat of the desert sizzling his skin.


    He could even argue that the sizzling of skin was even worse now that he didn''t have anything covering it, but nothing was as bad as the amount of sweat he released when he had his armor on.


    *Rumble*


    "Hmm?" The boy raised a brow but thought nothing of the faint tremor.


    *Rumble!*


    "I swear to god, if it makes me run in this weather I will lose it!" John roared in rage, yet-


    *RUMBLE*


    The sound was getting closer.


    "Please..."


    *RUMBLE!*


    "Oh god, please don''t make me run." John pleaded, yet it was toote.


    *PWOOOOSH*


    John watched helplessly as an enormous centipede as big as a skyscraper erupted out of the ground, its maw wide open as a devastating shriek left its mouth and caused the desert to shake despite it seeming endless.


    "...May the lord forgive me for the unholy words I''m about to spout in his presence." John sped his hands in prayer before his eyes became serious, yet in that same instant, he had to turned around and bolted in the other direction.


    The centipede seemed to recognize his existence, and the moment he began to run, he lowered himself to the ground and began to crawl toward the running boy with clear sadistic intent exuding from it.


    Nevertheless, John screamed like a little girl and ran away with his arms iling around as he let out curse words that I am literally not allowed to put on this site, so I, as the writer, will leave the rest to your imagination.


    ***


    In the alleyway between two buildings stood a little girl with jet-ck hair that had been tied into pigtails and dark brown eyes that seemed even darker than usual.


    The girl could not have been older than 5 years old, yet her eyes werepletely dead, like a soldier who''s gone insane from the constant music of bullets that rain upon them and take their friends and family on a daily basis.


    The little girl was covered in fresh blood. In one hand, she held a teddy bear that seemed to have been soaked in blood from how much of the red liquid was dripping from it.


    However, on the other hand, she held what seemed like an adult hand covered in an equal amount of blood, yet this time the blood was dry, indicating that it had happened before the girl showed up.


    And in front of her stood a woman with unmatched beauty, covered in blood... A woman who held a pitch-ck sword in her hand while her eyes glowed with a fierce and bright violet that could have only been replicated by the stars themselves.


    A woman that, despite her magnificent beauty, held an expression of contempt on her face. Aplete contradiction to the superb awe-worthy aura she emitted.


    The little girl in this story wasn''t Fatima Khan... At least, not yet.


    The little girl in this story was Fatima Ahmed, a 5-year-old girl who just had watched her mother get ughtered in front of her, and her father bleed to death as he held her hand...


    [Let the Trial of Courage begin]

 Chapter 47 Labyrinth [4] - Personal Hell

    Sitting cross-legged in the middle of his room, Lloyd closed his eyes as he imagined the entire room inch for inch.


    ''If I think about it, I can''t open the door, nor can I open the windows. I''ve tried smashing through, but as expected, there couldn''t even scratch the walls, window, and door.'' Lloyd thought with a slight frown.


    ''The goal must be to get out of this ce without breaking through anything with physical force. This is the trial of intelligence, therefore I must use my brain to get out of this situation.'' Lloyd thought before a grin appeared on his face, and he unclenched his jaw.


    ''The safe...'' Lloyd thought before disappearing from where he sat and appearing on the second floor.


    Opening the door to the master bedroom, Lloyd entered the room and walked straight toward the wardrobe before opening and staring at the steel safe that had been pushed to the corner and surrounded by folded clothes.


    Taking out the safe, Lloyd looked at it until he realized something.


    ''Eight digits split into a 2.2.4 format. It is most likely a date... Well, I doubt it would be that easy.'' Lloyd scratched his temple as he thought about thetest clue.


    He knew that this was most likely some sort of escape room, but since it was a test that was part of one of the most difficult activities he had everpleted, he felt like it was supposed to be a little harder.


    ''There was a calendar in the kitchen saying that the date was the 14th of September 2022, and from what I saw on the television, that looks like it hade from the stone age, the queen died less than a week ago, and they are taking her to her ce of burial. I am almost certain that the current date is not the code to open this safe, but it won''t hurt to try, right?'' Lloyd asked himself while caressing his chin as if he had a long beard.


    Lloyd quickly added the current date without skipping a beat, but just as anticipated, it was wrong. However, despite knowing that it was most likely inurate, Lloyd did not expect that the steel box would suddenly shine with a crimson light.


    The unexpected sh of light began to disappear after a few seconds, but Lloyd still felt as if something was about to happen.


    However, after standing on guard for more than a minute, he finally stretched his hand towards the safe and turned it around after catching a glimpse of the same crimson light.


    Looking at the back of the safe, Lloyd watched as the number "5" engraved into the safe glowed brightly. He was certain it was not there before, but after watching, the number "5" was slowly reced with the number "4".


    "4 more tries left, I guess." Lloyd sighed.


    ***


    Courage...


    Courage?


    What was courage?


    The dictionary would tell you that courage is the ability to do something that frightens one. Courage was bravery in a different coat.


    However, a soldier would tell you something both simr and different.


    "The ability to stand before your enemy, look into its eyes and scream ''No More'' as you charge at it with everything you''ve got in order to save those behind you from ending up with the same fate as you."


    What a load of bullsh*t...


    Well, at least that''s what Fatima thought.


    That monologue was one of thest things that Fatima''s father told her merely a day before his death. It was one of those moments that one would not forget, no matter how many years passed.


    A fixed moment in time. A moment that would have changed everything about you if there was the slightest difference in how the event urred.


    And before Fatima stood another one of those "Fixed" moments.


    ''If this is courage...''


    ''Then courage is just torture under a different name.'' Fatima thought, her hand losing grip of her father''s.


    Her eyes werepletely empty, and not a single muscle in her body dared move an inch.


    The blood between her hand and her father''s made the grip weaken even more before, finally, the hand fell to the ground and grew cold as the seconds passed.


    The pulse had long be nonexistent, yet Fatima''s fear and rage grew into an unstoppable flood threatening to destroy the dam and release something from deep within.


    ''Was the night always this... bright?'' she asked herself.


    She didn''t know why, but she always remembered the night as beingpletely silent, the only light entering her line of sight emanating from the three moons that appeared every several fortnights.


    They called such an event the lunar Bermuda triangle. She never understood the name, but she always detested the event ever since her parent''s passing.


    ''Why am I not moving? Why am I not doing anything? Why am I just standing here like aplete idiot?!'' she roared, yet her voice was nothing but an internal one, meaning that no one other than her could hear her crying pleads.


    ''Move! MOVE! I''m begging you! Run, attack, anything!'' she roared, yet the little girl didn''t move a muscle despite that.


    Who could me her, though?


    ''MOVE YOU USELESS BITCH!'' She shrieked when the woman finally moved forward and pointed her de at Fatima''s unmoving mother.


    A pity flickered on the woman''s face as she looked at the little girl, but it was too faint for Fatima to even point it out.


    ''NOOoOoOOOOOO-''


    *Spulch*


    The instant the knife de went through the heart of Fatima''s mother, everything suddenly became white before she lost focus and entered what seemed like a deep, deep dream.


    ...


    Opening her eyes, a little girl with ck hair and brown eyes sat up at an amazing speed as her breathing became ragged and her heart beat faster than ever.


    "What is it, honey?" A woman in her mid-thirties asked, her eyes and hair brown and her skin color also pointing in that direction. She wasn''t dark per se, but she definitely wasn''t of European heritage.


    "Mommy! I had a bad dream." The little girl sulked.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It''s okay; it''s just a dream, sweetheart." The woman hugged the little girl while giving her a motherly smile that made the little girl immediately forget everything she just saw in her dream.


    The little girl quickly smiled while shaking her head, but when she saw another figure enter the room, she did not waste a second before letting go of her mother, charging at her father, and hugging him with everything she had.


    Hours passed in the blink of an eye as the little girl had as much fun as she could with her parents. She wanted to ask why her father hadn''t gone to work that day, but since she was having too much fun, she chose to forget the question and simply have a good time with her parents.


    They went everywhere, from a filled with the most beautiful scenes in the observable universe to thergest funfairs in the human colony.


    "Let''s go." Her father smiled while stretching his hand towards her, yet right before she held his hands, her vision flickered, and she saw something that made her heart instantly drop.


    Her father''s hand was covered in blood and felt as cold as ice to the touch, and despite feeling like she had seen this scene before, she forced herself to blink again, an action that made the vision go away and made her forget about it the moment she couldn''t see it anymore.


    "Are you alright, darling?" Fatima''s mother leaned down and asked her daughter, yet when Fatima looked into her mother''s eyes, she did not see the same happy and energetic glint. No... She saw something different.


    Her mother''s eyes were emotionless and without signs of life. They didn''t move, and she could barely see her mother''s pupil as if a dark shadow was covering it, yet that was far from the worst part about it.


    When she looked into her mother''s reassuring smile, she only felt dread, hopelessness, and sorrow.


    Sorrow filled her from the pits of her stomach and made her feel like puking.


    And puke, she did.


    As Fatima puked for a few more minutes, her mother advised them to go home for now, but her mother''s unhopeful expression and one that showed worry, but eptance at the same time, filled her with even more dread.


    "N-No. I think I''m fine." Fatima was reassured, and despite her parents not fully believing her, they didn''t push too much.


    Possibly because they knew what would happen, and who better to spend time with than your own family?


    Hours passed, and as the family left the mall, they walked into a nearby alleyway they thought would be a faster route, but it was clear that their enjoyable time together had made the parents forget...


    "Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed. I''vee to collect your dept." A feminine voice spoke from behind them, and the instant Fatima heard her voice, she froze.


    Now that she heard the woman''s melodious yet dreadful voice, Fatima knew that she was in nothing but a dream. A recount of what had happened.


    Yet she couldn''t move a muscle.


    She was scared stiff.


    Yet her neck seemed to work.


    Slowly, Fatima turned around the absorb the dreadful scene of her mother kneeling before the woman and asking her to give them a little more time with their daughter.


    Yet...


    *Sching*


    The woman''s de mercilessly slit across her mother''s throat, and all Fatima could do was sit.


    Sit and watch as the de cleaved through the throat, spraying blood everywhere as her mother dropped to the ground face first, but luckily towards her daughter.


    It gave her a chance to give her daughter a final, reassuring smile before she sumbed to the darkness that enveloped her vision.


    Her father suffered the same fate, telling her a few parting words before being stabbed through the heart as he held his daughter''s hands while bleeding out.


    And despite all that... Through all that, Fatima didn''t move a single muscle. She pleaded, yet nothing happened.


    She begged, yet her body stood still, her eyes as lifeless as her parents thaty before her.


    "What a cruel world this one can be." The woman''s voice finally entered Fatima''s ears, and despite being delirious, she heard what the woman said.


    And she only became more enraged.


    She couldn''t remember how many times she had done this.


    Over and over again, she had to watch those she loved most die before her, and even after she gained control of her body once again, her body didn''t allow her to move.


    She had the body of a coward, or that''s at least what she thought.


    She didn''t know how often she would be doing this same thing repeatedly, but it was beginning to affect her soul.


    ''God... Please, if there is a god out there...''


    ''Please just end my misery.'' She begged as her vision became white again, and she was stripped back 12 hours to when she first woke up.


    ***


    In a room painted with mostly white, a shirtless boy wearing all ck sat on a table and swung his legs off it. He looked closer to an adult than a child, yet most people could tell he was no older than 20.


    It was a skill that came with the culture over the years, and despite people over 100 years old looking at the same age as a 30-year-old man, people could tell how old someone was just by looking at them.


    Lloyd wore a long coat that reached his knees that was underlined with a glowing purple fabric.


    He wore sunsses despite it being quite dark in the kitchen, but due to his night vision, he could see right through the sses as they weren''t even there. He simply put them on to hide the color of his eyes.


    And at that moment, Lloyd was staring into another person''s eyes. Someone with eyes that shouldn''t have been prevalent in ancient times, such as the one he was in.


    "I think I finally understand." Lloyd spoke, his eyes not leaving the pair of glowing red eyes that seemed to peer back into his soul.


    ''I think I finally solved it!''

 Chapter 48 Strength Comes In Many Different Forms [1]

    Looking into the pair of crimson eyes, Lloyd finally broke his stare before flipping the image over to look at the back.


    For thest few seconds, he had been analyzing the image of a couple screaming in joy as they rode what seemed to be a fun fair ride. From the water sshing on them, he assumed that it was a water ride, but that part of the picture wasn''t relevant... Or, it wasn''t relevant for now.


    In the picture, the couple seemed to be no older than 20, and since there were several pictures in the house of them and a child, he assumed they had met in high school and grown into a married couple.


    He couldn''t understand why the woman had a pair of red eyes. Were they contacts? No, because there were pictures of her with red eyes as a baby.


    "She might just be unlucky... I heard photos in the past sometimes made people''s eyes look slightly red. But this doesn''t seem like it. Her eyes were naturally red, and those numbers on the back of the safe were also red." Lloyd rubbed his chin before looking at the back of the picture, which had its time and ce signed on it.


    "Drayton Manor, 14th of August 2015." Lloyd read aloud before a frown appeared on his face as he moved toward other images.


    As he had expected, every single one of them had the date and location at the back of the picture. Well, actually, most of them had the date, while less than half had the ce. However, there was one picture that had none of those.


    "The red-eyed woman''s baby picture. She looks no older than 12 months old, but I don''t understand how this would be a clue." Lloyd muttered with his frown bing more and more distinct as time passed.


    Hours passed as Lloyd searched the house for more clues. After getting a few more pictures, Lloyd finally understood the timeline and had a rough idea of the main events throughout these people''s lives.


    After finding out their son''s age and plotting a date for his birth, he tried it out as one of the possible answers yet still somehow got it incorrectly.


    The minutes became hours, and the hours became days.


    He couldn''t use [4-Dimensional Thought] for too long as he would get a headache before having his cognitive thinking capabilities reduced for a short time afterward, so instead of using it all the time, he used it sparingly.


    Until...


    ''Holy shit! I think I actually got it this time!'' Lloyd roared.


    While he might have celebrated too early when he found the fun fair picture when looking at the sequence of numbers he had just created, he had a really good feeling that it might be the right one.


    ...


    30 Minutes ago.


    After looking at all the numbersid out before him, Lloyd narrowed his eyes before an amazing idea made him smile.


    He quickly revised his knowledge of morse code before creating a system that might work.


    ''There are 14 pictures here, and only 12 of them have dates. If I look at this from a day/month/year standpoint...'' He muttered before listing the days in one column, the month in the other, and the year in thest. Of course, he did it all in chronological order, making the earliest picturee first while thetest one camest.


    He then split the numbers among each one of them and made a system to calcte the numbers.


    ''4 and lower is a 0, and 5 and higher is a 1.''


    And while it might have seemed like binary, for now, he quickly used this form to get a sequence of numbers for each number on a date.


    Well, that''s when he realized it.


    The answer was never a date. It was just a sequence used to fool someone into thinking that the answer was a date.


    After transferring the 0-1 format into morse code, he finally got-


    94/21/5923


    Inserting those numbers into the safe, his smile widened as he saw a crimson key enter his line of sight.


    He did not hesitate for a moment as he grabbed the key and ran downstairs, and within the same instant, he had inserted it within the keyhole before turning it and opening the door, yet...


    *Fwoosh*


    Just when he thought there was nothing but white on the other side, he felt his body being sucked through the door before he immediately lost consciousness.


    However, right before his vision could darken, a booming sound entered his ears. A booming distressed voice, roaring down from the skies themselves.


    "Beware Void Walker! The stars are going out!"


    "And once they do...


    Silence will fall!"


    ***


    *Thud*


    Falling to the ground face-first, Lloyd quickly got up and rubbed his nose, which had now be red. Tears filled his eyes out of pure instinct to getting hit in the nose.


    He quickly wiped the tears out of his eyes before getting out a tissue and blowing his nose, which had started to be runny.


    ''So much for not having organs. What''s the point of this body if I have to perform normal human acts like blowing my nose?'' Lloyd asked himself, forgetting that he hadn''t gone to the toilet since he became a void walker.


    "You''re back already? That was fast." Jennamented.


    "Hmm? What do you mean? How long was I out for?" Lloyd asked with a frown.


    "5 minutes." Jack replied from a corner of the room where he sat in the lotus position with his legs crossed.


    Lloyd could feel a tremendous amount of energy flowing within the boy, an amount he had not felting from Jack until now.


    "Wait... 5 minutes?" Lloyd snapped out of his trance and eximed with shock.


    "Yeah, 5 minutes. Why?" Jenna asked.


    "Well, I was in there for about 2 days." Lloyd exined and continued to rub his nose.


    Jenna was clearly about to exim in shock, yet right before she could do so, Lloyd turned toward Jack and asked.


    "By the way, what are you doing?"


    "Cultivating."


    "Cultivating?" Lloyd tilted his head.


    Now that he thought about it, he hadn''t tried cultivating yet.


    Opening one eye with a frown, Jack looked at Lloyd and asked-


    "What? Have you never seen anyone cultivate before."


    "I have." Lloyd replied while thinking back to the ''blood cultivation'' that Zack did whenever they trained.


    ording to Zack''s father, the blood cultivation technique Zack used was something that could only be used by those who had was something that could only be performed by those who had a ss that was either linked to the barbarian ss or linked to a ss that either used blood as their main form of contact, or blood as their main form of strength.


    Berzerkers were known for their ability to get stronger as they fought and even stronger as they killed. And while the strength boost is mostly temporary, they can use a specific cultivation technique to take advantage of all the energy inside them to be stronger.


    The point was that every cultivation technique was unique in its own way, since, just like a people, nts like a banana tree can''t grow in the same conditions as wheat.


    "Your cultivation technique simply piqued my interest. I felt such a strong energye from you that it almost startled me, haha." Lloyd exined and rubbed the back of his neck with a smile.


    "Well, if you are that interested, I can exin how it works to you. It''s not like you can copy it or anything." Jack shrugged before waving over Lloyd, whopletely ignored the frozen Jenna, who was too shocked by being forgotten to do anything other than stand there with an aloof expression.


    Sitting next to Jack, Lloyd looked at him and waited for him to say something, but after a minute of silence, Lloyd''s patience was running thin.


    However, right before starting the conversation, he saw that Jack was about to say something and stopped himself from speaking.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I''m sorry about earlier." Jack finally opened his eyes and raised his head to turn to Lloyd with a genuine stare.


    "F-for what?" Lloyd asked, a little taken aback by the sudden apology.


    "You know when we were saying our goals earlier, and you kind of smiled when I said that I wanted to be to the greatest martial artist."


    ''He did?'' Lloyd thought, trying to recall the incident.


    "I did?" Lloyd asked aloud.


    Even after recalling the incident, all he could remember was him acting slightly bored, since he was bored.


    "Yeah, and then you went on to being all unenthusiastic, so we all kind of thought that you were either making fun of us or thought you were better than us." Jack chuckled while Lloyd almost paled.


    ''Damn...'' He inwardly sighed.


    "Oh, my bad. I didn''t wanna seem like that." Lloyd looked around awkwardly with no expression on his face, but Jack could tell he was ufortable... It was almost written on his face despite his sunsses hiding away a lot of the emotions that would have been clear otherwise.


    "And the way you red at Fatima made us think you were jealous of her." Jackughed while Lloyd felt a vein protrude from his forehead, bulging out and bing visible but barely being hidden by Lloyd''s hair


    "That''s why we acted a little badly to you." Jack exined while Lloyd began to question his ability to sense other people''s emotions.


    "But now that we fought alongside you, you aren''t a bad person. Hell, most people as strong as you and Fatima wouldn''t bat an eye at a guy like me who prioritizes martial arts over my ss, but both of you treated me well. You treated me equally to everyone else, while Fatima encouraged me to fight no matter how hard a fight was. So thank you." Jack smiled.


    The conversation went on for another minute with Jenna pouting on the other side of the room, yet after they called her over, the pout disappeared and was quickly reced by a bright smile that lit the room as she skipped over to them.


    "Alright. Before I exin how I cultivate, how do you two do it? Mine is a bitplicated since its mainly created to help martial artists like myself to ingrain mana and martial arts into our system, not only making us strong physically, but also spiritually." Jack exined.


    Yet despite Lloyd understanding most of what was said, Jenna simply gawked repeatedly while opening and closing her mouth.


    Jack then looked at Lloyd, who quickly nodded and exined-


    "Well, I don''t actually cultivate."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Not the normal way anyway." Lloyd finished, making both of them let out a breath of relief.


    They didn''t know what they would have done if they had found out that Lloyd was some kind of supreme being capable of getting as strong as he is from not cultivating at all.


    "Aren''t you a little young to participate in this ceremony anyway? I understand if big shots like that de guy participated since he had an amazing talent and ss, but you look no more than 18 despite your stature. Most people wait until they are half-steps before taking part." Jenna asked.


    ''That exins why most of the seven reapers haven''t taken part in the cemerony in the past few years. Now that I think about it, shouldn''t they take part this year? I haven''t checked yet.'' Lloyd thought before shaking his head and looking at Jenna.


    "Well, my friend Zack and I have been training for a while, and since he was going to partake, I assumed that I might as well join too." Lloyd exined before shrugging.


    "Back to the cultivation, please. Despite wanting to know more about your take, we are running low on time here. The other two should be back any time now." Jack exined, causing Lloyd to nod and exin.


    "My father has this sword style we passed down the family. It''s called the [Flower Petal Style], and it has a sequence of moves I do every day that makes mana flow into me. Then I just have to eat, which bes like a nutrient that strengthens my body and increases my cultivation once the food is fully digested." Lloyd lied through his teeth.


    Well, it wasn''t a full lie.


    The flower petal style did have such a moveset, and if he were a normal person andpleted the set, he would grow in strength. The problem was that the moveset simply didn''t work on him, and he could only assume that the reason was because he was a void walker.


    ''Now that I think about it, my cultivation isn''t the thing that makes me this strong...'' Lloyd thought to himself.


    He would most likely lose if he were to have an arm wrestling match with someone like Osmygold, and the reason for that was simple.


    Osmygold was a 1stmandment human, while he was a half-step. While Osmygold might have a hard time winning, he would most likely win if Lloyd didn''t use any of his abilities.


    And this got Lloyd thinking.


    ''How strong are my abilities?''


    He killed a high first-ss being quite easily, and that was without using his mes, yet it made sense to him. At least to a certain extent.


    His [me Control] is the ability of a hobgoblin with amazing talent, capable of controlling its mes from the moment of its awakening despite how hard me control was supposed to be, ording to OracleOfmes.


    Hell, even [Aspect of Void] was a power he was not supposed to get until muchter.


    While [Shadow w] and a lot of his other shadow abilities were nothing special on their own (except shadow enhancement), Lloyd''s capability of using them to their full extent,bined with his naturalbat prowess (his martial arts and sparring experience), as well as his physique that made him much stronger than the average person in his ss, made him a force to be reckoned with.


    Suddenly, he was forced to snap out of his realization as the sound of someone copsing into the cold floor entered his ears.


    Looking back towards the center of the room, Lloyd saw John lying on the ground before a portal.


    The other side of the portal showed a sea of sand, which exined why John wasying in a bunch of sand as they all ran over to him without thinking twice.


    "Are you okay?" Jenna asked with distress in her voice.


    "What do you think?!" John sneered before coughing sand out of his lungs.


    Without skipping a beat, Jenna began healing John, and within moments of her starting, another portal opened up, yet there was something different this time.


    *DOOOM*


    Even Lloyd felt it this time.


    Dread.


    Absolute dread.


    A dread that would have made non-awakeners drop to their knees and rock themselves back and forth in the fetal position until they slept.


    "W-W-What is that?" Jenna asked with fearced in her words.


    On the other hand, Jack got into a fighting stance and waited for the creature on the other side to jump through.


    Lloyd unconsciously summoned a katana and held it in his hand. He could tell that it felt a little different, almost as if it had bonded with his soul, but since he was getting ready to fight, he couldn''t take any time to look down at the pitch-ck katana he had just created out of thin air.


    The same katana he used in his void walks.


    As they all waited for the creature toe through, Lloyd quickly realized that the bloodlust wasn''t affecting him the same it did to the others, and within a moment, it finally clicked.


    "Don''t tell me," Lloyd muttered with a frown.


    At the same instance, a bare and slender foot, covered in blood, came through the portal and stepped onto the cold and hard ground.


    The bloodlust seemed to increase further, to the point where John hadpletely lost consciousness while Jenna had dropped to the ground and reached the point of almost peeing herself.


    *Thump*


    Yet, in an instant, it seemed like the bloodlust had vanished as the creatureing through fell face-first and mmed into the ground with a low thud.


    This creature covered in blood and grime was none other than Fatima, that, despite being unconscious, felt like something had changed about her.


    ''Oh... Crap.''


    [Author''s note: Extra long chapter for you guys! Thank meter.]

 Chapter 49 Strength Comes In Many Different Forms [2] - Fatima Vs Void Walker

    "Fatima?" Lloyd asked with his brows knitted into a tight frown.


    He knew that the ck-haired girl before him was Fatima, but her entire atmosphere seemed different...


    And the blood... The blood didn''t make it any better. The Bloodlust that came out of her felt like that of a wild animal''s, but who was he to speak when his Bloodlust was technically much stronger.


    Bloodlust and Killing intent was not the same thing, despite most ignorant people thinking that they were.


    While killing intent is a controlled feeling/aura that allows a person to exude their inner emotions to the outside world, Bloodlust was an aura that waspletely out of control, as if the being became a rabid wild beast willing to kill everything in its path while being blinded by rage.


    While the exuding of killing intent is something that happens naturally when someone chooses to take a life, Bloodlust is more of a state of mind that very few sses can control, berzerkers and barbarians being one of the few capable of doing so.


    "If she exuded bloodlust, it means something really bad must have happened," Lloyd muttered just loud enough for Jack to hear him.


    "How do you know its not killing intent?" Jack asked with a whisper despite knowing that Jenna and John were far from a state capable ofprehending their conversation, even if they spoke normally.


    "I know what bloodlust feels like." Lloyd simply replied while Jack nodded in understanding without asking another question.


    Walking forward to examine her body, Lloyd realized that her body was filled with cuts and bruises, to the point where he was certain any other person unawakened would have died of blood loss.


    Kneeling before her, Lloyd watched Jack wobble a little before clutching his head.


    "Headache and drowsiness?" Lloyd asked with an unsurprised tone of voice.


    "How did you know?" Jack asked, yet despite Lloyd expecting him to have a suspicious expression on his face when he looked over at Jack, he saw nothing but curiosity.


    "I felt it a few minutes ago too." Lloyd lied through his teeth.


    "Does that mean we are running out of oxygen? Too much carbon dioxide I''m guessing, so we are suffering from CO2 poisoning?" Jack asked with a grimace.


    "I don''t think that is the case." Lloyd muttered while checking Fatima''s body for any significant injuries.


    "What is it then?" Jack asked.


    Lloyd knew that an exnation would waste the little amount of oxygen they had left, but despite that, he felt the childish need to gloat.


    "What do you get when youbust something but you don''t have enough oxygen or heat?" Lloyd asked.


    "Uhmm... I don''t know. It''s been three years since I''ve taken a science ss." Jack rubbed his neck awkwardly.


    "Short answer, you get carbon monoxide, and I''m sure you are well aware of the dangers of carbon monoxide, am I correct?" Lloyd asked before Jack''s eyes widened in realization.


    Looking at the mes surrounding the room, a panicked expression appeared on his face, yet before he could start panicking, even more, Lloyd smacked both of his cheeks and looked him in the eyes with a stern expression.


    "Don''t panic. It could cost you your life." Lloyd spoke while releasing a little bit of killing intent which caused Jack to hold his breath for a moment before slowly calming down.


    After calming down Jack, Lloyd looked toward Fatima with a frown before inwardly asking-


    ''What the hell happened to you?''


    ***


    Earlier.


    She didn''t know how many times she had to go through this.


    She couldn''t remember how many times she had stood there and watched her parents being ughtered like cattle who didn''t resist in the least.


    And all she could do was watch.


    Watch and scream, yet somehow not move a single muscle while doing so.


    Her screams were far from audible, making her feel even worse every single time it happened.


    Until she finally snapped.


    It might have been her 500th attempt; she lost count after a while.


    "Mr. and Mrs. Ahmed. I''vee to collect your dept." A feminine voice spoke from behind them, and the instant Fatima heard her voice, she froze.


    Now that she heard the woman''s melodious yet dreadful voice, Fatima finally realized where she was...


    She was in her personal hell. A hell-loop, to be exact.


    Yet, despite her knowledge, she couldn''t move a muscle.


    She was scared stiff.


    Yet her neck seemed to work.


    Slowly, Fatima turned around the absorb the dreadful scene of her mother kneeling before the woman and asking her to give them a little more time with their daughter. Yet from the expression the woman had worn, Fatima knew that she wouldn''t spare them.


    She hadn''t spared them thest 500 times; why would she do so now?


    For the 500th time, Fatima felt dread like no other, but it was different this time.


    This time she felt different. As if something a seal inside her had finally shattered.


    As if her soul had awakened once more.


    And as if waiting for this moment, a torrent of emotions flooded her mind. Everything she felt over thest 500 hell-loops returned stronger than ever, and despite feeling reborn, her eyes had be listless once more.


    The woman raised her de and took a breath in, and just when she was about to slice through Fatima''s mother''s throat, she felt something.


    *Crack*


    "You wanted courage..." Fatima muttered, yet that mutter alone seemed to echo for miles.


    *Crack Crack*


    "Then I''ll give you courage..." She spoke softly, but the power behind her voice alone caused the ground below her feet to shatter while simultaneously shaking the entire city.


    "Since this is going to be your final battle..." Her sinister voice echoed as her eyes turned pitch ck while ck and white energy began to surround her, slowly crawling up her legs before enveloping her torso and then her face.


    Covered in ck-and-white energy, the woman couldn''t see Fatima properly, yet from the aura and energy that exuded from her alone, she knew that the little child she had pitied earlier had not be a monster beyond her wildest imagination.


    "I''ll give you everything." She spoke with a dominance that would have made an emperor drop to his knees.


    ck and white lightning bolts shot out of Fatima''s body, while her eyes became hollow and white.


    [Racial Bloodline Temporarily Unlocked]


    [Name: Fatima ???]


    [Commandment: Unknown ]


    [Race: Unknown]


    [ss: ???]


    [Talent: 9-Star]


    [Affinity: ???]


    pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m [Passive Ability: Transdimensional Awareness (Lvl 9)]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Abilities: 5th Dimensional Telekenisis (Lvl 9), 5th Dimensional Energy Maniption (Lvl 9)]


    "What the hell!" The woman roared and flipped back several times before readying her katana by covering it with bright violet energy.


    A white rune shone in each one of her violet eyes, before a powerful gust of purple icy winds shot towards Fatima, or at least what was left of her.


    Raising her hand towards the iing attack, Fatima emotionlessly waited, and without skipping a beat, the icy gust of wind disappeared before the woman felt something pull her.


    It all happened in less than a second, and before the woman could even realize what had happened, her face had mmed into the little girl''s palm before a strong grip enveloped the rest of her head, beginning to ever so slightly squeeze with a power that slowly increased.


    Not wanting to die such a pathetic death, the woman tried to cut off the arm Fatima held her with, but just as the de was about to touch the arm-


    *Shatter*


    The de crumbled into a million pieces as a barrier appeared between the de and her skin.


    "Damnit!" The void walker let out a muffled roar and pointed her hand toward Fatima''s face.


    *BOOOOM*


    In an instant, arge and powerful violet iceberg formed, mming into a nearby skyscraper and even threatening to tip it over.


    The moment the void walker had encased the little girl in the ice, the woman took advantage of that split second and quickly got out of the girl''s grip.


    ''I''m a peak second Commandment. How is this happening to me!? I''m a void walker! I am a part of a superior race, how can I be losing to a pathetic human child!'' the woman inwardly roared, but she knew that she had to run.


    Or at least, she was going to try to.


    *Crack*


    *BOOOOOOM*


    Ice was flung into the air as a powerful blizzard formed over a certain part of the city.


    Floating in the air, Fatima looked towards the void walker with an unshakable stare that peered through the blizzard itself and stared into the woman''s soul.


    "Huh." The void walker eximed as she saw the girl point at her, yet her unspoken question was quickly answered by a low rumble that entered her ears, followed by two buildings moving towards her at an extremely fast speed.


    *BOOM*


    *Zip*


    The two buildings turned into dust, but whatever was left of Fatima''s consciousness knew that the woman was not dead.


    Instead, she was probably right behind her.


    Looking back, Fatima quickly raised a barrier as she watched a fist shoot at her at lightning speed, breaking the sound barrier and appearing before the barrier in a mere instant.


    [Void Walker Style]


    The moment the fist came in contact with the barrier, a purple sh illuminated the surroundings for miles before it suddenly became dark.


    Within an instant, the darkness shrunk and became concentrated at the fist.


    Simultaneously, the fist began to shine in the shape of a four-pointed star, with the inner part glowing purple while the outer part shone with a pitch-ck light capable of warping space itself.


    [Star Copsing Fist]


    For an instant, the buildings around them began to warp and get sucked into the area of impact, but in the blink of an eye-


    *BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*


    A beam of ck and purple energy shot through the city before firing into the sky.


    That one attack killed millions while trillions of dors worth of infrastructure just disappeared.


    Landing on the ground, the woman quickly widened her eyes as she felt dangering from her right, and in a split second it took her to react, she barely moved out of the way as a ck and white beam shot toward her from a distance.


    "Damnit... She''s still alive after that?" The woman asked before forming a pair of knuckles dusters created from what looked like a pitch-ck material, so dark that it didn''t even reflect light.


    [Void Walker Style]


    Smashing her fists together, she stepped forward, shone slightly, and disappeared immediately.


    In the next instant, she was right in front of Fatima, yet right before Fatima could react to her appearance, the woman appeared behind her before punching her in the liver and sending her flying towards an unscathed part of the city.


    However, right before Fatima could start smashing through the city, she stopped herself mid-air, but the void walker already anticipated this.


    Appearing above her and performing an axe kick, she shot down at impable speed.


    However, within an instant, the woman was in front of Fatima, mming her foot onto the top of her head a full second before she was supposed to reach her.


    [Teleportation Barrage]


    For the next three minutes, Fatima continued getting pummeled by this woman as she would use [Void Step] to appear anywhere she wanted before mming a foot or fist into Fatima.


    "Enough!" Fatima roared and pointed an open palm at the woman, freezing her in ce before slowly crushing her alive.


    The woman quickly used Void Step to escape, but to her surprise, Fatima''s hand suddenly appeared right before her face as the little girl catapulted herself through the air at such speed that it allowed her to appear before the woman before she had even appeared there.


    *Swoosh*


    Teleporting out of the way in the nick of time, the woman barely escaped death, yet when she looked up again, she knew that death would follow her no matter where she was.


    And that death came in the form of a little girl with powers rivaling hers.


    Instead of appearing in front of the woman again, Fatima simply walked towards her instead, yet somehow, from the woman''s point of view, the walk felt a lot more terrifying than her tremendous speed.


    The walk was ominous and horrifying, not only putting the woman on edge the whole time but also causing her to feel a small amount of fear as the girl released an unbelievable amount of Bloodlust.


    *Zhip*


    Appearing Fatima''s right, the woman was certain that the girl wouldn''t see her attacking, yet as if the world had slowed down to a crawl, her eyes slowly widened as the little girl stared at her with a side eye, waiting for the woman to attack so she could finally grab her.


    "Forget this." The woman muttered and teleported over a mile away.


    "I''m going to end this today, even if I have to take the surface of this continent with me." She roared and made a gesture that looked like her grabbing the sky.


    [Void Walker Style]


    At the same time, Fatima also seemed to have enough, causing her to point an open palm in the general direction of where the woman was before muttering-


    [100% Release...]


    And as if they were in sync, they both roared with equal vigor to one another-


    [Violet Sky Fall]


    [Dimension Breaker]


    [Author''s note: For those confused about why Fatima is so powerful, it will be exined in due time. Don''t worry; it will all make sense in the future, and you willpletely forget about your temporary hate for me... Hopefully ._.]

 Chapter 50 Strength Comes In Many Different Forms [3] - [Entity] Vs Void Walker

    [Violet Sky Fall]


    [Dimension Breaker]


    Grabbing the fabric of space, The void walker pulled down with all the power she could muster. At the same time, it looked like the atmosphere had disappeared as a nket of darkness covered the sky above the city.


    In the same instant, the stars in the sky began to glow bright purple before something unbelievable happened.


    ''The stars...'' Fatima''s shell of a body looked up and thought with an amused voice.


    "Are falling." It muttered before looking at the void walker and releasing a devastating attack.


    A ck mass of infinite darkness formed into the shape of a small sphere surrounded by 3rge raindrops that looked like they were tears in the fabric of space.


    The ck mass shot through the air as a pitch-ck beam with small white lights that glowed like tiny stars.


    The beam moved beyond the speed of light, but one did not need to move at the same speed to avoid an attack with a trajectory.


    Using [Void Step] a split second before the attack, the void walker dodged the attack by a hair''s breadth.


    Blinking in and out of reality, the void walker performed several attacks thatnded perfectly on the entity before it, yet before she could celebrate, she watched as an arm covered in dark energy sliced through the air and appeared before her neck in an instant.


    [Void Swap]


    Blinking out of reality once more, the void walker not only disappeared from where she stood but also seemed to have ced something there too.


    Despite the entity''s momentum, it stopped its hand right before hitting the object, but it was already toote.


    Having swapped positions with one of the stars she had created,  the void walker smiled as the winds moved in the spherical current around the star before an explosion engulfed the entity, making it disappear within its mes.


    The explosion covered everything within a mile radius, but this did not deter the woman from flicking her wrist and homing the rest of the stars at the entity.


    In the same instance, hundreds of thousands of stars possibly shot toward the massive explosion. Not even the void walker knew how many stars she had created, but she knew that [Violet Sky Fall] was a technique more than capable of wiping an entire continent off the face of a.


    *BOOM*


    However, right before the Void Walker could celebrate, she heard an explosione from behind her, and as she looked back, her eyes widened, and her face turned pale.


    The scene before her was horrifying, possibly even more frightening than the scene of the very sky falling.


    A strong pull force made the void walker snap out of her reverie.


    Seeing a dark mass swallow half of the destroyed city in an instant while growing in size, the woman snapped her fingers and instantly directed half of her falling stars toward it.


    Thinking back, The void walked couldn''t help but grimace for an instant as she thought back to the beam that was about to hit her.


    ''If that thing hit me, I would have been toast.'' she thought with a frown.


    As the stars started getting sucked in, they also began to orbit around the miniature ck hole.


    While the woman knew it wasn''t a real ck hole, since one of that size would have swallowed the hole, it replicated the features of a ck hole.


    As the stars surrounded it, the woman muttered-


    [Reversal]


    Hundreds of thousands of the small stars began to suck in everything in their vicinity before turning them into dust and absorbing them into themselves.


    And since they were slowly moving towards the center of the ''ck hole,'' something unimaginable happened.


    It happened in a split second, but if one were to slow down time, they would watch as the stars moved in random patterns as they affected each other.


    The scene looked like a sun making millions of sr res simultaneously, but then the ck hole was torn apart in an instant before the stars also imploded.


    Feeling relief, the void walker pped herself and turned around as quickly as possible. She didn''t have much mana due to [Voilet Sky Fall] and [Reversal].


    ''If I can''t beat that thing within the next few minutes, I should just use my remaining mana to create a [Void Tunnel] as far away from here as possible.'' She thought to herself. However, she was instantly snapped out of her thoughts when she saw her stars frozen mid-air.


    ''Crap.'' She widened her eyes and tried to get away, but the instant she thought of doing so, she gritted her teeth and almost cried out in shock.


    ''I... I can''t move a single muscle.'' She inwardly screamed.


    As the mes and smoke from the explosion disappeared, a little girl (by her standards) no older than 19 stood in the middle of the st without a single scratch.


    The ck and white energy that had coated her before was nowhere to be seen, and in its stead, the girl released a powerful aura that encapsted everything for several miles.


    She floated in the air, yet she didn''t do it like others who had the ability to fly. While most would float with an almost heroic pose as the wind fluttered their clothes, allowing them to give out a majestic aura like no other, she floated like a hanged girl, with the entire weight of her body seemingly supported by only her neck.


    She had no shoes on, and her legs pointed at the ground as if they werepletely limp while her arms hung by her side, moving side to side as if the rope around her neck hadn''t lost the momentum from when she first kicked away the chair from below her feet.


    The aura around her made the void walker feel one thing and one thing only.


    Dread.


    An insurmountable amount of dread that would have made the sanest of people go mad.


    While her clothes also rocked back and forth with her arms, the strong winds didn''t seem to affect her arms or clothes in the least, making her seem eerily still despite her chaotic environment.


    As the void walker tried to regain her sanity, the girl''s figure suddenly disappeared in a flicker before appearing before the woman.


    Looking into the girl''s eyes, the woman noted that the whites of her eyes were almost pitch-ck alongside her pupils. On the other hand, her iris was a light grey that slowly became lighter and lighter as it reached the pupil.


    The girl''s hair was also a perfect wavy jet-ck that draped down her shoulders and reached her waist in length.


    Despite having worn basic overalls during the death of her parents, she now wore a snow-white victorian dress that reached her knees.


    ''What the hell are you?!'' The void walker thought while calcting ways to escape her current situation.

 Chapter 51 Strength Comes In Many Different Forms [4] - Unity Vs Void Walker

    ''What the hell are you?!'' The void walker thought while calcting ways to escape her current situation.


    "Hmm? How cute." The girl muttered with a smile before cupping the void walker''s face with her hand.


    The girl wore white gloves that felt soft to the touch, yet the void walker knew better than to rx in a situation like that. The girl before her, while seeming petite and small, was a monster in disguise... A monster capable of ripping her to shreds with a single flick of her wrist.


    Smiling at the void walker, the girl got ufortably close to the woman as her hand carried its way down to her neck while caressing every inch of skin on the way down.


    The void walker felt a powerful chill go down her spine. A chill that traversed both time and space, unknowingly sending a version of her outside this world into a worried frenzy.


    Before the girl could do anything, she knitted and brows and moved away from the void walker while putting her hands on her hips.


    Looking up, the girl''s frown deepened before a smile broke out on her lips that were once pursed in curiosity.


    "Hahahahahahahhahaha!" The girlughed maniacally, which only made the void walker even paler.


    Feeling that the girl''s tight control over her body had weakened, she snapped out of her trance and used all the power she could muster to get out of her hold.


    At the same time, she used most of her mana to move the stars once again, yet just as she was about to throw all of them at the little girl, pain engulfed her before the void walker let out a shrill blood-curdling scream.


    She watched as her torn arms flew above her line of sight. Of course, no blood came out since she was a void walker, but the scene of her arms being cut off instantly caused her blood to freeze... Metaphorically, of course.


    "You stupid child!" The girlughed before snapping her fingers and turning the small stars into glitter.


    "You don''t even realize what is happening around you. I guess you were programed that way, but still." The girlughed further while clutching her belly.


    A few minutes passed, yet those minutes felt like days to the void walker.


    Wiping her eyes, the girl''sugh finally ceased, allowing her to look up and stare into the frightened eyes of the void walker that had killed her vessel''s parents.


    "To answer your previous question-" The girl pinched two sides of her dress and slowly lifted it while lowering her body into a humble curtsy. Yet, unlike how people usually curtsied, the girl kept looking into the void walker''s eyes with a smile that extended from ear to ear.


    "My name is Unity." She announced with a joyful voice as she got out of her curtsy.


    "And I will be your killer!" She let out an almost demonicugh as her aura red even further than before.


    Before the void walker could show her confusion, Unity simply tapped her temple and stated-


    "I know you didn''t ask for my name, but you thought of asking, didn''t you?" She smiled.


    "Oh well. It doesn''t matter anyway since you''re just a simtion. However, I do sense something on the outside world. I think I might have a new born brother. Oh well." Unity shrugged and pointed two fingers at the void walker.


    "Since the real you had the gall to attack the parents of my vessel, I''m going too have to punish her a little." Unity smiled.


    [Forbidden Technique]


    *Thump Thump*


    Before the woman could understand any of the wordsing out of  Unity''s mouth, she felt her mana core pulse twice before something seemingly engraved itself into it.


    [Transdimensional Curse - Hellscape]


    Without prior warning, the Void Walker''s eyes suddenly became white as she seemed to lose consciousness.


    "A curse that puts the victim into a 1-year sleep that feels like a hundred years. Worse of all, they are sent to a hell of their own making, where they are forced to survive for over a hundred years. They can''t even die, so its just torture. What a worthy curse for a deserving victim." Unityughed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She knew that this affected all versions of the void walker, no matter the universe they came from.


    However, afterughing for a bit, she could not help but halt herughter and look down at her body.


    ''This body isn''t ready yet.'' She sighed.


    She could see several cracks on her vessel''s skin, and while she could heal them right before hybernating and letting Fatima take over, she had a feeling that the wounds would open up the moment she stops being the primary consciousness.


    "I should get her to the real world. No one will pester her out there since those higher-ups have no way of looking into this pocket dimension. However, she didn''tplete the primary function of the trial, so I can''t really leave without creating my own portal."


    "That would probably cause a small problem, though, since her group won''t be able to pass through the trial withoutpleting this one..." She muttered before a light bulb appeared above her head as her eyes glowed with an idea.


    Staring into the fabric of this world, she saw that it didn''t extend past the moons around the. However, she understood one thing after looking further into the code of the universe.


    ''It doesn''t seem to have a protocol against the destruction of this, so...''


    With a bright childish smile on her face, Unity extended her hand toward one of the three moons in the sky before pulling with a loud "Humph."


    She wasn''t even close to her peak, so it took her quite a bit of effort, but after a few seconds of pulling, the moon crumbled right before her eyes and slowly moved toward the.


    With the same smile stered on her face, she pulled upon the other two moons, crumbling them and moving them toward the.


    Within a few seconds, the terrifying scene of the moon crumbling anding closer to the quickly turned into a scene of beautiful carnage.


    The moon''s pieces turned bright red as they warmed up and pushed through the atmosphere.


    The symphony of screams entered Unity''s ears and made her close her eyes in joy.


    ''That boy...'' She thought to herself as the image of a violet-eyed boy entered her mind.


    ''I have a feeling that we''re going to be very close... Mr. Void Walker.'' Her smile widened while she opened her arms as if trying to embrace the iing chaos into a warm hug.


    She felt as the below reached temperatures that boiled the very ground and caused everything to either melt into a puddle of what it once was or sink to the depth of theva below it.


    Cars seemed to turn into hunks of whatever metal they were made of, while buildings sunk into the grounds and were engulfed in mes.


    And then, the moons finally struck the ground.


    ...


    Looking at the while sitting on a piece of one of the moons that she suspended in space with her telekic powers, she grew more worried as the portal out of this realm didn''t appear yet.


    She was contemting creating her own portal before the vessel got too injured. But after a few seconds of waiting, she finally felt something happening, and in the blink of an eye, she felt as if she was being encapsted within a white void was the world around her finally disappeared, and a portal appeared before her.


    Without thinking twice, she stepped through and let go of the primary consciousness, and despite her dreadful aura still lingering around her for a few moments as she went through, the moment the body lost consciousness, the aura disappeared, and Fatima was quickly surrounded by several teammates.


    [Author''s note: Please send power stones and golden tickets. I will shout out those in the top 3 of the golden ticket ranking at the end of the month.


    Also, tell me if you like how I split the chapter into two 1.2k chapters (like other authors) or if you want me to keep it the way it was.


    Also, thank you Carlos_Bg for your generous gifts]

 Chapter 52 Final Challenge [1]

    Seeing that Jack had finally calmed down, Lloyd looked over at Jenna, whose eyes drooped while an aura of tiredness surrounded her.


    "Can you save her?" Jack asked, his body also feeling heavy.


    "No..." Lloyd muttered as Jenna fell back and lost consciousness. The moment she did so, Lloyd widened his eyes as her body glowed before disappearing in the blink of an eye.


    Looking around again, he saw that Fatima and John were also glowing, and in the same second, they both disappeared from where theyy, leaving nothing but a bright sh of light as they disappeared.


    "I don''t think I can... Keep my self awake." Jack muttered as his body felt heavier by the second.


    "Crap." Lloyd cursed and went to catch Jack, but before he could, Jack began glowing before disappearing even though he hadn''t actually fallen yet.


    ''What will power...'' Lloyd thought to himself before closing his eyes and taking in a deep breath despite not needing it.


    It was something that helped him rx and feel more human, yet there was a voice at the back of his mind telling him that, no matter what he did, he would never be human again.


    Dashing through the slowly opening doors, Lloyd acted like he was holding his breath.


    He knew that he was being watched, and they the higher-ups would most likely ask why he stayed awake far longer than everyone else.


    While he feigned being slightly tired, he shot through the small tunnel while extinguishing all the mes in his way with one strong gust of wind as he passed by.


    He blitzed through almost every room with monsters while using [4-Dimensional Thought] toplete the puzzles in less than 10 seconds.


    However, that''s when he got an idea.


    [Wee to the gate of mysteries. I shall ask you 3 questions. If you get them wrong, you will lose. Get them right, and I will allow you to move to the next room.]


    Inwardly smiling, Lloyd was waiting for a room like this.


    They appeared about every 5 rooms, and since he knew that he wouldn''t actually lose consciousness because of the Carbon Monoxide, this was his chance to get out.


    "I can fly, but I have no wings. I can cry, but I have no eyes. What am I?" The figure asked.


    "A fountain?" Lloyd answered while grabbing his head like he got hit with the worst headache of his life.


    "Incorrect. The answer is cloud." The figure announced before its eyes became red.


    "You have failed this test. You have been eliminated." It spoke before shooting him with a red beam that seemingly incinerated him.


    Of course, he was simply sent out of the dungeon, and when he finally opened his eyes to absorb the scene around him, he could not help but wince slightly.


    After using [4-Dimensional Thought], he usually got a headache and felt slightly less intelligent than the usual.


    "Don''t worry." Fatima''s voice entered his ears, making him narrow his eyes as the image of her bloodied body entered his eyes.


    "It''s just phantom pain. We were all healed the moment we left the dungeon." She exined, but Lloyd couldn''t help but feel like the resentment in her eyes had increased since he hadst seen her. She wore a fake smile as she spoke to him, and despite it not being that long since he hadst seen her, he saw a huge amount of pain in her eyes.


    "I see." Lloyd nodded despite knowing that the pain he felt wasn''t phantom pain.


    After finishing the dungeon, they were given a few hours to rest. Lloyd, Jack, and Jenna took this time to learn about each other''s cultivation techniques while not technically learning how to do it. It was as if they were giving each other snippets of the true cultivation technique, to the point where the others would understand it but not have the ability to replicate it.


    John and Fatima, on the other hand, slept. While John was simply mentally tired from being chased for what felt like days, Fatima had curled herself up into a ball and slept. Her olive-colored skin looked paler than ever.


    She shook and tossed in her sleep to the point where Jenna felt obligated to wake her, but she was quickly stopped by Lloyd and Jack. They both knew that this was something she had to go through on her own, and despite knowing that, Jack couldn''t help but feel extremely worried alongside Jenna.


    "Fatima Khan?" A man with a clipboard asked while looking around.


    "There." Jenna shouted while pointing at the sleeping Fatima.


    The man quickly walked over to her and woke her up from her slumber before whispering something to her that caused her to widen her eyes.


    Sharpening his senses, Lloyd barely heard a few words being whispered, but he quickly formted the most likely string of words to create several sentences. Yet even after doing so, he couldn''t believe his ears.


    Walking over to her group, Fatima was still wide-eyed as she muttered.


    "Well, I''ve been kind of disqualified." She rubbed the back of her neck.


    "What?!" Jenna and Jack shouted, causing John to also wake up.


    "They said that I broke into the firstmandment in the dungeon." She exined, but Lloyd knew that it wasn''t the whole truth.


    ''The higher-ups have chosen to disqualify you from any further exams since the power gap will be toorge. We can''t have ate-stage firstmandmentpeting against those without amandment.'' Lloyd recalled the man exining.


    They didn''t know how it happened, but the higher-ups thought that something must have urred within the pocket dimension that caused her to awaken a secret bloodline or gene within her, allowing her to jump an entire ss.


    Such a phenomenon was extremely rare, as Fatima''s little awakening was the first case in a decade, but such an awakening would have most likely given her a golden ticket into any academy, allowing the higher-ups to disqualify her without any problems urring.


    While the entrance ceremony felt a bit like a tournament rather than a test to let candidates show off their prowess and ability, it was split into three different challenges for a reason.


    While most don''t see the battle royal as a true challenge, it was a clever ploy to separate the weaklings from the mediocre and strong, and it worked as a filter of sorts.


    Since people are allowed to retake the entrance ceremony as long as they are below the first ss and under the age of 21, the battle royal was a way of telling people that they weren''t ready to enter an academy yet and should probably go to a pre-academy to get themselves prepared for year toe.


    The second challenge was made to help recruiters of mid and higher levels academies choose possible candidates, while the final challenge was created to expose the hidden gems that aren''t from big families, and allow the top 6 academies to select the best of the best.


    After a few gasps and congrattory hugs, Fatima waved at the group before leaving. However, the moment therge metal doors closed behind her, everyone perked their ears up as an announcement entered their ears.


    *"The final and simplest challenge is here, folks. All contestants that have not been disqualified, please make your way to the public stadium''s center tform,"* The presenter ordered, causing several grunts to resound through the hall before everyone began to move towards the stadium.


    ***


    In a different stadium sector, a girl with ck hair and brown eyes curled up in a chair and looked through one of the private booth''s windows as a man stood in the middle of a tform.


    The man had white hair, yet everything else, from his eyes to his long leather trenchcoat, was ck. He wore a pair of gloves while his lower face was covered in a ck mask, covering everything from the bridge of his nose down to his corbones.


    *Knock Knock Knock*


    "Mhm..." The girl hummed from between her whimpers.


    *Creak*


    As the door opened, the figure of a tall and slender man with smooth bronze skin walked through the door with a worried expression on his face.


    Worry could be seen in his eyes as he looked at the girl who had rolled herself into a ball, but instead of acting hysterical like he usually would have done, he took a deep breath in and slowly walked towards his daughter with a loving smile on his face as he did so.


    Sitting next to her, he ced hisrge hand on Fatima''s back and asked with the softest voice-


    "Hello, honey. What''s wrong?"


    "Nothing..." She replied.


    "You know you could have taken part in the next activity, right? Its not like someone''smandment affects the result." He stated, yet she remained quite.


    "I can tell something is wrong. So what is it?" He asked with a soft and kind voice.


    However, unlike the usual shrug he would get whenever he saw Fatima in this state, he widened his eyes in surprise when the girl before him, the same girl he had thought to be the most mature out of all his children, turned into a little girl once again as she pulled him into a hug and cried her heart out.


    As tears soaked his shirt, the man could not help but feel a powerful hand squeeze and crush his heart. He had taken in Fatima a year after her parents'' deaths after he found her beaten and abused in one of the less privileged orphanages.


    The orphanage was run by a local gang known for using violent crime, but they were also notorious for taking care of their own, and that''s what they saw Fatima as... Their own.


    Of course, no good deedes from the goodness of a criminal''s heart since this organization, while taking care of kids by feeding them and giving them a ce to stay, also used these children tomit crimes for them, such as smuggling drugs or using them as fodder.


    Yet, despite Fatima having gone through such things in the past, Mr. Khan had never seen her cry in front of him, as if she had vowed to never shed a tear before him, the moment she was released from her captives.


    He had watched her as she grew into who she was today, yet despite seeing her smile and treat him like he was her real father, he could not help but remember the days when she would refuse to speak, cry or eat.


    "It''s okay..." He muttered just loud enough for her to hear him.


    "Everything is going to be okay." He smiled and ced her headfortably on his chest until she finally ran out of tears and fell into a deep slumber.


    Looking up with a sigh, he could not help but notice that he had missed arge portion of the event... Luckily, however, just as he looked up, he saw a shirtless ck-haired boy wearing a waistcoat that reached his knees. What stood out about the boy, despite not wearing a shirt, was the fact that he had been wearing sunsses throughout the entire event and had not taken them off once ever since the start.


    Of course, there was the urrence of him beating the top 10 of his group within the span of the 10 minutes when the cameras were off, but if people were to ignore that, the only thing interesting about him would be his sunsses.


    However, something else caught his attention when Mr. Ahmed saw the boy for the first time.


    ''That boy... He''s the one that Fatima can''t affect...''

 Chapter 53 Final Challenge [2]

    *20 minutes earlier*


    One thing instantly became clear as everyone walked to the stadium''s main tform.


    ''Less than a hundred people left? Now that I think of it, I don''t remember how we were graded for this. I felt a little exhausted so I just hung out with Jack the whole times and didn''t speak of the results.'' Lloyd thought to himself while scratching the back of his neck.


    However, after looking around a little more, Lloyd finally understood what had happened.


    ''Everyone here is at 90% and above... Hell, some of them are literally on the brink of breaking through. All they need is a final push.'' Lloyd thought to himself before continuing.


    ''At the same time, everyone here has abat ss-... Where the hell did Jenna go? Ah, never mind that. Where the hell is Jack going... John too? What the f*ck is happening!?'' Lloyd inwardly shouted as he saw his teammates suddenly take different doors.


    "Lloyd?" A familiar voice asked from behind, and when Lloyd finally looked back to see who had called him, he could not help but put on a bright smile.


    "Oh, Zack! You could not imagine how good your timing is. Which door should we go through?" Lloyd asked with a tinge of excitement in his voice.


    However, before Zack could answer, Lloyd quickly realized that everyone was staring at him... No... That was his ego and new looks talking on his behalf. Everyone was not staring at him; instead, they were staring at Zack.


    However, despite his curiosity building, he did not ask the question on his mind since he knew that his friend would tell him if he feltfortable. And if he wasn''t... Lloyd could always search it up and find the answer to his query on the first forum he clicks on.


    "Why are you asking me, dumbo. Just go to whichever one you feel most attracted to." Zack shrugged.


    "These are doors, not women, Zack... Sorry but I don''t swing that way." Lloyd replied deadpan.


    "Ha! Swing that way, like a door. Nice one!" Zackughed before low-fiving Lloyd and disappearing into the crowd.


    "That wasn''t even... Oh my god." Lloyd simply face palmed at the useless conversation he just had, but he knew he should have expected no less.


    After staring at the doors for a few seconds, he quickly realized a pattern.


    ''Range, swordsmen, muscle...'' Lloyd simply walked behind those who wore sword sheaths and didn''t think about it.


    While he knew that using a sword sheath, especially the new generation ones, would increase draw speed, in a way, he couldn''t be bothered carrying around his de the same way the other did.


    He always felt like he had a powerful weapon ready to be used at any moment on him, and despite him believing that it was most likely him hallucinating due to not sleeping for so long, he could not shrug off the feeling of security.


    Walking through the door, Lloyd and several others found themselves standing before an arena tform, but after looking around for a second, they all saw that the arena had been split up into several sections, each with a man standing in the middle of them.


    Of course, the swordsmen section was thergest, but that was to be expected since it had the most participants.


    *"Alright, folks! The challenge is simple! As you have probably already noticed, you have been divided into groups depending on your type of weapon and possibly even your ss type. Before all of you stands a person who is a master of their weapons of choice, and your goal is tond a single scratch upon them in the 10 minutes you are given. Good luck!"* The presenter announced.


    As the crown roared out in excitement, Lloyd simply tilted his head at the man standing before them.


    He had white hair, yet except for that and his skin color, everything else was ck.


    From the mask he wore around his lower face to the trenchcoat that reached for the ground, everything was ck.


    "I''ll be lowering mymandment to match yours, but don''t think this is me being merciful. If given the chance, I will beat you from within an inch of your life. Understood?" He asked, causing everyone to nod in sync.


    After that, nothing of real interest happened.


    The man simply picked people randomly and took them to the arena, where they would both take out their weapons and fight until the man beat them... Or hospitalized them. It was a bit of a gamble, but everyone at least had the balls to face him.


    The man used a straight and pointed saber; however, despite his weapon and skills seeming ordinary, one thing made him a terrifying person to fight against.


    "Is that some kind of sword aura? No, of course not. I''ve been reading too manyicstely. He''s just using mana the same way Jack uses his to perfect his martial arts. I wonder what his ss is." Lloyd muttered to himself while watching another person get beaten, cut, and bruised until they lost consciousness.


    ''Aren''t all of these contestants kind of... Weak?''


    ''...''


    ''What?''


    Lloyd didn''t understand why that thought came to his head, but now that he looked at it, they were kind of weak, if he were topare them to the masked man.


    Of course, he could probably kill them pretty easily if he were to use all his abilities, but to do so with only the known ones would be very difficult.


    Hell, he was certain that Fatima alone could stand up to him even if he used [Shadow Clones], so wouldn''t these guys also do the same?


    *BOOM*


    Hearing a sound from his right, Lloyd looked in that direction just to see Zack pummeling a 7ft woman with gigantic muscles and an aura like no other.


    Blood-red swords formed behind him and shot at her, but she quickly dodged those attacks before they could actually hit her.


    Of course, Zack''s attacks weren''t hurting the woman, but Lloyd could see they had enough power to at least push the enormous figure back.


    "Now that I think about it, why is Zack even here? He isn''t at 70%. Sure, he increased a lot when we fought, and I saw him leave with his father to go to a dungeon or two every now and then, but there is no way that he reached 70%." Lloyd thought.


    While he could tell how strong someone was from the natural aura the exuded, Zack was something different since his power always fluctuated.


    The angrier he gets, the more powerful he is. The more he fights, the more powerful he is. Hell, the more he eats, the more powerful he gets.


    However, before Lloyd could finish his thoughts on how he thought the match between the woman and Zack would go, he saw a stretcher and two men wearing white, and a broken boy pass before a voice entered his ears.


    "Sunsses. You''re next." The man stated with his sword stuck in the ground as he fixed his wrist cors.


    Not wanting to get on the man''s bad side, Lloyd did not waste a second as he walked as fast as he could toward the stage before performing a stiff bow and waiting for the man to finally pick up his sword.


    "Will you not take out your weapon?" The man narrowed his eyes.


    "Will you not pick yours up?" Lloyd genuinely asked, yet this only made the man frown.


    "Cocky I see." The man muttered, yet despite that, Lloyd heard him and instantly had a small heart attack.


    ''What did I do wrong!?!?!?''


    However, before he couldin, the man lunged forward and swung his de down with all the power he could muster with his lowered power level.


    Despite being distracted, Lloyd saw the attacking when he saw the man reach for his de. Of course, the first thing Lloyd tried doing was taking out his weapon from within his storage, yet that turned out to be a learning experience as he quickly understood why everyone else kept their des in sheaths.


    ''Holy crap this is so slow!'' Lloyd thought, his ce halfway out of his watch as the man''s de grew closer.


    With a side step, Lloyd avoided the de quite easily, and while he expected the man to retreat, he quickly saw somethinge towards him from his right, causing him to lean back with widened eyes.


    ''A punch? A f*cking punch!? What is he gonna do now? Sweep my leg- Oh fu-''


    *Swoosh*


    In an instant, he felt the wind brush against his leg as the de he had seen before was nowhere to be found.


    Now that he waspletely airborne, he finally felt his katana leave the storage, but it was already toote.


    Holding his katana in one hand and pivoting off the other, Lloyd performed a backflip before sliding to the tform''s edge.


    ''Despite this stage being 70 by 70 meters, we did start closer to the edge, so it kind of makes sense that I''m in this situation.'' Lloyd smiled in self-mockery...


    Yet no one could see his eyes, so what they saw was-


    "Don''t get too happy now. I''m still getting started. Don''t die on me." The man chuckled and disappeared from where he stood.


    ''I hate this.'' Lloyd thought before jumping to the side and barely dodging the iing de.


    ***


    Somewhere in the crowd-<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Why do you have that perverted look on your face?" na asked while looking at her friend.


    "What do you mean?" Delly asked, yet she did not take her eyes off the arena for a second.


    "You have drool running down your chin," Ana stated in a cold and unaffectionate voice, making Delly snap out of her trance and wipe her chin.


    "Hey! I don''t have drool on my chin!" Delly yelled, and due to them being a private booth, the only ones who looked over were their parents


    "Well, you''re practically drooling." Ana sneered.


    "Its not my fault he''s not wearing a shirt!" Delly reasoned.


    "Ugh! That''s my little brother! That has to be a crime of some sort." na cried out in disgust.


    "I''m going to beat the crap out of that bastard!" Ana swore under her breath with a clenched fist.


    How dare he go out like that without a shirt? Was he trying to get all the women to fall for him? Well, at least that''s what Ana thought he was doing.


    Little did they all know he had simply forgotten to buy a shirt for the second time in a single day.


    ***


    *Swoosh*


    Dodging once more, Lloyd finally had enough of being on the back foot.


    He had been dodging for thest 3 minutes as if he was the mouse in this cat-and-mouse game.


    Seeing the sworde towards him again, he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath before-


    [Flower Petal Technique + Shadow Movement + Shadow Enhancement]


    As the de finally reached him, it cut no more than a millimeter of a single strand of hair as Lloyd had already descended into the ground.


    Seeing this, the man frowned and pulled his arm back, and muttered-


    [sh Step]


    *BOoM*


    Within an instant, the man was in front of Lloyd, but by the time his hand had reached Lloyd''s face, there was nothing but the ground there, causing his fist to shoot into it while creating several cracks that spread across the stage.


    [ck Rose]


    Looking behind him, the man''s eyes widened as the Lloyd''s sword grew closer, yet it took him less than an instant to appear behind the boy and smash his fist into Lloyd''s back while sending him flying for several dozen meters before he finally stopped himself with the use of his katana.


    And that''s when he felt it again.


    *Swoosh*


    Tilting his head a few degrees, Lloyd dodged a de by the skin of his teeth, but he had actually learned something from this exchange.


    ''He makes a sound every time he uses that ability.''


    Without skipping a beat, Lloyd pivoted on his heel and spun while coating his de with his own shadow, making it stronger, sharper, and faster than ever before.


    He had also coated his arms to support his de''s capabilities, yet even that didn''t seem to be enough as the man simply disappeared before Lloyd could attack him.


    ''Right,'' A monotone voice, unlike his own, whispered in his ear, and without wasting a moment, Lloyd reacted by mming his foot into the ground.


    *Rumble*


    Not expecting the sudden action, the man paused for less than a second, but that was all Lloyd needed to jump a few meters away and hold his de in front of him.


    ''Left, de to shoulder.''


    *ng*


    Lloyd defended against it with his de.


    ''Up, fist to head.''


    Lloyd gritted his teeth and blocked using his arms.


    ''Foward, upwards sh.''


    Lloyd coated his sword in shadows again without thinking before shing horizontally at the iing de.


    *ng*


    ''He will appear at our right and then left.'' The voice spoke, yet this time it made Lloyd partially frown before going ahead with it.


    Time seemed to have slowed down for that moment as he swung at his right before the man could even appear.


    On the other hand, the man was an experienced warrior and knew to not underestimate his opponent. Therefore, he ced his de where someone would most likely be hit if they were in the same situation as Lloyd.


    *ng*


    Yet the fact that Lloyd discovered exactly where the man would appear despite his age made the man widen his eyes in shock, but he did not simply stand there.


    *Woosh*


    Seeing that boy had thrown a punch at him, the man confirmed his thoughts.


    ''He''s reading my moves.'' He thought, before closing his eyes and stepping away from the punch.


    Yet he didn''t...


    ''Below.''


    Having already rxed, Lloyd widened his eyes, but before he could react, he watched a foot uppercut him and send him into the air.


    ''Should I use void gaze?'' Lloyd thought before shaking his head and flipping mid-air beforending on his feet while sliding a few meters back.


    Lloyd was seething with anger which had been seemingly etched into his face as even the crowd could not help but go silent for a moment.


    ''I swear to god you would have been eating cement right now if you were fighting Null instead of me.'' Lloyd sneered and quickly shot forward.


    After all, angry people make stupid mistakes.


    ''Well, that doesn''t matter anyway.'' Lloyd thought with a smirk that easily aggravated the man before him.


    However, the man''s frown quickly turned to bewilderment as the katana the boy before him was once holding had suddenly been thrown into the air.


    All it took was that single moment of confusion, as before the man couldprehend the scene before him, he saw the shadows below his feet slightly shift before a figure covered in shadowsnded a devastating uppercut, sending him flying into the air.


    "huh?" Was the only sound Lloyd could make when he suddenly felt something touch his back.


    ''A foot?'' He asked himself, yet when he finally looked back, he only widened his eyes before his vision faded to ck as the man''s final words to him entered his ears.


    "You did well, kid... Just make sure that you reign in that anger and pride of yours. It might just be the thing that dooms you in the future."


    ''That bastard was.. a... Clo..n..e..?'' Lloyd thought before everything finally turned ck.

 Chapter 54 Fourth Void Walk [1] - Lightning World

    "Huh..."


    Opening his eyes, Lloyd saw nothing past the infinite abyss before him. He felt as if this ce was familiar, but at that very moment, he found it hard for him to put a finger on the memory that was beginning to resurface.


    However, he did not have to wait long since a voice immediately entered his ears and made him widen his eyes.


    [Choose your weapon]


    A monotone voice entered Lloyd''s ears before 10 weapons appeared before him.


    However, unlike the other three times, where he had several weapons to choose from, this time, he had three weapons before him, each one looking as powerful as the other despite one possibly having more firepower than the rest.


    Three weapons floated in front of him, one being a katana with several purple lines shing on and off. The lines shed in a pattern that made it seem like energy was being transferred from the hilt''s butt to the de''s tip.


    Despite the katana looking almost identical to the one he used him hisst void walk, he could somehow tell that this one was a lot more powerful than before.


    On the katana''s right floated a bow with a pitch-ck arrow engraved with violet lines as if it had been enchanted in some way. The same lines could be seen on the bow itself, while the bow''s string was a luminescent violet string that could be seen in the darkest abysses.


    However, unlike the katana that Lloyd knew how to use after being trained in its arts for half of his life, he had no idea how good he would be with a bow and arrow, so he quickly looked away. But that''s when it happened.


    Blinding Lloyd, the one dark abyss around him turned bright white before it morphed to show an enormous mountain with a figure at the tip of it.


    The man at the tip of the mountain had a bow in his hand with an arrow knocked on the string of it.


    Despite not knowing how to use a bow, Lloyd could not help but be entranced by how perfect that man''s stance was. He felt as if this very image was being burnt into his eyes, and before he knew it, his vision shifted, and he was the one holding the bow.


    As if on instinct, Lloyd aimed up and let go of the arrow, allowing it to rip through the sky before descending onto a mountain in the distance.


    His vision quickly shifted back, and before Lloyd could fullyprehend what had happened, he found himself before three weapons with his eyes locked on the bow.


    ''Did it just give me a vision on how to use a bow and arrow?'' Lloyd asked himself before shaking his head and looking at thest weapon.


    ''A staff?'' Lloyd asked himself before the same thing happened again, but this time it was a woman holding a pitch-ck staff engraved with many purple lines.


    A few minutes passed, and he finally returned to the selection room, and despite wanting to choose the other weapons, he could not help but hesitate.


    This was a matter of life and death. If he died in a void walk, he would die in real life. On the other hand, he still didn''t know what the void walk would be, so technically, one of those weapons could be more advantageous than the other.


    After finally shaking his head, Lloyd stretched his hand towards the katana, but after grasping at the air for a moment, he realized-


    "Damnit! Are they going to force me to use a new weapon? I guess a staff, then? I like to get close a personal with my enemies." Lloyd shrugged and finally chose his weapon.


    [You have chosen your weapon]


    [Void Walk shallmence in 5]


    [4]


    [3]


    [2]


    [1]


    [Wee back to the void, Lloyd Walker, we have been expecting you.]


    ''Lloyd wha-'' Before he could finish his thought, Lloyd felt his consciousness slip before it returned, this time in apletely different environment.


    Lightning shot down from the skies in blue streaks that urred every few seconds, but that was far from the thing that caught Lloyd''s attention.


    ''Holy sh*t! I think I see a pce floating on a cloud! This is actually pretty cool.''


    [Lightning World]


    [Objective: The lightning world has many treasures, from weapons to artifacts, however, after thor''s hammer was stolen, the world became chaotic, and so did the beings within it


    Your objective is to collect the 7 lightning orbs that hold this world together and shut the lightning world down once and for all.]


    Listening to the voice for a moment, Lloyd nodded before opening his eyes and looking around.


    ''Oh, look at me... I''m standing on a mountain range, which exins why I can even see the pce... But-'' Looking down with a self-deprecating smile, Lloyd asked himself-


    "Why are there goatsing towards with lightning shooting from their horns?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    Looking at the weapon in his hands, his smile became a little worse as reality finally set in.


    However, before he could say anything, he saw a sh of light from the corner of his eyes, and when he finally looked in its direction, he watched as a goat charged up electricity between its horns before finally releasing it in one giant lightning bolt.


    The goat''s skin was light blue, while its horn was a mixture of blueish-ck and light blue. Its fur, on the other hand, lookedpletely waspletely ck, giving it an almost exotic hazardous color palette that would make the average monster run away or at least not fight it.


    Stepping to the side, Lloyd barely dodged the lightning bolt by the skin of his teeth; however, despite knowing he had dodged the attack, for some weird reason he could not exin, he still didn''t feel safe.


    And then he realized why.


    *BOOM*


    Hitting to the ground, the lightning bolt kicked up a giant dust cloud that sent a shockwave in every direction.


    As the shockwave finally hit him, he barely crossed his arms in an ''x'' before feeling his skin ripple with the moment of contact. He felt as if it vibrated him to his very bones despite knowing that the feeling was likely just phantom pain from the days when he had bones.


    As Lloyd felt himself being catapulted into the air, he saw several other shes of light, and when he finally forced himself to look down, the worst situation possible seemed to havee to life.


    ''I''ll be fried if I get hit by those lightning attacks. Hell, only one of them would kill me. Imagine what would happen to my body if all of those hit me at the same time! I''ll be turned into dust!'' Lloyd inwardly screamed while slowly regretting the fact that he didn''t get a bow and arrow instead of a staff. However, he quickly calmed himself with a thought that came to mind.


    "Wait... Since no one is watching me, I don''t have to hold back anymore..."  A smile stretched across his lips while his eyes began to glow purple for the first time in what felt like forever.


    As the lightning bolts came closer, it felt like time had slowed to a crawl while the mana around Lloyd began to vibrate as if they were atoms in a heated object.


    "Then how about I give it my all?"


    *BOOM*


    As the lightning bolts came closer, they finally exploded in a sh of blue light that sent out a powerful shockwave across the surface of the mountain, not only kicking up arge amount of dust in the process but also pushing back many of the goats that were closer to the explosion.


    However, before the goats could conclude if the bipedal creature was dead, one of them felt their instincts scream at them to move out of the way, but by the time their instincts had taken notice of what was happening, it was already toote.


    The goat barely had enough time to look back at its attacker, but when it did, all it saw was the butt of a fiery staff as it shot through its eye and destroyed its brain, killing it instantly.


    Landing next to the goat, Lloyd yanked his staff out of it and looked at the other goats, who were now releasing a powerful torrent of bloodlust that would have made any other person fall to their knees in terror.


    "Oh yeah?" Lloyd asked before releasing his own killing intent, with in turn triggered his passive skill [Monarch''s Aura].


    "Huh?" Lloyd muttered in surprise as the goats covered themselves in lightning, and before he could react, he watched each and everyone one of them be giant lightning bolts as they shot through the air and appeared right in front of him.


    ''Cra-'' Lloyd couldn''t even finish his thought as one of them crashed into his chest and pushed the air out of whatever he used in recement for his lungs.


    In an instant, he felt himself being catapulted through the air before mming into the mountain and rolling up it.


    Stabbing his staff into the ground, Lloyd barely stopped himself from rolling over the mountain, but the goats were far more than done with him.


    As another reached him, Lloyd barely blocked the attack with the use of his staff, yet as the goat appeared once again, its weight, alongside the momentum of traveling at the speed of lightning, caught up to it.


    Widening his eyes, Lloyd watched as his staff was thrown into the air before the goat mmed into his arm and ripped it off cleanly.


    The amount of pain Lloyd felt at the moment could not be described in words, yet he could not tell what was worse, the uncanny feeling of no blooding out of where his arms were, or the fact that what he was feeling was probably the worst pain he had ever felt.


    However, before he could even start getting his mind straight, a powerful bloodlust neared him once again as a ball of electricity closed the gap between him and it in a matter of milliseconds.


    Electricity shot of it and scorched the mountain, but as it got closer to Lloyd, he could feel that he was slowly being scorched from the inside out.


    pAn,Da n<0,>v,e1 Time slowed once again, and before Lloyd could understand what had happened, he saw the ball of lightning mere inches away from ripping a hole through his chest and killing him instantly.


    However, fate did not seem to agree.


    [4-Dimensional Thought]


    The world around Lloyd quickly shifted into a ck-and-white one, while at the same time, his eyes became listless and cold despite glowing far brighter than ever before.


    His aura became as calm as a link in the spring, while his voice...


    ''How... Disappointing''


    Had bepletely monotone, without a shred of emotion in it despite his words saying otherwise.

 Chapter 55 Fourth Void Walk [2] - No More

    [4-Dimensional Thought]


    The world around Lloyd quickly shifted into a ck-and-white one, while at the same time, his eyes became listless and cold despite glowing far brighter than ever before.


    His aura became as calm as a link in the spring, while his voice...


    ''How... Disappointing''


    His voice had bepletely monotone, without a shred of emotion or mercy.


    Not an ounce of pain could be seen on his face, and before the monsters before him could understand what had happened-


    *Zhip*


    "Over here, morons," A voice called out, and as if they had understood what he had said, they all began to growl while charging electricity between their horns.


    On the other hand, all the other lightning bolts quickly changed their trajectory.


    Appearing before Lloyd in the blink of an eye, an explosion went off with the power of several lightning bolts.


    Yet, past his arm being torn off, Lloyd waspletely unscathed and standing on top of one of them.


    Lifting his arm up and opening his hand, a ck and violet staff flew into his palm in less than a second before a powerful aura exploded out of him.


    The aura was suffocating... No, it was like nothing the monsters had ever felt before. Their instincts told them to run, yet their bodies didn''t dare move an inch from where they stood.


    After twirling the staff around his fingers, Lloyd finally got into fighting position and aimed the staff toward thergest goat.


    *Boom*


    *Crack*


    The goats barely reacted in time as the bipedal creature flung itself at them. Barely.


    Turning into lightning, thergest goat quickly appeared at Lloyd''s right and prepared to ram him with lightning-coated horns.


    [Void Step]


    As it moved forward, it barged against thin air before losing its bnce and tumbling down the mountain.


    Looking back at the other dozen goats, Lloyd narrowed his eyes before an idea came to mind.


    ''While a staff is a defense-type weapon...'' Lloyd''s eyes began to glow as mana surged through his body.


    On the other hand, the goats seemed to have gotten agitated at the fact that the biggest of them had been thrown down a mountain, so in response, they did what they did best.


    *Crackle Crackle*


    Lightning more powerful than any lightning they had created before shot down from the sky and revolved around their horns and hooves.


    [Shadow Enhancement]


    Lloyd didn''t waste a second before shooting toward them at his highest speed, and seeing him do so, the goats reciprocated to their fullest content.


    [me Control]


    ''Incinerate''


    Swinging upwards, Lloyd created a me that instantly engulfed the goat, but he was far from down.


    Side-stepping, Lloyd averted an iing goat, and before it could understand that Lloyd had dodged its attack, a foot covered in shadows mmed into its stomach.


    As its feet left the ground, mes burst out from the foot before catapulting into the air with an explosion that pushed the closest goats back.


    Yet he didn''t stop there.


    As Lloyd''s foot reached its maximum height, Lloyd quickly turned his before creating an explosion to change the momentum in less than a second and create a devastating kick that smashed into the side of the goat''s head.


    The instant the kicknded, the goat''s head exploded into a crimson rain of brain matter and blood.


    Despite the gruesome sight, Lloyd didn''t bat an eye as he created a small burst of me near his chest to move himself away from another iing charge.


    [Void Step]


    However, as the goat tried to turn around to attack Lloyd again, it suddenly saw a hand engulfed in ck, and orange mes appear in front of its face before-


    *BOOOM*


    An explosion quickly turned it into ashes before spreading and turning three other goats into charred remains.


    ''Defense-type weapons can easily kill if underestimated.''


    mes quickly enveloped both tips of the staff before creating sharp edges.


    Without thinking twice, Lloyd threw his staff right through of the goats, and just when the second one was about to dodge, he quickly used [Void Step] to appear right above the staff while grabbing it and stabbing down at its back.


    A cold glint shone within Lloyd''s eyes at that moment, as within the same instant, he did not hesitate to swing to the side and slice through the goat, allowing all its fried organs to slowly fall out from the non-cauterized wounds.


    This carried on for a few more seconds as Lloyd slowly massacred the remaining goats, and when thergest one finally returned with a few wounds littering its body from head to toe, Lloyd decided to end it swiftly.


    *Boom*


    An explosion rang out as Lloyd appeared in front of it and thrust his staff right through its stomach before turning it and flinging it off the mountain.


    As it tumbled down, Lloyd quickly used [Void Step] to appear behind it and grabbed its horns before flipping it over and mming it into the ground.


    With a few cracks and a loud thud, the goat''s spine snapped like twigs as its skull caved in, instantly killing it.


    Walking up to the edge of the mountain, Lloyd calmly looked down at the goats that were either twitching in pain or lying dead on the ground before finally turning around while raising his hand in the air in order to retrieve his staff.


    It took less than a second for his staff to return to his hand, but he could not help but raise a brow when he felt the staff''s weight change all of a sudden.


    Looking at it for a moment, Lloyd thought of the staff getting heavier, and as if the density changed in a matter of a moment, he felt the staff quickly put more and more weight upon his hand until he couldn''t hold it anymore.


    ''I see...'' He thought before returning the staff to its original weight.


    ''If its weight can change, then it should be able to-...''


    [Exapnd]


    In the blink of an eye, the staff expanded to a size that matched its weight, and the more Lloyd decreased its weight, the smaller the staff got.


    Nodding slightly, Lloyd''s eyes quickly scanned the area around him before concluding that there were no more goatsing, yet from what he had seen so far, thergest goat within the herd he had just killed wasn''t actually the boss monster, and was just an advanced monster, a bit like the half-step firstmandment goblin he killed in his raid with Osmygold''s group.


    "To think mid-stage firstmandments would fall so easily..." He muttered before leaving the mountain range.


    ***


    1 Hour Later.


    A man covered in both blood and gore stood in front of a cave. He had only one arm, yet despite the wound being open for anyone to see, no blood came out.<novelnext></novelnext>


    A long ck and white staff could be seen attached to his back despite nothing holding it on.


    *ROOOOOOAAAAAR*


    As the man stepped into the cave, a powerful roar sent a gust of wind toward him, yet despite the trees behind him almost being uprooted from the wind alone, Lloyd stood unflinchingly as his mana aura erupted in a sh of violet before taking the brunt of the wind.


    With skipping a beat, Lloyd walked into the cave, and despite having his mana take the brunt of the winds and sound waves, the fact that they went on for several minutes only confirmed Lloyd''s suspicions on how powerful the creature within was.


    After walking for several minutes, Lloyd finally saw the first semnce of of inhabitants when he looked at the cave''s walls.


    Blue electricity could be seen traveling up and down the cavern walls, yet despite the incredible energy that radiated off the electricity, Lloyd still moved forward.


    [4-Dimensional Thought] had run out after he left the part of the mountain range he stood in, and so did the pain and the built-up emotions after reying the gorry scenes in his head.


    While Lloyd knew they were just monsters and that he was simply defending himself, he could not help but feel slightly nauseated when he left his emotionless state.


    For him, it almost felt like bing Null again, but a lot more intense... As if he was a passenger in his own body.


    *Crackle*


    Lloyd focused on the goats before him, snapping himself out of his thoughts.


    ''They''re muchrger than the big one I fought before. I''d say they are about the size of a horse now, while the biggest one before barely reached my chest.'' Lloyd thought to himself before wielding his staff.


    While the size of the goats had changed, Lloyd also realized one or two other significantlyrge differences between the ones he had fought before and those before him.


    "Peak firstmandment and wings... Nice." He muttered in self-deprecation before mming his foot into the ground and shooting himself toward the closest out of the two.


    *Swoosh*


    Quickly covering his arm in shadows, Lloyd enveloped his staff in mes before throwing it as hard as he could, yet unlike thest goats that simply died on impact, this one covered its horns in lightning before deflecting it upwards.


    [Presence Concealment]


    [Shadow w]


    Watching Lloyd disappear from where he stood, the goat widened its and immediately became rmed, but within the blink of an eye, it felt a powerful killing intent wash over it and paralyze it where it stood before something shed at its side.


    ''No deep enough.'' Lloyd frowned before using [Void Step] a moment before a lightning bolt struck where hest stood.


    Due to using [Void Step] for short-distance teleports, they didn''t use too much mana, but at the same time, he couldn''t overdo it since he wasn''t using [4-Dimensional Thought] which would have allowed him to use his abilities in a way that was much more efficient both in both speed and mana.


    Appearing in front of the goat he had just attacked, Lloyd pointed his open palm toward its face.


    "Incinerate." He muttered; within the blink of an eye, the goat was swimming in mes.


    *Zap*


    A sh of blue light entered Lloyd''s line of vision as the other goat shot toward him in the form of a lightning ball.


    ''Shi-'' Lloyd couldn''t react in time as the ball of lightning beamed through his chest at lightning speed, leaving a scorched hole in its ce.


    Yet, instead of a look of pain or dread appearing on his face, it slowly morphed into a demonic smile that stretched from ear to ear...


    A smile that made even monsters shudder.


    [me Control]


    [Self-Destruct]


    *BOOOOOOOOOM*


    "Well... That''s 40% of my mana gone, just like that... This is why I hate [Shadow Clones]." Lloyd inwardlyined while slowly submerging out of his shadow.


    "On the bright side, the cave''s entrance is much bigger now." Lloyd chuckled before creating mes under his feet to fly toward the cave.


    Having one arm made bncing his flight pretty hard, but after a few seconds, he got the hang of it...


    "So... You must be her new toy. Am I correct?" An ancient voice echoed through the cavern and entered Lloyd''s ears.


    "Toy?" Lloyd tilted his head a little, but when he saw the creature that left the cave, he could not help but leave his mouth slightly agape.


    While the creature was still a goat, it was enormous beyond belief.


    Its wingspan reached from one side of the save to the other despite the cave having recently been renovated by an unexpected explosion, yet that was not what caught Lloyd off-guard.


    The creature before Lloyd had three different eyes. Two in the normal spots and onerge one on the forehead.


    "Hey. If you give me that electro orb of yours, I''ll leave in peace." Lloyd waved his hands, yet all he received with a powerful re that almost made him kneel from the pressure alone.


    "If you even touch the orb of lightning, I''ll make sure you leave in pieces!" It roared with enough power that it almost ripped off Lloyd''s mana-formed cloak.


    ''Half-step secondmandment... This thing ispletely out of my league.''


    "You void walkers always think you know best, don''t you!" It roared again, this time making the entire mountain shake in its fury.


    "You infiltrate our homes and steal our resources like it''s nothing, and you expect us to simply watch as you massacre us?


    I have learned more things than you can ever imagine by absorbing energy from the Lightning orb.


    I know things that you could never understand!


    So I''ll say it once and for all and send a message to that woman! For all of our fallen bredrin-" It looked towards the clouds as they began to circle around its area.


    To Lloyd, it felt like everything happened in the blink of an eye.


    The sky going dark.


    The speech.


    The clouds, the lightning, and the thunder.


    Everything happening in the blink of an eye.


    Even Lloyd could not help but feel a shudder go down his spine...


    And then he heard it. A pair of words he felt like he had heard before, but had simply forgotten.


    As if they were the two most important words in the Englishnguage, it roared-


    "NO MORE!"


    *Crackle*


    *BOOOOOOM*


    [That''s a little bit of foreshadowing for you guys. Wink Wink. If you enjoyed the chapter, please vote using your power stones. I''ve been feeling ill all week, so I''m sorry if the chapters haven''t been up to standard]

 Chapter 56 Fourth Void Walk [3] - Void Channel

    As lightning formed in the cloud above the three-eyed goat, it shot down and into the goat''s third eye, powering it to its maximum while changing the goat''s lightning from a beautiful blue to a deep crimson.


    "Whatever suits you, man." Lloyd shrugged before disappearing from where he stood and appearing above the goat in a sh of violet light.


    [me Control]


    "No hard feelings. I''m just here for the orbs." Lloyd smiled while pointing a finger gun toward the goat.


    [ming Bullet Barrage]


    Hundreds of bullets created out of blue mes formed in a dome-like shape around the two of them before they all shot towards the goat simultaneously while homing towards his third eye.


    While Lloyd didn''t know much about the third eye, he remembered reading about it a few years before. After recollecting some of what he read, Lloyd knew that the biggest obstacle would be the third eye as it not only made its host extremely intelligent but also made it see through most deception while allowing someone topletely analyze a situation and find a way out.


    Anyone of a race can awaken the third eye, but usually, awakenings wouldn''t happen naturally. Instead, not only would someone have to find a powerful source of energy that can trigger the third eye gene within someone, but they would also have to bepatible with the energy source.


    The chances were one in a trillion, yet those who awaken the third eye would either immediately die or be creatures with talent, intelligence, and capabilities beyond mortal understanding.


    "Extinguish." A primordial voice echoed throughout the skies, and in the same instant, the me bullets simply disappeared like they had never been there in the first ce.


    "Oh no, you don''t." The corners of Lloyd''s lips turned upwards before-


    [Shadow Clone]


    Creating 5 other shadow clones, each having 10% of his current mana; he made all of them use mes to rocket themselves toward the goat.


    *Rumble*


    *Zap*


    A lightning bolt shot toward one of the clones, yet before it could hit, the clone used [Void Step] to appear behind the monster with a shadow w covering the clone''s hand.


    However-


    *Rumble*


    *Boom*


    Within an instant, a lightning bolt shot down from the clouds above, shooting through the clone''s heart and forcing it to turn into shadows.


    Yet instead of simply dissipating like they would have done before, the shadow slowly moved towards the shadow of another shadow clone before merging with it and making it a little stronger.


    *Boom*


    Shooting toward the goat, the ground below the clone''s feet shattered before it moved so fast that it eventually broke several sound barriers in a matter of seconds.


    "Explode." A primordial voice spoke before the shadow clone stopped in ce.


    In the next instance, the shadow clone began to bloat before it eventually exploded as lightning shot out of its center while its pieces scattered all around the mountain before turning into shadows and moving towards the remaining 3.


    "tten."


    The clone was instantly ttened as the gravity increased by several folds.


    "Disintegrate."


    Another clone began to erupt in lightning, and despite its [Heat Resistance], the bonds between the atoms that made the clones began to break, causing it to instantly be a pule of dark mush that eventually sunk into the ground.


    "Crush."


    Several boulders suddenly rose into the air while exuding withrge electrical currents, and the clone was crushed in the blink of an eye.


    It all happened in less than 3 seconds, yet that was all the time in the world for someone with a third eye.


    Without skipping a beat, Lloyd threw his staff towards the goat''s third eyes before muttering-


    [Density: Increase]


    "Repulse." The goat spoke, causing the staff to shoot back at Lloyd and miss him by a hair''s breadth, yet narrowly cut his cheek in the process.


    "How the fu-"


    ? "Attract." The primordial voice spoke again before a powerful pulling force cut Lloyd''s cursing short and yanked him towards the goat.


    It took less than a second for Lloyd to appear before the third eyes, yet before he could protest the current arrangement, he heard the voice speak again, causing several shudders to go down his spine before-


    "Repulse."


    *Swoosh*


    *BOOM*


    Like a bullet, Lloyd shot into the forest below the mountain before crashing through hundreds of blue-leaved trees.


    *BOOM*


    Crashing into the mountain on the other side of the forest, Lloyd could barely open his eyes to see lightning bolts strike the trail he left behind as they slowly got closer and closer to his position.


    He knew that he would be turned into nothing but ashes if he didn''t move in time, yet when he tried to move, he felt a mind-rattling amount of pain that would have made any other person drop into unconsciousness.


    He could barely see his body, but he knew that he was shirtless and that his body was covered in cracks that felt like they could turn into a million pieces with a single wrong move.


    *Boom*


    *Boom*


    *Boom*<novelnext></novelnext>


    Lloyd could hear the lightning boltse closer.


    His breathing began to quicken, and his imaginary heart rate elerated beyond what was humanely possible.


    The desperation had begun to kick in.


    He felt scared... No. He was terrified.


    He couldn''t see through one of his eyes, and that only served scared him more.


    His mind tried to think of everything he could do to survive, but he couldn''t think of anything.


    His mind was nk for the first time since he became a Void Walker.


    Even when he tried to activate [4-Dimensional Thought], it was as if there was a mental barrier there stopping him from doing so.


    Maybe he used it too much?


    Maybe he was just too scared.


    Maybe it was both.


    Maybe it was none of those options, but what did he know?


    He was just a child, after all, and he was more than aware.


    Even when he tried to grunt of roar out, yet he couldn''t


    Every cell in Lloyd''s body screamed at him to move, yet despite his greatest efforts...


    *BOom*


    He couldn''t...


    He couldn''t move a single muscle in his entire body.


    His eyes were listless, yet somehow still filled with fear.


    Fear of the unknown.


    Fear of death.


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    *BOOOM*


    He could feel the tremors. Hell, he could even see the rubble next to his shake with every explosion.


    Yet, despite all that, it was the cold touch of the ground below him that caught his attention.


    A sinking feeling with no return...


    ''Is this what they call death?''


    ''Is this the end?'' Lloyd asked himself as his consciousness began to slip.


    ''You know... I always thought that my death would be a little more dramatic.'' He chuckled to himself, yet it was a mask that fooled no one... Not even him.


    *BOOOM*


    *BOOOOM*


    ''Zack... You''ve been with me my whole life... You have helped me every step of the way, but it looks like I''ll never be able to repay... You... You or your parents.''


    The dread began to kick in.


    *BOOOOOM*


    *Crackle*


    Lloyd could feel lightning shoot through the ground itself just to zap his body, but despite the pain, he should have felt from it, he didn''t flinch, scream or move.


    He was numb.


    ''Mom... Dad... I''m sorry I couldn''t make you guys proud... The same way Ana and na did. I''m sorry I couldn''t a normal son... With normal problems, and normal hobbies.''


    A tear threatened to trickle down Lloyd''s face, but he forced himself to suck it up and blink it out like a real man.


    ''Josh, Richard, na, Ana and Alice... I wish I could have spent more time with you, but maybe in the next life... Hahaha... Probably not, but who knows.''


    He knew he would die. He felt it in his core.


    ''Well, if I''m going to die... Why not take a few bastards with me...''


    Using thest embers of strength within him, Lloyd aimed his index and middle finger toward the goat''s general direction as his life reyed before his eyes.


    Space felt like it was bending around his fingers, but he didn''t know if that effect was caused by his power or all the damage he had gotten over thest few minutes.


    "If I''m going to die..." A croaky voice spoke while a single violet eye shone with more determination than an entire armybined.


    "Why not use everything?"


    [Void Channel]

 Chapter 57 End Of The Entrance Ceremony [1]

    [[I don''t remember if I thanked you guys yet, but thank you Carlos_bg and TheVoidFox for your gifts. I really appreciate it.]


    "-Think he''s waking up."


    "Oh, crap, he''s actually waking up."


    Several voices entered Lloyd''s ears, and by the time he gained the ability to open his eyes, the views of several individuals looking at him with affection and worry entered his line of sight.


    "Who the hell are you guys," Lloyd asked while slowly crawling away from the group of people looking at him.


    For a moment, everyone looked at him in horror, yet before they could begin to panic, Lloyd let out a small smile before waving his hand nonchntly.


    "I''m kidding, guys. No need to look at me like I killed your family pet or something." Lloyd chuckled, causing everyone to re at him menacingly.


    "You can''t do something like that. I almost had a heart attack." Ana held her chest while punching Lloyd''s arm a little too hard.


    "Next time you do that, I will kill you." na growled, yet Lloyd simplyughed at her threat, thinking nothing of it.


    "I''m going to go to the bathroom now. It feels like I haven''t pissed for days." Lloyd smiled and calmly got up without a hitch before walking towards the bathroom.


    Despite the fact that she was frowning the entire time, La couldn''t help but narrow her eyes at Lloyd''s words. At first, she frowned when she felt the intense stir of emotions within him the moment he had awakened, but after he lied about needing the toilet, her suspicions only became more grounded.


    "You should really talk to him." La whispered to Noah and Olivia.


    "Did he lie again? About what." Noah asked with a worried expression.


    "He isn''t just lying anymore. He''s keeping something from you. Remember that day he went missing?" La asked while making sure that their children didn''t hear them.


    Seeing them nod, Layal whispered-


    "You know how he said he was with a girl? That was a half-truth. Not only that, but haven''t you realized everything that has been happening recently?"


    "For example, how strong he''s been getting despite having just awakened." She nced at Benjamin, who nodded.


    "Or the fact that he had awakened before the awakening ceremony?" She looked at Lloyd''s parents, who also nodded.


    "What was he doing in that abandoned hospital? How is his cultivation higher than Zack''s? And you guys know very well that Zack has the same physique as his father. Why do you guys never ask any questions? This is your son we are talking about." Lained, her words getting louder and louder to the point where Zack, Ana, na, and Delly could hear everything they were saying.


    On the other hand, Alice and Josh were too busy ying around in the hospital to catch anything being said.


    "First off, I always assumed that it was the technique I taught him that allowed such explosive growth. He''s been routinely doing the technique every day for thest decade or so, it makes sense that his cultivation would explode so quickly." Noah shrugged, evidently feeling slightly aggravated that La would use them of never asking questions.


    "Mom, Dad... I know you guys get a little defensive when ites to Lloyd, but let''s think about it like this-" Ana cut in making sure to de-escte the situation before continuing-


    "We all know that Aunty''s ability to sense the emotions of others has always been reliable. Hell, I''ve seen the royal army beg for her services before. The real question we should be asking is why Lloyd is hiding something even though we made it obvious throughout his entire life that he could trust every one of us." Ana argued.


    "That''s true. Lloyd tells us about almost everything... A little too much, in fact. Nowadays, he''s been a little too quiet if you ask me." namented.


    "Then it''s either something he knows we will adamantly disapprove of, or something that he thinks that even we can''t deal with." Benjamin finally spoke, causing the mood to instantly be solemn.


    ***


    Lying on the floor of the bathroom, Lloyd barely got himself to the toilet, where he began to puke his guts out.


    Surprisingly enough, despite Lloyd thinking that nothing woulde out, he watched as a ck substance left his body and entered the toilet water, instantly turning it ck before beginning to fizz.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''I died... No, I''m certain of it... I''m 100% sure I died.'' Lloyd inwardly screamed before puking again.


    Every time he closed his eyes, he felt as if the pain had returned... The pain of being scorched alive by your own power as it begins to destroy you from the inside out.


    The pain of runes burning themselves into his skin and soul, before puncturing him and sending purple mana through his non-existent blood vessels, causing them to glow purple.


    Every time Lloyd blinked, he felt as if molten magma was running through his veins.


    Looking at his hands, he watched as they shook uncontrobly. He didn''t know if it was because of the pain or the fact he was slowly losing his mind, yet he didn''t like either option.


    He couldn''t remember anything after that... It was as if his mind was suppressing the memory...


    A few minutes passed a Lloyd finally regained hisposure just enough to look at his watch that had been blinking ever since he had woken up.


    From the way everyone around him was acting, he could tell that he was the only person seeing the shing, meaning that it could only be a notification about his stats.


    "Open stat screen." Lloyd muttered with a croaky voice before a screen appeared before him.


    pA n,dan(-)0ve1.c0m [Name: Lloyd Elrod]


    [Commandment: 99.999% ]


    [Race: Void Walker]


    [ss: Walker of Voids]


    [Talent: 2-Star]


    [Affinity: Shadows]


    [Passive Ability: Night Vision - Shadow Sustenance - Soundless Steps -  Heat Resistance]


    [Abilities: 4-Dimensional Thought [Lvl 3] - Shadow Enhancement [Lvl 2] - Shadow w - Shadow Movement - Presence Concealment - Shadow Clone - me Control [Lvl 2] - Basic Lightning Control -]


    [Passive Race Ability: Monarch''s Aura, ???]


    [Race Abilities: Aspect of Void - Void Channel [Locked] - Void Gaze - Void Step]


    [4-Dimensional Thought has reached Lvl 2]


    [Shadow Enhancement has reached level Lvl 2]


    [me Control has reached Lvl 2]


    [1 Lightning Orb has been stored]


    [You gained the Ability: Basic Lightning Control]


    [Void Channel Cooldown: 3M 29D 18Hr 28Min 41S]


    [4-Dimensional Thought has absorbed the remaining essence of The Third Eye of Wisdom]


    [4-Dimensional Thought has reached Lvl 3]

 Chapter 58 End Of The Entrance Ceremony [2]

    *Click*


    The sound of a bathroom door unlocking caused everyone in the room to go silent, and the moment Lloyd walked back into the room, he could not help but feel like something had changed.


    "You took awfully long in there. What were you doing?" La asked with narrowed eyes.


    "You know you shouldn''t ask a teenager that question without giving them context, right?" Lloyd asked, causing La to contemte his words until-


    "Oh you little- Mmmmmhmmm." Before she could mutter another word, she felt a hand seal her mouth before someone else spoke on her behalf.


    "Lloyd, we know..." Benjamin spoke before a tense silence fell on the room, causing everyone to hold their breath for a moment, waiting to hear Lloyd''s answer.


    "You know?" Lloyd asked with a solemn expression.


    Seeing this as a sign of Lloyd being guilty of something he did, Benjamin carried on-


    "Hey... don''t worry. You''re not in trouble, and we''re not judging you.


    We just want you to talk to us. Tell us your troubles so we can help or even fix them for you..." Benjamin spoke in a soft and caring voice, one that would have made most trust them with their life the same way a group of adventurers trusted their captain.


    "Really?" Lloyd asked with a look of hope on his face.


    "Yes! Of course. I am your uncle Ben, remember? You used to tell me... You used to tell us everything, and now we feel like you''re keeping your distance." Benjamin exined, making tears well up in Lloyd''s eyes.


    "You can trust everyone here. Noah and Olivia are your parents and will love you no matter what. Ana and na are your older sisters and, despite their harshness, love you just as much as your parents do." Benjamin looked at them, causing them to all nod with a smile. However, before he could continue, Zack quickly stepped forward.


    "You might not think the same, but you are my best friend and like a brother to me. We might fight here and there, but that''s what brothers do." Zack smiled, making a warm feeling go through Lloyd''s heart.


    Zack is his best friend... Hell, Zack is like a twin brother Lloyd never had. He''s always been there for him, so Lloyd has always done the same and been there for Zack.


    Turning around, Benjamin Looked at La so she could say something, yet all she did was stare at Lloyd with narrowed eyes, as if she was eyeing her prey.


    Her eye did seem to twitch when she heard Zack, but Benjamin felt that it wasn''t the words themselves that caused the reaction...


    Her expression seemed to morph into one mixed with guilt, pity, and confusion... And even though her husband couldn''t understand why she would make such an expression, he continued to watch as everything unfolded, waiting for Lloyd to finally confess.


    "Is this room sound-proofed?" Lloyd questioned.


    "Now it is." Lloyd''s father snapped his fingers before giving his son a warm and encouraging smile.


    "Uhm... Well..." Lloyd scratched the back of his neck before finally closing his eyes and blurting out-


    "I''ve been secretly going to dungeons with this girl I met!"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Wow... It feels so good to finally say it out loud. Well, I guess you guys already knew..." Lloyd looked around with an aloof expression before a look of suspicion washed over his face.


    "Hey, wait. Why do you guys seem surprised?" Lloyd asked.


    "Is that it?" na couldn''t help but blurt out, causing everyone but La and Lloyd to re at her.


    "Well, I expected something a little more... How do I say this?" Ana scratched her chin.


    "Life changing?" na rolled her eyes.


    "Well, thank god it was only that. For a second there, I thought he was about to tell us he swings the other way." Delly sighed in relief, making everyone look at her suspiciously.


    "I can''t believe I was tricked into telling you guys..." Lloyd muttered before finally deciding to turn around and walk out of the room.


    "So when do I get to meet this girl? Don''t worry, I''ll try to hold all this charm back so she doesn''t fall for me or anything." Zack snickered while everyone other than his mother rolled their eyes at hisment.


    "Now that you''re talking about it, how about we invite her over? Maybe we can get to know her better." Ana smiled, yet that only made Lloyd more terrified of what Ana would do if he had actually gotten a girlfriend behind their backs.


    The killing intentced behind her words almost killed him sixfold already, so what would happen if they actually met her?


    ''Well, it''s not like this girl is real anyway. I kind of just thought of rosepetal so it wouldn''te out as a lie to Mrs. de.'' Lloyd inwardly facepalmed before facing his sister-


    "I don''t think that would be a good idea. We''re not a couple or anything, so you don''t have to worry about me. We just kinda have a squad of our own, and we have been conquering dungeons here and there." Lloyd exined.


    "So why did you single her out, huh?" na asked, this time with a smug smile on her face as if she was trying to get him in trouble.


    "Ooh? So you like her? That''s my guy!" Zack let out a vibrant smile before wrapping his arm around Lloyd and walking out of the room.


    The moment Lloyd left, they all let out a collective sigh of relief. Everyone but La...


    "What''s wrong now? Did he lie again... Please don''t tell me he lied again!" Olivia asked as a look of exhaustion washed over her face before tears filled her eyes.


    "He didn''t lie... Everything he said was the truth." La exined, yet despite her words, they all felt like something was wrong with the way she was saying them.


    "Mom. Why are you making that face?" Delly asked.


    La wasn''t stupid, but she was more of a true neutral than someone who would actively fix things whenever they saw them. That was simply her personality, and despite wanting to get to the end of the situation with Lloyd, the urge to sit back and watch everything unfold was much greater.


    She knew that Lloyd was hiding much more... She could see it in his eyes, and she could feel it in the hurricane that he called his emotions.


    She felt his heart switch from a calcting one to one filled with warmth when he heard everyone speak...<novelnext></novelnext>


    Yet, it also meant that she felt as his heart change instantly, morphing from a warm and fuzzy sensation that would shine hope of everything around it, to one filled with guilt, sadness, and eptance.


    She felt as if she had watched a boy''s heartbreak right before her before that same heart formed once again as it epted the hand it had been dealt...


    "Because despite that fact that I know he was telling the truth...


    I have a feeling that he fooled us all."


    ***


    It had been almost a week since the entrance ceremony, and Lloyd had learned many things since then.


    Firstly, Zack did not forget to show off the fact that he had gotten first on the second exam, yet when Lloyd heard the information, he made sure to promptly exin to Zack that the only reason that he had gotten 1st had been because he had the perfect team...


    A [Berzerker] with an [Anti-debuff] passive, a healer with a lot more brains than brawns, a third person capable of taking care of a mini-boss on their own, and two fodders to throw at the bosses whenever they needed. Who could ask for more?


    Anyway, besides that, there was something else Lloyd found much more fascinating than Zack''s little win.


    Secondly, apparently his performance had been good enough to wow the hearts of 5 of the top 6 academies, one of them being both the Royal Elizabeth Academy, run by Principal Windsor.


    Of course, Lloyd also got invitations from higher academies, such as Discordia University, run by no other than Principal Relworth, as well as the Crimson Lightsinger Academy, the Caraxes academy, and the Crow Academy.


    However, there was one application that caught Lloyd''s attention before the rest, literally because they hade several days before the rest hade in, including Relworth''s.


    [Military Academy - Special Invitation]


    [We would like to invite you to join the military academy. This is not only a way to reach new heights, but it''s also a way for the youth to find a way to serve the human race while aplishing their goals.]


    [We do not look at your political power, nor do we look at your family background. While anyone past the initial stages of the firstmandment is allowed to join the academy, after watching your spectacr performance at the entrance ceremony, you have decided to send you a special invitation where you will be taught by the best of the best and groomed into a powerful warrior.]


    The invitation went on and on for a bit about all the resources they could give and all the important people who graduated from the academy, mainly 7-star Generals and above.


    Since Lloyd was reading all this on his watch, he quickly swiped past a lot of the information he deemed unreasonable and promptly reached the images and thoroughly analyzed them, looking through pictures of the facilities, teachers, and prizes for being the top student of the year.


    For several days, Lloyd looked through the list of academies that invited him, yet by the 7th day, he could not help but sigh with restlessness.


    He had practically done nothing for an entire week.


    He had been struggling with the trauma of basically dying, but over thest seven days, it had been getting better and better. Of course, he knew that sitting around and doing nothing wouldn''t help him get over the trauma, but what could he do.


    His every move was being watched, and he couldn''t leave the house without supervision or everyone panicking whenever he was gone for a single second.


    On the other hand, he was not about to mope around and cry himself to sleep, so he did the only thing he could.


    Of course, he trained with Benjamin, Zack, his sisters, and even his parents at times, but they all always had their own things to do, and none of them stayed awake the entire night.


    Lloyd could feel his progress stagnating, and now that he once again found himself doing nothing but looking at the ceiling, he finally made a decision...


    ''Zack and his father have been going to dungeons basically every day... Why shouldn''t I do the same? They might be watching me, but...''


    A smile extended across Lloyd''s face before his shadow extended and an exact replica of Lloyd began toe out of the ground.


    ''What if I never left?''


    ***


    Deep within a world held together by lightning, a bare-chested man floated in the sky with golden lightning crackling around his body, and shooting into the sky and ground depending on which is closer.


    The man''s aura was that of a king''s. No... It was that of a monarch, capable of destroyings with a single swipe of his hands. Yet, from a single nce, one could tell that he was a warrior as his body was littered in scars, each one telling a different story about a worthy enemy who had forced the man to fight to his heart''s desire.


    However, in that very moment, one could not see his warrior spirit, nor could they feel his powerful aura that would have made most kneel...


    After all, how could they feel the man''s aura when its being squashed by the sheer presence of another figure?


    "Eris! What is the meaning of this!" The man roared, causing the winds around him to pick up while the sound of thunder echoed around them.


    "Calm yourself, Thor." The woman spoke, instantly silencing the rumbling clouds with the sound of her voice alone.


    "Calm myself?! Have you gone mad?! How could you give a newborn so much power!?" Thor''s voice was filled with malice as it thundered through the skies, yet, despite the rage boiling within his veins, he couldn''t help but take a step back as a pair of violet eyes stared into his soul.


    "You would never understand..." She smiled wickedly, making a shiver go down Thor''s spine the moment he saw it.


    "One day... One day the universe will bathe in chaos..."


    "And my weapon will be in the center of it all." Eris spoke while turning around and opening her arms wide, revealing the sight of the once tall lightning mountains that spanned for dozens of miles, now reduced to nothing but scorched rubble with the burned corpse of a three eyed goatying in the middle of it all.


    ***


    Looking at his watch, Lloyd stared at the purple blinking light before looking up at the portal spanning at 3 meters in radius, between a forest of trees in the middle of one of the bigger parks in the city.


    After having walked in circles for half an hour, he had finally found it, and despite expecting a crowd to be outside it, waiting for the officials to let them in, Lloyd was surprised to see absolutely no one there, which was one of the reasons Lloyd found it so hard to find the ce.


    His map wasn''t very reliable when it came to areas without buildings.


    "Oh yeah... Purple meant unauthorized, didn''t it..." Lloyd smiled before cing his hand a few inches away from the spacial tear before closing his eyes. Of course, the scene of his body being scorched by his own mana entered his mind straight away, yet despite not being used to it, he forced himself to put it to the back of his mind as he absorbed some of the mana from the spacial tear to see how strong it was.


    "Mid-Stage First Commandment... So most monsters will be around the initial stages of the firstmandment, and the boss will be at thete stages of the firstmandment... Which I think I can deal with? I''m not sure if that wasp counted as a boss-levelte firstmandment..." Lloyd scratched his chin before simply shrugging and walking into the spacial tear,pletely oblivious to the fact that this would be a turning point in his life...


    Unaware of the fact that this very dungeon would change everything up until this point.


    [End of Volume 1]

 Chapter 59 Eternal Autumn [1]

    When did it all go so wrong?


    Why?


    Why did everything fall apart, just when I thought I had put everything back together?


    Those were the questions that entered Lloyd''s mind in that moment, yet he knew better than anyone else that...


    That the only person who could answer that question was him.


    Standing up with a pitch-ck Katana in his hands, Lloyd pushed mana through the de, causing its purple runes to shine brighter than ever before, burning the red blood that stained it.


    "Remember..." Lloyd muttered to himself while taking a step forward, blood staining his face and clothes while several corpsesy around him, every single one of their eyes frozen in fear as death took them.


    Of course, not all of them looked dead, but what did Lloyd know?


    While some were scorched beyond recognition, others were mutted beyond belief as w marks tainted their bodies, showing how they were quickly ripped apart without mercy... As if a monster had finally gotten to them, seeing them more as prey than enemy warriors.


    "You did this..." An emotionless voice finished Lloyd''s sentence as a man wearing a ck mask appeared in a sh of purple light a few meters behind Lloyd, making his presence known by the sheer aura he exuded, followed by the glint of violet within his eyes as he analyzed Lloyd from top to bottom...


    "No..." Lloyd whispered, his teeth grinding onto one another as a vein on his forehead looked like it was about to burst.


    Pointing his de at the masked man, Lloyd parted his lips and muttered with a voice filled with pure rage-


    "You did this!"


    *FWOOOOOHM*


    *DOOM*


    ***


    Earlier


    Opening his eyes, Lloyd could not help but drop his jaw at the Gartia-shattering beauty before him. [Meaning of the term at the end of the chap]


    The entire scenery could be described in two words.


    Eternal Autumn.


    A range of orange leaves could be seen littering the ground for miles, causing even the mountains in the distance to reflect an orange glow that was only representative of the autumn season.


    "Even the grass is orange." Lloyd couldn''t help but mutter aloud while crouching to brush his hand upon the orangey-red grass.


    Looking up, Lloyd stared at the distant sun that was beginning to disappear behind one of the mountains and estimated that it would take an hour or two for the sun to set at the speed it was going at.


    *Rustle*


    Without a second of thought, Lloyd''s instincts took over, and before he knew it, a me bullet had traveled through the skull of the creatureing out of the bush, causing its brain to melt in an instant before it fell onto the ground with brain matter dripping out of the hole in its head.


    "Oh... My bad." Lloydughed awkwardly while scratching the back of his head, but he could not help but feel as if another problem was emerging.


    "I may or may not have a little trauma left in me..." Lloyd muttered while remembering how his instincts were the first time he almost died


    "Squeak."


    "Hm?" Raising a brow, Lloyd quickly turned around and looked at the orange-furred bunny. Its fur had the texture of leaves, while its ears were brown and slightly spiky, camouging as twigs.


    However, what caught Lloyd''s attention was not that its fur was orange or its ears looked like twigs, but instead, it was that its eyes had be a deep red, unlike the eyes of thest rabbit Lloyd killed.


    "Oh, hey, little rabbit." Lloyd smiled, not thinking of the rabbit as much of a threat since thest one had died in an instant,pletely forgetting that he had recently upgraded his [me Control] ability.


    "Squeak."


    However, before Lloyd could get closer to the rabbit, another squeak entered his ears, and when he turned around, it was an identical rabbit, looking at him with the same red eyes.


    ''What''s that feeling?'' Lloyd asked himself while looking into the eyes of the rabbit, but after thinking about it for a moment, he shrugged it off since the feeling wasn''t strong enough for him to analyze.


    "Squeak."


    And then he heard another...


    "Squeak."


    and another


    "Squeak."


    The feeling was bing more prominent, as if every rabbit was amplifying the signature, making its transmittance more powerful by the second.


    "Squeak."


    "Squeak."


    "Squeak."


    "Squeak."


    "Squeak."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Squeak."


    "Squeak."


    And in less than a second, the squeaks became plenty, and the aura exploded in strength, immediately making Lloyd''s hairs stand on their ends as a magnificent bloodlust washed over him.


    "Oh, crap..." And with those words leaving his mouth, Lloyd did not wait for another second as heunched himself out of that situation, shooting at about 150 kmh.


    While the rabbits didn''t appear powerful alone, Lloyd had yed enough video games to understand that a colony of rabbits with red eyes was the most dangerous thing a man could stumble upon.


    Looking back, Lloyd''s eyes widened in horror as the colony seemed to only growrger, making it look as if hundreds of rabbits were running towards him. Their eyes shone in rage, and their aura red in bloodlust, creating a deep red fog in the area that would make most feel as if they were suffocating.


    ''Damn it, instincts! Why did you have to kill that first rabbit! He meant no harm!'' Lloyd inwardly cried while running as fast as he could while dodging both rabbits and trees that happened to be in the way.


    *Creak*


    "Huh?" Those were thest words that came out of Lloyd''s mouth as a tree branch wrapped around him and picked him into the sky.


    ''Don''t tell me...'' Lloyd''s eyes shone slightly as the tree before him gained three slits that slowly opened to show two eyes and arge mouth lined with razor-sharp teeth as if it were a shark''s maw.


    If that wasn''t bad enough, the lines of teeth also began spinning, making the maw feel more like a blender, waiting to turn Lloyd into soup the moment he fell in.


    ''A treant...'' Lloyd gritted his teeth before breathing in an out calm himself.


    He remembered reading about treants in the past. ording to the mythology of Elves, who relied more on religion, legends, and ''witchcraft'' than science, treants were simply trees blessed by the almighty tree, Yggdrasil, with the semnce of life by connecting it to its own will.


    Treants are considered passive creatures that only fight back when someone attacks them or the forest they inhabit.


    ''It must have seen the rabbit''s aggression as a sign that I attacked the forest or its inhabitants, meaning that the rabbits were also peaceful creatures before I decided to kill one of them.'' Lloyd thought as he finally decided on what his next course of action should be.


    [me Control]


    Touching the branch that held him, Lloyd''s eyes shone even brighter as orange and blue mes engulfed his hands as he pointed his other hand towards the maw.


    "Incinerate."


    *FWOOOOOHM"


    In an instant, mes exploded out of Lloyd''s hands, covering the branches around him in mes, and allowing him to escape from its iron-d grip while turning the tree into a ming spectacle as a ball of fire engulfed it from the inside out.


    Dropping to the ground without even making a thud due to his [Soundless Steps] passive ability, Lloyd turned towards the massive colony of rabbits and had an idea.


    "How about he try something?" Lloyd muttered before raising his foot off the ground and releasing the full power of his killing intentbined with [Monarch''s Aura].


    Feeling a powerful killing intent wash over them, the rabbits froze in ce for a quarter of a second, yet that was all Lloyd needed to-.


    [Basic Lightning Control]


    Lowering his foot, he mmed it into the ground, kicking up a dust cloud a little less than a dozen meters tall.


    *Crackle*


    With the dust now blocking the rabbit colony''s vision of Lloyd, they were quickly forced to use their other senses, yet when they tried that, they could only pick up the strong smell of wood burning to ashes as well as the sound of several of their kind either squeaking in terror or pain.


    [Electricity Chain]


    The moment Lloyd mmed his foot into the ground, he had activated [Basic Lightning Control] and coated his foot in it. The electricity quickly moved through the soil and zapped the closest bunny, yet due to the constant surge of electricity that Lloyd was outputting, the electricity became too much for one rabbit, causing the rabbit next to it to be zapped.


    This quickly created a chain of rabbits turning into charcoal, but due to the fact that the ability was only the basic version of Lightning Control, he quickly found that he could only zap 10 rabbits at a time,pared to the hundreds that were just about to attack him.


    Stopping the output of electricity, Lloyd quickly created 4 shadow clones of himself that left the already-settling dust cloud with hands covered in mes.


    [me Control]


    Pointing his hands toward the sky, Lloyd immediately created several dozen me bullets before swiping his hand down and causing the bullets to float in the air in a position that would have allowed them to shower the battlefield, yet that was not all.


    ''While my proficiency over my mes isn''t high enough for me to control the bullets in more than three batches without putting a strain on my mind and mana, let alone control them individually, right now, I don''t need it... I just need to make sure they keep their form.''


    Lloyd smiled while gritting his teeth as he used all his willpower to move the bullets in a way where they looked like they were skipping rocks rather than dozens of artillery bullets showering the sky.


    Swerving the bullets, it looked like they were dozens of stars being swung behind Lloyd to build momentum, just for him to finally swing his hand towards the rabbits with everything he had.


    *ZOOM*


    As if time had paused, nothing moved for a moment, yet in an instant, a spectacle of orange and cyan lights entered Lloyd''s vision as the bullets shot past him at lightning speed as Lloyd tried his best to keep the bullets from breaking.


    Shooting past him, the bullets pierced through several rabbits before destabilizing enough to explode and incinerate everything within a half-meter radius.


    They shot through everything from trees to even Lloyd''s clones, and in the blink of an eye, the battle was over, with Lloyd standing victorious in a once beautiful autumn forest reced with a hellscape of charred carcasses and burning trees.


    (Author''s Note: The word Earth-shattering had be slightly insignificant due to the increase of universal exploration.


    Now that the gxy IC 1101 (thergest gxy in the universe) now no longer out of reach, they chose to rename it to the Gartia gxy, whiches from the mixture of the words "Gargantuan" and the greek word "Terastia."]


    [Huge thanks to NotGRE3D, TheWallOfFantasy, pdatbooty and Daemoncles_000 for all your gifts. It is greatly appreciated.]

 Chapter 60 Eternal Autumn [2]

    Panting heavily, Lloyd felt the increasing desire to drop to the ground and rest of hours, yet he knew that doing so would be a mistake since he had no way of knowing that all the monsters had died or that no more monsters would being.


    To make the situation worse, Lloyd had an inkling that the night would be much worse than the day, yet after going through the ordeal of killing hundreds of rabbits due to his instincts, he could not help but feel like he might be wrong.


    ''Behind you.'' A voice entered his ears as every hair on his body stood up.


    Without skipping a beat, Lloyd barely summoned his de in time for him to spin on his heel and flick his wrist to slice an iing arrow in two.


    ''Good thing I got my parents to buy me a new katana.'' Lloyd couldn''t help but think as his eyes flickered with a Void Walker''s signature violet.


    "State your name and ss." A feminine voice entered Lloyds'' ears, and despite Lloyd being certain that there were no tracks of humans entering before he had entered, he could not help but second guess his ears.


    "Who''s there?" Lloyd asked with a voiceced with killing intent, yet despite this, the woman''s voice did not falter as she replied-


    "You are in no position to be asking the questions, boy..." The woman growled while releasing her own killing intent, yet just like her, the killing intent had no effect on Lloyd.


    "My name is..." Lloyd paused, thinking of what name to use, yet since he didn''t have his mask on, he knew he shouldn''t use Null.


    "Lloyd. My name is Lloyd." Lloyd told the truth.


    *BOOM*


    A figure d in ck dropped from the top of one of the hills Lloyd was looking at, and despite the fact that normal humans at Lloyd''s level would have had difficulty seeing the figure from so far away, Lloyd didn''t have much difficulty.


    All he had to do was squint a little, yet even a bat would have been capable of seeing the dust cloud she kicked up the moment she touched the ground.


    "ss?" Her voice boomed from behind the dust cloud as her footsteps echoed through the burning forest.


    "You expect me to tell you?" Lloyd sneered.


    "You''re not even a firstmandment. Yet, you''re pretty strong, but that''s it."


    "You stand no chance." She spoke with a powerful and dominant voice that almost made Lloyd kneel...


    "C''mon Hime... Let the kid rx."


    Yet just when the pressure would have gotten to him, another voice entered his ears, causing him to look up and see two figures leaving the dust cloud, both of them wearing ankle-length trench coats.


    While one of them was a slightly skinny man with short straight ck hair who wore sses over his somewhat pale skin, the other was a 6ft 5 woman with grey hair.


    She had light bronze skin, only further amplified by her perfect feminine yet muscr physique that could not be hidden behind her trench coat.


    Her eyes were like a pair of Topazes, shining behind the hood she wore that hid most of her face behind a shadow that Lloyd had no problem seeing through.


    However, what caught Lloyd''s attention was not the color of her eyes, but her pupils.


    ''Slit sh serpent-like pupils, fangs... She must be a beastkin... Holy crap, I haven''t seen a beastkin before. What should I say! What should I do? Is she a feline? Ooh! Maybe she''s a furred beastkin, or maybe even a rabbit! Holy sh*t, I can''t believe I''m meeting with a beastkin!'' Lloyd inwardly fangirled while looking at the woman before him.


    Looking up, he could not help but see that there was a small bulge in her hood, making Lloyd''s eyes widen in delight while a smile he could not control spread across his face.


    "Ew... You can do whatever you want with him now. I don''t care anymore." The man with straight ck hair and spectacles made a slightly disgusted expression while waving his hand at Lloyd as if he was trying to wave him away.


    "Really?" Hime''s eyes brightened slightly to the point where Lloyd was certain he could see a sparkle in her eyes, yet that could have been his imagination.


    "Wait, wait!" Lloyd screamed out while standing up and bowing to both of them, making them each take a step back with raised brows.


    They both knew that Lloyd was way too weak to do anything to hurt them, but for some reason, they felt as if being near him was dangerous.


    ''Maybe he has a pseudo-mythic ss? No... Pseudo-mythics are usually a lot stronger unless they are using supressants. Maybe he''s from a big family?'' The woman questioned before turning towards her humanpanion.


    As if he knew exactly what she was thinking, he narrowed his eyes at Lloyd as if he was trying to decipher his family background, yet even after a few moments of looking with one of his optical abilities, he could not see anything, causing him to quickly shake his head at hispanion.


    Their suspicions only rose when they saw the genuine smile on Lloyd''s face as he got out of the bow, but the words that came out of his mouth afterward only served to confuse them.


    "Sorry, I got a little excited since it''s the first time I''ve ever seen a beastkin..." Lloyd rubbed the back of his neck before his eyes widened in horror, and he bowed again.


    "Oh, sorry. You don''t mind being called a beastkin, right? I can''t really tell what race you''re from because of your hood and trenchcoat." Lloyd apologized, yet even though Hime was still on guard and suspicious of Lloyd, the man beside her chuckled, making her raise a brow.


    "Where are you from, child?" The man asked with a weing smile.


    Looking up, Lloyd looked the man up and down before widening his eyes.


    The man might have seemed skinny and slightly fragile, but his presence alone was something else.


    ''Human?'' Lloyd asked himself as another his smile widened.


    "My name is Lloyd Elrod," Lloyd replied despite feeling slightly stiff. He didn''t know if he should stretch out his hand for a handshake or if he should bow again. Yet if he bowed again, it might seem excessive and maybe even rude, while shaking the hand of someone so much stronger than he might also have the same effect.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Of course, he could always salute the man, but what kind of mana salutes at their first meeting? A soldier would... But he wasn''t a soldier...


    Before Lloyd could start panicking further in the presence of a beastkin, the man ced his hand on Lloyd''s soldier and gave the brightest smile he could.


    "Stop panicking, we won''t do anything to you." The manughed before taking a step back and stretching his hand out.


    "My name is Roderick Porter. I am a part of the Human Frontier for the Human Army. May I ask you how you got here?" The man asked.


    Stretching his hand out, Lloyd shook the man''s hand and scratched the back of his neck.


    "Well, I went through a spacial tear." Lloyd replied.


    "Why would the army let someone who had not reached the firstmandment go through?" Roderick questioned.


    "Army? Well, they weren''t there..." Lloyd answered with guilt written all over his face, knowing fully well that him telling them his real name would be his downfall. On the other hand, there was a good chance that they would have found out he lied about his name in the first ce, so who knows if his decision was the right one.


    "They would never abandon their base. I made sure there would be at least 4 people outside at all times." The man narrowed his eyes while releasing a little bit of killing intent, yet before he could go further-


    "He''s not lying..." Hime crossed her arms, a little perplexed at her own assumption.


    "I''m the lie detector, Hime." Roderick frowned.


    "Well you should have used your skill..."


    "We both know that you are more than aware that it had a cooldown." He replied deadpan.


    "Then trust me." She let out a wry smile.


    "Wait, guys... Unless these guards were floating the entire time, there was no trace of anyone having entered the dungeon before me." Lloyd interrupted.


    "Oh no..." Hime muttered.


    "Inteary dungeon..." Roderick''s expression switched to one of dread as he closed his eyes to think of all the possibilities.


    "I thought that could only happen in permanent dungeons." Lloydmented, but the man quickly cut him off.


    "Yes, well, it can happen in temporary dungeons too. If we beat the temporary dungeon, we get a few permanent portals to others... If we don''t, though..." The man grimaced at the thought.


    "A dungeon break?" Lloyd muttered.


    "Worse. Arge portion of thes is corrupted by the environment within the dungeon itself, making a permanent dungeon of sorts on the outside. That''s how we get monsters." The man replied, making it all click in Lloyd''s head, except for one thing that was beginning to bug him.


    "How could a single mid-stage firstmandment dungeon cause so much chaos?" Lloyd asked.


    "That''s only during the day. During the night, the dungeon bes a Topaz-level dungeon.


    Looking back, Lloyd quickly recalled the ranking system past the firstmandment.


    For most species, the secondmandment was split into seals and was considered the affinity awakeningmandment.


    Every seal was represented by a different gem, and every gem represented an advancement in one''s affinity. This is also the reason why those withmon sses found it difficult to move past the secondmandment, yet at the same time, people like Jack, who have specialized cultivation techniques, could find easier ways to advance without relying on an affinity to do so.


    Every seal is considered to be worlds above the one before it, making the disparity in strength between the Topaz and half step muchrger than the initial firstmandment and half step secondmandment.


    "So, point us toward the portal you came out of. We must warn the Adventurer''s Association and the army to ensure they take precautions. We also need several teams toe inside and help us clear the dungeon." Roderick asked before his voice became quieter and quieter until it finally became a whisper as if he was muttering his ns to only himself.


    "Well, if you follow the trail of destruction-" Lloyd pointed, yet before he could even finish his sentence, he watched as Roderick sted past him, shooting across the burning forest and towards the portal.


    "I''m Hime Re, by the way. Nice meeting you." The woman smiled warmly at Lloyd, causing a tingly feeling to go down his spine while his breathing seemed to increase despite the fact that his chest wasn''t moving in the least.


    "And to answer your previous question, I''m a feline beastkin." Shemented while wagging her long ck tail at Lloyd from under her coat before walking past Lloyd and shooting behind Roderick.


    While Lloyd''s excitement only increased alongside his breathing rate, he was clear-minded enough to follow by using [Shadow Movement], and since the sun was already setting, there were plenty of shadows to conserve his mana and to increase his speed within his shadow several folds.


    When he finally left his shadow, he felt a little perplexed by how the two were simply standingpletely frozen in ce, yet when he finally looked around for a moment, he could not help but take another nce at what was before them.


    "What happened to the spacial tear?" Lloyd tilted his head while looking at the tear, but he had used his space affinity ability enough to know that there was something horribly wrong, yet instead of having to figure it out himself, Hime was there to tell him the bad news herself.


    "The portal to the outside...


    It''s broken."


    [Thank you, Thevoidfox, for your generous gift]


    [Official Artwork of Roderick in thements]

 Chapter 61 Eternal Autumn [3]

    "What do you mean broken?" Lloyd asked with curiosity in his voice, causing both Hima and Roderick to feel slightly surprised. In their eyes, Lloyd was just a kid who was going through the steps of bing a warrior.


    He was green behind the ears, so why was he not scared?


    That question went through their minds before they quickly rationalized their thoughts.


    ''Maybe he''s in shock?'' Hime thought.


    ''Maybe he doesn''t understand what''s happening?'' Roderick thought.


    "Why are you both looking at me like that. You said the portal is broken, but how is that the case if I can still see it? Does it simply not work anymore? Would it vaporize everything that touches it?" Lloyd asked, causing their confusion to rise a little before Roderick sighed and nodded at Hime.


    "To exin as quickly as possible, the portal has be one way. People can enter, but they can''t leave. Anyway, while I analyze this portal to find out more, Hime will call the rest of our group to check if our portal is going through the same." Roderick spoke before nodding at Hime was was already beginning to dial a code onto her wristband''s projection.


    The minutes passed quite quickly as Lloyd sat on one of the taller branches of one of the only trees that hadn''t broken down yet. Despite the mountains in the distance blocking most of the view, Lloyd tried to his best to watch the sunset from where hey.


    As the sky darkened further, Lloyd turned his attention towards his watch and simply watched as the time ticked down by the second.


    [23D:16H:53M:21S till next Void Walk]


    "What are you looking at?" A feminine voice entered Lloyd''s ears, yet since he knew that no one other than him could see the screen before him, he simply smiled and sighed-


    "Nothing. I''m just reminiscing a little." Lloyd smiled.


    "Don''t worry; we''ll get out of here. I''ll make sure of that, okay?" Hime smiled while cing her hand on Lloyd''s head, brushing his hair slightly before also looking at the darkening sky.


    "It''s about to get real dangerous here... I suggest that we start moving." Hime suggested before jumping down and calling for Roderick.


    After a few minutes of preparing for departure, they all set off for the distance, trying to regroup with Hime and Roderick''s group.


    "Don''t think I''ve forgotten about you entering an unauthorized dungeon, by the way. When we are out of here, I will make sure to punish you myself." Roderickined.


    "What did you say you were from?" Hime asked out of curiosity as all three of them jumped over an especiallyrge fallen tree.


    "I''m from Deroxa." Lloyd replied, not used to stating what he was from since he hadn''t left Deroxa that many times in his life.


    "Oh, Deroxa? That''s where that one prestigious school is located, correct? The one where that all the higher family children go to, or at least the ones in that live in that star system." Roderick asked while taking a side nce to see Lloyd''s expression, yet to his dismay, he saw that Lloyd wore a neutral expression the entire time.


    "Yeah, I know a couple." Lloyd replied.


    "You go there?" The man asked.


    "Just graduated. I took part in the entrance ceremony just a week ago now." Lloyd shrugged nonchntly.


    "Where are you thinking of going?" Hime asked out of kindness rather than curiosity. She didn''t care much for human politics and standards, but she always made sure to respect them even if she didn''t understand them.


    "Well, while it would make sense to join the military academy because both my parents were in it, I''ve gotten a few sweet offers from other academies so I''m not too sure anymore." Lloyd sighed.


    "Your parents were in the military? What did you say your name was?" Roderick asked, a tinge of surprise in his voice since he expected Lloyd to be from a higher family.


    Of course, his parents attending the military academy didn''t automatically mean they weren''t from a higher family. Still, it was also very unlikely to find higher-family individuals in a military academy, where all were treated equally and only given special treatment for their hard work or amazing power.


    "Lloyd Elrod?" Lloyd tilted his head slightly.


    "Elrod?" Hime raised a brow.


    "You mean, like, Noah Elrod?" Roderick asked with widened eyes.


    "Yeah, why?" Lloyd felt even more confused.


    "What do you mean ''why.'' Noah Elrod is a 4-star general who married a 3-star general and basically retired despite having the ability to possibly be a 5-star general!"


    Raising a brow, Lloyd let Roderick speak without being interrupted, but he felt a little shocked on the inside.


    While generals, in general, were considered extremely powerful in the past, especially in times of crisis like the Void Walker attack, their power slowly dwindled over the passing centuries, eventually making it. Hence, their position dropped below the status of a higher family individual.


    Of course, 5-star generals and above were still considered to be either equal or superior to higher families, yet even that opinion was beginning to shrink.


    The problem was that the difference between a 4-star general and a 5-star general was like the difference between heaven and earth, so the fact that Lloyd''s father had a chance to be one only served to shock Lloyd while questioning a lot of things he knew about his father.


    "The sun hadpletely set..." Yet before they could finish their conversation, Hime''s voice echoed in their ears, and before Lloyd could process her words, another sound entered his ears as it seemingly closed in at lightning speed.


    At that moment, Lloyd felt as if his body had moved on its own since, before he knew it, a dey in his hands, barely leaving his watch''s storage space in time to sh outwards toward the iing creature.


    [Shadow Enhancment]<novelnext></novelnext>


    Shadows enveloped Lloyd''s arm, and with a flick of his wrist, his katana shed against a rusty sickle.


    Looking to his side, Lloyd stared into the ring eyes of a man with a pumpkin head, yet instead of freezing up in shock like most people would have done after looking into its terrifying eyes, Lloyd narrowed his eyes and put more strength behind his de by turning his body rather than just his wrist.


    This sudden movement pushed the pumpkin man back by several meters, allowing Lloyd to get a good look at it before choosing to attack it again.


    It was wearing ragged and dirty clothes that a scarecrow would have worn, and while its sickle seemed rusty and only, at a second nce, even a person who hadn''t seen a sword could tell you that it was extremely sharp.


    *ng* *ng* *ng* *ng* *ng* *ng*


    shing des with the pumpkin scarecrow thing, Lloyd quickly gritted his teeth before submerging himself into his own shadow, something that was much quicker than usual due to the fact that, for once, Lloyd waspletely surrounded by darkness.


    Instead of appearing behind it and risking a direct attack from it, Lloyd chose to leave his shadow from one of the branches, allowing him to flip above the creature while soaking himself inplete darkness.


    [Shadow Sustenance]


    A rare burst of energy traveled through Lloyd''s body, and as if his mana had veins, a cool energy moved through his body and made him feel full again.


    Everything in his body increased, from his mana pool, to the rate at which the energy he had gained from the rabbits was being digested.


    However, like there was a block between him and the firstmandment, the energy struggled to further his strength.


    As if the energy in his body was sentient, it moved to other ces in his body that needed help, hastening his mana recovery by several folds while, at the same time, seemingly increasing his mana pool slowly but surely despite it seeming as if his current amount was the limit.


    With a new source of mana, the shadow around Lloyd''s arm flickered and moved wildly as if it was an entity of its own, yet at the same moment, it seemed to have calmed down and reinforced itself topleting a single task, and that was to empower Lloyd''s arm and make his strikes are powerful as ever.


    The shadow moved on its own, crawling down Lloyd''s back and enhancing all the muscles necessary to keep bnce and strike as hard as possible.


    As Lloyd was beginning to descend, the creature opened looked up and opened its maw wide while mes gathered within it, yet before it could unleash it-


    [me Control]


    The mes within its maw disappeared as another me simultaneously appeared on Lloyd''s de.


    Lloyd shot toward the pumpkin creature like a meteor from the sky and sliced down with everything he had.


    The creature tried its best to block with its sickle, yet after less than a second of struggle, Lloyd''s katana hadpletely cut through the sickle before cleaving the creature''s body in half as easily as a hot knife through butter.


    Left in two pieces, both pieces began to fall down, yet before they could touch the floor, they had already been engulfed in Lloyd''s red and blue mes, turning its body into ashes in a matter of moments and leaving it to blow away with the wind.


    "Phew." Lloyd sighed while returning his shadow to its correct ce and turning around, but when he did so, his eye couldn''t help but twitch.


    Before him stood both Roderick and Hime, both of them standing in front of a pile of dead scarecrow pumpkin creatures, all burning on their own mes.


    "Damn..." Lloyd muttered, but due to Hime''s sensitive hearing, she could not help but giggle at his reaction.


    "Don''t get too depressed. It''s impressive enough that you were able to kill a Mid-stage firstmandment creature on your own,, so you shouldn''tpare us to you." She chuckled.


    "We''re both secondmandments so don''t worry, you did well." Roderick boasted, making a vein bulge on Lloyd''s forehead before he finally turned away from the infuriating duo and began walking in the general direction they were walking before they were attacked.


    ''To be fair, whenever I fight creatures of a highermandment, I usually rely on my Void Walker abilities, mainly [Aspect of Void]... I guess it feels good to kill a mid-stage firstmandment all on my own.'' Lloyd smiled to himself.


    They continued walking for another hour or two, where they encountered all types of monsters ranging from undead abominations, creatures that looked like they had been experimented on, and even ethereal-like monsters, like ghosts or wraiths that would attack every now and then.


    While Hime and Roderick could have easily killed all monsters encountered, a small part of them was curious enough to allow a monster by for Lloyd to fight. They had seen him use both mes and darkness, and despite not understanding why, they felt like they had barely unearthed the giant question mark that was Lloyd Elrod...


    The son of two generals, yet has the eyes, affinities, and ss of neither...


    A few more minutes passed before they finally saw something in the distance.


    "I can smell Felix all the way from here." Hime scrunched her nose in disgust while Roderick chuckled at hisrade.


    When they finally came close enough to see the ce properly, Lloyd widened his eyes in shock as the view finally entered his eyes.


    Mountains of corpses numbering possibly in the thousandsy before him, and on top of this mountain sat a pale, dark-haired beauty, elegantly looking down from her throne of carcasses with her deep red eyes staring deep into Lloyd''s very soul.


    Despite not having met her or any of her kind before, Lloyd instantly knew what she was, and it was not long before she understood that too.


    Lloyd''s steps halted, causing the two beside him to turn toward him just in time to see a smile stretch across his face.


    "A vampire..."


    [Official Artwork for the vampire and Hime in thements.]

 Chapter 62 Eternal Autumn [4]

    [Huge thank you to Master_Atlest for his generous gifts]


    Lloyd''s steps halted, causing the two beside him to turn toward him just in time to see a smile stretch across his face.


    "A vampire..." Lloyd muttered, making the two instantly shback to his reaction when he met a beastkin for the first time. Sighing, they simply stepped aside and chose to let him get it all out before he went into the camp, where his reaction would definitely be much more intense.


    Looking down, the vampire looked into Lloyd''s eyes with her deep crimson ones, yet after a moment''s pause, a sweet smile stretched across her face, making the two beside Lloyd feel a shiver go down their spines.


    "And who are you?" She asked while appearing before Lloyd in the blink of an eye. Her eyes narrowed dangerously while her aura exploded, making even the likes of Lloyd to freeze in her presence.


    "L-Lloyd E-Elrod at your service." Lloyd stuttered while trying his best to look into the woman''s eyes.


    She was tall, standing around 6 feet tall, yet Lloyd suspected that an extra inch or two might havee from her heeled boots.


    Despite not being taller than Lloyd, he could not help but hunch a little as his body tried its best to make him look small while still remaining standing, making her seem much taller than she actually was.


    It would not have been an exaggeration to say that she was a Gartia-shattering beauty, and to an extent, she quite literally was.


    When it came to her, the saying was no longer a saying since Lloyd did not that she might have caused a few wars by just being alive.


    "Elrod?" Her fake yet sweet smile disappeared and was quickly reced by a more inquisitive one, yet despite everything changing, her aura remained dominant like a tiger in the middle of a pack of bunnies, while her stare remained like that of a serpent''s, ready to strike at a moment''s notice.


    "Do you happen to know Noah Elrod?" She asked.


    "Y-Yeah... That''s my f-father." Lloyd stuttered back.


    "Oh my... Ana will definitely kill you if she finds out that you came here alone." The woman chuckled, yet Lloyd only raised a brow as he quickly unwound, returning to his untense self.


    "You know my sister?" He asked.


    "Yeah, I met her a few years back. I believe I am just a little older than you in human years." She smiled as her serpent-like eyes faded, and her aura gradually copsed into her, yet her presence still remained with enough vigor to probably keep away most creatures under the firstmandment.


    "My name is Veronica Everdale. Nice to meet you." She stretched out her hand and sped Lloyd''s despite him not having stretched out his own.


    Veronica''s smile disappeared once again without skipping a beat before she turned around and walked towards the camp, or at least that''s what Lloyd assumed since the other two followed her without thinking twice.


    "We moved the camp up a little due to uhm... You know." She pointed with her thumb towards the right, and while it was hard to decipher what exactly she was pointing towards, it quickly became obvious to Lloyd.


    They were longer walking through a forest... They were walking through a treant''s cemetery, every single one of them frozen into the position they were in before death with a clean, almost iprehensible sword wound going through their midsection.


    "Oh,e on, Vee! We can''t keep moving camps because you can''t keep your hands to yourself." Roderick facepalmed.


    "Hey, it''s not my fault this forest has a personal space problem." Veronica shrugged unempathetically.


    "That''s why we ask you to keep your hands to yourself!" Roderick shouted before Hime, her arm around him, and rubbed his shoulder as if she was trying to silence a crying child.


    They continued to walk for a while, and while the three seemed to bicker with one another throughout the trip, Lloyd stayedpletely silent to the point where they would even forget that he was there.


    "You sure are quiet. Hell, I can''t even hear you''re footsteps, nor do you seem to have a personal scent." Himemented on drawing Lloyd''s attention.


    "Oh, thanks?" Lloyd tilted his head, unaware if he was beingplimented or ridiculed, yet thetter did not seem to be something Hime would do to him for no reason despite doing it to Veronica without batting an eye.


    "A natural assassin if you ask me. Too bad, you''re a mage." Roderickughed while Veronica simply nced back for a moment to look at Lloyd''s reaction


    "I''m an assassin type... Don''t ask; it''splicated..." Lloyd sighed while the rest descended into an unbreakable silence.


    A few minutester, evidence of human civilization could be seen in the distance, and when they finally reached the group of tents that had been built right next to each other.


    "Goddamnit, Vee! What did we say abouting back here!" A masculine voice spoke from within one of the tents before a man with snow-white hair walked through the tent''s curtain, his scowl visible for miles as his aura red without an ounce of it being held back.


    The winds quickly picked up, and before Hime could stand in front of Lloyd to protect him from the man''s aura-


    *BOOOM*


    After hours of watching his every step while being aware of his surroundings, Lloyd found himself on his toes even after being told that he would be protected by Hime and Roderick.


    And so, when an unknown figure suddenlyshed out with his auraced with killing intent, his instincts took over, and within an instant, a powerful,  dark, and violet monarchical aura exploded out of his body like a hungry dragon being released from its hell-forged chains for the first time in decades.


    His aura was that of an apex predator, and everyone around him felt it, yet not to the extent that people at the same level as Lloyd would have.


    Lloyd''s eyes glowed violet behind the ck and purple fog swirling around him, and despite all of them being much stronger than him, they could not exin the type of dread that washed over their body at the moment.


    As if their very instincts had been trained for millions of years to do one thing and one thing only...


    To run away from whatever that thing was.


    The white-haired man''s eyes glowed an ocean blue while his veins moved around below his pale, almost transparent skin, glowing bright red while forming into runes that powered every cell in his body.


    "Everyone, stop!" Veronica roared and released her own aura that trumped both Lloyd''s and the white-haired man''s auras in a matter of seconds.


    Hearing Veronica''s voice, Lloyd calmed himself down before closing his eyes and allowing them to return to their usual selves.<novelnext></novelnext>


    His aura quickly suppressed itself within him before an apologetic expression reced his cold and apathetic one, yet before he could bow and ask for forgiveness for his rudeness, the man did not waste a second as he walked up to Lloyd.


    In a move that no one expected, the man lifted his foot off the ground andnded a devastating hit on Lloyd''s abdomen.


    Of course, it wasn''t hard enough to kill him or anything, but Lloyd could not help but hear and feel a few cracks spreading through his abdomen while the sharp pain from the hit made him feel a little woozy, yet only for a moment.


    ''That imbecile. Let''s burn him inside out!''


    Flipping mid-air, Lloyd got to the appropriate position tond safely, and despite seeing the man line up for another attack, he knew that neither Roderick nor Hime would allow the white-haired man tond another punch. He wasn''t so sure about Veronica, but he was sure that she was nice.


    ''You know we can kill him, right? He is just an Initial Topaz Second Commandment.''


    Well, he thought she was nice from the very small and limited interaction he had with her. For all he knew, she might be a serial killer.


    Landing on the ground just as they restrained him, Lloyd let out a sigh while rubbing his ''wound,'' but after a while of doing so, a thought came to mind.


    ''Did he just try to attack me with a killing blow, or did he somehow know that someone that hadn''t reached the firstmandment could take such a hit without turning into a bloody mist.


    Lloyd''s anger red slightly, but after taking a few deep breaths in, he felt a little calmed despite his chest not having moved an inch, simply because he didn''t need to move his chest to breathe... Nor did he need to breathe at all.


    ''Do you ever wonder what would happen to a human body if we were to fill it with void mes? A question that science had not solved yet... How interesting.''


    "Hey! It''s not my fault the kid released so much killing intent! Get off me already!" The man roared, yet he could not budge from where he stood as he was being held down by both Roderick and Hime.


    "Are you okay?" Hime asked with real concern in her voice,pletely ignoring the man she was holding down.


    "Yeah, I''m fine." Lloyd replied, his eyes glued to the man.


    ''We should kill him.'' A monotonous and emotionless voice spoke in Lloyd''s head, yet for some reason, Lloyd felt as if the voice was simply hiding an unimaginable amount of rage behind it.


    ''No...''


    ''Why?'' it asked.


    Ignoring the voice, Lloyd stepped forward and quickly strolled past the white-haired and stood in front of an empty field of orange grass before raising the hand with a watch on it and muttering-


    "Open and expand."


    A small ball left Lloyd''s watch, and right before his eyes, it turned into a medium-sized tent, not nearly asrge as the others but good enough for him, or so they thought.


    Lloyd nced back at Hime, and with a fake smile, he spoke-


    "I''m fine, don''t worry."


    Before quickly entering and closing the curtain behind him.


    "Thank god I have loaded parents, this would have taken me years to afford." Lloyd thought as he walked through his tent, which now looked muchrger from the inside than the outside.


    Dimensional Engineering was one of the most up-anding jobs around the universe. A job limited to the very small portion of people who have any power over the affinity of space.


    The power to make the internal dimension exceed the external dimensions by creating a pocket dimension within the object. It is also the reason why the tent easily copsed into a sphere the size of a marble without any repercussions.


    The wonders of dimensional engineering were slowly lost throughout time as fewer and fewer individuals had the needed ss and affinity to fit the job of a dimensional engineer, and even when they did, at that time, they were considered more useful on the battlefield for their war-ending abilities capable of killing millions in an instant.


    Of course, this was not the case with Void Walkers, who, throughout the years, evolved to the point where dimensional and space abilities had be a gic third limb, or that was what the stories said anyway...


    No one really knew what happened since the only reliable sources of information were the texts and drawings of ancient civilizations that had been extinct for eons.


    All they knew was that the Void Walker race quickly rose to the top, discovering and creating one scientific wonder after the other, easily bing not only one of the most powerful races in the universe but singlehandedly revolutionizing the entirety of the universe.


    Looking around the room, Lloyd''s mind raced with calction and ideas.


    He could not understand the scientific marvel before his eyes, yet he did not care all that much.


    What caught his attention was how familiar the runes felt to him, alongside how cozy being inside a pocket dimension felt, yet he was quickly snapped out of his daze as a sharp pain reminded him why he ran away from what happened outside.


    The inside of the tent was huge. It was possibly 3 or 4 timesrger than his own room and about as big as his parent''s room, but it still felt like something from another universe.


    It had arge bed at the back, a dining area, a wardrobe just big enough to fit a hundred pairs of clothes, and much more, but despite wanting to divulge in whatever was in the room, he walked to one of the mirrors and looked into it.


    "I will have to rest a little to heal this wound." Lloyd whispered under his breath while lifting his shirt, yet his eyes widened in surprise when he looked at his abdomen.


    A faint light shone from the cracks that were there, and as the already partially sealed cracks faded faster than ever, Lloyd''s nk mind was quickly reced by three words.


    "What the f*ck?"


    [Author''s Note: I''ll be locking my chapters soon, so hold on to your fast passes as you might need them (Even though I would rmend using coins since that is the only way I could earn money from this novel, but it''s up to you.)


    Secondly, massive mass release on the 16th and the 27th of December, as well as the 1st of January. 5 Chapters will be updated on every one of those dates, so you''ll get and extra 12 chapters in total. I cannot promise that every single one of those chapters will be the same size as the current ones, but I will try to stick to over 1.2k words per mass release chapter.]

 Chapter 63 Eternal Autumn [5] - Elemental Runes

    Looking at the swiftly healing wound, Lloyd''s eyes narrowed slightly before he finally closed his eyes for what felt like the first time in forever.


    Searing pain coursed through his body for a moment, but after a few breaths to calm himself down, Lloyd closed his mind from the phantom pain and tried his best to focus on his surroundings as he had an inkling of what was happening.


    ''Focus...'' He thought, his worries, pains, and anxieties fading into the distance as his body and mind slowly became numb and limp.


    His memories began to slowly disassemble, each of his memories being thrown to the back of his mind, yet his brain activity was beginning to go off the charts for some reason.


    When his memories began to disassemble, so did his thoughts, yet instead of throwing them all into the back of his mind, he created a singlemand and ingrained it into his mind.


    Of course, he had no idea what he was doing; he was simply following his instincts. His mind followed a step-by-step procedure that almost felt natural to it, and when the rest of his thoughts finally disassembled, only two remained.


    ''Find the source.''


    [4-Dimensional Thought]


    When he opened his eyes, he didn''t see the expected mirror he was just facing. No, he saw a dark void. It felt familiar. Not the familiarity of him being close to its elements or anything, but the familiarity of having been there before.


    A dark voice filled with nebs, stars, and gxies in the distance. It was like the universe had beenid before him, but he was certain that what was before him was not his universe... No, it was not any universe he had ever seen before.


    The darkness of the abyss he was looking at was as dark as what one would see if they closed one eye and tried to see through the closed one. It was ck, yet it was empty and didn''t exist. It didn''t make sense, but Lloyd was used to such a thing by that point.


    Then it appeared.


    4 Runes, 3 of them being close in size while the fourth was 5 times as big as thergest one.


    They all seemed to revolve around therger rune, all three of them forming a triangle around thergest rune while emanating unique energies.


    While the biggest rune seemed like a single rune, [4-Dimensional Thought] allowed Lloyd to split it into three different sections, each one of them seemingly representing their own element beforebining to create something truly powerful. Something that came together to shine bright violet.


    The three runes that floated around therger rune all also had distinct colors.


    The ck one that shifted every now and then was thergest and most powerful out of the three. On the other hand, the orange one red every now and then as tremendous amounts of heat were released from it.


    It was less powerful than the ck rune, yet it felt more powerful as an offensive Element, while the ck one looked more powerful as a defensive element.


    Last and by far the least, the cyan-silverish one that crackled every now and then released the weakest energy as it was much smaller than the red rune,ing at about half the size.


    Looking back towards therge purple rune, Lloyd stretched out his hand and tried to grab it, and the moment his finger touched one of the rune''s lines, ash of white light blinded him before his vision and perspective returned to that of hisying on the ground while looking at the tent''s roof...


    But something was different.


    ''White... Maybe a little beige?'' Lloyd thought to himself as his eyes were glued upon a white, cloudy, beige energy that wafted through the room like the smoke from a scented candle.


    It didn''t move fast enough to alert Lloyd of danger, yet I did not move slow enough to make Lloyd feel a shiver go up his spine. It moved just quickly enough to keep Lloydpletely calm, yet somehow, that was terrifying in its own right.


    However, before Lloyd could move from where hey, he saw another stream of energye from his right, yet before he could react to the sudden intrusion of his private space, he watched as it entered thest remaining crack on his abdomen, causing a sharp pain to go through it before the wound finally sealed.


    He didn''t know why, but in that instant, he knew that one part of the purple rune had lit up.


    ''Dimensional engineering uses spacial runes, and since dimensional maniption is a sub-ability of spacial maniption, it only makes sense that one of the main elements that make the void rune is space.


    It fuels it, which is the reason why my wounds healed so quickly. My body must have drawn upon the space energy within this tent and used it the best way it knew how.'' Lloyd concluded while sitting up and looking around at the energies, yet when he did so, they slowly began to disappear as he lost his ability to see them, yet not his ability to feel them all around him.


    Without thinking twice, Lloyd crossed his legs and sat in the lotus position before closing his eyes. Of course, he could not help but flinch a little as the scene of his skin being scorched entered his mind, but he quickly shook his head and focused rather than remind himself of the past.


    Hours passed in the blink of an eye, and when Lloyd opened his eyes once more, they glowed extremely bright violet before slowly calming down and returning to their neutral color.


    ''Ipletely failed...'' Lloyd inwardly sighed while getting up from the floor. He loved the fact that he could sit on the ground for possibly days without getting a cramp or muscle pain, yet a part of him almost missed it.


    As Lloyd strolled to the front of his tent, he quickly thought back to everything he had done in his meditation.


    ''I got really lucky meeting Jack. Without him exining his technique, I would have never known how to move the energy. Yes, I failed to fully cultivate any of the spacial energy despite spending hours on it...'' Lloyd narrowed his eyes at realizing his words, but he still continued-


    ''But I learned how to circte mana through my voice body! That''s what matters, right?!''


    Mana channeling, cultivation, and cirction worked differently for most sses, unless the sses were inherently the same. While the more physical sses tend to cultivate in order to increase the strength and durability of their body, emitter sses like mages and sorcerers tend to cultivate in order to erge their mana pool.


    However, instead of doing what most other people would have done in his situation, he felt like he should put his efforts into something else...


    Clenching his fist and taking a ''breath'' in, Lloyd felt an energy enter his body, and before he could react to the sudden surge of mana within him, it was quickly absorbed into the orange rune before lighting it up.


    ''A form of fire cultivation. It uses the elemental particles around me to strengthen the fire rune, and since I can''t use cultivation breathing techniques, I just absorb the elements through the pores of my skin which is surprisingly more efficient than I would like to admit.'' Lloyd thought to himself while holding his chin.


    ''Of course, cultivation of different elements depends on many things like talent, environment and avable mana, concentration, andprehension of said element.


    If I want to cultivate as fast as possible, I need to study the element and cultivate in areas of high mana and heat since those are the areas where I will most likely find the most fire elemental particles to absorb.'' Lloyd concluded, and without skipping a beat, he left his room with his arms to his sides before slowly rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up.


    "Oh, you took your time. What were you doing in there, huh?" Veronica''s teasing tone entered his ears as cold breath tickled the back of his neck.


    However, instead of focusing on the vampire, that was a mere inch away from biting into his neck, he could not help but frown when looking up.


    "Its still dark?" Lloyd asked.


    "No. You just slept for a day." A pair of cold handsnded on his body as one caressed up to his neck while the other tried to tilt his head to the side.


    "That''s unlikely. I slept for about 8 hours, and it took about half the time for the sun to set. Not only that, but if I take into ount that this realm feels like an infinite autumn, the nights are going to be equal to or longer than the day." Lloyd muttered to himself for a moment, yet he was quickly snapped out of his daze with the cold breath returned stronger than ever while a pair of sharp fangs pushed upon his skin.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Without thinking twice, Lloyd enveloped himself in mes, an action that caused Veronica to quickly jump back a few steps.


    However, after putting her hand in the me, she swiftly understood that the fire was too weak to hurt her, but now that Lloyd was no longer standing in the same ce as before, she felt like the moment had passed.


    "Where are you going?" Veronica asked.


    Looking back at her, Lloyd''s brow raised for a moment, but he quickly answered with a question of his own.


    "Where are the rest of your group? And since when did you live here amongst everyone else. I''m pretty sure I saw your tent in thest location."


    "Well, I think they are all having a meeting in that big tent. Everyone except Felix. I shoved him into that tent." She pointed with her thumb at a small tent a few dozen meters away from the main group of tents.


    Of course, it was still within the mana field, so no monsters could get to it, but it was at the end of the mana field, meaning that if the mana field ever happened to go down, the person sleeping in that small tent would most likely be the person forced to deal with the first iing monsters.


    "We call it the thinking tent. Its where you sit for a few hours to think of your actions." She let out augh that would have pulled upon the heartstrings of whoever heard it.


    Looking at Veronica again, Lloyd could not help but appreciate how beautiful she looked without her red armor.


    She wore a  long ck dress, yet from the look of it, it seemed like she could turn it into battle-ready clothing in a matter of seconds through a little bit of mana to activate the runes that had been ingrained into the fabric.


    Her fashion seemed a little gothic, but that only served to add to her charm.


    "Cute dress, right? I look pretty good in it don''t I." She smirked and winked.


    "I wonder how it works. The craftmanship on it must be top-ss and must have taken forever. The ability to reconstruct a piece of fabric into somethingpletely different is an amazing use of runes." Lloyd replied, causing Veronica''s smile to freeze at his convincing acting.


    She could never know that he felt even the tiniest form of attraction towards her. That would definitely give her vampire pride a boost it did not need.


    Before she could say anything, Lloyd''s eyes looked like they had lightened up, and without saying another word, he turned around and strolled past all the tents before entering thergest one.


    Separating the curtains, Lloyds stepped in, yet due to his [Soundless Steps] passive, none of them seemed to acknowledge his existence.


    From what Lloyd could see, 5 people were sitting at the table as they all argued over each other, to the point where Lloyd couldn''t even pick out the words they were saying to piece together what was urring before him.


    The tent looked beautiful, yet it was clearly just a ce for them to eat and drink lots of beer after a long and hard day on the field.


    Lloyd could see that the inside was about twice asrge as the outside, and in all fairness, muchrger than his bedroom tent.


    Down the middle of the tenty a long table with 13 avable seats, the thirteenth one being at the end of the table and on the other side of where Lloyd sat.


    No one was sitting on it at that moment, yet Lloyd had a feeling that the act was more of a courtesy than a need, since there was no way that the two outside the tent were in any way, shape, or form capable of being leaders.


    *Cough Cough*


    Fake coughing, Lloyd waited a moment for them to hear him as he entered, yet even then, it seemed like they could not hear a single sounding out of his mouth


    *Cough, Cough!*


    Nothing...


    *COUGH COUGH*


    It was like he wasn''t even there. And so, he did the only logical thing he could do: raise his hand and point his finger right down the middle of the dining table.


    *Swoosh*


    *Boom*


    Without thinking twice, Lloyd shot a me bullet at the seat at the end of the table; despite not doing much damage, it was enough for it to not only knock the chair back but also somehow catch the attention of everyone at the table, causing silence to finally fall upon the tent.


    "Now I understand why Veronica doesn''t want to be in here..." Lloydmented, his eyes narrowed slightly as if he was looking down on the people within the tent as his [Monarch''s Aura] only amplified that stance.


    "You allin and scream at each other as if you are back in highschool."


    Silence...


    That''s all Lloyd heard at the moment, and even after he began to walk again, that''s all everyone else heard.


    He didn''t know if they were stupified, bbergasted, or confused, but it didn''t really matter to Lloyd.


    He was not about to watch the only group of people capable of getting him out of the dungeon break apart from one another and form distrust. Hell, he could even see Hime and Roderick, one of the most chill people he knows to date, shouting at two others without holding a single thing back.


    Walking to the ''front'' of the table where the slightlyrger chairy, Lloyd leaned down, grabbed the chair off the ground, and sat on it without skipping a single beat.


    [4-Dimensional Thought]


    Lloyd''s eyes hazed over while his aura red.


    At the same time, they all watched a serious expression wash over Lloyd''s neutral one while his voice became considerably more monotone, but not to the extent of when he bes Null.


    "So..." Lloyd spoke, his violet eyes piercing the room''s heavy tension.


    "What seems to be the problem here?"

 Chapter 64 Eternal Autumn [6] - Unworthy Leader

    "What seems to be the problem here?"


    The silence continued for a few more seconds, but before Lloyd would be forced to repeat his question, a man stood up from his chair and turned to Lloyd with a piercing gaze, yet Lloyd didn''t seem too bothered by it as he returned the gesture.


    The man was tall, being a little taller than Lloyd, sitting at 6ft 4 while Lloyd sat at solid 6ft 1.


    He had aqua-blue hair, and while the hair made him seem a little soft, his angr facial structure, followed by the scar running through his eye, made him look menacing in his own way.


    Like everyone else on the team, he wore a ck trench coat that reached his ankles, yet due to him being inside a tent rather than outside, where it was a bit colder, he left his jacket unzipped, showing the military uniform under it that looked almost identical to the one Roderick wore under his coat.


    "My name is L Raven, and I am the leader of this group, and I believe you are sitting in my seat." L spoke as his aura red slightly as if he was trying to show it off.


    Narrowing his eyes, he continued-


    "I don''t know who you think you are, barging into our meeting, using your ability in our presence, and taking control of our meeting, but I sure as hell will not be taking any of it." The man growled


    "You''re the leader?" Lloyd asked in an almost mocking tone that angered the man more.


    Lloyd was aware that the man could probably kill him with a single swipe of his palm, but Lloyd was also certain that it would nevere to that.


    He saw what happened to Felix, so if L hurt someone as weak as him for a reason that is so petty, he would most likely lose all support from his team.


    Not only that, but Lloyd was pretty sure that it wouldn''t be hard to rece him, as not only did they have Veronica, who was by far the strongest in the group, but they also had Hime, who, while being a little rash at times, had good battle senses and could very easily lead a battalion to victory.


    Lloyd could easily see the problem this group had, and while he might not have the ability to easily fix it, a trend that Lloyd has seen with most of his problems, he knew that he could find a temporary solution, one that had enough of a lifespan to hold out until they are released from the hell-hole they found themselves in.


    "Are you mocking me?" L asked, his voice deep and filled with hatred.


    "Since when did the army appoint such hot-headed and easily angered leaders?" Lloyd replied with his own question, yet it only seemed to anger the blue-haired man even more, causing a vein to bulge on his forehead.


    "I let you Void Walker-looking child into my camp, and you dare talk to me this way?" L seethed with rage; every single one of his words wasced with venom.


    "You say that you''re the one who let me into your camp, but from what I''ve seen from being here for less than a day, is that you aren''t really a leader in their eyes... No one respects you here, to the point they are more than willing to shout at you. Correct me if I''m wrong, but didn''t you have to raise your voice to be heard?" Lloyd spoke as he leaned back into a rxing position while a small smile crept up the corner of his lips.


    "You might be one of the stronger individuals in this group...


    But youck the confidence, aura, and rational decision-making of a leader..." Lloyd''s smile slowly disappeared as his voice became slightly more monotone while the air in the tent shifted.


    For a moment, the wind became still, and the room''s temperature plummeted.


    Lloyd''s words lingered in the air for a moment, and before the mood could be broken, a friendly, warm smile appeared on Lloyd''s face as he jumped out of his seat and patted L on his shoulder twice.


    "I''m kidding. Why so tense?" Lloyd asked in a cheery voice that felt like theplete opposite of his monotone one.


    "I''m just ying around. Of course, your team trusts you. A good leader is one capable of gaining the trust of his group, to the point where they would dly risk their lives because they know that the leader knows better than they do." Lloydughed and stood behind L before cing his hands on his shoulders and slowly pushing him toward the bigger chair.


    Standing behind L, Lloyd inwardly took pleasure at his confused face, yet without breaking character, Lloyd continued-


    ? "I''m certain the army picked you for a reason. It''s not like they would pick you for only your ss, family status, political power, and money, right?" Lloyd chuckled, even though he knew he was the only one who wasughing at the situation. Well, that''s if he didn''t count the vampire.


    Looking toward the two he hadn''t officially met yet, Lloyd''s smile slightly widened.


    The first one was a shy girl wearing round spectacles. Her bangs were long enough for her to hide behind, while her clothing and figure were mostly conservative.


    She had brown hair that reached her shoulders, and from the staff thaty next to her and the bag hung on her chair, Lloyd easily identified that she must be a mage of some kind, one that would require her to carry books around at all times.


    The reason she caught Lloyd''s attention first was mostly because she was the only one who shouted to stop the arguing rather than arguing a point of her own.


    However, the other one looked pretty normal. There was no real indication of his ss and personality other than the fact that he looked pretty athletic, but that was about it.


    The boy had spiky red hair and amber eyes. He probably had a fiery nature to him since that is what his affinity seems to lean to, but Lloyd felt ''fiery characters'' were things of fiction and didn''t really exist in real life.


    Looking around for a moment, Lloyd''s smile quivered slightly. He was enjoying this way too much, and he knew that.


    When he heard that L''sst name was Raven, he instantly thought of a hundred ways to take him down.


    ''L Raven... As in the Raven family who was in charge of the Raven academy. It also means that L has an affinity to shadows and a ss to support such an affinity.


    Since he became the leader of a group and clearly has no items like an assassin''s cloak, a dagger, a wand, a staff, or even gauntlets, it means that there is a high chance that his ss has to do with leading units or a ss that supports him in doing so.''


    "Stop spouting this nonsense! W-What are you trying to say?" Like a child that had just been caught stealing candy, L stuttered in anger while trying to somehow shift the me and attention to someone else.


    ''Think of me like Switzend. I simplyid the seeds of doubt in their minds. He''s the one who''s going to cultivate these doubts into a magnificent tree with his own actions. Just continue acting the fool and lets see how long you hold out.'' Lloyd took a step back.


    It was never a good idea to get on the bad side of someone''s 2mandments above you, but it was necessary for this situation.


    To rebuild something from the ground up, you must knock down whatever remains to create a structure with as few ws as possible.


    Building upon an already ruined tower is like building a castle out of a deck of cards. You''re basically asking to be blown over.


    "What''s wrong? Why does everyone seem down?" Lloyd asked with a voice that feigned genuine curiosity.


    However, instead of one of them speaking up, hesitation could still be seen written across their faces.


    "Hey, how about we have an anonymous vote? What do you think of Mr. Raven''s leadership so far? Think of all the things that make a leader andpliment him a little.


    Maybe we should make this a regr thing from now on. We all vote on certain key decisions, while the group''s leader votes on the decision made on the battlefield. That seems fair, correct?" Lloyd smiled.


    Everyone thought for a moment before they all silently nodded... Everyone except L, yet despite it seeming like he wanted to say something orsh out in rage, he surprisingly stayed quiet as he tightened his fist to the point where blood began to leak from where he pressed his fingernails into his palm.


    ''That won''t do.'' Lloyd thought coldly as he passed out several sheets of paper for everyone to write on.


    When they all looked down at their sheets of paper, Lloyd narrowed his eyes before grabbing a chair and sitting at the other end of the table.


    The moment Lloyd parted his lips, the room became eerily silent before his voice echoed throughout it, making every single one of them pause what they were about to write and look up from their papers with slightly perplexed expressions.


    "L, its cool to know what others think of you, but the real question is, what do you think of yourself as a leader?" Lloyd asked.


    Like a tantruming child, L was going to throw another fit, yet when he looked into Lloyd''s eyes, he could not help but feel his muscles rx beyond his will.


    [Void Gaze]<novelnext></novelnext>


    For a moment, the blue-haired man forgot why he was angry, yet as the room became darker and the atmosphere became calmer, memories of his past shed before him, causing his rage-filled heart to beat in a slow and peaceful rhythm.


    Of course, the man before Lloyd was in the secondmandment, so Lloyd couldn''t hold the [Void Gaze] for more than a moment, yet that was all he needed.


    "Do you think that you''re a suitable leader? You are responsible for every life currently living in this camp, so do you think you can lead us all. Do you believe everyone here should trust you with their lives? Do you think you can make the difficult decision that none of us can?" Lloyd asked.


    "You''re green behind your ears. What the hell would you know?" L replied, yet from the sound of his voice alone, they all knew he had lost some of his confidence.


    Even if he still remained the leader from here on out, L was certain that his influence over the group would be lower than ever before. He knew that he wasn''t cut out for the job... But what is he supposed to do? Say he couldn''t do it? He is a Raven; how could he take a step back on such a great opportunity?


    ''Do you believe everyone here should trust you with their lives?''


    That question echoed through his mind as he tried to formte an answer, yet even as he tried to defend himself, he knew that the answer to the question was no.


    However, on the outside, his silence was already enough of an answer.


    Without wasting any more time, they all wrote down their answers, and after a few seconds, Lloyd stood up from where he sat and collected the pieces of paper before shuffling them behind his back, so no one knew who wrote what.


    "I''ll read them out now."


    [L isn''t a good leader. He might be older than us, but he is rash and never thinks of his actions'' consequences.]


    [L''s leadership is weak at best. He tends to make a lot of mistakes, and he has a lot less experience than many of us. I believe that the only reason he is the leader is because of his family''s influence]


    [L is a good person if you get to know him, but I don''t think I can trust him with my life.]


    [L is immature and gets angry quickly. Maybe someone like Roderick or Hime would be a better fit as a leader since they have been in such positions before.]


    As Lloyd read out everything, he could see L slowly shrinking in his seat.


    He could only imagine L''s humiliation at the moment to find out that everyone in his group thought of him that way, but could he really me them?


    He knew that he shouldn''t have been chosen as the group''s leader, yet his pride as an individual with thest name Raven took over his personality.


    "I think they have said more than enough." Lloyd spoke as sympathy andpassion filled his voice.


    Lloyd knew what he was doing; hell, he had nned it the moment he sat on L''s chair.


    Everything from the cruel and cold act he initially put on to the overly friendly one quickly reced it. He knew that the change would seem off to everyone around him but more to L.


    It would throw him off and subtly make him feel no longer in control of the situation. Now that he wasn''t in control, as the leader of this group and a part of a prestigious family, he would try to get his power back through an explosion of emotion, and due to his history, it would most likely be aggression.


    And then, finally, Lloyd sat on the other side of the table and switched up again, yet instead of going back to his cold self, he knew that the most efficient way to end this strife would be with the use ofpassion, no matter how fake it was.


    Talking to his opponent on a deeper level would not only throw him off, but also allow him the chance to me himself or see the error of his ways. Sitting down and talking to him would also make L hate him less, making it less likely that he would suddenly decide to kill Lloyd without a moment''s thought.


    Looking to his left, Lloyd leaned onto the chair on the opposite end of L while looking Roderick and Hime in the eyes. Roderick''s eyes were filled with suspicion, while Hime''s felt slightly menacing.


    "W-We no longer have a leader..." The brown-haired girl stuttered.


    "True!" Lloyd pointed at her and shouted, making her slightly flinch at the dramatic volume increase.


    "Some of you also spoke about how others in the team would be better leaders, so why not have a vote. You can''t vote for me by the way." Lloyd chuckled at hisst remark, yet it only made everyone raise a brow.


    "Why not? You have shown great intelligence, why can''t we vote you?" Roderick asked.


    "Because, as L said, I''m green behind my ears. I know nothing of strategy, and I doubt you would be able to trust someone so much weaker than all of you as a leader. Of course, I can help from a logistic stand point by exining probabilities to you guys, but they already have you for that." Lloyd shrugged while most of the suspicion Roderick felt dissipated.


    "Veronica. Bring Felix here. We''re about to have a vote." Lloyd waved, causing Veronica to flinch from outside the tent''s curtains.


    "S-Sure." She stuttered before shooting into the distance to retrieve Felix.


    ''how the hell did he notice me?'' She asked herself. She had concealed her scent, mana signature, aura, and presence itself, so how could he know that she was there?


    Of course, Lloyd didn''t actually feel her presence, but he knew that she was strong enough to hide it from him. That, added to her personality, made it obvious that she was most likely listening in from behind the curtain without actually choosing to enter herself.


    When she returned with Felix struggling in her arm, Lloyd waved to her to sit down.


    "There are eight of us, but if you exclude me, there are seven. You can''t vote for yourself, and you can''t vote for me." Lloyd spoke while handing out sheets of paper he found in his storage. L''s eyes widened when he realized that he was allowed to vote since he was certain that Lloyd hated him and would find any way to stop him from voting.


    "We will be voting on a leader. A leader''s job is in the name. He is there to lead the group during battle, make tactical decisions on the fly, and get to make the final decision on most asions when the rest of the team can''te up with one. However, a vote will be held whenever someone demands one. Understood?" Lloyd asked, making everyone nod as they wrote down who they wanted as a leader.


    "I will not be sharing who voted for who; the name thing is just to make sure that you aren''t going to vote for yourself," Lloyd said while ncing at Felix, who was by far the most immature one in the group from what Lloyd had seen so far, L being a close second.


    ''Can''t believe these guys are part of the army. Makes them look a little pathetic, to be honest.'' Lloyd sighed, but he quickly remembered that everyone who acted so immature was most likely from big families that would have gotten respect outside the battlefield.


    After the vote was finally cast, Lloyd looked through all of them and could not help but raise a brow.


    ''Felix voted for L?'' He inwardly chuckled before continuing-


    ''Roderick and Hime voted for each other, L voted for Hime, Veronica voted for Roderick, the girl named Tina voted for Veronica, and that hot-headed guy named Rex voted for Hime.'' Lloyd thought.


    "I''ll tell you the votes from least to most. Veronica and L both have one vote. Roderick has two votes, while Hime has three. Hime is now the leader of our group." Lloyd announced before ncing at her.


    "Do you have anything to say?" Lloyd asked, and Hime nodded.


    Standing up, she walked to where Lloyd was and looked down at the table before saying a few words of gratitude while giving a few promises that she would make sure to keep.


    At the end of her speech, she said something that made everyone tense up a little, and that was-


    "We will start moving at sunrise. The goal is to find the boss of this dungeon and defeat it before the dungeon can spill out onto thes it opened on. Is that understood?"


    "Yes, ma''am!" Everyone shouted at the same time.


    [Author''s note: Sorry, this chapter is a little longer than usual; I wanted to get the voting thing done within this chapter. Hope you enjoyed it. I would appreciate the use of your golden tickets on my novel, as well as power stones, since they are super helpful in growing this novel.


    Also, what do you guys think of me making a discord server? Tell me your thoughts in thements. Thank you for reading!]

 Chapter 65 Eternal Autumn [7]

    As everyone began to leave the tent, Lloyd felt a tug on his shoulder that caused him to look back.


    "Roderick? What''s wrong?" Lloyd asked.


    "Me and Hime need to speak to you." He whispered before pulling Lloyd back into the tent and waiting for everyone else to leave.


    After a while, Roderick and Hime couldn''t sense anyone around the tent, yet knowing Veronica, they looked at Lloyd in order to confirm if anyone was listening in or not.


    "Why are you looking at me like that?" Lloyd asked while pressing his temples.


    [4-Dimensional Thought] had just ended, so when they pulled him back in, Lloyd could not help but grunt as the need for sleep tried to overwhelm his sense of thought.


    "Is Veronica listening in?" Roderick couldn''t believe he was asking the question since it was pretty obvious what they were thinking about. From what they had seen, Lloyd was the only one capable of sensing Veronica.


    "How am I supposed to know?" Lloyd asked, his headache getting worse and worse by the minute.


    "You sensed her before..." Roderick replied with a deadpan expression.


    "No, I didn''t. I just assumed that she was listening in. She seemed quite snoopy." Lloyd shrugged.


    "She doesn''t seem to be around, but it doesn''t really matter if she hears us or not." Hime shrugged.


    "Alright, we are just going to start then. We only have one question so it won''t take much of your time."


    "Get to the point then." Lloyd sneered.


    "Why did you do that?" This time, it was Hime talking instead of Roderick; however, while it seemed like an interrogation from Lloyd''s point of view, Lloyd also recognized that he should be careful since his brain wasn''t working the way it should.


    "I assume you''re asking why I lead a revolution against your old leader, and the answer is simple.


    I want to survive. I want to get out of here alive rather than being spilled out with the rest of the dungeon. That guy had no idea what he was doing and would have most likely led us to our deaths, so I chose to impeach him. Are you done now? I really need to sleep."


    "Didn''t you just wake up?" Roderick asked, yet Hime was more focused on what Lloyd was saying, yet when she saw Lloyd getting up, she quickly spouted out what was on her mind.


    "Can we trust you?" She asked, her eyes analyzing every fiber of Lloyd''s being despite her inability to see through his skin and see him for who he truly was.


    "What a stupid question." Lloyd sneered while rubbing his temples to soften the horrible headache that was beginning to reach unbearable levels.


    It had never been like this before, and Lloyd had no idea how he shouldbat it.


    Pain killers? Normal ones wouldn''t work. Maybe mana potions would work, yet even then, Lloyd knew so little about his own anatomy that he had no idea what would work on him and what wouldn''t.


    ''I guess there is a first time for everything.'' Lloyd sighed before continuing from what he hadst said.


    "I can just lie, and you would have no idea. Even if you can''t trust me, give me one reason why I would hurt your group, and then if you find one, give me a scenario where I, a half-step firstmandment, can hurt a group of secondmandments without instantly dying a horrible death." Lloyd snarled before walking out of his tent.


    Hime and Roderick looked at each other for a moment, yet before they could begin conversing, Lloyd entered the tent again and interrupted-


    "Y''all have mana potions for headaches?" Lloyd asked.


    "Yeah, we have pain killers over there if you want the-" Hime couldn''t even finish her sentence, and Lloyd immediately ran over to the box she was pointing at, rummaged through it, and picked up a bottle with a red liquid in it with thebel [Pain Killers].


    Without even thanking them, Lloyd left again, this time for good, and went straight to his tent to drink the ss bottle and immediately go to sleep.


    ***


    Hours had passed, and by the time Lloyd had awakened from his sleep, the sun was beaming through the gaps in his curtain and into his eyes, not that it he felt anything from it. It didn''t even wake him up, and the only thing that made him squint was the fact that he still had human instincts he could not get rid of.


    As Lloyd got out of bed, he quickly looked at himself in the mirror before pausing to admire his body for a moment, the same way bodybuilders would flex in the gym.


    He was wearing nothing but underwear, which only added to his muscr definition.


    While Lloyd didn''t look anything close to a bodybuilder, his body was defined enough to make most people''s jaws drop while also being inauspicious to the point where it didn''t show through clothing that didn''t cling to his very skin.


    "My muscle definition has definitely grown, but my height remains the same... And my weight... My weight?" Lloyd muttered to himself while jumping a few times, yet despite doing so, he felt as light as a feather.


    On the other hand, he could probably try to calcte how much he weighs from the sound of his jumps if he activated [4-Dimensional Thought], but after the headache, he got thest time he used it, he chose that it was probably for the best if he didn''t use it for such trivial tasks.


    ''Thinking back, I have been using it for pretty stupid things...'' Lloyd thought as the image of him sitting in front of a tv and answering, "Who wants to be a trillionaire?" questions before the presenter could even say them.


    Of course, he would love to go on the show, but they actively stop anyone with a mind-amplifying ability from joining. The other reason was simply that Lloyd didn''t want to put himself in the public eye even more than he already did.


    It was it enough of a pain in the ass for him to go out as a masked adventurer named Null but to use his real identity to catch attention? That would be too much.


    Walking past the mirror, Lloyd picked up his pants from the floor and quickly wore them before walking up to the dining table and taking his shirt and jacket off one of the chairs.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After wearing his ck shirt, as well as his ck and purple jacket, he walked out of his tent with his hands inside his pants pockets.


    "I swear to god, sometimes I feel like its about to snow, then I look up and realize that the clouds are fake." A semi-masculine voiceined, making Lloyd look towards it before looking away just as fast.


    "Stop looking up like that, Felix. Knowing you, you''ll probably snap your neck trying to look that far up." Veronica sneered.


    "Shut up, b*tch! Just because you are the hottest one in this group doesn''t give you the right to insult us, you hear me?!" Felix shouted.


    "Us? What are you talking about? I was insulting you." She grinned, yet before they could continue their bickering, Roderick walked in between them before reaching Hime, standing on a rock to get the higher ground.


    Lloyd was certain that there was no need for the rock since her stature alone allowed her to look over most people in the group, yet he wasn''t one toin about things that didn''t matter... Or at least he didn''t do it openly.


    "We''ll be leaving in 15 minutes. Make sure that you all have everything with you, including your tents." She nced at Lloyd, who immediately took the hint and deactivated his tent, turning it into a small marble that slowly floated towards his hand before being stored within his dimensional storage.


    Hime continued to speak about a few more things, like the importance of hydration during the trip and how everyone should stay on alert at all times, even if the sun is out.


    She said a few more things, but Lloyd wasn''t really listening anymore since he was more intrigued by something else.


    ''The first element out here is pretty weak.'' Lloyd thought to himself as he concentrated on absorbing some of the fire element into his elemental rune.


    ''And it won''t rain any time soon either, so there are barely any lightning particles, even less than the fire elemental particles. And to add insult to injury,


    I feel weaker than I did at night because of my shadow sustenance passive ability, and now that it''s the day, I can''t even spend any of my time cultivating my shadow element, since I can cultivate it 10 times faster at night.'' Lloyd sighed.


    15 minutes seemed to have passed in the blink of an eye, yet Lloyd did not bother speaking to anyone and instead simply watched from the sideline while trying to figure out how to use the void element to cultivate.


    ''Maybe if I was next to a spacial tear, it would be a lot easier to cultivate it or at least understand it, yet since we are so far away, I don''t really see a point in catching everyone''s attention by asking such a weird favor.''


    "Alright. Veronica, time to take off the shield. Make sure to keep it with you at all times, okay?" Himemanded Veronica the same way a mother wouldmand her child. It was aedic sight, but everyone moved on from it as the group entered the forest.


    Everyone followed Hime and Roderick for half an hour, yet after realizing that the most likely oue of this day would beplete silence, Lloyd finally spoke up.


    "How do we know that we are going in the correct direction? Its not the dungeon carved arrowed into the ground to point us in the right direction." Lloyd asked.


    "Well, the closer we get, the more monsters we will meet. While the main reason we aren''t moving at night is due to the fact that it can get quite dangerous, it also bes a little hard to distinguish whether or not we encountered more or less monsters. In the day however, the monsters are so little that the smallest increase is noticable." Rex, to everyone''s surprise, exined before Roderick could.


    "Well, what would you ssify as an increase, because the other day I got attacked by a colony of rabbits." Lloyd asked.


    "We haven''t seen rabbits yet, have we?" L, despite losing a lot of his courage and pride over thest day or so, asked, yet while doing so, he made sure to keep his head down and not make eye contact with anyone, as if he was too ashamed to even look anyone in the eye.


    "I-I d-don''t think s-so," Tina replied, making everyone raise a brow again at the fact that Tina even tried speaking.


    "Colony? How many are we speaking? 5 to 10? Maybe even 20?"


    "Hundreds..." Lloyd grimaced.


    "Hundreds?" Veronica asked while her brows knitted in suspicion.


    "Well, the exins the state we found you in." Roderick chuckled while Hime smiled.


    "Ugh. Anyway, since the sun ising from here... Then it must have been..." Lloyd paused for a moment.


    "That way." Hime pointed before Lloyd could, yet it didn''t bother him much anyway, mainly because it was Hime and no one else.


    Being the first beastkin Lloyd had ever met, he felt closer to her than anyone else in the group, which was one of the reasons why he was happy when Hime was chosen instead of Roderick.


    As the group walked, the atmosphere reached new heights. They were at peace despite being in the middle of a most likely blood-drenched forest. It was a contrast that would have made most artists drool. Beauty in the belly of the beast.


    Yet, there was one known fact that every living creature in the universe knew.


    Beauty is never permanent


    And the beast has yet to awaken...


    ***


    "My liege... The humans and the Void Walker are on the move again. Would you like us to intercept them?" A pale man with ck circles around his sunken eyes asked while looking up, his deep red eyes shining like a pair of tiny stars within the darkness of the pce.


    "No... Where is the fun in that? Let theme to me. Let them see a ray of hope, so when theye to face me, I can watch that slither of hope turn to dust before their very eyes." A cruel and wicked grin stretched across the creature''s face... A smile so sinister that it made the servant shiver to its very soul.


    [King of the Eternal Autumn]


    [Ahimoth - The Conquerer of World]

 Chapter 66 Sunrise To Sunset [1]

    It had been 3 hours since the group had first departed, and despite there being a few small fries on the way that weren''t even worth Lloyd''s attention, there was nothing but trees and skies to look at.


    "I believe I see it." Hime announced while looking into the distance from the top of one of the trees she had chosen to climb.


    "Its pretty scorched, so I think it would be a little hard to miss." Roderick chuckled.


    They continued to walk toward where Lloyd had fought the rabbits, and while Hime and Roderick already knew what the scene looked like, the rest were frozen in surprise, unable to believe that a half-step firstmandment could create so much destruction on their own.


    "Nature sure does heal quickly." Lloyd muttered to himself, yet those with heightened hearing heard his words and looked at the charred forest before them.


    "Oh? I don''t think this is nature''s doing. I believe that the dungeon heals over time. Give this a week, and it will look exactly the same as the first time you saw it." Roderick exined while touching a patch of fresh grass that seemed to have been spared despite the scorcheds all around it.


    "Does that mean that, in a week or less, monsters are ''respawned''?" Lloyd asked.


    "Maybe. I don''t know yet, but if we think about it the same way we feel about permanent dungeons, monsters aren''t bred; they are spawned. While it doesn''t happen much in temporary dungeons, it''s not impossible."


    Roderick exined.


    "Squeak."


    "Huh? Oh, look, it''s a rabbit." Felix muttered before his hand broke a sound barrier and reached the rabbit in the blink of an eye.


    "What are you doing?" Veronica asked while holding Felix''s hand an inch away from the rabbit, who was still looking at Felix''s iing hand with its curious big ck eyes.


    "Well, the kid said he had to fight them, right? It was clearly going to lure me in with its cuteness before chomping down on my head." Felix defended himself while the rest of the group, including L, face-palmed.


    "No. From the fact that they aren''t releasing an ounce of killing intent, they are most likely a monster that only attacks you when you attack it, and thinking back to what Lloyd said, attacking one would also anger the entire colony, which would force us into killing them." Veronica exined before reaching out her hand and petting the orange-furred rabbit.


    When Veronica tried to pull her hand away, the rabbit moved closer to her and rubbed its head onto her hand as if it was asking for more pats.


    A red glint passed through Veronica''s eye, a glint that no one other than Lloyd seemed to notice.


    Narrowing his eyes, Lloyd was going to say something, yet before he could, he watched a beautiful smile stretch across her face as she held the rabbit in her arms and squealed like a little girl.


    "It''s so cute!~" She screeched while Lloyd only felt a little weirded out by her sudden change, but he guessed that animals could do that to a person.


    "Can I keep it?~" Veronica asked.


    "Sure, why not?" Roderick answered while scratching the back of his.


    "No. We have bigger things to worry about than a pet rabbit." Hime sneered while ncing at Roderick while embarrassingly shrugging.


    The group continued walking for a few more hours while tracing the direction that all the rabbits hade from when Lloyd had fought them by looking at broken twigs, branches, and even footprints.


    However, doing so turned out to be much harder than it seemed simply because the dungeon was still healing, meaning many of the footprints had disappeared, or at least the ones that were feint.


    "You sure did a number on this area. What kind of spell did you release to do this much devastation?" Rex asked with a hint of excitement in his voice that sent a chill down Lloyd''s spine.


    "It looks like he used a fire spell. From the wounds seen on the trees, the scorched marks left behind, and the pattern of burns, Lloyd most likely used a flurry of fire bullet spells. However, such a spell would take an extremely high amount of mana to do without a magical artifact to use a middle-man.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Maybe a staff? No... Or it''s a magical book with the runes and enchantments written within it to take the toll of the mind and put it on his mana instead, allowing him to focus on making the spell more efficient rather than having to analyze it. But that wouldn''t make sense, either. Lloyd isn''t a mage. He is a... Mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter..."


    The group looked at Tina for a moment before shrugging. Everyone but Lloyd who was perplexed by what he was seeing. The once shy girl was now muttering her theories and ideas out loud without a care for the world.


    ''Is this the same girl that would squirm every time someone would look her in they eyes?'' Lloyd asked himself with an agape mouth.


    "Don''t worry. She does that sometimes." Rex chuckled.


    "Really? She must have some passion in learning the arts of mana and everything about it." Lloyd replied, still feeling a little awkward after seeing Tina in that state.


    "Yeah. I feel jealous of her drive to gain knowledge whenever I look at her." Rex sighed.


    "Don''t you have any passions?" Lloyd asked with a tilt of his head, yet he only received a chuckle from Rex.


    "I do. Hey, I probably have the most ambitions in the entire group... I work out every single day and push my body to its brink so it can fix itself by the next day and be stronger than ever.


    I work on my martial arts, meditation, and control of emotion, yet in all of those, I''m either not as good as someone else on the team, or I am the best at it but can''t match the same drive Tina shows for her interests." He exined.


    ''He likes her...'' Lloyd immediately concluded. He knew that expression... After all, he had seen it in the past whenever he could look in the mirror.


    It was the expression of someone who was so in love with another that they would do anything to catch their attention or gain their love.


    A gloomy expression passed through Lloyd''s face before it immediately went back to normal before Rex or anyone else could see it.


    All good memoriese to an end, and Lloyd could remember the precise date when that memory ended since it was the start of a new memory with a new family and a new group of people who cared about him much more than thest group did.


    Hours passed, and everyone talked idly. While the number of monsters had seemed to increase ever since meeting with the first rabbit, the increase wasn''t as big as they hoped, which either meant that they were very far from where the boss was, or that they were walking diagonally rather than moving in a straight line towards the boss area.


    This meant that the trip would take much longer, and at the same time, the chances ofpletely missing the boss were also very high.


    "Hm?" The hairs at the back of Lloyd''s neck stood up while a feeling weird feeling welled up inside of him.


    ''We''re being followed.'' Lloyd concluded, yet as he tried to turn around to see what was following them, he felt a hand on his shoulder before he realized the group had gone silent.


    "What are they?" Felix asked.


    "I don''t recognize their footsteps or smell since I''ve never encountered them before, but if I concentrate, I can smell a faint whiff of berries and blood." Hime exined.


    "Silent footsteps. Small body. Camouges well with the surroundings and doesn''t seem to be hostile against us..." Lloyd muttered with volume that allowed everyone just about to hear him, yet instead of telling them what they were, a smirk appeared on Lloyd''s face as he walked in front of Rex, disappearing from the monster''s line of sight.


    [Presence Concealment]


    Lloyd remained quiet, something he couldn''t have done without [Soundless Steps].


    As he stared from one of the branches he stood on, he couldn''t help but smile slightly when the creature became clear to him.


    ''As expected... Foxes.''

 Chapter 67 Sunrise To Sunset [2]

    Landing beside Rex and deactivating his ability, Lloyd spoke-


    "They are foxes. They probably just want to steal our shit, and they aren''t that strong either. There are only three of them, and since foxes don''t work in packs, their attacks won''t be coordinated in any way, shape, or form." Lloyd exined.


    "You shouldn''t have gone without asking me first. That could have been dangerous." Hime spoke with a hint of anger in her voice.


    "It''s fine. I''m confident in my abilities of going unnoticed by a few foxes." Lloyd shrugged.


    "That is not the problem here. I am responsible for everyone here, so you cannot go and do things as you please, is that understood?" Hime asked, yet this time, she sounded truly angry.


    "Yes. Sorry." Lloyd replied.


    "Veronica. Can you kill them all within a three second gap?" Hime asked.


    "Yeah. Just say the word, and they''ll be dead." Veronica shrugged.


    The group continued to walk for a few more minutes, and just as Veronica began to get agitated, Hime muttered the words she had been waiting for.


    "Now..."


    *Snap*


    As the snap of Veronica''s fingers echoed throughout the forest, Lloyd''s eyes widened in shock as he watched one of the fox''s head erge before exploding into a thousand pieces, sttering blood and gore to everyone around it before the rest of its body dropped to the groundpletely limp.


    "Now, run!" Hime shouted, and without a second thought, they all began running at speeds that Lloyd could barely keep up with.


    A few minutes passed before they all finally stopped running, and before anyone could say anything, Felix asked the question on most of their minds.


    "Why did we run?"


    "Because of the blood, dumbass." Veronica sneered


    "Then why did you kill them in such a spectacr fashion?" Lloyd questioned with a tilt of his head.


    "Because that''s what Hime wanted. We are going to observe for a bit to see where the most monsters areing from, and then we will go in that direction until sunset." Veronica exined.


    After that, everything happened as Hime nned. Monsters began to run towards the smell of blood while the group did nothing but watch from the top of the trees.


    However, instead of watching like everyone else, Lloyd''s interest in the monsters peaked, causing him to open his camera search app and take snapshots of the monsters.


    "I think these monsters arepletely unique to this dungeon. There have only been sights of the rabbits and foxes before, and that was simply an evolutionary thing that urred in most autumn-like environments." Lloyd muttered to himself.


    Everyone around him could not help but think of the irony of the situation, as he was the only person to feel weirded out when Tina started muttering, yet he was doing the same thing and didn''t even know it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Looking down, Lloyd took note of the owl-like white-feathered creature that flew right under them with an eerie silence that made it terrifying in its own right.


    That,bined with its looks, made it look like something straight out of nightmares.


    The owl had two branches seeminglying out of its head and pointing upwards, a bit like the antlers of a moose.


    "It can conceal its presence despite being so big. But it doesn''t make sense for it to have white feathers." Lloyd muttered while jotting down notes around the image of the owl.


    This carried on for a while before Hime and Roderick found the best direction to go in since it was also the estimated direction with the most monsters.


    Hours passed again, and before they knew it, the sunset was almost upon them.


    "We have about two to three hours before the sun fully sets, so let''s walk for another hour before trying to find a clearing where we can set our tents down." Hime ordered, but before they could start walking again, a faint rustle entered their ears.


    ''It''s not the owl since it wouldn''t make that much noise, and it most likely isn''t a fox either since they tend to stay away from us rather thane closer.


    The only reason those three even tried attacking us in the first ce was due to their excruciating hunger. Hell, I could see it in their eyes. It was almost terrifying.'' Lloyd thought while getting into a fighting stance and taking his katana out of his dimensional storage.


    However, when Lloyd saw what hade from behind the tree, he could not help but freeze for a moment.


    ''What the hell is that?!'' Lloyd inwardly screamed while Tina didn''t waste another second, instantly creating a fireball and shooting it at the creature.


    Yet, when the fireball closed in on the creature, its eyes glowed orange for a moment before it seemed to dissipate instantly, turning into nothing but embers before entering the creature''s mouth.


    However, just when everyone was about to attack the creature simultaneously, they felt like something was different.


    "We''re surrounded!" Roderick shouted while Hime told everyone to stand towards the center of the encirclement while keeping an eye on any iing monsters.


    The creature was both beautiful and horrendous in its own way. It had the head and ears of a wolf, yet it had enormous antlersing out of the top of its head, yet they were slightly different from the ones the owl had.


    Instead of going straight up, they slowly bent back to the point where it would be impossible for a grown human tofortably ride it.


    They had a wooden texture to them, followed by several spikes that slowly gotrger andrge as they ran up the antler.


    The same could be said about the back of their necks, as they seemed to have extremely sharp wooden branches sticking out of their mane while getting smaller and smaller as they moved down their spinal cord.


    While its face was that of a wolf, the rest of its body was a mixture between a horse and deer, followed by a long tail with brown feathers sticking out it, as if it was a giant fan capable of pping to death anything that got close to it.


    While the feathers were brown and orange, the rest of its fur deviated between the color white and a green mixed with grey.


    Of course, only Lloyd and Veronica could fully see the creature while Hime struggled to see all of it, but a single nce was enough to tell all three of them that the creature was dangerous.

 Chapter 68 Sunrise To Sunset [3]

    "Roderick, cover me." Veronica muttered before disappearing from where she stood and appearing above one of the creatures in the blink of an eye.


    She held a ck and red de in her hands, and without wasting another second, she sliced down at the creature.


    However, just before her de could cleave through its neck, Veronica''s sword was quickly stopped as the creature used its antlers to block the attack.


    Veronica''s eyes widened slightly, but with a smirk on her face, she used her sword to spin around mid-air before throwing herself and her sword to the side, allowing her tond on a nearby branch.


    Holding her giant de to the side, her eyes glowed a deep red before he body blurred, and within an instant, she was in front of the creature again as he weapon shed with its antlers.


    *BOOM*


    The shockwave was so powerful that despite being several dozen meters away, Lloyd felt like he was about to lose his bnce and fall due to the gust of wind that hit him like a speeding truck.


    The creature was sent flying, shooting through several trees before mming into one of the bigger ones and failing to break through it. However, unlike the tree behind it that was almost unscathed, the same could not be said for the creature''s antlers.


    Yet, before Veronica could go for the finishing blow, she sensed another creature closing on her.


    At least, that was the case for a couple of seconds, as the moment the creature had gotten within a 10-meter distance of Veronica, it felt something sharp go through its eye-hole before everything became ck.


    "Thanks." She thanked before plunging her de into the creature she was fighting.


    "No problem." Roderick replied before finding someone else to support.


    Everyone seemed to be doing well against the creatures that attacked them, to the point where most of them didn''t have to use their abilities.


    On the other hand, while Lloyd would have loved to find out what kind of ability L had to make him the leader of such a capable group, he had his own problems to deal with.


    After all, he was the only person struggling and actively losing against the monster that attacked him, and the creature seemed to know that since it had a wolfish and greedy smile on its face.


    ''It''s the weakest in its pack, so it probably would have run away if it weren''t for me being here. Clearly, it''s trying to get something out of this whole ordeal, and that thing is most likely my head.'' Lloyd inwardlyined while holding the creature back with his katana, yet he still felt himself being pushed back.


    ''Damnit! This thing is way too strong!'' Lloyd inwardly cried out in pain.


    The creature seemed to be getting frustrated since it could not break through Lloyd''s defense, and while it looked like it was about to give up, it suddenly stepped back before opening its mouth.


    A green and ck mist came out of its mouth and quickly engulfed Lloyd, and while he had no idea what it was, he could feel his strength leaving his body as the mist slowly seeped into his pores.


    Or, that''s what the creature thought at first.


    Lloyd could not have been more grateful for his Void Walker anatomy than at that moment, and without wasting another second, he shed toward the creature with everything he had.


    However, despite being extremely close to the creature, it was much faster than him in, no matter how you looked at it.


    In a split second, the creature had already moved several meters away from Lloyd, and the only thing that Lloyd could do was watch in shock as it disappeared from sight.


    Once the creature had gone, Lloyd copsed to the ground,pletely exhausted from the fight.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Are you okay?" Hime asked with narrowed eyes as she looked away from the two creatures she was manhandling from their antlers.


    "Yeah," Lloyd replied, but the creature appeared again, yet now it was at his right rather than being in front of him.


    "Damnit!" Lloyd roared while swinging his de toward it out of anger, but the moment he did it, he knew that it should be the biggest mistake he had made during the battle.


    The de missed, and the creature retaliated with a ck beam of energy that hit Lloyd in the chest, sending him flying a few meters away and onto the ground.


    He knew the rest of the group was too preupied to help him, so instead of asking for help, he stood up again and pointed his de toward the creature before covering himself in shadows.


    [Shadow Enhancment]


    As the shadows shrouded his body, Lloyd felt a current of euphoria moving through his body like a pool of cold water spilling onto his body after a long day of training.


    The shadows were enhancing his strength and agility, and while it was not enough to make him a top-tier fighter, it was enough to challenge or, at the very least, allow him to defend against the creature in front of him.


    And challenge it he did.


    The fightsted for several minutes, and while Lloyd couldnd several hits on the creature, they were not enough to take it down.


    ''Peak firstmandment. This is doable... I think. F*ck! If only I could use my void walker abilities! They worked wonders thest time I found myself against an enemy of this scale.'' Lloyd grimaced while thinking of the mosquito queen who he beat by using [Aspect of Void] against her.


    However, he was quickly snapped back to reality as he barely pushed the creature back before jumping a few meters away from it.


    However, despite trying to move away from it, the monster did not budge on its goal of killing Lloyd, since the instant it saw him trying to create space between them, it shot forward with all the speed it could muster, shooting past Roderick and Felix and reaching a distance of barely a meter away from its target.


    But before it could strike down its opponent, it felt something deep within it scream at it to run...


    Every hair on its body stood up and told it to move away, yet such a thing was nearly impossible due to its gained momentum.


    [me Control]


    A hint of orange shed within Lloyd''s eyes, while [Monarch''s Aura] intertwined with Lloyd''s killing intent to release an explosion of pressure that made everything freeze for a moment.


    Lloyd''s concentration was at its max despite not using [4-Dimensional Thought], while the world around him suddenly slowed down to a crawl.


    The orange rune suddenly began glowing brightly, and before the creatures could find a way to move out of the way, Lloyd had other ns.


    Mana moved through Lloyd''s arm before blue and orange mes began to spill out of his palm.


    Simultaneously, one word echoed through Lloyd''s mind, and that word war-


    [Incinerate]

 Chapter 69 Sunrise To Sunset [4]

    [Incinerate]


    *Fwoosh*


    *BOOM*


    A tsunami of blue and orange mes left Lloyds palm and enveloped the creature before, yet for an instant, everyone saw those very mes dim, bing pitch ck before returning to their previous color.


    Due to Lloyd''s killing intent exploding out in every direction within a split second, it could not fully avoid being hurt as it was a few seconds toote in activating its ability to absorb the mes.


    However, while it might have been hurt by the mes, especially when they had suddenly be ck and several times stronger and more ferocious, in the end, Lloyd was nothing but a half-step firstmandment with very little true fighting experience, as well as minimal training from experienced fighters.


    His father never had time to train him since he was always in the military until recently, while even though his mother could have taught him instead since many would have considered her just as strong as her husband, she was thoroughly against the idea of Lloyd learning how to fight an early age.


    And all those past decisions came down to this moment, where Lloyd was fighting against a berserk beast that, despite being injured, would do everything to kill him.


    ''Shi-'' Lloyd couldn''t even finish the thought as he was instantly rammed by the creature, and in what felt like the time between one blink and another, Lloyd had flown past Hime and Veronica, both of which paused to watch the scene of Lloyd smashing through trees before hitting a particrly sturdy one and losing consciousness.


    ***


    *Smack Smack*


    Opening his eyes again, Lloyd squinted out of instinct after looking up at a light that beamed into his eyes.


    Thest thing he remembered was a tsunami of pain all over his body before everything turned to ck, yet now when he opened his eyes, he could not help but feel extremely energized, to the point where he felt like he could run a hundredps around his city without breaking a sweat.


    However, before he could delve deeper into his fantasies of running an awakened marathon, he was snapped back to reality by the stinging pain that was the reason for his waking up. A stinging pain that radiated from his cheeks and nowhere else.


    "Hey, Hime! I think the hes awake." A melodious and soothing voice entered Lloyd''s ears, and despite the rash use of words, Lloyd felt like his body was going into a tranquil state.


    Just when he was going to close his eyes again and fall into a deep slumber, the face of an angel entered his line of view, making a smile reflexively stretch across his face while his eyes zed over.


    "Angel? Am I in heaven?" Lloyd asked with a euphoric smile on his face.


    "No... You''re in my tent, and I need you out in the next 30 minutes or so." Despite the voice remaining the same, Lloyd''s expression immediately morphed into a grimace.


    "Oh... Its only you." Lloyd sighed as his voice changed from one at peace to one that had been hardened by the infinite trials of war.


    "Why do you sound disappointed..." A vein bulged on Veronica''s forehead while her words wereced with anger.


    How could he switch up that quickly? Did he not find her attractive? Nonsense. Everyone in the world found her attractive. She had thousands of suitors!


    "I expected an angel, yet I found myself looking into the eyes of the devil''s incarnate." Lloyd sneered while Veronica''s patience dwindled.


    "Get out." She muttered, yet despite Lloyd''s wanting to argue a little more, he knew that saying any more would aggravate Veronica enough to hit him.


    ''I''d rather not die.'' Lloyd thought to himself before getting up and leaving the tent with his coat in his hand.


    "As Lloyd left Veronica''s tent, he bumped against a figure that caused his head to bounce while allowing him to look up and look into the eyes of the person he had just run into.


    ''Exins the bounce.'' he thought before smiling.


    "Hey, Hime. What''s up?" Lloyd asked.


    "You''ve been unconscious for hours, yet you seempletely fine." She narrowed her eyes.


    "I''m running on adrenaline. The first thing I saw when I awoke was Veronica''s face, so try to imagine the scare I got when her blood-red eyes locked with mine. I still get chills when I think of how she was about to stick her fangs into my neck." Lloyd replied while shuddering.


    "Oh really?" Hime asked.


    "Yeah."<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Then how about you exin the cracks in your skin." Hime''s eyes shed with a hint of red as she analyzed Lloyd''s bodynguage to look for even the briefest hints of lying.


    However, instead of lying, gaslighting, or changing the subject like Hime expected, Lloyd did theplete opposite.


    "Miss... Everyone has their secrets." Lloyd''s voice was monotone, and his aura hadpletely changed. At the same time, his eyes were hollow and empty, as if there was no soul behind those eyes that stared directly into her soul.


    "Even you do... However, the difference between the two of us isn''t just our secrets, but its the fact that one of us chooses to mind their own business, while the other is choosing to snoop." Lloyd spoke, his eyes never breaking contact with Hime''s, yet at the same time, it felt like he wasn''t even looking into her eyes but into something beyond it...


    Hime''s face scrunched up in an expression she would not have been capable of recognizing if she had looked into a mirror.


    "Oh, well. Let''s keep this as our little secret, alright?" Lloyd smiled, his emotionless persona disappearing as easy and as fast as the flick of a switch, a characteristic of his that sent a shiver down Hime''s.


    As Lloyd began to leave, Hime called out-


    "Oh. Uhm, there is a tent meeting in an hour. Please be there." She asked with a noticeable shudder in her voice that even she recognized as she spoke.


    "Sure... I''ll be there," Lloyd replied before waving at her and leaving to set up his tent; however, despite both of them seeming mostly collected on the outside, they were both inwardly screaming the same thing.


    ''What the f*ck was that!?''


    ***


    An hour passed in what felt like a blink of an eye as Lloyd found himself opening his eyes once again after having them closed for the past hour as the sound of an rm rang in his ear.


    He had been meditating for the past hour, trying his hardest to find a way to absorb the space element into his purple rune, yet no matter what he did, the only way that seemed to work was by injuring himself, something he was not particrly keen in doing especially after realizing how low his pain tolerance waspared to others he knew.


    ''You''d think I would develop a bigger tolerance to pain after almost dying, almost dying again, dying, being scorched alive, and being beaten up by different monsters, but apparently not.'' Lloyd thought before the image of purple runes infesting his skin and scorching him alive sent a shiver down his spine.


    "I should get going. I''d rather not have Hime shout at me again. That was terrifying." Lloyd muttered to himself with a grimacing expression, but after thinking for a moment, he could not help but recall what happened thest time he had talked to her.


    ''It was as if I had suddenly activated [4-Dimensional Thought], but even then, it felt a lot more intense than thest time I did it. And what the hell did I mean when I said that I knew her secret?


    I sounded so convincing I even convinced myself that she had a secret that I knew, but now when I try to think of what it was, I just get a headache...'' Lloyd scratched his head before shrugging.


    "Oh well. That''s a problem for tomorrow''s Lloyd. Today, I have to get through that meeting of theirs without going to sleep." Lloyd chuckled while grabbing his jacket and wearing it on the way out.


    It took him less than a minute to walk to therger tent in the middle of the camp, and since he hadn''t taken any time to appreciate his surroundings, he took this one-minute walk to see everything around their camp.


    ''I can''t see any traces of our previous battle, so we must be a couple hundred meters away from thest location, or possibly more... The ce seems nice, but we are at the top of a hill, which is both an advantage and a disadvantage.


    While being on top of a hill makes it easier to see any iing enemies thate out of the forest around us, it also targets us, not allowing us to blend in with the trees, not that the giant dome around our camp helped with that in any way.'' Lloyd thought before snapping out of his trance when he found himself in front of the tent.


    Several voices could be heard behind the tent, and Lloyd was certain they most likely didn''t sense himing.


    Not wanting to snoop outside for too long just to get caught, Lloyd parted the curtain and entered the tent as a wave of warmth spilled onto his body.


    However, the following words he would exchange with the group would not fill him with the same warmth.


    "Oh good, you''re finally here." Roderick let out an awkward smile before continuing-


    "Alright, let''s get this over and done with. After watching your battle yesterday, we all took a vote and kind of realized that you are very bad at fighting, yet since you are going to be in our group for god knows how long, we took another vote and came to a decision...


    Each and everyone one of us will be training you in different aspects of fighting to ensure that your chances of survival are as high as possible while ensuring that you won''t be a burden on us.


    Is that understood?" Roderick asked at the end with a smile that slightly agitated Lloyd, but from how everyone looked at him, Roderick''s question only had one real answer.


    "Yes... Sir..."

 Chapter 70 Autumn Training [1] - Environmental Awareness

    Standing across from a white-haired man. Lloyd could not help but sigh when thinking of what had led up to this.


    ***


    "Now that he''s agreed, can I be the one to show him his schedule?" Veronica asked with a sweet smile that hid the cruel one she wanted to show.


    "No." Roderick rolled his eyes.


    "Pretty please?" She begged.


    "No..." Roderick sneered.


    "With a cherry on top?" Veronica asked again, yet this time she had gotten ufortably close to Roderick, to the point where he could feel her breath tickle the back of his ear.


    "Goddamnit, fine! Go ahead." Roderick shouted with a faint blush on his cheeks, making Hime face-palm and everyone else, except Lloyd and Felix, chuckle.


    Lloyd felt slightly surprised that L hadughed despite how depressed he had been over thest day or so, but he threw that thought to the back of his mind the moment he saw the schedule they had in ce for him.


    "I thought that a day in this dungeon only had 32 hours." Felix raised a brow, yet when he saw his name on the schedule, he was overridden with rage.


    "I know that a day-night cycle in this dungeon consists of 32 hours of the night and 18 hours of day, but do we really have to use every second of it to train?" Lloyd asked, yet he was not the only one withints.


    No one other than Hime, Roderick, and apparently Veronica had seen the schedule, causing many of them to widen their eyes in surprise, while one seemed to have the most toin about.


    "There is no way in hell I''m going to train this walker-looking brat." Felix roared.


    "There will be no discussion when ites to this schedule. It has already been made with the thought of Lloyd being behind us in themandment; therefore, we will need to train him harder than he had ever been trained before." Hime exined.


    "Can''t someone else train him?!" Felix shouted.


    "No. Since your racial abilities and your gic dysfunction have forced you to hone your senses and instincts past anything any of us could reach, you would be the best person to teach him that." Hime exined before looking at the schedule again.


    "The training regiment is split into seven different six-hour regiments. Felix will start Lloyd off first by training him to hone his instincts, reflexes, and awareness for 6 hours before the training is passed on to me, who will teach him the art of beast fighting." Hime read aloud, yet thest part of her sentence made even Roderick raise a brow.


    "You said you would teach him how to fight against beasts. Are you sure you want to teach him your races martial art?" He asked.


    "Its fine." She waved Roderick''s concerns off before continuing-


    "Rex will teach him human martial arts and the basics of fighting, L will train him in using his shadow abilities, Veronica will teach him whatever she thinks is necessary at the time." A huge smile appeared on her face, causing a shiver to go down Lloyd''s spine.


    "Finally, Tina will teach him elemental magics, cultivation, and ways to improve his use of his elemental abilities. This will spill over into the day, where Roderick will take over and teach him about scenario strategies and basic probabilities." Hime finished exining before looking Lloyd in the eye and smiling.


    "Good luck."


    ***


    Feeling agitated when remembering Hime''s smile, Lloyd folded his arms and waited for Felix to stop sulking and actually begin training him.


    Little did he know, the training had already begun.


    *Swoosh*


    ? "Huh." An audible sound came out of Lloyd''s mouth before the hairs at the back of his neck stood up.


    Without a second''s thought, Lloyd raised his arm to block the attack that he had assumed wasing from his right based on the sound of the wind being parted, yet he found himself quickly corrected.


    "Just because it sounds like I''ming from your right-" A voice entered Lloyd''s right ear.


    "Doesn''t mean that I am actually there." Lloyd''s eyes widened in disbelief as the sound now came from his left, yet before he could react in time to the attack he knew wasing, a foot entered his line of sight before smashing into his face and sending him several meters away before regaining his bnce.


    Felixnded gracefully with a deep frown etched on his face before sneering at Lloyd.


    "You are much worse than I thought you were. No wonder you lost against that elk-looking monster from before." He sneered again.


    "It was an entiremandment above me." Lloyd argued with a tone ofint in his voice, yet Felix was having none of it.


    "Yes, it might have been an entiremandment above you, but is that really a reason to have lost so badly against it?" Felix spat.


    "Yes... Also, I put up a pretty good fight if I say so-" Yet before Lloyd could finish his sentence, he watched Felix''s body flicker for a moment beforepletely disappearing from sight.


    However, just a momentter, Lloyd felt a foot m into his back, sending him a couple of meters away before, but instead of allowing Lloyd to regain his bnce, this time Felix appeared above Lloyd and mmed his foot onto Lloyd''s back once again, consequently smashing Lloyd into the ground as Felix stood above him with one foot on his back.


    "Yes, you are pretty strong for someone who hasn''t reached the firstmandment yet, but do you really think that you are the first person to have reached the power and skill that you show?


    You were born lucky to have such a powerful awakening, but other than that, you are pretty weak." Felix sneered before taking his foot off Lloyd''s back and mming it into his side, shooting him across the grass field.


    "But despite your luck with awakening, you are still plenty weak. I''ve seen people with pseudo-mythic sses at the same stage of cultivation as you, capable of defeating Peak Topaz stage Second Commandments with ease."


    "Yet you seem to have two different affinities, a plethora of abilities with some being more versatile than others, two parents in the military who are both Generals, more than one passive, an aura that can send a shiver down every firstmandment''s spines, yet you are incapable of measuring to even a fraction of their power."


    Lloyd felt Felix''s powerful re fixate on him, yet instead of cowering like most at his stage would have, he stood up and looked into Felix''s eyes with a pair of unblinking violet eyes filled with scrutiny and sparks of rage.


    ''If I could use my Void Walker abilties in front of you guys, you wouldn''t even be standing here.'' Lloyd thought before closing his eyes and calming the rageful storm that was brewing within him.


    *Swoosh*


    Yet before he could do that, he felt Felix''s foot smash into his chin, giving him an uppercut so powerful that his feet left the ground and levitated multiple meters of it for several seconds.


    "If that wasn''t enough, despite clearly having wielded a sword for your whole life, you don''t have a single shred of environmental awareness." Felix spoke as he appeared at Lloyd''s side before mming his foot into where Lloyd''s liver would have been if he was not a void walker.


    Nevertheless, Lloyd was sent straight into the ground, kicking up a dust cloud sorge that it was nearly impossible to see him embedded in the ground with arge crater surrounding him.


    Barely getting up from where hey, Lloyd touched the area he had been kicked in just to find cracks spreading out from it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    While gritting his teeth, Lloyd contemted using [4-Dimensional Thought], but after recalling the headache he had suffered thest time he used it, the fact that he still had 6 sessions left, and the fact that this was training, not fighting, he shook his head and tried to ovee the problem using his natural intelligence rather than his ability.


    ''I could figure out his attack pattern, but that isn''t the point of this training... I need to form my instincts and create an environmental awareness capable of allowing me to sense attacks and react within an instant.''


    However, despite Lloyd''s thought process, he could not help but see a pattern in Felix''s attacks, and it was the fact that he purely used on his legs to attack.


    ''Feels like a form of taekwondo, maybe? It''s as if he took a martial art that mainly used his legs and adapted it to his speed.'' Lloyd thought to himself before looking Felix up and down through the smoke.


    ''No... What am I thinking.'' Lloyd face-palmed, yet the image of Felix''s veins moving around and morphing into blood-red runes remained in his mind.


    However, before he could shake off the memory, something else helped him do so as a speed foot shot through the dust cloud and mmed into Lloyd''s face, hitting him across the field once again.


    This one-sided beating continued for three more hours, and just when Lloyd was about to use his mes out of anger and frustration at the fact that he was struggling to even touch Felix, let alone hit him, Felix suddenly stopped in his ce beforending gracefully.


    "Alright. Now that I''ve released most of my frustrations, let''s get to the actual training." Felix stretched with a wry smile on his face.


    ''This bastard...'' A twisted expression appeared on Lloyd''s face, but he was quickly able to hide most of it... Well, everything except the vein that was bulging from his forehead.


    "Sit down right here." Felix pointed at a spot in the field of mostly destroyed orange grass before flickering and appearing almost 10 meters away.


    Lloyd did as he was told, but for some reason, he felt like he would regret doing so. As if his future selves were shouting at him to not start this journey since it would only end in an endless misery of painful training.


    Before Lloyd could react to the sudden gust of wind that hit his face, he saw something cover his eyes.


    "What is this?" Lloyd asked with a weirdly calm voice.


    "A blindfold." Felix answered simply.


    "Why?" Lloyd knitted his brows.


    "It''s part of the training. Don''t worry about it too much." Felix spoke normally, but Lloyd could not help but feel like there was arge smile on his face, one that stretched from ear to ear.


    "The way I trained my senses was simple. There are three stages to this training.


    The first stage of your training will train 3 of your 5 basic senses. Sound, smell, and touch. By blindfolding you, I''ve robbed you of the sense that you rely on most and force your body to enhance every other sense.


    The second stage of your training will force your body into allowing you to sense mana, and the third stage will force your body to rely on your very soul to sense other people''s auras.


    I know that mana and aura sound the same, but they are fundamentally different, especially when ites to sensing things. Think of them as both being either your right hand or left hand. Assuming your right handed, mana sense is your right hand. You were born with it, and instinctually throughout the first few years of your life, you found yourself using it more often until you''ve mastered doing everything with it.


    Aura sense, on the other hand, is your left arm. You were also born with it, but for some reason, it has always been the weaker arm. Of course, you can train it so it can reach the same stage as the right arm, but your right arm will always be the superior one in everything you do."


    "..."


    "What?" Felix asked after seeing Lloyd''s agape mouth.


    "That''s a surprisingly good analogy." Lloyd replied.


    "Suprisingly?" Felix raised a brow before a frown appeared on his face.


    "Are you calling me stupid?"


    "Well, I always assumed that you were the least intelligent person in this team."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Anyway..." Felix smiled while a shudder went down Lloyd''s spine, and within the same instant, he understood why.


    *thud*


    A small thud could be heard as a pebble-sized rock smacked onto Lloyd''s forehead with enough power to make his head lean back.


    "Let your training begin."


    ***


    "Are you sure you want to have him trained?" A voice echoed within a room with two figures sitting down at a small round table. Rather than sit across from the woman, the male with ck hair sat beside her, so that they didn''t have to look each other in the eyes, but to where they could both turn 45 degrees to do so.


    "Yes..." The woman replied with a one-word answer, yet her cat-like ears twitched for a moment, making the man narrowed his eyes.


    "There is a chance that he might be one of them. He has all the characteristics of one, the only thing left for us to see is his race''s energy and abilities. Are you really willing to strengthen a monster like that?" Roderick asked.


    "The chances are extremely are extremely thin. You know how unlikely it is for one of them to pass all the scanning devices... Hell, after the war, the united government put so many scanning devices that they probably don''t know where half of them are if they aren''t activated. They literally cannot awaken without being caught." Hime exined before continuing.


    "And you said it yourself. He is the child of two generals. Humans can''t give birth to void walkers, and if he was reced or turned into a void walker, I doubt that two generals wouldn''t be capable of seeing past a measly half-step firstmandment''s swapping game."


    "You saw the cracks."


    "I did, and they don''t mean much. Several Mythic and Celestial sses are capable ofpletely changing someone''s anatomy. You know that better than anyone here, and you''ve seen how it can mess with someone''s head.


    To not be epted by their own race, nor the race they had transformed into." Hime red at Roderick, making him seal his mouth for a few minutes.


    The sound of metal and ss ttering as they both ate their food in silence echoed throughout the tent, yet before Hime could finish her food and return the te to the dining hall tent, Roderick spoke up once more.


    "And what if he is a void walker... What if, in a life-and-death battle, he is forced to show his true colors and uses his void walker abilities. What then?" Roderick questioned while ncing at Hime, who was on her way to leave the tent.


    Pausing, he turned just enough to side-nce and look into Roderick''s eyes.


    "Then, and only then, will I kill him myself."

 Chapter 71 Autumn Training [2] - Beast Fighting

    The torture Felix called training continued for 3 more hours, and despite knowing the training wasing to an end, Lloyd felt like there was no end in sight.


    "Felix. I think that is enough for today, don''t you think?" Hime asked while winking at Lloyd, who could not help but simply smile towards her with genuine gratitude written all over his face. Of course, with the blindfold still being over his


    Lloyd''s body was covered in cracks, yet at that point, everyone on the team knew about Lloyd''s weird anatomy. They had seen it before when he was fighting against the monster, so they would not have been surprised to see it again after his training with Felix, where everyone had assumed that Lloyd would have gotten his ass beaten by him due to their past encounters.


    With a sneer, Felix turned around and went straight to his tent without saying another word.


    "So, are you going to train me now?" Lloyd asked while trying to get up, yet the instant he moved from where hey, he felt an excruciating jolt of pain shot through his body, forcing him to drop to the ground and grit his teeth.


    "Oh... Looks like he did quite a number on you." Hime chuckled while crouching to Lloyd''s level and taking his blindfold off, and with the grace of a mother caring for her child, she swooped out a potion from within her spacial storage and began to pour it into a spoon before putting it into Lloyd''s mouth.


    "Oh god, that tastes horrible." Lloyd cried out after gulping the liquid down.


    "Stopining. Drink this and you''ll feel better." Hime exined and put another spoonful of the potion into Lloyd''s mouth before he could find the time toin.


    This continued for a few minutes, and whenever someone from the group left their tents, they would chuckle before going on to do whatever they were thinking of doing before leaving.


    While Lloyd felt a little embarrassed by the situation, he quickly epted it since he had no other choice.


    After a few minutes, however, he began to feel more energized, while the cracks all over his body began to heal while the pain subsided slowly, allowing Lloyd to finally think straight.


    "Thanks. I owe you one." Lloyd smiled while getting up from where he sat.


    "Don''t thank me just yet." She smiled before also standing up and turning around.


    "You''re going to teach me beast fighting, correct?" Lloyd asked while recalling what she had said when she had been announcing all the training he would do.


    Now that Lloyd felt energized again, he felt as if he could do anything, and now that Hime was before him, ready to teach him her race''s basic martial art, he was more than willing to learn.


    "Us beast-kin are slightly different from you humans. We might seem the same structurally, but if you were to dissect the body of a beast-kin, depending on what kind of beast-kin you dissect, the difference in our bodies would be like night and day." She exined while Lloyd simply stayed in the same ce, waiting for her to finish.


    "While I don''t know much about the fishfolk, the reptilians, or the birdfolk, I know just enough to tell you that every one of us is different in our own ways.


    Birdfolk have lighter bones, reptilians are cold-blooded creatures who usually have scales and long tongues, fishfolk have gills, and we mammals have a higher bone density than most, warm blood, fur, or hair, and a higher muscle density than the rest of those.


    However, even within every category of beast-kin, some of us have different heritages, but we''re not here to talk about that.


    Today, I will teach you the basic martial arts used by most, if not all, mammalfolk." Hime exined while Lloyd simply nodded, trying to absorb most of the information he had just been given.


    "Most humans have horrible flexibility, and while half of that isn''t your fault, I''ve seen humans who have been capable of training themselves so they could be as flexible as some of us mammalfolk."


    "Wait, aren''t humans also beastkin... Or at least mammalfolk? We''re basically just upgraded monkeys." Lloyd questioned.


    "Well, that would have been the case, but the unified council said that humans, elves, and dwarves all havemon ancestors," Hime exined, yet this time Lloyd couldn''t help but feel as if there was a hint of loathing in her voice, yet instead of being a nosy bastard, he stayed quiet and continued to listen.


    Hime''s exnation continued for a while, and by the end of it, she had given Lloyd a few exercises to increase the flexibility of his joints. Of course, Lloyd didn''t have joints, nor did he know how his body even worked without the existence of his muscles or bones, but instead of questioning everything about his body, he simply excepted to do the exercises as told.


    Afterpleting the set of exercises he knew he would be doing every day until he left the dungeon, Lloyd jumped back a few meters and got into a fighting position.


    "What are you doing?" She asked.


    "Uhm... Getting ready for the training?" Lloyd tilted his head.


    "I''m teaching a martial art, not beating it into you. Well, that partester anyway, so you don''t have to worry about it for now." Hime smiled, yet for some reason, Lloyd could not help but feel even more unsettled by her words.


    "Basic beast fighting martial arts is what you humans describe as ''brutish,'' but it gets the job done. It is quick and swift in doing what it needs to do, and it bnces attack and defense quite nicely." She exined before smiling.


    "Now, while I could fight one of the beasts outside this dome, its probably better if I give you a first-hand experience on how deadly it can me." her smile grew slightly, yet instead of the psychotic smile that Veronica usually had on whenever she was around Lloyd, this one felt like the smile of a mother.


    Calming and soothing, yet for some reason, it felt like it was purely being used to set Lloyd up to gain a sense of security around her.


    "I thought you said you wouldn''t beat it into me."


    "I won''t be. Don''t worry, I''ll be gentle."


    ''That''s what he said.'' Lloyd inwardly sighed before getting into a battle stance and covering his hands in shadows.


    [Shadow w]


    Hime raised a brow at this since it was the first time she had seen him use it, yet before she could think about it anymore, the sound of the wind being parted entered her ears before a figure shrouded in shadows appeared in front of her with their ws extended towards her face.


    With a smirk now on her face, Hime twisted her waist while leaning back,pletely avoiding Lloyd''s attack.


    However, instead of jumping away like most would have in such a vulnerable position, a strange glint shone within her eyes as her arm swung at lightning speed, mming into Lloyd''s stomach and shooting him across the field of grass.


    *BOOM*


    Having taken advantage of the split second where Lloyd had be vulnerable after shooting out an attack, Hime''s victory in that exchange had be inevitable, yet in a split second, before her fist had connected with his stomach, Lloyd had used all the brain power avable to move the shadows covering his body onto the area she had attacked.


    "I thought... you said... you weren''t going to hit me too hard." Lloyd grunted while sliding down the barrier around their camp.


    "Oops. Just attack me again, I swear I won''t fight back this time." She rubbed the back of her head with a slightly embarrassed expression that only served to piss off Lloyd even more.


    However, since she was the one training him, he sucked it up and shot towards her again despite the small amounts of pain coursing through his body, most likely due to the cracks that were spreading from his abdomen.


    *Swoosh*


    Attacking again, this time Lloyd analyzed his every move alongside Hime,s and after watching her step to the side without much effort, he quickly shifted his step before switching position and attacking straight towards her face with his left hand rather than his right.


    And just like he had expected, she leaned back quite far, allowing her to avoid his attack once again.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Lloyd wasn''t stupid, of course. From what he had seen, read, and learned over the past years about beast fighting, he felt as if beast fighting wasn''t the right kind of fighting for him, and therefore wanted to show that through his fight with Hime rather than have her train him for a long time just for him to not use it.


    While Hime was quite brief about the mammal beast fighting style, it was not like it was the first time Lloyd had seen it. Countless beast-kinpete in tournaments with other allied races in the universe, and it was inevitable that someone would analyze their martial arts.


    Of course, one would need something like the third eye of wisdom to analyze some of the more advanced techniques of the thirdmandment and above, but everything below that was self-exnatory.


    The mammal''s beast-fighting techniques relied upon the person''s instincts to a certain extent. It allowed the user of the techniques to go on fighting for much longer than they usually would when injured while also being a martial art that encourages sacrificing limbs and being wounded to achieve an end result.


    In a way, the technique almost makes them into berserkers despite not having the ability to grow stronger the more angry or injured they are. However, everyone who analyzed the techniques gave credit where credit is due...


    The martial art did its purpose, and it was more than effective in doing so if someone didn''t mind losing a limb or two.


    Yet, Lloyd, despite not wanting to lose limbs or be injured during battles in the first ce, his problem of not bleeding had a lot more dire consequences.


    *Crackle*


    Dispersing the shadows over his left hand, Lloyd revealed his hand that was covered in mes.


    ''I''m at an angle that makes it close to impossible for her to kick me before the attacknds, and from how she''s bent herself back like that, I''m assuming that it would be difficult to move out of the way.'' Lloyd thought before releasing the mes he had stored under his [Shadow w].


    *BOOM*


    Her entire upper half had beenpletely covered in mes flickering between orange and blue, but before Lloyd could celebrate, he saw something yellow flicker below the mes and-


    *Swoosh*


    Without skipping a beat, Hime''s head suddenly shot out of the mes before it swooshed past his hand and suddenly appeared before his face.


    ''Sh*t''


    Before Lloyd knew it, Hime''s glowing amber-yellow eyes had reached too close forfort before the back of his head mmed into the ground.


    He could see the ground beginning to crack while a clear crater appeared before a shockwave shot out of where they both stood, sending a gust of wind in all directions and making most of the group leave their tents to watch the exchange if they hadn''t been doing that already.


    The hit felt like it had rattled his brain in ways he could not imagine, but after gritting his teeth and digging his nails into his palms, Lloyd barely avoided losing consciousness.


    "Whoops. I think I went too far." Hime spoke with panic in her voice.


    "He''s probably cked out now that you hit him so hard. Give him a potion or two, and he''ll wake up in a few hours." Roderick sighed, yet before he could walk up to Lloyd''s unmoving body, he felt something...


    They all did.


    "Oooo! Killing intent!" Veronica pped with excitement before munching down on her handful of popcorn.


    *Bang*


    *Swoosh*


    At a speed that none of them had seen Lloyd produce, a hand covered in shadows shot out of the ground and aimed straight for Hime''s neck, yet before he could reach her, she had avoided it by a hair''s breadth.


    ''He scratched me?'' Hime thought while touching her wound, and despite there being no blood, she knew that the attack had hit her, yet that was the least of her worries.


    The shadows quickly disappeared before Lloyd''s ming hand reced them.


    ''That trick again?'' Hime thought and chose to take the attack head-on the same way she had done before. The mes were too weak to heat anything beyond the surface of her skin, so why should she care?


    *BOOM*


    However, this time, the mes shot out with double the power, and the explosive power alone would have been capable of shooting most firstmandments across a football field. However, before Hime, that me explosion was no more than a gust of warm air, and that''s all it was supposed to be.


    *Swoosh*


    Using the momentum of the explosion, Lloyd, carried it through his leg, allowing him to shoot off the ground before spinning andnding a ming foot shrouded in shadows into her cheek at Mach 2.


    "I have to say..." Hime''s voice echoed throughout the camp, yet unlike the usual stone-cold voice she had, or the motherly one she would portray in front of certain people, this one was different, in a way that sent a chill down the spine of most.


    Seeing that his kick had only moved her head a few inches, Lloyd grit his teeth and retracted his killing intent before trying his best to move as far away as possible without being caught by her, yet it was far toote for that.


    ''I should have known that the killing intent trick wouldn''t work. She''s a soldier, not some kid who''s green behind their ears.'' Lloyd thought while pulling his foot away, but he quickly knew that it was impossible.


    Hime''s iron-d grip held onto Lloyd''s ankle tightly, making it hard for him to even move an inch, yet before he could find the beast''s course of action since using mes would be a waste of mana, he felt himself being risen into the air.


    ''Oh sh*t, she going to throw me to the ground.'' Lloyd began to panic, but before he knew it, his vision stretched and blurred as his body descended at speeds it shouldn''t.


    [Shadow Movement]


    However, instead of mming into the ground and losing consciousness, Lloyd sank into his shadow.


    *Swoosh*


    Appearing behind her, Lloyd shed his katana toward Hime, yet in what felt like the blink of an eye, his de was caught between her upper and lower teeth, and despite the seemingly weak grip it would have had if it was anyone else, Lloyd could not budge the de even an inch despite trying his best.


    Suddenly, Lloyd felt a cold half on his face, and just as his eyes caught the bronze-tinged hand over the right side of his face, he quickly found himself being mmed into the dirt with half his face being embedded in it.


    "I know what you were doing, so this should teach you a lesson, right?" Hime smiled while crouching down to Lloyd''s level.


    "The mammalfolk''s fighting style isn''t about getting hurt when you fight. It is about not having to use your brain for every single move you do. It is about letting your instincts take over while keeping enough of an emotional bnce that allows you to keep your sanity..."


    "It''s about being able to make rational decisions without nning every single possibility in your head, and that''s one of the many skills youck." Hime exined before yfully flicking Lloyd''s face as he slowly lost consciousness.

 Chapter 72 Autumn Training [3] - Part Of You

    Lloyd had awoken a few hourster, yet even though he felt like sh*t, Hime did not spare him a second nce before taking him back to the field and beginning his training again, this time without beating the absolute crap out off him.


    She continued to tell him the advantages that mammalfolk have over humans, such as muscle and bone density, as well as better vision depending on the species, and better instincts.


    The goal of her training was to teach Lloyd how to fight like a monster without truly bing one. The power to bnce his animalistic instincts with his humane mind, allows him to strategize and use certain techniques without having to truly think about it.


    It reminded Lloyd of a form character in a still ongoing anime from the 1990s where a man would shout a lot and change the color of his hair a lot. All in all, what Hime described was a more animalistic version of ultra instinct, but if he told her that, he felt it would have ended well for him.


    After Hime''s long and tiring session, Lloyd was given a few minutes to rest while slowly being nursed by Hime the same way she had nursed him after he took the beating from Felix.


    After Hime left, Rex seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, literally flickering into existence right in front of Lloyd, yet even though most would have been surprised by his sudden appearance, Lloyd had a feeling that he was going to do something like that.


    "Yo..." Lloyd waved before taking a few steps back since they were way too close to one another.


    "Oh... Yo..." Rex replied, feeling a little awkward at the fact that his intimidation tactic didn''t work.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Anyway, I''m going to train your body, teach you how to unleash and control your spiritual aura, while also teaching you a few human martial arts." Rex announced before putting both his fists had his side in a martial arts pose that Lloyd had seen in both anime and real life.


    "Spiritual aura? Surprisingly, I''ve literally never heard of it."


    "Well, let me exin. Auras are split into two categories. Mana auras and spiritual aura."


    "Okay..."


    "While mana aura is the visual manifestation of your mana pool and affinity, spiritual auras are the visual representation of your soul and your will."


    "What about killing intent then?" Lloyd asked.


    "Killing intent and bloodlust are both parts of someone''s spiritual aura. It is the reason why killing intent strengthens as someone ages, improves mentally and spiritually, and even when someone goes through either mental or physical trauma.


    That is why those who go through more battles are more likely to have a power aura and presence. It is also why some 4thmandments can drop an entire legion to their knees with their killing intent alone, while other 4thmandments can barely intimidate someone of a lowermandment without using their mana aura."


    "Okay, but I still don''t understand why you are trying to teach me about spiritual aura. Most people don''t know about it, but they are fine. Its more of a natural thing, right?" Lloyd asked with narrowed eyes.


    "I''m not teaching you about spiritual aura for the sake of it; I am teaching you about it so you can control it." Rex smiled while Lloyd simply shrugged.


    Despite Lloyd''s initial suspicion, his 6 hours of training with Rex felt like 2 as, for once, since havinge to this hell hole, he actually began enjoying what he was doing.


    Lloyd had always been fascinated by martial arts since both of his parents had been martial arts masters yet, for reasons he could not understand, had always refused to teach him anything other than his father''s sword style.


    This meant that he would have had to read about martial arts from the inte, and since he''s never truly had a master to train him, this was one of the first times in his life where he actually enjoyed being taught by someone rather than learning everything all by himself.


    Rex, seeing that Lloyd had an affinity for some of the martial arts he knew, chose to start by teaching them to him rather than going straight into the deep stuff.


    Martial arts include Tactical Taekwando, Celestial Kung Fu, Baguazhang, and Boxing.


    While the first half of those were simply martial arts that had been adapted to the use of mana and the exceeding capabilities of the human body after their awakening, the second half was martial arts that had very little change over the years.


    Of course, the changes to the human body made it nearly impossible for martial arts to remain the same, but despite such arge change in the anatomy of those who use martial arts, the basics remainedpletely the same.


    While on the one hand, boxing was and has always been one of the key core martial arts whenpeting in mixed martial arts battles, Baguazhang was one of the martial arts that actually improved in strength after mana awakened onto the human race.


    Due to the use of palms rather than fists and knuckles, it quickly became one of the key martial arts for defense, while also exceeding in the attack section, especially when the user of the martial artist knows how to control their mana and has a talent with their elemental affinity since thebination of the two can create powerful techniques.


    "Alright. You know the basics for now. You don''t really have time to practice it, but I am certain that you''ll get the hang of it by tomorrow." Rex smiled and gave Lloyd a big thumbs-up.


    "I still don''t understand why Hime didn''t just split up the training regiment into days rather than hours." Lloyd sighed before copsing onto the ground. Rex had chosen to finish 30 minutes early to allow Lloyd to breathe without worrying about being punched in the gut.


    "What do you mean?" Rex asked with a tilt of his head.


    "Wouldn''t it make more sense to make it day-to-day rather than into 6 hours segments? There are 7 of you guys. It could have easily been split into the days of the week without forcing all of you to train me every single day. Also, I would have longer breaks.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Therefore I would also have longer to think about your teachings and practice in the days between without having to run into our moving time..."


    "Now that you say it like that... It does seem kind of stupid." Rex scratched his head while chuckling awkwardly.


    "Oh well." Lloyd shrugged before closing his eyes and entering a state of meditation in what felt like an instant.


    Fire elemental particles began slowly entering his body before moving through it as if a set channel was in ce that gradually led towards the orange rune. Every single particle gave it strength and power, making it a little stronger every time Lloyd cultivated it.


    "What is he doing?" A feminine voice entered Rex''s ears. Turning around, Rex looked into pair of brown eyes hiding behindrge round spectacles before a soft smile appeared on his face.


    "Hey, Tina. What''s up?" Rex smiled.


    "Oh... U-Uhm. I felt a weird type of cultivation, but I guess its only him." She stuttered.


    "Oh, really?" Rex stared at Lloyd for a bit before looking back at Tina.


    They continued to chat idly, and despite Tina''s natural awkwardness, it did not take more than a few minutes for her to calm herself down and speak in a way that resembled a normal human being.


    30 minutes passed in the blink of an eye; before Lloyd knew it, he was softly kicked awake by Hime before being swiftly taken away to the other side of the camp, where he found himself standing before L.


    L was wearing a ck trenchcoat just like the rest of them, but just like Hime and Roderic, he was also wearing his military uniform under it, which proudly showed his badges.


    After looking him up and down, Lloyd had an inkling that L didn''t like him. Everything from the crossed arms that indicated that he was closed off from Lloyd to the frown on his face that exined how he was feeling, everything about L told Lloyd that he didn''t like him, even more so than Felix.


    ''Makes sense, I guess. I literally demoted him; now that he is training me on his own, he is probably gonna use me like a punching bag.'' Lloyd sighed before epting the situation at hand.


    "Make sure to have fun you too." Hime smiled and flickered away just as fast as she hade.


    "Let''s get this over with shall we." Lloyd spoke with a deadpan expression while getting into a fighting position, yet L raised his hand to stop him.


    "I know you think I hate you, and even though I don''t like you, I won''t beat you up over it. Me stepping down was a unanimous decision, and I am more than willing to ept that." L exined before crossing his arms again.


    "Oh... Thanks." Lloyd tilted his head a little, but despite hearing L out, he wasn''t one to trust someone with a frown on his face so easily.


    "Hime wants me to teach you about your shadow affinity, but I''m going to do a little more than that." L began to stride towards Lloyd. His strides were short and silent, something that gave them an extra danger to them that made Lloyd feel on edge.


    "First, what are shadows." L asked.


    "The absence of light?" Lloyd replied, a little confused by the simple question, yet L shook his head.


    "Wrong. Darkness is the absence of light."


    "Aren''t they the same thing?" Lloyd raised a brow.


    "Then why is your ability not called darkness control. Better yet, why can''t you control darkness? But for some reason, you can enter and control your own shadow."


    "Actually, my powers are stronger in the dark. I am stronger in the dark, and my shadow abilities are given a speed boost." Lloyd replied with a sneer in his voice.


    "Correct, but now where in that entire exnation did you mention that you could control darkness in any shape or form. You can control your shadow, and your shadow just gets a little bigger when you are in darkness." L exined while raising a finger.


    ''He actually makes a pretty good point... I don''t really remember reading about this though.'' Lloyd inwardly thought but stayed quiet so L couldplete his exnation.


    "The shadow element is a branch of the darkness element. Well, it''s one of the many branches of the darkness element. You have things such as soul maniption, sorcery, and many more branches, shadows being one of them.


    Most branches break down into even more departments, like soul maniption, which breaks down into possession, necromancy, and even soul devouring." L exined before stopping 3 meters away from Lloyd, who hadpletely rxed at this point, or at least that''s how it seemed on the surface.


    While Lloyd knew that he did not have the ability to run away from a secondmandment if he truly wanted to attack him, Lloyd still took a few precautions that would help him in his escape, or at least to the point where he might be capable of calling out for help.


    "Shadows aren''t just the absence of light.


    They are living beings. They are the part of you that you shun away."

 Chapter 73 Autumn Training [4] - Puppeteer

    "That sounds extremely dumb..." Lloyd retorted


    "Who''s the darkness expert here? Me or you." L sneered.


    "Well, before hearing that weird-ass exnation of yours, I would have most definitely said you, but now I am kind of worried that your mind might have snapped long before this dungeon raid." Lloyd looked at L with a stare that was filled with nothing but pure pity.


    "Stop looking at me like that."


    "Kind of hard not to." Lloyd sighed before walking forward and cing his hand on L''s shoulder.


    "Don''t worry buddy, we''re going to get through this. I have hope." Lloyd smiled while giving L a thumbs up.


    L, on the other hand, could not help but imagine what would happen if he were to punch Lloyd with all his strength, but before he could lose his temper, he took in a deep breath before nudging Lloyd''s hand away.


    "Tell me, if all there was to shadows happened to be that they are simply the absence of light, wouldn''t you have better control over it?"


    "..."


    "While I myself am not a shadow user, I know many of those in my family who are shadow users, and therefore I know how to train you so I would like you to trust me on this."


    Despite Lloyd''s initial suspicions, L seemed mostly genuine. Of course, he wasn''t there out of his own free will, but he seemed sincere about teaching Lloyd the ways of the shadows.


    "Okay..." Lloyd replied before extending his hand that L quickly shook.


    Lloyd found himself spending the next two hours sitting on the floor, cross-legged in the lotus position as he breathed in and out while listening to L''s voice as it instructed him on how tomunicate with his own shadow.


    ording to L, the more Lloyd understands the shadow element, the stronger the connection with his shadows will be.


    "To understand the shadow element, you must first break down its properties. Anyone can understand words, but to trulyprehend an element, you have to have the ability to visualize the element and everything that makes it special."


    "Now, break down the shadow element and exin how it works." L asked while circling the sitting Lloyd.


    "The shadow element is slow. It''s also mostly defensive for some reason. It bes quite thick and murky when ites into its physical form, and it is also quite slow when its not moving through dark areas."


    "Why does it be faster when it enters dark areas?" L asked.


    "I don''t know?"


    "Think about it. Shadows are living extensions of darkness... What happens when you drop a droplet of dirty water into a ss full of clean water..."


    "..."


    "I''m not going to give you the answer since doing so will lower yourprehension of the element." L states, making Lloyd furrow his brows.


    ''Well, now that he says it like that, it kind of makes sense. I think? Void walkers are known for their affinity with the void, which is also why I felt so at home when I went through those portals. I canpare void walkers to turtles. They can live on the surface, but it is much morefortable in the water...


    But I feel like this whole shadow thing isn''t the same. From what I know, the Void Walker adapted to living and surviving in the void to the point where it changed their entire anatomy to where they could even manipte it.


    Of course, that is just the main scientific theory as to why Void Walkers had be who they are, but if it is true, the shadows having their own wills is theplete opposite of void walkers.'' Lloyd widened his eyes slightly as a light bulb went off in his head.


    ''Shadows are literally born out of darkness rather than being an effect of prolonged exposure and eventual evolutionary developments. Shadows are products of us, living creatures, and therefore when it enters darkness again, it bes one with it, as if it''s almost infesting it. Of course, it will be fast when it''s in itself.


    All itcks is the willpower and mana capacity to swallow entire chunks of darkness whole, bing one with it while infesting it simultaneously.'' Lloyd thought before opening his eyes, turning towards L, and exining everything without skipping a beat.


    ? L''s eyes widened at the fact that Lloyd not only understood it in less than 10 minutes but had also found a way to imagine it himself, therefore increasing hisprehension of the element.


    "Let''s stick to that part of the the shadow element rather than going into other parts. Or, at least for now." L instructed.


    Hours passed like this. Lloyd would meditate, both cultivating the shadow elemental particles around him while also trying to form a link with his own shadow, yet by thest hour of the training, he had felt like he had gotten nowhere.


    "Its fine. You would have to be aplete monster to grasp everything I taught you today in less than a day. It will take a few weeks for you to even get the smallest semnce of a connection with your shadow, so don''t sweat it too much." L waved off Lloyd''s disappointment, but he did not finish there.


    "Also, I need you to spar with me using your shadow abilities only. For the next hour, I''m going to give you a few tips and tricks wherever I can." L exined while Lloyd paled.


    "Don''t worry, I won''t be beating the crap out of you the same way Hime and Felix did." L sighed while rubbing the bridge of his nose.


    The next hour went exactly how L had exined. Lloyd activated his shadow abilities and attacked L with everything he had, yet the difference between both theirmandments was sorge that L didn''t even have to use a single one of his abilities.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, rather than a one-sided beating, L would mostly only defend, and whenever he did attack, he wouldnd a soft blow onto Lloyd''s body, making sure that the attack wouldn''t hurt, but instead, it would tell Lloyd that there are ces in his body that he isn''t protecting properly.


    Not only that, but L would stop Lloyd every few minutes to give him tips on controlling his shadows more efficiently.


    "Try to move your shadow around rather than equally dispensing it around your body," L advised.


    "I''ve tried that before. It doesn''t work as well as you imagine." Lloyd retorted while cocking his fist back and shooting it towards L''s chest, yet right before it could make it, L blocked it by putting his arms in an x shape over his chest.


    "I''m assuming you gave up after trying only once." L sneered


    "Shut up." Lloyd spat while spinning and throwing a kick at L''s head, yet before it could reach him, L raised his arm and blocked it without moving an inch from where he stood.


    Or so he thought.


    The moment Lloyd''s foot could contact with L''s arm, Lloyd shifted his weight and kicked down.


    *Boom*


    Hitting the ground with a powerful kick, Lloyd kicked up a cloud of dust around L and him, making it much harder for L to see.


    Lloyd, on the other hand, had an easy time moving aroundpletely unnoticed.


    He didn''t need to breathe, nor did his footsteps make any noise.


    Using [Presence Concealment], it was nearly impossible for him to be sensed, yet somehow, when Lloyd had gotten within a certain radius, he could feel L''s eyes lock onto him.


    When Lloyd realized he was being watched, he had already been toote.


    *Whoosh*


    L had already kicked off the ground, shooting straight toward Lloyd, yet Lloyd had already managed to evade the attack.


    "Good reflexes." Lmented while ring at Lloyd.


    "Thanks." Lloyd replied while panting slightly.


    "Now, let''s try this again." L said while stepping back and readying himself.


    The next hour went by in the same way, but this time it was Lloyd dodging and evading every single one of L''s attacks rather than it being the other way around. Lloyd assumed that this was L''s way of teaching him how to use his shadows to evade attacks, and from the basic pattern that L was using, Lloyd was certain that it was just the start.


    L''s attacks increased in speed and power over time, making it harder and harder to avoid the attacks, yet at that point, Lloyd had gotten into the rhythm of dodging, allowing him to barely dodge by the skin of his teeth.


    However, unbeknownst to both of them, a deeper change urred. One that they were bothpletely blind to, yet it was already beginning to change the flow of that fight.


    Slowly, without any of them realizing it, the shape of the shadow that shrouded Lloyd''s body began to change.


    Suddenly, without any real reason for it, Lloyd''s punches had be more powerful and precise, while his dodges were bing cold and almost calcting, as if Lloyd''s body was purposefully waiting for thest second to dodge and put the enemy at a state of false security.


    Lloyd''s knuckles were harder, and his strength was multiplied.


    The shadows would flicker as if they could see the attacksing from a mile away, and they would vibrate in every time Lloyd wouldnd a hit, yet somehow, none of them could see it.


    "You''re getting better." L stated with a tinge of surprise in his voice.


    "You''re getting worse." Lloydughed before transforming his hand into a shadowy w and plunging it towards L with everything he had.


    Yet, no matter how much Lloyd improved in such a short period of time, there was still one key difference between Lloyd and L...


    Theirmandment.


    Lloyd''s eyes widened for a moment as his ws froze right in front of L''s chest, yet it all made sense when he took the chance to look at the object in L''s hand.


    A cross-like wooden object with strings attached to every wing. That''s what L was holding in his hand, and there was only one ss that Lloyd knew that used such a weapon...


    "Son of a b*tch... You were a puppeteer this entire time!?"

 Chapter 74 Autumn Training [5] - Veronica

    Feeling the strings that locked him in ce, Lloyd could not help but gnash his teeth with a hint of anger.


    He should have known. Everything pointed towards L being someone who fights at a range, yet since he didn''t have a bow, gun, or staff, and he wasn''t a mage, it must have meant that his ss had to do something with summoning or getting something else to fight for him.


    He was also very good at dodging, and his coordination and ability to manipte his opponents'' movements to push them into a corner made it obvious that he did not partake in hand-to-handbat, and instead was more of a support ss than anything else.


    "Surprised?" L asked with a grin.


    "I should have seen thising." Lloyd simply replied before rxing his body, retracting his shadow, and sighing while rubbing the bridge of his nose.


    "Not really. I know that you probably suspected that I probably didn''t fight at close quarters much, but there are many sses in which the user doesn''t need to fight in hand-to-handbat. I could have been necromancer for all you knew, so don''t beat yourself up about it." L exins before letting Lloyd go, who quickly copses onto the ground out of exhaustion.


    After letting Lloyd rest for around 7 minutes, L stood up again, followed by Lloyd, who groggily stood up from where he sat while looking at L like he had stolen his favorite sword.


    Lloyd was exhausted beyond belief, and the exhaustion was written on his face in the form of lines that formed a frown on his face. He was a void walker, he didn''t get eye bags or wrinkles, or at least that''s what he thought for the time being since that theory made the most sense.


    "Overview... Your control over your shadow has increased at a good rate. You must have a pretty high star-talent to be doing this well despite it being your first time having proper training." L smiled, and Lloyd copied him despite inwardly praying that L would not find out about his star talent after they left the dungeon.


    ''Now that I think about it, I''m kind of screwd when we leave this dungeon. They all know about my [me Control], and I''ve shown many more abilities in this dungeon than I would usually have done outside.


    However, I''m pretty sure if things keep going at this rate, I might even have to use abilities like [Shadow Clone] to keep up with these guys... Maybe that''s why Hime made the training regiment so air-tight? To pressure me into getting as strong as the rest of them?'' Lloyd inwardly thought before throwing the thought to the back of his mind and looking up to stare into L''s eyes.


    "You''ll make a good warrior." L gave a thumbs up, and Lloyd thanked him for his training.


    "Are you guys done?" Veronica''s voice entered both their ears, and while L simply smiled at her and spoke with a tint of pink dyeing his cheeks, Lloyd felt a shiver down his spine when he heard her voice.


    He didn''t know why this was the case, but for some reason, no matter the situation, Veronica had always seemed a little off, to the point that it was almost creepy.


    Maybe it was a her creepy smile, or maybe it was her pair of soul-piercing eyes that made even his soul cower in fear.


    He knew she was the most powerful one in the group, yet none of the others gave the same aura as her.


    On the other hand, it felt like all the men on the team had a crush on her. She might have been pretty, but instead of feeling the need to make her like him the same way Roderick seemed to act around her, Lloyd wanted her to stay as far away as possible from him.


    "You can go now. It''s my turn." Veronica waved L goodbye before turning back to Lloyd with a warm and genuine smile on her face."


    "What are you going to teach me..." Lloyd asked with a tinge of wariness in his voice.


    "Oh, don''t silly." Her smile widened.


    "I''m not going to teach you-" Suddenly, she disappeared from where she stood and appeared right in front of Lloyd in an instant.


    Her blood-red vampiric eyes stared right into his violet ones, and before he could even think about backing away, he felt a powerful knee m into his stomach, sending him back a few meters before forcing him to roll in a violent and brutal way.


    "I''m going to train you!"


    "Bitch..." Lloyd muttered as he mmed his hands into the ground before flipping out of the roll andnding gracefully.


    However, right before his feet could touch the ground, he felt wind brush past him before a surge of mana formed behind him. A surge so powerful that he could see the mana particles in the air be visible and move towards it, simultaneously activating all of Lloyd''s danger senses.


    With his hair standing up and goosebumps shooting through his skin, Lloyd spun on his heel, barely avoiding the attack by the skin of his teeth, yet instead of stopping there, he went a little further.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Grabbing Veronica''s wrist, Lloyd turned just in time to throw her slightly off bnce, yet before she could react to the sudden pull on her wrist, something came toward her face at lightning speed, zooming through the air and appearing right in front of her face in what felt like a blink of an eye.


    [Tactical Taekwando - Windbreaker kick]


    *Smack!*


    Lloyd''s kick smacked Veronica right across the face beforending it on the ground; however, by using the same momentum Lloyd spun on his toes and threw a round-house kick toward her face again.


    "That was pretty good. I was almost shocked haha." Veronicaughed while catching the foot and disappearing from where she stood.


    ''Shit...''


    Appearing right in front of Lloyd, Veronica''s face hade ufortably close to his as she slowly cocked her fist back.


    Mana surged out of the air once again while the torrents of wind circled around her fist.


    Seeing no other way out of his situation, Lloyd also cocked back his fist before shrouding his entire right side with mes and his shadow.


    *BOOM*


    It took less than a second for Lloyd to feel the ground again, yet instead of brutally rolling like before, he had simply mmed into it, creating a crater as cracks slowly moved out from it.


    "Are you okay?" Veronica asked with a warm smile on her face.


    "F*ck you... Bitch" Lloyd sneered.


    "Such hurtful words. Do you know how many people would have paid their life''s fortunes to have an hour with me?" Veronica asked with a humph.


    "Do your sentences always have to be so misleading?" Lloyd sneered


    "What do you mean?" She chuckled before kicking Lloyd.


    "Anyway, I just wanted to see how weak you were. No hard feeling, right?" She asked, yet all she received was a middle finger from Lloyd.


    "After watching all of your battles, I think there are a few things that I need to train you in. First off, you have an anger problem that you need to fix. A warrior must be able to control his emotions and not lose his mind to rage whenever something doesn''t go his way." She exined with a raised index finger.


    "Secondly, your killing intent is pretty weak, so I''m going to have to force you to increase it a little." Her grin widened slightly while Lloyd''s pained expression turned into a confused one.


    ''Was she temporarily blind or did she not see my aura, ever?'' Lloyd thought to himself.


    "I know what you''re thinking, but your aura was not the same as killing intent. I''m sure Rex already exined to you the difference between a magical aura and a spiritual one, so I won''t have to exin it myself.


    All I''m going to say is that the aura of yours that you used earlier was just a branch of your spiritual aura capable of amplifying the power and intensity behind things such as your will, your killing intent, and even your bloodlust if you are capable of entering such a state without losing your mind." She exined.


    "And finally, your pain tolerance is disgustingly low. It felt like I was looking at someone who had just awoken a few months ago and had never been truly hit before." She chuckled, making Lloyd slightly unhappy at the fact she wasughing at his dismay.


    "Alright then, get up and let''s begin your training then."

 Chapter 75 Autumn Training [6] - Tina

    Lloyd had never felt so much pain in his entire life.


    Or so he would have said, yet for some reason, the training he was currently going through felt slightlyme, or at least mediocre.


    With Veronica''s hand hovering over his general area, Lloyd felt waves of pain shoot through his body and put him in one of the worst pain he had ever felt in his life.


    Yet, unlike Veronica''s expectations of him reaching a snapping point where she would be forced to stop, she found that Lloyd was dealing with it much better than she had expected.


    On the other hand, Lloyd hated every bit of it, yet at the back of his mind, a voice constantly told him that at least it wasn''t as bad as using [Void Channel].


    Yet, it was painful, and yes, Lloyd was writhing on the ground in pain while screaming like a little girl, but it wasn''t nearly as bad as [Void Channel] that seared his skin and branded it with an unbearable pain closely followed by the fear of death and horribly deep desperation that slowly crawled through his body at that moment.


    Veronica''s logic was that she could kill three birds with one stone by using the same method to tackle all three of Lloyd''s problems.


    She could increase his pain tolerance by making him feel a lot of pain. She could tackle the anger problem by training Lloyd to not be enraged and to keep a calm mind whenever he feels pain, and finally, she can increase the power of Lloyd''s killing intent by making him feel unbearable pain for prolonged periods.


    While Lloyd hadn''t really felt the difference after leaving histest Void walk, his killing intent skyrocketed in power due to the pain and trauma he had gone through. He didn''t feel the difference simply because of his [Monarch''s aura].


    His aura had always been powerful, but when it''s so much higher than everything else he has, it bes harder to feel the difference. Of course, the other reason was that he had recently been hanging around many strong peopletely, making his killing intent and aura obsolete in front of their much highermandments, experience, and wills.


    Veronica''s ''training'' carried on for several hours, and by the end of it, Lloyd found himself sprawled on the ground, panting and gasping for air as the pain continued to radiate throughout his body even after Veronica had stopped.


    "Are you okay?" Veronica asked, this time sounding genuinely worried for Lloyd, yet in Lloyd''s pain-filled mind, her voice sounded almost mocking.


    "I''ve never wanted to punch someone in the face more than I do right now." Lloyd muttered to himself, his body spasming every now and then as if a jolt of electricity was moving through it.


    "That''s not a nice thing to say." Veronica pouted.


    "F*ck... You!" Lloyd roared with tears welling up in his eyes.


    "Its okay... Don''t cry little baby." She mocked while holding him close to her chest, something that was no longer ufortable or even painful since she had taken off her armor and had simply worn the ck garment underneath it.


    Before Lloyd could resist any further, he felt his headnd upon a soft surface. As if it wasying upon the softest clouds in the universe, his eyelids became extremely heavy before darkness swiftly overtook his vision, and he fell into a deep slumber before he knew what was happening.


    "Good thing I stopped 3 hours early. I''m sure he''ll need the sleep." She muttered to herself while staring at the ck-haired boy whoy on herp. One of her hands slowly stroked his head while the other hand moved his hair away from his face, giving her a good look at him.


    The temptation to try and suck some of his blood almost overtook her for an instant, but she was able to shake her head and calm herself down down.


    ''Blood harresment is not a joke!'' she inwardly shouted at herself. She knew that there was a chance that Lloyd didn''t have blood, but that didn''t stop higher vampires like her from sucking on a person''s mana instead, something that was actually more efficient than consuming mana-rich blood since the conversion rate was not the same.


    ***


    "You awake?" Veronica asked as Lloyd slowly opened his eyes.


    "Yeah... Thanks-..." Lloyd thanked with a smile, yet when he saw the position he was in as well as Veronica''s dreadful red eyes, his sentence stopped mid-way while his mood simultaneously worsened.


    "Nevermind." Lloyd sighed before getting his head off her pillow-likep


    How long till my next session?" Lloyd asked with exhaustion in his voice.


    "About 2 minutes I believe?" She answered, yet from the fact that she was scratching her cheek as she said so, Lloyd had a feeling that she didn''t really know.


    "Alright. Goodbye." Lloyd waved and began walking away.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Aren''t you going to thank me?!" Veronica harrumphed.


    "No." Lloyd raised his middle finger before descending into his shadow and speeding away.


    Since it was still nighttime and on the brink of dawn, Lloyd''s shadow was moving faster than ever, allowing him to reach Tina''s tent in a matter of a few seconds.


    "Tina? Are you ready?" Lloyd asked.


    "Oh yeah, ce in!" She stuttered, making Lloyd raise a brow as he entered.


    "If she is nervoice about even talking to me, how the hell is she supposed to train me?" Lloyd asked himself before shrugging and entering the tent.


    "H-Hey... Uhm... Sit down please." Tina, she pointed towards a pillow on the ground.


    "This ce looks nothing like I imagined it to be." Lloyd remarked while looking around her dimensional tent.


    "Y-You were imagining my tent?" She stuttered with a tinge of pink dyeing her face.


    "It sounds weird if you say itke that..." Lloyd chuckled.


    "I-It does?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Not wanting to increase the awkwardness between the two of them, Lloyd continued to look around for a moment, allowing himself to take in everything around him.


    While Lloyd''s tent was a standard tent for living, Tina''s tent didn''t feel that way in the least.


    With a simple nce around, one could spot several cauldrons sitting over mes, creating a weird yet almost pleasant aroma.


    Several tables with test tubes and sks could be seen around the room, and while Lloyd expected it to be extremely messy due to her having the presence of a mad scientist, it was much cleaner than he thought it would be.


    While books were left open on her tables, they were neatly aligned with everything else on the table, making it feel a lot less cluttered than it would have usually been if they weren''t aligned so perfectly.


    On the other hand, her study desk at the back of the tent, right next to her tiny bed, was filled with a mountain of books all stacked upon one another.


    ''I have no idea why, but I expected her to be a weeb.'' Lloyd thought to himself before looking back at Tina, who had reached the skin color beet red. Lloyd could almost imagine smokeing out of her ears, an image that made him chuckle slightly, which only made Tina be redder.


    ''I can''t believe a let a guy into my room so easily.'' She thought to herself.


    "So, are you a human?" Lloyd asked while trying to change the subject.


    "Y-Yeah, what about you?"


    "As human as theye." Lloyd smiled while lying through his teeth.


    "Enough chit-chat now; let''s get to business, shall we."

 Chapter 76 Autumn Training [7] - Comprehension Of Flame Control

    "No, stupid! Don''t just create mes; manipte them! That''s what your ability is called right? me maniption, notbustion creation."


    "Well, actually, it''s called [me control], not me-" Lloyd argued.


    "Shut up and actually do something. No time to bber." Tina shouted with her fists resting on her hips.


    "Yes master." Lloyd replied with an imaginary tear going down his face.


    Never in a million years would he have thought that someone''s personality could change so much in a few hours, which was a little ironic since the same thing could be seen about him whenever he puts his mask on.


    At first, Tina had been mostly shy, finding it hard to form proper sentences without stuttering once or twice throughout it. Yet, within the same hour, she had transformed from a babbling idiot to a professor when she saw Lloyd showing interest in magic.


    "me control. I see. Your mana pool is not the problem right now, but yourprehension of the element and your ability to control your mana is. Let''s not forget that your me control ability should only be something you gain after reaching the firstmandment." Tine exined while reading about the ability in one of the books she had grabbed from her work desk.


    "Comprehend? Well, I already understand how mes work." Lloyd argued with a raise of a brow,


    "Well, you might understand it, but it doesn''t mean you''veprehended it." She exined while Lloyd took a trip down dejavu as he remembered L telling him the same thing.


    "Okay. So I have to break it down and think about how it works. Break it down and understand everyponent at y. First, we need air to create mes. mes thrive on oxygen and usually release carbon dioxide, but since I''m not using carbon products to fuel the me, it won''t be creating co2, but instead, it will be creating syngas?


    Wait, no, I''m not creating sma; I''m creating mes, with my main fuel being mana. But what would the waste product of mana be? Oxygen + mana doesn''t really mean anything. Mana isn''t an element in the periodic table..." Lloyd began thinking long and hard about how it worked.


    They both stayed like that for about 40 minutes as Lloyd continued to mutter to himself.


    On the other hand, Tina had a soft smile on her lips, portraying her gratitude for finally finding someone who found magic as interesting as she did.


    Of course, many people found magic as interesting as she did, but for some reason, she felt a sense ofradery with Lloyd. A sense ofradery that was much stronger than anyradery she felt toward anyone else on the team.


    "I think I understand it..." Lloyd muttered with a beaming smile on his face that almost made him forget the torture had gone through less than 4 hours ago.


    "I''ve never really taken any time in the past to think about this the way I am now, and I''m not sure if it was because I hadn''t awakened or the fact that I didn''t think I would be getting the fire element, but it''s all starting to make sense now," Lloyd eximed to Tina, who told him to carry on.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Okay, while we have lots of elements on the periodic table, the ones we are taught in high school are simply the ones that have physical properties. H2O, for example, is something we drink. It is a liquid that bes a solid when cooled, and a gas when heated. Same thing with oxygen, but you can only really cool it to make it a liquid without bonding it to something else.


    Anyway, I''ve been thinking of mes created by mana as the same as mes created throughbustion and burning carbon fuel, but it isn''t.


    These mes are closer to sma than they are to actual mes, because the fuel isn''t just mana; it''s mana fused with fire particles to create it.


    Elemental particles aren''t like the elements in the periodic table. They are almost like radiation, a bit like mana but in a more physical and elemental sense.


    Each particle acts like an unstable proton or neutron, acting more like electromaic waves and radioactive particles rather than atoms or atomic bonds.


    They bounce off the oxygen, creating a spark that is fueled by the mana to create a me, and when it does create a me, the waste  element of the me isn''t co2, but its but its quite literally just water." Lloyd exined with the utmost enthusiasm, yet Tina''s eyes widened at hisst words.


    "What do you mean water?" She asked, yet from the look in her eyes, Lloyd knew she already knew the answer.


    "The elemental fire particle quite literally destroys the electrons, protons, and neutrons on the oxygen, setting it back several elements, to the point where it literally just bes hydrogen.


    However, while it could have stopped at carbon and allowed the oxygen to bond with it, it goes even further and almostpletely destroys the atom to the point where the oxygen is forced to bond with the hydrogen to create water vapor, and the elemental water particle in its ce.


    The oxygen is sessfully bonded with, and the fire particle has a waste element," Lloyd thoroughly exined, with Tina nodding throughout the entire exnation...


    With the Sutter in her voice having seemingly disappeared, Tina opened her mouth and spoke-


    "Honestly, that was one of the best and most well-crafted theories I''ve heard, especially since you had very little knowledge of this before today..."


    "I mean, for all you know, I could have learned it all from a book before meeting you." Lloyd shrugged, yet he could not help but feel slightly proud of his intelligence.


    "It is a good theory though. Your logic states that everything needs an opposite; therefore, the mes are bnced out by the water. It works out on paper...


    Yet the reason I know you haven''t researched this before isn''t that I trust your word for it... It''s because you''re wrong."

 Chapter 77 Autumn Training [8] - Friendship

    "It''s not to say that everything you said was wrong, it''s just that parts of it were wrong, therefore, you got the wrong answer to the question." Tina exined.


    "What''s the right answer?" Lloyd asked with a raise of the brow.


    "Well, I can''t tell you that can I. It''s much better to figure it out yourself since it will improve yourprehension skills.


    Think of it like cultivation. Unless you figure out how to create your own cultivation method by reaching the secondmandment, you''ll always be behind someone else since you''re using their cultivation technique, not yours.


    Of course, you can always just add and subtract from your current cultivation technique, but what''s the fun in that?" She asked with a weird yet genuine smile.


    ''Huh... Well, my mina cultivation tactic so far had been to kill things with certain abilities. It sure as hell seems to increase the power of my affinity, and it increased my cultivation too so that''s a nice bonus.'' Lloyd thought to himself before nodding at whatever Tina was saying


    This discussion about elements and cultivation went on for quite a while, yet at no point did Lloyd find himself bored by the information that was being slowly pooled into his mind.


    However, other than all the information that Tina was shoving into his mind, there were two things that caught Lloyd''s attention.


    One, Tina was slowly but very obviously bing more and morefortable around Lloyd, and while that would have been considered a great strength, Lloyd also felt her slowly but surely bing more and more assertive as time went on.


    Secondly-


    "Hey, by the way, why do you still use books?" Lloyd asked while pointing at her study desk.


    "Well, books are nicer to read from, and I kind of have to use a book to activate certain spells. Unlike you guys, I don''t have abilities to do that for myself. I have to write it all down in my books, create the necessary circles or runes, and create the spell itself."


    "One of my abilities is called me Control. Isn''t that basically the same thing?" Lloyd asked.


    "Believe it or not, I have only one ability and one passive ability." Tina smiled, yet Lloyd could feel a hint of sadness behind it, as if she was wearing a mask with cracks in it.


    "Really?"


    "Yeah. My passive is called Mana Ocean; it gives me a shit ton of mana. However, even though I''m in the secondmandment, I only have one active ability, and it''s called Arcanum. In the mana guide, it''s considered a 2-star ability mainly used in enchanting items." Tina chuckled, yet Lloyd knew it was to her own dismay.


    "So you''re an arcane mage?" Lloyd tried to speak in a more cheery tone, yet due to his naturally slightly dull, sarcastic tone, it felt a lot less sincere than he hoped it would be.


    "Nope! I''m a Runemaster."


    "..."


    "..." Tina smiled sadly before continuing-


    "I understand if you would want to stay away from me now. When we get out of this ce, I won''t really be much help to you or your future. I-I''m an enchanter doing the job of a mage." She chuckled as she took out a bottle of beer from her dimensional storage and began to chug it down.


    "..." Lloyd tried to argue, yet she was having none of it.


    "Y-You don''t have to spare my feelings. Most of the kids in military school evaded me like the gue for not being a runesmith, and ever since I broke through to the secondmandment, my parents had lost hope for me to be anything like them. So, I-I don''t really mind it anymore. I-I''m used to it now, so I might as well drink-"


    "Shut up..." Lloyd spoke, yet his tone was more assertive than before and even a little colder, making Tina close her eyes before chuckling, realizing that his fear hade true.


    Ever since she had awakened, everyone had avoided her. Her friends went to other academies, and those who went to the military academy didn''t want anything to do with her.


    Yes, she had Rex, but he treated everyone equally, no matter who they were. Roderick, L, and Hime treated her professionally, like any other person higher than her in the military would have, while Felix was just an ass to everyone, so why would it be any different for her?


    Her siblings exceeded her parent''s every expectation, while she was left behind to be the family''s forgotten child. The shame of the Albert family, or at least that''s what her parents and most of her siblings called her.


    Of course, she had her older sister. She loved to Tina with all her heart. She protected her from her own family, and she exceeded everyone''s expectations of her just so she could protect her little sister...


    ''So why, god... Why did you have to-?''


    "You are the most diligent and intelligent person I know, and I''ve literally only truly got to know you for thest 3 hours." Lloyd cut her train of thought off, making her eyes slowly widen in surprise as something she wouldn''t have expected to hear from someone as talented as Lloyd in a million years


    "W-What are you-"


    "You are quite literally the hardest worker I know, and it shows!"


    "N-No, I''m not! Stop! I said I don''t care. Stop sparing my-"


    "Your siblings might have exceeded your parent''s every expectation, but their aplishments are so smallpared to yours. You exceeded fate itself. You exceeded the expectations of everyone who doubted you, and you flipped off fate herself.


    They told you that you couldn''t be a mage, yet you went out there, stood up for yourself, and became a mage anyway. Is that not amazing?!" Lloyd banged his fist onto the table while leaning over it to look directly into Tina''s watering eyes.


    "You are amazing. You are fantastic. You very well might change the future as we know it." Lloyd''s voice was filled with amazement, yet the excitement in his voice was what caught Tina''s attention.


    ''He''s... He''s excited for me?'' She asked herself as the tears overflowed into two drops, slowly trailing down her face.


    "You can be the foundation of something huge! You can create a precedent that lives on for thousands of years.


    You can be a symbol that shows people, that no matter their ss or talent, they can achieve anything they want." Lloyd had already walked around the table and was now holding Tina''s quivering shoulder, yet before he could move away and berate himself for going too far, he felt himself being pulled into a weak yet passionate embrace.


    "Thank you..." Her voice was muffled since she spoke into his shirt, yet Lloyd smiled and pattered her back awkwardly.


    "I just said what I saw... You were already amazing, you just needed to know it."


    ***


    The 5th hour of Lloyd and Tina''s session hade, and after being forced to vow on his parent''s life to never tell anyone about how Tina had wept in front of him, they both returned to training.


    At a certain point, Lloyd had begun calling Tina ''Master'' instead of her name, and while he couldn''t really pinpoint the exact point that had happened, he could pinpoint the moment when Tina''sfortability had reached a level where she feltfortable verbally abusing Lloyd whenever he did something wrong.


    "No, stupid! Don''t just create mes; manipte them! That''s what your ability is called right? me maniption, notbustion creation."


    "Well, actually, it''s called [me control], not me-" Lloyd argued.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Shut up and actually do something. No time to bber." Tina shouted with her fists resting on her hips.


    "Yes master." Lloyd replied with an imaginary tear going down his face.


    "How are you two holding up?" A masculine voice entered both their ears, causing them to turn around and see Roderick and Hime standing next to each other.


    While Roderick wore his signature smile and half-almost closed eyes, Hime, on the other hand, was looking at Tina like human seeing abilities for the first time.


    "Y-Yeah... I''m just trying to teach this dumbass how to materialize fire, yet it seems like everyone has limits, his being creative ones." She rolled her eyes.


    "Come on, its his first time." Roderick argued, yet all he received was a small ''hmph'' from Tina as she walked away from him while dragging Lloyd with her by the ear.


    "Do you want to swap?" Roderick raised his voice and asked.


    "Nope! I still have an hour!" Tina replied.


    "Well, we''re about to leave for the day. I think it would be more efficient if you gave him to me for now so he can have a longer restter." Roderick argued, making Tina stop for a moment before ncing down at Lloyd, who was looking at her pleadingly.


    "Ugh. I guess you can have him."She sneered and let go of Lloyd''s ear.


    "I''m going to pack my things ande right back." Lloyd stated while rubbing his ear.


    "Sure. You have three minutes."


    "Thanks." Lloyd thanked before sinking into his shadow and speeding toward his tent.


    The sun was already up, but in a way, it could still be considered to be dawn or half an hour away from not being dawn anymore, but who''s counting?


    The training between Roderick and Lloyd wasn''t very eventful. Roderick most focused on situation tactics and questions that rte to those rather than acting the scenarios and learning how to act from there.


    While Lloyd appreciated the break from getting beaten up, he knew that the current method was ineffective in teaching Lloyd anything, yet he went along with it for the 6 hours they were on the road for.


    "Hey Roderick, I have a question..." Lloyd stated while scratching the back of his neck with a tinge of pink dyeing his cheeks.


    "Shoot." Roderick finger-gunned Lloyd while simultaneously grabbing the attention of everyone.


    "Your eyes are always half closed. What''s up with that? Do you have tiny eyes or something cuz I can barely see your irises? Or is it some kind of technique to always rest your eyes?" Lloyd asked with a chuckle in his voice.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Guys?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I''m just asking why it looks like his eyes are always closed. It''s a saftey concern you know! It feel like you would be bad at things that require full vision and attention... Like driving maybe?"


    "..."


    "..."


    Why''s everyone looking at me like that?"


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Tina? Hime?"


    "..."


    The whole group had halted as an air of silence befell them.


    Everyone single one of them had an expression on their faces, and while some of them seemed perplexed beyond belief, others, like Felix and Hime, looked at Lloyd with intrigued expressions.


    "I''m east-Asian..." Roderick responded.


    "..."


    "..."


    "Fuck..."


    And just like that, the group went several hours without speaking to one another as one of them felt like a racist, two others tried to figure out if east-Asia was a country or not, and the rest too stupefied by Lloyd''sment that they remained speechless for the entire trip.


    [Check Comments for context.]

 Chapter 78 1 Week Later [1]

    *Swoosh*


    *Swoosh*


    *Swoosh*


    The sounds of pebbled ripping through the air as the blindfolded Lloyd dodged them with grace echoed throughout the forest.


    While Lloyd was in no way close to Felix''s reaction time, over a week''s worth of sessions, he began to get the hang of it as every his sense of touch, hearing, and smell improved drastically, allowing Lloyd to dodge Felix''s lightning fast attacks by the skin of his teeth.


    "I have to say, you''ve really improved over thest week." Felixplimented, yet before Lloyd could thank him for thepliment, a disdainful smile appeared on Felix''s face as he hurled another pebble toward Lloyd, this one being much faster than the others.


    However, unlike the pained scream followed by Lloyd falling onto his ass that Felix expected to see, he saw something else.


    A shadow slowly covered Lloyd''s hand before catching the speeding pebble with the same hand a letting out a soft chuckle.


    "You really thought I would fall for that one again?" Lloyd chuckled, yet when he heard the sound of the wind being split by a speeding person, he instantly became guarded again, not that it helped.


    Trying to block Felix''s attack, Lloyd paused for a moment and picked up on every single little movement, sound, and even smell in the air. Felix always wore the stinkiest of perfumes, so Lloyd expected to at least smell iting.


    Everything told Lloyd that Felix would be to his right, yet when Lloyd tried to strike in that direction, he felt something hit the back of his knee before a painful uppercut sent him into the air.


    "Again?!" Lloyd grunted.


    "You gotta concentrate you dumbass."


    "I am!" Lloydined.


    "Ugh. We have no idea how long it will take to find the dungeon boss, so since the time ranges from 2 days or more, I think teaching you mana sense would be the correct decision..." Felix exined with his hand to his chin while Lloyd slowly took his blindfold off.


    "Are you sure? You kept insisting that I should train my basic senses before doing anything else." Lloyd raised a brow.


    "Well, we are pretty time sensitive now that Hime thinks that we are close to the boss of this dungeon, so I might as well take you to the next level." Felix shrugged before tapping on his wristwatch and taking out a white blindfold.


    "I already have one." Lloyd tried to argue, yet when he felt like Felix was about to scold him, he stopped saying anything and just took the blindfold without anyints.


    "Wearing it will close off all your senses, including hearing. The goal of this exercise is to teach you how to sense mana." Felix exined.


    "I already know how to sense mana though..." Lloyd argued.


    "If you could sense mana, you would have realized that Veronica has been staring at you with her optical ability for a while... To be honest, even I''m kind of creeped out." Felix shuddered while pointing at her.


    "Ugh..." Lloyd''s face scrunched up in cringe while goosebumps traveled up and down his spine.


    "Anyway, wear that blindfold, and I''m going to throw mana-infused pebbles at you. Is that understood?"


    "..."


    "What?"


    "I''m assuming you''re blocking out all my senses to improve the only sense I have left, that being my mana sense. However, if you''re blocking out all my senses, wouldn''t I not be able to feel the pebbles when they hit me?" Lloyd asked.


    "Well, the feeling suppressed, but you''ll definitely know when something hits you." Felix exined before forcing the blindfold onto Lloyd and beginning his training.


    The hours flew past as Lloyd quickly finished his training with Felix before going on to train with Hime for another 6 hours.


    Her training mostly remained the same ever since the first week. The only difference now was that Lloyd would lose consciousness less, and she would take him out to the forest for thest 2 hours of each session to train him on killing actual monsters rather than spar with her.


    Over the week, Lloyd had slowly learned how to let his instincts take over. Of course, bad habits die hard, so the overnning problem continued, but Lloyd understood why it was better for him to rely on his instincts instead of calcting every single one of the opponent''s moves, since a single miscalction couldplete his n, especially when fighting with thing unpredictable creatures like the monsters of the forest.


    However, beast fighting also showed promise in fighting against intelligent beings since it was unpredictable and hard to fight against.


    Movements without flow or patterns would drive anyone crazy, and that''s an advantage Lloyd wouldn''t mind having over other people in the future.


    Hime''s session ended with Lloyd killing several monsters; however, unlike how the monster''s energies usually pooled into him and increased his power, now it simply healed his wounds, rejuvenated his stamina, and refilled his mana while also increasing his mana pool by a small margin.


    "I need you to focus your shadow upon one singr point in your body." A blue-haired manmanded.


    "I''m trying my best..." Lloyd grunted while trying his best to focus on his arm, yet the most he could do was reduce it to 70% of one side of his body. This means that the shadow covered his entire arm, past his shoulder, and trickled into tendrils reaching his spinal cord and down to his pelvis.


    However, after a previous failed attempt, Lloyd had learned not topletely take away from all his limbs.


    Imagine a bodybuilder who doesn''t take care of his bottom half trying to deadlift the same amount of weight he bench-presses. That is the equivalent of putting all his shadow into one side of his body, as not only does it have a chance to harden anything touching the enhanced limbs, but it also makes it hard for the rest of his body to support whatever he is doing.


    The body works in unison, so taking away that unison leaves you with a single limb, being forced to do the work that is usually done by the entire body.


    Anyway, L''s training consisted ofprehension, shadow control, and sparring, each of them being split equally into 2-hour segments. It was consistent, and even a little therapeutic since Lloyd always knew what he would do in L''s training session.


    The same could be said about Rex''s training session, which remained consistent throughout. Rex would teach Lloyd as much as he could about martial arts for the first 4 hours of the session, before meditating in a way that slowly but surely taught Lloyd to control his spiritual aura, such as his presence and his killing intent, as well as his passive ability [Monarch''s Aura].


    The main reason Rex was teaching Lloyd about aura control was not only to train Lloyd in the ability to concentrate his aura on a single person, thing, or monster, but Rex found it to be a really good thing for someone at the same level as Lloyd to know since it would drastically improve his will, concentration, and even talent in the future.


    While Lloyd''s ability to control his aura was still at a level where he could barely restrict the area to 270 degrees, aura control is an ability that has infinite potential.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ording to Rex, there have even been awakeners who have reached such a mastery that they could literally create an entire reality marble out of their spiritual aura alone.


    Veronica''s training, on the other hand, was both consistent and inconsistent. The only consistency was pain, yet that only created a scenario where Lloyd lived in fear every day, worrying about what kind of sick torture method Veronica would bring out this time.


    While at first, she had chosen to go the traditional route of simply throwing pain into his body, she began to get a little creative over time, finding newer and newer ways to inflict damage and pain upon Lloyd.


    It took quite the mental burden on Lloyd''s mind, but instead ofining about every little thing he found wrong, he foundfort in cursing at Veronica for several minutes before he slept.


    However, despite all this torture, the most confusing part of it all was the fact that she would always take thest hour of the session to nurse Lloyd back to health by feeding him, taking him to his bed, caressing his hair, and slowly allowing him to fall into a slumber.


    To end the week off, she had chosen to disguise her new method of torture with the veil of a lesson on sword fighting.


    ''Wow... Did she always look that good.'' Lloyd inwardly asked himself while checking out her new ck and red outfit.


    She wore a long ck one-piece dress with patterns of red all over it.


    The dress did her justice, showing off her hourss figure andplimenting her pale skin.


    Her slender arms and waist made her look almost fragile, while the warm smile on her face would have made anyone fall for her despite its clear contrast with her icy-cold skin.


    However, in contrast to her fragile-looking body and the innocent look on her face, her dainty slender arms held an enormous sword just a little shorter than her in size, and half her size in width.


    "Ooo. Have you finally fallen for me." She asked with a loving yet slightly mocking tone.


    "Shut up, bitch." Lloyd sneered before shooting toward her with everything he had.


    "Did you know that the average peak firstmandment can barely destroy a town with their strongest attack?" Veronicamented while gracefully parrying Lloyd''s attack with her magnificentlyrge, almost brutish sword.


    "I already know that." Lloyd sneered while swinging his katana at her head.


    "When I was at the peak of the firstmandment, I could very easily destroy a city, a medium-sized city, if I wanted to..." Veronica spoke, yet her voice seemed almost deadly serious, something Lloyd had never seen from her ever since his first encounter with her, where she showed off her cold and distant personality.


    However, despite his being slightly taken off guard due to the change in tone, he did not stop attacking her with his de.


    "Bragging much?" Lloyd chuckled mockingly, yet her facial expression did not change one bit.


    "Me and you..." She spoke after disappearing from where she stood and appearing right behind Lloyd before whispering into his ear.


    Lloyd''s eyes widened as he tried to turn around, yet the iron-d grip on his shoulder, paired with the blood-red eyes that stared into his soul, Lloyd found himself frozen in ce with his whole body not daring to move an inch as it knew it was under the gaze of an apex predator.


    "We are different from these humans... From these mortals... Don''t you think?" She whispered as her hot breath trickled into his ear, sending the most nerve-wracking and horrible sensation down his back.


    If he had sweat nds, he would have found himself standing in a cold sweat, yet there was nothing to indicate his stress in that situation.


    Fear gripped his heart, and the words he was about to say were stuck in his throat.


    "Look how much they have to work to mimic a fraction of our talent." Veronica ced her hand upon Lloyd''s shirt, yet the cold sensation traveled right through.


    His de shuddered ever-so-slightly while his eyes shook in primal fear.


    He was a Void Walker... A celestial race with every single one of their kind capable of shaking the entire universe on their own through talent, power, and an unbreakable will that was the cause of the war in the first ce.


    1 versus billions upon billions of soldiers, each and every one of them willing to sacrifice their lives for what they believed to be the greater good.


    Lloyd''s race was supposed to symbolize fear... So how could he... He, a void walker, be scared of a mere vampire?


    "We can be so much more." Her icy cold hands gripped around Lloyd''s neck, yet instead of thinking of how he felt like he was about to die, or the fact that Veronica was acting horribly creepy, a voice at the back of his mind also spoke...


    ''She''s right...''


    ''...''


    ''Why waste so much time on the humans when they hate us?''


    ''Shut up.''


    ''The woman of our dreams is asking us to run away with her...''


    ''...''


    Lloyd felt his face being turned towards Veronica''s, causing both of them to be merely an inch away from each other, but that''s what she wanted.


    A teasing smile stretched across her lips, and before Lloyd could even move, no matter what his intentions were, her grip over him tightened before she flipped away with the grace of a ballerina.


    "Just kidding..." She smiled teasingly. On the other hand, Lloyd had an enraged expression on his face for the remaining time of the session.


    Yet, despite the session ending with Lloydying half-dead with his head on Veronica''sp as he was slowly being nursed back to health, one question ran through his mind the entire time.


    ''What the hell... Was that voice...''

 Chapter 79 1 Week Later [2]

    "You''re doing worse than you did yesterday. Is something on your mind?" Tina asked as she stared at the fiery orange chain wrapped around her.


    However, despite itsplex creation and the artistic detail put into making Lloyd''s mes take the form of dense chains, it was far too weak for Lloyd to do anything but trick his opponents into thinking that he had a method to entrap them.


    "No... Its fine." Lloyd spoke through gritted teeth as he tried his best to keep the chains in their form without losing concentration since doing so would mean that they would dissipate into thin air.


    "Maybe we have to do a little bit ofprehension training? That usually increased someone control over their element." Tina began to speak to herself, but after thinking for a moment, an idea entered her mind.


    With twinkling eyes, she tensed her body and destroyed the chains that Lloyd was trying so hard to maintain, yet before Lloyd could even startining, Tina spoke first.


    "How much do you know about arcane magic!?" Tina asked with the most exciting voice Lloyd had ever heard. It was almost adorable how she had perked up like an excited child.


    "Uhm... Not much, I guess? I''ve seen a few people use it before, but I''ve never used it myself.


    "Do you at least know how mana works?" Tina asked with a slightly disappointed expression.


    "Well, of course, I do. I know how arcane magic works too, but since I don''t have a ss or ability based on arcane magic, I can''t really use it, can I?" Lloyd raised a brow.


    "That''s where you''re wrong, and let me exin.


    Arcane magic is like any other magic, but it has what we arcane mages call a a neutral property. It can be a beat of energy if we concentrate it on a single area, or it bes a nket or bubble that covers us whenever we want to block an attack or contain one, depending on the situation.


    Arcane magic is the most malleable form of magic, and despite only arcane mages and artificers using it, if you break it down, it is literally just mana. Every awakened has mana, so why can''t you use it?" Tina asked, and once Lloyd processed the question, he could not help but raise a brow.


    "We can use things like mana sense and release a magical aura, both of which rely on pure mana. So why shouldn''t we be able to use arcane magic? It''s clearly not like an element where some people simply don''t have an affinity for some of them." Lloyd asked himself.


    "Exactly! It''s just that having the ability for it makes it a lot easier to control it and, at the same time, makes the spells we use much less mana consuming." Tina smiled widely.


    "You''ve been calling your abilities spells all this time. I thought that it was just another word for ability, but now I''m a little confused." Lloyd scratched the back of his head.


    "Think of spells as the magic version of martial arts techniques. They are ways that you use your abilities to make sub-abilities. Of course, these can vary; for example, you have several shadow abilities that could be considered spells.


    All you would need to do is find a way tobine them when you reach the firstmandment and make them into something simple like shadow control." Tina exined before continuing.


    "Having only arcane magic is both a blessing and a curse. I am one of the most malleable mages. I sometimes call myself a ''Jack of all trades, master of none.''


    I can manipte the elemental particles to create a spell from any element that is abundant in the area I am in, but it also makes it so that I''m not specialized in any of them, nor can I use them if the element isn''t abundant in the area.


    Lastly, my elemental maniption only extends to basic elements, so I can''t use darkness, light, and all their other sub-elements. I can go on and on, but just think of it as me only being capable of using the main elements like water, lightning, air, fire, and earth." Tina exined while Lloyd tried his best to absorb to information dumb that she had justid on him.


    Tina and Lloyd continued speaking for a few more hours about the theories of mana. For the final two hours of the session, Tina chose that the best course of action would be to teach him since teaching and training someone to manipte pure mana is almost the same as teaching them to manipte all the elements despite most elements having one key feature that made each and every one of them different.


    Water is cool, smooth, and calm, while fire is brash and quick, representing its user''s rage.


    Wind represents a human''s constantly changing emotions, while earth represents a powerful and sturdy mind. Each element represents the person''s state of mind, which means that as a person bes stronger over time, they are more likely to represent the characteristics of his element...


    This is why only one question lingered at the back of Lloyd''s mind at the end of their conversation...


    ''Is that why most void walkers go insane? Is it the curse of bing too strong?''


    "Hey! I need you to listen here or all of this will be for nothing." Tina shouted while snapping her fingers in front of Lloyd''s face.


    2 hours passed in the blink of an eye as Tina tried her best to teach Lloyd how to manipte pure mana, yet with so many things lingering at the back of Lloyd''s mind, it became nearly impossible for him to concentrate.


    "Well, I guess that''s the end of our session." Tina sighed as she created a fireball in the palm of her hand and incinerated one of the monsters that remained outside even after the sun had risen.


    "Should I start then?" Roderick asked after having appeared out of nowhere.


    The group had split up into three different groups. The front group was a few meters in front of both Lloyd and whoever was teaching him at the time, and the back group stayed a few meters behind the middle group.


    This method was mainly used to amodate Tina since she didn''t feelfortable speaking around anyone except Rex and Lloyd and since Roderick didn''t want to make her feel weird about it.


    "Y-Y-Yeah..." Tine stuttered before jumping to the back group where Rex was.


    "So... You two have been really hitting it off." Roderick tapped Lloyd''s shoulder with his fist while giving him a grin that most men could understand with a single nce.


    "No."


    "Oh,e on! She''s cute. She''s a little older than you, but age doesn''t matter after age 20 since most people over the secondmandment stay that way until their early hundreds." Roderick shrugged, yet Lloyd still shook his head, yet he had a weirdly warm smile on his face.


    "Tina is nice, and she''s cute. She had the enthusiasm of a hundred scientistsbined, and she is one of the hardest workers I know." Lloyd spoke, making Roderick widen his eyes.


    While Roderick knew that there might be a chance that Lloyd might have liked Tina, this was the first time in the 350+ hours of knowing him that Lloyd had trulyplimented so much in such a short span of time.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Soooo... You like her?" Roderick gave Lloyd the same grin while poking his elbow into Lloyd''s side.


    "No, and even if I did, I woudln''t go for it." Lloyd sighed.


    "Why not?!"


    "A girlfriend is amitment I am not willing to have right now. I am 16. I have my entire academic life ahead of me, and I need to focus. Otherwise, everyone else will suprass me..." Lloyd shrugged.


    ''Doubt it...'' Roderick inwardly thought before sighing a beginning his lesson.


    Their lesson felt much longer than it usually did. While Roderick didn''t mind teaching Lloyd since it was a way to pass the time, Lloyd, on the other hand, had too many things on his mind to truly take in anything that Roderick was saying, and they both knew that.


    "Do you want to take a break? Your mind seems a little cluttered right now." Roderickmented with a hint of worry in his voice.


    Of course, Roderick still thought that there was a possibility that Lloyd was a Void Walker, yet until that suspicion is proved to be correct, which he hoped would never happen, he wouldn''t act upon it in any way, shape, or form.


    To Roderick, Lloyd was just as human as everyone else, and that opinion only strengthened over time as Roderick watched Lloyd work day and night to improve himself and be of worth to the team. How could he not respect Lloyd after seeing that?


    "It''s nothing... I''m just a little exhausted." Lloyd sighed.


    "Don''t worry about it. Even I''m tired, so I can only imagine how you feel." Roderick sighed and patted Lloyd''s back, yet before he could continue-


    "Iing!" a voice cut through everyone''s conversations, causing both the front and back groups to merge into the center, blocking Lloyd from all sides.


    *ng*


    A silent gust of wind smashed into Lloyd''s face before the sound of two metallic objects shing entered his ears.


    Looking forward, Lloyd saw a talon pushing against Veronica''s de before it was forced away as a gust of wind hit both of the creature''s wings.


    With her open palm outstretched, Veronica''s eyes glowed with a fierce crimson before three words left her mouth.


    "Blood Control - Cripple"


    The sound of soft flesh tearing from the inside squelched into Lloyd''s ear as a shiver went down his spine.


    He could see and hear the creature''s blood bubble and boil before the pressure from within caused them to explode, and within the blink of an eye, the creature was falling to the ground with blood leaking from its orifices.


    *Thud*


    "Well... That was brutal." Lloyd chuckled, yet the creatures were clearly not done.


    Dozens of piercing blue eyes stared from within the shadows of the forests, and while the rest might not have known how many there were from only ncing at the shadows of the trees, Lloyd saw right through them and widened his eyes.


    "There are a few secondmandments. I''ve never seen or even heard of this monster species, so we don''t know what makes the special." Roderick informed.


    "Nope... We''ve seen it before; you just didn''t pay attention to it." Lloyd retorted while tapping on his watch and opening a hologram with two drawings of the owl-like creature on it.


    The creature was quiterge, yet Lloyd knew it could berger since the size clearly varied from adult to adult to adult within the species.


    "The first one we met was around the size of a cow. On the other hand, this one was a littlerger, yet for some reason, it was weaker than thest one I saw." Lloyd informed while quickly scanning the page he had created on the creature.


    "Its fast and almostpletely silent. Its feathers might seem white, but they can be close to transparent. From what we''ve seen, they use their talons as their main weapon, but that could change if we fight a few more." Lloyd continued.


    "Thanks for the info." Hime thanked before releasing a spiritual aura that Lloyd didn''t recognize.


    While the color of the aura represented a many things, the color itself was a y on the mind. It didn''t really exist, yet because anything with a soul could sense it, the body is tricked into thinking of it as something normal eyes could see.


    "Orange?" Lloyd muttered.


    "The warrior''s aura, Battle Intent. You can think of it as a way to show someone''s fighting spirit without having to spell it out for them. It can also be used as a weapon, but that''s a lesson for another day." Rex patted Lloyd''s shoulder.


    As Hime''s battle intent spread throughout the forest before her, all the owls retaliated, sending out their own killing intents to sh with Hime''s aura and push it back.


    "Now!" Hime shouted, causing everyone except Lloyd to act on hermand.


    "I guess we''re really doing this, huh..." Lloyd sighed as he slowly sank into his shadow with his eyes flickering violet with an excitement he felt like he hadn''t truly felt in a very long time.


    The excitement of a real battle.

 Chapter 80 Never Truly You [1] - Reflection

    [Thank you IWannaHugKobeni for your generous gift]


    *BOOM*


    *ng*


    *Swoosh*


    The sound of battle entered echoed throughout the forest, yet none of them entered the shadows in which Lloyd moved in.


    From within his shadow, Lloyd analyzed every one of the monsters and tried to find those closest to him in strength, yet after a swift scan of his surroundings, he quickly realized that these owls were much stronger than he had thought they were.


    Most of them ranged from mid-stage firstmandment to the initial stages of the Topaz seal''s secondmandment. However, one of them had a much more powerful presence.


    ''Mid topaz seal?'' Lloyd asked himself before quickly shaking his head. That creature was not his problem; if it somehow did be his problem, he was as good as dead.


    ording to Lloyd''s knowledge ofmandments, the secondmandment was split into five stages, each represented by a seal named after different gems, while the 6th seal is considered the bridge between the second and thirdmandments.


    2nd Commandment:


    ? Topaz Seal


    ? Amethyst Seal


    ? Ruby Seal


    ? Emerald Seal


    ? Diamond Seal


    ? Half step - Pink Diamond Seal


    The power difference between the first and second seals was like the difference between the initial to half-step stages of the firstmandment. After every seal, the difference doubles from thest, making it harder and harder to advance as an individual closes in on the thirdmandment.


    Leaving his shadow right behind one of the owls, Lloyd took out his sword and dug it into the weakest and most unsuspecting owl, instantly killing it as the sword pierced right through the creature''s heart, yet before he could rx, he felt a gust of wind hit him before pain radiated from his back as another owl swooshed past him and attacked him with its talons.


    Energy surges into Lloyd''s body, but since he knows that it wouldn''t do anything but heal wounds or replenish his mana, he controlled the energy to the best of his ability and moved the portion he didn''t need to to his arms. He didn''t know how it would have helped, but in a way, he expected it to work the same way shadow enhancement did.


    However...


    "Huh?"


    Suddenly, excruciating pain shot through his arms, causing him to drop his sword before letting out a muffled scream of pain that alerted some of the nearby owls, indicated by the twitch of their antlers that came out of their head.


    Several piercing blue eyes stared at Lloyd from a distance, yet before they could do anything, they felt a powerful shiver go through their feathers, and they were not the only ones who felt it.


    Hime''s hair stood on its ends, telling her that something dangerous wasing. As if her beast instincts themselves were trying to warn her of iing dangers.


    On the other hand, Felix felt something fluctuate through his spiritual senses, making him look in that direction just to see a powerful yet eerie mana source expanding in strength.


    For a moment, every battle had stopped in its wake, sending a wave of silence through the forest that not even the tiniest of insects dared to disturb.


    With violently glowing eyes that seemed to create a trail of violet whenever Lloyd moved his head, he looked down at his arms which had web-like cracks traveling through every inch of his skin.


    Purple energy escaped from cracks in his arm, and before he knew it, his skin kes began to fall off like leaves in the autumn.


    Whenever a ke of skin fell off, Lloyd would see into an abyss that was the anatomy beyond his firstyer of skin.


    Lloyd knew that he had no organs or blood, but until this point, he had never seen what was beyond the surface of his skin, yet now that he could see it, there was only one word to describe how he felt.


    Terrified.<novelnext></novelnext>


    An abyss... A seemingly infinite void. That was what he saw. It waspletely ck, yet in a way, the abyss felt alive, and the hole left on his body felt full.


    There was a saying in the past that Lloyd had seen...


    "if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you."


    ''Look left.'' The voice in Lloyd''s head whispered, yet instead of listening to the voice, something else happened.


    As if Lloyd had used [Shadow Movement], he felt himself sinking into something, and in the same instant, his vision became ck, and everything began to fade...


    Everything became nothing, before everything turned into a single thing.


    Everything faded, yet all the atoms, all the light, all the blood, and all the corpses seemed to break down and merge to create a thing that stood in the distance.


    It was voiceless, or so Lloyd thought.


    It had a powerful presence, yet it felt more like a trick of the mind.


    The thing simply stood there for what felt like hours, yet when the thing began moving, Lloyd couldn''t help but long for the moments when it hadn''t been moving.


    Every one of its steps were silent, yet they created a ripple through the abyss that made the very void below it reach out and grip the creature''s feet.


    Despite trying his best to move, the moment Lloyd looked into where the creature''s eyes were supposed to be, he quickly found himself frozen, incapable of moving an inch despite his efforts.


    It was as if the very abyss within his had stopped working, freezing in ce as a way to preserve its host''s life the same way a human''s body might drop in temperature and freeze in ce whenever an apex creature looks at it.


    This was not a battle where fight or flight was an option. This was an encounter where Lloyd could only hope to god that the creature walking toward him would simply walk around him, forget his existence, or just swat him to the side.


    A few minutes seemed to pass, and despite the creature''s long strides, it was pretty slow. Yet, no matter how slow it was, Lloyd could not move an inch.


    His fear was slowly building.


    His breathing was bing faster.


    The silence of his none existent heart made everything sound weird.


    He felt vulnerable, and he felt afraid.


    So you would think that when the creature finally stopped around 15 meters before him, Lloyd''s panic would subside, correct?


    "Since when..." The creature spoke, its voice sounding closer to a metallic screech than to an actual voice, yet somehow, despite everything seemingly making it impossible for Lloyd to understand it, Lloyd understood every single word that came out of its mouth.


    Its mouth?


    What mouth?


    The creature didn''t have a mouth. It had two hollow holes for the eyes and a small bump representing its nose.


    Its face waspletely smooth, yet in a way, it looked very familiar.


    "Since when have we been..."


    The familiarity of looking at yourself in a mirror for the first time in your life... That''s what it felt like.


    A creature created out of literal shadows, slowly morphing to look more human. Slowly morphing to look more and more like the void walker before it.


    "So disappointing?"


    A reflection of Lloyd... After all, one could argue that the thing in the mirror is never truly you.

 Chapter 81 Never Truly You [2] - The Proposition

    "What are you?" Lloyd asked, his trembling body finally gaining the power and courage to speak.


    "You tell me." The creature spoke as it continued to morph, causing its feature to slowly move from being slender and tall to have a more defined body.


    Its voice was bing more human, yet it still sounded dark, gloomy, and deep.


    Its voice was monotone and emotionless, yet Lloyd didn''t know if that was because of its disorienting voice or because it chose to speak that way.


    "Are you my shadow?" Lloyd asked with narrow eyes and a voice that would have seemed calm if not for the tremble in it.


    "Hahahahahahahaha!" The creature beganughing, itsugh bing increasingly human as time passed, yet at the same time, it became less and less human in its own way. While its skin slowly became moved from being a clump of shadows to actual skin, its voice gained tone, yet the only tone the creature used was that of a dead and emotionlessugh.


    It was almost robotic.


    It was slowly covered in ck clothing, and within a few seconds, Lloyd finally realized what was happening.


    It was like looking at a clone of himself.


    The creature before him was the exact same as him, wearing the exact same clothes as him and having the exact same facial structure and skin tone as him.


    Lloyd didn''t need to ask who the creature before him was, because Lloyd knew deep inside that-


    "..."


    "..."


    The creature tapped on his wristwatch and took out a mask, yet Lloyd knew there was no point despite its insistence on wearing it.


    The creature before him never smiled... No. It never showed any emotion, whether excitement or rage; it always seemed bored, with its deadpan expression never fading.


    "I shattered my arm when I tried moving my energy to it... Do you know how I can fix it?" Lloyd asked.


    "You speak like an imbecile, so it is no surprise to me that you cannot control something that is essentially a third arm."


    "There was no need for that..."


    "I can easily fix our arm if I so wished to do so." The creature spoke, yet to Lloyd, it seemed more like a brag and a slight insult toward him.


    "So... Do it!" Lloyd stretched out his arms without looking at them. He didn''t want to see the things beyond his skin... It was simply something he was not ready for.


    "Let me rify. I was not offering to repair our arm; I was simply stating a fact." The creature rified.


    "What do you want then?" Lloyd asked, yet it was then that something came to his mind, instantly making him scowl.


    "I do not wish to fight these weaklings. You, your teammates, and these monsters have all been disappointments. That ck-haired girl interests me, and I''m interested in the boss of this dungeon, so I have a proposition for you..." The creature spoke.


    "What is it?" Lloyd asked, his voice no longer shivering.


    "I''ll heal you, and I''ll teach you how to strengthen your body before entering the firstmandment, and I will insert information on how to control the void energy inside you." The creature said, its voice sounding a little mischievous despite its dead tone.


    "And? What do you get out of this?"


    "Do not break through until you reach the boss of this dungeon."


    "Is that it?" Lloyd almost sighed in relief, yet he quickly found that sigh stuck in his throat when it continued-


    "..."<novelnext></novelnext>


    ***


    "Shit. The bastard just disappeared." Felix grunted as he dodged all the owls that came towards him.


    ording to Roderick, Felix was a part of a race of speedsters capable of shifting around their veins to create rune-like patterns that enhance their skin and muscles, allowing them to exert their racial ability to move extremely fast.


    Apparently, Felix''s race was the fastest in the universe and came from ancestors that could literally rip through space and time with their speed alone.


    The Tachymos race [Pronounced Ta-hee-mos from the greek words tachytis and chlomos] were also naturally faster than every other race from birth. This makes them very easy to irritate and a lot less patient than any of the other races, mainly because they everything the other races do seems slow to them.


    Felix''s body flickered continually, allowing it to appear behind one of the owls and hit them, before disappearing again and continuing the cycle.


    However, Hime seemed to enjoy manhandling the owls instead, by immediately lunging at them whenever she felt one of them enter the battle aura''s radius, making it nearly impossible for them to catch her off guard.


    Rex did practically the same thing, yet instead of manhandling his enemies, he would coat his body with an extremely dense form of Hime''s battle aura before coating his hands with mana and attacking the owls with a mixture of most of the martial arts he knew.


    The mana around his hands would act like weapons of their own, controlled by his battle aura to shoot into an owl''s body and decimate it from within whenever Rex chose to do so. At the same time, it also looked like the battle aura was somehow strengthening Rex''s body and making every one of his strikes stronger than thest.


    It was almost as if he was sapping energy away from his victims to temporarily boost his strength, yet despite many of the people on his team, including Hime, asking how he does it, he had always refused to answer.


    On the other hand, Tina and Roderick were simply supporting the rest of the team, yet Roderick found himself doing most of the support work when he saw that Tina was slightly off her game.


    ''It makes sense... She''s never truly gotten close enough with someone to be worried about their disappearance, and now that Lloyd had fucked off to wherever he is now, she''s worried.'' Roderick sighed while shooting several arrows at 3 of the iing owls, hitting every single one of them in vital or crucial areas before they were subsequently lit afire by one of Tina''s spells.


    Veronica, on the other hand, was single-handedly destroying the strongest owl, to the point where the owl was forced to mainly defend rather than their usual all-out aggression tactic.


    The way she twirled, ducked, stabbed, and swung with her sword had the aggression of a bull yet the grace of a ballerina.


    She always found a way to corner the owl with her unpredictable yet graceful movements, while the flow behind her attacks made every attack stronger than thest, to the point where she didn''t even have to use any of her abilities.


    *Swoosh*


    Suddenly, the sky slightly darkened as clouds blocked off the sun, and in the same instant, the winds began to pick up to a noticeable extent.


    *Sching*


    *BOOM*


    Before they could adjust to the sudden change in lighting, wind strength, and temperature, a low screech entered their ears arge figure shot to the ground like a meteor, creating a loud explosion while kicking up a dust cloud in its wake.


    "Is that-?""


    But before Tina could finish her sentence, they all saw something magnificent. Something that would have made most freeze, not out of fear, but at the sheer beauty of it.


    [me Control (Lvl 2--->3)]


    [zing shower]


    Pale blue mes formed in the air before spinning into a vortex and turning into a small spherical ball of mes.


    As if the clouds had begun rainingser beams, blue lights shot down from the sky and almost created an aurora-like spectrum of lights that danced in the sky.


    But all it took was a second for the amazing disy to turn into a scene of bloodied rain and scorched bodies.

 Chapter 82 Mutation [1] - Shadow Owl Mutation

    Since Lloyd knew that any of the owls above peak firstmandment wouldn''t be hurt by his attack, he closed his eyes and felt his surroundings.


    He could feel everything, from the trees that brushed one another to the presence of the owls in the sky alongside him. Yet, he quickly blocked everything out before focusing on the owls and his me bullets.


    With mesing out of his feet and back to keep him floating, Lloyd opened his eyes with the utmost concentration, and with a thrust of his arms and clenching his open palms into a fist, he split all the ming bullets into 15 groups, shooting them all at the weakest owls and barraging them with a rain of mes.


    *BOOM, BOOM, BOOM*


    The sound of explosions filled the air as Lloyd''s bullets ripped through the owls, creating clouds of smoke and burning feathers that made it impossible for the group to see what was going on.


    When he finally stopped shooting, Lloyd took a moment to observe his work before noticing something peculiar.


    All the owls on the weaker side had turned into carcasses, while all the stronger owls remained unscathed since Lloyd was not aiming for them.


    "Well, that used a crap ton of mana..." Lloyd muttered in disbelief before suddenly being pulled back into reality when he felt a gust of wind almost freeze him in ce.


    He wanted to move, yet before he could do anything, he felt an intense auraing from one of the stronger owls, causing him to close his eyes so he wouldn''t be affected by its presence.


    When he opened them again, he noticed that the owl had grown darker, almost like a shadow that seemed to quiver with its every movement.


    Lloyd couldn''t determine its exact type, yet he could tell it wasn''t an ordinary owl. While it wasn''t as strong as the stronger owls that the rest of the group was fighting, the thing before him was growing in strength at a tremendous rate... Which could only mean one thing.


    "A mutation?" Lloyd asked himself, yet before he could try to get answers, the answers came to him in the form of a dark spear appearing mere inches from his face, giving him less than half a second to dodge the attack.


    "Weren''t shadows supposed to be the slowest element," Lloyd asked himself with a grunt as the spear cut his cheek, yet the excitement in his voice could not be faked despite wanting to sound angry.


    ''I could get a new shadow ability.'' He thought as a smile threatened to extend from the corners of his lips.


    But before Lloyd could give it more thought, he saw several figures shooting toward the owl like arrows, distracting it and drawing its attention away from Lloyd.


    It was then that the others arrived, and the fight began anew, yet despite them seeming like they wanted to support him, he could not help but feel slightly agitated by the disruption.


    ''Don''t they have their own fights?'' Lloyd thought while staring at Tina and Roderick with a slight frown. Little did he know that, due to them both being mid tote Topaz seals in the secondmandment, their senses had improved enough for them to see Lloyd''s unsatisfied frown.


    "Stop attacking it." Roderick shouted.


    "What? Did you hit your head or something. Lloyd probably used all his mana on that attack, so not only is he much weaker than that thing, he is also not equipped to fight it!" Felix shouted back.


    "Is that worry I sense in your voice?" Roderick teased.


    "YES! I am worried that the only intelligent person in your group will die, and you assholes are just gonna watch!" Felix retorted, making Roderick chuckle.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "We hold off for now. If you see Lloyd struggling against the mutant one, I want you to help him." Himemanded, instantly ending th argument where it stood.


    Seeing that no one was going to help him, an uncontrolled grin appeared on his face. The same one that appeared the first time he was going to fight one of the owls.


    ''Hopefully, this time I actually get to fight these monsters rather than being pulled into my own shadow as an unsuspecting victim of that thing...'' Lloyd thought, unwilling to call the creature he saw by its actual name... Or at least the name he gave it.


    Seeing the creature flying towards him, Lloyd turned off the mes and allowed himself to fall towards the ground, yet he was not without a n.


    As he closed in on the ground, the owl closed its wings and perched towards him, the shadows around its body flickering wildly as its piercing blue eyes stared at him like a hawk.


    The owl was closing in fast, yet Lloyd was closer to the ground than he was to it. However, when the owl hade extremely close to getting him, it was already toote.


    [Shadow Movement]


    Suddenly, Lloyd''s body sunk into the ground the moment he hit it, and despite the owl''s attempt to slow itself by opening its wings, its momentum was far too high for it to stop immediately.


    However, just before Lloyd could move away from his shadow, leave it and kill the creature to cement his victory, the sound of something entering a murky and thick water entered his ears, and when he looked around, he understood what it was.


    "Since when could shadow users also enter my shadow!" Lloyd muttered before trying to take out his katana.


    ''It''s not here!?'' Lloyd inwardly screamed before remembering that he had dropped it when his arms began to crack.


    With a loud screech, the owl shot toward''s Lloyd at amazing speeds, but despite the owl''s amazing increase in strength, it wasn''t the only one who had reached a new level of strength that day.


    [Shadow Enhancment]


    Covering himself in shadows as well, Lloyd took the creature before his head, speeding towards it by creating mes behind him that allowed him to elerate faster than his body would have been capable of, even with the help of [Shadow Enhancement]


    Shooting towards it, Lloyd readied his fist and sent out a powerful punch, yet the owl, being stronger than him, easily shed with his punch and sent him tumbling for a few meters.


    Surprisingly, however, it was not only Lloyd who was pushed back, but it was also the owl being forced back several meters.


    Finding his bnce, Lloyd continued to slide for a few more seconds, but this time he had ced his hand on the ground while fueling it with mana.


    *SCREECH*


    The owl immediately pped its wings and shot towards Lloyd, yet when it reached him, a shiver went down its spine before the grin on Lloyd''s face was thoroughly imprinted in its mind. After all, it was thest thing it saw before pale blue mes burst out of the ground, swallowing its entire vision and shooting it out of his shadow.

 Chapter 83 Mutation [2] - Level Up

    [HUGE thank you to Daoist4bMk5P, Zackary_Davis, and Mattirro for being my biggest golden ticket supporters!]


    [Also, thank you Epic_Buddie123, Dark_Knight16, Master_Atlest and NotGRE3D for being my biggest supporters through giftingst month. Truly appreciated]


    "Lloyd!" Tina shouted as she saw the ck-haired man standing in the middle of a foggy fieldposed of pale blue mes. However, just when she was about to run over to see if he was okay, she felt Roderick''s arms wrap around her waist as he pulled her away from in iing talon before throwing her down to the ground.


    cing an arrow onto the device on his wrist, Roderick quickly aimed at the creature before shooting at it until it fell, and when he finally confirmed that it was dead, he turned around with a cold expression.


    "I said stand down. He wants to handle this on his own. We only help him when he''s in danger." Roderick spoke.


    "But, he was in the shadow the whole time. How were we supposed to know if he was in danger?" Tina asked, yet she quickly quieted down after seeing Hime stare at her from the corner of her eye.


    While the owl had left Lloyd''s shadow looking like a fireball, Lloyd knew that the shadows most likely tanked most of the mes, but there was also a chance that the mes had hurt it.


    Looking up from the blue mes encircling where he stood, he squinted into the distance. However, he quickly realized that there was no need for that.


    While the owl was no longer covered in shadows to make it appear to look ck, Lloyd quickly realized that its mutation had also changed the color of its feathers, making it look more like a stealthy ninja owl than it had before with its half-translucent white wings.


    "Huh?" Raising a brow, Lloyd squinted again to see why the owl had suddenly stretched out its wings, yet in the same instant, he felt panic jolt to his stomach as a shower of arrows made out of shadows shot toward him.


    ''I can block it with the mes... Or at least dy it until I have time to move away.'' Lloyd thought.


    Just before the arrows could hit him, Lloyd released arge sphere of mes that stopped them and even managed topletely burn one or two of them away.


    With the help of the mes, he quickly elerated and flew toward the owl, dodging the shadow arrows while the pale blue mes on his feet shot him upwards.


    "Bring it bitch!" Lloyd shouted beforeunching a powerful punch covered in shadows toward the owl. The second the punch made contact, the creature was thrown back several meters and mmed into a tree, resulting in a loud *CRACK* that echoed through the forest.


    Before it could recover, Lloyd shot a kick toward its head and followed up with a series of punches, leaving it dazed and unable to stand much longer. Knowing what it would do if it regained itsposure, Lloyd shot both hands forward and engulfed the owl in a pir of mes.


    The pir of mes burned the owl''s body until all of the remaining shadows on its body disappeared, and its feathers began to burn, yet it continued to increase in strength, forcing Lloyd to jump several meters away since he was running low on mana.


    Suddenly, a surge of mana shot in every direction as the owl advanced to half-step secondmandment, sending gusts of winds through the forest while causing all the small fights to halt for a moment as everyone looked at Lloyd and the ascending monster before him.


    The horse-sized ck owl monster advanced toward him, and a sense of anticipation and thrill filled the air. The creature was formidable and cunning, Lloyd could see it in its eyes, and he knew he wouldn''t be able to hold back even if he wanted to.


    Of course, he wasn''t about to use his Void Walker abilities, but he would have to use everything else.


    ''Half-step secondmandment? At this rate, it will reach the secondmandment within a few minutes. Maybe this wasn''t a mutation... Maybe it was an evolution?'' Lloyd inwardly analyzed while ncing toward his group. He didn''t know what he expected, but he could tell you that he didn''t expect to see them staring at him like hawks, analyzing his every move.


    On the other hand, Hime looked like she was ready to kill the owl the moment she saw him close to being in danger.


    The difference between a Topaz stage secondmandment and a half step was like the difference between night and day, so Lloyd didn''t doubt that she had the ability to kill the owl with a single attack if she truly wanted to.


    Shaking his head, Lloyd took two des out of his dimensional storage, ready for the fight ahead. The owl charged forward, its massive wings spreading wide as it attacked with its sharp talons. Lloyd dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the owl''s deadly strikes before spinning on his heel and swinging his des toward it.


    His weapons sliced through the air with precision and speed, and despite reacting in time to move away from the attack, Lloyd also predicted that it would try to dodge.


    The owl screeched in pain and fury, its feathers flying everywhere as it tried to defend itself, yet it was toote. Or so Lloyd thought.


    Lloyd''s sword shed against the owl''s stomach, yet instead of seeing red like he had expected, all he saw were sparks followed by the sound of metal hitting metal.


    ''Sh*t... Its feathers are as strong as my de even without its shadow covering it...'' Lloyd gritted his teeth.


    The battle continued as the owl''s powerful talons shed with Lloyd''s weapon. Lloyd struggled to keep up with the owl''s quick movements and powerful attacks, but he refused to give up.


    He knew that he had to push himself to defeat the owl, but he also knew that even if he tried using his mes, he would not be able tond a powerful attack again since he would have run out of mana.


    [Shadow Enhancment]


    Without thinking twice, Lloyd covered his body in shadows and began to fight with precision and speed that rivaled the owls. Yet unlike the owl, Lloyd had quick thinking to his side while the owl was just a stupid animal who would run away at the first sign of danger.


    Lloyd''s determination and skill began to pay off, and before he knew it, he started to gain the upper hand.


    He knew that his attacks were much more powerful now that he had activated [Shadow Enhancement], but in a situation like this one, it wasn''t his body or abilities that held him back; it was his weapon.


    Gritting his teeth, Lloyd flipped away from the owl, creating two to three dozen meters of distance between the two.


    To everyone''s surprise, Lloyd slowly returned his des to his dimensional storage before-


    [Shadow w]


    Lloyd''s eyes shone brightly, and before the owl could react to the ws that ad seemed to havee out of nowhere, Lloyd had already shot forward with all the speed he could muster behind his legs.


    Lloyd wasn''t in any way proficient in using his ws.


    It was one of the main reasons why he barely used them. Or at least that was the case before he began his lessons with Hime. Since his ws were sharper and stronger than his des, he saw that using them would be the best course of action.


    *ng*<novelnext></novelnext>


    *Clink*


    *BOOM*


    shing with the owl''s talons, Lloyd could feel that he could produce much more power with his ws than he could with his des, yet at the same time, he felt as if using his ws was a much more dangerous approach than using his des or even his katana.


    Lloyd''s katana gave less attack power, mainly due to its quality and grade, but that was not all. A katana was simply much less adaptable than ws attached to one''s hands.


    Lloyd could use them as gauntlets, ws, 10 razor-sharp needles, and much more, while a katana could only be used for shing, defending, or parrying, even tho thetter would be much easier with European des that have a hilt and two sides to cut from.


    However, a katana''s advantages were clear. It cut better than any other de, and it had more reach than Lloyd''s ws, allowing Lloyd to keep the creature at a distance at all times.


    However, now that he had to get close and personal to attack his opponent, he needed to find other ways to defend himself.


    The owl and Lloyd fought for several minutes as the owl continued to gain strength, but simultaneously continued to get hurt. While its powers increased over time, it still lostrge amounts of blood every time Lloyd hit it wherever it was wounded.


    They bounced in and out of the shadows, making it seem like a game of cat and mouse, but in this game, the mouse beat the cat before retreating. Lloyd mainly did it to show Roderick that he was listening to his lessons, but it also helped in its own way since the owl''s anger was increasing, something everyone could see by the killing intent that was bing thicker by the second.


    After a while of fighting, an idea finally came to Lloyd''s mind.


    ''I got it!'' Lloyd thought while a sinister smile stretched across his lips.


    Charging forward again, Lloyd stretched out his hand to strike the owl, yet instead of moving away, it chose to intercept with one talon and attack his face with the other.


    Unfortunately for it, Lloyd wasn''t actually aiming for the owl... He was aiming for the talon.


    Grabbing the owl''s leg, Lloyd used his body to its maximum output before swinging with everything he had and mming the owl into the ground.


    Seeing this as a moment of weakness, Lloyd focused his energy and unleashed his fire and lightning powers, engulfing the owl in mes while electrocuting it with all the electricity he could create.


    The owl screeched in pain and fury, but it was toote.


    Reeling his arm back, Lloyd''s eyes shone with a hint of rage as his wed hand descended toward the owl''s heart, yet before it could fully reach it-


    *SCREECH*


    Lloyd felt his face being stretched as the sound waves pushed him back, yet before he could fly too far away, the owl froze.


    Lloyd, who had not used a single ounce of killing intent since the start of the fight, had suddenly released everything.


    His killing intent flooded his part of the forest, and every creature that stood within it could not help but hold their breath for a moment as the killing intent intertwined itself in the powers of [Monarch''s Aura].


    After his lessons with Veronica, Lloyd''s killing intent had skyrocketed in power. Every day he felt like he was going to die for 5 hours straight, but now that he was in a battle, he finally saw use to those hours of torture.


    mes slowly swirled before bing a small pale blue sphere, and within an instant, the spheres ripped through the air and shot toward the owl with speeds that could probably put bullets to shame.


    The owl also tried to create its own attacks, yet when Lloyd saw it expand its wings out, Lloyd closed his eyes before mming his hand onto the ground.


    ''Use the mes as the material, and the shadows as the cement that holds it together.'' he thought before opening his eyes and looking straight into the owl''s pupils.


    [Void Gaze]


    [Fire + Shadow]


    [Hede''s chains - Lock Down]


    ck and blue chains ripped out of the ground and wrapped around the already frozen owl, and before it could regain itsposure and snap away from [Void Gaze] to even attempt to break the chain, several pale blue fiery bullets ripped through the air before appearing before it.


    And in that very instant, dozens of me bullets shot through the owl, destroying its wings, organs, and heart before entering its brain and melting in an instant.


    *Ding*


    Despite being exhausted, Lloyd looked down at his watch, and when he saw what he wanted to see, a smile appeared on his face, extending from ear to ear as a powerful surge of energy entered his body.


    [Shadow Enhancement (Lvl 2 ----> 3)]


    [Shadow Movement (Lvl 1 ----> 2)]


    [Shadow w (Lvl 1 ----> 2)]


    [You have 3 gained new abilities]


    [Shadow Wings]


    [Shadow Expansion]


    [Shadow Arrows]

 Chapter 84 Epiphany? [1]

    *Ding*


    [Shadow Enhancement (Lvl 2 ----> 3)]


    [Shadow Movement (Lvl 1 ----> 2)]


    [Shadow w (Lvl 1 ----> 2)]


    [You have 2 gained new abilities]


    [Shadow Wings]


    [Shadow Expansion]


    Despite being exhausted, Lloyd looked down at his watch, and when he saw what he wanted to see, a smile appeared on his face, extending from ear to ear as a powerful surge of energy entered his body.


    A smile stered itself along Lloyd''s face, yet before he could celebrate, he closed his eyes and entered his shadow once again.


    ''Just like he said..." Lloyd thought as he moved the energy within him to his legs, his torso, and the smallest amount to his arms.


    Instantly, cracks began to appear all over his skin before pieces of it began to fall off. The pain was so excruciating that he wanted to tear out his eyes.


    Yet despite all of this, Lloyd continued until a newyer of skin was revealed, and the moment it did, Lloyd opened his eyes and smiled. It might have taken several more minutes than he had expected, but he was happy with the results.


    He felt more invigorated than ever before, while his body felt straight yet light simultaneously. He felt like he could crush a lump of coal into a diamond with his bare hands, but that was probably just a trick of the mind, created from an enormous increase in strength.


    ''I assume I must do that until my skin no longer cracks. But that also means that my body''s strength is purely based on the strongest creatures I can kill. What happens if I just choose not to go above the firstmandment?


    Does my body continue to get stronger and stronger, or does it continue to get stronger until it is just as strong as my elemental and mana-based abilities?'' Lloyd asked himself, yet since he knew he wouldn''t be getting any answers any time soon, causing him to throw the thought to the back of his mind.


    Leaving his shadow stronger and more healed than when he entered it, he was quickly forced to move to the side as a white owl perched toward him with its talons aimed toward his head.


    ''Peak firstmandment? I shouldn''t have too much trouble. Most of my mana is back and I''mpletely healed. I should be able to kill it pretty easily.'' Lloyd thought while activating [Shadow Enhancement], covering himself in shadows.


    [Shadow w]


    He moved forward, his movements increasing in speed and power with each step. His ws cut through the air like lightning; before the owl could even reach its head out, Lloyd had already mmed his foot into its chest.


    The owl screeched in pain before crashing against a tree, yet before it could fly away, Lloyd shot a barrage of shadow arrows at it, knocking it down to the ground. He then leaped forward with great speed while covering himself in mes, and before the owl could swing one of its talons, Lloyd had already reached it.


    Grabbing the owl''s wings and legs, Lloyd grabbed onto its body with all his strength, causing the owl to screech loudly. Without giving it time to react, Lloyd began to spin as fast as he could while expanding his mes to their maximum output.


    Within seconds, he had turned the owl into nothing more than ashes.


    Leaving with a smile of satisfaction, Lloyd quickly looked over at his teammates just to be surprised at their shocked expressions as they watched the owl''s ashes drop to the ground.


    No more owls were attacking them anymore, and by the number of carcasses on the ground, Lloyd would have most likely been correct to assume that they had already killed a vast majority of the owls while the rest must have run away.


    "What?" Lloyd asked with a tilt of the head when seeing his teammate''s shocked expressions.


    "We''re just surpised..." Roderick spoke with an agape mouth, yet all he received with a raise of Lloyd''s brow.


    "That owl was at the peak of the firstmandment, but you killed it so easily..." Tina said, her voice filled with disbelief.


    Hearing Tina say it herself, everything clicked in Lloyd''s mind, making him smile brightly before puffing out his chest and saying-


    "I know right!"


    "How did you do it? One minute you were struggling with mutating owl. Hell, you were beaten till cracks appeared on your skin, but now you''repletely fine and somehow killed a peak firstmandment without breaking a sweat?" Hime asked, her voiceced with suspicion.


    Lloyd knew that many of them most likely thought there was a chance of him being a void walker, but unlike the first day he had met them, they didn''t allow their suspicion to change their view of Lloyd.


    The chances were extremely low. Void walkers were a race. They couldn''t be birthed out of thin air. Its impossible. Humans can''t be void walkers, and the same thing could be said the other way around.


    The only way such a thing could ur is only if-


    ''Wait... I became a void walker because of my ss, but that could only happen if I already had dormant void walker genes in me...'' Lloyd inwardly thought while keeping his outward smile.


    However, before he could go down the rabbit hole that is his family tree, he answered the question everyone was clearly thinking.


    "I had an epiphany." Lloyd announced, this time even making some of them gasp while the rest widened their eyes inplete shock.


    "You had an epiphany?! Really?" Veronica''s voice caught Lloyd''s attention, making him turn around just to see Veronica in all her beauty.


    Her voice was filled with excitement, but even Lloyd wasn''t sure if she was excited for him or if she was excited because she could meet someone who had an epiphany.


    ''I could have sworn that she was never this attractive... Maybe I''m going crazy.'' Lloyd nodded to himself since it was the most usible conclusion he could think of for his sudden attraction toward the vampire.


    Of course, she could have used an ability on him that would make him more attractive, but he doubted that she would do that. What could she gain from making someone like him attracted to her?


    "Yeah, I did." Lloyd gave her a thumbs up with a cheery voice.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Wait, is that why you disappeared?" Felix asked with a slight frown.


    "Yep." Lloyd nodded


    An epiphany. While it can be used in many contexts, for most awakened individuals, it was the rare urrence of reaching a new level of understanding, usually followed by adding new abilities, elements passives, or even the increase of talent.


    It is a moment in time when someone''s understanding of everything elerates dramatically, allowing them to increase theprehension of their element and possibly even break through to the next stage ormandment.


    While Lloyd hadn''t actually had an epiphany, it was the most usible answer to exin his new abilities, his increase in strength, and his newfound ability to kill a mutated half-step secondmandment all on his own.


    "Don''t epiphaniesst for half an hour or more?" Rex tilted his head in curiosity.


    "Yeah, and what''s a better way to use my epiphany than to fight a mutated monster with the same abilities as me?" Lloyd asked, making some of them nod while the others simply shrugged.


    On the other hand, Tina couldn''t hold in any longer and dashed forward with all the speed she could muster before tackling Lloyd into a hug.


    "You could have told us! I thought you were going to die!" She shouted as she buried her face into Lloyd''s chest. However, before Lloyd could even try tofort her, Hime''s voice cut in, making him frown.


    "Prove it."


    "Prove what?" Lloyd raised a brow.


    "Prove to me that you had an epiphany." She demanded as she stared at Lloyd with narrowed eyes.


    "Isn''t this a little too far. You yourself said that the chances are-" Roderick tried to argue, but Hime stopped him from speaking further by saying-


    "Shut up."


    Her words wereced with undeniable anger that no one truly understood, but instead ofining or even arguing, Lloydplied with her demands.


    [Shadow Expansion]


    Everyone watched as Lloyd''s shadow expanded out from where he stood.


    His shadow looked alive as it flickered and moved like a living being, yet instead of stopping there, Lloyd went further.


    ''I feel slower...'' Everyone thought when the shadows touched them, yet their vision was encased in darkness before they could test how slow they truly became.


    [Swallow]


    The entire team sunk into Lloyd''s shadow, yet despite it seeming amazing, only L truly understood the aplishment of Lloyd''s ''epiphany.''


    In reality, it was just a move that Lloyd thought of when he saw the shadow owl enter his shadow.


    "This is what I call my shadow realm. Like it?" Lloyd asked with a chuckle.


    "Well, actually, what we''re essing right now is called the shadow dimension.


    I''ll tell you more about it in our next lesson." L exined, making Lloyd blink a few times before shrugging and snapping his fingers again to force everyone out of his shadow.


    "I have a few other abilities, like those arrows I created out of shadows that I basically stole from the shadow owl thing." Lloyd exined while everyone simply nodded.


    After talking for a few more minutes, they all decided to move again.


    The rest of the trip was not as eventful as the start, but it wasn''t a secret that the monsters were beginning to increase in strength and amount the more they traveled.


    Several hours went by in the blink of an eye, and before they knew it, the sun was beginning to set, forcing them to set camp for the night in the nearest clearing.


    Hime had decided to give Lloyd a day off the next day since he had been working really hard all week, yet Lloyd had other ns.


    As they all entered their tents to finally have a good night''s sleep, Lloyd left his and began walking in a certain direction.


    *Ring* *Ring*


    Pressing the button in front of one of the tents, Lloyd heard the low chime of a bell go off inside before the sound of footsteps got closer to the door, making him tighten his fist while watching the curtain of the tent slowly open.


    A pair of deep crimson eyes stared into his violet ones, before the prettiest smile Lloyd had seen in a while blossomed on the woman''s face.


    "Lloyd? What are you doing at my tent at such ate time?" Veronica asked with a sweet and almost seductive voice.


    "..."


    "..."


    "What?" She asked.


    "I need your help..."

 Chapter 85 The Monarch Of The Autumn Forest [1]

    "I need your help..." Lloyd asked with a serious expression.


    "On what?~" She asked with a cheeky smile on her face.


    "Wow... I never knew you were such a pervert... Maybe I should ask someone else. At least then, I won''t have to worry about being sexually harassed by a vampire in the middle of the night." Lloyd sighed before turning around.


    However, before he could walk away, he felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him from taking another step.


    "Wait! I won''t do anything! I promise!" She pleaded


    "Nope." Lloyd tried to walk away, yet when he did, he couldn''t help but feel like his legs were a little heavier than usual.


    "Please! My life had been so boring. I''ve done nothing but fight weaklings since I came here. Make my life interesting!" She pleaded, yet this time she disyed a side of her filled with desperation that almost made Lloyd feel bad for her.


    On the other hand, he would never be able to get the image of her clinging to his leg and fake crying out of his head.


    "Sure, sure, whatever you want. Stop screaming like a widow with a recently deceased husband, ande with me. I can''t have everyone waking up." Lloyd sighed.


    "Oh no. What are you going to do with a maiden like me in the middle of the-"


    "Say the word, and I''ll send you to my shadow. Good luck finding a way out of there." Lloyd threatened, making her instantly seal her lips before making a zip motion, locking it, and throwing the key away.


    While Veronica unironically thought that Lloyd would have taken her back to his tent, when they both left the protective bubble, she felt slightly suspicious of what they were doing. Of course, she still remained silent since Lloyd told her to, and even though she could have quite easily gotten out of Lloyd''s shadow if she wanted to, she didn''t want to get onto Lloyd''s bad side.


    Several monsters appeared on the way there, but since most of them were mid-stage firstmandments or lower, Veronica did not have to do anything since Lloyd would instantly kill them by shooting a fire bullet through their brain, killing them all in an instant.


    While the night was filled with powerful monsters that came inrge amounts, this also meant that the weaker monsters would alsoe out simultaneously, creating a surplus of weaker monsters while also having arge amount of the stronger ones.


    "Don''t you want to sleep?" Veronica asked,pletely forgetting about the seal she put on her lips.


    "Not really. I have all the time in the world to sleep since I have tomorrow off, but for now, I want you to help me with something." Lloyd exined.


    "What do you want me to help you with?" She asked.


    "Well..." Lloyd thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to not tell the truth or at least bend it to a certain extent, yet when he turned around to look into Veronica''s deep crimson eyes, most of his coherent thoughts went out of the window.


    "I found this new way to cultivate. Whenever I kill a monster, I still have the energy inside the monstere into my body.


    Then when I have a good amount of energy in me, I can divide it into different portions. Some of it is healing, some of it is used to replenish my mana pool, and the rest is used on each individual body part to strengthen the limb." Lloyd exined before frowning after realizing how much he had said.


    "..." Veronica smiled brightly before stepping forward and tip-toeing to reach Lloyd''s ear. Her stride was graceful, and the way she held her arms behind her back made her seem slightly dominant, yet at the same time, it felt like a way for her to puff out of her chest without making it obvious.


    "I''m so d you feltfortable sharing your secret with me." She whispered, her breath tickling the back of Lloyd''s ear while dyeing his face a new shade of pink.


    They continued to walk for a few more minutes, and after walking for a while, they finally found themselves standing in front of what they could only describe as-


    "Ooo! A bloodbath. How exciting!" Veronica squealed while Lloyd watched her do her thing while regretting the fact that he had brought her along.


    "Looks like there was a battle here, and looking at how the orangy bears are the ones who are eating the bats, the bears were clearly superior despite their lower numbers." Lloyd analyzed.


    "It looks like a few of them died. Look." Veronica pointed, making Lloyd turn his head to look at the pile of dead bears with a single bat standing them.


    "I thought you said the bears won..." Veronicamented.


    "Maybe they had a truce? Clearly, that bat is outnumbered... But-"


    "It''s stronger than bears on this side, who don''t seem to have a leader anymore..." Veronica finished Lloyd''s sentence off, making him raise a brow just for him to frown when he saw the proud smile on Veronica''s face.


    "Alright, you wanna kill them?" Veronica asked while tilting her head.


    "Yeah. You''re mainly here for support incase I almost die or something." Lloyd shrugged and stepped forward.


    ''The bat is half-step secondmandment, and the bears are all peak firstmandment... Alright, let''s do this." Lloyd thought while dashing toward the bat first.


    [Presence Concealment]


    [Shadow Enhancement]


    *BOOM*


    Before the bat could even react to him suddenly disappearing, Lloyd appeared in front of its head with his hand cocked back as mana surged to his arm.


    His fist moved like lightning, and within an instant, it connected with the bat''s head, sending it rolling several meters away.


    ''I could use my lightning, but it is nowhere are strong as my shadows or my mes...'' Lloyd thought to himself before dashing forward, yet the bat was ready this time.


    *BOOM*<novelnext></novelnext>


    *BOOM*


    *BOOM*


    Hearing the sound of two titans shing, the bears tried to run away, yet the moment they did, they felt their bodies freeze in ce, their muscles unwilling to move an inch despite trying their hardest.


    [Blood Control - Motion Zero]


    Veronica thought while holding her hand out and freezing the bears in ce before looking back at where Lloyd was, watching his battle from the highest branch she could find in the area around them.


    As the battle between Lloyd and the enormous bat raged on, the autumn forest leaves around them rustled and shook with the force of their blows. Lloyd''s shadow powers were put to the test as he fought to defend himself against the bat''s sharp ws and teeth.


    The bat seemed to possess an almost unending supply of energy, its wings beating wildly as it tried to get the upper hand. Lloyd, however, was not one to be underestimated. He summoned a series of shadow arrows and shot them at the bat, each one finding its mark and causing the bat to cry out in pain.


    Despite the bat''s strength, the unpredictable way that Lloyd used his shadow abilities slightly overwhelmed the bat.


    With Lloyd''s eyes glowing purple, Lloyd smiled before-


    [Shadow Expand]


    [Shadow Enhancment]


    The size of his shadow increased, before the very same shadow wrapped around Lloyd''s already shrouded body, boosting his own strength and allowing him tond powerful blows on the bat.


    However, a problem was quickly bing more and more apparent...


    ''That little shit is flying too high.'' Lloyd thought with gritted teeth, but that''s when he remembered that the bat wasn''t the only thing that could fly.


    [Shadow Wings]


    Slowly, the shadows shrouding his entire body began to lessen slightly, yet they weren''t dissipating... In fact, it was quite the opposite.


    The shadows slowly thickened near Lloyd''s back before they morphed and transformed into a pair of tworge ck wings, spanning three meters in wingspan.


    The wings shifted and flickered like they were alive, while the aura they gave off was sinister enough for even Veronica to feel them despite being several dozen meters away.


    "What in the world-" She muttered, yet the sound of a loud explosion cut in before she could finish her sentence.


    *BOOM*


    Lloyd was catapulted up by the sheer power behind his wings and his [me Control], instantly reaching the same altitude as the bat, who froze in ce for a moment.


    Yet a moment was all Lloyd needed.


    Speeding forward with a trail of blue mes left behind him, Lloyd reached the bat instantly before raising the des he had taken out of his storage since he hadpletely forgotten to retrieve his katana from when he had dropped it earlier.


    Razor sharp, the des covered in blue mes hovered menacingly near the bat before Lloyd swung them faster than a blink of an eye.


    The bat quickly moved out of the way and tried to attack from a distance, yet it was all in vain as Lloyd managed to strike it repeatedly with his flurry of fiery swings.


    Finally, Lloyd''s des hit their mark and sliced the bat in half with a loud [CRACK], its body thudding against the ground as its blood oozed out all around it.


    ''We''re pretty high up, and at the state that my body is in, I could probably survive a fall like this, right?'' Lloyd asked himself while looking down at the forest below him.


    From his perspective, the trees looked like ants, and the slowly falling back only shrunk in size the further they dropped.


    Lloyd, knew that it would most likely survive the fall, so without thinking twice, Lloyd crossed his des over his shoulders before engulfing them in blue mes that slowly condensed over the de, making it twice asrge as before.


    [Shadow Wing + me Control]


    The shadowy feathers on Lloyd''s wings lit ame while the shadows shrouding his body condensed as if they were trying to brace Lloyd for the G-force that was about to him.


    [ck Shooting Star]


    Lloyd''s wings pped for thest time, the tips of his ck feathers bing light blue as they all acted like thrust engines.


    Lloyd looked like a ck and light blue star shooting down from the sky, and before he knew it, he had broken several sound barriers before he found himself in front of the bat.


    With the bat under his foot with both of them shooting toward the ground at the highest speed possible, Lloyd finally swung his des right before they hit the ground, an action that not only incinerated the bat, but also broke his fall and sent out two pale blue arches of mes out of his des that shot out through the forest for several meters in each direction.


    Lloydnded gracefully on his feet as if he had been doing this since he was born while thest of his feathers dissipated into shadows before finally looking up at Veronica waiting for him on her branch.


    *p p p*


    "Well done... I''m actually pretty impressed." Veronicaplimented, yet despite knowing Veronica for smiling around him all the time, for once, her smile actually seemed genuine... Something that weirdly warmed his none, existent heart.

 Chapter 86 The Monarch Of The Autumn Forest [2]

    Weeks passed in the blink of an eye. Everything seemed to go by so quickly, as for the first time since having entered the dungeon, Lloyd actually felt like he was having fun with everyone.


    They all knew that they were getting infinitely closer to the boss''sir, so they made as much of their time together matter.


    Around the 4th week mark, Lloyd had his void walk, yet despite everything that had happenedst time, he was in the void; nothing of real interest happened... Well, except for what happened when he entered the void.


    ***


    "Holy mother of shits..." Lloyd muttered as he stood in what looked like aplete wastnd.


    Looking around for a moment, he saw a floating castle in the distance, and after looking at it, the position of the sun, as well as the faint aura around him, everything clicked in his mind...


    "Wait, did I do this?" Lloyd asked himself, yet the answer to that question was obvious.


    "Can''t believe that I did all this for basically just lightning control..." Lloyd sighed before turning around and walking the other way.


    While he could have activated [Shadow Wings] and flown to the castle, his instincts told him that he wasn''t ready for whatever it stored, making him turn to other locations for easy targets.


    6 hours went by pretty quickly, and in the end, Lloyd had fought nothing but cannon fodder, something he should have probably expected since he had taken to coward''s route rather than going for the castle straight away.


    "I feel Felix would really make fun of me if he ever found out about this... Good thing none of them know that I''m a void walker." Lloyd shrugged with a sly smile as he killed hisst lightning wolf before being transported out of the void.


    ***


    While it had confused Lloyd slightly when he found himself in the void 2 weekster than he had expected, it almost made sense to him in the end.


    One week had passed in the outside world since his void walk, and 3 weeks and 2 days had passed in the dungeon despite dungeon days being a little over double the size of the outside world''s time.


    Of course, the only question to be asked in a situation like this would be, ''What would happen if I am in space.''


    While Lloyd would have loved to know the answer to that question, he simply had absolutely no idea. How was time measured in space? Most humans measured time in seconds, while other species used things like rels or something else that Lloyd couldn''t remember.


    ''You''d think that the united races would find amon unit of measure, but I guess not. Reminds me of that thing from a couple millennia ago where continents would fight over the inte over which measurement system was better.


    It got really bad when the British tried to fuse the two together.'' Lloyd chuckled before reading the book in his hand that he had borrowed from Tina.


    It was one of the only 6 off days he had throughout the 1 and a half months he had been in the dungeon, which was basically the equivalent of three earth months.


    "Oh, what the f... Really!? A cliff hanger! I went through so much suspence for a cliff hanger?! Are you crazy?!" Lloyd mmed the book down onto his table and quickly left his room in order to eat in the canteen for once.


    "Oh? You''re finally leaving your room?" Felix tapped Lloyd on the shoulder, yet instead of replying, Lloyd only grunted.


    "You see me every day for a minimum of 20 hours. I am quite literally outside more than I am inside..." Lloyd snarled.


    "It was a joke, man. Don''t wake it too seriously." Felixughed while pping Lloyd on the back before asking-


    "You going to the canteen?"


    "Wow... Such intelligence. How did you figure out my destination without me even telling you? Does your race have some kind of psychic ability?" Lloyd asked in an almost dead voice and a deadpan expression.


    "How was I supposed to know. You might have been going to Veronica''s room. You, too, have been hanging out a little too much recently. Hey, you can tell me anything, bro! If you two are... You know..."


    "Really?" Lloyd asked, his voice changing slightly as he turned his face away from Felix as if he was trying to hide his blush.


    "Yes, bro! You can tell me anything. I will never tell a soul." Felix smiled widely while leaning in slightly so Lloyd could whisper in his ear.


    "Anything?" Lloyd asked.


    "Yes! Anything."


    "Okay..." Lloyd leaned in slightly before whispering-


    "Knock Knock."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Who''s there..." Felix answered with a slightly nervous expression.


    "Mr. Mindyur"


    "Mr. Mindyur who?"


    "Mr. Mind your own business... Anyway, go harass someone who isn''t me, please. Thanks." Lloyd thanked him before increasing his walking speed and entering the canteen before Felix could return to his senses.


    When he entered the tent, Lloyd couldn''t help but narrow his eyes at the fact that it was pitch ck...


    ''Did my night vision stop working or something?'' Lloyd asked himself while taking another step forward.


    However, this time he felt a mana signature under his foot, making him looked own with a raised brow.


    ''A Rune?'' Lloyd scratched his cheek before stepping away from the rune and looking up again.


    He could finally see again, yet despite knowing that his eyes were working properly, he could not help but widen them as he looked at the disy before him.


    "Happy birthday!" Tina''s voice entered his ears, yet Lloyd felt like his whole body had frozen in ce for some reason.


    Confetti fell on him from every direction as the entire team slowly appeared one by one.


    "Wait? Is this for me?" Lloyd asked, slightly confused by what was happening, but after a moment of thought, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.


    "Yep. I know you were a little down because you couldn''t celebrate your birthday with your family, so I did the next best thing." Tina smiled, a scene that made a warm and fuzzy feeling radiate from where his heart would have been.


    "Thanks..." Lloyd muttered before pulling Tina into a hug, yet due to her being a lot short than Lloyd, she found her face forcefully buried in his chest. However, instead of moving away or struggling in embarrassment, she simply smiled and returned the hug.


    Taking a step back from the smiling girl before him, Lloyd took a moment to look around.


    The once nd, almost prison-like, canteen was filled with decorations. Balloons floated at the top of the tent, while several ''happy birthday'' signs hung upon the walls.


    Glitter could be seen covering half the tent while a surprisingly well-made cake with 17 protruded from the cake.


    Sitting down at the end of the table, Lloyd could not help but think back to all the things that had happened over the month and a half. He remembered sitting in the exact same ce he was right now, arguing with a once anger-prone L, who was probably just stressed.


    "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Lloyd... Happy birthday to you!" They all sang as they circled around Lloyd, some of them singing with more excitement than others, yet Lloyd felt like they all meant it.


    "Blow the candles and make a wish." Tina pped excitedly, while Lloyd simply smiled and did as she told him.


    ''I don''t really believe in this wishing crap, but I guess there is no harm done in me wishing for something." Lloyd scratched the back of his head before blowing out the candles.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''I wish we all get out of this alive.'' Lloyd thought


    The rest of the night felt a little fuzzy. No one drank, but for some reason, it felt like a weird and seizure-inducing dream.


    "It''s hard to believe that you went from barely being able to fight against a mid-stage firstmandment to fighting early-stage firstmandments in less than 7 weeks," L remarked before taking a bite out of the cake.


    "Well, Lloyd and Tina have been working extremely hard recently. Tina also broke through to thete stage of the Topaz seal recently." Rex pointed out while also taking a bite from his cake.


    "Well, I couldn''t have done it without you idiots." Lloyd chuckled.


    "Lloyd is literally the only person I know whopliments and insults us in the same sentence. We are your elders! Respect us!" Felix pointed his fork at Lloyd.


    "Felix. Don''t think I forgot about how you beat me up the first time we met. When I reach the secondmandment, you can say bye bye to ever bullying me again." Lloyd chuckled.


    "Hey! I thought we were cool now!" Felix went slightly pale.


    "We are... Until I reach the secondmandment. Then I''m going to beat your ass." Lloyd grinned while everyoneughed at the two''s antics.


    While everyone had grown closer over thest month and a half, the friendship between Lloyd and Felix was by far the most dramatic.


    While they both started off despising one another, they grew closer over time.


    They both began hanging out and sparring a little more than they usually did, and despite Lloyd''s schedule making such a thing close to impossible, they still found the time in the day to do so.


    They both knew they both had secrets the other didn''t know, but it didn''t matter. Not to them, anyway.


    However, Lloyd''s friendship with Tina was a lot stronger than everyone else''s. Lloyd couldn''t exin it, but it was as if something had clicked the moment they spoke to each other.


    "Tina." Lloyd called to get her attention.


    "What?" She asked.


    "Thanks for th party." Lloyd smiled while Tina turned beet red.


    "S-Sure. No problem. You would have done the same for me." She mumbled while twirling her hair around her finger.


    "We have to give Tina credit. She really opened up over thest few months. Old her would have tried to do this all on her own, but this time she actually asked us for help." Himeplimented.


    Seeing Tina bing redder by the second, Lloyd raised his cup of juice and spoke-


    "To Tina!"


    "To Tina!" Everyone eximed while raising their cups.


    Hours went by quickly, and before they all knew it, sunrise hade again, and they were all ready to depart.


    "You know, I''m surprised that you guys haven''t drunken yourselves to death yet." Lloyd smiled while remembering how Zack and his friends would drink till they cked out.


    "Yeah, it''s against military code to drink inside dungeons. We were taught that anything can happen in a dungeon at any time, so we should always be ready for a fight if ites out way." Hime exined.


    "Makes sense." Lloyd nodded before the team fell into silence, yet rather than it being awkward like it usually would have been, this one wasforting.


    They all trusted each other with their lives, and while some of them held secrets of their own that they might not want to share with the group, there was no doubt in any of their minds that every single one of them would take a bullet for the other.


    After a while of walking, Lloyd and Felix found themselves at the back of the group, making Lloyd quickly think of one of the things that he had never had the chance to ask about.


    "Hey, Felix..."


    "What?" Felix tilted his head.


    "The first time Hime talked about you, she said something about a problem you had which made you take on this insane training regiment that you make me go through every day... You don''t have to answer, but-"


    "Oh, yeah, I forgot to tell you about that, huh... Well, I don''t really care that much. I didn''t trust you at the start, so I didn''t want to tell you, but I guess that you are now my friend, you might as well know..." Felix chuckled before continuing.


    "You see, my race, the tachimos race, as you might already know, has the racial ability to move extremely quickly. A toddler could crawl at a couple dozen miles an hour. Our skin is more tolerant to wind friction. And most important of all, our minds are perspectives are naturally faster than most if not all other races." Felix exined before a frown appeared on his face.


    "I was born with a gic defect that made my mind half as fast as all the others of my species, and while that made me think a lot faster than most other races, it became harder and harder for me to use my abilities without hurting myself the older I grew...


    So, instead of wallowing in what I couldn''t have, I chose to train from the age of seven. Every day I dedicated my mind and body to giving myself intelligence to counter my slower thinking and reflexes to counter the fact that I can''t see things as slowly as others of my race.


    Of course, no matter how strong or how much I trained, other Tachimos didn''t see me as one of them. Can you imagine being just abnormal enough to not be epted by your own race, yet being too different from other races to be epted by them?" Felix asked with a sad smile.


    "But it''s okay now..."


    "Hm?" Lloyd raised a brow.


    "Because I have you guys now... Ugh... I knew that sounded cheesy as it came out of my mouth." Felix stuck his tongue out in disgust while Lloyd simply chuckled beside him.


    Yet, it was killing Lloyd. To not be able to tell anyone about who you truly are, despite loving them from the depths of his heart.


    After hanging out with all of them for so long, Lloyd finally understood whyradery was stronger than friendship...


    ''What was the saying again? Know a friend for your whole life, and you can trust them till they break a promise... Fight alongside a friend, and you''ve made an ally for life...'' Lloyd inwardly thought with a sad smile.


    Hime was always uptight, yet she would show a soft side every now and then. It was almost like she was the caring mother of the group... Strict, but she did it for your own good.


    Felix almost reminded Lloyd of Zack. They are hard to get along with at first, but when you break the outer shell, you get a brother that you can never let go of.


    L almost felt like the group''s dad. He lost his position as the leader, yet he matured and got over it quickly. Even without the title of leader, he might have be a better leader than he could have ever been.


    Tina was naive and shy, yet she was the hardest worker Lloyd knew to date. She had a drive to her that would have made most gasp in awe. She was amazing in every way, and in Lloyd''s perspective, she almost felt like the little sister he never had.


    ''Gotta make sure my little sister doesn''t ever hear of what I just thought.'' Lloyd inwardly thought.


    Rex made Lloyd feelfortable wherever he was, while Roderick felt like an older brother to Lloyd. Lloyd could always ask for his advice, and it helped that they were both quite intelligent.


    Veronica though...


    ''I guess she supportive. She helps me out every time I have an off day so I guess that''s-''


    "Guys..." A voice snapped Lloyd out of his thought process, and when he looked forward.


    "Is that what I think it is," Rex asked with a shocked expression.


    "OH SHIT! WE FOUND IT!" Lloyd eximed with excitement.


    "WE FOUND THE BOSS''S LAIR!"

 Chapter 87 The Monarch Of The Autumn Forest [3] - Family

    Everyone saw it. The scene of a pce in the distance, standing tall amongst the autumn trees.


    The sight was magnificent, yet at the same time, it was terrifying. Lloyd had a bad feeling about whatevery inside that pce; in a way, what the pce symbolized felt a little more heart-wrenching.


    That pce represented the end of their journeys together. It represented the moment they would split off and looking at how the army operates, it was very unlikely that Lloyd would ever see them again.


    However, Lloyd was not the only one who thought this way.


    Tina watched everyone smile around her, and despite wanting to also smile, she knew that whatever she had outside this dungeon was in no way better than what she had with Lloyd.


    "Are you happy? You finally get to see your parents and siblings again. You must be dyingnto see them, right?" Tina asked after walking to the back when everyone started walking again.


    "To be honest, I do miss them, but I''m also a little sad," Lloyd replied


    Widening her eyes slightly, Tina asked, "Why? I''m sure you''ll see us again."


    "We both know that is unlikely. You know how the military works... They send you wherever they want. I''m probably not going to see you guys in a long time... I''m almost certain that none of you knew each other before this mission, and the same will happen over and over again." Lloyd smiled solemnly, but it was quickly reced by a look of determination.


    "But Felix said it best... That''s okay. We don''t need to see each other. Hey, bet I''m gonna hear all about you in the news soon." Lloyd chuckled


    "..."


    "..."


    *Tap tap tap*


    *... ... ...*


    "Lloyd..."


    "Yeah?" Lloyd answered


    "I want to be a teacher."


    "Really? Nice! W-"


    "Wait, just listen, please..." Tina pleaded while cutting off Lloyd''s encouraging words.


    "You know, behind those walls, anything could happen. There could be treasures, or there could be corpses... I have faith that we can get out of there alive, but if we don''t...


    If we don''t, then I want you to know that I love you..." Tina spoke, her heart beating so hard that Lloyd could hear it outside her house.


    "..."


    "You don''t have to say anything. I don''t expect you to reciprocate those feeling either... I just needed you to know that... I needed you to know in case we don''t make it out of there." She turned toward Lloyd with a beaming smile on her face.


    ''I mean... She''s only like 3 years older than me? I pretty much look and act like an adult, so I don''t me her.'' Lloyd thought before reciprocating her smile.


    "Thank you..."


    "Hm?" Tina looked a little confused.


    "I''m honered. To have the smartest girl I know fall in love with me. Man I must have had an amazing glow up in recent years." Lloyd chuckled, making Tina also begin tough.


    "Don''t get cocky. I''ve seen men a 100 times more attractive than you!" She dered while crossing her arms, yet despite trying her best, she couldn''t keep a straight face and immediately began giggling like a little girl.


    This went on for a while, to the point where the rest of the group started to feel like something was wrong with both Tina''s and Lloyd''s minds.


    "Maybe they snapped after finding out how close we are," Felix whispered to Veronica.


    "Doubt it. Lloyd''s mind probably snapped duento all the torture I''ve been putting him through." She chuckled.


    "I always felt like you were going a little too far... I just never knew how to tell you without being beaten up." Felixmented.


    "Well, even if he hates me, at least he''s no longer a wimp who cried over a bee sting anymore. I''ve made hom a pain resistant man! As you can see, I am extremely proud of my creation." Veronica grinned while a shudder went down Felix''s spine as he inwardly prayed for Lloyd.


    Hours passed by, and even though the pce seemed close at first, it was only the perspective that made it seem that way.


    The pce was enormous, yet in a way, it felt out of ce.


    A ck pce covered his vines and webs of cracks.


    ''Grey would have made more sense.'' Lloyd thought while imagining what a grey castle would look like.


    "You nervous?" Roderick asked after appearing out of thin air and nudging Lloyd in the side, yet at this point, Lloyd was used to it.


    "A little. But We have you, Hime and Veronica. Basically the dream team." Lloyd chuckled.


    "You might not believe me when I say this, but Felix and L are just as strong as Hime and me."


    Tina and Rex are a little young, so they aren''t as strong, but Tina makes up for it with her intelligence, and Rex makes up for it with his amazing spiritual aura control." Roderick exined.


    "Lets just hope that is enough." Lloyd muttered to himself.


    "Stop worrying." Roderick turned to Lloyd before raising his arm and touching his bicep.


    "We''re strong. All of us. You might think that you''re the only one who improved, but you made us improve too." Roderick chuckled


    "Heh. I''m a half-step firstmandment, how the hell was I responsible for you guys'' growth." Lloyd chuckled while Roderick simply smiled and looked forward.


    "Think about it... Would we be alive if L was still leading us? It was amazing how you bent over the situation to your desire. You taught L humility. You helped Tina find her voice and courage? You gave Hime a chance to showcase her leadership skills? You softened up Felix, and you gave Rex a sparring partner." Roderick exined.


    "Some of them don''t sound that impressive." Lloyd scratched the back of his neck with a tinge of pink dyeing his cheeks.


    "That''s what you think, but in their eyes, you gave them a thing they didn''t have before they met you... Don''t you think Rex enjoyed teaching you martial arts? His biggest passion?


    Every single one of them feels indebted to you, and even I do." Roderick smiled, and despite being curious about what he did to make Roderick indebted to him, from the glint in Roderick''s eyes, Lloyd knew that it was best to not ask.


    "Oh yeah. You didn''t mention Veronica."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I think your influence on her was a little negative actually." Roderick shuddered.


    "How so?" Lloyd tilted his head slightly.


    "I had the duty of waking her upst week. Her entire tent was covered in picture of you. It was kind of creepy."


    "..."


    "..."


    With silent mourning, Lloyd ced his hand on Roderick''s shoulder before sighing.


    "My apologies." Lloyd whispered.


    "Huh?"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I did not intend on stealing the girl you were interested in. However, Doth not fret mine cousin! I, the legendary wingman, shalt help thee woo yond mistress to thy side. All ''twill taketh is time and patience!" Lloyd smacked Roderick''s back before walking ahead of him while puffing his chest out.


    ''Did he get possessed by a Shakespearean soul or something?!'' Roderick looked at Lloyd''s back with an agape mouth.


    Everyone continued walking, but the closer they got to the pce, the quiet everyone got.


    At some point, it was nothing but silence. The creatures of the forest didn''t dare to make a sound, and nor did the group.


    The silence was the only constant in this god-forsakennd, but that was not all.


    Lloyd felt like he could smell the anxiety of his teammates. He could see their every shudder. He could hear as their rate of breathing slowly elerate. He could hear everyone''s loudly beating hearts as if they had drums within their chests.


    Everyone was like this... Well, everyone but Veronica. Her heart rate was eerily steady for some reason, yet Lloyd didn''t think much of it since she was always calm.


    They all wanted the walk between where they were and the pce doors to be longer, but they all knew that no time was enough to prepare them for the uing fight.


    After all, a sentient mind''s biggest fear is the fear of the unknown, and even though they all knew that the boss couldn''t be too bad, they could not get rid of the wrenching feeling within their guts that made them want to turn around and leave withouting back.


    "I guess there''s no turning back from here..." Lloyd sighed as the realization kicked in.


    "Lloyd, since you''re not a part of the army, you have no obligation to-" Hime spoke, yet Lloyd quickly stopped her.


    "We''re a team... We do everything together, even if it means that we die here." Lloyd tightened his fists. He knew it would kill his family if he were to die here, but it would kill him if he found out that his entire team died because he abandoned them.


    "You''re wrong..." Roderick muttered as he stepped forward and ced one hand on each gate.


    "We''re a family." He smiled before pushing with everything he had, allowing the creaking doors to slowly open, allowing sunlight to illuminate the pce for the first time in years while unraveling whaty within its shadows.


    Yet in the very moment, Lloyd felt himself being pushed before-


    *Whizz*


    The sound was light and almost inaudible to the human ear.


    Yet everyone heard it...


    No. Some even sensed it. It was a powerful mana signature, too fast for anyone to react, but just slow enough to make the hairs on everyone''s body stand on their ends.


    It moved like lightning...


    Fear filled their hearts, and adrenaline pumped through their veins.


    No one wanted to look back, because they all felt it.


    The cutting winds that left marks on their skin.


    And the scorching heat that radiated from the st.


    *Thud*


    The sound was lifeless, yet everyone recognized it.


    It was the sound of a dropping body.


    A lifeless body...


    "I have to say, its taken you guys a lot longer to get here than I had expected..." A man with piercing orange eyes slowly stood from his throne as his aura exploded out of his body.


    His aura was suffocating, yet his words were somehow worse.


    Each syble felt like a daggerced with poison dug into their hearts, yet none dared to look back.


    None except...


    ''No...''


    Lloyd''s eyes looked upon the scene before him in horror as heid on the ground after having narrowly avoided the beam... yet it was at a cost.


    ''This can''t be happening...''


    He didn''t know how to feel...


    ''Why did you push me...''


    Lloyd had never felt like this before.


    A void...


    ''No... no no... no no no... no no nonononononononono.''


    He could feel it... A void was opening up in his soul, rapidly filling with something else entirely.


    ''This is my fault...''


    ''Yes... it is.''


    ''I did this...''


    ''Yes, you did.''


    Lloyd''s eyes finally met with a pair of lifeless brown eyes.


    Their body was still,pletely unmoving, as theyy in their own pool of blood and brain matter, their face frozen in time, showing Lloyd thest expression they made before the beam shot through their head.


    [Commandment: 99.999%]


    Shock.


    Fear.


    Terror.


    Horror.


    And most painful of all...


    Regret


    [Commandment: ...]


    Therey the person Lloyd relied on most.


    Roderick Porter was dead.


    [Commandment: 100%]


    [Breakthrough initiated]

 Chapter 88 The Monarch Of The Autumn Forest [4] - Breakthrough

    Two fists shed in the middle of an arena while cracks slowly spread through the stone surface.


    Lloyd and Zack stared into each other''s eyes as they both forced the other back.


    Sliding back, Lloyd quickly did a flip to stabilize himself while Zack simply threw his hands to the side, allowing the sheer power of his arms to create a wind pressure strong enough to stop him in his tracks.


    "Hehe. Stare upon my power, as I shall take over the world!" Zack roared.


    "What?" Lloyd asked, seemingly perplexed by Zack''s random outburst of weird speaking.


    "Never mind." Zack sighed.


    "You two have been improving nicely." A voice entered both their ears, making them look toward the entrance of the training room to see Olivia and La.


    "I know right." Zack puffed out his chest while Lloyd simply chuckled.


    "But I think Lloyd has been having problems breaking through. He''s improving fighting-wise, but-" Zack scratched the back of his neck before Lloyd finished his sentence for him.


    "Everything else has been kind of stale." Lloyd shrugged.


    "I guess that''s normal. People are your ages usually find it hard to break through the nextmandment, so you don''t have much to worry about." La smiled before patting Lloyd on the shoulder and ushering the two boys to the living room so they could take time to eat and rx.


    "Hey, Zack! I heard that you beat up my brother." na grinned from ear to ear as she looked at Lloyd almost mockingly.


    "You thought you were all high and mighty when you reached the half step so quickly, but look at you now. Zack already surpassed you in strength. How does it feel, huh? Are you going to cry? Its okay, don''t cry." na snickered while rubbing Lloyd''s head.


    "na. Stop teasing your brother." Noah scolded, making na let go of Lloyd and look away with an audible ''hmph.''


    It had been two weeks since Lloyd left his clone in charge of his normal life, and everything had gonepletely as expected. After Lloyd used a portion of his mana pool to create a clone that could think independently, Lloyd left, and the clone yed his normal life like it usually did.


    Wake up, spar with Zack, ear, spar with zack, eat, spar with zack, and then finally go to sleep.


    ''I''m lucky I left just after reaching the half-step. At least now it makes sense why I''m not improving strength-wise. Man this is tiring. I hope the real Lloyde-'' However, before clone Lloyd could finish what he was thinking, he felt a sharp pain shoot through his chest.


    *Thud*


    Copsing to his knees, the clone gasped for air to the best of its ability while clutching onto its heart in agonizing pain.


    "Lloyd!" Olivia screamed and also got onto her knees.


    "Are you okay? What''s happening!? Are you hurt?!"


    By the time Olivia could ask all those questions, everyone in the room had circled around Lloyd, with Benjamin even calling Ruben over in case of a medical emergency.


    "Shit. Okay, I need you all to listen to be carefully, okay?" Lloyd spoke through gritted teeth as images of the original Lloyd''s memory shed before him.


    "Ruben! Call the hospital immediately!" Benjamin roared before La dropped to Lloyd''s level and tried to use her best inspection skills. Despite her ability to basically analyze anything she wanted, she never used it on family or friends without asking for permission first. However, since this was an emergency, she went right in and analyzed his body...


    "Shadow clone?" she gasped before a wave of suspicion hit her.


    "Shut up and listen!" Lloyd roared, immediately silencing everyone who wanted to ask what La meant.


    "I''m a shadow clone that the original me put here before leaving for a dungeon raid two weeks ago." The clone grunted.


    Raising his finger and covering it in a single w, the clone began carving a set of numbers into the ground.


    He knew he had to do this. He didn''t really understand what was happening, but there was one thing that he was sure of, and that was that the original Lloyd was in danger, and he had to do everything to save him.


    "These are the coordinates to the dungeon''s portal. I don''t know what''s happening in there, but I know that the original is in danger." The clone gasped for air despite not needing it to breathe.


    After finishing writing thest few numbers, he rolled over and writhed in pain, yet that was not all.


    "Wait. Why would he-"


    "What are you still doing here, you morons. Time works differently in dungeons. Start moving!" The clone shouted.


    "Rage... So much rage..." La muttered to herself, but no one had time for whatever she was trying to say this time.


    The clone slowly took its final breaths while its shadow gradually sunk into the ground; A final thought came to his mind as his brain finally synchronized with the original''s.


    A thought that only La heard.


    "Why..."


    ***


    "You must have realized it already. The reason you haven''t reached the firstmandment." Lloyd''s voice echoed within the abyss, yet unlike his usual voice, it was monotone and emotionless... As if it was spoken by a lifeless robot.


    "..."


    "Do you know why I want you to strengthen our body instead of breakthrough? Do you know why I even bothered to teach you how to control the void energy that enters your body every time you kill something?"


    "No..." another voice replied, yet unlike the monotone one, it was filled with much more life and emotion.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "It''s because we are different from these humans." The masked man took a step forward" "


    "We are different from these mortals."


    "We were chosen."


    "We changed for the better."


    "We are special, and those humans out there are in no way as special as us." The ck-masked individual stood right in front of Lloyd, his purple and ck eyes staring into Lloyd''s purple and white ones.


    "We have so much potential, so we cannot stop at just ordinary..."


    "Every time you shatter your vessel, you create a stronger one to rece it. A true void walker body... That is what we should aim for. Only then should you breakthrough... Only then should you strive to cross the boundary between you and the nextmandment. Only when the momentes to shed your humanity will I help you reach the other side."


    ***


    Lloyd closed his eyes as the rage that boiled within his soul converged on the pool of void energy he had been saving up for his breakthrough for several weeks.


    And as his rage took over the energy, it pooled itself into Lloyd''s void rune powering it to its maximum and initiating-


    [Commandment: 100%]


    [Breakthrough Initialized]


    "How rude of me to not introduce myself." The pale monster stepped forward with a disgusting smile on its face.


    "Wee to my pce. I am the monarch of the autumn forest. I may not have a name right now, but I should get one when my dungeon spills over into yours."


    However, despite his upbeat voice, no one could hear him over their own heartbeats.


    "Don''t look back." Hime''s voice reached everyone''s ears as rage and determination intertwined within their eyes.


    A new fire burned within them, and at the moment, nothing mattered more than the desire to kill the creature before them.


    "Natural formation. Stay calm, and don''t grieve too hard. It''s what they would have wanted!" Hime roared before they all released their kill intent.


    ''Five? Did two of us...'' Hime thought in horror, yet she quickly understood why there were only five.


    *Rumble*


    The winds howled like mourning wolves, while the clouds roared with the rage and power of a lion.


    And it was at that moment that a beam of purple light shot down from the sky, piercing towards a particr individual.


    ''Do you finally understand?'' The voice asked, its toneced with emotion for what felt like the first time. An emotion that Lloyd knew all too well; after all, it was an emotion he constantly heard in the voices of the higher families whenever they spoke to him...


    ''Why keep your humanity when humanity is so fragile.''


    *BOOM*


    As if the sky had ripped open, pools of void energy surged into Lloyd''s body and channeled themselves into his void rune.


    The power was intoxicating, and the sheer amount of it almost made Lloyd faint, yet only one thing kept him steady.


    Lloyd didn''t say a word yet, but everyone knew how he felt because they were feeling it too.


    "Aww. Did I make you angry?" The creature asked with a cruel and wide grin on its face, yet before it could take another step-


    "Tell me, can you feel it?" Lloyd''s distorted voice shook the air around him and made the very ground beneath his feet shudder under his presence.


    "Huh."


    "Can you feel it?"


    [Void Step]


    Lloyd''s body blinked out of existence and appeared behind the monster.


    The monster''s eyes widened in shock as it turned around, yet when it did, there was nothing there.


    *Zip*


    The monster''s hand shot forward, aiming for Lloyd''s heart, yet the moment his hand entered the purple energy covering Lloyd, waves of excruciating pain shot through his body.


    "What is the meaning of this!" The monster roared, yet when it saw a palm right in front of its face, every single muscle in its body froze while Lloyd''s eerily calm voice echoed within its ear.


    "Can you feel my rage?"


    [Aspect of Void + me Control]


    *BOOM*

 Chapter 89 The Monarch Of The Autumn Forest [5] - Puppeteer

    [08/01/2023 This chapter has been fixed]


    "Can you feel my rage?"


    *Crackle*


    *Fwhoom*


    Within a moment, a tsunami of pale blue mes shot out of Lloyd''s palm and enveloped the pale monster.


    However, while the mes didn''t hurt at first-


    "W-what?" The man roared as the once blue mes flickered between their original color and bright violet.


    [Apsect of Void + Flmae Control]


    Bright violet runes shone all over the mes as they began moving like an entry of their volition. The power of the mes skyrocketed, causing even the ground around the ce monsters to slowly turn into molten magma.


    Lloyd watched the mes spiral around the monster, and since he knew he wasn''t expending any brain power on controlling the mes, he knew that it must have been the work of the void energy.


    The winds began to pick up, and the skies howled as of they themselves were trying to express Lloyd''s rage in his stead.


    However-


    "AHHHHHHH."


    Letting out a deafening roar, the self-proimed Monarch of the autumn forest shot out of the mes and sted straight for Lloyd.


    "me tendrils."


    However, the instant the monster began to move, Lloyd clutched his hand into a fist, causing several purple runes to sh over the mes before they broke into segments.


    Forming into ming tendrils, they whipped at the monster, forcing it to jump away from Lloyd to avoid the attacks.


    The monster red at Lloyd for a moment before a disgusting smile appeared on its face.


    "Your efforts are futile. You are nothing but a child in my eyes. Do you know how kong I''ve lived for!" It roared.


    "Shut up." Lloyd''s sneer entered the creature''s ears, and before it could react to the fact that Lloyd''s voice wasing from another direction, a palm suddenly struck him in the chest, yet despite the strike not even putting a scratch on the creature''s body, Lloyd had achieved what he wanted from the start.


    While the monster had several masculine features, Lloyd''s mind refused to think of it as anything but an "it." His rage for the monster was unbound and limitless, yet he found calm in his heart in the moment of anger.


    *Boom*


    The monster shot toward Lloyd like a bolt of lightning. Lloyd''s eyes widened slightly at the sudden increase in speed, yet when its fistnded on Lloyd''s abdomen, Lloyd''s shock turned into a menacing frown.


    The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed throughout the area, and before Lloyd could control his velocity, the monster shot towards him in what looked like nothing but a streak of orange light.


    Appearing above Lloyd, the monster cocked its hand back and released a devastating punch that-


    *Boom*


    mming Lloyd into the ground, he felt cobweb-like cracks trickle through his back; before the monster could attack again, he closed his eyes, flipped back, and threw a kick at the monster''s face.


    Flipping away, Lloyd''s vision suddenly ckened as a fist smashed into his face and as he tumbled away violently.


    ''Your humanity has made you weak.'' A familiar voice spoke, yet it waspletely different at the same time. Almost unrecognizable, yet it was the most recognizable voice he could hear.


    ''Look at you now. You have showed your true nature. The nature of a bloodthirsty rage-filled void walker!'' the voiceughed as excitement and thrill filled its voice for the first time ever, almost making it sound like Lloyd instead of an emotionless robot.


    ''Today, this will be your baptism. The event that will create a better Lloyd! A better us!'' it continued.


    Slowly, Lloyd felt as of the world around him had be darker... Almost ck and white. Yet when Lloyd looked at the ground, his eyes only perceived a field of bloodstained grass spanning for miles.


    "Humanity makes you weak." A voice echoed through the infinite field of blood grass before a figure wearing a ck mask appeared a couple dozen meters in front of Lloyd, wearing the same clothing as Lloyd, yet it was covered in blood whole. Lloyd was mostly clean.


    Slowly, the space around Lloyd began to distort, and as if they had always been there, 6 bloodied and dismembered bodies appeared around Lloyd, each spewing more blood than thest.


    Each body was different, yet Lloyd recognized them all. And they seemed to have recognized him.


    Their dead eyes wriggled around within the eye sockets of the dead skulls before they locked on Lloyd, yet despite wanting to look away from the bodies, he couldn''t move his eyes.


    "Andpanionship makes you weaker." An emotionless voice spoke, shaking the very world it had created.


    "Look upon your deadpanions and know that..."


    "That they are all dead because of you."


    ***


    *Boom*


    Lloyd''s eyes zed over as his rage grew further, and the void energy shooting down from the sky Increased in power and intensity.


    When Lloyd''s consciousness returned to the real world, he found himself standing around a purple bubble.


    "Stop." Lloyd muttered before ncing at the sky.


    In that very instant, the energy pooling down from the sky stopped, yet the purple clouds remained.


    "I''lll deal with youter." Lloyd spoke with seething anger in his voice before looking forward and searching for the monster with his eyes.


    ''345.6 meters away.'' Lloyd thought while expanding his mana sense to the maximum power.


    Stepping forward, Lloyd shed purple and appeared a few meters above the monster.


    *Swoosh*


    A hand pierced through the air, yet it was not aimed at him.


    *Clutch*


    A burly figure grabbed onto the monster''s arm and tried its best to stop it, yet despite her best efforts, the monster was clearly just ying around with her.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "My servants would appreciate a woman like you." It grinned menacingly as it stopped its hand halfway and opened it to grip onto Hime''s throat.


    "You... Bastard." Hime spat with a croaky voice, yet despite seeing her suffer, Lloyd remained unmoving... As if he waspletely indifferent when it came to if she lived or died. Of course, Lloyd was waiting for the best moment to strike, and what''s a better way to find the right time if it is not by analyzing your opponent as they beat yourrades half to death.


    ''What were you angry about again? Maybe you just felt like killing that monster. Just imagine how much energy it would give you.'' The voice tempted.


    ''I''m avenging my friend.''


    ''By letting the woman who cared for him die? Stop lying to yourself. We both know you don''t care about them. You just used them, and so will they use you. Can''t you see it? They saw you teleport. They are terrified.''


    Lloyd''s eyes slightly narrowed as he looked at the people at the ground, yet he did not see what he expected to see.


    Not everyone remained motionless like Lloyd.


    They were all angry, some even angrier than Lloyd, while others were less angry.


    However, unlike Lloyd, they suppressed their emotions and fought with heart.


    "Let go of our leader!" A feminine voice screamed as ming homing missiles beamed down from the sky and shot toward the monster.


    "Oh. I forgot you were here too." The monster''s grin disappeared and swiped at Tina''s me missiles, dissipating them instantly.


    "Let fuckin go!" Felix roared before his body turned into a blur, appearing and disappearing as it struck the monster hundreds of times a second.


    The blood-red runes on Felix''s body scorched his skin as he used his racial abilities to the highest extent.


    However, despite moving fast enough to leave after images, the monster''s hand moved just as fast, blocking every attack with a single hand.


    Still, Felix didn''t give up and kept attacking, yet each time he tried tond a blow, the monster moved a little faster, making it hard for Felix tond any hits.


    In the end, Felix is forced to fall back and take a defensive stance as the monster begins to crush his throat.


    "Hime, Move!" Felix shouted, yet even before he could finish his sentence, Hime had already moved.


    The monster''s eyes widened in surprise as it felt a sudden pain in its chest, yet before it could do anything, it felt something hit its chest.


    And the hits didn''t stop there.


    [Sky Dragon Technique]


    [Dragon lightning fist]


    Rex''s fist was covered in lightning, and when it touched the monster''s chest-


    *Boom*


    An explosion sending out several bolts of lightning appeared, yet before Rex could celebrate, he felt something grab onto his wrist.


    "Haha. That tickled."


    *Crack*


    "AHHHHH." A blood curdling left Rex''s throat as he felt his arm being snapped in half. However, before the monster could rip the wrist from its socket or crush it beyond recognition, a sense of dread fell over it.


    "What-"


    "What did I say about shutting up?" Lloyd asked as violet energy covered his arm.


    [Void Walker Technique]


    Lloyd firmly ces his fist into the monster''s abdomen beforeunching it several meters away.


    In the same instant, Lloyd appeared right behind the monster and ced an axe kick directly into its shoulder.


    "Void step barrage."


    *Zip Zip Zip*


    Teleporting all around, Lloyd mmed the monster around like a ping-pong table, teleporting behind it after every hit just to send out an even more powerful attack.


    Eventually, the monster crashed onto the ground, and Lloyd canceled his technique.


    "There is no escape." Lloyd spoke, his voice loud and clear as he stood in front of the monster, ready to face off against it in a battle of life and death.


    "Nice technique..." The monsterplimented before jumping from where ity and facing Lloyd,pletely unscathed.


    "No one told me a void walker would being to my Dungeon," it grinned, yet behind the grin Lloyd felt fear... No, he almost tasted it.


    The fear of a void walker. The universal treasures. The people chosen by god. Of course, those were just titles people gave to them, and while Lloyd didn''t believe in any of them, the titles alone left their impact on the people of the universe.


    ''Its scared, but its also confident that it can take me...'' Lloyd thought as several human-like creatures flew past him at the speed of sound. While he didn''t recognize the humans, he recognized what they wore.


    ''Soldiers? There were supposed to be no soldiers for miles.'' Lloyd thought, his mind slowed down slightly before looking back.


    "These were soldiers that got to that baster first. I''m just giving them use, after all, what good are they dead if they aren''t my puppets." L grinned.


    ''They seem to be ignoring the fact that I can teleport, or that the monster called me a void walker...'' Lloyd narrowed his eyes.


    ''They just can''t process if yet. Just wait, you will remember this conversation when they are beating you to a pulp.'' The voice spat, however, Lloyd was too busy trying to find a way to contribute.


    Lloyd''s mind raced as he tried to think of a way to win, yet eventually, he decided on one n.


    He would have to calm down. Raging would not solve anything, and using [4-dimensional thought] was out of the question. He remembered how he cked outst time as well as the horrible headache. Never again, he thought.


    Lloyd closed his eyes and focused his energy, channeling it towards his center. He felt the void energy grow within him, and controlling it the way ''it'' taught him, Lloyd moved allowed it to soak into the very structure of his body, channeling it into his bones, muscles, tissues and cells, slowly empowering them with the power of the void.


    "Alright..." Lloyd exhaled.


    "I''m going to enjoy this." Lloyd smiled hatefully as his killing intent exploded out of his body, exuding a dense and suffocating ck and red aura toward the monster.

 Chapter 90 The Monarch Of The Autumn Forest [6] - Puppeteer [2]

    [The chapter before this has been edited. There is a time stamp at the top of thest chapter for you.]


    Everyone in the area frowned, yet it was the monster who was taking the full brunt of Lloyd''s killing intent. They all threw Lloyd a nce, yet they knew what was more important at that moment. Or at least what was more important to them.


    Why would Lloyd spend so much time with them if he was a void walker? Why would he care if Roderick died? Why did he just break through into the firstmandment? What were his motives if he wasn''t there to kill them?


    Was any of it real?


    Was the meeting between Lloyd, Roderick, and Hime not a coincidence?


    What if it''s part of his master n?


    What if he nned all this? What if he is the reason Roderick is dead?


    Those were the questions running through everyone''s minds at that moment; however, while some, like Tina, had already written out Lloyd as a void walker, others felt their rage turning toward something else.


    "Have I angered the void walker?! Hahahahahehehehe. I''ve never seen one so weak before." The monster snickered as it widened the space between its legs, lowered its body, and hung its lifeless arms to the ground.


    A cruel smile appeared on its face, stretching from ear to ear, while its eyes glowed brighter than ever.


    "How about I dissect your dead body?" It snapped its head to the right and instantly shot toward Lloyd.


    [Shadow Expansion]


    [Shadow Enhancment]


    [Shadow Wings]


    Shadows instantly shrouded Lloyd and increased his strength, yet instead of fighting the monster head-on, he did the one thing it didn''t expect.


    *p*


    "Running away are we?" The monster asked, yet Lloyd simply stared at it from the air without answering.


    ''I don''t want to waste using the rest of my breakthrough on this monster, but if I try to focus on breaking through, this bastard will attack me without a doubt.'' Lloyd inwardly thought.


    ''Fuck it. This thing killed... It killed Roderick, and I will avenge him with or without anyone else.'' Lloyd pped his hands together as he remembered the information that had been poured into his mind.


    *''When you start breaking through, remember one thing.''* Lloyd recalled the voice''s words.


    *'' Your connection to the void will grow stronger; therefore, your understanding will increase alongside it... Yet as a void walker, you can reach unity with it. The moment you manipte the void...''*


    "The void bes an extension of me..." Lloyd muttered while dropping to the ground, this time surrounded by his teammates.


    However, despite all of them looking toward the monster with hatred, something overcame their body the moment Lloydnded amongst them, causing them to move away from him.


    Even Tina, to who Lloyd had thoughts of expressing his void walker side of him to, moved away from him and stayed at an angle that gave them a direct eye line of him.


    While they all knew the monster was the enemy then, they could no longer trust Lloyd since he could be the enemy the moment the creature died.


    Seeing that his teammates were wary of him, it slightly killed Lloyd on the inside, as if salt had been poured on the gaping wound that was Roderick''s death.


    Taking out his des, Lloyd held them both at his sides beforeunching forward.


    [Aspect of Void]


    Purple runes trickled through Lloyd''s des before they were quickly covered in blue mes.


    ''Looks like I can only use aspect of void on one thing at a time.'' Lloyd thought when his mes didn''t turn purple.


    Shooting past the rest of his teammates like a raven''s shadow, Lloyd attacked and swung at the monster with a flurry of swings, yet when it saw himing, it simply smiled.


    "Come on,e on! Don''t hesitate!" The monster taunted,ughing wickedly at the fact that Lloyd was trying to fight it.


    "You can''t hit me with your sword like that!" The monster said, smiling as it continued to taunt him.


    Lloyd kept swinging his de as fast as he could, but it seemed the monster could block every single strike.


    *Thwack.* *Thwack.* *Thwack.*


    Each strike fell short of the monster and sent it back a few steps, which caused the beast tough even louder.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Hahaha! You think you''re going to beat me with swords? Let me show you how it''s done."


    Lloyd gritted as he focused on the center of the monster''s chest.


    He wasn''t going to let the creature mock him. He wouldn''t allow himself to feel fear.


    His blood boiled with rage, allowing him to forget the pain of Roderick''s loss for a moment, yet the pain came back threefold and fueled Lloyd''s rage once more.


    This time he charged straight ahead, not caring if he took damage because of it.


    He was bing narrow-minded, yet he did not care. It was almost light he had gone into a berserk state, and that theory was only amplified after a wave of bloodlust shot out of his body and pulverized the grass around him as if it had real form.


    The monster smiled at Lloyd''s futile attempts at beating it, yet despite losing all his team''s trust, every single one of them got into position. Everyone except Veronica, who, for some reason, hadpletely disappeared.


    Swinging his des at the creature, Lloyd watched it avoid and block most of his attacks before it extended its nails and swung toward his head.


    However, before the swing could reach him, Lloyd made an ufortable turn as his feet exploded with blue mes, catapulting his kick right into the monster''s face.


    "I have to ask myself, did I really wait a month and a half for this?" The monster sneered, its facepletely unscathed by the attack despite taking it head-on.


    Lloyd''s eyes widened slightly as he watched the monster''s hand reach out for his leg. He quickly tried to focus on a coordinate for him to teleport to, yet before he could vanish, an iron-d grip grabbed onto his ankle while the sound of cracking resounded throughout the forest.


    "Ahh!" Lloyd roared and tried to kick the monster in the face for it to let go, yet it remainedpletely unscathed with a menacing grin on its face.


    "Let go." A void was ordered. The instant the monster looked towards the source of the voice, however-


    [Sky Dragon Technique]


    The silhouette of a blue dragon with long wooden horns covered Rex''s foot before that very foot mmed straight into the monster''s face, causing it to loosen its grip upon Lloyd''s ankle before being thrown back a few meters.


    However, the monster quickly regained its bnce bynding on its hands, but before it couldplete the flip, pair of wed hands shot towards its face, giving it a millisecond to dodge the attack.


    Spinning on the palm of his hand, the monster avoided the attack by less than half an inch, seeing Hime''s ws as more dangerous than Lloyd''s. Lloyd''s des were covered in void runes.


    Then the next attack happened.


    A powerful st of wind rushed forth from the dragon''s mouth, forcing the monster to evade again. Then the air rushed out of the way, forming a wind wall between them.


    With a mighty roar, the dragon silhouette released a st of fire directly behind it. The fire rushed down the wind wall, pushing it back just enough to give the monster room to maneuver.


    ''Tina''s magic.'' Lloyd thought when looking at the fire and wind magic before him.


    *Swoosh*


    *Swoosh*


    *Swoosh*


    Several humanoid figures covered in dark mes shot toward the monster at subsonic speeds.


    While some used daggers, hammers, and axes, others used swords, bows, and staffs to fight the monster. Of course, it had no problem killing these corpse-like creatures that were eerily familiar, yet it was only when he shot his hand through thest one that he realized that they were all actually dead.


    ''A puppeteer? How interesting.'' It thought while pointing a finger toward where L stood.


    "I think your forgetting something." Felix whispered with an enormous sword in his right hand as he swung it with amazing speed toward the monster''s head.


    But the blow missed as the monster easily blocked it with both arms.


    "That wasn''t so bad. What do you say though, my turn?" The monster grinned, and just when Felix crossed its arms, getting ready for the iing blow to its stomach, the monster flickered before disappearing as hundreds of cracks formed in the ground andrge chunks of the dirt below them flew in the air.


    *Boom*


    The sound of the air literally exploding as the monster moved through it caught everyone''s attention. Before anyone could react to the sudden speed, the monster appeared before Rex, its foot in front of his face. Yet, instead ofnding a direct hit and moving away, the monster stomped down onto Rex''s face, instantly burying his head into the ground before flickering away once again.


    Its eyes traveled through the scenery, and when it saw L shouting Rex''s name, it grinned and appeared behind him.


    "L! Move!" Lloyd roared, but it was far toote.


    A hand shot through L''s chest, destroying his heart and killing him instantly.

 Chapter 91 The Monarch Of The Autumn Forest [7] - Black Hole Horizon

    Lloyd had been certain that using his void walker abilities would give him an edge over his teammates, but he was wrong. While power was everything in this world, skill and talente second.


    Lloyd''s body might have been strong, yet even with [shadow enhancement], it barely reached the initial stages of the Topaz seal, let alone anything beyond it.


    Hecked any decent power since he was still in the half-step firstmandment, hecked proper skillpared to the likes of Rex, Tina, Hime, or even Felix; and even though he has talent, it means nothing in a fight when you haven''t developed the other two.


    So when he watched as L''s heart was destroyed right before his eyes, he felt like his world was copsing in on itself, with him being the center of the copse.


    And throughout it all, despite everything in the world seeming to have slowed down to a snail''s pace, he heard the same little voice, belittling him from within his own consciousness, telling him-


    ''This is all happening because of you...


    If Roderick hadn''t sacrificed himself for you, maybe they would have won...


    You doomed them all. Everything began going to hell when you joined their team because you are pathetic, just like the other humans here.


    Even Felix was doomed despite being of a superior race... But you. You did this.''


    ''Then take over... That was our deal, right? You can take over once, for 10 minutes if you teach me how to control the void. TAKE OVER THEN!'' Lloyd roared as he moved through the flow of stopped time.


    Everything became grey. And all colors except red were gone. It tortured Lloyd that the only color he could see was the red color of his friend''s blood.


    It hurt... It hurt right where his heart was supposed to be, yet every time the pain radiated from the center of his heart, it reminded him that he was no longer human. It reminded him that he was nothing but a void walker, destined to be hunted for the rest of eternity.


    ''Now, why would you assume I wanted to take over? To spare you the misery of watching your friends being ughtered? No... I will make you watch as each, and every one of them is killed. I have been trying to help you since the day you found out about me, yet all you did was reject everything.


    Remember when I told you that humanity will make you weak? What did you do? You strolled your way back to humanity and strengthened your connection with them.


    You are weak, and today you shall see what weakness does to a void walker.''


    "You''ll be killed too, you moron! WE ARE THE SAME PEOPLE! You are me! I am you!" Lloyd roared as he fought back the tears threatening to gush out like water out of a broken dam.


    "That''s where you''re wrong. We are not going to die. You, might die on the inside, but physically speaking, we will both stay perfectly alive, it is just that you are too stupid to see it yet, but you will eventually." A masked man appeared out of thin air as his monotone voice shook the world around him.


    As the masked man turned around to look at L''s extremely slowly falling body, yet his head perked up in realization before he turned around to look at the boy kneeling on the ground.


    "Also, let me remind you that, despite inhabiting the same body, we are not the same people. Think of us as two sides of the same coin... Null and Lloyd. It just happens that one of us is vastly superior to the other."


    *FWOOHM*


    Just as fast as he hade, Null disappeared into thin air before color returned to the world, and so did the flow of time.


    L''s fall to the ground resumed, causing him to quickly hit the ground before a pool of blood leaked out of the gaping wound in his chest.


    "L... NOOOOOOOO!" Felix roared as he shot toward L''s body. His vision had gone red, yet when the moment of rity came, Felix was toote.<novelnext></novelnext>


    A leg mmed into his stomach, shooting him straight into the air before he was quickly kicked in the chest and shot across the surface of the forest canopy.


    Reaching Felix with an unbelievable speed that only Felix could rival, the monster sped both its hands into a fist before mming down with everything it had, shooting Felix into the ground and kicking up an enormous dust cloud.


    In less than three seconds of Felix trying to avenge L, he was already on the ground and most likely already half-dead.


    However, that wasn''t enough for the monster. It was no longer ying around, and the moment it saw Felix lose consciousness, it plunged toward him with razor-sharp nails, ready to end it once and for all.


    And then the monster felt it.


    Something it hadn''t felt in hundreds of years.


    Actual danger to its life.


    It was a feeling deeply imprinted in its mind, and it was activating again.


    Like a sharp nail slowly slithering over its throat.


    And that''s exactly what it was.


    A deep ck de shot toward the monster''s neck as the runes engraved into it shone brighter than ever before.


    They were being pumped with mana, to be specific, voidced mana.


    ''Shit.'' The monster thought as its eyes locked onto the weapon''s wielder. Yet when it did, the monster wanted nothing other than to look away.


    But it couldn''t.


    It was locked.


    It was as if it was looking into the eyes of the devil, as every nightmare the monster had ever thought of shed through its mind.


    Fear trickled down its back, creating a cold yet powerful chill that shook it to its very soul.


    It was as if the monster was staring into the abyss of death itself.


    And in the blink of an eye, everything around the monster began to disintegrate in a sh of ck and purple light.


    [Aspect of Void + me Control + Gravity Maniption + Space Maniption]


    [Void Walker Style - ck Hole Horizon]

 Chapter 92 Dungeon Break [1] - Failure

    [Thank you thevoidfox for your generous gift]


    Everything around the monster began to disintegrate into ashes. The trees, the ground, and even the monster itself began to turn into particles as its existence dissipated very slowly.


    However, in a moment of quick thinking, the monster flipped mid-air, using the momentum of the attack to shift its body slightly.


    *ZHOOOOM*


    Everything in a 30-meter radius turned into ashes before Lloyd''s silhouette dropped to the ground, his eyes glowing purple. At the same time, his body was covered in purple energy that protected him from his own attack.


    Felix''s body was also covered in Lloyd''s purple energy, yet he was still hurt by the attack since it destroyed everything on a molecr level.


    ''Null didn''t lie. If I break down the void element, not only do I get three elements, but I also get variations of the element. Space maniption can be broken down further into gravity maniption.'' Lloyd thought to himself before looking at his de, which was also turning into ashes.


    ''I guess the strain was too much on such a weak de. I guess, I''ll have to use the other one then.''


    Taking his other short-sword out, Lloyd''s violet eyes darted around for a moment. He knew that the monarch of the autumn forest was still alive; he just needed to find where he was.


    Closing his eyes, Lloyd let out a pulse of violet energies that encapsted everything in arge area around Lloyd. Opening his eyes again, Lloyd pointed his de toward the north before a disgusted smirk tugged on the corner of his lips.


    "Found you."


    *Zip*


    Appearing before the monster, Lloyd swung his de at it, this time simply covering it in blue mes rather than the purple ones he used before since they were much more draining than he would like to admit.


    *ng*


    However, the monster simply deflected the attack with his w, pushing Lloyd back a few meters before jumping away.


    "Tsk*


    [Void Step]


    Teleporting above the monster, Lloyd swung again, this time aiming for the monster''s left arm to severe it, yet the monster was quick to grab the de mid-attack before using it as a lever to send a devastating kick Lloyd''s way.


    [Void Step]


    Letting go of his de, Lloyd appeared behind the monster with his hands covered in shadows, but the monster expected this, something that was clear to Lloyd since the kick seemed to have never been aimed toward his previous position.


    Yet, even in a situation like this, Lloyd continued to grin at the monster since before it knew what was happening, it felt its foot sink into the ground, lowering its height and making its attacke inches short of Lloyd''s face.


    Without thinking twice, Lloyd cut the tendons off its leg before dropping back and entering his shadow.


    "You putent insolent child. You think this shadow realm of yours can hold my mighty being?" The monster roared while Lloyd simply watched it while slowly circling it like a tiger around its prey.


    "I was quite disappointed when I saw that I hadn''t turned you into atoms, but now that I look at you..." Lloyd paused and looked at the monster''s right arm, or to be specific, theck thereof an arm.


    "I enjoy the fact that you are suffering." Lloyd chuckled before looking at the monster''s tendon, which had already mostly healed.


    "And the fact that you can''t regenerate from my attack only makes it even more enjoyable to watch."


    *ROOOAAAR*


    Letting out a deafening roar, the monster shot forward with everything it had, quickly attacking Lloyd with attacks of immense speed, yet without its other arm, one could say that the attack rate was only half as great as before.


    On the other hand, his kicks, while being slightly off-bnce due to theck of a second arm, were still as powerful as ever. So when Lloyd tried to block one of them, all he got in exchange was a powerful kick that sent cracks all over his arms before shooting him out of his shadow ''realm.''


    ording to L, may the universe have mercy on his soul; Lloyd''s shadow could be considered as apletely different realm called the shadow realm. It was the reason why the shadow owl could enter it, and it is the reason why Lloyd could force others into it as well


    *BOOM*


    Shooting out of the shadow, the monster took into the skies before its eyes glowed bright orange, and its body zoomed toward Lloyd.


    [Void Step]


    Barely teleporting in time, Lloyd avoided the attack by a mere inch as he quickly appeared in an area without many trees.


    ''Shit.''


    Looking around, Lloyd realized that the monster was forcing him back with the rest of the team so he could pick them off again, but that''s where he was mistaken.


    "Hime... Rex... Tina... I need you to trust me." Lloyd spoke.


    "We trusted you, but you lied to us..." Hime gritted her teeth with tears in her eyes. In her eyes, Roderick''s sacrifice only extended the life of a monster.


    "I thought of you as one of us... I thought of you as a brother!" Rex roared.


    However, Tina remained silent. Lloyd could feel her heart wrench every time she breathed out, while her eyes looked at Lloyd in a way that made him feel his non-existent heart drop to his stomach. They were filled with betrayal, but he couldn''t do anything about that now.


    "I know, but if we don''t work together, Roderick and L''s deaths will be for nothing." Lloyd reasoned as he pointed his de toward the direction the monster wasing from.


    "And I''m not gonna let that happen." Lloyd''seyes narrowed dangerously.


    "Also, where the fuck is Veronica?" Lloyd asked, causing everyone to widen their eyes.


    "Nevermind her, the thing is nearly here." Hime replied as a figure shot into the sky, uprooting several trees instantly and kicking up an enormous dust cloud.


    "Tina." Lloyd shouted, causing Tina to immediately begin weaving runes into the air before creating several arcane barriers between the group and the monster.


    However, like a bullet through butter, the monster shot right through the barriers easily, but of course, that was part of the n.


    The team was shocked to see that the monster only had one arm, but since they were feeling so many emotions at that moment, they didn''t even take any time to openly acknowledge the fact that Lloyd did more damage to the monster in less than 4 minutes than they did in 7.


    It had been 4 minutes since L''s death, yet no one really had a moment to process it. Of course, Hime was still trying to fully process Roderick''s death, but everyone else threw the grief to the back of their mind.


    They knew that they would have to kill the monster before them, even if it meant they would have to team up with a void walker to do so.


    [Racial Ability: Berserker]


    A torrent of blood-red energy surged from Hime''s body and shot in every direction. The sheer malice and rage she felt materialized within the energy that escaped every pore on her skin.


    Her inner screams howled through the skies as they continued to rumble, this time even more intensely than they did when Lloyd broke through.


    Despite this bloodlust making it easy for her to be tracked, Lloyd still lost sight of her as she instantly disappeared, her body turning into a blur before it appeared below thest barrier.


    *ROOOAR*


    An animalistic roar left her mouth as he arms extended toward the barrier, and the moment the barrier broke, the fields were equalized.


    *Swoosh*


    Her ws moved at lightning-fast speeds, unleashing a powerful flurry of attacks at the monster, however, he was not unprepared, yet at the same time, he was far from omnipotent.


    The monster tried its best to block the flurry of shes, and while no attacksnded on any of the lethal areas on its body, it was covered in so many scratches that it was quite literally dyed head to toe with blood.


    ''Damnit! If I only had my other arm. This is what I get for underestimating that child. What was I thinking turning my back to a void walker!'' The monster gritted its teeth before it created a yellow energy burst underneath its feet, using it to quickly dodge an iing w before spinning on its heel mid-air and unleashing a devastating punch toward Hime.


    Of course, Hime felt the threat from the attack, yet instead of moving away from the attack-


    *Swoosh*<novelnext></novelnext>


    *Fwoohm*


    *BOom*


    *Pitui*


    The punchnded squarely onto her forehead, yet despite shooting into the ground like a broken kite, Hime had dealt more damage than the monster had to her.


    In the moment between the fist touching her forehead and the conversion of energy from the arm to her head, her hands he moved on their own as they swiftly ripped out a gaping hole within the monster''s stomach.


    Since the monster was already quite skinny, the hole in its stomach didn''t look as lethal as it would have looked on anyone else. The fact that it immediately began healing did not help argue the lethality of Hime''s attack.


    *ROOOOOAAR*


    Letting out another deafening roar, Hime shot toward the monster with blood dripping down her forehead. On the other hand, the monster gritted its teeth and cocked back its arm, yet before it could punch forward-


    [Hades'' Chains]


    [Rune Prison]


    ck and blue chains shot out of the ground and wrapped themselves around the monster while blue and white runes appeared all over its body, causing its movements to dramatically slow down. At the same time, the power behind the movements also diminished.


    Landing on the monster''s chest with tremendous force, Hime grabbed the monster''s remaining arm and violently tore it off before reeling her head back andnding an earth-shaking head butt onto the monster without a shred of hesitation in her blood-red eyes.


    The monster immediately flew towards the ground, yet before it could even touch it-


    "Let''s end this!"


    [Sky Dragon Technique - Lightning Dragon Fist]


    With lightning speed, Rex appeared before the monster with a lightning dragon-covered fist that immediately shot out of a dragon serpent, grabbed the monster in its maw, and shot it into the distance with immense speed.


    "That''s enough!" The monster roared in rage as it quickly regrew its arm and broke away from the dragon''s maw before sliding several meters back.


    With glowing orange eyes, the monster turned its pale face to the sky before it reached upwards with its only remaining arm and grasped the sky with everything it had.


    "I, the monarch of the autumn forest, dere this dungeon my domain and my words absolute." The monarch of the autumn forest roared into the sky as the clouds began to form above him.


    "Time dtion--null. Monster activity, maximum." The monster grinned as it brought its thumb and middle finger together.


    *Pitiu*


    A de with purple runes shot right through the monster''s chest, instantly destroying its heart before it could do anything else.


    "Did you really think that I would let you use your trump card?" Lloyd''sughed with rageced within every breath he took.


    Taking out his de, Lloyd circled to the front of the monster to look it in its eyes, yet all he was met with was a merciless smile that sent shivers down his back.


    "Digusting." Lloyd spat before slicing the monster''s legs off. Lloyd was certain that the monster was dead since it couldn''t regenerate from his void attacks, yet if there was even the smallest semnce of consciousnesses inside it, Lloyd wanted it to suff-


    "You..."


    "Hmm?" Lloyd raised a brow.


    "You should have aimed for my other heart."


    Lloyd''s eyes widened as he tried to sh toward the monster''s throat.


    [Dungeon Master Ability]


    [Induce: Dungeon Break]


    *Snap*


    But before he could, a finger snap thundered through the entire dungeon as a shockwave shot through the skies above.


    "What did you do!" Lloyd asked, yet it was as if he already knew the answer.


    His face showed a horrified expression he had never shown in his life.


    "Hahahahahaha... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH." The monster cackled as it slowly regenerated, using the nt life around it to create new limbs and organs. Yet despite seeing the monster regenerate right before him, Lloyd didn''t move a muscle.


    No... He couldn''t move a muscle.


    A moment''s decision might have cost him everything.


    He didn''t just fail Roderick and L but also everyone in the outside world.


    ''If this dungeon spills into the outside... Deroxa will be flooded. My family...'' Lloyd''s realized.


    And it was all because he made the wrong decision.


    All because he hit the wrong heart.


    Of course, there was no way for him to know that the monster even had two or more hearts, but it didn''t stop his mind from derailing in such a direction.


    "Void walker child, I must thank you." The monster cackled.


    "If only you had aimed for the right side, cut off my head or even my hand." The monster''s smile widened as it cocked its arm back and extended its ws.


    Its other arm wrapped around Lloyd''s neck as the feeling of powerlessness hung over Lloyd''s body.


    Every hair on his body stood up; mentally, he knew it was the end.


    "You''ve done well." A feminine voice spoke as a pair of red eyes stared into Lloyd''s from the depths of the forest''s shadows.


    Of course, Lloyd had no problem seeing her due to his [Night Vision], yet he could not help but feel an unsurmountable amount of hope fill him to the brim when the figure stepped out of the shadow.


    "Veronica?" Lloyd asked while the monster simply narrowed its eyes.


    On the other hand, Veronica''s stare became a light and warm smile before a calm yet astonishingly dense wind enveloped the area.


    "Let go of him." Veronicamanded.


    "Miss. Vampire? How about we share him, huh? I get half; you get half. Its a good deal, right?" The monsterughed, yet it did not back down.


    "I wasn''t asking."


    A cold, merciless voice shivers down both Lloyd''s and the monster''s spines.


    However, unlike Lloyd, who only shuddered for a moment, the shiver continued to shoot through the monster''s body before it concentrated itself around the center of its torso. When the monster finally looked down, it realized why.


    Using the word ''gaping'' would have been an understatement since everything below the monster''s neck had disappeared into thin air as a blood mist coated everything behind the monster red.


    As its head slowly fell to the ground, Veronica''s voice was thest thing it heard.


    "I have no need to keep you around anymore."

 Chapter 93 Dungeon Break [2] - A Vampires Betrayal

    Walking past the stunned Lloyd, Veronica snapped her fingers and instantly gathered the blood mist into a small red crystal that she swiftly stashed into her storage dimension.


    There was no doubt the woman who had saved him was Veronica. She had the same aura, face, and abilities as the Veronica he knew, yet something was different.


    "Veronica?!"


    "Where have you been!?"


    Several voices entered Lloyd''s ears, yet he couldn''t hear any of them. The most he could do was acknowledge their presence, but he was too busy looking at Veronica.


    However, unlike Lloyd, the others were quick to acknowledge his presence.


    "Veronica, watch out for him." Rex sneered while ring at Lloyd.


    "Why?" Veronica tilted her head innocently.


    "He''s a void walker." Hime practically growled while holding one of her bleeding arms that seemed to have lost all muscle strength to move even an inch.


    While Tina held her tongue, if Lloyd were to look into her eyes, he would have seen the amount of betrayal she felt. She didn''t know if any of what Lloyd had said was real anymore.


    What if everything he said was a maniption tactic for him to get closer to her.


    What were his intentions in befriending her in the first ce?


    Slowly but surely, the development she had made, and the outgoing personality she had created over time, were all beginning to crumble and copse like a dying star.


    "I know." Veronica smiled while Lloyd''s eyes widened in shock.


    "What?" Rex practically shouted.


    "I know. I always knew. From the moment you and Roderick brought him in, I knew he was a void walker." Veronica replied before cing her hands behind her back.


    She was oddly calm, and the smile on her face felt different. It was no longer bright and warm like the sun.


    It was a smile, but it felt cold and distant.


    As if it was nothing but a reflex.


    An unmovable mask.


    Unlike the usual ck and red armor she wore, she wore light red armor under a long ck trench coat that oddly resembled the one Lloyd wore.


    "You knew what he was this whole time, and you didn''t tell us?!" Hime asked with suppressed rage.


    "Yeah. Anyway, where are the rest?" Veronica asked while looking around.


    "Dead..." Tina mumbled, yet everyone heard her clearly.


    "That''s too bad." Veronica shrugged.


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    "That''s too bad? THAT''S TOO BAD!? THEY DIED BECAUSE YOU WEREN''T HERE! BECAUSE OF YOU AND THAT MONSTER BEHIND YOU THAT YOU WERE HIDING!" Hime roared, yet she quickly winced as unbearable pain shot through every inch of her body, yet the tears that came out of her tears were not those of pain but those of grief.


    Veronica watched the scene coldly, yet she did not react despite one of her friends weeping on the ground.


    "Veronica..." Lloyd finally spoke after throwing the thought of grabbing Felix on the way out to the back of his mind since they would be forced out soon enough.


    "Yes, Lloyd?"


    "I assume this is what he meant... You did this, didn''t you..." Lloyd asked before raising his void rune-covered de at Veronica as Null''s voice echoed within his mind.


    It took less than a second for Lloyd''s rage, grief, and pain to fuel his killing intent to its maximum output, and within the same instant, all the remaining void energy shot down from the sky toward Lloyd in the form of an enormous purple beam of light.


    "I have no idea what you''re talking about." Veronica smiled as her coat pped in the wind while her blood-red eyes pierced through the purple light and stared right into Lloyd''s eyes.


    "You set this all up...


    The boss monster was never supposed to be that strong.


    You were never strong enough to erase someone an entire foot in the amethyst seal." Lloyd gritted his teeth as void energy pooled into his body.


    "Is that what you think?" Veronica asked, her voice calm.


    Lloyd knew he was being reckless. She easily killed a creature that could defeat the entire team, and since she had killed it when it had regained its peak strength, that made her far stronger than all of thembined.


    Yet, Lloyd couldn''t control himself. Unlike the rest of the team, he was just a 17-year-old who had lost two people he had grown close with through battles that stretched the lines between life and death. He had no idea if Felix was even alive anymore.


    He was trying to keep his focus on the battle, yet he failed to end it.


    His secret was out, and his entire team hated him, even Tina. He would most likely be executed when they leave the dungeon, and his family and friends will be killed or exiled for harboring a void walker despite it being unknowingly.


    He was angry. He was grieving. And for all he knew, his family could be in danger because of him! Because he failed to end the monster. Because he made the wrong decision.


    So when he realized what Null meant by his words, it all came out in the form of unbounded rage.


    "You''re the reason my family is in danger.... You''re the reason L and Roderick are dead!" Lloyd roared as she shot forward with a pitch-ck de in his hand that he began to swing wildly.


    However, despite seeing Lloyding toward her, Veronica didn''t retaliate. She simply dodged the wild attacks with a sympathetic smile on her face.<novelnext></novelnext>


    She didn''t speak, but she didn''t have to. Lloyd felt her eyes mock him. Mock his humanity.


    ''Look at you. So pathetic.'' Null spat.


    The others were confused and trying toprehend what was happening, yet Hime was surprisingly the first to start moving out of the three.


    Despite her injuries, Hime was quick to ignite the same bloodlusted form she had used earlier as she sped across the grass field and attacked Veronica with everything she had.


    However, unlike her treatment of Lloyd, Veronica wasn''t as merciful when it came to anyone else.


    Without hesitation, Veronica reached out her hand and grabbed Hime by the face before mming her into the ground without a hint of hesitation.


    Looking toward the iing pitch-ck de, Veronica disappeared into thin air and appeared behind Lloyd as, her hands tightly wrapped around Lloyd''s wrists.


    Despite using all his strength, Lloyd couldn''t budge an inch. Even the void energy shooting down from the sky barely burned her skin.


    Of course, it was clear that the energy was doing damage, yet it was nothingpared to her vampiric regeneration speed, which seemed to work even under the stress of voice energy.


    "Lloyd, I need you to calm down. I didn''t kill any of them." Veronica tried to reason, yet Lloyd was having none of it.


    [Aspect of Void + me Control


    Hundreds, if not thousands, of purple balls of mes swirled in the sky above them both.


    "Get... OFF ME!" Lloyd roared as the sky rumbled before several violet me bullets shot toward Veronica while creating loud mind-rattling bangs in their wake.


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    *BANG*


    Hundreds of shots were fired in rapid session, yet Veronica didn''t move an inch. The me bullets were like flies to her that didn''t even prate her coat.


    Lloyd couldn''t believe it. No matter how much he tried, he couldn''t break free of Veronica''s grip. It was as if his hands had been molded inside the densest and strongest metals of a dwarf star, making himpletely incapable of moving his hands.


    "Do you see them? Look at your so-called teammates." Veronica whispered while forcefully turning Lloyd toward Hime, Tina, and Rex.


    "Look at their faces. Do you see their expressions?" She asked, but Lloyd closed his eyes and tried to turn his head away.


    However-


    [Blood control]


    Spraying blood onto Lloyd''s face, Veronica quickly used [Blood Control] to control the movements of his facial muscles.


    His head refused to heed hismands, and despite his struggles, he was forced to look upon the disgusted and hateful expressions they held toward him.


    With all the willpower Lloyd could muster, he clenched his jaw and barely closed his eyes, yet the scene was deeply imprinted into his mind. No matter how hard he tried to look past their looks of disgust and hate, now that he was forced to confront them, he felt as if he was being eaten from the inside out.


    '' "Do you see it?" ''


    Veronica and Null asked at the same time.


    '' "You can, can''t you?" ''


    "Shut up..." Lloyd cried out.


    "They hate you. These lessers you are trying to protect and the lessers you lost on your journey up to this point, none of them care about you. Look at the way they look at you as you struggle. As you try to protect them. They haven''t moved a single muscle to help you." Veronica spoke, her voice filled with sympathy.


    Yet, her voice felt warm and familiar. It was the voice she used when she nursed him back to health after their training sessions. It was the voice that gave himfort and warmed his heart.


    And it was the voice that made him slowly fall for her.


    "S-Shut up... Please, shut up!" Lloyd pleaded, his eyes slowly and almost unnoticeably bing dimmer... Bing more distant. As if his soul was darkening, the human side he had been clinging onto for so long slowlying untethered.


    "They can''t ept you for who you are, but I can. I can ept the void walker side of you, if you can ept the vampire side of me." Veronica turned Lloyd toward her and looked him directly in the eyes.


    "You and me, we are different. We are superior. We aren''t like these humans and lesser beings. We are people with power. We can change the universe!" Veronica smiled warmly.


    "I am not the one who killed your so-called friends, Lloyd. You did. The lesser side of you did." She leaned in closer, to the point where Lloyd could feel her breath on his skin.


    ''Erase your humanity.''


    "Because that lesser side of you makes you weak." she leaned forward andnded a deep kiss on Lloyd''s lips. A kiss that made his problems subtly fade into the background while.


    The grief and anger, it all disappeared.


    And slowly, Lloyd stopped struggling until Veronica didn''t have to hold his arms anymore.


    "That''s it. Just rx. I''ll make this easy." She muttered after moving back a little to look into his dull, almost lifeless purple eyes.


    [Void Walker Style]


    Purple runes slowly moved up Lloyd''s right arm before his pale white skin turned obision ck.


    Slowly raising his arm, Lloyd muttered-


    [Star-Copsing Fist]

 Chapter 94 Dungeon Break [3] - Final Spell: Arcanum

    [Star-Copsing Fist]


    Space warped around Lloyd''s fist as it traveled fast than the eye could see.


    Purple energy swirled around Lloyd''s fist, and before Veronica could even react to the sudden attack, it was already right in front of her face. However, Veronica was no ordinary person either.


    Thousands of calctions went through her mind in a split second as she instantly used [Blood Control] on herself to move as fast as possible.


    She barely avoided the attack in time.


    The moment Lloyd''s fist passed her face by mere inches, everyone felt a shift. It was as if the wind pressure and density had suddenly changed, and at the same time, shudders went down the spines of everyone, including Lloyd.


    Space raptured right in front of Lloyd, and as he retracted his fist, he stared upon the rapture in space while taking on a feeling he didn''t always get to feel.


    The feeling ofplete rxation. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before from anything else. Not even Veronica could make his problems wash away like the sensation he got when looking or stepping into a void, and now that he was so close to one, the sensation was close to its peak.


    The spatial tear shot into the distance for hundreds of meters. While it was extremely long, it was much narrower than its length, onlying at about twice the width of Lloyd''s fist.


    Cracks began to spread out of the space rapture, yet when the universe finds a vacuum, it tries its best to fill it with anything, especially when that vacuum is one between dimensions.


    As if the very reality around the rapture was being warped, everything within a 2-meter radius of it got sucked in.


    *BOOM*


    And in less than half a second, it all imploded. Everything happened between the first and second, making it look like Lloyd had shot a beam out of his fist and created a 2-meter wide crate that went out for hundreds of meters. Yet, despite its speed, Veronica had more than enough time to be a blur and appear on a tree branch several meters away.


    Veronica''s abilities were way beyond Lloyd''s, yet Lloyd still felt like he could beat her despite knowing that. Even though he knew using it would kill him.


    The moment he broke through, he felt something inside him be shackled, and despite it being just a feeling, it was as if he knew exactly what had happened.


    All his cooldowns had been set to 0, and since he had only cooldown, it meant that his deadliest ability had be usable again.


    *BOOM, BOOM, BOOM*


    Lloyd''s arm shot out several times a lightning speed as the fabric of reality raptured before his fist, creating a line of the pure abyss that seemed to shoot infinitely into the distance.


    Veronica dodged quite easily at first, but the close Lloyd got to his ability wearing off, the faster he attacked and the more reckless he became.


    While at first, he made sure to attack directly at Veronica, Lloyd began to attack everything around her too.


    While it seemed like Veronica was simply dodging with ease to Lloyd, Veronica was beginning to struggle.


    She had seen what happened to the tree behind her, and she could not help but think that the same would happen to her if she took a direct hit from Lloyd''s attacks.


    Lloyd''s uracy and prediction of her next moves were improving at a terrifying rate, so she quickly found herself being cornered before she knew it.


    *Zip*


    *Zip*


    *Zip*


    Lloyd''s body flickered around as he essentially spammed the use of void step because he knew that he had an infinite supply of godsent energy shooting down from the sky.


    He didn''t care if he got to use the energyter. She had already killed 2 people he cared about, so he wasn''t about to let her kill anyone else.


    "Lloyd, I need you to listen to me!" She roared, yet her voice only enraged Lloyd more.


    Every word that came out of her mouth was like a mockery of everything he stood for, and while he might not have stood for a lot, he knew one thing.


    "I''ve heard enough." Lloyd spoke, his voice filled with so much rage that it felt like it was almostced with void energy.


    Veronica closer her mouth and stared at Lloyd for a moment before she seemed to have made a decision.


    "So be it." She muttered while rising to the sky.


    Blood began to surge toward her from all around the forest as animals and monsters alike turned into clumps of blood, leaving behind drained carcasses.


    As the blood shot toward her, trees withered on their paths, and the orange leaves and grass turned dark brown. She wasn''t just sucking the blood out of living creatures; she was sucking out their very life force, including the remaining life force from those who had fallen.


    At the same time, Lloyd felt the runes on his arm begin to fade, and the instant they did, cracks shot through his entire arm as an unimaginable amount of pain made him feel like dropping to the ground and screaming at the top of his lungs.


    Yet, he just looked at his crumbling arm slowly turning into ashes. His eyes were devoid of all emotion this time, yet deep within, he felt a spark.


    A spark of something magnificent.


    On the other hand, Veronica extended her arms in both directions and closed her eyes, causing all the blood she had gathered to turn into hundreds of spears.


    When she opened her eyes again, the sky darkened, and her eyes shone like two crimson stars in the night sky, barely lighting up the area around her but making everything a shade redder.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The remaining blood shot toward her body and covered her from head to toe before the life energy entered the blood, causing it to shine bright crimson.


    ''The blood knight in crimson armor...''


    It was an old story told to children to make them go to sleep. While to children, it seemed believable, to adults, it was just another fairytale story that came around when the earth had awoken its mana for the first time.


    It was the story of a crimson knight who upheld justice and destroyed monsters wherever they found them.


    ording to the stories, after protecting humanity for hundreds of years, one day, the blood knight almost went insane after seeing all the evils of the humanity they had been trying to save for hundreds of years. Who were the real monsters?


    Legend was that after killing an innocent child in its blood-lusting state, they gained a sense of their old self back and killed themselves to stop their rampage, and while some stories end there, others say that the blood knight''s ghost still roamed the earth for the years toe.


    The thing was that, every civilization that is still alive to this day had the same story for the first few hundred years of their newly awakened civilization.


    But... What if the blood knight in crimson armor wasn''t dead?


    What if it had been hiding under our noses for thousands, if not tens of thousands of years.


    What if they had inhabited a different body or reincarnated like some of the elven stories say.


    What if they had been reborn as a vampire?


    "I see..." Lloyd muttered as he looked away from his crumbling arm and into the sky where Veronica stood, staring into his soul with her vicious blood-red eyes.


    "Last chance." She spoke emotionlessly while grabbing one of the blood spears and making it twice asrge.


    "To give up and join you, right?"


    "Yes..." She simply replied.


    "..."


    "..."


    "If I join you, will you let the others live? Including my family and my parents?"


    "..."


    "Answer the question." Lloyd growled.


    "What if I say no?" She asked with a tilt of her head.


    "Then I''ll kill you."


    "..."


    "..."


    "Ha... Ha Ha... Hahahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha." Veronica began cackling, herugh sounding more maniacal than it usually did.


    However, before she could respond, a voice echoed from behind Lloyd, causing him to slowly turn around and look into the pair of dark brown eyes that stared right into his bright violet ones.


    "Don''t join her!"


    "?" Lloyd raised a brow


    "I know I haven''t been very epting... of you... But I was scared. I felt betrayed... and... I felt like I didn''t know who you were.


    I know you. I know who you are, and I know no one could fake what we all had. No matter what you hid from us, you will always be a part of us." Tina smiled warmly while raising her staff and letting out a deep breath before...


    *Swoosh*


    Three crimson spears shot through Tina''s chest, yet her smile did not waver for an instant. No... It only got bigger. It only became greater.


    Lloyd''s eyes widened in horror as he felt rage almost overtake his senses again. He could almost feel Null''s expression at that moment, yet when he looked into Tina''s eyes, he stopped.


    ''So this is trust, huh...'' Null spoke inside Lloyd''s mind.


    "Even if you are a void walker, you''re not a bad person, and I''ll make sure you never turn out like the others did." She coughed as blood began to leak from her mouth before she mmed her staff into the ground.


    [Final Spell]


    "And hey... Even in death, I will always love you." She smiled before blood leaked out of her eyes and orifices.


    [Arcanum]

 Chapter 95 Dungeon Break [4] - Arcanum Tina Vs The Blood Knight In Crimson Armor

    [Final Spell]


    [Arcanum]


    As Tina mmed her staff onto the ground, unbelievable amounts of mana circled around her body, instantly destroying the spears that protruded from her chest and temporarily sealing up her wounds.


    A look of pure shock appeared on Veronica''s face, seemingly unable to believe her eyes.


    "You shouldn''t be capable of using that..." Veronica gritted her teeth while readying the hundreds of spears that floated around her.


    Tina raised her staff again, pointing it at the sky before mming it down again, gathering mana from the earth below her and absorbing it into the staff alongside the mana she had gathered from the sky.


    Tina''s hair fluttered in the wind as the violent storm began to pick up in speed, and before anyone knew it, thunder crackled through the clouds while rain poured from the skies like water out of a broken dam.


    "Arcanum Domain." Tina whispered, yet her whispers thundered through the entire dungeon.


    "Shit." Veronica gritted her teeth and clutched her fists tightly when she felt her control over the blood spears significantly weaken, yet despite trying her best, she could not recover her control in time.


    A blue beam of light shot toward Veronica at speeds that rivaled Lloyd''s void rapture.


    Veronica quickly moved her hands and tried to block the attack by morphing her blood spears into blood shields, but after seeing them barely moving, she resorted to dodging by the skin of her teeth, slightly scorching her blood armor.


    While she had lost most of her control over the blood spears, her control over her blood armor had remained the same because the armor was touching her body, making it nearly impossible for anyone of the same strength to dominate her control over it.


    "Lloyd... I need you to leave. Follow Rex. He took Hime a few minutes ago and fled to the west." Tina spoke as her figure floated into the sky, her now bright blue eyes staring back at Lloyd. The roots of her hair were also turning silver, and while it made her look like an angel, to Lloyd, it looked like a timer.


    "You''re going to die if you carry on using that form." Lloyd argued, yet Tina simply smiled.


    "So what? I was already going to die, why not make a difference as I go out." She replied, her words causing Lloyd to feel short bursts of dread.


    Looking down in shame, Lloyd''s eyes fell on his missing arm, yet when he looked again, he realized something.


    Looking up at the purple beam of light shooting toward him, he felt a semnce of hope glistening deep in his heart.


    "The breakthrough void energy is healing me," Lloyd muttered to himself while a dangerous thought passed through his mind.


    *BOOM*


    a blood-red magical aura exploded out of Veronica''s body and flooded everything within a several-mile radius. Her aura wasn''t like anything Lloyd had felt before.


    It was filled with so much anger and killing intent that it felt more like the suffocating aura of an unbeatable monster.


    ''Half-step Thirdmandment...'' Tina and Lloyd thought simultaneously as a grim realization hit them. Veronica was no normal person. She was a prodigy amongst prodigies.


    With such arge gap in strength alongside her terrifying closebat abilities, it was nearly impossible for them to leave alive, no matter how much one of them tried to stall for the other to flee.


    Gritting her teeth, Tina suddenly widened her eyes before tensing every muscle in her body. In the same instant, every blood spear that was once under Veronica''s control was now covered in a bright blue and white hue before shooting toward Veronica at lightning speeds, all at once.


    Veronica simply sneered when she saw the iing spears, and with a burst of energy, she stopped them all in their tracks and destroyed the hue around them.


    With a snap of Veronica''s finger, the spears slowly turned around and shot in the other direction, absolutely desecrating most things in hundreds of meters.


    Tina furrowed her brows before quickly creating several barriers around herself and Lloyd to protect them from the attack. She had sacrificed more than half her lifespan on the power she had been given, so there was no way in hell she was about to let any of it go to waste. She would make sure that the remainder of her friends would get out of the dungeon alive, so she wasn''t about to take any chances.


    The barriers around them almost broke after several spears hit them, but instead of waiting for the next attack, Tina sent one of her own out.


    "Arcanum: World ster."


    Suddenly, the skies above the dungeon lit up with a bright blue hue, and powerful magical energy enveloped the entire area.


    Veronica''s face scrunched up when she felt the overwhelming power in the air.


    "What is this?" Veronica asked more out of curiosity than disbelief.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Is this..." Lloyd''s eyes widened before he decided that the best course of action would be to get as far away from Veronica as possible.


    Hearing a rumblee from the clouds above, Veronica looked up with a raised brow. Yet, before she could even react to what she sawing toward her, she was enveloped by an enormous beam of pure mana that shot Veronica into the ground while scorching everything around her.


    The beam slowly began to expand, going from 2 meters in radius to 10, 20, 40, and finally a hundred meters in radius.


    When the beam of pure mana finally disappeared, an eerie silence followed, only to be broken by the sound of Tina copsing onto the ground.


    Lloyd quickly rushed to her side and held her in his arms, trying to keep her awake.


    "Tina... Are you okay?" Lloyd asked in a worried voice. Half her hair had be silver by this point, so Lloyd could only imagine the stress of using her domain toplete such an attack.


    Her domain spell was the ability to control all mana in a certain radius around her. Of course, those with stronger wills and highermandments can override this with the use of their own spells, but natural mana is free for the taking. She had simply pooled every single natural mana particle in the area into a single st that shot down from the sky.


    Lloyd could see that the spell had temporarily sealed off her mana and energy, rendering her immobile and powerless while also putting a heavy strain on her life force, secondmandment seals, and her mind.


    "I have to admit... That was a pretty good attack." A voice echoed through the dungeon as Veronica slowly stepped out of the crater; her armor had taken the full brunt of the attack, causing it to be mildly scorched.


    Cracking her neck, Veronica stepped out of the crater and onto the soft ground.


    Seeing this, Tina attempted to stand up, yet the moment she did, she felt every cell in her body ache in pain to the point that not even her vocal cords had the bravery to move enough for her to scream.


    "You''ve done enough..." Lloyd muttered while patting her head lovingly.


    "I''ll take it from here." He smiled as Tina begged him with her eyes not to fight Veronica, yet he had already made up his mind.


    When he turned around to ensure Tina couldn''t see his expression, Lloyd dropped the act and looked at Veronica with a soul-chilling stare.


    "Oooo. I''m actually scared." Veronicaughed as she continued to walk forward. She knew Lloyd wouldn''t activate his void breakthrough energy so close to Tina, so she was taking full advantage of it, not that it mattered anyway.


    So far, it felt like Veronica was simply ying with the two of them, the same way a cat would y with the corpse of a mouse or a rat. In her eyes, they were nothing but ythings now, so she was simply extending the amount of time she gets to have fun with them.


    "How do you like my new arm?" Lloyd asked while showing her his now-fixed arm.


    Her eyes widened slightly before narrowing in suspicion, yet Lloyd closed his eyes and took a deep and shaky breath before she could say anything.


    "What''s wrong?


    Scared?" Veronica teased.


    "No..." Lloyd replied, his voice sounding cold and distant as if Null had taken over again, something that simply was not the case.


    There were Lloyd''s raw emotions, and even though he didn''t like the idea of him being close to Null in any way, shape, or form, he could not deny that they were simr in a certain sense.


    "Don''t mind me too much." Lloyd whispered before opening his eyes and looking into her bright crimson ones.


    "I''m just getting ready to finally kill something that isn''t a dungeon monster..." Lloyd spat before getting into a fighting position.


    "You? Killing me? You know what, I''d love to see you try." Veronicaughed, yet she quickly choked on thatugh as a powerful aura sent shivers down her spine and Tina''s, Hime''s, and Rex''s spines.


    "It''s my turn..." Lloyd announced as his aura red before an abyss appeared directly behind him.


    [You feel a wandering presence watching you...]


    The silhouette of a pair of ck and violet eyes shone in the sky, and looked directly at Lloyd before closing and disappearing in the same instant.


    [You have received Eris'' blessing.]


    [Void Channel]

 Chapter 96 Dungeon Break [5] - [Void Channel]

    [Void Channel]


    Pain.


    That was all Lloyd felt, so to save his mind frompletely breaking, his mind went nk.


    Violet runes traveled from his back to the rest of his body, slowly covering his entire body with at least 1 rune per square inch of skin. His aura turned cold and nd, yet at the same time, there was something sinister about an aura being so nd.


    As if it was dead, without a single heartbeat tomemorate the fact that he had reached a threshold far beyond his current grasp.


    So when his aura spread throughout the dungeon, it resonated with the dungeon itself, as if it had be a part of him. An entity of void under his control.


    Silence prevailed for what felt like a lifetime for anyone who could think or feel at that moment, and for the first time since entering the dungeon, Veronica felt danger.


    *...*


    *...*


    *...*


    Her face was paler than normal.


    Every one of her breaths was ragged and staggered.


    A single sweat drop streaked down her face, and the moment it fell off and hit the ground, the true battle had begun.


    Lloyd''s body looked like it was almost glitching. Like his entire body was slowly breaking apart, and the very universal code that kept him held together was being destroyed.


    In a moment of desperation, Veronica threw her spear toward Lloyd with all the power she could muster.


    The spear sounded like thunder as it broke through sound barriers and reached Lloyd in the space of a millisecond.


    Yet...


    *Zip*


    Lloyd''s body glitched and flickered before it appeared several hundred meters away with Tina in his arms again. He had deactivated the breakthrough energy that came from the sky the moment he decided to use [Void channel], so he didn''t hurt Tina in any way by moving her away from Veronica''s spear''s range of destruction.


    Veronica''s spear had shot through the forest at tremendous speeds, destroying thousands of trees before hitting the autumn king''s castle in the distance and blowing it to smithereens in a magnificent bright crimson energy explosion.


    Looking at where Veronica was, Lloyd stared into the sky where hundreds of crimson blood spears rose to the air and pointed in his general direction, and with several loud sonic booms, they all fired toward him with half the speed of thest spear.


    Yet, instead of dodging like before, Lloyd simply raised his hand and-


    [Void Walker Style]


    [Wave]


    Waving his hands over the iing spears, Veronica was forced to watch as Lloyd cast a mass teleportation technique,pletely vanishing her attacks and sending them far into the distance, where Veronica wouldn''t have any control over them anymore.


    With a scowl, Veronica cut her hand and pooled out enough Blood to create a great sword the same height as her before using the Blood of her armor to st herself at Lloyd.


    Surprisingly, Lloyd did the same thing, shooting toward her like a violet star rising to the sky.


    Veronica shed down with everything she had, yet her sword shed through a purple light.


    The sh sent out an arch that scarred the ground with an enormous sh mark, yet she quickly realized that Lloyd was no longer in front of her.


    The hairs at the back of her neck stood up, making her immediately turn around, swinging her de toward the direction of danger just to find no one.


    "Come out you coward!" She roared in rage while frantically looking around.


    "Very well." A void echoed from all directions before a purple light shone in her peripherals, alerting her of his presence.


    Yet, the light was not what it seemed.


    Lloyd stood in thin air with limp arms and legs, and just like a man hanging from a rope, his presence waspletely lifeless.


    Glitching once more, several purple lights shone around Veronica from all directions as Lloyd''s body seemingly began to appear at random locations, his figure multiplying into the hundreds.


    [Void Walker Style + Shadow Maniption]


    [Void Clones]


    Hundreds of clones reeled their arms back as void energy slowly covered their arms.


    Veronica gritted her teeth but quickly acted before it was toote.


    [Blood Knight Technique]


    [Blood of the fallen]


    Blood began to secrete from the ground, and before all of Lloyd''s clones could attack, half was immediately pierced by hundreds of blood needles that shot right through them, destroying their bodies and causing them to disperse.


    The other half teleported in time before throwing their fists forward and sting a void rapture toward Veronica, yet now that there were fewer of them, she was quickly able to dodge the attacks by using her peak speed.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Aren''t you quite weak..." Lloyd''s voice echoed again as the remaining clones propelled themselves at Veronica.


    Landing on the ground, Veronica quickly spun to cut one in half, yet just like the original Lloyd, they would teleport away at thest moment before sending out a quick jab at her.


    "For a half-step 3rdmandment?"


    The clones began to pile up quickly, and while that made them easier to cleave through, they were also rapidly chipping away at Veronica''s armor and body.


    Of course, she could regenerate, but all things have a limit, and the clones testing that limit.


    Veronica was slowly being overwhelmed by the number of hits she was taking, but at the same time, she was learning and growing. Her power remained the same, yet the efficiency of her attacks improved dramatically.


    She got used to teleportation of the clones in less than a minute, creating attacks that looked like they were aiming for the clones themselves, but actually aimed at the area she knew they would teleport.


    Minutes felt like hours to her, and by the end, there were only 20 clones left.


    She felt a spike in the power of the clones around her, and while she didn''t think much of it at first, she felt a shiver down her spine when she saw the clone''s faces deform into disgusting, creepy smiles.


    Their eyes and mouths werepletely ck and hollow, while their lips quite literally morphed to stretch from one ear to the other.


    Without a second of hesitation, they all created void raptures that pierced toward Veronica like small beams of pure darkness.


    Veronica tried her best to dodge the attacks but quickly realized something.


    ''They aren''t aiming for me?'' She thought, but when she looked at the patterns of attacks, her eyes widened in horror.


    Looking into the sky, Veronica watched as it lit up with thousands of purple stars.


    However, she wasn''t looking at the true threats.


    All the clones suddenly appeared right next to her before quickly pouncing on her, yet now, when she looked into their eyes to kill them, she did not see ck. Instead, she saw bright purple mes slowly rising from the depths of their bodies. All her danger senses were going off, yet she was far toote.


    [Aspect of Void + me Control]


    [Void mes]


    A beam of purple light shot into the heavens, and in the next second, a violet explosion encapsted everything within a mile and destroyed anything within 5 miles of the st.


    Of course, Lloyd had moved Tina very far away from the st radius, yet when there was nothing but smoke and scorched earth, Lloyd was there, floating in the air and simply staring down at the aftermath of his ability.


    "You are quite the cockroach, you know." Lloyd spoke.


    He had already regained consciousness, and while the pain was barely bearable, with the goal of killing Veronica in mind, he couldn''t think of anything else.


    "I''m... I''m going to kill you." Veronica stated that as she barely stood up, her armor was half destroyed and her body severely wounded.


    "You''ll pay for this!" She roared, her eyes turning torge slits as her passive ability [Apex Predetor] activated.


    Lloyd could feel her power increasing dramatically, and while he knew he had the upper advantage so far, he also knew that could change very easily.


    So, since she was using her trump card, why shouldn''t he use his?


    *SNAP*


    [Eris'' Blessing + Void Control]


    [Reality Deteriation]


    As if the entire world around them had begun to break down at the snap of Lloyd''s fingers, the ground began to distort before everything in the distance started to curve upwards.


    ''What the fuck...'' Veronica stopped in her tracks. She was no longer angry, nor was she shocked anymore.


    There was ground above her, to the right of her. It was as if they were encased in a box, which only meant one thing.


    "A true domain." She muttered with a terror-stricken face while Lloyd simply tilted his head at her words.


    "You''re a monster." A muttered before she slowly closed her eyes.


    "I should have seen it sooner. It was you, all along, hasn''t it?" She asked while forming a blood spear in her right hand and pointing it at Lloyd.


    "I have no idea what you are talking about." Lloyd replied without much thought while creating a violet de out of pure void energy.


    "I finally understand all your unexined abilities and tremendous power despite not having even reached the firstmandment. I finally understand my purpose." She muttered before her body turned into a blur.


    "My purpose, is to make sure you never get out of this dungeon alive!" She roared before mming her foot into the ground and shooting herself into the sky.


    "Don''t act like you''re the good guy." Lloyd sneered, his tone unamused at the bullshit she was spouting, but without thinking twice, he extended his hand toward her and...


    [Pull]


    Creating his fist, Lloyd pulled his hand back, and as he did so, reality before him distorted, and despite both of them not having moved a single inch, Veronica was now right in front of Lloyd, his de traveling toward her neck in a violet blur.

 Chapter 97 Dungeon Break [6] - Terraigne

    [Pull]


    Reality distorted to shorten the distance between Veronica and Lloyd. It broke so manyws of physics, yet somehow it still urred. Ripples of space and time shot out in every direction as the distance between the two became negligible.


    By the time Veronica regained her senses, a violet de made out of void energy had already sliced toward her neck.


    The intent to kill was thick in the air. It was very obvious that Lloyd was trying to kill her, and even though he hadn''t killed anyone before, he did not seem to hesitate, even for a moment.


    Maybe the excruciating pain that traveled through his body every second of every minute made him feel this way, but one thing was for sure, he was no longer pulling his punches.


    After all, now that they were both fighting in his domain, there was no threat to anyone on the outside being targeted or caught in between the fight.


    However, now that Veronica was also in serious danger, she was no longer holding back.


    While at first, she thought that she may be able to change Lloyd''s mind if she threatened him with the lives of hisrades, or even killed one of them to send a message, she found it close to impossible for her to even reach within a mile radius of Tina, let alone anyone else.


    With her [Apex Predetor] passive ability activated, not only was her body much stronger, and her reflexes a lot more refined, but she could also take a lot more damage without falling prey to any of the wounds on her body, or the pain that mighte with them.


    This was the perfect ability for a vampire, and the reason for this was simple. Vampires have one of the highest regeneration rates amongst humanoid creatures.


    A strong vampire in the 3rdmandment or higher can regenerate entire limbs within seconds of them being cut off. And even though Veronica was in the secondmandment, not only was she experienced beyond her bodily age, her vampire abilities were considered to be top ss whenpared to anyone at the same level as her.


    However, when it came to Lloyd''s attacks, there was a small problem.


    While the natural breakthrough void energy didn''t have enough potency to stop her from regenerating, a de made out of pure and condensed void energy could, at the very least, stop her from regenerating for at least a minute.


    When she saw the dee toward her neck, time slowed down as she thought of hundreds of ways to avoid the attack before finding the one.


    Her movements were precise, like the tools of a surgeon.


    Every movement meant something, and had a purpose behind it. Not a single movement went to waste, and by the time she had ducked, her greatsword was already above Lloyd''s head, cutting downwards like a lightning bolt smiting Lloyd with its speed and strength.


    *Snap*


    [Swap]


    Yet all of it went to waste when she heard the snap of Lloyd''s fingers echo in her ears like an eerie ring that would never go away.


    The time frame was short, yet due to the adrenaline running through her veins, she could see everything move as slowly as it did before, her n to cut Lloyd in half crumbling in an instant as a scorching pain radiated from the palm of her hand, going all the way up to her fingers.


    At the same time, she watched her greatsword slice toward her intending to cut her in two, yet right before it could hit her, she let go of the purple de and mmed her hands on either side of the sword, stopping its momentum but crushing her arms at the same time.


    With the snap of his fingers, Lloyd had swapped his short, weightless void de with her enormous greatsword.


    Since the greatsword already had a lot of momentum from when she swung it, Lloyd needed to add a little more of his own strength into it to make the cut fatal.


    On the other hand, the void de was far too short of reaching Lloyd, and due to it being weightless, the fact that Lloyd was swinging it horizontally did not affect Veronica''s vertical swing.


    Reducing the gap between them, Lloyd snapped his fingers again.


    [Swap]


    Swapping the des once more, Veronica was forced to roll forward to avoid the verticle sh, and as she rolled, she made sure to grab her de before sliding back a few meters and pointing her sword at Lloyd.


    "I don''t think you understand, Veronica... You are on my turf now." Lloyd grinned before his body disappeared, yet in an instant, he was right in front of Veronica with his fist deep into her gut.


    Unable to react in time, Veronica helplessly watched as her feet left the ground and she was catapulted into the sky, yet it only took her a few more moments for her body to m into the ground once more.


    ? Getting up, she looked up, just to see Lloyd standing on the ground, looking up at her with his bright violet eyes that could be seen from a mile away.


    ''The gravity shifted mid-way through. It''s like he turned the world inside out.'' Veronica thought with a deep scowl on her face.


    Reaching her hand toward her de, she watched it shoot toward her from where Lloyd stood before she grabbed it with one hand was if it was weightless.


    There wasn''t nearly enough blood around for her to use any of her blood martial arts, but she had been trained for situations like these.


    Cutting both her arms from her palms of her shoulders, blood slowly seeped out of her body and floated. While some swirled around her like long tendrils made from blood, the rest turned into orbs of blood the size of a fist.


    However, some of the blood coated her body before moving around the create blood runes that enhanced every feature of hers, allowing her to fight more efficiently and with greater ferocity.


    Dropping low, Veronica looked upwards before extending her legs in one explosive movement that sent her flying toward Lloyd.


    At the same time, Lloyd split himself into hundreds of copies and gave each one of them two void des before every single one flew toward her like violet bullets, slowly homing onto their enemies.


    The battlested for several minutes, yet to both of them, each minute felt much longer than that.


    Veronica carved through the clones with ease, quickly getting used to their predictable attack patterns.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The blood around her had many uses. The tendrils floated around and quickly turned into anything she desired, like a whip that would either slice a clone in half or grab it before throwing it toward the ground. It could be long and pointy, or it could split into a hundred pieces and shower Lloyd''s clones with bullets.


    Stabbing thest clone through the stomach, Veronica raised her eyes upwards before narrowing them when they locked upon Lloyd''s floating figure.


    His coat fluttered in the air and looked like it hadn''t been touched since the day of its creation. Not even dust specks dared touch Lloyd''s coat, as if the dust specks themselves were afraid to touch him.


    The amount of killing intent flooding out of his body felt like it could have euthanized a dragon. Yet, Veronica simply stood there without flinching, her hands tightening around her weapon while killing intent began to seep from her too.


    "You should have taken my proposition." She spat.


    "You shouldn''t have hurt us." Lloyd''s pseudo-transcendent voice echoed through the entire realm. Suddenly, Veronica turned into a red beam of light before shooting toward Lloyd at top speeds, breaking several sound barriers and appearing before him in an instant.


    [Expand]


    With the snap of Lloyd''s fingers, the distance between him and Veronica instantly tripled, and before she could react to the sudden increase in distance between the two of them, she felt something pushing on her abdomen.


    [Repel]


    In an instant, she shot into the ground and found herself being buried several meters into the ground and still going.


    After shooting through what felt like 20 meters of solid earth, she descended through the air again. She expected that she would eventually run into a cavern since dungeons were practically filled with them, but when she looked down again, her eyes widened in shock as a sense of de javu overcame her.


    She could see Lloyd staring at her with killing intent bursting forth from his body and flooding the area around him. She could feel all the emotions he was feeling through his aura, and even though she didn''t want to believe the feeling she was sensing, she could not deny that Lloyd''s emotions were real despite being a monster.


    Extending his hand forward, Lloyd pointed at Veronica, yet she spoke before he could do anything else.


    "Do you really not understand?" She asked.


    Lloyd raised a brow, yet he did not mutter a word. He assumed that this was another one of her petty tricks to save her own life. When Lloyd activated [Void Channel], he knew that the battle was over and done with. He had already won; he just wanted to y with his prey before killing it.


    "We could have be something. We could have saved lives. Millions!" She roared.


    "You expect me to believe that." Lloyd chuckled mockingly.


    "You expect me to believe that opening up a dungeon to take over a and kill millions of people is the right thing to do?" Lloyd spat.


    "Lloyd, you''re a kid, and I understand that. Me and you, we are different. You are different. Look around for one second and tell me if anyone else in the universe is capable of doing what you just did. I''m at the peak of the secondmandment, yet you, someone still assimting the firstmandment, can fight me off and possibly even kill me..." Veronica smiled slightly before continuing-


    "Your point being?"


    "Look at humanity. A race only driven by their determination to survive, and it has always been like that. from the first cavemen who invented fire, to the man who solved climate change out of the sheer desperation to survive another day. Yet, in the end, what are they but barbarians?"


    Hearing her words, Lloyd''s brows furrowed, yet despite the clear disapprovement shown form Lloyd, Veronica continued-


    They kill everything and anything they get their hands on. They murder each other over things like money, fame, and political power. They are worse than the monsters they fight against on a daily basis. Trust me, I know more than anyone how horrible humanity can be."


    "Don''t act like you''re the victim here..." Lloyd spat.


    "Do you really think the humans will ept you? You will have to live in hiding your whole life, and the way you are using your power now, I bet you''ve already put yourself in the eye-line of a few powerful people. We can fix that. With us, you don''t have to live in hiding anymore!" Veronica reasoned.


    "Do you think I''m stupid?" Lloyd asked, causing Veronica to finally stop her bbering.


    "Do you really think I''m stupid enough to fall for your shit again?" Lloyd asked before appearing right in front of Veronica.


    "I saw the look in your eyes. The moment I created this thing..." Lloyd paused before slowly looking around at his domain while trying to think of a word to best describe it.


    Normal domains weren''t too difficult to create. They are usually bubbles that span 20 meters in radius. It usually depends on the element of the ss of the person using it, but every bubble has a few key aspects.


    The user is strengthened in some way, shape, or form, and if the user is masterful enough with it, they can also strengthen teammates. On the other hand, it weakens the enemy in some way, shape, or form depending on the element or ss of the person using it.


    While Lloyd didn''t know it, he had done something far beyond creating a simple domain. Maybe his emotions fueled his will to go further beyond, or maybe it was [Void Channel] that allowed such a thing to happen.


    Either way, while Lloyd seemed oblivious to the true extent of the technique he had just used, Veronica knew exactly what he had done, and it had already terrified her to the core.


    Throughout billions of years in which the universe had existed, the technique went by many names. Throne World, Divine Garden, King''s Realm, Pocket Dimension, and even recently, True Domain.


    However, there was amon term recorded throughout the history books, a term that all the first users of this technique used to name their creation.


    "Terraigne... I''ll call it that. My personal Terraigne."


    [Author''s note: Again, sorry for the long dy between uploads. I''m trying to do my best to get back on schedule. I know I sound like a broken record, but I''m going to try my best to get into a consistent schedule by march.]


    [Terraign: Comes from the Latin word "Terrene" and the Greek word "Terra," in which both meannd and/or earth. They are also used in the Englishnguage to create the word territory and terrain. Terraign is pronounced "Terr- eh -ghn"]

 Chapter 98 Dungeon Break [7] - The Final Push

    "Ever since I created this Terraigne, the look in your eyes changed. I saw the determination to kill me within your eyes. I recognized it, because I''ve seen it in myself before." Lloyd narrowed his eyes as a certain memory that he had been trying to forget for the past few years shed before his eyes.


    "..." Veronica stayed silent as she wanted to buy herself enough time to break free from his seemingly telekic grasp.


    Turning around and facing his back to Veronica, Lloyd ced his hands behind his back and looked upwards into the Lightning World''s sky, his jacket pping behind his as the winds increased in speed and intensity.


    "You know, you are right about many things. The humans would never ept me the way I currently am. But you are also right about other things. I am a void walker. I am different. I am superior to these apes. I always have been. It just took a little time for me to realize that... For me to realize my true potential." Lloyd smiled while slowly turning back, his eyes glowing bright violet while staring into Veronica''s blood-red eyes.


    "Look at my creation. The abilty to bring the void into the real world as a half-step firstmandment. The ability to manipte the very fabric of space and time. I can bend reality around my finger tips!"  Lloyd chuckled with a hint of insanity within each chuckle. Looking down at his right hand, he clenched it into a fist and watched as power coursed through it.


    *Shatter*


    Lloyd''s expression instantly returned to a calm and neutral one.


    ncing at Veronica from the sides of his eyes, Lloyd furrowed his brows for a moment when he saw Veronica shooting toward him with the speed of a bullet. However, in the state she was in, she was no match for his infinite power.


    With a single nce, Lloyd froze his in ce again, yet instead of keeping her there so she could listen to his short monologues on how he is better than everyone, he shot her into the distance with a flick of his finger.


    She shot through hundreds of trees in an instant, yet just like most of her wounds, she also healed instantly.


    Veronica was at herst portion of energy. She had healed too many times. She had used way too much energy at the start of the battle. She thought killing a random half-step firstmandment would be easy.


    How wrong she was.


    However, she could see something Lloyd couldn''t. The power was getting to his head. It would have gotten to anyone''s head, yet it took a while for it to take over Lloyd''s personality. Maybe his resolve was too strong, or maybe his rage burned too brightly.


    Her spear had been shattered into dust at this point, and her armor had been disintegrated. She was on herst leg, and her life force was burning like a tiny ember in the middle of a stormy tundra.


    Her hair was disheveled, and strands were entering her mouth every time she inhaled, yet to her, it barely mattered. At that moment, not even survival mattered.


    A bright light caused her to look into the night sky, somehowpletely void of clouds despite this being the Lightning World. However, what caught her attention wasn''t lightning, they were hundreds of tiny violet stars shining far above them, all of them gettingrger by the second. At the same time, a very small amount disappeared into the night sky to never be seen again.


    "The starts are going out... And once they do... Silence-." A new me burned within her life force as her determination burned stronger and brighter than ever before.


    Her life force had burned so violently that one could see with their very eyes that it had engulfed her body whole. The red aura burned through her clothes and coated her from head to toe with blood-red armor, yet instead of it being made of blood, it had been created from the essence of her very life force.


    "Silence will fall, and I, The blood knight-" Her power grew several folds of what she had emitted at her peak as she began burning years off her life, using her very life force as a fuel source for her newly gained power.


    *SNAP*


    [Void Walker Style]


    [Violet Sky Fall]


    At the snap of Lloyd''s fingers, it felt like the night sky had dropped as the stars turned into snipe bullets that shot out of the sky like shooting stars beingsered at the; however, instead of aiming for the''s core, they were aiming for Veronica.


    Veronica''s crimson eyes burned with a newfound determination. Her spear was engulfed in blood-red mes before she turned it toward the sky and pointed at the iing barrage of stars.


    "Final Spell..."


    Her power surged through her arm and entered her spear, and without a second''s dy-


    [Spear of Justice]


    *BOOM*


    A ck and crimson pir of energy shot out of her spear and pierced the skies within an instant. The sheer powering out of the spear shook the entire realm, yet since the Lightning World was vast, it only seemed that way for a mere moment.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Seeing the pir shoot toward his stars, Lloyd snapped his fingers, instantly merging all the stars together to create one massive beam of violet energy.


    The violet beam and the crimson pir shed, sending waves upon destructive waves that spanned throughout the entire realm.


    However, the power behind Lloyd''s beam was not enough. The sheer energy and will behind Veronica''s [Final Spell] was overwhelming.


    [Final Spells], known to most as being a form of forbidden magic to all those with a ss capable of manipting an element or mana in general. However, while it is forbidden, it is nearly impossible for anyone to have the ability to use it. Most people don''t see a [Final Spell] in their lifetimes, but those who do are not considered lucky.


    A [Final Spell] is formed from the very essence of one''s life. In a moment of desperation, they will see the light, and those with the strongest wills will grab onto it.


    In a moment of desperation where it feels like nothing can be done, and all hope is lost, they will find a light that will guide them to unmeasurable power, whether their intentions are good or bad, selfish or selfless.


    Tina unlocked this power through hard work and the desire to save everyone from Veronica. Veronica gained hers from the desire to save the universe from Lloyd.


    While most die if the spell isplete, some continue to live with damaged life forces, which weakens them indefinitely and reduces their lifespan depending on how damaged their life force is.


    Seeing that his beam was being pushed back, Lloyd void stepped behind his beam of energy before raising his hand and releasing a surge of energy that entered his beam.


    While he began pushing Veronica''s pir back a little, it was only temporary, as Veronica easily regained her advantage with a roar of rage.


    Lloyd was quickly forced to use both hands to at least slow her attack, but it was barely working.


    He could feel the power of [Void Channel] fading by the second as he had clearly been using it for too long and using its energy too much. Creating a Terraign was already strenuous enough, and if he were to move out of the way of Veronica''s attack, it would surely destroy the Terraign that was already weakening.


    As his [Void Channel] energy faded, so did the energy left to keep his Terraign running. While he was basically all-powerful inside it and capable of fighting Veronica with extreme ease, even with [Void Channel], he would not be able to do the same in the outside world since he had no proper mastery of all the powers he gains when he is in the form.


    His limbs were also slowly weakening, worsening the situation even more than before.


    Lloyd''s eyes glowed like two suns as dozens of clones came out of Lloyd''s body and increased his beam''s power.


    Veronica was already on one knee from all the life force that was suddenly consumed by her pir of energy, yet the pir did not lose in power; it only seemed to gain it.


    The constant barrage of their sh''s shockwaves began to crack the realm they were in. Cracks spread like cobwebs throughout the sky, and despite noticing this, Lloyd had too much on his hands to do anything about it.


    They both roared while increasing their energy output. Blood oozed from every one of Veronica''s orifices, while cracks spread throughout Lloyd''s skin in a simr fashion to how his terraign was slowly shattering.


    And then... It happened.


    *Shatter*


    Lloyd''s energy output fell dramatically, while the cursed chains of the terraign that held Veronica down in every aspect, from her physical strength to her magical one, disappeared, allowing her to immediately release her newfound power at her will, swallowing most of Lloyd''s beam with her own.


    However, she felt like something was wrong.


    Lloyd was intelligent. The entire point of shing with her was to protect the realm from shattering, yet he let it be destroyed so easily...


    As the terraign shattered, its shards paused mid-air before shooting toward Lloyd and circting around the palm of his hand.


    And at that moment, it was as if time had stopped, with the only thing anyone could hear was the snap that followed the infinite silence.


    [Void Walker Style]


    [ck Hole Eclipse]


    Color faded out of the world, and their area began to stretch infinitely, as a void overtook it, and an overwhelming darkness took control... A dark void that filled the sun setting in the west, making an abyss set upon the dungeon for thest time.

 Chapter 99 Deaths Door [1] - A Vampires Demise

    "You know, you sure don''t die very easily. I wouldpare you to a cockroach, but that would be insulting their species." Lloyd sneered while looking at the half-dead Veronica,ying on the ground with only half her limbs.


    His [Void Channel] form had ended after using [ck Hole Eclipse]. While he would have normally died after such an ability that not only put tremendous stress on his body, but also on his life force, he simplymanded the remaining energy from his awakening toplete its work.


    He was healed in less than a minute, and he used the next 10 minutes to cultivate the energy and get new insights into the world of void energy. It did not take him much longer for him to finally reach the firstmandment.


    After looking at his watch that had seemingly stayed intact due to god''s grace, he realized how important reaching the firstmandment was, even for someone like him who could rival the secondmandment, before he even reached the first.


    [Name: Lloyd Elrod]


    [Commandment: First - Initial Stage ]


    [Race: Void Walker]


    [ss: Walker of Voids]


    [Talent: 2-Star]


    [Affinity: Shadows - mes [New] - Void [New]]


    [Passive Ability: Night Vision - Shadow Sustenance - Soundless Steps -  Heat Resistance]


    [Abilities: 4-Dimensional Thought [Lvl 3--->4] - Shadow Maniption [New] - me Control [Lvl 3--->4] - Basic Lightning Control [Lvl 1--->2]


    [Passive Race Ability: Monarch''s Aura, Devour [New]]


    [Race Abilities: Aspect of Void - Void Channel - Void Gaze - Void Step - Void Control [New]]


    After reaching Veronica, he was surprised to see that she was still alive, but she might as well have been dead, since the wasn''t fairing much better than a corpse.


    While she would have been stark naked after such a deadly attack, Lloyd had the decency to cover her up by using his new [Shadow Maniption] ability to carry a pair of clothes he was holding for Tina and dress her up with it.


    Of course, she didn''t deserve such decency, but Lloyd did it anyway. She was a warrior, the least he could do was kill her in a way decent to the spirit and will she fought with.


    After the power of [Void Channel] disappeared, he found himself capable of thinking more clearly. Everything from the way she fought to the way she sacrificed her life force...


    It all told him that she thought she was doing the right thing. This didn''t mean that he would forgive her for her actions, nor did it mean that he wouldn''t kill her once and for all, but for once, he understood her.


    Looking at her regeneration, trying its very best to bring back the limbs she lost, he could not help but pity the woman before him.


    "From a blood knight that everyone revered to this?" Lloyd asked, yet he did not get a reply.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, Veronica did not need to speak for him to understand what she was trying to say. Her eyes rolled to look into his, and while he expected them to be filled with pain, anguish, desperation, or even suffering, all he saw was contempt.


    Lloyd waited for a few more minutes, watching Veronica slowly heal before him, yet while her body was increasing in strength, her life force was dwindling, and her energy reserves had run dry.


    Lloyd expanded his energy and life senses, a thing he had learned to do from Felix''s extensive sense training. However, despite increasing his senses to their maximum range, he could only sense Tina, who seemed to have been knocked unconscious. She was very much alive, but it was not her who Lloyd was most worried about.


    At the same time, Lloyd contemted what to do with Veronica. He wanted to kill her, yet the human side of him was trying to find every reason why he shouldn''t.


    However, in the end, he made his choice. A choice that had been whispered in his ear ever since he saw the horrible state she was in.


    ''Vampires have very powerful healing abilities; some can heal even if you destroy everything but their heads. But Veronica is just a half-step thirdmandment. She will not survive destroying her heart and crushing her brain. However, you must use void energy.'' Null exined.


    ''You finally came around on killing her?'' Lloyd asked.


    ''I was never against the idea. However, I saw many advantages to keeping her around when she did not desire to kill us. A simple miscalction on my end.'' Null exined with his normal voice,pletely void of emotion.


    Taking in a deep breath, Lloyd pointed at her heart and closed his eyes. This would be his first kill on a sentient creature, so he made sure to brace himself for what woulde next.


    A small amount of void energy built up at the tip of his finger before he chose to release it, and when he did, the ball of violet energies shot through her heart, the sound of searing skin and boiling blood forever ingrained into his mind.


    However, he was not done. Creating another ball, he shot it into Veronica''s head and out of the other end, instantly melting her brain while shooting the remaining amount of her brain matter through the other side, sprinkling the scorchednd with the blood of a vampire.


    It took a few seconds for Lloyd to regain control over his gag reflexes, but once he did, it did not take long for him to get used to the situation.


    He had killed someone, but it wasn''t nearly as dramatic or horrible as he thought it would be.


    He always heard stories from adults around him about their first kills. Almost everyone said that they felt like a hole had opened up in their hearts the first time theymitted such an act, while others, like his mother, had puked for days as they continued to rey the scene. It was the first time she realized she was probably not cut out for the military.


    Yet Lloyd didn''t feel any of that. He just felt sick for a moment, and that was it.


    Maybe it was because he had killed monsters and animals before, or maybe it was because he had killed a goblin before, so it didn''t feel nearly as bad as it should.


    "Why didn''t I gain anything. Are you sure she''s dead?" Lloyd asked when seeing that he hadn''t gained void energy from her kill, nor did he receive any abilities.


    ''I assume that due to her nature as a vampire, she is already considered dead. However, it could also be due to her having destroyed her life force to a point where it had be unsalvagable.'' Null exined with his same old dull voice.


    After shooting Veronica another six times just to stay safe, Lloyd also drew to the same conclusion.


    While Lloyd didn''t know it, something about him had changed at that moment. His voice had changed slightly, his every word sounding slightly more disconnected and distant than thest, and his mind became slightly more calcted and less emotional.

 Chapter 100 Deaths Door [2] - Secrets [1]

    After shooting Veronica another six times just to stay safe, Lloyd also drew to the same conclusion.


    While Lloyd didn''t know it, something about him had changed at that moment. His voice had changed slightly, his every word sounding slightly more disconnected and distant than thest, and his mind became slightly more calcted and less emotional.


    He was still nothing like null; however, in a way, his very ego grew and further from Null.


    Lloyd''s care for those he loved grew, yet at the same time, his trust in others dwindled.


    His aura had also changed. Before, it was almost warm and soft, yet now it felt more jagged and sharp.


    Stepping toward a certain direction, Lloyd expanded his senses once more before using [Void Step] to travel several meters. Yet, no matter how much effort he put into attempting to find Felix, he couldn''t sense his energy signature, nor could he feel his life energy.


    "The fight between Veronica and mepletely changed thendscape of this dungeon. I can''t even retrace our steps because thend around us was either scarred permanently or scorched beyond recognition.


    The worst-case scenario made his chest hurt and his sweat run cold. However, for now, he had to stop worrying about those he couldn''t find, and start caring for those that were still with him.


    Taking another [Void Step], Lloyd appeared before Tina''s unconscious body.


    "It''s okay... It''s going to be alright." Lloyd whispered while slowly carrying her to his chest.


    He didn''t know how using [Void Step] with a human would affect them, especially when their condition is as bad as Tina''s.


    Despite deactivating her final spell, the damage had already been done, and half her hair had remained silver. He was no expert when it came to healing, so even though he could feel her life force being much weaker than her earlier counterpart, he did not have the knowledge necessary to diagnose her, or at least see how badly she had destroyed her life force.


    Null was no help, either. He cared for no one but Lloyd and himself, and the only reason he cared for Lloyd was because Lloyd was the dominant personality and the fact that he shared a body with him.


    Picking her up, Lloyd summoned his shadow wings; unlike before, where [Shadow Wings] were just an ability he could use, he felt like he now had much more control over them after all his abilities hadbined to create [Shadow Maniption].


    pping his wings, Lloyd held Tina gently, allowing her to lean on his chest as he shot through the sky at Mach speeds.


    Lloyd tried his best to keep Tina asfortable as possible, yet despite it being slow, he could feel her life force weakening. She needed urgent care to stabilize her condition.


    Every second felt like torture for Lloyd. He med himself for everything despite it not all being his fault. Tina had already sacrificed arge portion of her life force for him, so if he let her die, he would never forgive himself.


    Dozens of questions passed through his mind throughout the flight.


    "Why didn''t I kill Veronica straight away?"


    "Why did I hesitate to kill her in the end?"


    "Why didn''t I activate void channel straight away?"


    Every question seemed to have an answer that indirectly med him for what happened with Tina.


    "Halt! Do not move a muscle. State your name, age, and ss. We will then conduct a search-"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Move."


    Lloyd''s voice boomed in every direction. Despite it being low and seemingly neutral in tone, his words were as heavy as a mountain and as powerful as the force of a dungeon''s copse.


    The men before him were simply peak firstmandment individuals. They were not expected to fight any of the monsters, yet most of them had sses that were helpful when it came to doing recon.


    Only one of them was a half-step secondmandment, yet before they could see how strong Lloyd was by scanning him with their magical senses, they felt his killing intentced words smash into them with the aura of someone who could only be in the secondmandment or higher.


    Lloyd shot past them without any more problems urring. Of course, they did not wait another moment after they regained control of their bodies to inform theirmanders of an oing secondmandment human holding an injured woman.


    It took a few more minutes for Lloyd to finally reach the spatial tear he hade from, yet when he reached it, it no longer looked like a 4-meter-tall tear in space. It now looked like an open wound. As if someone had stuck their fingers into the tear and expanded it to the size of a football pitchying on its side.


    The time it took to get to the spacial tear was definitely a lot less than it was when they walked for 3 months, but that was mostly because they were walking in a general direction, only on days while stopping every now and then to fight monsters.


    When he was within a couple miles of therge spatial tear, several individuals shot into the air before flying toward him at speeds that were definitely moving much faster than anything he could do, even while using [Void Channel]. Even then, it did not seem like they were flying at even 10% of their maximum speeds.


    Several men in military clothing shot out of the forest below him and quickly surrounded him from all sides. Unlike the ones from before, all those around him now were at least at the initial stages of the topaz seal or higher.


    Landing on the ground softly, Lloyd wrapped his wings around his front to protect Tina while expanding his shadow in all directions.


    Several eyes seemed to peek out of the shadows every now and then, yet when the soldiers blinked, the eyes disappeared as if they had never existed in the first ce.


    "I am in no mood to y this game with you people." Lloyd muttered.


    "The girl needs urgent help." Killing intent began to ooze out of Lloyd once more, this time to the full extent of his rage.


    "If you do not let me pass...


    I will not hesitate to ughter all of you."


    A cold shiver ran down all of their backs, and even though most of them didn''t believe that a boy that seemed to be just as strong as them could kill all of them, they also felt confidence behind his words, as if he was stating a fact rather than just a blind threat.


    His killing intent encapsted the entire area as it merged with his [Monarch''s Aura] to create a truly suffocating aura.


    However, just when Lloyd was about to ce Tina into his shadow and create himself some shadow ws, he heard a familiar voice that made his killing intent instantly disappear.


    "Lloyd?" Olivia Elrod''s voice ran through everyone''s like the sound of a river echoing throughout the woods.


    When Lloyd finally found the courage to look up and into his mother''s eyes, he felt an ache where his heart would have been.


    His mother slowly descended to the ground, and so did the other four. There stood his parents and his older sister, with Benjamin and La standing a couple of meters behind them, yet wearing the same expression as his parents.


    "God... Fucking... Damnit"

 Chapter 101 Deaths Door [3] - Secrets [2]

    "18 to 20-year-old male flying toward spatial tear. Secondmandment or higher, carrying an injured female. His main affinity is shadow or darkness. I''m not too sure. He has purple eyes and ck hair. We couldn''t get a good look at the female; all we know is that she is injured."


    The moment they the 5 heard the description, they instantly thought of Lloyd, yet one thing didn''t make sense. How could he be in the secondmandment when he left home as a half-step firstmandment? Did time move so slowly in the dungeon that he grew that much?


    Of course, there was also a chance that this person was not Lloyd, yet void walkers were almost as rare as phoenixes, if not rarer, while people with purple eyes weren''t thatmon either.


    They all moved immediately to see if it was really Lloyd; however, as they flew in that direction, Ava couldn''t help but ask the question on all their minds.


    "Did Lloyd really spend four years in this dungeon?"


    Of course, the scout had said 18-20 years old, yet their mind instantly went to the worst-case scenario. Did they just miss out on four years of Lloyd''s life? Did the boy they''ve known since he was a child, really spend 4 years away from them in a hell hole like this?


    Looking into the distance, they could see an individualing toward them, yet due to them being covered in shadows, they couldn''t see if it was actually Lloyd or not.


    Lloyd had instinctually chosen to cover himself in shadows meeting with the other weaker soldiers. He didn''t know why he did it, but it almost felt like instinct.


    Once the army surrounded the individual from all sides, they felt the individual''s powerful killing intent surge in every direction and causing all the soldiers around them to freeze for a moment.


    They hadn''t gotten much information out of thest two who hade through since one was in aa, and the other didn''t speak a word, possibly due to trauma.


    All they knew was that there were people from others in the dungeon too. Of course, they were not the ones to find out about this information, as by the time Lloyd''s clone had dissipated, the dungeon had already broken, and by the time they got to the spatial tear, Hime and Rex had already shown up.


    They were shocked when they finally got close enough to see who the person was. Of course, despite not recognizing it at first, Lloyd looked a little older after breaking through, and at the same time, his expression changed after having taken a life for the first time.


    His aura and killing intent were that of a battle-hardened warrior. His voice was deep and eerie, and his eyes shone with killing intent, which you would only see in a person who had lost someone they considered important to them.


    At the same time, Lloyd''s physical state only amplified their shock. He was covered with blood from head to toe, yet it was clearly not his own. Blue blood from the monarch of the autumn forest still is seen in traces. Veronica''s blood had practically been sprayed on him, yet he did not seem to notice.


    He was covered in blood, dirt, and grime, to the point where Olivia almost didn''t recognize him, if not for his violet eyes.


    "Lloyd?" Olivia cried, her heart unable to handle seeing her son in such a state.


    They all felt the killing intent lessen dramatically, and since The Elrods and des were here, there was no need for the soldiers to do anything, so they all stood back and simply watched.


    "My son." Olivia cried while running toward Lloyd; however, instead of epting her hug, Lloyd smiled wryly before dropping into his shadow with Tina in his hands.


    Lloyd''s shadow shrunk once more before it shot toward the spatial tear, yet instead of anyone stopping it, this time, they simply let it pass after Noah ordered them to.


    They all quickly followed Lloyd''s shadow and watched him leave it when he neared the spatial tear.


    Creating his wings again, Lloyd pped them and swiftly passed through beforending on the ground and looking around momentarily.


    The humans had done what they usually do when ites to threats. They contained it in a facility made out of a metal that Lloyd couldn''t identify at first nce.


    Lloyd''s eyes briefly stopped on Rex. His expression was relieved after seeing Tina, yet when he looked up to see Lloyd, he could not help but show outward hostility.


    ''We should definitely kill him.'' Null suggested.


    ''Not now.'' Lloyd ignored Rex and ran to one of the men that was looking at him strangely.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Where is the medical ward?" Lloyd asked.


    "What?" The man asked, but with a little bit of killing intent, the man found sense and pointed Lloyd in the general direction.


    By the time Lloyd had found the ward, the others had gone through the tear before being directed to where Lloyd was.


    And by the time they had reached Lloyd, Tina had been ced in a medical bed with some of the best doctors surrounding her from all sides, each one of them trying their best to stabilize her condition.


    While they would have usually kicked Lloyd out of the room, they let him be after seeing him calmly walk to a chair moderately far away from the bed. The other 5 chose to not enter the room despite wanting to do so. They had so many questions for Lloyd, yet in the condition that he was in, none of them dared walk any closer.


    Hours passed, yet for Lloyd, they felt like and dreadful. Every second felt like minutes, and every minute felt like an excruciating hour. So when the doctors finally walked toward him to tell him the news, it felt like they were finally putting him out of his misery.


    "Mr. Elrod?" A doctor asked.


    "Yes?" Lloyd replied.


    "The youngdy''s condition has stabilized. Her life force is no longer withering away, and she is on her way to recovering well." They exined, yet Lloyd did not react and simply asked.


    "How many years?"


    All the healers remained silent momentarily, while the nurses looked down slightly.


    "I am sure you are aware of the consequences and long-term problems thate with using a final spell. I''d just like to say that she was lucky to-"


    "How many years." Lloyd cut him off, yet he spoke normally instead of using killing intent or his magical aura to amplify his words. After all, the words themselves were heavy enough.


    "She lost about half... Half of her life." The main doctor replied while holding a few abilities at the ready. However, Lloyd didn''t do anything. Lloyd didn''t get angry or scream or shout at them. He simply nodded.


    Humans were unlike other races. Their lifespans were short, yet their reproductive rates were off the chartspared to most of the sentient races, or at least the humanoid ones.


    Over the years, the lifespan of a human increased from about 150 in the year 2098, to almost 300-400 now, 500 if they were lucky. The aging cycle remained mostly the same throughout the years, however. Children would grow at roughly the same rate, reaching their peak at 30 years old and remaining the same physically throughout the years, or at least until they reach their elderly years.


    Awakening helped increase the life span, yet their lifespans would not extend beyond that 500-year limit even when breaking through.


    The only way to break past that limit would be to either buy break through to the 5thmandment, double your years, or use a treasure capable of expanding one''s life, like the cup of immortality only the king owns.


    Lloyd slowly stood up from his seat and walked past the healers; however, before he sat down at Tina''s bedside, Lloyd made sure to turn around and thank the healers for doing their best.


    ''I suggest we execute the boy. He may run his mouth to the military.'' Null suggested once more.


    ''We can talk about thatte. But we should fist deal with this.'' Lloyd replied while turning toward his family and friends.


    While Zack, Elena, Alice, Josh, and Delly hade a little after their parents since they were escorted by Rubert, Lloyd wasn''t really surprised to see them there.


    However, his surprise was almost noticeable when he saw Transcendent and Grisha from the Reapers squad.


    "I think we all deserve and exnation, don''t we." Olivia spoke for the group after ncing at the unconscious Tina, making Lloyd sigh as he could feel a headacheing onto him.

 Chapter 102 Grief [1]

    Rubbing the bridge of his nose, Lloyd felt a headacheing. His family, as well as Zack''s, have been quite suspicious of him from the moment he had awakened. Too many things had been happening around him, so it was only normal for such a thing to happen.


    ''Wait... Why are they still living with us? Shouldn''t they have gone back to their mansion?'' Lloyd thought, yet he had to throw the thought to the back of his mind since he had more important things to contemte.


    On the other hand, his mother was nervous for a different reason.


    She had held herself back this whole time, yet even though she wanted to throw herself after him and suffocate him under a million kisses and hugs, she had to do what was right, and that was to ask him the questions that they, as parents needed to know the answers to.


    Transcendent and Grisha hadn''t exined much of why they were there, yet all the adults quickly recognized them as part of the Starforger family, and since they seemed to know Lloyd, they let them in with them.


    "What is there to say?" Lloyd replied, his expression not changing at all throughout saying those words. While Lloyd was no longer filthy since one of the healers had offered to use a cleansing spell on him, it did not mean that his grief and anger had also been erased.


    While he thought that his facial expression had remained neutral, the slight permanent furrow in his brows spoke a thousand words, while his eyes spoke a million.


    "Lloyd." Transcendent, aka Arthur Starforger, cleared his throat, then, cast the attention upon him for a moment, and took it off Lloyd simultaneously.


    "My sister and I would like to talk to you; however, since this seems to be more of a family thing, we are going to take our leave and wait for when your mind is clearer." Arthur exined.


    However, instead of waiting for everyone''s approval, he simply turned around and left the room with Grisha following right behind him.


    ''Sister?'' Lloyd thought briefly before shaking his head lightly.


    While he saw the simrities between his repair smith- *Cough Cough*. Between Grisha and Transcendent, he never thought that she was also a Starforger, yet when he looked back at it, it made sense.


    When the two left the room, everyone looked back at Lloyd while La thoroughly examined his emotional state.


    Of course, she wasn''t quick to overlook that his emotional state was aplete mess, but saying it out loud would have most definitely stressed Olivia out much more than needed.


    "Before you answer any real questions, who were those two?" Ava asked.


    "Dungeon friends." Lloyd replied as simply as he could.


    "Dungeon friends? So you''ve-" However, before Ava could continue, Lloyd shot her a deadly nce when he remembered something Veronica had told him.


    "Before you ask anything... Ava, do you know who Veronica Everdale is?" Lloyd asked, causing all of them to either raise a brow or widen their eyes in shock.


    "How do you know-"


    "Just answer my question." Lloyd cut them off, finding it difficult to keep his disgust, anger, and grief from seething into his voice the moment Veronica''s name left his mouth, yet no matter how hard he tried to hide it, even a blind man would be able to notice it.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Yeah, I''ve known her since we were kids. Dad and I go to visit them every now and then. Why, what''s the problem?" Ava asked with signs of worry in her voice.


    The moment Lloyd had mentioned her, they all assumed the worst. From the way it seemed Lloyd spoke, it seemed like he was holding back a torrent of emotions when he said her name, and since she hadn''te out of the dungeon yet, to their ears, it only meant one two things.


    Either she was dead, or that she had to remain behind to fight the boss while the others escaped.


    "That... That bitch." Lloyd gritted his teeth and clenched his fists so hard that his fingernails dug into his skin, yet since he wasn''t a human, no blood came out while the skin healed the moment Lloyd took his fingernails out of them.


    Yet, it was not Lloyd whopleted his own sentence.


    "That vampiric bitch tried to kill all of us."


    Everyone turned around to see a moderately tall man with red hair standing at the entrance of the room with a deep scowl on his face.


    Silence percted in the room for a few moments, yet when it all registered in their minds, they turned to Lloyd to confirm if what the man said was correct.


    A single nce was enough for them to understand that the man was not lying, yet they couldn''t believe such a thing so easily.


    "That''s not possible! We''ve known Veronica and her family for decades. They even knew Ben''s grandfather when they fought in the war. Are you sure it was her? It might have just been someone acting like they were her." Noah argued.


    "Are you sure she knew who you were? Maybe she didn''t know who your were and was on a mission." Ava tried to reason, yet Lloyd simply pulled up a group photo from his birthday instead of answering their questions.


    The hologram showed the entire team smiling radiantly, with Lloyd standing in the middle of them wearing a party hat and hugging both Tina and Felix closely.


    If you were to look past their different races, they looked more like a family in that photo than most families out there. They had been bonded through thick and thin. They were bonded through blood and war, yet such a photo only brought a horrible feeling to the stomachs of Lloyd and Rex.


    While Rex still held signs of anger and resentment toward Lloyd, the moment he saw him holding Tina in his arms with extreme care, he put all his feelings aside and saw Lloyd for who he used to be rather than seeing him as just a Void Walker.


    It was hard, yet he had hours to think of what to do. While he knew that Lloyd saw him as a liability for his secret, he chose to run past him.


    Anyone else would have killed him before they could even reach the spatial tear, yet even when Lloyd came so close to him, his attention was not directed toward him; it was directed to making sure that Tina was alright as if nothing else mattered in his eyes.


    Not wanting to look at the full photo any longer, Lloyd zoomed in on Veronica, who was casually sitting on Rodrick''s shoulders with a soft drink in her hand and the biggest smile on her face that radiated warmness akin to that of a mother.


    "That''s... That''s her." Ava couldn''t believe her eyes, simply stepping back and waiting for Lloyd''s exnation.


    "She gave the boss something to boost itsmandment, moving it from a topaz seal to a mid-stage amethyst seal." Lloyd exined, making all the adults gasp in shock.

 Chapter 103 Grief [2]

    "She gave the boss something to boost itsmandment, moving it from a topaz seal to a mid-stage amethyst seal." Lloyd exined, making all the adults gasp in shock.


    Such a power gap would have beenplete suicide to fight against, yet even the non-adults in the room understood that moving up a seal was no easy feat, and for Veronica to use such a thing on a monster only meant that she had a hand in the dungeon break.


    "Then... How did you kill it? How do you survive? Lloyd, you aren''t exactly in the secondmandment, how did you not die?" A was a cruel questioning from Zack, but it was one that everyone had in mind.


    Well, everyone except the adults who hadn''t actually checked Lloyd''smandment yet.


    They had assumed his strength after feeling his aura before, yet when checking hismandment now, they werepletely bbergasted; yet, at the same time, it answered Zack''s question.


    ''Noah... Your kid is a real monster.'' Benjamin couldn''t help but think to himself. Not only had Lloyd created a clone that tricked all of them into thinking it was real, but it seemed like he also had the power to fight onemandment above his own.


    The questions kept oning, and while Lloyd tried his best to answer them as half honestly as he could, La did not hesitate to call him out when he did, causing him to reveal a little more than he would have liked.


    As this continued, Rex left the room briefly to talk to one of the soldiers, yet no one paid him any heed since most of them didn''t really care about him all that much.


    "How did you escape it then?" na opened her mouth for the first time since entering the room.


    "?" Lloyd tilted his head a little.


    "The monster thing. How did you escape?" She repeated.


    "We didn''t... Two died..." Lloyd paused for a moment before regaining his bearing.


    "Two of us died, I broke through and held the monster back a little, bit it initiated the dungeon break and tried to kill me. Veronica showed up and killed the monster with a single attack." Lloyd exined, not wanting to get into more detail since recalling the event would only make him for angry.


    While his family had seen glimpses of it, his angry side was not a side he wanted to them to see, yet no matter how hard he tried, it seemed like he couldn''t avoid it forever.


    "Lloyd?" Rex called out, his voice filled with pain.


    Despite everything that had happened between them, when Lloyd looked into Rex''s eyes, he knew that the pain that filled them only meant one thing.


    Rex was mortified, yet he knew the news would be much harder on Lloyd, yet before telling him, he made sure to remind him of something.


    "Don''t use it, okay?" He asked, yet he didn''t get a reply from Lloyd. Instead, Lloyd just looked at him with a pleading stare, one that he had not seen throughout the entire 3 month period they had essentially lived together.


    "They found... They found Felix''s body. He''s dead... He was stabbed by a spear made of his own blood." Rex exined.


    The silence in the room was deafening. At this point, the adults quickly pushed all the kids out of the room, including Delly and na, despite them technically being adults.


    No one said a word. Olivia and Noah silently hugged their child, something they hoped would lessen the blow of such strong news, yet to Lloyd, their hugs didn''t mean anything.


    He knew that Felix''s death was a possibility, yet he didn''t want to believe it. They had gone through so much together. Felix was one of his closest friends, yet he died.


    To make it worse, he died feeling betrayed. He died feeling anger toward Lloyd for keeping such a secret and for lying to them the whole time. Lloyd could only imagine how he felt in hisst moments.


    Feeling tricked. Tricked by a void walker into bing a close friend of his. Tricking him to drop his walls, and now possibly even killing him.


    And now Lloyd had to carry those feelings.<novelnext></novelnext>


    The feelings of regret, guilt, and shame. He could have changed this oue. He could have activated [Void Channel] early and ensured no one had to die.


    He could have told them of his secret...


    Of course, these things were unrealistic. There was no way of knowing whether or not Veronica would have ughtered all of them when they knew of Lloyd''s secret.


    If he had used [Void Channel] early, chances were that he would have died against Veronica.


    Yet he could not help but me himself, and La could sense that.


    All he could do was look down at the ground and feel an overwhelming sense of dread.


    "Lloyd... Please, I beg you to not use it. Its not healthy. You have to experience these emotions; otherwise..."


    "Otherwise, what?" Lloyd asked, yet instead of hearing a seething rage within his voice, they heard nothing.


    To be precise, they heard nothing but a cold and monotone voice, speaking a set of words without even the smallest semnce of emotion. As if they wereing right out of the mouth of a robot.


    Lloyd gently pushed his parents off him while standing up, his face as void of emotions as his voice.


    La couldn''t help but step back slightly. One moment, he felt a cluster of emotions that would have made most go into a severe depression, yet in the next, he waspletely fine...


    No, calling it "fine" would beplimenting it. He was not fine. His mind was silent. His emotions had tlined. His aura was cold and distant.


    At first, she thought his mind had snapped, yet she knew what a snapped mind looked felt like, and Lloyd''s was not that.


    It was far from snapped... It was almost... Enlightened.


    ''I''d like you to stop reading my emotions. Its quite invasive.'' La felt a cold shiver go through her back, a feeling that she hadn''t felt in years. It was not like there were many who could scare her, yet what she felt was not fear.


    Unsettlement. That''s the feeling she felt as those words echoed in her mind.


    ''Did he just use my ability to talk to me telepathically?'' She asked herself, quickly finding herself covered in a cold sweat.


    Yet Lloyd didn''t pay her any heed. Walking past her, Lloyd expanded his shadow slightly and used some of it to create a trenchcoat made from his own shadow.


    Lloyd finally stopped walking when he reached Rex, yet despite Rex''s size, he could not help but feel small in front of Lloyd''s cold and merciless gaze.


    "Otherwise, what?" Lloyd repeated, his eyes shining slightly when he spoke those words.


    "Otherwise, you might turn into a monster, just like Veronica." Rex replied, looking into right into Lloyd''s eyes while speaking despite his body screaming at him to look away.


    "Like Veronica you say?" Lloyd asked with a tilt of his head.


    "Even if you are correct in your assumption...


    I do not remember asking for your opinion on this matter."

 Chapter 104 Grief [3]

    "Even if you are correct in your assumption...


    I do not remember asking for your opinion on this matter."


    Lloyd''s voice was cold and cutting, and so were his words. The coldness in his eyes as he stared down the physicallyrger Rex made the entire room drop by several degrees.


    The room grew darker by the second, yet when Rex finally stepped aside, the room returned to its prior lighting, no longer influenced by Lloyd''s [Shadow Maniption] ability.


    As Lloyd left the room, he halted his steps and took a long side nce at Rex. It was not one of acknowledgment, nor was it one of curiosity... The action itself was a threat.


    Turning around onest time, Lloyd silently walked out of the room.


    "What was that?" Benjamin couldn''t help but ask while turning to his wife, who seemed just as equally shocked as Lloyd''s parents.


    "It''s one of his abilities. It''s called 4-dimensional thought." Rex exined with a worried expression. He was not worried for Lloyd per se; he was just worried for whoever meets him while he''s in this state.


    "I thought that the ability increased his intelligence! He changed into... I don''t know. He just changed!" Ava shouted, but she was quickly held back by La, who was just as equally shaken, but for another reason.


    "His mind... His emotions. Everything about him wentpletely silent. He was manipting his emotions so well... It was as if he became disassociated from his own mind." La frowned deeply, causing everyone else''s worries to only increase.


    "From everything he told us, 4-dimensional thought isn''t just an intelligence booster.


    It quite literally changed his point of view from a three-dimensional one to a four-dimensional one. He can perceive everything in the fourth dimension, if that makes any sense.


    A side effect of it is that he loses the ability to feel emotion." Rex exined, yet instead of calming them down, understanding the situation only seemed to worsen it in their eyes.


    ***


    "Lloyd, we''d like to talk." A voice echoed through the ward''s hallway."


    However, instead of responding, Lloyd halted his steps and nced back, making Transcendent and Grisha quicken their pace to catch up to him.


    Zack and the rest didn''t see Lloyd leaving so quickly after them, yet when they heard Transcendent call for him, they were also alerted of his presence.


    "What?" Lloyd asked.


    "First off-"


    "Let''s keep walking." Lloyd cut him off and walked toward''s the ward''s exit with the two following right behind him.


    "I''d like to pay my respects to you. Such a tragedy urred and you must be under-"<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Transcendent... Please... Get to the point." Lloyd sneered despite there being ack of emotion within the sneer itself.


    "Oh, call me Arthur. What I was going to ask you was, what academy have you considered choosing?" He asked, making Lloyd think momentarily, yet it wasn''t much of a contest.


    The Raven academy board would most likely dislike him due to L''s demise. The Caraxes academy is run by the Quinn family.


    The crimson academy is run by a bunch of ipetent fools.


    The Royal Elizabeth academy would be like walking into a volcano. You see it, it''s quiterge, it''s bursting with fumes, but you''re not really there for the view, yet you''ve still fallen into it like a moron. That''s what normal people call suicide.


    Relworth is cool and all, but even with the promise of keeping secrets, Lloyd truly doubted anyone would keep the secret of him being a void walker after one meeting.


    ''Should I tell my parents? I mean, they would most likely support me, right?'' Lloyd asked himself before answering Arthur''s question.


    "Military Academy."


    "Oh... Really? I could help you get into a better-"


    "No need." Lloyd cut him off while slowly opening the double doors leading out of the ward and into the main area.


    "You do know most of the people who go to the military academy are from low statuses, right? Your family is no higher family, but you are still considered highly amongst most families. Plus, you are already well-averted inbat. You only go to the military academy when you don''t really know how to fight." Grisha, aka Grace Starforger, pointed out.


    "I am well aware. Yet the military academy will give me the most freedom.   While you guys have nothing to live for other than to take over for your family members once you reach a certain age, I have goals to achieve outside of this. Now if you are done, I''d like to have a moment alone." Lloyd replied, making the two look at each other momentarily before bidding farewell.


    "Hey you." Turning around, Lloyd, quickly pointed at one of the soldiers, waving him over in more of amanding voice than an asking one.


    "What do you want?" The soldier asked, a little agitated by Lloyd''s rudeness, yet Lloyd did not seem to care.


    "I heard you found a young man''s body out there?" Lloyd asked.


    "Yes we did, however, I do not believe you are authorized to see the-" The man''s words got stuck in his throat as a cold and sinister killing intent seeped out of the man in front of him.


    "I suggest you show me to the body, or this just might not end well for you." Lloyd whispered, yet his whispers were like a booming voice to the ears of the soldier standing before him.


    The man was quick to direct Lloyd to the man they found, and once Lloyd found Felix''s body, he was quick to wave the man off.


    It was covered in a white nket alongside two other bodies. Lloyd assumed that the man took him to the three bodies they found, assuming one of them was who Lloyd was talking about.


    Thinking back to what Rex said, Lloyd closed his eyes and took in a deep breath to calm himself. Of course, he didn''t actually have lungs to put the air in, but doing things that he did when he was human made him calm down, so he did it before deactivating [4-dimensional thought] and taking the nket off to see their faces onest time...

 Chapter 105 A New Home [1]

    It had been a week since Lloyd had left the dungeon, yet despite it being the only thing they talked about when they were in the dungeon, he could not have felt more alone when leaving it.


    Three of his friends had died, two were in aa, one betrayed all of them and was the cause of this mess, and thest... Well...


    "Hmm. I never thought Void Walkers could be created that way." Rex chuckled to himself while taking a puff from his cigarette.


    They were both sitting on the roof''s edge, looking down at the people below them, living their lives happily and without a care in the world.


    While Rex had bags under his that could have onlye from


    After everything that happened, Lloyd had decided to tell Rex the whole truth. He was the only one conscious that knew his secrets.


    Of course, Hime and Tina would most likely wake up any day now, but while Lloyd knew Tina would never rat on him, Null and he were still contemting what to do with Hime.


    "I never knew you smoked." Lloydmented while taking a side nce at Rex.


    "I just started. It''s quite rxing; wanna try?" Rex tried to hand his cigarette to Lloyd, yet Lloyd quickly pushed it back.


    "I think I''m good." Lloyd sighed.


    "What are you worrying about? It''s not like you have lungs anymore. Even if you didn''t, I''m sure you can afford a lung restoration."


    "True, but I think it smells terrible." Lloyd shrugged, causing Rex to chuckle.


    They didn''t say anything for a while, yet the silence between the two of them wasforting, while all the background noise from the cars and people on the streets didn''t make it feel that silent.


    "Lloyd, I understand why you kept such a secret from us. I would have done the same. But, call me a hypocrite, but no matter how hard I try, I don''t think I can forgive you."


    "..."


    "..."


    "I understand." Lloyd sighed before leaning back andying on the roof of the building.


    Silence again, yet it felt a little more mncholic than the first one.


    "I think I''m going to travel." Rex closed his eyes and leaned back too.


    "Where?" Lloyd asked, his eyes darting between the stars ands in the sky.


    "Anywhere. I''m going to take some time off from the army. I''ve never been on a mission for as long as the one we went to, nor have I failed a mission as badly we did. I just want to go around this gxy." Rex sighed.


    "When do you think you''re going to go?" Lloyd asked.


    "Probably tomorrow. We''ve already gotten the whole funeral thing out of the way, and the Raven Family hasn''t killed us yet so I think we''re good on that end too." Rex chuckled.


    "I''ll make sure to call you when Tina wakes up. Maybe you can try finding a way to fix her life force." Lloyd said.


    "Unlikely, but I''m going to try. That''s the least I can do... She held off Veronica for us; hell, we owe our lives to her." Rex smiled while Lloyd nodded.


    "I guess we still have to worry about Veronica, though." Rex continued.


    "Man, if only she had killed her," Lloyd replied almost coldly, the image of her sttered brains making a smile tuck at the corners of his lips.


    "Tina did more than enough already. We can only thank the gods that the bitch demon didn''t choose to pursue us further."


    "Mhm..."


    "Are you going to tell your family?"


    "About what?" Lloyd raised a brow.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "You being a void walker."


    "I don''t think I should tell them?"


    "The longer you keep it from them, the more they''ll be hurt when they find out. Look at me... Look at Tina.


    Tina was willing to sacrifice her life for you, and even though I''m angry at you, I''m still more than willing to keep your secret. We''ve only known you for 3 months, and most of us have been quite epting.


    Your family has known you for your entire life; do you not think they would be epting too?" Rex asked.


    "Its not just that. I''m a part of a race people use in curses. I''m considered a demon in the eyes of quite literally everyone. My parents, and even Ben and La, they are all military people. They have a duty to serve their race, and I am the very incarnation of everything they are protecting humanity from.


    I know it would hurt them if they found out the wrong way, but I can''t do that to them right now. So much is changing in my life and in theirs. They constantly worry about me, and I don''t understand the smallest thing about myself.


    Telling them would only burden them, which is not something I want my parents to deal with so early into my awakening." Lloyd exined, making their conversation gopletely silent again.


    ***


    Another week had passed, and not much of importance had urred... Well, except for a few things.


    Over the week, Lloyd''s survival story had gotten out, and the news did not waste another second to capitalize on such a big story. Lloyd''s story was quickly known throughout the.


    He was on the cover of every newspaper, known as the kid who survived an inteary dungeon.


    Every day Lloyd would get thousands of emails asking him toe onto a news broadcast and talk about his experience and how he had survived something that most would not have.


    While he would usually mark them under spam, eventually, he got too tired of dealing with them and switched to using his adventurer''s association email.


    Lloyd told his family about all his abilities and affinities, shocking them again despite thinking that nothing could ever surprise them again after hearing about how Lloyd faced an amethyst seal boss monster for several minutes without dying.


    Lloyd''s mother almost fainted throughout Rex telling her the story, of course, with a few key details taken out. While they didn''t understand how such a thing was possible, when Lloyd told them of his different affinities and abilities, it was as if it all clicked in their heads.


    However, it was not all flowers, sunshine, and rainbows. Despite the army fighting against the dungeon break, they couldn''t keep it locked any longer.


    The inteary dungeon was connected to fives. Only twos discovered the spatial tear, and while no one knew why this was the case, Lloyd had a feeling that Veronica had something to do with it.


    Anyway, despite the army''s efforts, they were only capable of cutting the damage in half.


    At the same time, they were barely holding the dungeon break back. It was estimated that within the next few weeks, all the cities in the expected area of damage had to evacuate.


    The evacuation method was simple. The cities would either rearrange themselves around the, or they would simply create a forcefield around themselves beforeunching the city into outer space.


    The inteary dungeon was expected to cover around 40-45% of the. Benjamin and La asked Lloyd''s family to live with them.


    Lloyd''s older brother already had a family of his own and lived on another, so it didn''t really affect him, yet after finding out about what happened to Lloyd, he made sure to spend at least a week with them before returning home.


    "So... What do you think of your new home." La asked while grabbing Lloyd''s shoulders from behind.


    Hearing her words, Lloyd could not help but think of the floating pce in the lightning world, so he said the first thing that came to his head.


    "Eh... I''ve seen bigger." Lloyd replied, getting a hard smack from na to the back of his head the moment he said those words.


    "That''s what she said." Zach casually strolled by, making Lloyd want to face-palm while making La and Oliviaugh.


    "I think he means he appreciates his temporary home. Thank you, Aunty La." na smiled whiled pinching Lloyd''s ear with enough force to make it feel like she was trying to rip it off.


    ''Well... I do start the academy next week, don''t I.'' Lloyd thought to himself, happy to finally get a chance to take some time away from his family.

 Chapter 106 Eriss Origins [1]

    The days seemed to pass quite quickly for Lloyd, and that was probably because he had his entire daily schedule nned for him.


    After spending thest three months training and doing nothing else, he had grown used to such a routine. However, while grief took his mind off training for a little while after Rex left, Lloyd quickly became more restless by the day.


    Every day Lloyd went without training made him feel more empty on the inside. So when he finally got to do it again, it was as if he had be whole again...


    Lloyd had trained a week beforeing to the de manor. While it may seem like he had be whole again from his perspective to everyone else, it looked like Lloyd was trying to hold himself together, training being the only clutch for him to hold his sanity on.


    His family grew more worried by the day, as Lloyd''s training did not seem to lower in intensity but instead only increased.


    Once they reached the de manor, Lloyd holed himself in a training room and trained without stop, his new firstmandment vitality allowing him to train for 24 hours without feeling even moderately fatigued, forcing him to only increase the intensity of his training every time he felt that way.


    Whenever he finished his day''s training, he would leave the training room to visit Tina''s. After seeing how close Tina and Lloyd were, Benjamin decided that she should alsoe with them.


    Of course, he would have usually asked her parents if he could take her with them, yet after seeing that her parents hadn''t shown up even after being on the news several times, he saw that it was probably for the best if he didn''t involve them.


    As per usual, Lloyd''s family was worried about him. At a certain point, they thought that he might have slept inside the training room. Yet, after seeing him go for hours without a break, they were worried for apletely different reason, finally choosing to intervene, ruling his training schedule too unhealthy and too dangerous for anyone his age.


    The council of parents ruled him to 8 hours of slumber behind bars (his room), yet when he did finally sleep, slumber was far from what happened.


    [Eris''s Pce]


    "Wee to the void."


    "We have been expecting you."


    Lloyd opened his eyes, the dark abyss around him suddenly being reced by a bright void that spanned for as far as the eye could see.


    To any normal man, it would have looked like they were in a white box, yet Lloyd resonated with this area. He could feel its power channeling into him and invigorating him far more than any sleep could.


    Lloyd was so intoxicated with the power that surrounded him that he could not help but close his eyes and channel some of the energy into his void rune, yet a moment before he could allow the power to touch the purple rune inside him, it paused.


    "I wouldn''t do that if I was you." A melodic voice echoed throughout the infinite space, but while it might have caused anyone in its presence to rx into the soft, warm chimes of her voice, to Lloyd, it felt like the voice of the grim reaper.


    "Eris..." Lloyd instantly got into a fighting stance, his shing for a moment as he readied [Void Step]


    "Is that how you thank me for keeping you alive?" She asked with a chuckle, making Lloyd raise a brow.


    "What do you mean?"


    "Did you just ''What do you mean?'' me? I gave you my blessing, that''s what!" Eris pouted before standing up from her chair that seemed to have been carved out of an enormous purple and ck crystal.


    While there was nothing but her, Lloyd, and the chair in this infinite white void, with a snap of her fingers, she quickly changed that, making the entire area around them change in an instant as several pirs came out of the "ground."


    Walls lines in gold appeared out of thin air, in within an instant, a golden pce was formed around them, Eris''s ck and purple crystal chair cementing the room they were in as the throne room.


    Of course, the chair looked quite out of ce in a pce made of gold and the whitest marble, yet at the same time, it added a sense of gloom to the ce, as if there was a light, yet permanent shadow hung over the entire pce.


    "Oh yeah... Wait, was that the reason why I could use Terraigne?" Lloyd asked, making Eris raise a brow momentarily before widening her eyes and nodding.


    "It also reset all your cooldowns while giving you a little boost in the strength whenever you used you manipted the void element." She exined, making Lloyd''s heart soften in appreciation andpletely eliminating his previous hostility toward her.


    "Wait, why can''t I remember you when I leave this ce... And why am I in this ce? Shouldn''t this be a void walk?" Lloyd asked, making Eris sigh in disappointment and flop back into her throne.


    Eris was a beautiful woman who looked like she was in herte 20s or early 30s. She had waist-long ck hair with a tinge of purple whenever the lighting was right.


    She had a pair of beautiful violet eyes, yet one look into them would inform the person looking into them that the person before them was not a young woman in her 20s, but rather an ancient being as old as time itself.


    She wore a long modest ck dress that hid most of her body, as well as a pair of ck heels that clicked every time she took a step.


    Her natural expression was a mischievous one, as he lips coated in ck lipstick would always curl into a smile that would send shudders down the spines of any man who saw them. That,bined with her unnaturally pale skin, would have made the minds of most men scream crazy, yet to Lloyd, she seemed quite normal... No... She seemed attractive.


    ''Should I propose.'' Lloyd thought to himself jokingly, yet when he saw a look of panic appear on Eris''s face, he quickly understood that she had heard him.


    So he did the only thing a gentleman like himself would.


    Lloyd put on a wry smile and walked up to Eris''s throne before taking her hand and getting onto one knee.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Lady Eris, thou art a fine mistress who has caught mine own eye.


    Thou art the star that shines brighter than any other. I''d liketh to asketh for thy handeth in marriage. "


    "..."


    "..."


    Lloyd raised a brow, thinking that maybe she didn''t understand his Shakespearean linguistic ability.


    "Lady Eris, you are a fine woman-"


    "Wait, no, stop! I understood you!" She cried before pping his hand away with a little too much force, causing him to be shot back several meters before he could regain his bnce.


    "Ugh. Thou art''s rejection hurts mine, own heart!" Lloyd cried out dramatically before grasping the general area of where his heart would have been.


    Eris, on the other hand, cried into her own hands as cringe overcame her. Never in a million years did she think that she would feel embarrassed by the actions of someone of Lloyd''s status, but thatck of socialization over thest few thousand years hade to create a situation like this.


    Lloyd''s dramatic actstest a few more minutes before he finally had enough fun embarrassing her and decided to get back on track.


    "What were you questions again?" Eris asked with a small blush on her face that was a huge contrast to her abnormally pale self.


    "Why can''t I remember you when I leave this ce... And why am I in this ce? Shouldn''t this be a void walk?" Lloyd asked again, this time smiling from ear to ear while looking at Eris, who couldn''t keep proper eye contact with him.


    ''Serves her right for killing mest time.''


    "You remembering this ce, and especially me, would not bid well for you. No matter what form I take, the image of me in your mind is like signing your death warrant. Think of the memory of me as a signature that will alert anyone strong enough to feel it or even see it." She exined.


    "Then what is the point of meeting you if I''m going to simply forget it the moment I reach the outside world?" Lloyd questioned her logic.


    "Because, while I''m not allowed show up in your mind as a memory, the things I tell you here are ingrained into you like a talent or an instinct, the same way a baby horse knows how to walk the moment they leave the womb." She exined, a little annoyed at the fact that Lloyd was questioning her logic, but she understood it.


    Humans tend to question everything, and Lloyd used to be human, so it made sense.


    "Wouldn''t that also leave a mark?"


    "It would, but I''ve gotten the void walker thing down pretty well. Have you ever asked yourself why you weren''t discovered during the awakening ceremony?" She asked,king Lloyd raise a brow but allowing her to continue.


    "Void walkers are the fastest evolving species in the universe... Well, the fastest evolving humanoid species. Slimes are terrifyingly efficient as evolving." She shuddered before continuing.


    "There''s no real point in telling you since you''ll forget it the moment you leave this ce, so I''ll summarize it. Void walkers, before bing void walkers, we apletely different species."


    "What species were-"


    "Don''t interrupt me." She snapped her fingers, forcefully shutting Lloyd up.


    "Millions of years ago, a group of people got stranded in a bubble of space that happened to be in the void. The bubble was small, barely pluto-sized, but it was lush to the brim.


    However, no matter how lush it was or how little aggressive wildlife there was, the bubble adapted to the void, while the stranded people didn''t.


    Many of them died due to being poisoned by the void''s radiation within the food and the air itself... However, there was a woman among them who survived.


    While the rest died within a few days of eating the fruits of this ce, this didn''t. Her body adapted to the area, and before she knew it... she awakened, bing the first of her species to awaken, and the first of her species to mutate.


    She did her best to keep the others alive with her newfound abilities, yet no matter what she did, she failed to keep them from dying, so she did the second best thing she could.


    She was a scientist, so she experimented and did everything she could. Within a few years, there were only two others left, and the mother was about to have a baby, and that''s when it happened.


    The couple hated her for what she did but were far too weak to fight back. The woman experimented on the unborn fetus, and when the baby was finally birthed, despite the mother''s death, the woman had achieved her final goal.


    She had finally created a being capable of surviving the void radiation, just like her...


    That woman was my grandmother, Zingra Khaos Erelm."

 Chapter 107 Eriss Origins [2]

    "After that, my grandmother experimented with the first generation of this new species she was creating. She even had a few children of her own who she experimented on without thinking twice. Every child she had waspletely different from thest, yet while a normal mother would have taken care of her children, she let only nursed them until they reached 12 months old before forcing them to fend for themselves.


    Yet even then, she did not keep around the weaker children. She only kept around the strongest ones, with the hope that one day, she would be the creator of a powerful species capable of rivaling the higher races." Eris exined.


    "What does any of this have to do with my question? And secondly, why was she so obsessed with creating a new race? I''m sure if she spent that as much time trying to get out of the bubble as she did trying to make a new species, they would have left already." Lloyd questioned after not making sense of Eris''s grandmother''s logic.


    "To your first question, I''m getting to it. To your second question, it doesn''t really matter if I tell you, but before entering the bubble, her race had gone mostly extinct.


    Anyway, what I''m trying to say is that through all this experimentation, my grandmother had created a race capable of adapting and evolving to suit their situation and make sure their lineage lives on.


    You are from thetest batch of void walkers, and since most of the newer generation of void walkers have been dying instantly the moment they awaken, I''m assuming the gene had evolved enough to ensure that you would not be found out by the humans.


    While all void walkers are basically split into several factions, each with their unique racial ability passed down from generation to generation. Every faction had a trace of my grandmother''s DNA. Hence, no matter how different their unique racial abilities are, they still hold the same characteristics." Eris finished exining with a sigh.


    "Wait, if there are factions, which faction am I-"


    "Enough questions now. You won''t remember this until youe back here again, or you be strong enough to remember me without bing a target of everyone and everything that sees you." She cut Lloyd off, and while Lloyd knew it was just another excuse so she wouldn''t have to exin any more about void walker''s history, he also knew there was a lot of truth behind her words.


    "Alright, what do I do now? Do I just go home or..." Lloyd asked, yet when Eris heard his words, she could not help but burst into a fit ofughter.


    "Go home? No, no, no. You will not be going home for about-." Eris looked down at her wrist and continued- "Week."


    "Yeah, uhm, even if I wanted to spend a week in this... Whatever you want to call it... I can''t. Military academy begins next week, and If I miss it, I''m pretty sure my parents will reach a breaking point. Plus, no point in training since I won''t remember any of it." Lloyd shrugged.


    "I can control time and space in this realm. I''ll just extend the time in here to make a week in my realm equal to 6 hours in the outside world." She smiled proudly.


    "Doesn''t fix the second problem."


    "Oh, it''s fine. I''ll just ingrain the training into every fiber of your being. It''s called muscle memory for a reason, you know." She waved Lloyd off.


    "Yeah, you''d be making a really good point if I actually had muscles." Lloyd felt like facepalming.


    "Can you just assume that I know what I''m talking about? I''ve lived for thousands of years, the least you can do is take my word for it when I say something." Eris felt like punching Lloyd in the face, but she held herself back. Punching him in the face should be kept forter activities.


    "Fine."


    ***


    The first few days were quite normal, well, at least it seemed that way from Lloyd''s point of view.


    Since Eris couldn''t train him in using any of her techniques, she instead did the next best thing.


    Train him to dodge.


    He already had a lot of experience when it came to dodging, for example, when he trained with Felix (god rest his soul) to hone his senses, Hime to hone his beast fighting abilities, Veronica (May she end up in hell) when he learned to strengthen his pain tolerance through fighting in closebat, and Rex whenever they chose to spar with one another.


    However, despite all his previous experiences, all of thembined, multiplied by a hundred, did notpare to Eris.


    Eris was not just old and wise, she was ancient, and while such a thought would have usually gotten him an extra ass beating, he was already getting his ass beaten enough that extra ass beating felt like normal ass beating.


    Eris''s battle experience trumped all the people he knewbined. Even who is considered a martial art prodigy would not hold a candle to Veronica.<novelnext></novelnext>


    After all, there was a saying in the 21st century. You can master any skill if you practice it for 10000 hours.


    Well, in this situation, Eris had her entire life, plus her afterlife, to master her abilities and techniques, to the point that even after she reduced her strength to an unawakened individual, Lloyd was still getting his ass handed to him, unable tond a single finger on her since she seemed to see all his attacksing from a mile away.


    However, despite how much his ass was getting handed to him, he was improving at a rate that was beyond his wildest dreams. The only thing he hoped for was that his improvement would carry into the real world, but for now, he was content with what he had.


    After 4 days of continued beatings and healings, Eris finally decided to change up the schedule.


    "Since you''ve already reached the firstmandment, it would probably be for the best if we try to develop your mana channels and core." Eris thought out loud, making Lloyd raise a brow in confusion.


    "You must be wondering-"


    "Please, no point of exining it at this point. Just, what''s the n?" Lloyd sighed.


    "Well, since nothing that happens to your body here can affect your actual body, I''m going to have to teach you how to develop your very own cultivation technique. First, you have to create a mana core as well as a few channels too.


    After teaching you everything, I will ingrain everything you learned here into your mind and soul as an epiphany or vision. It won''tst long, but it should be long enough for you to remember them and short enough that no powerful individual can detect your signature or locate you before the signature fades." She exined.


    "Oh? well, we can get started then since I already have a core. Where do you think I''ve been storing my mana?" Lloyd asked.


    "You don''t have a core. You have runes that you have been channeling your energy to so you can increase in strength and power. You''re a void walker, so you''re different from the humans, but there is still something that makes you simr. No one can get a core before reaching the firstmandment.


    Making a core is pretty simple. You just have topress your mana into a sphere, the smaller you make it, the better.


    Anyway, making is core for a void walker is very important. While humans have organs in the way, so their mana doesn''t really run wild inside their bodies, void walkers since we are basically empty


    Due to that reason mana fills every inch of our bodies rather than staying in certain ces. While its still important for humans to get mana cores, its more important for void walkers since your mana usage is much less efficient than most other races when you do not have a core to help you out.


    Think of it like this. When humans use their mana without a core, its like trying to pouring water into a bucket with three holes drilled into the bottom of it. However, a void walker using mana without a core, especially in the firstmandment, is like trying to pour water into a bottomless bucket inparison." She exined


    "Anyway, I want you to create you''re own cultivation technique. Since nothing you do here affects you''re real body, that''s really the only thing I can help you with, yet even then I would like you to do it independently. I will simply guide you


    No matter how much you try to master someone else''s cultivation technique, you will never master it to the degree of its creator, and you will never be able to surpass the creator." She exined, making Lloyd sigh again before quickly resigning to his fate of never having anythinge easy to him.


    Eris exined the fundamentals of making a cultivation technique, something every person should know before actually going through the process of making one.


    The next 3 days flew by in the blink of an eye. Eris ensured to imnt as much information on cultivation technique creation, as possible into Lloyd''s soul and mind before waving him goodbye.


    A sh of light illuminated the pce onest time before Lloyd''s figure disappeared.


    ***


    When Lloyd reached the real world once more, he didn''t remember a single thing. It felt like he had gone to sleep and woken up the next morning, yet despite having slept for 6 hours, he could not help but feel more tired than when he went to sleep.


    However, that''s when it happened. The epiphany hit Lloyd like a truck, and despite not actually having one before, Lloyd instantly knew what it was, and exactly what it was showing him.


    ''How to create a mana core, breathing technique, and mana channels, huh... How interesting.'' Lloyd thought, realizing that it was the next step that he needed in the very long journey ahead of him.

 Chapter 108 New Home [2] - Creating A Mana Core

    Since Lloyd had slept pretty early the day before, most of the family was asleep when he woke up.


    While the epiphany faded pretty quickly, the information Lloyd could get out of it was beyond impable. Everything from the knowledge to the risks of creating his own cultivation technique. However, it was as if he also instinctually knew that he needed to create a mana core before actually going through with his n.


    While at first, he thought the area his runes were stored in was his mana core, but after checking his body again, he quickly realized that it most likely was not the case.


    His runes, while being clumped together in the center of his chest, they were not attached to his chest at all. In fact, they weren''t even in the same ne as his body. It simply floated around in the small space it was given, choosing to stay around the chest area for a reason Lloyd still did not understand.


    ''To create a core, I must first gather all the ambient mana within my body into a single point before trying topress it. Once I create my own mana core, mana channels will move on their own to create connections all over my body optimized to my ss...


    But my ss says walker of voids, so I have no idea how it will turn out.'' Lloyd thought while scratching his chin.


    Cultivation techniquese in many forms, and the same could be said about sses. sses usuallye in two forms. Those who use their bodies to fight their battles and those who use mana and elemental abilities.


    They both need a mana core in their own sense; however, while one might use their mana to create a spell, the other will use it to enhance their body. Of course, there are some abilities they can use to do such a thing; however, after the creation of cultivation techniques, many realized the true potential hidden before their very eyes.


    Martial artists like Hime or Rex had cultivation techniques specialized toward their fighting type, allowing them to pull mana into their cores before using it to permanently strengthen their bodies down to their cells. It''s one of the main reasons why their bodies are so much stronger than someone like Tina''s since Tina''s cultivation technique specializes in strengthening her mana core and magical abilities rather than her physical strength.


    Of course, this does not mean that people specializing in body strengthening only use mana to strengthen their bodies, since they still use mana to activate their abilities or use certain martial art techniques during a battle.


    ''I know my mana pool isrger than the average individual, but I have no idea how big it is since my use of it hasn''t been the most efficient. For now, all I know is that its less than Tina''s butrger than Rex and Hime''s.'' Lloyd thought to himself before sitting on the ground and analyzing the mana in his body.


    He stayed like that for almost two hours, trying to understand how he was going to create a mana core and stabilize it without anyone else''s help.


    Modern technology had found a way to make core creation easier for most people.


    Many choose to create their cores as they break through to the nextmandment, yet in Lloyd''s case, that was a luxury he did not have at that moment, not that it mattered too much.


    It was just a lot easier to do it while breaking through due to the abundance of mana around the individual at that moment.


    "No pain no gain, am I right?" Lloyd sighed before writing, "Do not disturb. Trying to create a mana core here" on his watch and projecting it with enough size that anyone walking into the room would see it.


    Closing his eyes again, Lloyd used [4-dimensional thought] and manipted the mana inside his body.


    Using [4-dimensional thought] would allow him to ignore the pain while also essing enough brain power to make creating a core seem like a breeze.


    Of course, he knew he would probably receive the headache of the century after deactivating the ability, but it was a consequence he wouldn''t mind bearing for a little while.


    His senses washed over every piece of mana in his body before he breathed in and began controlling them.


    It was a slow process, but the mana particles had begun moving toward his sr plexus. However, he quickly realized that something was wrong. The mana almost resisted him; however, while he would have usually panicked, [4-dimensional thought] did not allow such a thing.


    With a calm mind, Lloyd breathed in again despite not needing to do so, and simply pushed as hard as he could, yet that is when it clicked in his mind.


    They weren''t all pushing against him. Some of the mana was moving faster than the rest, yet after passing a certain point, they seemed to push back even harder than the rest.


    Lloyd took a few minutes trying to locate the where the area of effect was, and when he finally found it, it confused him slightly.


    It wasmon sense for a core to be in the sr plexus. Everyone did it that way, and those who tried differently usually ended up bing cripples without any magical abilities.<novelnext></novelnext>


    However, when looking at where his mana seemed to want to go, Lloyd felt like there were only two exnations for the situation he was in.


    ''Why is it also trying to move to the center of my chest. Are the runes changing their trajectory and sucking it in? Maybe my runes are too strong for my currentmandment, making it harder to create a mana core?'' Lloyd thought to himself, but it didn''t make sense.


    However, after thinking about it a bit longer, Lloyd realized something.


    ''What if the runes are there for a reason? Most people only see their runes once they reach the firstmandment and already have a core, but what if the runes are trying to tell me where my mana core should be.


    Maybe the runes moved to the center of my chest out of instinct.'' Lloyd thought to himself, yet after waiting for a moment and trying to think of any other solution, he shrugged and went through with it anyway.


    Lloyd''s mana suddenly shifted within his body. Their speed has almost quadrupled the instant Lloyd thought of making the core in the center.


    After thinking about it for a while, it started to make sense. Lloyd expected the runes to appear inside his core when he was done, but maybe the benefit of having strong elemental runes was the fact that they could guide you to making the right choice.


    His mana began to swirl around the runes beforeing together in the center and creating a small ball that increased in side the more mana Lloyd poured into it.


    The of the mana core began as barely noticeable, before erging to the size of a pea, then an olive, then an orange, to finally bing the size of a ser ball.


    The mana core had already encapsted the runes when it had be the size of an orange.


    Covering the mana core with his aura, Lloyd began topress it.


    The mana began to swirl once more, this time inside the mana core itself, bing smaller and smaller every minute.


    Hours flew by in what felt like minutes to Lloyd, yet despite losing track of time, the fact that his ability was beginning to flicker away had told him that it had been a long time since he started his mana core creation.


    Yet it didn''t matter since Lloyd was finally done.


    Opening his eyes, Lloyd squinted out of habit when the sun red straight into his eyes. The sun''s intensity wasn''t nearly as strong as Deroxa''s since the itself was further from the sun, yet brightness felt all the same, especially after having closed his eyes for more than 9 hours.


    Looking around, Lloyd raised a brow after realizing the room was aplete mess. Of course, after deactivating [4-dimensional thought], it took him a moment toprehend everything around him. Still, after looking at how the ground below him was scorched, he finally understood what had happened.


    Scratching the back of his neck awkwardly, Lloyd looked at his new core before smiling.


    It had been a sess beyond anything Lloyd could imagine.


    The core was now the size of his fist and was ced right in the center of his chest, yet that was far from what amazed him.


    The core itself seemed to be beating at a rhythmic pace, while the mana channels themselves looked like something that not even humans, with their advanced technologies and minds, could create.


    The channels expanded outwards from the core in a web of small andrge tubes that wrapped around the entirety of the body''s insides. To Lloyd, it felt like theyout was abination between the human blood circtory system and the nervous system. It was far more intricate than any mana-channeling system he had ever seen, yet it was a double-edged sword.


    ''Holy shit, if anyone sees this, I''ll definitely be caught. This is next-level shit.'' Lloyd thought to himself while ying around with how the mana inside his body worked.


    Lloyd only had to think of using his [shadow maniption] ability before the mana circting around his body instantly turned ck. The mana released from his body in the next moment, quickly creating a shadow w at twice the speed it usually would have.


    ''Man... I could get used to this.'' Lloyd grinned from ear to ear as endless possibilities ran through his mind like wildfire.

 Chapter 109 New Home [3] - The King Of Fates

    ***


    -Unknown within the Gartia Gxy-


    "Hand over the phoenix me..." A man with piercing golden eyes ordered as he slowly descended toward the ground. He had pale blonde hair that matched the soullessness within his eyes and an unchanging facial expression no matter the situation.


    It had always been like that for him... It was as if nothing could surprise him anymore, and in a way, that was true.


    He wore a beautiful set of ck and gold armor that would put most armor in the gxy to shame. The sheer forge mastery needed to create the armor he was wearing would have required the best former masters in the gxy several weeks to create it.


    While his power seemed to be sealed behind the cloaking runes of the armor he was wearing, the sheer quality and power within the armor had already sent waves of fear within the crowd. Very few were capable of standing up to the man. However, there was one man who did.


    "You would be a fanatical fool to think that we would surrender our sacred treasure just because you ordered us!" One of the men scoffed while hiding his wife behind him.


    On the other hand, his wife could not help but stare nkly at the golden-eyed man, as if she had seen an angel for the first time and had bepletely incapable of averting her eyes from him.


    The man stood over a cliff, looking at the city below with an eerie calmness.


    He knew their answer to his order, yet he ordered them anyway. Everything had to go ording to a set principle, so while his order was not strictly necessary, he felt like it was an obligation nheless.


    "Your wife doesn''t seem to think so..." The golden-eyed man smirked wryly, yet this only further angered the husband into unsheathing his de.


    "Do not daree any closer! I am not afraid to kill you." The husband pointed his de at the golden-eyed blonde man.


    "And you should be well aware that such a pathetic de would not even leave a scratch on my immacte body, let alone my armor. Don''t you think so, Mrs. Dina?" The blonde man taunted, yet despite seeming to have referred to someone, he did not turn to them.


    "We are also aware that the King of fates does not kill." Another man interjected, making the King of Fates let out a defeated sigh.


    "You are correct. I do not kill people. I don''t even kill animals. You know what, since we have the time, how about I let you in on a little secret?" The King of Fates grinned slightly, making a shudder go down everyone''s spines.


    "I am actually cursed. I usually tell no one but those closest to me, but I guess I can make an exception this time." The King of fates chuckled.


    "And you must be asking the question, ''Why are you telling us this in the first ce?'', am I right?" He asked, his hand slowly going into his pocket before taking out a pair of sunsses and wearing them.


    "Because you guys won''t be surviving for much longer, or am I wrong?" The King of Fates asked, making many confused while others questioned his use of words. No one understood why, but when the King of Fates spoke, his words felt awkwardly ced, making his sentences sound worse the more he spoke.


    "Enough of your tricks! Guards! Kill him-" However, right before the man could finish his sentence, his words got stuck in his throat before his head slowly turned to the sky; a sky that was gradually turning into a deeper shade of orange as the seconds passed.


    "What have you done?" The man asked before falling onto his backside, fear taking over his body and causing his legs to buckle.


    "Me? Why use me? I have done nothing. It''s just simply nature taking its course. You may never understand in this life, but maybe in the next?" The King of fates replied, yet now he was watching from a mountain cliff several hundred meters away.


    There was a reason that man was named the King of fates. It wasn''t because of his heavenly looks that would throw most women into a trance, nor was it his superior intellect or majestic strength.


    He got that name because he was the King of fates... A man capable of bending uncertainties and destinies to his favor. A man capable of dooming an entire civilization before its rise.


    He would never take a life with his own hands, yet fate would find a way to reap those lives for him, as if he had a grim reaper sitting on his shoulders, waiting to do his bidding.


    And in that very moment, the King of Fates stood at a cliffside and watched as a meteor shower rained upon a city that was once known for its scenery, people, and bustling atmosphere.


    "To be fair, this is the best the city has looked ever since its creation." The King of Fates retorted before hispanion, Mrs. Dina, could evene up with a thought rted to their situation. However, she was used to that already.


    Explosions rang out while the people''s blood-curdling screams echoed throughout the mountain range.


    They could be heard for miles, yet those who heard it and remained alive thought of it as nothing more but the roars of a dying beast as the screams of terror seemed to merge together into a single undying symphony of terror and pain.


    "Master, I believe that the meteor shower shall be ending soon. Would you like us to search for the me?" A woman in a maid''s outfit appeared right beside the King of Fates and looked at the destruction before her with the same apathetic eyes as her master.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "I don''t believe that would be necessary." The King of Fates chuckled and stepped forward, disappearing instantly and appearing elsewhere.


    His robe fluttered as he stood before a furnace brandishing a never-ending me that burnt with extreme heat.


    "So, this is where you''ve been hiding." The King of Fates let out a silent chuckle before disappearing into the palm of his hand and disappearing once again just to appear next to his maid.


    "Is that the Phoenix me, master?" The maid asked.


    "Yes... Yes it is." He replied.


    "Then what is the point of the meteor shower?" She asked with a raised brow.


    "My maid..." The King of Fates seemed slightly disappointed, but after shaking his head momentarily, he walked up to her and cupped her right cheek with his free hand.


    "Do you not know?" He asked.


    "Know what, master?" She asked with a tilt of her head, yet she did not show even the smallest spark of emotion while saying those words


    "That even destruction can be beautiful." The King of Fates smiled and continued to stare at the me in the palm of his hand; however, within that moment of peace, he felt something that shattered it.


    Looking up into the sky, the King of Fates made a worried expression. It caught his maid off guard since it was the first time she had seen her master create such an expression in thest thousand years in which she had devoted herself to serving him.


    "W-What''s wrong, master?!" She asked.


    "The lines of fate are shifting... The abyss is getting stronger. This isn''t supposed to happen... Not now." He thought, his expression bing deadly serious.


    "I felt it... For just a moment, I felt Eris." He muttered.


    "Is she returning?" The maid asked, slightly panicked as well by the revtion.


    "Not yet... But when she does, fate tells me the universe might get a little darker."


    ***


    "Are you sure you want to go to the military academy? I can ask the Hope academy to reconsider giving you a ce in their academy. With my family''s rmendation, they will take you in." Benjamin tried to reason with Lloyd, sitting in the dining room''s main chair and talking to Lloyd, who was sitting a few chairs down.


    "I think I''m good. I think I''d rather go to the military academy. Yes, I probably won''t have as many resources as the Hope academy, but I feel like its better if I earn those resources rather than get them through connections." Lloyd exined, yet that wasn''t the real reason.


    There were many perks that made the military academy a much better choice for Lloyd than the Hope academy.


    While the Hope academy is considered to be the number 1 academy in their gxy, it limited Lloyd''s freedom the most, keeping all their first years inside the academy until their finals.


    The Hope academy was also a prestigious one. While it may have not been on the same level as the Royal Elizabeth Academy in the level of prestigiousness, only the best of the best could go to such an academy and seed.


    After going through the autumn dungeon, Lloyd quickly realizes that he is getting far too much attention, especially when certain people know about his identity as Null, the adventurer. Going into the Hope academy would constantly put attention onto him.


    The very fact that he could even enter the academy meant that he had to be the best of the best. Even the top-of-the-line connections could not get you into the Hope academy if one didn''t have the talent or strength to prove their worth.


    Going to the military academy would take both the pressure and the constant fear of being caught off him.


    Of course, being the child of two generals would bring a lot of attention to him, yet he could make sure that only the instructors and professors knew about his identity by having his father pull a few strings.


    The final reason to why Lloyd chose to go with the military academy was because of his fallenrades. He knew he probably shouldn''t feel that way, but he felt indebted to them to at least go to the military academy and serve humanity the same way they did.

 Chapter 110 New Home [4] - Farewell... For Now

    "Man... I was hoping we could go to the same academy." Zack sighed in disappointment, but he couldn''t do anything about it.


    He didn''t want to pressure Lloyd into going to the same academy as him, but at the same time, he wasn''t allowed to downgrade to a lesser school since almost everyone in his family had gone to the Hope academy.


    "It''s disappointing to not get to spend a few more years side by side, but I guess it''s not meant to be. We had to eventually take our own paths, but that''s life." Lloyd shrugged, causing a pensive mood to wash over the dining table.


    The parents also didn''t want to say anything since they were scared that their words would manipte their children, but in a way, they all knew that the two boys had already made their own decisions.


    "I heard that Lucy might be teaching at the Hope academy." na suddenly mentioned, causing the entire table to turn quiet.


    "Oh,e on guys, it''s been almost a decade since then; I''m sure Lloyd is fine with us talking about it." na scoffed before looking at Lloyd, who seemed to be entirely disinterested in the subject on hand, causing her to quickly drop it as quickly as she had brought it up.


    Yet despite that, the thought of Lucy teaching still lingered on all their minds, Lloyd''s included, yet now that he had new experiences as new things to worry about, he no longer paid too much attention to that incident.


    ''Hmm. Maybe that''s when it all started? I never thought of it that way, but maybe that incident is why I became a void walker?


    I don''t have nearly enough information on the creation of void walkers, but if that incident has yed a part in who I am now, I might have to visit it shortly.'' Lloyd thought to himself as the memories of his blood-soaked hands reminded him that the very foundations of his life were built upon the corpses of others.


    After finishing dinner, they all went back to doing their respective activities. Lloyd went back to trying to create his own cultivation technique from the information he had, but so far, he had no luck.


    His current cultivation method was far from efficient, especially after he reached the firstmandment and created his core.


    His mana pool was far toorge to be filled quickly, and if he were to try to cultivate with what he currently had, he was worried that it might take years for him toplete a single cirction.


    Lloyd wanted his cultivation technique to fit who he was. He was both a closebat warrior and a long-range mage capable of casting hundreds of spells instantly with his elemental maniptions.


    He wanted to have a technique that allowed him to strengthen his mana channels, his mana core, and his body at the same time. He would have loved to cultivate his aura and killing intent, too, with the same technique, but that needed apletely different process that he was simply not ready to go through.


    ''I have a little over two days to train or find a cultivation technique. I''m certain I''ll get to train lot during the military academy, for now it''s best if I just try to make my cultivation technique in hopes of having it ready by the time I have to leave.'' Lloyd thought to himself after the image of him killing a dragon appeared in his mind.


    It''s funny how needy the mind is sometimes.


    Lloyd always thought that the amount of void energy he wasted after killing a monster wasn''t much since he didn''t really have a reference.


    Still, after going through his epiphany and seeing how much void energy could be saved through a cultivation technique, he could not help but feel a pain where his heart would''ve been whenever he thought of killing a monster and wasting so much energy.


    *Knock Knock*


    The sound of Lloyd''s door knocking echoed through the room.


    Slowly opening his eyes, Lloyd used his aura and magical senses to see who was behind the door before standing up and unlocking it.


    "Hey Lloyd, you''ve been holed up here for a while. Wanna spar?" Zack asked, yet instead of agreeing straight away, Lloyd hesitated.


    Zack was quite literally a single good push away from reaching the firstmandment, so Lloyd assumed he hade to him to get that push. However, Lloyd himself did not think it was such a good idea.


    Lloyd could easily kill half-step secondmandments, or at least after a few seconds of struggling. Lloyd knew that Zack was in no way, shape or form close to what Lloyd was capable of, yet after thinking for a while, Lloyd finally epted.


    ''I can practice holding my strength back.'' Lloyd thought while walking toward one of the fighting arenas they had in their manor.


    Zack quickly moved to the other side of the arena before turning around and looking at Lloyd.


    Zack had been winning the previous bouts against Lloyd''s clone, yet he wanted to know how strong the real thing was, and so did the rest of the family, who, unknown to Lloyd, were all watching them stand off from one of the booths with one-sided ss.


    The runes stopped Lloyd from noticing them, but he was not stupid enough to think that there was no one in the room other than him and Zack.


    "My swordes tomorrow so I''ll be using my fists." Lloyd informed Zack.


    "Oh yeah? Then I''ll use nothing but my mana and my fists too." Zack grinned from ear to ear as a powerful battle intent exploded out from his body, covering the entire arena in a thin misty red fog.


    A crimson sword appeared above Zack, about the same size and weight as his original.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Grabbing it, Zack shot forward with all the speed he could muster within his legs, yet while he would have seemed like a blur to even most firstmandments, to Lloyd, it didn''t feel as fast as it should have.


    Whenever Lloyd fought anyone, he would instantlypare their prowess to the autumn king''s or even to Veronica''s (may she suffer in hell).


    The sword swung toward Lloyd in an incredible demonstration of speed and power, yet the moment it hade within a certain range of Lloyd, he dodged it smoothly as if he had always known exactly where the ce would end up.


    *Swoosh* *Swoosh* *Swoosh*


    Zack just continued attacking, his shing bing deadlier and sharper every time he swung his de, making it slightly harder to dodge his attack every time he shed at him, yet despite the increase in proficiency, it was all the same for Lloyd.


    Zack''s attacks were nothingpared to that of the monster Lloyd had fought in the dungeon, so instead of directly attacking his friend to win the duel, Lloyd decided that the best course of action was to humor him instead, only attacking when he deemed it necessary.


    *ROOAR*


    Zack let out a bestial roar as his eyes became bloodshot, and he charged like a mad bull toward Lloyd, yet unlike before, where he seemed to have zero control over his blood-lusting form, now he seemed to have the smallest semnce of sentience.


    His form was also much stronger than it had been in the past. His power was that of a firstmandment despite him not having reached that stage, but that was to be expected.


    Most talented individuals reached that stage once they reached the half-step, and since Zack was basically a step away from breaking through, that was even more the case in his situation.


    Swords made out of Zack''s bloodlust and killing intent formed all around him, yet while Lloyd was expecting Zack to hurl the sword projections at him, it was quite the opposite.


    Looking at the swords for a moment, Lloyd could not help but think of them as individual limbs all connected to the berserker before him.


    They only moved a few meters away from him, and it seemed like Zack hadplete control over their form, capable of moving them around without a second thought while also having the power to shrink and increase their sizes when needed.


    However, this did not mean Lloyd struggled against the attacksing at him. They were quite simple and had a pattern to them that Lloyd easily deciphered in less than a dozen attacks.


    Lloyd humored his friend for a few minutes. Yet, after seemingly pinpointing all his mistakes and shorings, Lloyd finally went on the offensive, pummeling Zack to the ground just enough for him to regain his sanity.


    Lloyd made sure to exin everything that Zack did wrong before leaving the room, yet while Zack was surprised that he even lost in the first ce, the rest of the family who were watching behind some one-way ss were more surprised by the fact that Lloyd had be so much stronger than Zack.


    They all knew that Lloyd was capable of surviving an attack against a secondmandment and possibly even fighting against a half-step secondmandment, but hearing and seeing were two different things.


    The days passed quickly, and before anyone knew it, it was the day when boys finally became men, going to the academy for the first time and bing semi-independent from their parents and families.


    While Zack had left early in the morning to go to the Hope academy, which was on a different star system than the one the de was on, na and Delly both left in the afternoon while Lloyd was ready to depart in the evening.


    Walking through Snow city, Lloyd finally found one of the military outpost branches ced on the de. It was arge structure clearly built to move around, yet at the same time, Lloyd could tell that the ce itself was a high establishment worth a lot of money.


    It was a building with green paint instead of the usual white, allowing it to stand out more than the other buildings around. However, despite its murky green color, it still looked pristine, making even the clean white buildings around them feel slightly dirty.


    Standing in front of the outpost, Lloyd checked his dimensional storage one more time to see if he had everything on him, and after confirming that he did, he turned to his family and smiled brightly.


    "I guess this is where we bid farewell," Lloyd spoke optimistically to keep his mother from crying, yet she did so anyway.


    "My baby is going to school!" Olivia cried into her husband''s shoulder, making everyone scratch the back of their necks awkwardly.


    "Take care son." Noah smiled while shooing Lloyd away so his mother would finally stop crying.


    "Take care of yourself, don''t over work. You''ll burn out." La bid farewell with a tone of worry in her voice.


    "What she said." Benjamin smiled and waved, yet he got an elbow to the side, causing him to look at his wife with the expression of a falsely used child.


    "Goodbye. See you during the holidays." Lloyd waved before turning around, walking to the outpost, showing a soldier his ID, and entering the room.


    He was quickly guided to a teleporter, and when he finally stood on it, the final thought that came to mind before his body flickered away was-


    "But for now, I''ll try to my best to be as strong as possible."

 Chapter 111 Military Academy [1] - Groups

    Lloyd stood on the tform of the teleporter and looked forward.


    Determination could be seen on his face; he didn''t really understand what wasing next after all, but he still knew he would get through it alive. He''s gotten through everything so far... He lost too many people to die an impactful death.


    He had to make sure that he would eventually return to his family. That he could protect them when the time was right.


    He knew something wasing, and while he didn''t know what it was, he knew that its very presence would change the universe.


    That''s when a set of words he had heard before echoed in his mind.


    "The stars are going out... Silence will fall." Lloyd narrowed his eyes, taking a final nce at his family before the teleportation device sucked him out of the room and threw him into a dimensional tunnel.


    A sense of euphoria washed over Lloyd the moment he entered the tunnel. It felt like he was at home, but he knew that wasn''t the case.


    It was temporary. Homes were not temporary.


    A bright sh of light blinded Lloyd for a moment, yet in the next second, Lloyd regained his vision, finding himself in a ce that looked simr to the outpost, but a bitrger with much stronger guards.


    Leaving the teleportation pod, Lloyd looked back to see hundreds of teleportation pods ce in a grid-like pattern. People of all ages walked out of the teleportation pods, everyone from the age of 14 to 30 walked out, and while theirmandments varied, most of them were firstmandments or lower.


    ''I guess Arthur and Grace were right.'' Lloyd thought while thinking back to them, telling him that many of those who would go to the military academy would be those without any fighting experience, or those with fighting experience but weakmandments.


    Of course, this did not mean that those below the firstmandment would be in the same ss as Lloyd. Hell, they wouldn''t even be in the same academy as Lloyd. Most of them would be thrown into the boot camps for the first year. Think of it like a foundation year where they can catch up to their peers of even surpass them.


    ''Now that I think of it, when Ist saw Arthur, he was in the early stages of the firstmandment, and he is about the same age as me. Yes, he awakened before me, but from the reports about the 7 reapers, it said that Arthur was not a firstmandment when he joined.


    He has more than enough recourses to reach the firstmandment in under a month, so why didn''t he?'' Lloyd thought.


    While it was weird, it wasn''t too weird per se. Many families had the tradition of making their children go through themandments on their own without help them break through. Lloyd understood the reason behind why they did it, but for some reason, he didn''t think of it until now.


    ''Oh wait. The Starforger family is like a huge sect. Maybe they don''t have enough resources to go around? But my parents said he was an heir of the sect, so I don''t know what to believe now.'' Lloyd sighed while facepalming.


    "Can you move out of the way?" A boy the same age as Lloyd asked with an annoyed voice after seeing Lloyd stand still for an extended period without moving.


    "Oh yeah, sorry." Lloyd apologized before moving out of the way and leaving the teleportation room they were in.


    Lloyd''s eyes widened the moment he left the teleportation room. The ce they were in, it was nothing like he had seen before. Hell, even Snow city didn''t look as good as the ce he was in right now.


    Flying cars could be seen moving around the city skies. They weren''t orderly in any way, shape, or form, but just when you''d think I car was about to collide with another, they would miss one another by a hair''s breadth.


    "Holy shit." Lloyd eximed while many others did the same. However, those who didn''t exim looked much richer than he was just from their clothes and the enchantments he felt on them.


    Most of the richer folk decided to wear something white with the main color their family crest held embroidered into the clothing lines.


    Anyone from a strong backing did not forget to ce a visible family crest on their chest pockets or into their dresses.


    ''Don''t they look way too stylish for a group of people who are about fight for the lives in the uing months?'' Lloyd thought to himself, yet he did not make the mistake of standing still this time. Instead, he walked alongside everyone else, at the same pace everyone else was walking at.


    It took a few minutes of walking, but they all eventually reached their destination.


    "Please stand in an orderly line. When you reach the assessment podium, it will quickly check your identity and confirm yourmandment.


    It didn''t take long for Lloyd to reach the front of the queue. Sure, the military academy had the most people enter it out of any academy, but they seemed to have it under control since they had hundreds of podiums in ce.


    The military academy was broken into several branches spread throughout the central sector of the milky way. Eight, to be exact.


    North, North-East, East, South-East, etcetera.


    Each branch took in the people closest to them, and while it doesn''t seem like much at first, once you look at the numbers on paper, it makes sense why the military needs thergest budget in the Sris Empire.


    Once Lloyd reached the podium, he simply ced his hand on the crystal in the middle and closed his eyes.


    He could feel his mana being forcefully pulled from inside him, traveling through a section of his nervous system-looking mana channels and into the crystal.


    His mana channels weren''t just split into two different sections, but rather into 4/5 if your count the capiries.


    After testing it out, Lloyd realized his output mana channels were his nervous system-looking ones. They were split in two. It is a section that channels mana into the core and a section that takes mana out of the core and releases it outside his body.


    On the other hand, his blood cirction mana channels did not release mana outside his body. Instead, they used the mana gathered by the nervous system channels to circte that very same mana throughout his body.


    By doing this, he slowly increased the power of his body throughout every cirction, but there was a small problem that he hadn''t really dealt with.


    He didn''t know how to strengthen his core''s power, and despite trying to gather ambient mana inside, it didn''t seem to be the trick to it.


    He knew that it had something to do with the runes inside his mana core, but ever since he created his core, he hadn''t been able to channel mana into the runes.


    However, other than that, it was almost creepy how well his mana channels worked for him. Of course, he had no idea that the training he had with Eris had affected the way his mana channels would be formed, but it wasn''t just that.


    Years of using his father''s katana techniques also added to create the perfect mana-channeling system, and if he were to add the fact that he had Eris''s blessing when he had broken through, it became theplete package.


    When Lloyd''s mana finally finished channeling itself into the crystal, he felt his watch alert him of a message, and as he walked through the testing site, he looked at the message he had received.


    [Military ID]


    [Name: Lloyd Elrod]


    [Age: 17]


    [Year: First]<novelnext></novelnext>


    [Group: ---]


    [Commandment: First - Initial Stage]


    [Race: Human]


    [ss: Shadow Assassin Hybrid]


    [Talent: 2-Star]


    [Affinity: Shadows - Fire]


    ''Hybrid, huh?'' Lloyd thought to himself.


    He walked for a few minutes, and before he knew it, he had reached an area with nothing but grass and groups of people walking around and talking to each other.


    Lloyd didn''t really want to talk to anyone. Socializing wasn''t really his thing, and after everything that had happened with Felix, Tina, Veronica, and all the others in the dungeon, Lloyd wasn''t thrilled nor eager to make friends.


    After several minutes of waiting, a pir was erected out of the ground with a man wearing military clothes standing atop it as it rose above everyone by at least 10 meters.


    "Wee to the military academy." The man spoke, his voice rough and low, almost like a threatening growl. The man standing there was and even slightly old, something you don''t often see nowadays due to the increased lifespan.


    He had a white goatee that wrapped around his mouth, as well as the brightest blue eyes Lloyd had ever seen.


    His military coat was littered with dozens of badges, each one holding an honor of its own and a symbol that he had saved countless lives to get each of every one of them.


    However, even after everyone had seen him, their chattering did not stop. It was quite the contrary, actually.


    "Qui-ET!" The man mmed his foot onto the pir, sending out a shock wave that made the entire ce tremble with the power of an earthquake scaled 7 on the Richter scale.


    His booming voice almost destroyed the eardrums of the weaker students, while his aura alone quieted down everyone to the point that it had be eerily quiet.


    ''He''s stronger than my father.'' Lloyd thought with a slight frown.


    "You will be sent a message shortly that will tell you which ss group you will be in for the next term. If you are lucky, you will move up a group when you reach the next term, which is usually the case for many of you since you won''t be assessed by your talent ormandment, but rather by your skill.


    Your entrance ceremony statistics will also be taken into ount when choosing your group; however, since many of you either lost in the first round or didn''t attend at all, we will be using the rest of the information we have in our hands to make the most educated and fair decision we are capable of making.


    Throughout your first term, no matter what group you are put in, you will be learning the basics of fighting and cultivating. Anyone below the firstmandment will be sent to a boot camp for their foundation year, except a few chosen individuals who will go straight into their first year.


    If you can prove yourself within the first term, there is a chance that we will move you into the first year''s groups. The same can be said for anyone who reached the firstmandment within the first term." The man exined with a voice that inspired determination in the hearts of anyone who knew they would be in the boot camps for their first year.


    As if it had been waiting for this moment for its entire life, the promised message came as a wave of notifications swept through the crowd, making everyone look down at their watch to see what ss they would be in.


    [Military ID]


    [Name: Lloyd Elrod]


    [Age: 17]


    [Year: First]


    [Group: C-3]


    [Commandment: First - Initial Stage]


    [Race: Human]


    [ss: Shadow Assassin Hybrid]


    [Talent: 2-Star]


    [Affinity: Shadows - Fire]


    [Author''s note: Just to give y''all context, this is how the group system works.


    Going from highest to lowest, the lettering goes-


    Special ss: X


    ---


    S


    A


    B


    C


    D


    ---


    Foundation Year: E


    The number means nothing. It just tells you what ss your going to be in, not how high your ss ranks in the group you''re in.]

 Chapter 112 Military Academy [2] - Campus Tour & Dorms

    --Military ID--


    [Name: Lloyd Elrod]


    [Age: 17]


    [Year: First]


    [Group: C-3]


    [Commandment: First - Initial Stage]


    [Race: Human]


    [ss: Shadow Assassin Hybrid]


    [Talent: 2-Star]


    [Affinity: Shadows - Fire]


    ''C? It''s not bad, but I expected a little better. You''d think that the news of me surviving a secondmandment inteary dungeon would make them more enticed into throwing me into a higher group, but C group would do the trick just fine.


    While Lloyd didn''t know it at the time, hismandment had really brought him down a level. While many wanted to put him in B or even A-group, when they found out that he was barely in the firstmandment, they scrapped the idea as fast as they thought of it.


    Yes, it took years for people without backings or talent to reach the firstmandment. Still, those with backing would usually reach it within the first one or two months of their awakenings. Of course, even a poor person with monstrous talent is capable of surpassing those with resources, but there were families out there who had both of these thing.


    While the students didn''t know of Lloyd''s backing yet, the professors and the graders were well aware of his father''s achievements and his connection with the de family. He also spent 3 months in a mana-rich environment, such as a dungeon, where he was reportedly trained during most of his waking hours.


    However, even that wouldn''t have gotten him demoted to the bottom ss of the C-group. They considered putting him in the B-ss since his fighting capabilities were marvelous, as seen in the entrance ceremony. Yet, fighting capabilities were considered secondary to talent andmandment in a world that valued power more than anything.


    Lloyd''s talent was a measly 2-star. It was disappointing, to say the least. I meant that the chances of him reaching the secondmandment were low, let alone anything beyond that.


    Lloyd was a little thankful he had taken part in the entrance ceremony and had even gotten past the first trial since he would have most likely been dropped all the way down to the bottom sses of the D-group, if not worse.


    Lloyd''s mind snapped back to reality when he realized that everyone we beginning to move to certain sections of the in grassy area. After remembering where he was, he quickly understood that they were lining up into their ss and groups.


    "Your ss professors will taking you on a tour of the academy. If you ever get lost, you have a map installed into your watches, allowing you to navigate around the academy without too many problems.


    For now, an indicator will show where your teacher is. In the future, this indicator will be used to show you the location of assemblies and events." The man on the pir continued before finally seeming to be done with whatever he was saying.


    The military academy was vast and spacious, never feeling too cramped, even if it were to be filled with people. The buildings of the ce were as futuristic as they came, tall white skyscrapers erected above the clouds themselves.


    The buildings go shorter the more out you go. It wasn''t supposed to feel like a city, but it quite literally was one.


    Shops could be seen everywhere, from leisure products to necessities like food or water.


    "The only thing you can buy here with dors is food and other necessities. To buy anything else, you will need to either sell something you have to earn military points, or you can gain them from exceeding in sses and doing missions around the city or outside the city if need be." Lloyd''s teacher exined.


    Looking up, Lloyd finally got a good look at the man who was leading them. He looked like a serious man, and that was something Lloyd liked in a teacher. Sure, it was all fun and games to have a chill teacher who would let you do whatever you wanted, but that was back in high school, where consequences were minor, and everything wasx.


    Lloyd had entered the real world, and who better to guide them than a man who was serious about his job?


    The man was quite tall, standing at about 5ft 11, with ck hair and emerald eyes. He looked physically strong. His muscles were bulging, and from using his mana sense as well as his soul sense, he knew that the man before his was a martial artist who cultivated his body and his aura.


    ''Thirdmandment?! God damn.'' Lloyd thought to himself with widened eyes.


    "The city is quite smallpared to the. The city only takes up about 5% of the and branches out like a tree through the surface of the itself to reach every inch of the, reaching almost every inch of it or at least encapsting that ear as a controlled forest where kids could go to do missions whenever the wildlife became too much." The professor exined, but Lloyd was no longer listening.


    The rest of the day went on as normal. Of course, the tour itself took several hours due to how big the ce was. While many were physically exhausted, Lloyd was mentally exhausted.


    He didn''t really know what to do the entire time since he knew the rest of the information. He could have just turned his mind off the entire time, but he found himself bumping into too many people to make such a method viable.


    He tried to cultivate his body in the meantime, yet even though he had seen many people do it on tv and even in front of him (like his father), he could not replicate their passive cultivation ability.


    "Takes a lot of practice I guess." Lloyd thought aloud.


    When they finally reached their dorms, Lloyd''s mind screeched with happiness to finally escape the torture.


    He was pretty sure he would have been bored to death if he had to go through another second of that.


    "Your dorm number will be sent to you on your watch. You will most likely have one or two roommates, so don''t be surprised if you see someone already in there." The teacher exined, causing Lloyd to look down at his watch to see the number on it.


    [Block-B: 109]<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Floor one, room 9." Lloyd spoke aloud so he wouldn''t forget the number. Sure, he had an amazing memory, but that only came to help him when it was on something useful.


    After saying a few final words, every dispersed, and Lloyd walked up to his room. He just hoped that his roommate or roommates were nice. Otherwise, he would need to beat the shit out of them before moving into another dorm, possibly one without roommates.


    ''Should have asked for my own room.'' Lloyd thought back to when he instructed his father on what he wanted when he went to military school.


    *Ding*


    *Click*


    The door unlocked, and as he opened the door, Lloyd could not help but stiffen a little the moment he saw that someone was inside, already gettingfortable on the bottom bunk.


    When he finally walked through, he looked at his roommate with a little bit of puzzlement.


    There sat a man with jet-ck hair slicked back with what seemed like jell. His hair looked a little greasy from where Lloyd was looking, but it wasn''t hard to see that he most likely used jell since there was no way that hair would naturally stay slicked back the way the boy had it.


    He had a pair of piercing blue eyes that would make most normals shudder, as well as a pair of round spectacles that would have made him look like a schr if not for hisck of a beard. Yet theck of a beard also had its advantages, allowing anyone and everyone a jawline so shart that Lloyd had to question if it had the ability to cut through an apple like it was a hot knife passing through butter.


    ? His build felt far more superior than Lloyds as this young man stood at about 6ft 2 with broad shoulders and an incredible physique that could easily be seen despite the all the clothing he had on.


    "Really going for the professor look? All you''re missing is a beard." Lloydmented while looking him up and down.


    He was wearing a ck turtleneck sweater with a brown zer over it.


    "Oh, you must be my roommate. Nice to meet you; my name is Jay Ludwig." He smiled and reached for a handshake.


    ''German origins huh.'' Lloyd thought before sping his hand into a firm handshake and replying-


    "Lloyd Elrod, nice to meet you." they both smiled before letting go of one another.


    Lloyd was happy he the ck contact lenses. While having ck hair and ck eyes was normal, it also indicated a low family status. Therefore no one would have ever suspected Lloyd of wearing a contact lenses since no one would want to downgrade to ck, right?


    Nothing much happened for the rest of the evening. Jay and Lloyd didn''t speak much after their first introduction, and once they got settled in, Lloyd simply started cultivating while Jay went to sleep.


    The morning light shone through the window as Lloyd''s eyes flickered open. From what he had seenst night, Jay had readied an rm of his own to wake him up, and even if he didn''t, the military had a system in ce that would wake you up out of your deepest slumbers, no matter what you''re dreaming about.


    "First day of military training starts in about 2 hours. I might as well kill time." Lloyd spoke to himself after having walked outside.


    Closing his eyes, Lloyd tried to focus his mind on cultivating his body, and at the same time, he would try to move around in order to allow his body to adapt to such a thing.


    Eventually, it''d be like an instinct that his body does on his own, but as a wise man once said-


    "You to crawl before you can walk."


    ***


    -Deroxa - Military Outpost-


    Several army individuals sat in a room filled to the brim with screens andputers. They were all experts when it came to analyzing battlegrounds and learning from prior mistakes to make sure the army never made them again.


    The inteary dungeon was an enormous scandal! Half a''s poption had to relocate so as to not be in the danger zone of the''s corruption.


    Others were also thinking of moving away before the damage became irreparable.


    However, as teams of scientists, Battle Scene Investigators, and other experts looked at a certain location, they could not help but widen their eyes in surprise.


    No... It wasn''t just a surprise; even traces of horror and terror were in their eyes. They had seen things like these only during their education or while watching a movie, but now they were living it.


    Evidence of spacial maniption... No, not just that... There was evidence of reality warping. It looked slightly like a true domain, but that wasn''t all.


    No, true domains were things of legends, passed down from one family member to the next. The only person they knew with such a technique was the king of humanity... The emperor of Sris.


    The royal family''s legendary technique that hadn''t been seen in use in over 100 years.


    They were looking at evidence that someone had learned how to use a true domain; all they had to do was find out who it was.


    The men looked at each other momentarily with excitement as their eyes trailed to a set of youngsters that hade out of the dungeon alive.


    And from the looks of it, there were only two people they could talk to.

 Chapter 113 Military Academy [3] - First Class

    Two hours flew by, and before Lloyd knew it, it was time for him to attend ss.


    His schedule so far looked nk except for the hour in the morning when his ss was. Of course, Lloyd had no idea why that was the case, but his theory was that they''d either send them their schedules during their first ss or that they''d be choosing sses to go to for the next term.


    ''Could have sworn we were supposed to do only training for the first term.'' Lloyd thought to himself while entering the ssroom and looking around.


    It looked like an ordinary lecture hall capable of fitting 150-200 individuals.


    "A hierarchy? Already?" Lloyd asked himself while looking at how the students were spread out.


    From a simple nce at their stances, confidence, and manner of speaking, it was quite easy to see which ones were from powerful families and which ones were from weaker ones. It would have been much easier to recognize them if they were all wearing their own clothes, but since they were all wearing their military uniforms, it was a little harder.


    They seemed to have also spread out amongst themselves, the top row being left for powerful family individuals only while the bottom row was the one closest to the lecturer and was left to those with lower families or even possibly orphans.


    ''They aren''t even taking strength into ount, it seems.'' Lloyd thought to himself while walking to the bottom row, closest to the lecturer. He could feel that some of the people in the lower rows were stronger than those in the powerful rows


    He caught a few nces as he walked down, primarily from the girls; however, when he passed the middle rows, a few girls from the powerful families lost interest, while the rest analyzed him from top to bottom until they moved on to their next point of interest.


    Yes, he would have loved to take a powerful row, or at least one in the middle of all the mediocre families, but it was best if he just went to the bottom.


    He didn''t want anyone to know that he was THAT Lloyd Elrod. Both of his parents were generals, and even though Generals were quite respected in the army, they were considered thorns at the sides of the powerful family heads.


    The military was owned by the royals, not the powerful families, and despite what many would like to believe, powerful families and royals are not on the same side. Sure, they are allies in the name of Sris and humanity, but it didn''t make them friends but closer to rivals andpetition.


    It was one of the main reasons why Generals were appointed higher than powerful families during times of war. The Royals could trust their sworn generals to do something and not stab them in the back; the same thing could not be said for the power-hungry powerful families.


    ''Better to look like an orphan than have a target on my back.'' Lloyd thought to himself before taking a seat at the front.


    He had spotted Jay, his roommate, within the crowd of the powerful families. It was a little weird to see him among them, because despite being ''among'' them, he didn''t feel like ''one'' of them.


    ''Maybe he''s from one of the uing powerful families?'' Lloyd thought before shrugging; his interest in the subject died as fast as it hade up. He was a little curious about who his roommate was, but since Jay wasn''t bothering him, Lloyd would mind his own business.


    Lloyd was quickly ripped out of his thought, was a low buzz sounded through the room, catching everyone''s attention and causing them to look toward the expanding portal at the front of the ssroom.


    A man with brown hair walked through the portal as his emerald eyes scoured the ssroom, looking over all of them with a disappointed look.


    However, a look of confusion appeared on his face as his eyes scanned the room and reached the middle section.


    That look of confusion turned into an unnoticeable slight surprise when he saw Lloyd, yet Lloyd didn''t seem to be paying too much attention to the man who had juste into the room since he was focused on something else.


    He was too distracted by the spatial energies flowing into the room. It was nothing like standing in front of a naturally spatial tear, but a slight sense offortability went through his body.


    However, since he hadn''t fallen intopletefortability yet due to the low abundance of the spacial energies, he sucked some of it inside him, through the mana channels that looked like neurons and into his mana core that beat a little every time some mana entered it.


    However, instead of simply moving to his rune, he felt the spatial rune, the rune thatprised one-third of his void rune, expand slightly. Yet, nothing really happened. The energy entered the runes, and that was it. The only thing Lloyd found weird was the fact that it expanded slightly when he thought of absorbing the mana.


    ''Damnit. What am I doing wrong! It just doesn''t want to remain in the core. All I can do is circte it around my body, which doesn''t really do anything but strengthen my body a little, and even that, it doesn''t do well.'' Lloyd inwardlyined, his anger getting up for a second before he calmed his mind and looked to the front of the ss.


    "My name is Jack Heaver. We met yesterday. Well, I met most of you since there seem to be a few new faces around her." Jack said while narrowing his eyes and ncing at the individuals.<novelnext></novelnext>


    "Anyway, I will be your tutor for the next term. Your tutor may change next term if you either do poorly orpletely awful. Anyone else will have me for another semester and possibly until the end of your first year. Understood?'' He asked, making everyone in the ssroom nod.


    Today there isn''t much to do. You will first stand up, introduce yourself, talk about something for less than 10 seconds, and then sit down. After that, a screen will appear on your desk and will give you a list of sses that you would like to attend.


    You will be rmended your sses by the military''s AI, but if you do not wish to choose what the AI has given to you, you can make your own list or add a few sses to the list the AI has given to you. Its up to you. Any questions?" He asked, yet all he received was silence.


    "Alright." He paused momentarily, looking at the ss before choosing a girl at the end of the bottom row to start with the introductions.


    The girl stood up with a serious expression, and her arms glued to her sides. Her entire body was tense, and straight, which was exactly what the army wanted.


    Her appearance, however, was average in every way, yet Lloyd was too focused on her uniform to realize that.


    Women''s uniforms were a little different than men''s, but neither really felt like clothing they could fight. Sure, they were covered with more runes than the clothes of many of the higher-family kid''s clothes, but other than that, they seemed pretty ordinary.


    They were ck with white strikes. The white strikes were thin and small, so most wouldn''t see them from afar. Everyone wore buttoned ck jackets with long cors; however, while men had a button on their cors, too, the girls did not.


    Their jackets were a little more buttoned-down, and they had to wear a ck belt along their waist for a reason that Lloyd still didn''t understand.


    All the women wore skirts that had to reach their knees while men wore normal pants. Shoes were customizable, yet they had to be ck anyway, so Lloyd had chosen to use the normal ones.


    "My name is Erika Smith, sir. I am of the warrior ss, and my main fighting syle is closebat fist fighting." She said before sitting down.


    ''Shouldn''t she be a martial artist? Or maybe she was a martial artist before, got warrior and decided to be abat warrior.'' Lloyd thought to himself.


    Many stood up after her, each person saying their name, ss, and something about them. Lloyd didn''t bother to remember any of their names since most of them hadmon sses, and even those who didn''t felt quite weak.


    However, while the girl didn''t say anything about her aspirations for the future, a few did, yet even they didn''t dare say something too big at the risk of offending on the students from powerful families.


    The room had almost 10 rows with 4 sections. Lloyd had simply chosen not to go to the front since he would be more noticeable.


    When it finally came to his turn, Lloyd stood up, and stared at their tutor momentarily before opening his mouth.


    "My name is Lloyd Elrod. I''m a shadow assassin hybrid, striving to be a lieutenant in the army to further help my race reach the top." Lloyd exined with a slightly apathetic tone, which he was not going for, but since it came out that way, he just went with it. Of course, he didn''t mean any of what he said, but it was a goal that wouldn''t put a target on his back so he was fine with it.


    However, no one other than Jack, their tutor, cared about his goals. All they were focused on was the fact that he was not only a shadow assassin, but also a hybrid at that. sses with an element attached to their names were always more rare than sses without a specific element. However, being a hybrid with a element ss was even rarer, and usually even more powerful than the other twobined.


    If that wasn''t enough, they also had a much higher chance to evolve into a new ss when reaching the nextmandment.


    The women who were previously slightly interested in him looked at him with a little more greed. Sure, he wasn''t going to be the strongest, but who wouldn''t want to be in a rtionship with someone strong.


    The icing on the cake was the fact that it seemed to them that he was from a weak family, making him more enticing in the eyes of the higher-family girls since it would be easy to lure him in and control him once they had a good grasp on him.


    Without knowing it, Lloyd had put a lot of attention on himself due to a single mistake, which would cost him in the near future.


    [P.S.- Lloyd didn''t sit in the middle row because they would have asked him what family he was from, exposing him for being THAT Lloyd Elrod. Lloyd is a prettymon name, and Elrod, while not being asmon as Lloyd, was still a littlemon when you think about it in the grand scheme of things.]

 Chapter 114 Military Academy [4] - Dreamweaver & The Soul Reaper

    Lloyd sat down again, unaware of what he had done, but at the same time, it was one of the best-case scenarios.


    The introductions continued, yet the attention remained on Lloyd. At this point, Lloyd had already felt many eyes staring at him for prolonged amounts of time, and while it helped that most of them were girls, he also knew that women tended to bring more problems with them than men.


    It was the cliche. Woman gets interested in man. Another man is interested in the woman and gets jealous and stupidly angry. He fights the man she likes for her attention, and the cycle goes on unless the man is someone from a powerful family.


    ''How do I get them off my ass... Can I make myself less noticeable? I''m an assassin; I should know this!'' Lloyd thought; however, he quickly sighed in relief after seeing who the next person was.


    "My name is Jay Ludwig. I''m a Dreamweaver. My goal is to be the strongest human and surpass the king himself."


    "..."


    "..."


    "..."


    The silence was deafening, but the expressions on everyone''s faces were clear. Everyone''s eyes widened in amazement at seeing a Dreamweaver for the first time. Dreamweavers were extremely rare. No... calling them rare was an understatement. You had a higher chance of putting yourself into a haystack and finding the needle immediately than seeing a Dreamweaver in the flesh.


    Dreamweavers were the stuff of legends. Dozens of the heroes known today with their stories written in countless books were Dreamweaver. Why, you might ask? Because of one reason.


    They were overpowered as fuck! Their presence alone could change the tide of the war.


    While Lloyd knew that many of the stories about Dreamweaver were most likely exaggerated, they were still considered powerful even if you weakened them from their story counterparts.


    "A dreamweaver?" A boy asked with excitement to his friend.


    "Holy shit. Like, the ones that enter people''s dreams?" The other asked.


    ''If I remember correctly. A Dreamweaver is not only able to enter your dreamscape and force you into it as well, unless the person they are using it on has a particrly weak mind, they can also change your dreamscape to their will, a bit like my Terraign.


    They can ess your memory, and weaken the real body of the person''s mind they are in. The most skilled Dreamweavers could put themselves in hundreds of minds simultaneously.


    They weren''t immortal, per se. They couldn''t enter the minds of people stronger than them mentally, nor could they actually kill enemies from within their minds, or at least not until they reached the highermandments.


    Lloyd knew they had a few more weaknesses, but he had to do more research to find out since he had never taken too much interest in the powers of Dreamweaver. All he knew were the basics; since they were practically impossible to meet, he didn''t have to worry about them.


    ''Ironic, isn''t it. Never thought I''d meet a Dreamweaver, yet here I am, seemingly morphed into a race that are considered nigh extinct.'' Lloyd chuckled lightly when he thought of his situation, yet he quickly shifted his focus back to Jay.


    Jay sat down without saying another word and let his words sink into the brains of everyone in the room.


    All the girls that seemed even slightly interested in Lloyd had cast him aside and looked at their new target, yet Lloyd didn''t mind. Actually, he was quite relieved that he wouldn''t have to worry about the cliches.


    ''Now, the only problem is that they might approach me hoping to get closer to Jay. It might be a problem in the near future, but I guess that''s a problem for tomorrow''s me.''


    The introductions continued; however, everyone else felt a littlecklusterpared to Jay. They couldn''tpete even if they tried to, and even as they introduced themselves, everyone''s eyes and mutters were pointed toward Jay and not them.


    Everyone except Lloyd, their tutor, and a few individuals from the top row.


    The introductions carried on, with a few people standing out from the rest, catching the eyes of the tutor and Lloyd the moment they said their sses or goals.


    Until, a certain person stood up.


    "My name is Luna Night. I''m a soul reaper, and my goal it to take over as the Night family''s leader." She spoke with an apathetic tone, but that was more than expected from someone from the Night family.


    The Night family was considered a founding family of the Sris Empire.


    Their founder was one of the strongest men in the empire when Earth finally awakened. Several founding families, including the royal family, stood out on top; however, being a founding family was not just a name or a status.


    It was a bloodline that shaped their future generations, allowing them to evolve from generation to generation while holding the same characteristics, sses, and talents throughout their lineage.


    Some say that their bloodline and genes are so powerful children will not take any characteristics from their non-Night parent, making them fully Night unless they were to procreate with another founding family member.<novelnext></novelnext>


    ''Soul reaper, huh.'' Lloyd thought without much surprise, since the real surprise was the fact that she was a member of the night family; the rest wasmon sense from there.


    While the Soul Reaper ss was considered one of the strongest rouge-type sses humans could awaken, everyone knew that everyone from the Night family had the ss.


    Her presence alone caught the eyes of everyone in the room, but especially the boys. Lloyd couldn''t help but think scornfully of the pubescent teenagers around him, but what did he know? He most likely would have ended up like them if it weren''t for him suddenly bing a void walker.


    He had to admit, though, the girl was beautiful in every way. A little like an ice princess cliche, but that was probably something her parents and trainers ingrained into her. She was an assassin, after all. She had to know to control her emotions, and she was probably doing that now.


    She was also pretty petite, so despite her charms, she looked like a traumatized child rather than an adult with their own problems.


    Her golden eyes were cold and distant, and while her skin was as pale as a ghost, it had a certain charm to it.


    Her ck raven hair draped down her shoulder, reaching her waist in length, and due to the color of her skin, eyes, and hair, the mostly ck uniform fit her nicely, blending in seamlessly as if everything she wore was one with her.


    Lune sat down again, acting oblivious to the eyes that watched her like hawks, as if she was some kind of prey.


    The introductions continued, yet no one other than the tutor took time out of their day to pay attention to them. No one cared anymore, and for a good reason.


    ''Wait, so if this is C-group, what kind of monsters is S and X hiding.'' Lloyd thought, with a shiver running down his spine.


    Everyone in the room was currently in between the early firstmandment and thete firstmandment, with only one person fitting that category. However, the averagemandment in the room remained between early and mid stage firstmandment, with an equal amount on either side of the spectrum.


    ''Wait... Am I the only person in the hall in the initial stage?'' Lloyd thought with slight frown.


    "If you look at your screens, you should see a few sses you can choose from. Again, I suggest you choose the ones that have been rmended to you." Jack, their tutor, exined, making everyone nod slightly before beginning to choose.


    Looking down, Lloyd quickly read the rmended sses-


    ''Rmended: Rougebat, Elemental sses: Shadow, Fire.''


    ''Compulsory: Unarmed basicbat, theory,''


    ? Lloyd thought about the choices for a second. Sure, they were good, but after looking at how his schedule would look like, Lloyd decided to add a few more. After all, it''s not like he can get tired? Or, at least not physically.


    [Would you like to confirm your choices?]


    [Yes] [No]


    ''Yes.''


    [You have chosen the following sses: Rougebat, Staffbat, Tactical Taekwondo, Elemental sses: Darkness, Fire, Lightning.]


    ''Eight hours of learning, 16 hours of cultivating, going to the library, eating and all that other crap.'' Lloyd thought before leaning back on his chair to show that he was done.


    When everyone in the hall was done, the tutor said a few more words that Lloyd had stopped listening to before he dismissed everyone from the hall before, turning around and leaving through a portal that had appeared out of nowhere.


    ''Maybe I can do that?''


    Everyone left the hall as soon as they could, yet just as Lloyd was about to leave, too, he heard amotion that stopped everyone in their tracks as they egged on whoever was fighting or simply wanted to watch from the sideline.


    "Already?" Lloyd thought, yet when he saw who was fighting, he couldn''t help but raise a brow.


    "Well well, this should be interesting."


    [Author''s Note, Going to be changing a few things in thest two chapters because there have been a few inconsistencies. Quick note, powerful families is not the same thing as a higher family. Think of it like this. Middle ss ---> Powerful Family (higher middle ss) ---> Higher family ---> Founding Families ---> Royals.


    Also, before anyone startsining, there is a reason why each person is in the C group despite being from founding families, higher ones, or powerful ones in general. They will be exined, don''t worry.]

 Chapter 115 Military Academy [5] - Cultivation

    The fight was between two boys, and while Lloyd recognized both of them, he only knew the name of one of them since they were his roommate, but he was still unwilling to interfere in the fight.


    This was between them, and Lloyd wasn''t too certain of the rules of the military academy yet, so he didn''t really want to do anything that would put him in the limelight of teachers and professors any more than he already had.


    Jay looked at the boy with piercing blue eyes, but he didn''t move. From their current stances, it seemed like the boy was the one to attack first, not the other way around.


    "You think your a hotshot? You''re not even from a powerful family. You''re middle ss at best." The boyughed, yet Jay didn''t react to his taunts. It seemed like it would take him much more to show emotion toward such an obvious provocation.


    "How dare you try to sit with us!" The boy roared while charging forward like a mad bull. Lloyd couldn''t remember what his ss was, but from his movements, it seemed to be something like a berserker or barbarian, yet he was also sure that it wasn''t any of those two.


    He had seen Zack fight enough times to know that.


    When Jay saw the boy charge at him, he got into a fighting stance, ready to stop his attacker even if he was forced to take a lethal measure.


    However, even though the spectators seemed to be enjoying the fight, everyone knew how it would end. There was no way that some random kind could beat a Dreamweaver; they just wanted to see one in action.


    "Both of you! Stop!" A slightly deep voice boomed throughout the hallway; however, while everyone first tried to disperse after thinking it was a teacher, they quickly realized that wasn''t the case.


    Instead, it was a boy the same age as Lloyd marching toward the center of the fight with both his hands extended toward both people in order to stop them from fighting.


    "On the first day of your academy and you are already squabbling like children. Are you not ashamed?!" He roared, yet the boy who had momentarily stopped his charge threw the words aside and began his charge once more, this time with a blue aura surrounding his body.


    ''A martial artist?'' Lloyd thought, remembering the fighting styles of every martial artist he personally knew.


    While most of them didn''t really charge into battle heads first, Lloyd concluded that it must have been something like the beast fighting martial art that allowed the user to forget their pain and simply move like a beast filled with nothing but bloodlust.


    Of course, the boy before him couldn''t emit bloodlust. Hell, it would probably take him a hundred years to even learn how to emit it. He was green behind the ears in every way. He was a kid from a powerful family that looked like he had every single thing in his life prepared for him by his maids and servants, so what would he know of bloodlust?


    ''How weak...'' A voice echoed in Lloyd''s mind as Lloyd''s resentment for the boy suddenly increased. Maybe it was jealousy that the boy could live such avish lifestyle without losing anyone or suffering until this point, or maybe it was Null amplifying his emotions to force him into doing something reckless.


    Lloyd could see slight panic as Jay''s attacker charged at the boy in the middle of both of them; however, at the same moment, a resolute expression appeared on his face before he closed his eyes, raised his foot, and mmed his heel onto the back of the attacker''s head so hard that his face created cracks on the floor when he mmed into it.


    The cracks immediately repaired themselves. However, the boy who had received the kick was now out cold.


    ''Hypocrite.'' Lloyd thought to himself.


    "DAMNIT GREG! You''re a second-year representative, stop hitting the first years!" An older woman roared, marching her way to Greg, the boy who had kicked the attacker unconscious.


    Greg stepped back with his hands up as he tried to exin his situation, yet the woman didn''t seem to be having any of it.


    That''s when Lloyd realized something.


    ''Oh? He doesn''t have white stripes. His are blue.'' Lloyd thought while looking at his military uniform and seeing the white stripes that outline parts of the jacket, such as his chest pocket or his shoulder linings.


    ''If I remember correctly, blue means second year, right?''


    However, before he could think about anything else or even analyze the Greg''s uniform further, he watched him be dragged away by the older woman that held him by the ear as he screamed for her to let go of him.


    ''Hmm?'' Lloyd furrowed his brows. He felt like he was being watched. No, it was different from being watched. It felt like someone was analyzing him to the core, or at least trying anyway.<novelnext></novelnext>


    Looking back, Lloyd found himself meeting the cold icy re of a young petite girl with raven ck hair that draped down her shoulder.


    When Lloyd looked into her golden yet dull eyes with a questioning expression, she simply rolled her eyes and looked away in annoyance. Or, that''s what Lloyd thought she was feeling. Sure, he was good at reading people to a certain extent, but when it came to people like her and Veronica, Lloyd found it hard toprehend their expressions.


    After that, everyone returned to their dorms. Jay and Lloyd naturally walked in the same direction. Yet, while Jay was walking at a good speed, Lloyd''s walking speed was exceptionally slow as he tried to circte mana throughout his body while walking simultaneously.


    After seeing minimal changes, Lloyd sighed and decided to do something he had been thinking of doing since the day they went to the de family''s.


    *Beep*


    The double doors before Lloyd opened up outwards. The sight of an enormous library was magnificent. The architecture was something else, making it look like one of those magic libraries.


    A giant ss ne with several designs on it upied one of the walls, allowing the light of the sun to shine through and create a beautiful spectacle. Since the sun seemed to be still rising, it created a warm yellow hue in the library that made it feel even more homely and magical than before.


    "And to think this is only the first year''s library." Lloyd muttered to himself, unable to imagine what the second and third-year libraries would look like.


    The library itself was surprisingly empty, but he should have expected such a thing. First, years don''t usually take anything seriously, unless they are already from poor backgrounds or have a military background and an image to uphold.


    "Well, I have all day to kill, so I might as well start now."


    It took about 10 minutes for Lloyd to find the section he was looking for, and another 10 minutes for him to find the book he wanted, or at least one that fit the criteria he had.


    While the library had many books, a lot of the ones that featured cultivation techniques, martial arts, certain styles, techniques, and more, all cost quite a lot of points, and so far, Lloyd was certain that no one in the first year had gained any.


    When Lloyd finally found a few free books on cultivation techniques, he want to one of the tables nearby and sat down. The books varied. Every cultivation technique was different in one way or another, yet they all practically fell into a few sections, and those sections eventually fell into certain categories.


    Body and core cultivation fell under mana cultivation. Killing intent, aura, bloodlust, etc., all fell under soul cultivation. Thest one was mind cultivation, but that was a lot moreplicated, and people usually didn''t go for it before the thirdmandment, and nor was Lloyd going to bother with it until he had more time on his hands.


    Mind cultivation was useful because it allowed someone to fight off maniption, made them more intelligent, and gave them a stronger will and a much more advanced control over their abilities, techniques, and spells. However, despite the drawbacks, Lloyd already had [4-dimensional thought] that made him have all that and more.


    His primary objective, for now, was to get the hang of core and body cultivation, so he would do those first before moving on to other things.


    [4-dimensional thought]


    Activating his ability, Lloyd began to read through the books at a speed that wasn''t humanly possible without mind cultivation.


    Body cultivation. The act of absorbing mana and circting it around the body, allowing mana to seep into the cells of the cultivator by destroying the cells and recreating them repeatedly, making their cells more and more powerful after every cirction.


    It was painful, of course. That was the cost of body cultivation, but it was practically worth it. Yet, Lloyd couldn''t really destroy his cells since he wasn''t technically made of cells.


    However, mana core cultivation was different, yet the same. All you had to do was strengthen the core through condensing the mana inside it... But that was the problem. Lloyd had already tried that through several different methods, yet no matter what he did, he couldn''t get it right, and he felt like the runes inside his mana core had something to do with it.


    Everything was different for Lloyd, but maybe what was holding him back was his human way of thinking... He could count on two hands the amount of sses that use both types of cultivations, and since he wasn''t even human anymore, he had to change his way of thinking into that of a void walker.


    And there was only one person he knew that could help him with that...

 Chapter 116 Classes [2] - Unarmed Basic Combat [2]

    ''That sounds a little wrong.'' Lloyd thought to himself before shrugging. Others didn''t have the same reaction as him, as some of the boys blushed, while some of the girls grunted, already knowing their instructor''s type.


    She would most likely be a brutish woman without sympathy for her students.


    ''These kids with a silver spoon in their asses won''t survive a single day with her.'' Lloyd inwardly chuckled as he remembered his close-to-never-ending stamina.


    As long as he had mana, he would never be tired.


    The woman before them stood tall at the height of 5ft 7, and her brown hair that slowly faded to blonde, barely ending at her shoulders. Her arms were extremely toned, while her six-pack abs showed due to her sporty wear covering only the top portion of her torso.


    She wore baggy pants that allowed her to move easily, and had her hands in her pockets in a rxed yet attentive posture.


    She radiated the aura of a veteran and a battle maniac simultaneously, giving off a sense that a single wrong look could get you beaten half to death by her.


    ''She''s a body cultivator?'' Lloyd thought, but when he felt her aura, he couldn''t help but think that she might also be a soul cultivator.


    "Oi, maggots? What are you staring at? stand up and ready yourselves..." She spoke almost threateningly, making everyone get into their fighting stances.


    Her eyes looked over the crowd for a moment as she assessed everyone.


    "Alright, now that I know your sses and your fighting styles, I''m going to assess your battle capabilities before splitting you into groups that will allow you to excel." She exined, making many grimaces.


    "But some of us mages, archers, or other sses that aren''t good in closebat. Hell, most of us don''t body cultivate, so how do you expect us to do as well as those who have all the advatages against us." A boy spoke up, his hearty manner of speaking being that of a higher family.


    He was one of the few people in the room who were from a higher family, yet despite expecting respect and an apology from their instructor, what he received instead was-


    *Swoosh*


    The instructor appeared in front of him with her leg held high as a solid kick mmed into his nose, sending him flying to the other side of the room.


    "You will do as I say..." She unleashed the full power of her aura for a split second, causing many of those around her with weak minds and wills to almost faint.


    However, while everyone felt dizzy, small, or even threatened by the aura, Lloyd felt a cold shiver run down his spine.


    It wasn''t because he was scared... Now... It was because he instantly felt his entire body and mind be engulfed with rage as a slither of killing intent threatened to leave his body.


    He could sense [monarch''s aura] scream at him to let it leave his body and engulf everything with its power, but Lloyd held it back.


    ''Her aura... It feels like Veronica''s.'' Lloyd thought, but his rage was snuffed out after a second inspection as a deep sigh left his mouth. Or, at least, it looked like it.


    ''No, they''re both warriors who had fought for years and killed many. Yes, it feels similiar, but that part is the part that feels simr in most people who have had the same lifestyle. The rest is different and unique to her.'' Lloyd thought.


    Aura''s were unique to everyone, the same way a magic signature is unique to a person. A magic signature may feel simr to someone else''s, but that only happens when they are using the same element or are of the same ss.


    The same could be said about auras.


    Feeling a slightly hostile gaze, their instructor turned around to see Lloyd with his eyes closed as he slowly withdrew the faint aura that escaped from him.


    ''So he''s Noah''s kid, huh... To have gone through so much at such a young age...'' She thought with a grin threatening to break out from the corner of her lips.


    ''He''s going to be a fine warrior.'' She thought.


    Walking to the front again, she began calling up individuals.


    "Attack me with everything you''ve got. You''re not allowed to use mana, though." She smiled menacingly.


    The boy frowned slightly, yet unlike the kids from the powerful and higher families, he did notin. He simply shot forward with everything he had and threw out a punch.


    *Tap*


    "..."


    "..."


    "Is that... really all you''ve got?" She asked, sounding genuinely disappointed by the disy she had just watched. She had stopped the attack with a single finger, causing the boy to look down in shame.


    "Instructor... Uhm..."


    "Rachel Kim..." She sighed.


    "Instructor Kim! I''m not even a body cultivator, nor do I have the ss to give a good fight." He tried to reason.


    "Then, when you are in the heat of battle and sitting on your ass behind your fellow soldiers, and someonees to attack you, what will you do?" She asked.


    "Well, the front line-"


    "The front line? How is the front line supposed to stop an assassin with the ability to be invisible? How are they going to stop a sniper bullet moving at the speed of light?" She asked, suddenly mming her foot into his gut, causing him to puke onto the floor before coughing heavily.


    "You need to learn to fend for yourself." She kicked up again, this time upwards and on the chin, causing him to fly up before falling onto the ground.


    "If you don''t, you might just die when that momentes." She snapped her fingers, and the vomit immediately disappeared with the use of the self-cleaning feature of the hall.


    "Next, you." She pointed at a girl with an impassive tone.


    "With this clothing?" The girl asked with a little bit of fear.


    "Oh yeah... I forgot." She scratched her temple and snapped her fingers again.


    Instantly, the clothes of everyone in the room began to morph.


    The girls had their skirts and stockings morph into something that looked like leather pants while their jackets and shirts underneath tightened slightly so they wouldn''t be a bother.


    The boys, on the other hand, had their clothes from a tight body suit that either showed off how muscr they were, or how unfit they were.


    "Once Y''all start earning points, you can customize your battle clothes." She shrugged and called up the girl again, who was a little more confident now that she didn''t have to fight in a skirt.


    This continued for several minutes, yet for some reason, just when Lloyd thought it was going to be his turn, she picked the person beside him, that looked even more confused than he was.


    However, they went up anyway, got their asses handed to them, and left right after.


    There were only about people left in the hall that hadn''t had their turn yet, and Lloyd, Luna, and Jay were three of them.


    Not many were spectating anymore since most of them had gone to the infirmary, but those who held on after her beating stayed to watch how well the rest would do.


    "You... Come here." She said with a weird smile while gesturing for him toe closer with her finger.


    ''Is she trying to court him or beat his ass?'' Lloyd thought after remembering that no one else had gotten such treatment from her.


    Lloyd had to admit, thought; the boy walking up had a killer glint in his eye.


    While Lloyd didn''t see it at first, he quickly realized that he was one of the youngest in the room, but not by much. While he was 17, the oldest person in the room was barely 20, and Lloyd assumed that it was the person before them.


    ''Mid-stage firstmandment...'' Lloyd thought as he analyzed him.


    *Boom*


    The boy... The man shot forward with everything he had. He wasn''t a boy anymore since everything from his age and stature said otherwise, so Lloyd had to think of him as a man instead.


    When the man shot forward, Lloyd could hear the aira breaking around him as he pierced through it with everything he had. In an instant, he was already in front of instructor Kim and had his arm cocked back, ready to send out a devastating punch.


    Yet, just like everyone else, his punch was stopped with a single finger.


    ''But his power...'' Lloyd thought, when he felt the shockwave.


    Despite not using any mana or abilities, his punch sent out a shockwave equal to the average peak firstmandment.


    "That''s more like it!" She roared out inughter while sending out a punch of her own. Since the man was in mid-air, he could not move or dodge in time, so he did the next best thing.


    mming his fist into the side of her iing arm changed the trajectory ever so slightly. It also gave him something to pivot off, allowing him to perform a backflip beforending it and sliding back a few meters.


    ''He''s a big of a brute, but that was impressive.'' Lloyd and Instructor Kim thought simultaneously, almost in sync with one another.


    The man shot forward again, but everyone quickly realized the w of his attacks.


    He only used his fists, and his attacks were too easy to read.


    A disappointed expression appeared on the instructor''s face and she dodged the attack and kicked him in to stomach, causing him to gasp out in pain as the air in his lungs forcefully left his body.


    Yet, just when she was about to call up the next person, she saw the man stand up with a determined smile on his face.


    "You are very strong willed. I like that." She grinned while walking over and standing over him.


    "Stand up..." She said, her eyes boring holes into his skull.


    The man stood up.


    "What is your name?" She asked for the first time ever since the ss had begun.


    "Beliar Alfug..." He gritted his teeth to stop the pain from affecting his performance.


    "Alright, Beliar Alfug... A lower middle ss capable ofing this far all on his own... Your name is worth remembering." She grinned, and just when he was about to attack again, she disappeared from where she stood, and appeared at his side with her fist deep into his abdomen, causing him to instantly lose consciousness.

 Chapter 117 Classes [3] - Unarmed Basic Combat [3]

    A few nurses walked in and dragged Beliar away. Seeing him leave the room with the nurses, Instructor Kim looked at the remaining five and a hungry and almost seductive grin.


    ''Oh shit... No wonder she reminded me of Veronica... She''s crazy!'' Lloyd thought with panic while his eyes darted around the room so he could find some way to escape.


    "You. Come here." She gestured with her finger again, causing the girl to furrow her brows slightly before walking toward her.


    The girl had blonde hair and fiery red eyes. She reminded Lloyd of someone, but he couldn''t put his finger on it.


    "The name is Haley Reinhart. And I''m going to make sure you remember it." She grinned as sparks of fire came out of her skin.


    "No mana usage." Instructor Kim narrowed her eyes.


    "This is a battle field, and there are no rules in the battle field!" She roared as her me-imbued mana coursed through her mana channels and into her muscles, skin, and body. Her skin began to glow a luminescent orange before mes engulfed her body, shot upwards, and descended onto Instructor Kim like a meteorite.


    ''Ah... I get it, she''s crazy too.'' Lloyd thought, having already prayed for the corpse she would undeniably be after breaking instructor Kim''s rules.


    "What you say is true..." Instructor Kim muttered, raising her finger and stopping Haley''s foot without a second thought.


    "However, among warriors, we have this thing we call etiquette and respect." She looked into Haley''s eyes through the mes, causing a shiver to go down the young girl''s back.


    Haley jumped back and created a spread in her hand without a second thought before throwing it at the instructor. However, despite seeing a spear of mes approaching her, she did not move.


    The instructor simply waited as the spear of mes mmed into her exposed abdomen, yet what Haley saw next made her chin fall to the ground.


    Not a single scratch... She waspletely unscathed.


    ''Damn... That was cool.'' Lloyd thought with with starry eyes behind his contact lenses.


    "Not only do you not have a single shred of etiquette in you despite being from a higher family..." instructor Kim took a step forward, her aura expanding out of her body, freezing Haley in ce.


    "I don''t have a single shred of respect for you either." She spat on the ground and disappeared from where she stood, leaving arge footprint on the ground before appearing behind Haley.


    "Your name is not worth remembering." She whispered into her ear before drowning her in her aura and causing her to faint.


    The nurses came back and silently took the girl away.


    "You,e here." She pointed at another boy that Lloyd didn''t recognize. He threw three punches before being beaten, but that was much better than the majority of the ss.


    The same thing urred when Jay was called up. Sure, he had the body for a closebat fighter, but he did not have the ss, the body cultivation, or the skill and technique it took to be one.


    "Jay Ludwig. You rely far too much on your abilities, ss, and mana to be a good closebat fighter. No matter how strong you are as a Dreamweaver, you are powerless when the person before you has a stronger mind than you." She exined, with a small nod before giving him a chop to the neck and knocking him out cold.


    "Alright... Only you two left now. Which one wants to go first?" Instructor Kim asked, making both Lloyd and Luna look at each other.


    Lloyd didn''t want to go first since he wanted to watch Luna in action. On the other hand, if he had gone first, there wouldn''t be that many people there to watch since most of them have been healed and are beginning to return.


    "Can we both go at the same time?" Luna asked, being one step ahead of Lloyd since he was about to ask the question as well; it was just that he was trying to weigh the pros and cons of doing so.


    "Uhhh. Sure? Why not? It''ll be more fun." She grinned, finally getting into a battle stance.


    "No mana... Come at me with the intent to kill." Her grin widened as she gestured for them toe at her, yet this time instead of using one finger, she used four.


    "Don''t hold me back, peasant." Luna snarled.


    "I could say the same thing to you, brat." Lloyd chuckled mockingly.


    *BOOM*


    As if they were inplete sync, both Luna and Lloyd shot toward their instructor.


    While Lloyd could have moved a lot faster, he was still surprised that Luna was moving at the same speed as him. If his knowledge was correct, the speed they were both moving at wasparable to a half-step secondmandment.


    Luna, on the other hand, was shocked. Lloyd was an initial stage firstmandment that had entered the same ss as her by some kind of miracle. She had tried to see if there was some kind of secret to him, but despite trying to analyze him, she could never see past his aura, and after a while, hismandment that she barely got a glimpse of.


    Not wanting to be outdone, Luna let out the full power of her killing intent, allowing a wave of crimson darkness to leave her body for a moment.


    Due to her young age, her killing intent wasn''t as powerful as hermandment, but it was still far from what the others from higher families could do.


    ''I guess I should have expected this from a person from a founding family.'' Lloyd thought.


    "Come on, Lloyd Elrod! Show me what you''ve got!" Instructor Kim taunted, making Luna widen her eyes and Lloyd narrow them.


    ''She knows his name...'' Luna thought with a scowl.


    Seeing that she was asking him to release some of his killing intent as well, he chose to release a small portion of it, flooding the hall with his killing intent that was barely stronger than Luna''s.


    Lloyd didn''t want to have too much attention on him, but what he failed to consider was the fact that Luna was technically a prodigy, while he was a nobody that sat on the first two rows.


    Even those who have entered dungeons found it hard to create a slither of killing intent despite one of the more obvious ways of improving killing intent being the act of going through several life-and-death battles.


    But for Lloyd, it was different.


    When he entered the void for the first time, he didn''t just fight to the death; he fought with everything he had until his final breath. He just got lucky that he was pulled out before his body and soul shut down, since it would have only taken a few more seconds for him to be killed despite his powerup at the end.


    The same could be said about his fourth void walk when he fought against the lightning monster that almost killed him.


    He was quite literally on the verge of death. He felt like blood was filling his lungs despite him not having both of those things. And then he used void channel, which restored him to his peak state before also trying to kill him again.


    And the final reason was simple... Because there was another way to increase the power of your killing intent, and that was through killing sentient beings, or more specifically to him, humanoids.


    The moment Lloyd executed Veronica, his killing intent skyrocketed in power. Now, even though he was trying to only send out tiny bits of what he had, his control over the improved killing intent wasn''t strong enough to make it weaker than Luna''s.


    The moment Lloyd''s killing intent washed over the hall, they all stood still, even stood still, more out of surprise than from the effects of the killing intent itself.


    However, Lloyd didn''t.


    sting forward, Lloyd appeared in front of her and threw a punch as strong as the punch of a mid-stage firstmandment.


    The instructor narrowed her eyes but still blocked the attack by crossing her arms over her chest in "X."


    However, the punch wasn''t aimed at her... It was a ruse to create momentum, and that he did.


    Stepping to the side, Lloyd''s punch hit thin air, yet it gave him to momentum to spin on his toes and perform a backheel roundhouse kick.


    Of course, instructor Kim saw the attacking. Yet, she was still impressed since it would have most likely fooled anyone who wasn''t as experienced as her, or anyone without the necessary reaction time to block the iing attack.


    But she had both of those things.


    Ducking under the kick, she threw an uppercut toward his chin, but she made sure to reduce its power and speed to that of a peak firstmandment.


    Lloyd, seeing this attacking, grinned. It instantly confused his opponent, but she quickly realized what was happening and was even more impressed.


    Luna was now behind her, havingpletely concealed her killing intent until the moment of the attack.


    Intending to chop her opponent in the neck, she sliced it through the air so quickly that it looked like a blur to most.


    Lloyd had already jumped back the moment he saw instructor Kim''s intention to uppercut him, and with the speed she was going at in that moment, it would be impossible for her to turn around in time to stop Luna''s attack.


    Or, at least, that''s what Lloyd thought, but he was quickly proven right.


    There was no need to stop the attack if you''d already nned for it, right?.


    Instructor Kim ced a hand on the floor and kicked backward with her left leg, which had already been in the correct position to perform this move.


    Lloyd''s eyes widened when he saw this, and he tried to dash forward to help Luna out. However, Luna had already dodged the attack by flipping over Rachel Kim and using her flip''s momentum to slice at their instructor with everything she had.


    Rachel Kim barely dodged the iing attack, but she found herself being attacked again quite quickly as Lloyd had reached her by then, his foot shooting toward her face at a speed that quite literally broke the sound barrier.


    ''Holy shit.'' she thought, quickly jumping out of the way of the kick, but now she had to deal with Luna, and since Kim was in mid-air, Luna had the advantage.


    Luna and Lloyd continued to attack their instructor with quick and cornering attacks that made it impossible for their instructor to fight back.


    Well, that was until she got bored of the same routine and decided to finish their little spar.


    Her power output didn''t change immediately, but her aura did.


    Dodging Luna''s attack, she quickly punched her in the gut with the power of a peak firstmandment before mming her palm into Luna''s side, causing her to fly toward one of the walls and crash into it.


    Seeing this, Lloyd instantly knew that she was now serious, but he was now in the middle of a dilemma. Does he continue fighting, or does he let her beat him up?


    Feeling her palm m into his chest, Lloyd got sted away and chose to stand down at that moment.


    He could have increased his power once more to see how strong he was against her without using any of his abilities, but that were far too many spectators, so he threw that thought out of his mind.


    Laying on the ground without saying a word, he simply listened to their instructor boast about her strength before he got up with a fake pained grunt and walked to his next ss.


    [Author''s note: Do not worry. The rest of the sses will take up a chapter at most! And the elemental sses will all be done in the same chapter]

 Chapter 118 Classes [4] - Rogue & Staff Combat

    After unarmed basicbat, not much happened in theory ss. The main points were simple, and almost everyone knew them. The ss they were currently in was clearly just a way to get those who were clueless a chance to catch up with the rest. It was a bit of an introductory lesson that exined the curriculum and the main events that will be held in the next term.


    Since everyone was already in the same ss for theory, too, they only had to leave the hall so it could reset back to a lecture hall, and since that was over now, Lloyd was certain that he wouldn''t have to see most of them until tomorrow.


    ''God, I wish no one from my tutorial is in rougebat ss...'' Lloyd thought.


    The first ss Lloyd had was Rougebat, a ss specialized toward those who have a rouge ss. While Lloyd was a bit of a heavy hitter and a tank when it came to closebat, he had to also keep up the facade of being an assassin.


    Of course, he had many abilities that helped him when it came to being an assassin, but he wanted to learn the art from a master rather than have to rely on his abilities to perform any assassin feats.


    In the future, too, Lloyd knew that the military and possibly even the adventurer''s association might ask him toplete a mission that was suited to his assassin ss, so he might as well add the rougebat ss into his arsenal of fighting styles.


    Walking into the hall, Lloyd looked around momentarily before sighing slightly.


    From what he understood, theory and unarmed basicbat were the only sses where everyone was stuck with the group from their tutorial ss in the morning. However, when he goes to other sses, people from D to A could go to the same ss, while S and X had their own separate sses.


    After having walked in, Lloyd couldn''t really tell who was from where.


    From what he understood, the averagemandment in his ss was about early to mid-stage firstmandment.


    Still, despite there being a fewte and even peak firstmandments in the ss, the averagemandment was initial to early firstmandment, and he was one of those people.


    Standing with the rest of the people in the crowd, Lloyd felt a sharp gaze lock on him once more, yet he had done this charade far too many times for him to not know who it was.


    She was a soul reaper, after all... What did he expect? Of course, she was going to be in this ss!


    A portal suddenly opened up in the middle of hall, and out of it came a man d in ck armor and a dark grey cloak.


    The man was powerful; everyone could see that.


    His dark aura expanded throughout the hall, causing many to shudder while others simply froze in ce.


    "Rougebat training. Over several years of training kids the same age as you guys, I''vee to realize that the best way to teach you how to be a good fighter is to enhance what you already know, orpletely demolish it an build you from the ground up." he exined before vanishing into thin air and appearing in the same ce a secondter, this time having ced a dagger in everyone''s hands.


    "The dagger is the basic weapon for a rogue. Some rogues like to use guns, snipers, or even their own abilities to create such things, but most use the dagger, or that''s at least the case with most sses." He exined while looking at the few people who he had ced a gun instead of a dagger in their hands.


    Lloyd looked at the dagger momentarily before ncing at Luna, who was doing the same thing.


    The dagger was nothing, really. It was weak, and could be easily considered a piece of crap. Yet, despite that, it was much better than the katana Lloyd had when he entered the eternal autumn dungeon.


    "Now, I''d like you to team up with someone of equal strength to you. During your spar, you are not allowed to use your elements of abilities. I want to see your raw roguebat abilities." The man said.


    Lloyd looked around and tried to walk to someone at the initial stages of the firstmandment too, but he felt a tug on his sleeve, was a re pierced and made him smile in self-pity.


    "What?" Lloyd asked, slightly annoyed.


    "Me, you, spar." Luna crossed her arms with an equally annoyed expression.


    "You know you can just leave me alone if you dislike me so much." Lloyd chuckled.


    "You''ve caught my eyes." She narrowed her eyes before continuing-


    "You should be honored that a peasant like you had caught the eyes of someone so much better than you, in every way." She boasted.


    ''Ah... This is why I don''t like her.'' Lloyd sighed after finally finding the reason why she ticked him off.


    She kind of reminded him of Lucy the first time he met her... But that shit was behind him now.


    "We aren''t the same strength though, so there is-"


    "Cut the crap. I saw you against instructor Kim. You are just a little weaker than me, and I am a prodigy!" She boasted once more.


    Lloyd looked toward their instructor with pleading eyes, yet his instructor didn''t react.


    "Alright, the person you''ve chosen will be your partner for the next two weeks. Make sure you get to know each other over the next few days." He spoke before walking to the back of the room and simply staring at us as if he was waiting for something.


    "Begin." He muttered after a couple of seconds, causing everyone to dash toward each other and begin sparring.


    The spar with Luna went as expected. Due to Lloyd''s power being way higher than hers, he was easily able to counter her attacks or even take then head-on without the fear of being hurt.


    However, Luna was a lot more nimble and precise than he was. She was also super flexible, allowing her to hit Lloyd withbos that he never thought possible without dislocating a limb or two.


    Luna moved with just as much expertise in the air, too, making what he thought was an advantage quickly turn into a disadvantage as he was forced to block multiple attacks from above while everything but her nimble feet was out of range.


    Their instructor went around and simply observed, yet he didn''t give them a single pointer on what to do and how to improve.


    The ss ended quickly afterward, making some grunt as they got off their asses and walked to their next ss feeling bruised all over.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    While the protection runes from the uniform protected them to a certain extent, it still made sure you felt the blunt impact of the attack you received.


    "Thank you for a being my punching bag." Luna chuckled mockingly as she left the ssroom, making several boys look at me with either pity or envy.


    Going to his staffbat ss, Lloyd recalled being forced to use the staff during hisst void walk, so he wasn''t about to let that drag him down again.


    *Ring Ring*


    Hearing a ring, Lloyd quickly looked at his watch, but he could not help but raise a brow when he saw who it was.


    ''Rosepetal?'' Lloyd thought before pressing ignore rather than decline.


    He remembered her calling him a few days after he left the dungeon and repeatedly after that. While he didn''t really want to talk to her, he also didn''t have the courtesy or time to do so. He had so much going on that talking to Rosepetal was thest thing in mind.


    ''If I think about it. Shouldn''t Trishaless be in the academy now too?'' Lloyd thought, remembering that she was a year older than him and most likely in one of the academies.


    Walking into his staffbat ss, Lloyd felt that something was different. No, it wasn''t different; it was just that all the attention was being centered around a single individual, making Lloyd instantly analyze them before raising another brow.


    ''On the verge of reaching the half-step secondmandment? Must be some kid from the A group.'' Lloyd thought before ignoring him and joining the student crowd and waiting for their instructor toe.


    When they finally opened a portal toe through, everyone''s eyesnded upon a bald man wearing the robes of a monk and holding a staff in his hands.


    His eyes were closed, and it didn''t seem like he had any intention of opening them any time soon.


    Tapping his staff onto the floor, he finally opened his mouth.


    "I am Instructor Chen Yung. If you wish to learn the art of staffbat, you must put blood, sweat, and tears into this ss. If you are in this ss for the extra credit or just to add another martial art to your arsenal, then I suggest you leave. The art of the staff is not for everyone." he exined, making many look at one another before one of them finally left quitely.


    Seeing that one had left, some of the others found the confidence to leave as well, making a ss that was filled to the brim now reduced to only ten people.


    ''Damn... That many people left just because he said something about working hard? What losers.'' Lloyd thought


    However, when the instructor approached him and pointed his staff at his forehead, he finally understood why they all left so quickly.


    "You have stayed, yet you are not a monk, nor are you a martial artist. Your ss has nothing to do with the staff, so tell me, what gives you the confidence to stand before me?" He asked, his voice reaching an almost threatening tone.


    "Confidence?" Lloyd mocked while looking him dead in the eyes... Or, technically, dead into his eyelids.


    "What is your ss?" The monk asked before Lloyd could continue.


    "Shadow assassin hybrid." Lloyd answered, causing everyone who wasn''t already looking at him to turn to their right or left and stare at him as if he was stupid.


    "What is your main weapon of choice..." The monk asked another question as a scowl appeared on his brows.


    "The katana." Lloyd answered without an ounce of shame in his voice.


    "You think the katana is like a staff?! The katana is the weapon of the-" one of the weaker boys roared, but he was quickly stopped by their instructor, who lifted his staff and pointed it toward the boy''s forehead.


    "Why do you want to learn the art of the staff?" The monk asked.


    Lloyd paused for a moment, thinking of what to answer him with, but eventually, he chose to answer truthfully. Or, to be specific, tell him half the truth.


    "I once stood before several monsters with no armor and no mana left in my body to be useful. My katana was broken, and my backup weapons were gone.


    However, in that moment of desperation, it wasn''t a sharp w of a dagger that I found in my hands; it was a staff. I can barely remember what happened afterward, but if it weren''t for the staff I was holding, I would have died.


    Despite it being a moment of desperation, that day, not only had I gained a new level of respect for the art of staffbat, but I also felt a connection to the weapon, as if it was a part of me... No, an extension of me. It was the same feeling I had when I first picked up the katana." Lloyd exined, making the monk raised his brows slightly, but barely enough for Lloyd to tell the difference.


    "Would you not rather learn about the katana instead? Would you not rather learn how to weave it like a master rather than learn a new weapon from scratch?" The monk asked with a little more respect in his voice.


    "I''ve been learning to to weave the katana for 15 years now, I think its okay if I try to learn another weapon." Lloyd chuckled, making the monk nod before turning around and walking to the front of the room.


    "I ept you as one of my students, but do not expect me to go easy on you just because you''re new to this." Instructor Yung spoke, making Lloyd nod with a determined smile.


    Of course, most of what he said was part of his facade, but if he wanted to survive his next void walk, he might as well get used to the staff since it could be the line between life and death for him.


    ***


    Council of Races - Albergia


    "There was clearly someone behind this attack! Are you telling me that despite standing right in front of the spatial tear the entire time, your soldiers didn''t even realize that the very spatial tear they were guarding was a one way portal to hell?" A man with cat-like ears and bronze skin mmed his fist onto the table, causing the entire ce to shake.


    "General! Control yourself!" Another man ordered.


    "I will not control myself until I find the person responsible for my daughter''s condition!" The general roared out in rage, causing several soldiers to appear and restrain him.

 Chapter 119 Pure Evil {1} - Kiss Of Death

    [Thank you Tyler_Hotker for your generous gifts]


    "What happened to your daughter is a tragedy, but at least thank the gods that she''s still alive. Half of her teammates died, and the rest are either also in aa or deeply damaged..." A man lizard man spoke, his voice as calm as a springke.


    "What about the boy?" A woman with bunny ears asked, making everyone look at her.


    "you know, the boy in the report? He survived despite being the weakest among them by a lot. He''s also the only one we can locate among the ones that have survived." The woman exined.


    "Are you saying that he might have had something to do with this?" A man with bright red hair and eyes asked. He lookedpletely human, yet there was something about him that unsettled everyone in the room.


    However, that was normal since he was by far the strongest person in the room, sitting on the main chair of the council hall and leading the meeting itself.


    The council hall looked like a normal hall. The seats and tables were arranged circrly, allowing everyone to see everyone.


    Each person had a banner in front of their table representing their faction, tribe, or race.


    And the red-haired man''s banner had simrities to the banners of the other humans in the room; his was a little redder and had the feeling of dragon hood.


    While the table had been extended to add seats for the victim''s families, the averagemandment in the room remained high, everyone in there being in the 4thmandment or higher, except a few of the victim''s families who were between the second and thirdmandment.


    The averagemandment throughout all of humanity was between the first to secondmandments, making everyone in the room elite, even those who were only in higher secondmandment or low thirdmandment.


    "I think you are wrong to assume that had something to do with it." A man with blue hair stood up. Grief could be seen on his face, but the man stood strong as his wife beside him simply looked down.


    "L might have died, but I wouldn''t dare think that the boy had to do anything with it.


    First off, he had awakened barely a few months before the dungeon appeared and only reached the initial stage of the firstmandment despite being there for three months.


    No matter how you look at it, he is far too weak to cause so much havoc on his own. However, don''t you think it''s right for us to listen to what he said?


    Even Rex Talon, a respected soldier, said the same thing. ording to their testimonies, Veronica Everdale was responsible for what happened, and the girl known as Tina Albert could barely save herrades despite using a final spell..." L''s father spoke, his voice seething with anger as he stared at the Everdales.


    "How dare you! We are grieving just like you! Our girl hasn''t returned home, and is possibly even dead, yet you point the finger at her just becuase she''s the only one who hasn''t been found!" a man with ck hair and red eyes roared out while pointing at the blue-haired man.


    "I am simply telling you what has been said in the testimonies. Which brings me to my second point. I cannot point the finger at Lloyd Elrod not only because the facts are against such a point, but because I know his parents, and his close family friends too.


    You know them too, correct?" He asked while looking at the Everdale family.


    "Of course, I don''t believe Lloyd has anything to do with it. His father is a hero who even saved us at times of need, and his close family friends are the des, and well know how powerful yet honorable they are. Their founder cared for humanity more than any other higher family, and I''m more than certain that his teaching have been left to Benjamin de too." The vampire snarled.


    Due to vampires living much longer than humans, Mr. Everdale was old enough to have known the founder of the de family personally, and they had even fought together during the war against the void walker.


    "Enough of this squabbling! We wille back next week to have a vote whether or not we want to bring Lloyd Elrod to the stand. This meeting is ajourned." The red-haired man announced before snapping his fingers and opening the portal behind him by using the runes embedded into the building itself.


    Everyone left the room quickly and didn''t look back.


    "How did it go, master?" A woman in a maid''s outfit asked while walking behind the Everdales.


    The maid had beautiful emerald hair that glistened in the hallway lights they were walking down.


    Her emerald eyes were also beyond beautiful. She was a natural seductress that was considered beautiful even among vampires.


    "Not as well as I hoped..." Veronica''s father sighed.


    "Will you be needing my services?" She tilted her head.


    "Yes, please." He smiled while they both entered his room.


    His son, who was with him during the council meeting, hadn''t spoken a single word and had left to god knows where, so on top of the stress and grief he had from losing his daughter, he had to also deal with his son that would simply not listen to reason.


    Due to all of it piling up, Veronica''s father had taken his maid as his lover. It was technically cheating by human standards, but for vampires who lived much longer lives, it was a normal act.


    Once they entered their room, they both went close to the bed. The maid sat down, and he leaned forward to kiss her the same way he had done for thest month... But this time, it was different.


    His kiss didn''tnd. Well, that was the least of his problems...


    As he looked down, his eyes widened when he saw his lover''s hand stabbed into his chest and tightly gripped around his heart.


    "I must say, you are quite dumb." The girl grinned, causing his stomach to churn.


    She spoke while leaning in and giving him a peck on his lips.


    Her hair began to morph, bing much straighter and darker, while her eyes went from emerald to a bright red. Her body morphed, too, bing taller and less petite by the second, morphing back to a figure resembling an hourss.


    "You have disappointed me for thest time..."


    She smirked as blood ran down her fangs.


    "Father."


    ***


    Lloyd found himselfying on his back and looking at the sky with a pained expression.


    No one told him that using a staff would be this hard... And no one told him that everyone else in that ss would be a master!


    "You sure you don''t want to leave this ss? You''re really bad at this. It feels like you have absolutely no talent in using the staff." The boy he was sparring lent his hand to help Lloyd get up.


    At first, Lloyd was certain that the boy would have been a pain in the ass and a kid from a higher family with a silver spoon in his mouth from the moment he was born.


    The boy was not only the most powerful in the room and possibly in all of A group, but he was also really skilled with the staff,pletely destroying Lloyd in every spar despite going easy on him.


    And to top it off, he wasn''t even from a higher family! He was a from a lower middle ss, making him not only not an asshole, but also super nice!


    His words were quite ruthless, though...


    "Thanks for the supportive words." Lloyd chuckled while taking his hand.


    "You keep using your staff like you would use a katana. Sure, you have the right stance, and you''re holding it from the middle instead of its end, yet mastering the staff is much more than that. Several martial styles are dedicated to using the staff, yet you are trying to make your own." The boy, Derek Cer, exined.


    "You try to move the staff at a speed that it can cut or damage, but it is much more than that.


    The staff is primarily a defense weapon. It can defend you from your enemy''s attacks, parry attacks, redirect spells, control and corner your enemy and his movements, attack with precise uracy, and, as you''ve seen, you can also immobilize or neutralize an enemy to knock them down or out the say way I did to you." He continued.


    Lloyd recalled back to how Derek had cornered his movements by using the staff''s long and short reach of the staff, using them as if they were one. And due to the amount of movement that was happening, Lloyd found himself unable to see the pattern of his movements, allowing Derek to sweep the staff under his feet before hitting him in the forehead and knocking him to the ground.


    "Alright... That will be all for today." Instructor Yung sped his hands and created a p to gain their attention.


    He quickly have feedback to everyone beforending on Lloyd.


    "And you, Lloyd, have a very long way to go. For tomorrow''s lesson, I want you to read up on a few martial styles for the staff. Understood?" He asked.


    "Yes sir!" Lloyd ced his arms to his sides in a soldier''s stance.


    After that, everyone quickly morphed their suits back to their uniforms before leaving.


    While some were simply going home since it was the end of the day, others went to bars, and the rest went to their elemental sses.


    Lloyd was lucky to have all of his sses in a row, but at the same time, it didn''t give him much time to rest.


    Other people, on the other hand, didn''t pick as many sses as Lloyd, so they had an hour or two between thepulsory sses and the evening ones.


    Walking into one of the sses, Lloyd looked around momentarily with an aloof expression. But that''s when he saw her... Luna was standing before their roguebat ss instructor with a scythe in one hand and a ball of dark energy in the other.


    Looking down at his watch, Lloyd widened his eyes slightly.


    "Shit... I''mte."

 Chapter 120 Classes [5] - Elemental Classes & Tactical Taekwando

    Lloyd quickly hid himself among the students, and while the instructor might have caught anyone else trying to do what Lloyd just did, he not only had his hands full with Luna, but due to Lloyd''s passive abilities, control over his aura, and a little bit of shadow maniption, the instructor had no idea Lloyd had entered the room.


    Hell, if his parents couldn''t tell, who was hepared to them?2


    Lloyd watched as their instructor jumped several meters back and looked at Lune passively.


    "Attack me with all you''ve got." He said, his hands going behind his back.


    "Sure..." Luna gave him a grin that sent a shiver down even his spine.


    That wasn''t the grin of a child. That was the grin of a psychopath.


    ''He wants us to disy our prowess and control over our darkness affinities, or all the affinities that link to darkness. Since I have a shadow affinity, not darkness, my attacks won''t be as strong as Luna''s or anyone else with a darkness affinity, but it should do for now.'' Lloyd thought.


    Luna quickly through a ball of dark energies toward their instructor, and once they reached a certain distance from him, they exploded.


    A massive cloud of dust was kicked up, yet the instructor cleared it instantly with a single step forward, allowing everyone to see that not a single scorch mark or scratch was left on him.


    "Is that all you''ve got?" He narrowed his eyes in an expression that no one decypher. On the other hand, his words were so clearly filled with contempt and mockery, yet Luna didn''t react.


    She had full control over her emotions, after all.


    Stomping on the ground, she instantly created several shadow clones that looked exactly like her in every way, but the only difference with them was their power.


    Feeling their mana flow, Lloyd could instantly tell which one was the real one amongst the several shadow clones, and he knew the instructor could too.


    The shadow clones all ran toward the instructor with their scythes in hand and began to attack him with everything they had. They worked in a perfect symphony of attacks, all working together with one mind, protecting and attacking with one another in a way that made them have almost no weak spots in their attacks.


    Seeing that all of them were clones, the instructor turned into a blur for a moment, before returning to how he was before, but this time, his feet had sunk half an inch into the ground, and all the clones around him had been shredded into pieces.


    However, while everyone else saw nothing but their instructor turn into a blur for a millisecond, Lloyd''s eyes had widened as he had just seen the instructor reach for his weapon and sh all the clones around him into hundreds of pieces.


    Of course, Lloyd only saw the grabbing of his knife clearly, but the rest was beyond a blur. It was as if the entire thing had happened in the same instant.


    "Alright, that will be all. Next." He said emotionlessly, causing Luna to grit her teeth and leave the hall.


    "Oh? Are we allowed to leave right after our turn?" Lloyd asked the person in front of him, who jolted at his touch due to not expecting anyone behind her.


    "O-Oh... Yeah. We can just leave once we''re done. Apparently, he just wants to see how good we are before out next ss."


    ''Well, I guess that makes sense.'' Lloyd thought before thanking the girl.


    This went on for a bit longer. Lloyd had to admit, though, everyone else''s control over their element was pathetic at best.


    There weren''t many there, to begin with, either. Only around 10 individuals in the ss who even had an affinity linked to darkness, and they all seemed like they didn''t know what they were doing, or like Luna, didn''t have enough time to show the instructor their full capabilities.


    Until there were only two people left.


    "State your name, ss, andmandment. " The instructor ordered.


    "Naomi Xandaer, Necromancer in the peak of the firstmandment, sir!" She shouted. She had bright green hair and a pair of obsidian emerald eyes.


    "A necromancer? There is no need to show me your prowess, then. You''ll be given a personal tutor." He exined, causing Naomi to widen her eyes before cheering to herself while walking out of the ss.


    ''Well... Just me now.'' Lloyd sighed.


    "Lloyd El-"


    "Lloyd Elrod, Shadow assassin hybrid, and the initial firstmandment who finished 7th ce in your star system during the foundation entrance ceremony, a survivor of an inteary dungeon despite several secondmandments dying, and has shown the prowess of someone with one to three topaz seals.


    Furthermore, he declined several invitations to join the foundation years from the best academies, the son of Noah and Olivia Elrod, and is now, also,te for my ss."


    ''Stalker...'' Lloyd thought.


    However, a smile broke out on his face as he got into a fighting position.


    "Come at me with everything you''ve got. Only use your shadow affinity though." his smirk widened.


    "I don''t really have a weapon right now..." Lloyd scratched the back of his neck.


    "Then I wont use mine either." The instructor shrugged.


    "Alright, you asked for it." Lloyd lowered his posture and got ready to attack.


    [Shadow expansion]


    Lloyd''s shadow expanded out for 20 meters.


    [Shadow wings]


    Using the shadows on the floor, Lloyd quickly created a pair of wings and expanded them out, causing a gust of wind to shoot past his instructor.


    [Shadow arrows]


    Several arrows shot out of Lloyd''s wings before locking onto the instructor and shooting toward him at maximum speed.


    [Shadow ws]


    [Shadow enhancement]


    With a p of his wings, Lloyd was already in front of his instructor, yet despite having lowered his power to someone on their third topaz seal, the instructor had a very easy time dodging the attacks despite their speed.


    This battle went on for another half an hour, yet by the end of it, it was Lloyd on the floor with his instructor''s foot on his chest.


    "You''re pretty strong. Honestly, I think your talent could take you to the B group if your tried to make a case for yourself... I but I suggest you don''t."


    "Why is that?" Lloyd grunted.


    "You''re not very good at using your weapons. While the sses in the B group might have more resources than the sses in the C group, I truly think you''re going to learn more in your ss than anywhere else. Plus, C-group people like you are pretty much invisible to anyone in the B group or higher. And from what I''ve seen, you don''t want to expose your strength." He shrugged.


    "Thank you for the advice instructor ck hair." Lloyd thanked.


    "..."


    "What?"


    "It''s instructor ck..."


    "Oh. I didn''t know what to call you so I just went for your most defining feature."


    *sigh*


    Lloyd quickly went to his fire affinities ss, his next ss, and then to his lightning affinities ss right after, yet they weren''t as interesting as his darkness affinities ss. Nothing notable happened in them.


    Everyone introduced one another, and by the end of it all, the instructor had practically exined how everything would go for the next term.


    Thest ss was tactical taekwondo, but Lloyd was far too bored to pay any attention to it...


    Or at least that was before he was who the instructors were going to be.


    Yes... Instructors.


    "Oh, crap." Lloyd cried out when he saw instructor Kim. However, a smile appeared on he turned around when he saw instructor Yung standing right behind him despite previously being standing right next to instructor Kim a moment ago.


    "Where you do you think you are going, young Lloyd." He asked.


    "Why are there two of you teaching this ss?" Lloyd avoided his question.


    "Over a two hundred students decided to take this ss. We will be splitting you into two groups and going on from there." He smiled before grabbing Lloyd by the back of his cor and dragging him to the crowd before disappearing.


    Once instructor yung returned to the front, he finally spoke.


    "Me and Kim here will be taking charge of your sses. You will be split into two groups, half of you with me, and half of you with here. However, we will be swapping between us every week so you can try out both teaching methods."


    The rest was like a boot camp. Lloyd was unlucky enough to end up in instructor Kim''s ss for the week, and despite being much better than everyone else in the ss, he suffered just as much as everyone else.


    After tactical taekwondo, he went to the library and stayed there until midnight, where he tried and failed to cultivate his body with the shadow, fire, and lightning elements, and failed to cultivate his core.


    The days passed by quite quickly. The sses were hitting his psyche a little hard since they were 8 hours of nothing but learning and training, but after a while, he had gotten the hang of it.


    And then the weekend came, and after a week''s worth of frustrations, a dangerous and possibly life-threatening idea came to mind.


    ''Since I''m a void walker... and my body has evolved to that of a void walker after i broke through to the firstmandment, what if the reason for my stagnant growth isn''t because I suck, but instead a product of my void walker body rejecting normal mana?'' Lloyd thought.


    ''To cultivate my body, I theorize that simply activating the void rune in my core to turn my mana into void-tainted mana might be enough to do the trick, but at the same time, if I want to cultivate my body faster or even cultivate my core, I have to do what I''ve been doing since day one, and that was to kill monsters and absorb their energies...'' Lloyd thought.


    While he had no idea how he was supposed to do such a thing while he was stuck in the military academy, he knew that it would most likely be the only way for him to cultivate again...


    For now, though...


    ''Let''s see how well my body can hide the fact that I''m cultivating with void mana...''

 Chapter 121 Reunion [1]

    ''Let''s see how well my body can hide the fact that I''m cultivating with void mana...''


    Lloyd closed his eyes and activated the void rune inside his mana core. It took less than a second for him to feel his mana being tainted by the void rune, and in the next moment, he began to circte it around his body.


    He knew that due to his nature as a void walker, he would never be able to cultivate the same way others did with normal mana, and after remembering the runes, he had on his skin when you used [Aspect of Void], he understood something else too.


    This whole time he was trying so hard to appeal to his human side and his human cultivation, but even after everything that had happened, it was hard to ept that he was no longer human, and the same could be said for his body.


    The skin on the outside is a shell, and it is considered nothing but a shell or another piece of material. It cracks like any other armor or weapon, and to temporarily enhance his body, Lloyd had to use an ability that temporarily inscribed a rune on his shell.


    Of course, Lloyd had no idea what it would mean for him if he were to break away from his shell, and Null didn''t seem very willing to tell him if his silence were to say anything about his opinion on the matter, but that was a problem for another day.


    The reason normal mana didn''t do it is the same reason as to why Lloyd feels at home when he goes through a teleportation procedure, or even a portal. Void walkers live in the void.


    They sustain themselves off the void''s energy, and they have evolved that way, too, recing their need for mana with their new need for void energy.


    As Lloyd sat crosslegged in the library and felt the void-tainted mana course through him, he felt whatever was below his shell squirm in nourishment and excitement.


    It was a feeling of rxation and invigoration that channeled itself into his body, and for once, he could feel a significant increase in cultivation. However, he quickly stopped himself when he felt something else.


    "Shit... Even though it doesn''t break down my cells and recreate them, the still seem to seep through my shell." Lloyd thought with a frown before another idea came to him.


    Putting all the books back to where he found them, he returned to his room and sat in the lotus position on the floor before closing his eyes.


    The shadow under him began to slowly expand, before his body suddenly sunk in, and the size of the shadow shrunk again.


    His roommate was already asleep, but Lloyd didn''t want to risk it, so he blocked the mana flow from entering or leaving his shadow.


    ''This will take longer, but it should be the safest way. I can use the mana I  already have in my core to cultivate my body; when I run out, I leave and absorb some normal mana, taint it again and return to my shadow realm.'' Lloyd thought.


    Closing his eyes again, Lloyd circted his void mana throughout his body until he was done with it.


    However, there was a problem. He didn''t know whether it was due to the fact that he had really advanced mana vessels to circte the mana around his body, or the fact that void mana was used a lot faster than normal mana. Still, he could feel his body siphoning his mana away in less than 30 minutes.


    When Lloyd was finally done with the amount of mana he had left that wasn''t powering his [Shadow movement] ability, he simply looked into the abyss before furrowing his brows.


    He had gotten two forms of mana cultivation. Body and core were the two options, but he didn''t understand how it would workter on. He''d be forced to create his first seals in the secondmandment, but he didn''t understand how exactly he was supposed to do so.


    Would he need 10 topaz seals on both his core and his body to reach the amethyst seal, or did he just have to have 10 in total like everyone else? And when he reached the thirdmandment, you usually solidify your choice of cultivation by either entering the thirdmandment by creating an iron body, or an iron core.


    What were his advantaged over others? Or has he already found his advantages over others? People with body cultivation usually pursued a martial art or a martial style directed toward their elemental affinities, like an elemental monk or a magic swordsman.


    They use their bodies to conjure their abilities, techniques, and skills. A mage would manipte the elements around them to create a spell or activate an ability. However, while they both have their advantages, they are usually about equal in power since one is much better at long-range explosive high, powered battles, and the other is really good at closebat.


    Lloyd left his shadow for a few minutes to replenish his mana reserves before diving in again to do the same. Still, he knew such a method wouldn''t hold up for long, especially not after he reaches the secondmandment since his void walker attributes should only increase the stronger he gets.


    The only way for him to properly cultivate was to either kill something, or to get it straight from the source.


    ''I haven''t had a void walk in a while, huh...'' Lloyd thought while going up for mana again. He repeated this cycle a few more times until he saw the sun finallye up, and since it was a Saturday now, his roommate only woke up at about 10am.


    "Can''t believe you''re already awake... Again. It''s the weekend. Can''t you chill a little?" Jay asked with a sigh.


    "I''m trying to catch up to you, monsters. At the rate you''re going at, Jay, I don''t even think we''re gonna be in the same ss next term." Lloyd replied, not bothering to open his eyes.


    He was replenishing the mana he had used in the shadow realm. While it would have been considered a long task that could possibly take another half an hour atplete concentration, for Lloyd, it barely took him a couple of minutes due to the sheet absurd amount of mana channels he had in his body.


    "You want to go out for breakfast. Me and some of my friends from ss are going to go and eat." Jay offered.


    "Nah, I''m good." Lloyd replied, yet this time Jay wasn''t going to have no for an answer.


    Throughout the entire week, people of all social sses have been either trying to butter him up or beat his ass. Due to his good looks, all the women from powerful families have been trying to get with him, while all the guys have been either trying to beat him up or join his friend''s circle.


    However, when it came to Lloyd, he was one of the very few exceptions. He didn''t butter up to Jay due to his Dreamweaver ss despite being his roommate, and he didn''t treat him any different from how he would treat other people.


    Hell, both of them weren''t even technically friends since Lloyd never bothered to talk to Jay outside of their dorms. Seeing this, Jay felt the need to change the situation, which was why he walked up to Lloyd, grabbed him by the back of his cor, and dragged him to the canteen with him.


    It was a little awkward since they weren''t close enough for Jay to do such a thing, but since Lloyd hadn''t eaten anything in a week, he didn''t mind eating. Plus, this way, he didn''t have to use his legs to get to the canteen since Jay dragged him around.


    "You know you can use your legs now, right?" Jay asked.


    "Eh... Its a lot more convenient to have you drag me around everywhere." Lloyd shrugged, causing Jay to sigh in annoyance.


    Lloyd finally decided to stand when they got to the vending machine.


    Jay quickly tapped the screen a few times to choose his food option before getting his food on a tray and stepping back. When Lloyd looked at his food option, he could not help but widen his eyes at the fact that the food was free, or at least the rmended amount was. If anyone wanted more food or less healthy options, they would have to pay using military points, something no one in the first year of the academy had.


    Lloyd quickly got whatever tasted the nicest before following Jay to his table and sitting down, not bothering to look at the rest of the people on the table who were staring at him weirdly.


    "Why is this bastard sitting with us." A girl with dull golden eyes and ck hairined, her voice oozing with annoyance.


    "Luna is right. Why did you bring thismoner here!?" A girl with blonde hair and fiery eyes asked out of anger rather than annoyance.


    "Haley, be nice." A boy with dark brown hair and a muscr build tried to calm the blonde girl down.


    "Don''t tell me to calm down, Beliar! I am calm. I just don''t like it whenmoners try to mingle with us." She harrumphed.


    "You know I''m from a lower-middle ss family, right?" Beliar asked while scratching the back of his neck.


    "Still not amoner." She spoke, yet this time her voice was a little quieter.


    ''Are they dating?'' Lloyd asked himself while looking between the blonde-haired girl and the dark brown-haired boy.


    While Lloyd didn''t want to bother looking up, when he heard several familiar voices, his curiosity got the better of him.


    On the table sat 5 of the final 6 students who fought against their instructor Rachel Kim, including him.


    "Lloyd is my roommate. I brought him along since this guy never leaves his room..." Jay narrowed his eyes at Lloyd with a mix of pity and disappointment.


    "When was thest time you touched grass bro?" Jay asked.


    "I''m not sure. Maybe three weeks?" Lloyd answered while putting a piece of omelet in his mouth.


    It tasted really good, but Lloyd missed the good old days when he could feel full or at least digest food properly instead of disintegrating it the moment it went through his through.


    "It was more of a... Nevermind." Jay sighed.


    Lloyd continued to eat his breakfast in silence while thinking about random things, from the color of his hands to how he was going to get void energy to cultivate his core.


    ''Maybe I can taint the mana with void energy and circte it around my core for a bit until I can finally kill something?'' Lloyd thought, but quickly threw the idea away.


    The core was a delicate thing that should not be damaged no matter what. While he was a void walker, and his core was quite different from others due to its location and mana channels, it was still a core, and he was unwilling to risk it.


    The rest of the people at the table talked about random things, but they all had their ''thing,'' per se. Haley was loud and angry at everyone but Beliar, who she seemed to be flirting with, Beliar was always humble and nice, but he clearly had another side to him when he fought, which became more than evident when he remembered back to him fighting against their instructor.


    Jay was neutral regarding many things, but he was clearly the life of the table, while Luna felt like the most normal out of them despite her frequent monotone voice and emotionless polite smiles.


    Lloyd didn''t mind this. He spoke asionally but was always shut down by either Luna or Haley, who both seemed to have something against him.


    Yet, the harmony quickly broke when he heard a familiar voice call for his name.


    "Lloyd?"


    Looking around, Lloyd saw a petite bronze-skinned girl with ck hair and brown eyes looking at him with a wry grin on her face.


    "Fatima?"

 Chapter 122 Reunion [2] - Small Breakthrough

    "Fatima?" Lloyd eximed in surprise, something he himself didn''t understand since the chances of her going to the military academy were high.


    After all, Mr. Khan, the man who had adopted her, was a military man and a general in the army.


    "What, didn''t expect me here?" Fatime asked with a little bit of pride in her voice, as if the memories of her trial hadpletely disappeared, not that Lloyd was even aware of her trials.


    "No... I should have seen iting." Lloyd shrugged before Fatima shoved him over and sat right next to him.


    Everyone on the table took a quick scan of her core and body cultivation and widened their eyes.


    While some widened their eyes because they didn''t expect someone like Lloyd to know someone like Fatima, others were simply surprised to see someone as strong as she sit with them to eat rather than mock them for their weakness.


    "You''re a half-step?" Lloyd asked with a tinge of surprise.


    "Yep. One more shove and I''ll be in the X ss." She grinned.


    "How!?" Lloyd asked, simply shocked that she could reach the half-step secondmandment in such a short time.


    "Me, Mr. Khan, and a few of my siblings went into one of our privately owned dungeons and trained there for about two years.


    But you''re one to talk. I expected you to at least be in A Group, but with thatmandment, there''s no way you''re not in D Group." She spoke with disappointmentced in her voice.


    "Eh... I had a few problems to deal with." Lloyd smiled, and Fatima knew exactly what he meant since she had asked about him after she hade back from the dungeon.


    "Yeah. I was a little worried you might have died after, you know..." She narrowed her eyes, not knowing if the people he was sitting with knew about the dungeon break he was a part of.


    "I think you expected a little too much from this bastard. He''s a weakling. I don''t even know how he got into our ss." Haley sneered.


    "We''re in the C group by the way." Jay sighed at Haley''s rudeness and shook Fatima''s hand before introducing everyone to her.


    "Lloyd doesn''t usually sit with us because he''s a workaholic who forgets to eat and sleep. I had to drag him here today." Jay sighed like an exhausted single mother of 10.


    "So you''re Fatima Khan? I''m assuming you''re one of Mr. Khan''s adopted children." Luna asked with the same stoic expression as always.


    "Yep. He''s adopted many kids without homes, so we''re more like an orphanage than a family." Fatima joked.


    "What''s the S group like?" Lloyd asked after everyone finishedughing.


    "Eh. There''s only one ss, and there are only about 50 of us in that ss. Most of them are kids from higher families, some are military-born kids, and very few of them are extremely talented kids from any other social ss." She shrugged.


    They continued to talk like this for a while as they ate. Lloyd and Fatima caught up pretty quickly since they couldn''t talk about the dungeon right in front of the others, but they made sure to exchange contact details before leaving to do whatever they were going to do that day.


    Lloyd left for the library like always, while the rest had fun going to parties, drinking quite irresponsibly, or even sparring with each other for fun.


    People in this day and age no longer had time for regr sports. Sure, some sports based themselves around using their abilities, elemental affinities, and sses to win a game, but all the sports people needed now were sparring and dueling.


    Power, skill, and talent were everything now. Putting a ball into a hoop was nothing. Shooting a ball across a stadium was child''s y. People wanted to show their power and dominion. Their intelligence and skill.


    It is one of the main reasons why strategy games, fighting tournaments, martial art tournaments, and so many other ''sports'' had be popr.


    It''s why the entrance ceremonies are one of the empire''s biggest yearly entertainments.


    However, Lloyd, too, had no time for all of those. For the next month, Lloyd spent it all reading, cultivating, training, attending ss, and repeating the same thing the next day.


    He made sure to go to breakfast, lunch, and dinner with Jay every weekend so he wouldn''t lose his mind from theck of interaction.


    He also made sure to hang out with Fatima every 3 days since her positive mood always rubbed off on him and allowed him to go a few more days without copsing in on himself.


    Spending so much time with himself always ended badly for Lloyd. Sure, he would rather be working and training, but it was good for his mental health.


    Spending more than 12 hours with no one to talk to but himself usually threw him down a horrible rabbit hole of depression as he would be reminded of all the friends he had lost during the dungeon break, and how he could have stopped it if he had just revealed himself sooner.


    But he also knew that such a thought was illogical, yet it didn''t help.


    He knew that it would probably be for the best if he had taken a little time to deal with their deaths, yet he had no one to talk to it about.


    Tina was in aa and was probably going to suffer the same grief whening out of it; Rex was long gone, and Hime would probably betray him if she ever woke up, and his family wasn''t with him right now...


    And the worst part of it all was the fact that he could still feel faint lingering feelings for Veronica inside him, as if her maniption tactics had surpassed her death itself to make sure he suffered the maximum amount of torture possible.


    Yet Lloyd had stayed strong the entire time, and now that a month had passed since the moment he first learned how to cultivate his body with the void energy, it was finally time for him to make a small breakthrough.


    Sitting cross-legged inside his shadow in the middle of his empty room circted mana around his body, shattering his pieces of his shell and recreating them strong than ever.


    Body cultivation, just like core cultivation, was usually put into 4 stages. To take a person from initial to early firstmandment, one needed to destroy their skin and recreate it stronger than ever with the element of your choosing.


    After recreating their skin, they would go on to their organs, muscles, and finally, their bones, adding the elements of their choosing into those too. After that, they do all of it simultaneously until they break through to the secondmandment. Of course, the problem for Lloyd was simple. He didn''t have any of those.


    While Lloyd would have loved to add an element in there, the process was way too slow already, so he didn''t bother. Plus, he didn''t like the idea of limiting himself to an element that wasn''t the void one.


    As he had seen before, the void element is capable of enhancing other elements, like his lightning or fire affinities. They be either void lightning or void mes.


    He could do the same with shadows, but he hadn''t seen how the amplification worked with that since he didn''t understand the shadow affinity enough to control it and use it to the extent other professionals had shown, L being one example.


    All he knew was the shadows had a sentience of their own, but it didn''t make sense to him no matter how many books he read on the subject.


    To make matters worse, the books in the libraries weren''t very helpful since the good ones needed points, something they would only get after the end of the term.


    Anyway, Lloyd continued to cultivate until he felt like his shell had been fully cultivated to a good standard. When this happened, Lloyd felt the mana cirction slow down, as if it had be heavy and hard to push through.


    It was the sign that told him he was about to break through.


    With everything he had, he used the limits of his aura and will to push as hard as he could.


    He stayed like that for several minutes. He could feel the mana pushing against him as if it was screaming for him to stop.


    The seal Lloyd had put on his shadow was forcefully broken as mana gushed in way too fast for any of it to leave his shadow.


    His shadow realm immediately felt rich with mana as it all circted around Lloyd, turning into void mana the moment it reached within two meters of him before being sucked into his core and pumped throughout his mana veins, forcing it to be circted around his body.


    It was as if the mana was being forced into his shell. And just when the mana began to seep out of his skin like a cloud of purple smoke, he heard a crack.


    The crack echoed throughout the shadow realm as Lloyd''s eyes opened wide.


    Before he could fully understand what was happening, the outer portion of his shell shatteredpletely for a moment.


    Void energy shot out as well, sending a powerful shockwave that sent fluctuations through the shadow realm, but not enough to leave it.


    Whaty below his shell was a cosmic essence, yet one darker than the abyss around him.


    If the shadow realm was space, the body beyond Lloyd''s skin was a ck hole that no light could escape.


    Yet, that only remained for a few moments as the pieces of his shell came back together over his skin, recreating his shell once more with the mana that was circting around him, putting it together like a puzzle piece before sowing the pieces together with a powerful thread.


    In an instant, Lloyd was whole again, yet despite having been shattered to pieces seconds ago, he had never felt so powerful before.


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 123 Golden Platter [1]

    Lloyd checked his core really quickly to see if hismandment had changed for that too, but as he had suspected, his core''smandment remained the same despite his body having ascended a stage.


    Lloyd sighed in relief when he left his shadow and saw that no one was in his room. It was quitete already, as the time had reached midnight, but Lloyd knew that Jay probably wouldn''t return until the morning since it was a weekend.


    Jay had a habit of staying outte. Due to his looks and personality, he was a natural yboy that many girls in the academy found hard to resist, but it was Lloyd who had to deal with the brunt of the problems. Jay tended to bring girls to their room asionally, and Lloyd would be forced to leave.


    However, this time it didn''t seem like it would be the case, so instead of continuing to cultivate like he usually did, he got up and left his room.


    Walking toward the source of the noise, he looked at the hundreds of students drinking and partying with a hint of disdain.


    While Lloyd never understood why people drank and partied, now that he had awakened and was using all his waking hours to cultivate, he could not help but feel a tinge of hatred toward the kids who were wasting their times at the academy with things like these.


    But he wasn''t there for the party, nor was he there for the drinks. Instead, he was looking for someone.


    "There you are." Lloyd muttered while weaving throughout the crowd to reach his destination.


    Even touching the students around him would have made him feel filthy, so he made sure that he maneuvered between them like a snake with a fear of contact.


    When he finally reached his destination, he scrunched his nose and tapped her shoulder.


    "Oi." Lloyd called out to her.


    Fatima slowly turned around to Look Lloyd in the eye. She was clearly drunk out of her mind, and the annoyingly loud music wasn''t helping his situation.


    When she finally saw him, she narrowed her eyes slightly before widening them and shouting-


    "Holy shit! L-Lloyd left his room!"


    All her friends turned to see what she was talking about, but when they saw Lloyd next to her, they couldn''t help but grin slightly.


    "Oh, man... If he wasn''t your boyfriend, I would have definitely stolen him from you." One of the girls snickered


    ''Why does everyone always assume that I''m dating someone? Do I look like someone who has the time for a social life?'' Lloyd asked himself while dodging everyone close to bumping him.


    "And he sure is a handsome too." Another girl suddenly came from behind him, causing Lloyd''s senses to scream at him the moment her hand touched his shoulder.


    "Get off." Lloyd''s voice turned cold as he turned to her and looked into her eyes with a gaze filled to the brim with disgust. A string of killing intent seeped out of him involuntarily, causing the girl to go slightly pale while taking a step back.


    "Damn, sheesh. Take a chill pill man." The girl raised her hands up in surrender, suddenly feeling her stomach churn due to the effects of Lloyd''s killing intent. Yet it wasn''t just her who was affected. It was everyone within a meter of him, Fatima included.


    Turning to Fatima again, Lloyd finally asked-


    "Can I borrow your extra hours in the gym? It''s the end of the week, so your hours are going to be reset. I''ve already used up all of mine." Lloyd asked.


    Fatima was a little surprised by the strength of his killing intent, to the point she had be semi-sober the moment she felt it seep out of him.


    Despite it only being a small percentage of what his full killing intent was capable of, it was still terrifyingly powerful, but it made sense to her since she knew what happened in the dungeon... Well, she at least knew the military report side of it.


    Lloyd had never chosen to expand on her knowledge of what happened, but she never asked him to, either.


    "Sure." She sighed and tapped her watch with his, sending him her remaining hours in the gym.


    "Are you sure you don''t want to stay for a while? You can get to know people from other sses. Hell, maybe you''ll find a-"


    "If you say girlfriend I''m going to skin you alive and put you into a container filled with lemon juice." Lloyd said with full seriousness. Of course, he was joking, but everyone other than Fatima felt a shiver go down their spines.


    "You do you I guess." Fatima chuckled before shrugging and turning around.


    Lloyd quickly left the cesspool that was the party and quickly moved toward the gym after cleansing his clothes.


    When he entered, he saw only one other person.


    "Not surprised to see you here?" Luna sneered.


    "Neither am I. You are the most anti-social person I know." Lloyd chuckled.


    "I could say the same to you, peasant." She harrumphed while kicking one of the dummies back and throwing a darkness energy ball at them.


    It was a basic spell that used the [Darkness Maniption] ability of hers, but the moment the energy ball touched the dummy, a loud explosion echoed throughout the gym ball was a shockwave shot out in every direction before being stopped by the gym''s runes.


    "Maybe You''ll improve when you fight something that can actually challenge you." Lloydmented.


    "Is that a challenge?"


    "Nope. Just an observation." He chuckled.


    The military academy gym was pretty advanced. However, the quality of the gym depends on your group rank. Since Lloyd was in the C group, the gym for him was limited to weight and cardio training, as well as fighting dummies up to the secondmandment.


    Sections like the virtual reality pods and the mana-rich cultivation rooms were closed off to people like him, so he had to use what he had.


    Entering one of the training rooms, a screen shed in front of Lloyd, appearing out of thin air.


    The section of the gym he was currently in looked more like one of his halls than a gym. It was split into dozens of different sections, each one of them being around 100x100 meters, being a little bigger than a football pitch.


    The gym itself was enormous, and even though this part of it was one of the major reasons why it was so big, the gym barely took 5% of the entire campus.


    "Incognito." Lloyd muttered, causing the ss of his small section to quickly turn into one-way ss. While it was only Luna and a few second and third years in the hall right now, he still didn''t want to show off his cards.


    "Half step secondmandment." Lloyd ordered, making a dummy spawn a few dozen meters in front of him.


    [Core or body cultivation?] the system asked.


    "Body."


    [Weapon of choice?]


    "Staff"


    [Mastery?]


    "Intermediate..." Lloyd replied. He wasn''t sure how strong Derek Cer, his sparring partner for staffbat, was, nor did he know what his mastery was, but it couldn''t be more than advanced.


    Anything above Advanced would be within the realms of instructor Yung''s mastery, and not even Lloyd wanted to experience such a thing.


    Also, fighting a dummy with the intermediate mastery allowed Lloyd to increase his own mastery, so it was a win-win situation.


    Taking his staff out of his dimensional storage within his watch, Lloyd got into a fighting stance and got ready to show the dummy a month''s worth of hard work, training, and his newfound early firstmandment power.


    Shooting forward with all the power he could muster, Lloyd instantly appeared behind the dummy, but instead of attacking it, Lloyd regained his bnce and quickly realized that he might have overshot it a little.


    Sliding to a stop, Lloyd turned around the to face to dummy again, but he was quickly forced to block and iing attack with his staff.


    Pivoting on his heel, Lloyd spun for a moment, parrying the staff that had intended on hitting him and sending the butt of his staff into the dummy''s side.


    The dummy instantly shot toward the wall, mming into it with enough force that it send a small quake through it.


    ''Oh yeah... I keep forgetting that it''s actually ss...'' Lloyd thought when looking at the wall before returning to the dummy.


    "Mastery: Advanced. Commandment: 2nd, five topaz seals."


    [Are you sure you want to spar against a secondmandment dummy?] The system asked.


    "Yes."


    The dummy instantly disappeared before being reced by another standing in the middle of their little arena.


    Instead of waiting to be attacked like the other dummy, this one shot toward Lloyd with the speed that only someone in the secondmandment could achieve. To make matters worse, it was also a body cultivator, so it was much faster than the average mage.


    To Lloyd, it felt like he was back to when the monarch of the autumn forest had attacked them, but the difference between then and now was simply. The dummy was 5 topaz seals weaker, and Lloyd was much stronger.


    Lloyd blocked the iing staff''s butt end and stepped out of the way.


    He could feel the wind brush against his cheek as he barely dodged the staff, but he acted quickly by attempting to swipe the dummy''s legs, but it was still one step ahead of him.


    Jumping over the staff, it quickly flipped over Lloyd, taking the time to smack him on the forehead while doing so.


    This carried on for a several minutes as the dummy cornered Lloyd. Lloyd found himself unable to use his full power against the dummy, because he always found himself on the defensive no matter how hard he tried to break out of that loop.


    "Well... Fuck it." Lloyd muttered while taking a hit to the side of his torso while mming the butt end of his staff into the dummy''s kneecap before swiping up and performing the staff''s equivalent of an uppercut that sent the dummy into the air of a moment.


    When the dummy regained its senses, it saw something move in front of it and quickly swung at it with the staff, yet the moment it hit the object, it knew that it wasn''t Lloyd.


    It was far too light...


    It was his staff?


    Within the blink of an eye, Lloyd had moved out of the dummy''s vision and left a staff there to distract it. He knew it would instantly look for his location once it hit the staff, yet it didn''t matter since he would get everything done by that point.


    [Shadow Enhancment]


    Covering his arm and spine with shadows, Lloyd sent out a lightning-quick punch thatnded square onto the center of the dummy''s face before mming it into the ground.


    A huge shockwave, even more, powerful than Luna''s dark energy orb, shot in every direction.


    The dummy resisted for a few milliseconds, yet after a second had passed, it was already "Dead."


    Getting off the dummy, Lloyd looked at the shadows on his fist slowly retracting before muttering-


    "I''m stronger, but I can feel that abilities like shadow enhancement have be less effective on me. Man, I really need to find some monsters or beasts to kill." Lloyd rubbed the bridge of his nose in annoyance.


    Little did he know that the answer to all his problems would be given to him on a golden tter.


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 124 Golden Platter [2] - Mock Exam

    [Thank you Tyler_Hotker for your generous gift]


    Lloyd spent the remaining time he had sparring and struggling against a dummy with 9 topaz seals.


    While Lloyd didn''t truly understand how the seals of the secondmandment worked, he knew a few simple things that almost anyone with a formal education knew.


    To reach the firstmandment one needed to make a single Topaz seal as they broke through, or right after they broke through. They could not proceed with their cultivation otherwise. A seal is a runic circle created in the center of a person''s chest when that person enters the secondmandment.


    Scientists have found ways to break down these runes and decrypt them to create their own artificial ones. In the past, however, people would be forced to follow their instincts, each person creating a unique rune for themselves which increased not only their talent, but also their chances of reaching newer heights.


    Just like a cultivation technique, one could not surpass the creator of a technique without fundamentally changing the technique itself or creating apletely new one.


    Nevertheless, the seals were put into 6 categories. The topaz, amethyst, ruby, emerald, diamond, and half-step thirdmandment with is pink diamond.


    One needed 10 seals from the previous category to make one of the higher categories. For example, Lloyd would need 10 topaz seals to make a single amethyst seal, and 10 amethyst seals to make a ruby seal, and so on.


    This only went up to the diamond seal, since making a pink diamond seal required you to only use 5 diamond seals rather than 10 like the others.


    *Ding Ding*


    Lloyd looked down at his watch and saw that his session in the gym was over.


    Leaving his little arena, he tried to fix his disheveled hair, but touching it only seemed to worsen it.


    Looking around, Lloyd quickly realized that there was no one in the gym anymore except a few 2nd and 3rd years who were sitting, working out, or sparring with one another.


    Leaving to his room, Lloyd made sure to have a quick shower before choosing to have a day for himself. It was his first break in months, since he never really rested while in the dungeon as he always took his rest days to train with Veronica, and he never really got to rest afterward since  all he did was grieve for a while, cultivate, and repeat.


    Since they weren''t allowed to visit home during the first term of their first year, Lloyd couldn''t check up on Tina.


    So, since he didn''t really have anything else to do, he simply left to check out the military academy''s city and its markets. Lloyd wasn''t able to buy most things since he needed points to buy them, but he enjoyed what he could get with the money had had on him.


    Hours passed in the blink of an eye, and before Lloyd knew it, it was almost midnight.


    *Ding Ding*


    Looking at his watch, Lloyd couldn''t believe his eyes.


    He had prayed for this moment for so long, and now his prayers had been answered!


    [First Year Mock Exam Announcement:


    Dear all first-year students.


    The academy will hold a mock exam for all first years within the following groups: D, C, B, A, and S.


    The groups will be put into teams of five. Each team with have equal or around the same strength as the others. We will be departing for Alexar 52b at 1pm Monday. The journey will take approximately 50 minutes, and we will be staying there for 14 days total.


    Individuals within the foundation and X group can ignore this message.]


    Lloyd felt like leaping into the air, but he quickly controlled himself. Even though he was now able to kill monsters, he still wasn''t sure how he was going to cultivate since there would be no way for him to do so without exposing himself.


    However, he quickly caught himself before that thought could go any further. He had only cultivated his body before, not his core. While body cultivation broke his shell and allowed some energies to escape, Lloyd doubted the same thing would happen with core cultivation.


    After all, cultivating the core wouldn''t break his shell/skin; it would simplypress and amplify his mana core itself without leaking any of it to the outside.


    Cultivating the core wasn''t an act of onlypressing mana; it was the act of amplifying the mana core itself and using it like any other nd in his body.


    Yes, a nd...


    The core was a simple tool, yet a very delicate andplex one simultaneously. The mana core was a tool with only one function: storing and purifying mana. Of course, its functions became a lot moreplex when body and core cultivation became two different things.


    For a body cultivator, it was just that. A storage for mana that allowed its wielder to manipte the mana within to either move it around the body to cultivate their bodies or to perform a technique or ability.


    A body cultivator''s main objective is to reach a point where their core bes obsolete, allowing them to both store their mana and purify it within their body without the need for a tool like the core. It was the main reason why the thirdmandment forces you to choose between having an iron body or an iron core.


    Core cultivators, on the other hand, focused on making sure that their core was the strongest ''organ,'' or ''muscle'' in their bodies. While body cultivators had no reason to absorb mana into their cores other than to replenish their energies or to cultivate their bodies, to a core cultivator, the mana core was a purifier, a pump, an organ, and an object to cultivate all at the same time.


    They would absorb mana into their bodies to purify it and make it their own before pumping it out of their bodies to use their spell or ability.


    At the same time, they took mana into their cores to circte it within. Everyone had their own techniques on how to do it, but after circting the mana within, theypressed the gained mana into the walls of the mana core itself.


    The better they did this, the further they would go in the long run since cultivating a mana core was a delicate task that required a person''s full attention, unlike body cultivators who eventually learned how to circte mana throughout their bodies at all times.


    With that information in mind, Lloyd was certain that mana wouldn''t leak onto the outside when cultivating his core, but he would make sure to try it out in his shadow first when the moment came.


    Since today was his break day, Lloyd decided to sleep for the first time sinceing to the military academy... Of course, after having not slept for a week, his sleep would be far from undisturbed.


    ***


    It had been a month since the death of the Everdale family. What had been reported on the situation was that the deaths were most likely suicides, yet the bodies hadn''t been shown to the public, and military reports on the situation had not been released either.


    No one except high military officials knew about the evidence of a ''true domain'' being activated within the dungeon. Ever since then, there had been three suspects, Tina being the most likely out of the bunch.


    From the reports that Lloyd and Rex gave, Tina had activated a final spell that had destroyed half her life span in an instant.


    Even though they knew she was from a rtively unknown family, making it close to impossible that this was a thing that had been handed down to her, there was also the slim chance that she had created apletely original ''true domain.''


    It hadn''t happened since the first emperor of Sris, yet the generals held out hope no matter how low the chances were.


    Of course, they also put in mind the chance that the evidence of a ''true domain'' had been something created due to the dungeon breaking down, yet after one of the top royal scientists took a look at it and said that the chances were mid to high, it became the only thing they could think about.


    Anyway, since there were no reports released on the dungeon break, what happened inside it, or how the Everdale family had died out, the only thing everyone knew was that the young mistress of the Everdale family, Veronica Everdale, had turned out to be a traitor who triggered an inteary dungeon break.


    Shortly after, a few conferences were held, and after one of them, it seemed like Veronica''s older brother and fathermitted suicide, followed by her mother and the rest of her siblings.


    Of course, rumors went around the inte at an uncontroble rate. Some were just outrageous, and others were trolls trying to create a rumor for short-term fame. Of course, some of them were spot on, but no one really took them seriously.


    "You think those rumors about the Everdale kid killing her parents are true?" A young man, no older than 20 years old, asked his friend.


    They were both wearing military uniforms and sitting at a control desk that linked itself to the dungeon.


    "Are you stupid? Didn''t you see the leaked reports? The girl barely had a single amethyst seal when she entered the dungeon. Where the hell would she get the ability to kill her parents, who were both at the pinnacle of the 3rdmandment." The other friend scoffed.


    "I mean, what if she got a power boost from almost dying." the young man asked with an embarrassed expression


    "This isn''t dragon ball Z... People don''t just get zenkai boosts whenever they almost die." The other sighed at his friend''s childish mind.


    "Holy shit."


    "Its not that big of a revtion. No need to-"


    "Not that! Look!" The young man pointed at the screen that showed both of them that massive space fluctuations were urring within the dungeon


    "Holy mother of... Alert the military officials now! I''ll stay here to keep an eye on it. Quick." he ordered his friend.


    While the man couldn''t see what was happening, a few seconds after his friend had left the room, he realized that the spatial fluctuations had stabilized, not disappeared.


    It meant only one thing...


    "Someone just portalled in..." He muttered under his breath before looking forward.


    Despite it being hundreds of miles away, the man could still see it.


    A massive purple and ck rift opened up in the dungeon''s sky, causing even the foot soldiers who hadn''t felt the spatial fluctuations earlier to gasp in surprise.


    What they didn''t see, however, was that a muscr man in the distance had left the rift in the sky and descended to the ground.


    His eyes were a bright violet, and his hair was pitch ck as if it contained all of space inside it.


    When the man finally reached the ground, he looked for around for a moment before closing his eyes.


    He had felt their signature here. Well, he felt their signature the moment they had first awakened, but after their breakthrough, the man had an easier time locating them.


    Yet even after going as fast as he could, the portion of space he had traveled through was far toorge to traverse in less than a few months, even if he were to use a void tunnel to reach the ce faster than anyone else ever could with their vehicles.


    After scanning the area around him, he finally came to a conclusion.


    ''I knew it... He is just like master. He must also have the ss.'' He rejoiced inwardly before his attentionnded on something else.


    ''But to create his very own personalized true domain at such a young age... This time, you truly awakened a monster.''


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 125 Golden Platter [3] - Void Walk

    [Author''s note: We have hit 10,000 collections! Thank you to everyone who''s supported me till this point; I truly appreciate it.]


    "Wee to the void... We have been expecting you."


    Lloyd blinked several times, and he looked at the abyss around him.


    "Ohhhhh fuuuuuuuck MEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Lloyd cried out while falling to his knees. He had been training for this exact moment for thest month, yet just when he gave himself a day to rest, he was forced to fight again.


    "Oh well." Lloyd''s hand reached out, grabbing the staff into his hand and turning around to see the abyss disappear, being quickly reced by a forest of trees with blue leaves.


    However, unlike before, he was no longer stuck wandering around the middle of the forest, since it only took around 10 minutes for him to find the general direction he wanted to go in.


    It took barely another 5 minutes for him to find the dungeon''s exit, and while he was gloomy about losing sleep over something like this, he quickly found a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel.


    "This might actually be doing me a favor. I''ve been stuck in the same coremandment for a month now, but now that I am here, killing the monsters in my void walk will give me enough void energy to cultivate my core to an efficient level." Lloyd muttered to himself before the sound of rustling made him look to his side.


    Lloyd narrowed his eyes for a moment and had his staff ready at hand. He quickly channeled mana through his body as one of the techniques instructor Yung had taught them shed in Lloyd''s eyes.


    Moving the mana to all the right ces, Lloyd waited for a little longer.


    Lloyd quickly formed two small des at the top and bottom of the staff.


    Seeing that the monster didn''t want toe out of its hiding ce, Lloyd lung forward and stabbed the bush it was in, yet the monster saw himing, quickly dashing back before lunging at him.


    Lloyd, was not surprised in the least by its way of attacking. Getting a good look at it, Lloyd recognized it as a monster resembling many of the feline attributes.


    "Lion? Leopard?" Lloyd asked himself, yet it didn''t really matter to him in the end.


    Flicking his wrist upwards, Lloyd performed one of the moves that instructor Yung had taught them, instantly cutting the feline monster in half and taking its void energy.


    However, instead of trying to cultivate it straight away, Lloyd simply kept it in his body since he heard more rustling around him.


    Lloyd spun on his heel and sliced down the iing monsters. Each one was the size of a small 1-seater car, yet their speeds weren''t anything to mess with.


    However, by now Lloyd had already unlocked mana vision, and even though it was a little hard to see with all the mana sources around them, such as the trees, the leaves, the grass, and even parts of the rocks around him, Lloyd could still easily see the monsters that wereing toward him.


    They attacked from all sides, yet while it might have been a little bit of a struggle for Lloyd if he was using his katana, the staff was made for situations like these.


    Spinning the staff around his hand, Lloyd sliced, stabbed, and even exploded the monsters that wereing toward him, causing him to be stronger every time he killed one of them.


    He felt their life force and mana merging and entering his body just to be void energy and move toward his core. Lloyd knew that if he let the void energy move on its own, it would have strengthened his core significantly on its own and probably even to a good extent.


    However, Lloyd didn''t want his core to be just ''good.'' He wanted perfection.


    He wanted the perfect core that would take him the furthest in the long term. He didn''t want to look back at this day and me himself for hisziness, so he kept the void energy away from his core and simply waited until he was free to cultivate it.


    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® Half an hour passed quite quickly as Lloyd stabbed his staff into the head of one of the fallen monsters, held it by the middle, and used it like a pole, allowing him to quickly use his built-up momentum to spin on it andnd a devastating kick onto the monster''s head.


    The monster felt itself being sent back several meters, but before it could regain its bnce and attack again, Lloyd took out the staff, spun mid-air, and stabbed it in the head like he had with the other one.


    Lloyd instantly looked around, waiting for the next monster toe for him, but it never came. Lloyd was a little confused, but after looking at the bloodbath around him, he could not help but sigh.


    They were all in thete firstmandment, but that shocked Lloyd. The monsters here had outstanding talent, or whatever the monster equivalent of their human talent metric was.


    Despite being in thete firstmandment, it felt like he was fighting a half-step secondmandment, some even feeling like they had the power of a human with one topaz seal.


    "Well, it exins why I got my ass beatst time I was hear." Lloyd sighed.


    Moving away from the blood bath, Lloyd sat on the ground cross-legged and closed his eyes.


    Lloyd felt the void energy being increasingly attracted toward Lloyd''s core the longer it stayed inside his body.


    When Lloyd finally sat down to cultivate, he let go of the void energy and allowed it to seep into his core.


    The void energy took a few minutes to be purified, and Lloyd''s mana waspletely purple for the first time since he had reached the firstmandment as void energy ran through his mana channels and veins.


    The mana within his veins and channels got all sucked into Lloyd''s core, and he began to circte it within.


    The mana got condensed to the sides of the core, reinforcing the core itself and making it strong than ever.


    Lloyd could feel that his purification process was bing fast and much more efficient. The mana he circted around his core became purer and more powerful by the second.


    It was then that he realized something too. He felt toofortable. He felt like breathing even though he didn''t need to. Every time he took a bit of energy into his core, the feeling of warmth spread through him like blood coursing through a live body.


    The mana in this realm wasn''t normal mana... Since the void walk was technically located in the void, this could be considered a void bubble, and therefore, the mana inside it would most likely be tainted by the void element.


    However, while this would have been a haven for any void walker, Lloyd couldn''t ess its full abilities.


    He wasn''t really there, after all. Only his soul was there. Every time he kills something and takes its energy, it instantly goes to his real body since it''s more of a life force thing than a physical body thing.


    Cultivating in the void was like was weird. Even if he cultivated his body, the changes to his body would only ur once he left the void, not while he''s in the void. And it wasn''t like he cultivated at the same time in both the void and the outside world.


    He quite literally just has all the cultivation benefits instantly sent to his real body the moment he wakes up, and he had a feeling that such a phenomenon had something to do with the fact that his outside body was just a shell that hid whatever was inside him.


    He never understood it before, but when he saw what was beyond his shell, it all began to make sense to him, like the fact that he never got his injuries transferred to the real world despite them being essentially the same as cultivating his body.


    Lloyd continued cultivating for over half an hour as his core became more powerful by the second. By the time he had opened his eyes again, he was already 50% of the way to having an early firstmandment core.


    When cultivating, Lloyd just remembered what he saw about making and cultivating a core in his epiphany. He repeated the movements with amazing precision, ensuring he didn''t mess up in even one part of the entire section.


    Little did Lloyd know that the reason for the cultivation technique he saw during his epiphany being so advanced was because Eris had assisted him in creating it after showing him the basics of her own cultivation technique.


    Lloyd''s eyes quickly red as he felt his mana run through his eyes and create the effects of mana vision.


    "There you are." Lloyd grinned before dashing toward the huge mana source in the distance. ording to the lightning orb he had collected from the goat with the third eye, the ce Lloyd was looking at was most likely going to be the location of the next orb.


    Not only that, but it would also be a ticket to boosting his control, understanding, and power over the lightning element.


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 126 Golden Platter [4] - Void Walk [2]

    Lloyd found himself walking for an hour straight. He knew now that he had just a little more than half his time in the void walk left, so he wanted to spend them fighting, not walking around the entire time.


    Of course, several monsters attacked him on the way there, yet even though they were all at the peak of the firstmandment or even half steps, Lloyd killed them with ease because he no longer had to hold back against these creatures.


    Lloyd had already established to himself that he could take on a monster with 3 to 5 topaz seals without having to use a single one of his abilities, and now that his core was strengthened, it meant that even that any attack imbued with any mana of his would be extremely deadly.


    However, now that he was in the void, there was no need to hold himself back since no humans were around to see his prowess.


    "I''m honestly surprised how well a quaterstaff does inbat. You''d never think that a blunt weapon like this would be capable of so much damage." Lloyd thought while smashing a monster''s head like a watermelon under the butt of his staff.


    Looking up, Lloyd saw a deep crater that spanned out for miles. The crate itself looked like it had been there for decades, having been mostly terraformed by trees, nts, and animals.


    Yet despite that, there remained a part of in earth in the middle of the crater with a tiger/leopardying in the middle of it, sleeping soundly as if nothing in the world could or would even dare disturb it.


    "That''s it..." Lloyd muttered to himself before creating a pair of shadow wings and floating in the air.


    Lloyd didn''t have the pride or stupidity of other folks who would have walked up to the creature and challenged it to a duel. No matter how much knowledge or experience he would gain from the battle, it wasn''t worth risking his life, so he did the only thing that made sense.


    Stretching his arms out on either side, Lloyd closed his eyes and expanded his magical aura.


    He had to do this quickly so the creature wouldn''t wake up.


    Taking control of the energies in the air, Lloyd quickly activated a set of abilities while moving his stretched-out hands in front of him, and aiming right at the tiger monster that he was now certain was a Raiju. The creature had white fur with ck lines that turned blue every time it breathed in.


    Despite it being unconscious, lightning arcs zapped around its body and disintegrated anything within a 30-meter radius.


    [Aspect of Void + Void Control + me Control]


    Lloyd activated his void rune and channeled 70% of his entire mana pool through his arms and out of his palms.


    The energy was intense, to the point that it sent mana fluctuations in all directions. The power was intense, and Lloyd had to use every bit of his will and concentration to keep it in the same ce, stopping it from breaking apart or shattering.


    Of course, he could have used [4-dimensional thought], but despite everything he thought earlier about using all he had from the start, [4-dimensional thought] was not one of the things he wanted to use.


    After a month of using it and getting horrible headaches, he had felt a slight change in his attitude.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>


    He had be colder and more prone to bursts of anger or killing intent. He became more self-centered and, to an extent, even obnoxious.


    While at first, he thought that it must have been his grief and anger at himself that caused this, he onlyter realized that every time he used [4-dimensional thought], these thoughts of anger and violence only increased.


    He still didn''t understand why it happened. [4-dimensional thought] was supposed to iste him from his emotions, and increase his thought speed and capacity while also taking his intelligence to its peak.


    Anyway, the energy whirled around a single point, and as the purple mes concentrated on creating a ball of pure void sma.


    All of this happened in less than three seconds, yet by the end of thest second, the monster had awoken to look up at the attack that was being formed.


    Opening its maw, ambient mana from all around it go instantly sucked through the ck lines that had be bright blue now.


    The energy went through its body and channeled itself into its maw, creating a powerful ball of pure electricity within it in less than a second.


    Both beams shot simultaneously and shed in the middle. Yet, despite slight resistance, Lloyd''s beam instantly swallowed the Raiju''s energy beam before appearing before the Raiju in the blink of an eye.


    The tiger was about to turn into a bolt of electricity to move away as fast as possible and dodge the attack, but it was a little toote. If it swallowed its pride and did that from the start, it would have been able to move out of the way in time, even though it would have been caught in the residual st of the attack.


    Lloyd knew that it wouldn''t move out of the way; after all, it was the king of this area ofnd; why would it move out of the way for a small bipedal creature that was challenging its authority?


    Seeing that it was far toote for it to run away, the Raiju shrouded itself in severalyers of protective lightning and took the attack head-on.


    The st caused a shockwave that spanned for several hundred meters, and possibly even several miles.


    Everything within a hundred meters of the epicenter turned into ash and scorchednd. When the ck dust cloud that covered it finally dissipated, Lloyd saw the Raiju leaning on the ground, its fur scorched and its body on the brink of death.


    Its breathing was weak as blood gushed into its throat every time it sucked in a breath, while its eyes were listless and white, as if its retina had been burned to the point of blindness.


    Landing a few meters in front of it, Lloyd kept his wings active and took his staff into his hands, coating one side of it with void energy that he shaped in the form of a de on either side, making the staff a two-sided spear.


    "You know what I want." Lloyd spoke. His voice was cold, and his eyes were even colder, yet what scared the creature more than anything was the magnificent yet terrifying aura he was radiating.

 Chapter 127 Start Of The Mock Exams [1]

    Chapter 127 Start Of The Mock Exams [1]


    The pressure from the aura caused it to freeze in ce. Even its weak breaths stopped.


    "I know you can understand me. Give me the orb, or I''m going to rip it out of you." Lloyd narrowed his eyes.


    He knew that with enough time, all of its injuries could be healed, and it would be back to its peak, or at least its peak, before it had consumed the lightning orb.


    Of course, its recovery would be much faster with the orb, but it wasn''t worth its life. Lloyd was essentially telling it to either give him the orb, or he would kill it and get the orb anyway, even though it would be slightly weakened since he would be forcing it out of the Raiju without the Raiju''s consent.


    The Raiju slowly opened its mouth and let the orb roll out.


    The orb was powerful. No, it was like nothing he had ever seen before.


    Even his father''s military equipment and recourses couldn''tpare to the orb before him.


    It was amazing. The orb was essentially a pseudo-mana core, capable of creating its own mana by purifying normal mana into pure lightning energy.


    It could be used on anything from creating equipment to using it as a second core or even fusing it with your own core to create a powerful lightning core that could even resemble the elemental mana cores of the dragons.


    However, Lloyd wouldn''t use it on any of those things. He was simply going to use it to cultivate.


    With a snap of his fingers, Lloyd sent in a spark of void energy before using [Aspec of Void] to engrave runes all over the lighting orb. The energy inside it instantly turned purple, and now Lloyd was ready to cultivate it.


    "Oh yeah... I almost forgot." Lloyd muttered, his eyes locked onto the orb in his hand while he raised his other hand, pointing his palm towards the Raiju.


    Without even looking at it, Lloyd used [Void control] to shoot a beam of void mana through its head, killing it in an instant while the remained void mana fused with Lloyd''s will, quickly corrupting the mana and life force inside the Raiju and sending it into his body.


    His lightning rune turned purple, and devoured the Raiju''s lightning affinity. At the same time, the rest of the energy remained just outside of Lloyd''s core, shrouding it like a dark mist waiting to infiltrate it at the first sign of weakness.


    At the same, Lloyd channeled the pure essence of void lightning, through his mana channels and core before circting it through his body instead of his core.


    While he would have loved the opportunity to enhance his core, Lloyd knew that enhancing his body with the lightning element would be the best choice in this predicament.


    Lloyd spent the rest of his hours cultivating the orb into his body and strengthening it with the use of void lightning. Not only did this mean that his body was stronger, but it also meant that his body''s affinity with the lightning element increased.


    The moment the world around him flickered and turned into a ck abyss, the rest of the orb went into his core and began cultivating itself as if his body was doing it on instinct.


    Lloyd''s eyes flickered open, and he quickly concentrated on his core, allowing the void energy to finally enter it and mix with the lightning energy from the orb.


    It took him another hour to cultivate the rest of the orb into his core, since cultivating his body would release little bits of void energy and expose his identity as a void walker.


    When he felt like he was about to go through a breakthrough, Lloyd quickly went into his shadow and let it out.


    *BOOM*


    The shockwave traveled in every direction, yet his body didn''t break like before, nor did his core do so either. Instead, it brightened with a new light before radiating a dark purple that shone through his shell and into the shadow realm itself.


    Lloyd was had finally reached the early firstmandment for his core, but his body was far ahead of it, already having reached the 90% mark to the mid-stage of the firstmandment.


    Lloyd was now certain that he could probably take an amethyst seal head-on, but he also didn''t want to overestimate himself and underestimate the power of an amethyst seal.


    An amethyst seal wasn''t like having 10 topaz seals, even though that''s what it took the create them. The gap between 10 topaz seals and one amethyst seal was like the difference between the half-step secondmandment and the secondmandment itself.


    The gap was huge, even though it might not seem that way.


    With a short sigh, Lloyd left his shadow and quickly jumped out of his bed. It was only 6 am, but he never usually slept, so he didn''t mind waking up at such an early time.


    Since it was technically a new week, Lloyd went to the gym and spent the majority of his hours on a single 6 1/2-hour session with one of the dummies. He quickly realized that he couldn''t fight an amethyst seal on his own without using any of his racial abilities. Doing it without was extremely difficult, even when he had set the dummy''s talent to average.


    Lloyd quickly left the gym after a long session and walked straight to the assembly hall since that was where they were supposed to meet before going to this other.


    Since he didn''t sweat, he didn''t see any need to change or shower, so even though his hair was disheveled and untidy, he smelled better than ever if you ignored the faint smell of smoke that remained on his clothes.


    The hall was filled to the brim with chatter, yet once one of the military instructors seemed to have walked onto the stage and snapped their fingers, everyone quieted down.


    "The process is simple..." The man spoke without even caring to introduce himself. He was a bald man, and if Lloyd remembered correctly, he was the one who stood on the pir the first them they came to the academy.


    "You will all be put into teams of five, while our best group of third-year students will be there to support and guide you and will only save you if you are on the brink of death. Is that understood?" He asked while narrowing his eyes.


    "Sir, yes sir!" Everyone shouted in unison while saluting the man.


    "Good. Your teams and supervisor will be sent to you in a message. The ship you will be taking will be in the message, too, I wish all of you the best of luck, and I hope all of youe back alive from this mock exam." The man saluted the students.


    "Sir, yes sir!" they all roared in unison once more. Everyone was worried, scared, or even a little stressed. No matter what dungeon they went to, going to a real filled with monsters that had mutated over time was apletely different thing.


    And for the richer folk, this entire thing was a new experience. None of them had ever felt the feeling of being beaten an inch of their lives, or surviving by a hair''s breadth or even by luck. There was always a group of people there to protect them. Yet, even though that was the case now too, the person protecting them was only one person who had to divide their focus among 5 people, and to make it worse, they were also just students too, despite being in their third years.


    However, while everyone else was worried whether or not they would get out of this ''mock'' exam alive, Lloyd was trying his hardest to restrain a grin from breaking out on his face.


    After all, this mock exam was a gold mine for someone who cultivated off the mana and life force of others that would allow him to reach the mid stages of the firstmandment on both his cultivations.


    ''Served on a golden fucking tter.'' Lloyd thought with a wry smirk and a pair of purple-ck eyes that shone through his colored contacts.


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 128 Start Of The Mock Exams [2]

    Lloyd slowly walked toward the ship that they were going to use. He still didn''t know what team he would be in, but he just hoped they would be weak.


    After all, the instructor isn''t allowed to fight for them unless they are on the brink of death, and today''s technology is far more than capable of taking someone off the brink of death with even the simplest of medkits.


    Of course, it was very expensive, and it would take a few minutes, if not hours, to fix them to perfection, but this was the military''s way of teaching.


    They wanted kids to fight independently and not have someone to save their asses whenever they were in trouble.


    The military academy has many kids from higher or more powerful familiese to the academy. The parents want to teach their children about the real world since they''ve had a silver spoon in their mouths from the moment of their births.


    On the other hand, Lloyd wouldn''t suffer much if he was injured in front of people... He would be executed.


    Yet, the reason he wanted a weak team wasn''t because he had a death wish but because of the fact that he could kill most of the monsters, getting himself loads of points in the military''s eyes while also gaining enormous amounts of strength at the same time.


    Lloyd had thought about this often and created countermeasures whenever he got injured.


    The main problem was the fact that he didn''t bleed, and instead of getting cuts or bruises, he got cracks in his skin. One of the main methods he wanted tobat this was by covering himself in shadows using [shadow enhancement], ensuring no one would ever see his ''injuries.''


    On the one hand, the cracks weren''t his biggest problems. There were many sses out there that gave people scales for skin, and others made it so that a person''s skin is as hard as steel, making it so it would crack instead of bruising or or bleeding.


    It was one of the main reasons why Hime and the rest of that team didn''t ask many questions, even though he sometimes got cracks all over his body from their training.


    On the other hand, seeing such injuries on Lloyd would most likely cause questions to appear in people''s minds. He was supposed to be a shadow assassin, after all.


    Another thing he made sure to remember was to kill any beasts nearby. After testing it in the dungeon, Lloyd realized that killing beasts would give him void energy, and with that energy, he could fix himself up in a few mere seconds.


    Of course, now that he was forced to cultivate both his body and core, his heart would bleed every time he put the void energy into healing rather than cultivating, but in the end, he had to do what he must. He also didn''t have a heart, so it didn''t matter as much.


    Of course, if he loses a limb and people see that he isn''t bleeding, thest resort is to just kill anyone who saw it, and in this situation, while it wasn''t preferable, he knew that he had the power to do it.


    Walking onto the ship, Lloyd looked around momentarily before widening his eyes slightly in surprise.


    The ship was small, to say the least. Probably even smaller than those military carriers people used in the 21st century. There was a seating area on both sides, while tworge seats could be seen at the front where the pilots would be.


    However, what surprised him was the fact that he knew someone in the carrier despite the chances of such a thing happening being extremely low.


    Since all groups were split into three or more sses, there were around 100 people in the S group, 150 to 200 in A group, 450 to 600 in C group, and over a thousand in D group.


    Lloyd had no idea how the military did the math on creating the teams, but it was nearly impossible that there wouldn''t be a team without 5 people from the D rank.


    However, his team was a little too diverse.


    "Derek? Haley?" Lloyd asked, making Derek, his friend from staffbat ss, look at him in surprise.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Ohhhhh shit!" Derek cheered in joy.


    "Oh? You guys know each other?" The third year asked while looking at them. He also knew the chances, so he was surprised to see that Lloyd knew two of them.


    "Ugh... I can''t believe I''m stuck with you." Haley sneered, now depressed that Beliar wouldn''t be on the same team as her.


    ''1 A rank, two C''s, and I''m assuming...'' Lloyd nced at the two other boys and checked theirmandments.


    ''Two D''s. After seeing how weak they were,mandments and talent really are everything, huh...


    They must have put me here since they still think I''m in the early stages of the firstmandment, which is stupid since I had amazing results in the pre-firstmandment entrance festival... Oh wait, I think I hear it now... Pre... That''s the problem,'' Lloyd facepalmed, leaving the rest puzzled.


    Lloyd sat down opposite the third year since the ship only took 6 people at the back. Therefore there was no ce next to Derek.


    "Shall we introduce ourselves?" The third year asked with a genuine smile.


    ''God, I already have so many names to remember. No need to add to the list.'' Lloyd felt a headacheing on.


    "Let me start. I''m the swordsman, Alex. I''m in the first amethyst seal of the secondmandment." Alex said before nodding at Lloyd.


    "Lloyd, shadow assassin hybrid, early firstmandment." Lloyd sighed.


    "My name is Haley; I''m a pyromancer in the mid-firstmandment." She grinned with pride.


    "I''m Derek, I''m in the peak firstmandment, and I''m a revenant." Everyone except Lloyd widened their eyes slightly.


    "I''m John. I''m a Hunter in the initial stage of the firstmandment."


    "I''m Elliot, archer, and in the initial stage of the firstmandment too."


    Silence fell on the team, and the ship began to move. No one spoke throughout the 1-hour ride there except Alex, who exined the mock exam basics.


    "The exam is simple. The military is colonizing one of thes nearby, and they are cing students from the first year all over it.


    They want you to scan and kill as many monsters as possible before collecting their corpses for the military scientists to study. The worse the corpse''s conditions are, the fewer points you will gain.


    There will be individual and team points. Team points matter the most, in my opinion. The better you do as a team, the better you will seem in the military''s eyes.


    At the same time, the only way you''ll get out of this without me having to send you back to the military base is if you work as a team. Try to be a lone wolf, and you won''tst a single day.


    However, I have to tell you that individual points are more likely to allow you to go to higher groups." He exined, making a glint of greed appear in the eyes of Haley and the two D ranks.

 Chapter 129 Start Of The Mock Exams [3]

    [Thank you Tyler_Hotker for your generous gifts]


    The rest of the hour passed, and they finallynded, but instead ofnding in a barren area, they insteadnded in a small camp with several military soldiers walking around and doing their jobs.


    "Why are there people here?" Lloyd asked.


    "This is where you''ll return after you''re done with your mission or if you''re severely injured. They have a teleporter here to the main base on this. We can''t put a teleporter from here to the academy until we secure a good portion of the." He exined with a shrug.


    ''So we''re cannon fodder, huh... They say it''s an experience, but in reality, they want to see if it''s safe to put a teleporter here in case of a significantly powerful monster on this.


    It''s clever, but it also exins why they didn''t bring the X and E groups. The foundation years would just be in the way, while the X group is far too valuable to lose on a small mission like this.'' Lloyd concluded.


    "You''re here?" A man wearing a full ck military uniform and with three badges on his chest walked up to Lloyd''s group while analyzing them.


    From top to bottom.


    "So these are the kids? We have yourbat uniforms ready for you in that tent." He pointed toward a tent in the distance.


    "Can''t we just change our uniforms into battle clothes?" John asked.


    "Well, those ones in there are a little better." The man shrugged. He was only doing as his orders told him to.


    They all entered the tent and looked at the rings on the table with their names engraved into them.


    Lloyd took the ring and wore it before a hologram appeared before him.


    Tapping on one of the windows, Lloyd''s watched as the clothes within the ring reced his own.


    They were slightly different from their normal academy clothes, as if they had adapted to the people wearing them.


    Lloyd wore a cloak/long coat instead of a normal military jacket. It was the same color as his previous jacket and had the academy''s insignia on it.


    He could feel that his pants were a little more freeing than before, while two sheathsy on his hip, one with a katana and the other with a dagger.


    It felt a little like his adventurer''s uniform but without the mask and cheap clothes. He also had some light armor underneath that seemed to have reced his shirt.


    Unlike in the past, Armor could not be madepact and light despite the use of magical metals that would have usually made it impossible for non-body cultivators to wear them.


    Looking at the other, Lloyd was impressed.


    Haley''s jacket had turned into a mage''s robe, and instead of wearing a skirt, she wore tights with knee-high boots.


    Derek''s clothes were very simr to Lloyd''s, yet instead of using a katana or dagger, his staff was strapped to his back.


    The staff had two weights on the bottom and top, making them thicker than the rest.


    The two from the D group had basic clothes. One had light armor on his as well as a sheath on his hip with a sword on it, while another had very light clothes with a small gun at his hip.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "You guys done?" Alex asked as they walked through the tent.


    No one answered.


    "L-Lets go then." He stuttered before walking toward the exit of the camp.


    Once they began walking through the forest, they fell into silence. Lloyd wasn''t too worried. The was considered a firstmandment, but there was a chance that the monsters within might have evolved over time.


    There weren''t nearly enough intelligent species on the to make it vulnerable to dungeons of a higher caliber.


    ''I wonder if that''s how life came to be on earth. A dungeon just broke on a dead on a random day, and over billions of years, they evolved to adapt to their environment.'' Lloyd thought before his sense caught something in the distance.


    "Something''sing." Lloyd spoke, making even Alex narrow his eyes.


    "What do you mean? Nothing is-" Before Alex could finish speaking, Lloyd had covered himself in lightning and shadows before flickering from where he stood and appearing several meters away.


    Appearing right above some kind of wolf creature that barely had enough time to look up at him, Lloyd spun mid-air and swung his de. In an instant, the wolf''s head was detached from the rest of its body, causing it to down limply.


    Lloyd quickly scanned the creature with his watch before taking it into his ring.


    Alex has exined how the rings didn''t store anything inside them; they simply teleported the monsters to the main base on the as long as they were dead.


    The stronger the monster, the more points they would gain. The conditions are the same for the uniqueness of the monster, and whether or not you''re the first person to find it.


    ''Late firstmandment... Nice.'' Lloyd smiled before walking toward the rest of his group, who had their mouth''s slightly open, even Derek.


    "What?" Lloyd asked, making all of them turn away in embarrassment, except Haley, who made sure Lloyd heard her sneer.


    ***


    By this point, everyone had gotten to the and were on one side of the. Some were on the darker sides, while the rest, like Lloyd, were on the side of the that had daylight.


    However, even though all the creatures on the were usually between the first and secondmandments, somethingy beneath the''s crust. It opened its eyes for the first time in thousands of years, followed by hundreds of other small creatures who fluttered their eyes open and exposed their red irises.


    "I smell... A void walker."


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 130 Monster Hunters [1] - Overkill

    Lloyd continued to walk with his team, and after about 30 minutes of nothing, they had finally left the forest and walked into a rocky in littered with hills.


    Large rocky mountains could be seen in the distance, and even though it seemed like it was the middle of the day, there was a shade of darkness over the entire as the clouds became sopact that it seemed like they were entering the pits of the night.


    Lloyd grinned with greed when he imagined how many monsters he could kill in this area. The others grimaced when they imagined several ways they could die when they stepped out of the forest area.


    "Oh. This ce looks nice, doesn''t it? We can get a shit ton of points here." Lloyd grinned from ear to ear while everyone stared daggers at him.


    "Do you think we''re going to find any secondmandment monsters?" Lloyd asked while feigning ignorance at their res.


    "Probably not. Most of the monsters on this at in the firstmandment. Some monsters that we might consider ''boss monsters'' might be, but normal monsters won''t." Alex exined with a smile of his own that reassured everyone.


    Everyone but Lloyd.


    ''I don''t trust him...'' Lloyd thought to himself. His smile reminded him too much of Veronica, so he kept his guard up at all times around the third year.


    Ever since the dungeon, Lloyd has had problems trusting anyone other than himself. Sure, Fatima was around, as well as Derek and Jay, but he couldn''t really trust them.


    They were more like allies or people with the same interests. Lloyd simply used them so he wouldn''t go insane from being alone for too long.


    Even Fatima, who knew most of what happened in the dungeon through the reports, Mr. Khan, allowed her to read, didn''t get an exnation from Lloyd''s mouth. She knew he had be a little colder since thest time she met him, but she still acted normally around him, hoping that he would do the same for her.


    ''This is the perfect environment for dark or lightning monsters.'' Lloyd thought to himself while looking around.


    Clouds. The sound of thunder every minute or so. Darkness that affected everyone except Lloyd. It had all the right conditions.


    And now, they were about to see the kind of abominations created by such conditions.


    *ROOOOOOAAAAAR*


    A creature roared, causing Lloyd to look down the hill they were on.


    The creature had a maw from a face, and pitch-ck tree stumps for feet and hands.


    Its arms were muscr and also pitch ck, yet its maw was as white as milk, while its exposed teeth were as pristine as quartz.


    It ran toward the team, a gori, and it was quite fast due to using four limbs to run rather than two.


    "Uh... I don''t know what that thing is but itsing toward us." Lloyd announced, exining the sounding toward them in a single sentence.


    "Shit... I knew this was going to happen!" Haley shouted before conjuring a ball of mes and shooting it down in the creature''s general direction.


    The two D ranks began to panic. John quickly took out of his gun and began wasting his mana.


    While his gun was capable of using magic bullets as ammo, one could use their own mana to create the bullets.


    Of course, they weren''t as effective as real bullets since those traveled much further and dealt much more damage, but mana bullets sufficed for this situation.


    Jay narrowed his eyes and got his staff ready, leaving him and Lloyd as the only ones who weren''t panicking.


    ''This is what happens when you let children into the battle field.'' Lloyd rolled his eyes while watching the ball of mes shoot right past the creature, but it did help them see the creature better since it illuminated its surroundings.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, that wasn''t technically a good thing.


    "AHHHHHH. IT''S A MONSTER!" Elliot screamed like a little girl while Alex simply watched everything happen with a neutral expression.


    It looked like this wasn''t the first time he had seen such a thing happen. No, the pity in his eyes told Lloyd that he must have done the same thing the first time he had gone on his mock exam.


    "Useless." Lloyd grinned, dashing forward and mming both his feet into the creature''s sides, causing it to be flung away...


    Or at least that''s what Lloyd expected.


    The creature simply slid a few meters and didn''t have a single scratch on it. While Lloyd hadn''t used his full power in that attack, he expected it to at least tumble a little.


    *ROOOOOAAAAAR*


    The creature roared once more; this time, its voice sent shockwaves.


    ''Oh shit, they''reing toward m-'' Lloyd was toote to dodge, so he simply crossed his arms in an X and took the shockwaves head-on.


    He felt himself sliding a little more than a few meters away. Hell, he felt like he was about to fall down, but before he could, Lloyd leaned forward.


    *BOOM*


    Propelling himself off the ground, Lloyd shot through the air like a bullet and appeared in front of the creature again.


    It instantly looked at him, making Lloyd raise a brow since it didn''t have eyes, but he knew that it wouldn''t be able to react in time.


    Appear before it, hended a devastating punch into its guts. Due to itsrge size, even though its arms were in the way and would have protected it against any creature of its size, Lloyd was much smaller and could easily move through the gap between its arms tond that attack.


    ''It''s skin is tough, so my de won''t work unless I use [Aspect of Void].'' Lloyd thought beforending on the ground and taking position while remembering an attack Rex had taught him when they were in the dungeon.


    [Celestial Kung-Fu]


    Lloyd levitated his hand one inch away from the gut of the monster.


    [One Inch Annition]


    Circting void mana through his body, Lloyd began energizing his arm and all the bodyponents needed for the move with mana so that his shell wouldn''t crack or break, ensuring that the mana didn''t leave his body.


    He wanted to go further since he had improved the technique by a lot. Still, after realizing that the thing before him was just a peak firstmandment, Lloyd realized that any more would have absolutely obliterated the monster, turning it into a paste.


    What he had done so far was already overkill, but he wanted to try it out on a monster since he didn''t get the time during his void walk.


    Lloyd shifted his body weight and mmed his fist into the creature''s gut. It all happened in the blink of an eye, so no one really saw what happened except Alex and Lloyd.


    However, what none of the expected was that a hole would appear where Lloyd had punched, before hundreds of cracks spread out through the rest of the creature''s body while blood, organs, and guts rained on the other side.


    ''Oh shit... I may have underestimated myself...'' Lloyd thought with a nk expression.


    The creature fell on top of him, but due to the hole in its stomach, he waspletely fine.

 Chapter 131 Monster Hunter [2] - Overload

    "What the hell was that?!" Haley screamed when she heard a wet squishy sound followed by the sound of rain.


    She quickly illuminated the area with several fireballs, allowing everyone to see Lloyd climbing out of the hole in the monster''s abdomen.


    "Shut up! You''ll alert the rest!" Lloyd shouted in a whispered voice, but it was already toote.


    He could see several other creatures appear from within the shadows, walking out from behind bigger rocks or climbing out of crevices in the ground.


    As Lloyd scanned and put the creature into his ring, he could not help but be a little happy to see so many of them. The one Lloyd had killed not only strengthened his connection to the shadow element, but it also gave him a good amount of void energy for a monster at only the peak of the firstmandment.


    However, he was worried about whether or not the others could handle them. Most of the creatures that wereing out were in the mid tote stages of the firstmandment, while very few of them were in the peak.


    However, while everyone else was trying to assess the problem at hand, Alex was staring at Lloyd with furrowed brows. He couldn''t understand how someone as weak as Lloyd could kill something like the monster he saw. He was certain he would have to participate in the fight, yet it only took one punch for Lloyd to kill the creature.


    And from what Alex saw, it was like Lloyd didn''t even use any mana.


    Of course, this was a product of Lloyd''s shell that blocked anyone from seeing beyond it, but there was also the fact that even with mana vision, someone like Alex would not be able to see or sense void energies.


    It was one of the reasons why Lloyd was so good at hiding. No one could sense his energy, and they had to let their instincts tell them whether or not he was stronger or weaker than them.


    Yet, now that Lloyd could control his aura, even Alex could not decypher who was stronger between the two of them. Most people would think that Lloyd was simply using cloaking runes, but Alex was a little more suspicious than anyone else would be.


    Untraceable mana was not one of the recorded abilities of the void walkers, and since Lloyd was wearing contacts, he had no reason to think that Lloyd might be a void walker.


    "Alex... A little help here?" Haley tugged at his side while giving him the best smile she could.


    "You know the rules..." Alex shrugged with a chuckle.


    He had a teleporter that took the straight to the main base, but he didn''t want to tell them that. On the other hand, he also wanted to see what Lloyd would do.


    "Guys... We can use this to our advantage." Lloyd spoke with a lowered voice.


    "You''re the one who put is into this mess! No one wanted to-" Lloyd covered her mouth with his hand, forcing Haley to shut her mouth.


    His hand was like a vice grip, and no matter what she did, she could not get it off her.


    She even tried biting or licking, but it didn''t bother Lloyd.


    "Shut up... You see how they don''t have eyes?" Lloyd asked while pointing at them. Since Haley had lost control of her mes when he stopped her from talking, Lloyd had to control them himself, causing them to go from a red-orange to a blue me.


    "Yeah... Oh shit." Jay whispered while the D ranks took a little longer to understand.


    "They feel heat and listen to sounds. They also use vibrations to walk around uninterrupted, yet due to our small size, they don''t think of us as threats but more like objects.


    It''s only once were get close to them that they understand that we are living beings, and at the same time, sound can stimte their senses, directing them to us." Lloyd exined.


    He had seen how the creature reacted when he shot off the ground, and how it reacted to the fireball that came toward it.


    The fireball only alerted its senses when it was a few meters away, while the vibrations and sound from Lloyd''s attack allowed it to instantly pinpoint his location and assess what he would do next.


    "You got all that from a few seconds of fighting that thing?" John asked with a frown.


    ''Its not my fault I''m the only one with a brain!'' Lloyd thought.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Yes?" Lloyd actually asked with a puzzled tone that made everyone else feel dumb. To them, Lloyd looked like a genius who simply didn''t know it yet, and that was the impression he wanted to leave on them.


    Lloyd finally let go of Haley when he saw her calm down. He quickly wiped his hand on her shirt before using the cleansing feature of their clothes to clean his hands.


    ''Disgusting...''


    Standing up, they all looked over the cliff they were standing on and watched as the creatures stopped above Lloyd''s mes.


    They felt the heat, but they had no idea where it wasing from.


    ''No sunlight for generations has made them like this. They don''t know what fire is since it hasn''t been a problem for far too long.


    They are like bears back when humans just discovered fire. They have no idea what it is, and it scared them. The only heat they''ve known is that of their enemies or their brothers. What I don''t understand is why they haven''t developed a mana sense.'' Lloyd thought while moving the mes down and creating a wall of me spheres in front of the team.


    "Do you want help?" Haley asked.


    "Just create a few more and in the same order. Our goal is to corner them together. These creatures are like Lions. They have small groups with a leader, but put a ton of them in the same ce and all you''ll see is a bloodbath." Lloyd grinned.


    "Doesn''t that also mean that by the end, we''re going to have to fight the strongest one?" Haley asked, now much calmer than before.


    "Yes, but at the rate, we were going, he would have had to do that anyway. Now not only will we cut down on the numbers, but we''re also fighting a weakened and exhausted version of the strongest monster." Lloyd exined while raising a finger.


    There were far too many of them to circle in, but Lloyd and Haley did their best to corner most of them into a single ce. While some of them tried to attack the orbs of the mes, they quickly retreated when they felt the excruciating pain it caused.


    Sadly, the monster themselves didn''t seem mmable, but Lloyd knew that due to the texture of their skin, the hotter their outside got, the hotter the inside did too.


    They were a bit like reptiles, but their body temperature was much lower than that of reptiles, but at the same time, they could distinguish one another from the ground or the rocks around them because the ground and rocks around them were much colder than they were.


    The fire closed in more and more, and by this point, anyone who retreated back after trying to hit the me bumped into someone else. The fighting among themselves had begun, and Lloyd would enjoy what he saw.


    Of course, that didn''t mean he would let them die without receiving his fair share of void energy first.


    Many of them were close to death, while others had already died. While Lloyd didn''t get their void energy since he didn''t kill them himself, he was waiting for something else...


    ''Just a little bit more...'' Lloyd thought while the others rejoiced in their victory. After this, they simply wanted to kill the strongest ones and leave this hell hole, but for some reason, now that Lloyd was their unelected leader, they felt they wouldn''t be leaving any time soon.


    ''Now!'' Lloyd thought when the moment finally came. A moment where the average monster was wounded to the point that Lloyd''s next attack would kill them instantly or at least injure them to the point where they would die a few secondster.


    "Let go of your control over the mes," Lloyd asked Haley, and even though she wanted to rebuke or ask why like how she might have done before today, she simply stayed silent and did as she wasmanded.


    Lloyd quickly took control of her mes and turned them blue, something that Haley was still a little shocked by, and very jealous of at the same time.


    Despite knowing her overall control over mes was superior to Lloyd''s, it still stung to know that Lloyd had a better understanding over mes despite it being his second element.


    Of course, she had no idea that the reason behind this was the fact that Lloyd had simply absorbed the fire element from the creatures he killed, but she didn''t have to know that.


    After Lloyd took control of the me orbs, he positioned them in a grid-like pattern around the battlefield before snapping his fingers and muttering-


    "Overload."

 Chapter 132 Monster Hunter [3] - Overcharged

    "Overload"


    Like a hungry beast, the mes swallowed the mana Lloyd gave them and made up for the rest by swallowing the ambient mana around them.


    However, due to the fact that the main element in the area being the darkness element, the mes turned a little darker, losing their pale blue charm and bing a darker deep ocean blue.


    Lloyd fed it a little bit of his own shadow element, too, and infused it with the shadows of the monster, so when it finally blew up, it didn''t look like a massive explosion, but rather like an energy orb expanding outwards.


    However, before it could full expand, a sucking force caused all their orbs to funnel toward the center and create a pir of blue mes that expanded until the mes reached thest of them.


    The entire team was left gobsmacked, even Lloyd. He had never expected that adding the darkness and shadow element would have such an effect.


    Still, even though he was gaining enormous amounts of void energy, he was a little worried that the corpses would be destroyed beyond recognition.


    When the pir finally disappeared, everyone looked on with worry, and their worst wishes came true... Well, at least half of them did.


    Lloyd would have estimated that about 50 of those monsters were in their little battle royal; now, only 29 corpses remained, 18 of them being scorched beyond recognition.


    However, what Lloyd didn''t expect was that there would be one survivor.


    ''Shit! Two topaz seals?!'' Lloyd thought with worry, and from the way, it was looking at his teammates...


    ''Mana vision!'' Lloyd thought, contemting whether he should just kill it on his own.


    The army was well aware of power since he was more than certain that they monitored his fights against the dummy and were probably trying to get his parents to sign a reevaluation test on his talent and ss with a better scanner than the one used in awakening festivals.


    Lloyd was sure that they wouldn''t find anything. He didn''t remember Eris''s talk about evolution and how void walkers had evolved to hide in in sight since they''d been hunted for thest few hundred years.


    What he did remember was that a purple runic inscription appeared on his watch and podium that day, so he assumed his sense of calm came from the fact that his instincts told him that his secret would be kept safe.


    The point is, while the army knows about his monstrous power, the people around him did not, and he wasn''t sure if he wanted to show Jay and Haley that side of him yet. He didn''t want to be treated any more special than the averagemoner since such a thing only brought trouble.


    Lloyd narrowed his eyes at the creature and decided not to fight it alone.


    "Haley, support Jay and me. We''re going to attack that thing on our own, just make sure you don''t hit us." Lloyd asked while looking Haley in the eye with a stern expression.


    "What do you think I am, of course I won''t hit you." She said, but instead of saying it with a sneer, his voice was more yful, as if she was speaking to an equal and a friend rather than amoner that she despised.


    "Good. You two, don''t do anything. You won''t be of any help in this fight." Lloyd nodded at the D ranks, and while John was a little pissed that Lloyd, amoner, would treat him like this, Elliot understood his weakness and stepped back.


    ''If he does anything, I''ll let the monster kill him.'' Lloyd looked at John with narrowed eyes. Since he was the swordsman, it meant he would have to get close to the monster to actually attack it, giving Lloyd enough time to move himself and Jay out of the way so the monster could get rid of him.


    Of course, losing a teammate would most likely drop their points, and even though it wasn''t said directly, it must have been some kind of unspoken rule.


    "Go. I''ll attack in quick speed while you grab its attention. Whenever it gets close, just attack it with everything you''ve got." Lloydmanded Jay.


    "Sir, yes sir!" Jay chuckled before shooting ahead of Lloyd.


    "Okay... Let''s get this over with." Lloyd thought while using a style he had developed over thest month.


    It was still a demo of what the real thing would look like, but it was still good enough for the current situation. Plus, what''s a better time to try a technique out than when you''re fighting a weak enemy like the creature before him?


    [Elemental Fusion Series]


    [Lightning Fusion]


    Blue runes appeared on Lloyd''s skin and under his clothes, while lightning crackled off his body and scorched the ground around him.


    What he was doing was essentially the same as using [aspect of void] on his body, the only difference being that the temporary runes themselves were both very simplepared to aspect of void''s runes, and made out of the lightning element.


    This meant that unlike when he used [aspect of void] on his arm when fighting Veronica, his body wouldn''t turn to ashes the moment he stopped channeling the energy, since the lightning element wasn''t nearly as harmful to his body as the void element. This was something he made sure of by trying to cultivate with it in the past just to end up in failure.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    However, now each rune on his body didn''t have the function of cultivating, but rather worked as pseudo cores.


    They absorbed mana and instantly turned them in mana imbued with the lightning element, Lloyd''s mana signature, and Lloyd''s will, before channeling it through his body while also coating him with it. It became a lot easier to use when he used that lightning orb to cultivate his body since the lightning in the orb was already imbued with tiny bits of the void element before being further tainted in Lloyd''s core.


    His body cultivation''s talent for the lightning element skyrocketed in a single session, and if that wasn''t enough, his body''s attunement with the lightning element also increased, making it much easier to cast spells through his body, an example of this being lightning fusion.


    It might have been a prototype, but it was still incredibly strong andplicated, especially for someone of his caliber who was considered a baby in the eyes of the ancients like Ruben.


    However, while it was incredible, due to it not being void of energy, it made Lloyd a glowing light bulb in infinite darkness in the monster''s senses. It instantly looked at him, almostpletely ignoring Jay''s iing assault, and such a mistake was about to prove fatal.


    [Sun Wukong''s Demon Style]


    [Three Stances of Misery]


    Jay''s hazel eyes turned golden before an aura of the same color exploded out of him and coated his entire body with a shroud of what looked like divinity.


    Of course, that was their eyes and senses ying with them, but for a moment, they almost believed it.


    Turning into a blur, Jay left behind 14 after images, each one hitting a pressure point with enough force that it would have knocked anyte firstmandment unconscious.


    Yet, even after hitting the monster with 14 of those hits, it simply roared at the sky and created a shockwave strong enough to push Jay out of his attacking range.


    However, Lloyd was much faster, and much stronger than Jay.


    Time seemed to slow as he partially became one with the lightning. Of course, it was impossible for him to do such a thing due to his void nature, but what he had aplished so far was more than enough for the weakling.


    Lloyd''s body turned into a lightning bolt that appeared before the monster in the blink of an eye. Of course, he wasn''t nearly as fast as a lightning bolt. He estimated that he was only moving at 1/100th of the speed of a lightning bolt, but it was fast enough to reach the monster in less than a second.


    While it was only for short distances, Lloyd moved faster than supersonic speeds. It was nothingpared to his [Void Step], was instantaneous without any chance of the teleport being stopped mid-way, but it didn''t give Lloyd the same reaction time and power output as [lightning fusion] did.


    Appearing before the monster, Lloyd mmed his knee into the creature''s chin, causing its head to whip back and for it to lose its bnce.


    Hovering his hand over the creature''s chest, Lloyd extended his finger before-


    [Celestial Kung-Fu]


    [One Inch Annition]


    As the punchnded, the creature''s chest caved in. Lloyd had made sure to hold back a little to ensure that it didn''t die straight away, but due to him having reached the early firstmandment recently, it was hard for him not to control his strength.


    However, from Alex''s perspective, Lloyd didn''t have the power of anything more than a one-topaz seal secondmandment. Sure, his power was monstrous, but Alex had an amethyst seal.


    Even Lloyd didn''t know if he could fight an amethyst seal head-on without any of his void walker abilities.


    Every time he tried it with the dummies, he would have to run the whole time or get his ass handed to him, which was with the average amethyst seal dummy.


    He had tried fighting against some of the amethyst seal dummies with higher masteries over their martial arts andbat techniques. He usually didn''tst a second even though he hadn''t even touched the [talent] button yet.


    "The higher-ups should know about this." Alex muttered to himself, yet everyone was far too busy to listen to whatever he was saying to understand why he was muttering to himself.


    [Sun Wukong Demon Style]


    Jay shot into the air and covered himself in the same golden aura before shooting toward the caved chest like a golden ming meteor. Haley also assisted him, covering him from head to toe with mes that increased his body''s strength and added a little fire to his power output.


    [Final Sunset]


    *BOOM*

 Chapter 133 Monster Hunter [4] - Overconfident & Disciplinary Measures

    *BOOM*


    The hole in the creature''s chest increased in size, creating something that looked close to a crater in its chest.


    The creature roared out in pain and shot the soundwaves toward Jay, who was still in its crater of a chest.


    The monster was significantly bigger than the other ones, but it was only around as tall as a house, so it wasn''t big enough for Jay to just duck into its chest hole and hide there.


    However, before he could be hit by the sound waves, a wall of orange mes appeared before him and blocked the soundwaves for a second before dissipating, before a sh of light zoomed pasted Jay and took him along with it.


    Landing on a nearby hill, Lloyd dropped Jay and quickly took a knee.


    [Lightning fusion] might have been inexpensive regarding mana, but the technique itself was very straining on his body.


    However, even though he wanted to take a break, he also knew that the longer he kept it on, the worse it would get, and since turning it off and on wasn''t an option, Lloyd got up as quickly as he kneeled before turning into a bright bolt of lightning.


    However, this time he didn''t shoot toward the monster, but instead shot into the sky.


    Hovering above the creature by a few meters, Lloyd charged up what looked like an enormous lightning bolt and shot it down at the monster, shooting it right through its chest.


    His soul senses told him that the creature was dead, but Lloyd shot it a few more times to ensure it was dead.


    Deactivating [lightning fusion], Lloyd dropped to the ground with the grace of a meteor andnded a few meters away from the monster. Of course, he was more than fine, but he had to ensure he didn''t seem unscathed from the battle.


    Seeing that they were all looking at him, Lloyd took out a bottle with a red liquid inside it before quickly chugging it down and wiping his mouth.


    By the time they had gotten to him, Lloyd had already begun to get up, even though his movements were plenty unsteady, while his bnce was close to nonexistent.


    "Are you okay?" Kay asked while helping Lloyd out of the hole.


    "Yeah, I''m fine. I took a healing potion, but I don''t have any stamina or mana potions so I''m kind of fucked in those regions." Lloyd chuckled as dryly as he could. He had to act out the part of someone without any stamina and has both mana fatigue and abuse.


    "Ah, man... I don''t have any stamina potions, either. Those things are expensive as hell." Jayined while throwing Lloyd''s arm over his shoulder. And walking him until they were in front of the corpses again.


    "Alright... Let''s split all this stuff." Lloyd spoke before scanning and absorbing the strongest monster into his ring before looking at the rest of them.


    "I get the strongest one; Haley gets 7 of the non-charred corpses, while Jay gets 4. The non-charred ones aren''t going to be worth anything, but you can have them if you want." Lloyd shrugged before looking at the two D ranks trying to do the math in their heads.


    "Hey, wait-" Before Elliot could say anything, Lloyd looked at them and pointed at the ashes.


    "You can have these." Lloyd spoke.


    "What!" John finally red up in anger, no longer able to take this kind of rudeness, and from amoner at that.


    "Do you have the smallest idea of who I am? I can destroy your entire family in a single-"


    "If you were of any importance, you would have had the ability to contribute more to this fight. I saw your weaknesses, and I didn''t want to throw a couple of weakling into battle just to have them almost die and lose us all of our points." Lloyd sneered.


    "You didn''t let me-!"


    "I would have let you if you were strong enough. From my analysis of you, you are by far the oldest one here if we exclude Alex, yet you are the only one who''sining like a child, and you''re the weakest among us." Lloyd retorted before the man-child could continue.


    "Heh... Do you think you''re all special because you''re stronger than us? You have no idea what political power is. My family can destroy you and everything you love in an instant. And you know what, try and stop me from taking the rest of the corpses." The boy grinned, making Alex narrow his eyes, but he remained idle.


    Lloyd didn''t do anything, either. He simply watched the boy walk over to one of the corpses that was in a better shape than the others before scanning it and taking it into his ring.


    The boy turned around smugly and looked grinned when he saw Lloyd not moving an inch, supported by Jay the entire time.


    Haley was about to re up in anger as well, quite literally this time, but Lloyd snapped his fingers, causing her to switch her attention from the boy to Lloyd.


    "You all saw what he just did, right?" Lloy asked, making everyone nod with confusion. Only Alex seemed to understand what was about to happen.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Lloyd took his hand off Jay''s shoulder and took a fake deep breath in.


    They all felt the mana gush past them and enter Lloyd as his stature improved a little, but even though he could now stand, he was still limping.


    "This boy... No. This man just walked over here with his little smug spoilt act and took one of our things. Not only did he not deserve it, but he practically spat on your hard work and effort by doing so..." Lloyd began speaking, slowly walking closer to John, who still thought himself invincible.


    Clearly, no one had ever gone against him or his name before, and Lloyd could not help but think that he was in need of a reality check.


    "He then proceeded to threaten my family and me without a second thought. You guys might stand for such a thing, but I won''t." Lloyd muttered, his voice bing colder as the words left his mouth.


    "I dare you." John grinned, yet his grin froze when he looked into Lloyd''s eyes.


    [Void Gaze]


    It was as if everything else had disappeared, and the only things left were him and the enormous eyes that floated above him, looking down at him with disgust and hatred.


    He felt as if his fears were changing. He didn''t know why, but suddenly, he felt scared of the dark and space simultaneously. It felt so cold and empty that he just wanted to scream, yet his voice remained in his throat, unwilling to leave no matter how hard he tried.


    "I''ll repeat once more..." Lloyd muttered, his voice reaching John''s ears like a booming voice of an entity far beyond hisprehension.


    Then, John felt an iron-d grip grab hold of his knee before another hand moved to his mouth and grabbed hold of it so tightly that it was impossible for him to breathe.


    "I won''t stand for it."


    *CRACK*


    Excruciating pain tormented his entire body as he screamed and thrashed while muffled screams attempted to leave his mouth.


    Everyone, including Alex, was pale. They all expected Lloyd to punch him in the stomach or threaten him with his killing intent. Not in a million years did they expect Lloyd to break his leg, and so easily at that.


    Elliot instantly swallowed hisints while Jay and Haley vowed never to be on Lloyd''s bad side.


    Lloyd kept John on the ground for several minutes while grabbing his mouth until his screams died out and were reced by muffled sobs.


    Lloyd felt disgusted by the snot and tears to the point he wanted to just burn his hands to keep them disinfected, but he didn''t want to scar the man-child''s face.


    After all, this was just a quick way to be the group leader. It was a power y that ensured they would all listen to his orders.


    When the cries died down a little, Lloyd finally let go and burned his hand while spamming the self-cleaning feature of his clothes to clean his hand too.


    "From now on, I''m the leader of this team, is that understood?" Lloyd asked while looking back at the other three, who quickly nodded.


    "I don''t want anything like this to ur ever again." Lloyd spoke before looking at John


    "And if it happens again, it won''t be your leg that I''ll break..."


    Lloyd leaned closer and reached a level where they were face to face.


    "It''ll be your face." Lloyd whispered, causing a shudder to run down John''s spine.


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 134 Valley Of Death [1]

    2 days passed in the blink of an eye, and they all found themselves waking up to the familiar figure of a crosslegged Lloyd sitting at the cave entrance with his eyes shut tight as he continued to cultivate.


    While Lloyd was certain that there was no chance that anyone from his team would have the ability to sense void energy, yet he still chose to cultivate his core, just in case.


    While Lloyd loved having a strong body, a stronger core would keep him alive in this dungeon if anything out of his realm of calctions were to ur.


    He could feel that his teammates were finally waking up, but he didn''t bother opening his eyes or even pause his cultivation.


    While none of themined or even argued with Lloyd after they saw what he did to John, they all knew that a tension was growing between them, one that Lloyd didn''t seem to notice, or at least feigned ignorance toward.


    It made the nervous and caused their teamwork to be sloppy, yet even then, Lloyd remained a dominant figure on their team, having recovered just a few hours after seemingpletely exhausted.


    No one argued against Lloyd when he decided they should go further into the dark rocky area even though their faces screamed, ''please no!''


    However, they weren''t the only ones annoyed by the group''s current flow. Lloyd was too. Ever since then, they never seemed to get enough monsters to stick around to do the same thing they had done before, making their fights not only long and tedious but also much less efficient than their first battle against the monsters of thesends.


    Another thing that annoyed him was the fact that he had to constantly hold back against monsters so it wouldn''t seem suspicious. He could easily one-shot most, if not all, the monsters in thesends, but since he had a team around him that was watching his every move, he was forced to remain passive and not kill as many monsters as he usually would have.


    Another contributing factor to hisck of void energy gained in thest two days was the fact that the humans needed way too many breaks. They all ate at breakfast, lunch, and dinner and all slept at least eight hours a day. Sure, it gave Lloyd enough time to cultivate his core, but he was usually done by 2 hours in and had nothing to do other than test out a few runes or practice his swordsmanship or staffbat.


    Now that they were entering the third day of this test, Lloyd had decided that the best course of action was to find more monsters of the secondmandment and kill them to gain void energy.


    Once everyone ate their share of food, they all began moving again toward the mountain range that had once been in the distance but was now only a few hours away.


    There was a small valley between the two mountains that they hoped would lead to the other side, and possibly to a side of this where it wasn''t all dark and cloudy, and a side of the where they could actually find new monsters rather than see the same few over and over again.


    After hours of walking, they finally reached the V-valley between the two mountains; however, despite their expectations of getting this over and done as quickly as possible, something stood in their way.


    Or, to be specific, it was hovering in front of the mountain valley and was staring at Lloyd''s team while exuding killing intent.


    It had hollow eyes and had an exoskeleton that was remarkably simr to that of an angler fish. The only difference was that the creature before them was most likely an undead, and it was far too huge to have been a normal angler fish in its past life.


    "Welp... Looks like we''re going to have to kill it." Lloyd sighed while drawing his katana and coating it with ayer of lightning mana.


    Bolts of electricity shot out of his de and scorched the floor around him.


    *ROAR*


    The creature''s roar felt like the screech of a demon who was screaming through its soul and from the depths of hell, creating an echoey, almost torture-filled sound.


    "Hey... Can''t we just, I don''t know, avoid it?" Derek asked as a drop of sweat streaked down his face when he realized how dangerous the monster before them was.


    It was in the secondmandment, and it had 4 topaz seals, making it much stronger than any monster they had fought before.


    "Anglerfish are extremely territorial creatures. Now that it had imed the area in front of the valley, itsnd, it became essentially impossible to go through the valley without fighting the monster.


    "Derek, stand on the side and take part in the battle whenever you think you are capable of doing the most damage withoutpromising our mission. Haley, you are doing the same, but you''re focusing on mana. The other two will remain on lookout." Lloydmanded his team, causing them to all get into formation as he pointed his de toward the monster.


    "Let''s do this then."


    The creature roared again and charged at the group, its speed and agility making it hard to track.


    Lloyd and the others quickly moved in to intercept it, with Lloyd in the lead. He shed at the creature with his katana, but the creature quickly dodged it.


    The creature then retaliated by spewing out a stream of dark mes, which Lloyd managed to dodge. However, the creature was far too fast and managed to hit Derek with its tail, sending him flying into the mountain wall.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Lloyd quickly rushed to help him, but the creature was too fast and managed to graze him with its stream of dark mes, which he only just managed to dodge by rolling out of the way.


    He then retaliated by shing at the creature with his katana, but the creature was too quick and managed to dodge it.


    Of course, Lloyd wasn''t trying at all. Hell, the monster didn''t even have his full focus since his eyes remained on someone else the entire time, as Lloyd''s suspicions only grew the more time he spent within him.


    ''Creepy ass smile...'' Lloyd shuddered when he saw the grin on Alex''s face. He was trying his best to hide it, yet Lloyd felt like every day on his was a day closer to Alex losing his shit before attempting to kill all of them.


    Flipping back, Lloydnded a devastating kick that caused it to shoot up to the sky.


    Haley quickly weaved several fire spells and shot them at the creature, while Lloyd snapped his fingers to enhance the power of her mes.


    The anglerfish found itself swimming within a barrage of explosions that was beginning to eat away at its exoskeleton.


    Landing on top of the creature, Lloyd raised his de into the air before plunging it deep into the monster and releasing several saved-up lightning spells inside it.


    The creature''s body quickly began to disintegrate and disappear in a puff of smoke, leaving arge pile of bones behind.


    Lloyd and his team immediately began to collect them, with Lloyd always keeping an eye on Alex. He was still unsure of what he was up to and wanted to ensure he didn''t do anything stupid.


    Once they were done collecting and scanning the bones, Lloyd motioned for the group to continue on their way. They had to hurry if they wanted to reach the other side of the mountain before nightfall, not that such a thing mattered in a ce where the clouds were always blocking the view of the sun.


    The walk through the valley was long and terrifying for almost everyone, including Alex.


    The fact that the valley was essentially a one-way road made all team members stay alert the entire time, ensuring that no monster would be nearby and have the chance to surround them by simply blocking two exits.


    Hours passed, but the walk remained as stressful as before for everyone other than Lloyd.


    After all, Lloyd had been in situations like these before. Hell, the dungeon he had stayed in for more than 3 months had most of their monsters in the half-step secondmandment or above when he was just a half-step firstmandment.


    "Something''s wrong." Lloyd stopped the group from proceeding as he used soul sense and mana vision to understand what was happening.


    The birds in this area had gonepletely silent... Even the crickets and other rodents remained silent, and he could already sense the source.


    After all, it was looking at him.


    Slowly, a creature with 6 legs, descended with the use of a web string.


    Its neck was long, yet its face was that of a human woman, or something like looked like that.


    The monster itself was too bloodied and grotesque for Lloyd to properly see what it was, but all he understood from mana vision was that the monster was strong, even to his standards.


    With the sound of a snap, its scorpion tail shot toward Lloyd''s head and attempted to kill him on the spot.


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 135 Valley Of Death [2]

    "Shit..." Lloyd cursed before jumping to the side and taking Haley with him.


    The scorpion''s tail shot right passed them both and smashed onto the rocky floor, its stringer stuck in the ground, stopping it from moving momentarily.


    However, just because it had been missed, did not mean the team was safe yet.


    Lloyd grabbed Haley by her waist and instantly exited the tail''s attack range. He knew how scorpion tails worked. They weren''t grappling hooks or fishing rods.


    They were limbs, capable of moving right and left, so Lloyd made the best of the situation by moving as far away from it as possible, while keeping their mage safe.


    Of course, Lloyd knew that no one in the team would be of much help unless Alex were to join in. The rest of the team would only slow him down, and so far, he had no idea whether or not he was capable of fighting something of its prowess.


    "It''s an amethyst seal..." Lloyd muttered, yet due to the way the valley had been createdbined with the fact that the ce was dead quiet, everyone heard him loud and clear before using their own mana-sensing techniques to confirm what he was saying.


    They all froze. Ignorance was bliss, yet they didn''t have that luxury, nor did they have the pleasure of fighting against a monster that would hold back against them.


    The creature was out for blood, and Lloyd had no idea if he could fight against an amethyst seal monster all on his own. Sure, if he used his bloodline abilities, he would more or less destroy the creature, but doing so would essentially mark his death.


    When the stringer was finally free from the rocky ground, Lloyd unsheathed his de and charged forward.


    The moment the stinger shot toward him, he sliced horizontally, parrying and deflecting the iing attack away.


    Lloyd quickly slid under the tail itself and was now next to Derek, who was shuddering uncontrobly.


    It was as if the fear of god had been put into him, and Lloyd understood that feeling. It was a mixture between dread and fear. It was the same feeling he felt when he fought against the goat with three eyes and the same sensation as the one he sensed when he failed to stop the dungeon break.


    The two D ranks were also frozen, yet at this point, they were just here so Lloyd wouldn''t lose any points from either killing his own teammates or allowing the weakest of them to die.


    Dashing in front of Derek, he mmed his palm into his stomach, forcing the air out of his lungs beforeunching him way past Haley while at the same time keeping his conscious so as to not put his life in danger with that move.


    ''What''s the best move here...'' Lloyd thought before an idea came to mind.


    A weird smile appeared on his face, yet because he was the person at the front, no one really saw it.


    "Alex, get them and leave. I''ll stop the iing attacks." Lloyd said, making Alex furrow his brows, yet he still did as he was told.


    Alex flickered and appeared above both Haley and Derek before throwing the two D ranks to them and returning to Lloyd.


    "You got a n?" Alex said, yet from his tone, it seemed like he had his own n.


    "Nah... You?" Lloyd asked, certain that there was no way to stall the creature without one of them dying or gaining some sort of new strength.


    Lloyd brandished his katana and shot forward.


    The woman-spider-scorpion thing had lowered itself using its spider webs. It clearly wanted to be in the battle now that her tail wasn''t doing all the work.


    Of course, her tail was still a very strongponent as to why it was winning, as not only was it agile andrge, but the poison was quite unpredictable.


    *Spurt*


    The poison shot toward Lloyd, yet he quickly dodged out of the way.


    "Alex?" Lloyd asked, thinking that Alex had suddenly left without him and possibly even abandoned him.


    "Yes?" He asked without a single drop of guilt or sympathy in his voice.


    "Would be real nice if you were to help me out instead of just staring at me like a mentally handicapped idiot." Lloyd sneered, making Alex''s expression instantly turned dark.


    Looking back, he could see the team doing exactly what they had been ordered to do. They were as far away as they could get from the battle. Their prowess was far too low to allow them to travel further, but Alex understood that no matter what they did, they would not be able to see the battle from all the way there.


    Then he shot forward.


    Yet, unlike what most would have expected, he wasn''t aiming for the monster...


    He was aiming at what he considered a monster in his eyes. He was aiming for Lloyd.


    "Shit." Lloyd shouted while turning around and blocking the iing attack. Yet, the monster did not ease up on Lloyd, taking advantage of the situation he was in by plunging its needle into Lloyd and pumping venom into his body.


    Lloyd loudly grunted before grabbing the tail and taking it out of his body. The fact that he didn''t have blood didn''t help him, but he knew that the man before him was too focused on taking Lloyd''s life to understand what had happened.


    Lloyd quickly flipped over the iing monster, dodging the attack by shooting upwards and, at the same time, defending himself from Alex by allowing the scorpion to attack him instead of Lloyd.


    Alex barely dodged the strike before parrying it with his de to extend it further and increase the time it took for another attack to shoot toward him.


    "You are the work of evil, demon!" Alex shouted with anger for the first time.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "What the fuck are you bbering on about." Lloyd sighed, making Alex angrier than he was before.


    "I saw your folder. You think you can go on like this forever. I know that you are a demon and a worshiper of the devil. Admit it, and I''ll make your death easy." Alex spoke with the utmost pride.


    "Tf... Where are you getting your information from? Wronginfo?" Lloyd asked, inwardlyughing at his own joke even though he knew that no one else would do such a thing.


    "I know about your purple eyes. You cannot hide the demon within you because you are the demon. And I shall be the one to exercise you and gain fame and money from the church. Void walkers like you are not allows in the Sris empire, and I shall be the one to purge you!" She shouted and charged forward.


    ''So it''s some kind of cult that bases everything on gics, like the color of your eyes.'' Lloyd thought while sighing.


    For anyone who was in the cult, Lloyd paid his sincere apologies and his most hateful curses.


    While some may have been adopted or even birthed into the cult, those who joined on their own for their own desires had Lloyd''s hate. He promised that in the future when he is an unstoppable powerhouse, he would destroy the church and cleanse them the same way they tried to cleanse people with different gics.


    However, as Alex attacked him, Lloyd realized that his attacks were no longer threatening.


    Sure, Alex had an amethyst seal, but so did the monster, and its exoskeleton was extremely strong.


    From the start, this had never been a fight between Lloyd and Alex; it was a fight between Alex and the monster...


    And that was exactly what happened.


    The monster shot its tail toward Alex,pletely ignoring Lloyd, who was behind it, observing without having attacked yet.


    "You think you can kill me?" Lloyd asked with a smirk.


    "Shut up!" Alex roared, while shing the scorpion''s tail as it shot toward his throat.


    However, instead of it being simply deflected, the tail mmed into the ground with power as cracks appeared on the exoskeleton, both shocking the monster and Lloyd alike.


    Alex kept swinging maniacally at the monster, yet he never found himself getting close to Lloyd in any way since the monster was between them, and Alex was the only person fighting against it.


    *Fwoohm*


    The killing intent the monster released as it let out a shrilling scream that sent goosebumps down even the spines of Derek, Haley, and the other 2.


    Its killing intent flooded the area around the monster, and at the same time, it froze Alex in ce, causing him to even stop breathing.


    However, just when Lloyd thought that he was going to be fine, the unexpected happened.


    ck runes appeared all over Alex''s body before his body mass increased by two, and he was covered from head to toe with muscles that would have probably put him on the list for people to join bodybuildingpetitions if he was this kind of physique.


    Alex''s sword surged with red and ck energy, and before any of them could react, he swung the de.


    *BOOM*


    A loud explosion could be heard, followed by an enormous dust cloud.


    After most of the damage from the monster and absorbing it, Lloyd created a shield around himself using a mixture between fire and darkness, the same way he summoned Hade''s chains.


    The darkness was the solid, while the first was the protection. Together they would be a dark fire that could be both touched as if it was a solid physical object, and a me that could destroy anything in its path.


    He also used some of the arcane runes he learned from Tina to create a barrier out of arcane magic.


    Of course, it instantly shattered since Lloyd''s proficiency with arcane magic was abysmal at best.


    The fire shield held up thought and allowed him to make it, but that''s when he heard something from above, and when he saw it hurling toward him, there was only one thing he could think about...


    ''Is this it...?''


    *BOOM*


    The dust cloud rose again as Alex returned to his human form and went to find the humans he was supposed to be guiding.


    Of course, he made sure to take a full video of the situation as it happened so that when he went back to the church, he could show the church and its people so they would believe him and show them that he was the person to kill a void walker. He may have been basing his entire belief on the fact that Lloyd''s eyes were put as "Purple" in his record, but it didn''t matter to him.


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 136 Valley Of Death [3] - Lloyds "Death"

    [Just a little warning. This chapter has a lot of info about runes (about 400 words worth), you can skip the part about the runes if you want, but as the author, I advise you to read it at least. The rest should be remain the same though.]


    The sound of something moving echoed throughout the valley.


    It had been about an hour since Lloyd had been attacked by Alex, and the sound of moving below the rubble began to echo throughout the valley for the first time since then.


    Lloyd had been smashed into the side of the mountain alongside the monster, and while the monster was left on the brink of death from the attack alone, the mountain crumbling and falling onto it was its killing blow, and Lloyd''s too.


    Or at least that was what Alex would have liked to believe, yet reality was not so kind to him.


    A moment before the mountain was about to crumble and fall onto the two of them, Lloyd coated his de with mes and stabbed it into the softer body of the woman, instead of her scorpion spider side that was covered in scales.


    She looked oddly human, but Lloyd didn''t think of it much since he didn''t have time for such a thing.


    The moment he stabbed her through the heart, he released his blue mes into her body and cooked her from the inside out, leaving nothing but a charred body behind.


    Of course, by then, Alex had run away with a grin on his face.


    Looking up, Lloyd thought-


    ''Is this it?''


    The ruble finally fell onto the two of them, and a dust cloud the size of a 14-story building shot into the sky, catching the eyes of the rest of his teammates, who instantly frowned...


    Everyone except John, who was standing at the back, grinning just as much as Alex.


    "Man, I almost thought I was dead... Not." Lloyd chuckled while kicking one of the boulders with all his strength, instantly blowing away half the rubble and creating a little path for him to leave.


    Everything had been a part of his n, from him fighting the monster alone with Alex to Alex betraying him and trapping him under rubble.


    Lloyd had calcted everything, and it had all gone as he had expected.


    Lloyd knew that they wouldn''t return for him or try to get him out of the rubble since Alex would probably say something like ''there is a chance the monster is still alive'' and make his death seem like a noble and necessary sacrifice rather than a murder.


    However, just to stay safe, he decided to stay in the rubble and cultivate for an hour until they left, and since he didn''t get the chance to cultivate his body much, he chose to cultivate it, allowing him to reach about 95% when it came to reaching the next stage.


    Lloyd faked his death mainly because, despite the opportunity he was given to kill as many monsters as possible, he had to share it with a bunch of morons who couldn''t kill anything above the peak firstmandment even if they tried.


    They not only slowed him down, but them being around also meant that he couldn''t go all out, making his void energy gain extremely low.


    Having scanned the creature, Lloyd looked at its scales with curiosity and greed.


    ''I could use this.'' He thought and absorbed it into his dimensional storage rather than his ring that would have taken it straight to the base.


    Firstly, he didn''t want to bring up any questions by showing them that he was capable of killing a monster with an amethyst seal. It would have been a bother, and this way, not only did he not have to exin himself, but he now also had something to create armor with.


    While the clothes they had were cool and all, their magical protections weren''t as good as they seemed.


    Every time something hit them, while a lot of the damage would be negated, it was not nearly as much as one would get from natural materials.


    It was one of the reasons why their current uniforms all had a light piece of armor as their foundation. Naturally, strong recourses were always better for weapons and protectionpared to enhancing a weak material like cotton or fiber.


    The amount of enhancing the runes did was about the same no matter the quality of the material; the problem was that enhancing a fabric with a tier 2 rune was like enhancing metal with a tier 1 rune.


    The rune system itself was quiteplicated, but Lloyd understood the gist of it.


    They went from tier 1 to tier 7, but a few years before the awakening of Sris, the dwarves had found a way to create tier 8 and 9 runes.


    Of course, nothingpared to the ancient society, which could create a rune so powerful that it was considered the mystical tenth tier. Of course, they didn''t call it that in their journals that were left behind after their extinction.


    No one knew how they went extinct, but almost everyone believed that it must have been the work of the "Great filter."


    Anyway, most of the runes that could be found on Lloyd''s clothes were considered tier 2 runes. An enchanter''s runes were marked by their quality and the amount of mana used to create the rune.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    This made it so enchanters of lowermandments could not create anything above theirmandments. Still, at the same time, they also made sure that despite being an entity of a highermandment, it did not mean that their rune tier would be equal to it since they needed to bnce it out with theirmandment.


    It was also one of the main reasons why people of a lowermandment couldn''t wear or use equipment that was two tiers or more above their ownmandment.


    And since Lloyd couldn''t wear anything above the second tier of runes, the best thing he could do was create or ask someone to forge an armor of a higher quality material-wise.


    Anyway, after Lloyd kicked open the building, and the rubble and left it, he began jogging through the valley, hoping to get through it as fast as possible.


    Since he didn''t know if anyone was around, he chose to not use his teleportation ability without reason or without thoroughly scanning everything within a mile with his mana sense and the mana eyes he finally figured out how to use.


    When he finally reached the end of the valley, he saw a monster guarding it the same way that a giant angler fish was guarding the valley''s entrance on the other side.


    "Peak firstmandment huh..." Lloyd grinned as electricity bounced off his body, and blue runes appeared on his skin momentarily.


    Bing a lightning bolt, Lloyd instantly appeared on the other side, of the valley and behind the monster, shown slowly sheathing his de while looking back at the monster that was now split in half.


    [Lightning Step]


    After seeing the masked man use [sh step] during his final trial in the pre-firstmandment entrance ceremony, Lloyd had etched the ability into his mind. He created his own technique that essentially created a burst of speed that allowed him to blitz past most opponents, possibly even those in the amethyst stages of the secondmandment.


    Of course, he didn''t believe he could kill anything past a two-amethyst seal secondmandment monster since the gap between seals at the stage was like the gap between the first andst topaz seal.


    He estimated that he would have to reach the firstmandment mid-stage to kill one, even with his void walker abilities (excluding void channel).


    "I heard an owlbear''s liver was a huge source of mana and could be cultivated by eating it... Let''s see if that''s true." Lloyd grinned while pacing to the owl bear and carving its liver out of its body before scanning it and absorbing it into the ring.


    Putting the liver into his dimensional storage, he turned around just to feel his stomach churn, even though he was 99.99% sure he didn''t have one.


    He didn''t really know where the food he ate went, but he just assumed that it would corrode and eventually turn into nothing but atoms consumed by the darkness below his shell.


    However, the reason for this feeling was that instead of seeing lush ins or a beautiful forest on the other side of the mountain, what he felt instead was the snow.


    And snow was never a good sign despite not affecting his void body.


    ***


    *CLANG*


    "Ugh." A girl with ck hair, bronze skin, and brown amber eyes vomited onto the ground as a monster''s fist shot past her team''s tank and mmed right into her stomach, catapulting her through the blizzard and into a tree.


    The monster before the was huge. It was three timesrger than theirrgest teammate, and it had a bodily prowess beyond anything the girl could produce on her own.


    Laying on the ground, she coughed out a mouthful of blood while stretching her hand out toward her boy as a final form of stubbornness.


    She didn''t want to die, yet the smell of death remained in her nose, smelling as cold as the blizzard around her, and as iron-filled as the blood in her mouth.


    Her teammatesy around her, some bleeding out into the snow, and others dead, their eyes wide and their faces frozen by blizzard into thest expression they ever made.


    And their third-year guide? She wasying in a pool of her own blood, barely alive as multiple grey-skinned creatures, skinny to the bone, ate her flesh with a certain craze in their eyes.


    Just when the bronze-skinned girl was about to reach her bow, a footnded on her arm while a loud crack followed by a blood-curdling scream echoed throughout the tundra.h


    "That two-legged ape will do... Keep her alive for now; she will be the perfect test subject." Another monster walked through the blizzard. He was much smaller than the man stepping on Fatima''s arm, yet the aura he expanded told every creature within a mile radius that he was a force to be reckoned with.


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 137 Genocide [1] - The Monsters Of The Tundra

    *Boom, Boom, Boom*


    The sound of several explosions echoed throughout the tundra, catching many eyes, mostly of monsters around the time, and some of the humans that happened to be in the general area.


    Of course, the chances of so many humans being in the same area was very low, but due to how much water and mountains there were on the, the tundra seemed like the best ce to be, even though it clearly was not.


    Even with his mana and soul sense, Lloyd could not distinguish between a group of humans or an enormous monster in the distance. So, instead of attacking everything he saw blindly, he would wait until they were close enough for him to discern before killing them.


    It had been around two days since his alleged death, and almost six days since the start of the exam. Since he didn''t have to rest anymore with the rest of his team, he spent thest 48 hours doing nothing but killing monsters left, right, and center.


    And the one thatnded right before him was a monster with 5 topaz seals.


    Since there was no real need for a weak monster, Lloyd scanned it and absorbed it into his ring. Since they wouldn''t be told their points until the end of the exam, he had no reason to believe that the rest of the team would discover that he was alive.


    Also, seeing him racking so many points over such a short time had a chance of alerting them, so he was thankful the higher-ups could see his points. Since they knew his father was Noah and that Lloyd himself had the prowess of a secondmandment, he didn''t mind them knowing.


    All he had to do was not scan or send in a monster of the amethyst seal, which was pretty hard to do since his eyes always shone with greed whenever he killed one of them.


    Another few hours passed by, and finally, Lloyd found something that caught his eye.


    "One amethyst seal, huh..." Lloyd spoke aloud as he used mana eyes, causing his purple eyes to shine through his colored contact lenses. Thankfully, no one was around to judge him about his eye color.


    ''Let''s hope no one else can ess my military records.'' Lloyd thought while ring his killing intent and catching the attention of the creature that flew above him.


    *SCREEECH*


    The monster screeched, making Lloyd tilt his head before a smile appeared on his face.


    It was a creature with a very long neck and an enormous wingspan. It was huge, probably reaching about 20 meters in length alone.


    It had white feathers to symbolize its connection to the snow element. The sheer power it exuded had caused most monsters to hide while making most of the humans retreat.


    But Lloyd was neither a monster nor a human. He was a void walker, and he was about to do what void walkers did best.


    Hundreds of basketball-sized fireballspressed into small musket bullets that shone like stars from the bird creature''s point of view.


    They were pale blue and mixed quite well with their icy white environment, yet every time a piece of snow even thought ofing close to it, they were instantly turned into vapor, not even given the ice enough time to turn into water.


    [me Control]


    [Counter Artry]


    With a swipe of his hands, Lloyd controlled every single fire bullet in a 100-meter radius and shot it toward the creature that was now perching toward him with a cyan me in its mouth.


    The bullets looked like hundreds of tracer bullets shooting toward the monster at random sequences, making it look more a shower of tracer bullets rather than a rain of them.


    *FWOOOOSH*


    The monster released its mes, swallowing most of Lloyd''s bullets, but that did notst long.


    Every time Lloyd''s bullets made contact with the bird''s icy mes, not only did the power of the icy mes decrease, but it also made an enormous explosion created from the thermal shock.


    Ayer of steam covered the bird, and slowly, despite it having ice-resistant feathers, ayer of ice covered its wings and made it slightly harder for it to move.


    Pointing his forefingers toward the bird, Lloyd let everyst bullet smash into it before he began to gather a powerful bolt of electricity, nowhere as powerful as his void lightning, but much stronger than his normal lightning, or even the lightning he had used against the monster he met when he used [Lightning Fusion] on himself.


    Seeing this attack pointed at it, and the fact that the me in its mouth had be warm at best, the bird tried to p away as fast as possible, yet it was far toote for such a thing.


    Its action only exposed its belly, and by the time it was getting ready to turn around and run away, the lightning had left Lloyd''s fingers. It had smashed into its abdomen, creating a loud explosion followed by an enormous cloud before the bird began falling.


    Yet, just as he expected, a moment before the bird was about to fall onto the ground, it pped its wings once more and tried to run away, much slower than before this time.


    Scanning everything within a mile radius, Lloyd thoroughly checked every life form, but he understood that they were too far to see anything, especially with the storm that made it impossible for the average person to see past their feet. Even Lloyd struggled to see since this was no longer about night vision but instead about blizzard blindness.


    [Void Step]


    Lloyd''s body shed a faint purple before it disappeared and appeared above the monster who was trying to run away.


    [Lightning Fusion]


    [Shadow Enhancement]


    Covering his arm with wounds and shadows, Lloyd cocked it back and shot it forward with lightning speed, creating a sound so powerful that his punch sounded like thunder. In contrast, his contact with the bird''s body created a powerful shockwave that the blizzard dissipated momentarily within a 20-meter radius.


    The bird shot to the ground and mmed into it with its full body weight.


    Lloyd quickly pped his wings to remain afloat, creating a pair of ck wings behind him. Instead of having two wings like before, his wings came out as 3 pairs. Three on his right and three on his left.


    They were enormous, reaching a wingspan of almost 10 meters as he raised his hands into the air and muttered something under his mouth.


    In an instant, dozens of star-like ming bulletsbined with had shadow maniption shot toward the creature and exploded it until Lloyd finally felt its life force disappear.


    Dropping to the ground, Lloyd quickly stored it in his storage space without scanning it. He then used his wings to cover himself, making it look like a robe covering him from head to toe and making it hard to see who he was without removing his hood.


    Feeling the energy enter his body, Lloyd dropped himself into his shadow and made the hole narrow so that no one could enter it without being the size of a rabbit.


    Lloyd decided to cultivate his body, yet since he had already cultivated his shell, he was now cultivating something else. Something below his shell; the only problem was that he had no idea what it was... All he knew was that what he was doing was working; in reality, that mattered.


    Questions could remain until he actually had time to find the answers to them.


    *Pop*


    A powerful gust of wind shot in all directions, making Lloyd grin as purple energy leaked from all his orifices before shrouding his body and making him feel stronger than ever.


    Despite barely a week or two since hisst breakthrough, Lloyd had no problems reaching the next rank. Of course, the main reason he was doing so well was that the monster in void walks gave so much more void energy for so much less work.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Another reason was the fact that he absorbed the lightning orb, so his body cultivation skyrocketed before slowing down when he left the void walk.


    Evidence of that could be further seen when you look at Lloyd''s progress with his core. Despite having killed so many monsters, his core was barely 20% of the way to the next stage, so from then on, he had decided to put all his energy into cultivating his core until he reached thete firstmandment, something that would probably take months at the rate he was going at.


    That was unless he somehow found a way to cultivate like a maniac and as fast as possible. How lucky would he have been to find a group of monsters staying in the same ce, ready to be incinerated in the hundreds with a few void mes?


    "Hmm?" Lloyd tilted his head when he walked into a forest, and despite the blizzard being as fierce as ever, he could smell the scent of blood...


    No, that wasn''t the scent of blood... His soul senses told him that there was death and suffering nearby, a lot of it at that.


    Lloyd increased his pace and reached the source of the scent. However, when he saw it, he could not help but narrow his eyes.


    The sight of small creatures eating both corpses and living beings. The dead people were all humans, and Lloyd even recognized some, but he was never close enough to them to care about them.


    ''Isn''t that the girl who tried to flirt with me at the party?'' Lloyd thought with more curiosity than pity.


    After losing a group of friends that were like brothers and sisters to you, it was hard to care for those you didn''t know.


    And that was what Lloyd was feeling.


    Complete apathy toward the situation.


    ''I hope my roommate isn''t here. It would be a real pain in the ass to try and find a roommate who won''t be a dick.'' Lloyd thought with a frown.


    Yet after looking around, the only person he recognized was the girl.


    "I wonder how this happened... Shouldn''t they have a third year with them?" Lloyd asked aloud, his voice causing the monsters that were feeding on the humans to look at him with the same anger and hunger that they looked at dead humans with.


    Lloyd didn''t know what they were, but despite their resemnce to goblins due to how skinny and short they were, their grey skin made it possible that they weren''t goblins, and instead a sub-race created from goblins.


    "Maybe I can kill their leader and get a cool ice ability!" Lloyd sped his fist as a lightbulb idea entered his mind.


    At the same time, the monsters were beginning to charge at him. The humans that were still alive would have told him they wereing, but their vocal cords had been frozen, and their bodies were getting so cold that their minds were turning nk, and their eyes were bing drowsy.


    Lloyd didn''t even have to move. Well, he didn''t really react to the iing monsters. They were too weak to eveny a scratch on his skin, let alone the shadow robe/cloak he had covered himself with.


    Lloyd''s foot shot at lightning speed toward the monster''s head, instantly blowing it to pieces. It was more of an instinctual movement to such a grotesque creature trying to touch him, so he didn''t realize he had killed the monster until a little bit of blue bloodnded on his face.


    "Ugh... You know there aren''t anykes nearby, right? I can''t get my face washed!" Lloyd shouted while using the cleansing feature of his clothes and burning the rest of the monsters alive.


    Walking up to one of the women that were half eaten, but alive, Lloyd narrowed his eyes and asked-


    "You''re the third year, right?"


    "Help... Me..." She asked, but after thinking for a moment, Lloyd didn''t know if he should. She wasn''t the girl he knew. She was clearly the guide assigned to the wiped group from hermandment.


    On the one hand, he could kill her and gain the void energy of a human for the first time. At the same time, he would consider it an act of mercy.


    On the other hand, he could waste a potion on her, and even then, her chances of surviving were low.


    Looking a few meters away from her, Lloyd saw the emergency button that all the guides held. The first years weren''t supposed to know about them, but it was obvious that every guide would have one in an emergency.


    Lloyd could see all people over. They could probably be there in less than 5 minutes, and a potion would keep her alive for that long. At the same time, it would give the military a chance to take all the kids out of the since there is a chance that something above the amethyst seal lives on the.


    ''To think they''d risk so many lives over this... There must be something important about the if the military is willing to risk so many lives... On the other hand, this might be a filter to keep the strong and get rid of the weak, but even as I think that, it sounds like the most stupid thing anyone could ever do.'' Lloyd thought while scratching his chin.


    If he were to call the emergency, he couldn''t be able to farm the monsters that had done this. He could already imagine the number of points and void energy he would gain. He was almost drooling, but he contained himself.


    "There are only 5 of you here, so the monsters who did this must have taken someone in. I don''t really care who they took in; I''m just wondering why.


    I doubt these monsters have the intelligence to experiment on a human, but at the same time, if they have any links to the goblins, there is a chance that what they are doing is unspeakable." Lloyd muttered, remembering the town of goblins where female humans were kept prisoner.


    "Welp... Out of my hands now." Lloyd shrugged while opening the coin flip application.


    "Heads I help these assholes, tails I kill them and hunt the monsters by myself."


    [...]


    [...]


    [...]


    [Tails]


    "Heard you loud and clear." Lloyd pointed his finger toward the third year and shot a purple bolt through her forehead before quickly aiming at the other girl and doing the same.


    Yet, even though he was expecting the void energy to be the same, something was different.


    The void energy was so potent... So pure.


    It was almost addictive, but Lloyd quickly pped himself out of it and focused on the task. He could think about the cocaine-like drug he had just uncoveredter.


    "Let''smit a genocide, shall we."


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 138 Genocide [2] - The Search

    [Golden Ticket Leaderboards This Month:


    oChowda - 95 GT


    Tyler_Hotker - 13 GT


    James_Stern - 10 GT


    Huge thank you to all of you. I''ll try to find some kind of prize to give the top three next month.]


    Lloyd found himself walking for several hours, and at a certain point, he had lost track of the monster''s direction after ughtering the team.


    They had clearly taken one of the team members for the reason that Lloyd still did not understand, but his priority right now was not to understand what was happening, but rather to kill as many monsters as he could.


    Since the trace of blood had halted, Lloyd closed his eyes and expanded his mana senses, yet he still could not see anything within a few miles of him.


    So he began walking using the traces left behind to track them. He was an assassin, after all. One of his main skills were supposed to be the ability to track people, and even though he wasn''t very true to his assassin role when it really came to it, he did know enough from his rougebat ss to track people down no matter what environment they were in.


    Lloyd scanned the area before him using his soul and mana vision to see if any remaining traces were left.


    Since the person they took had stopped bleeding at a certain point, tracking them came down to sensing their mana signature or any form of life force used in the area.


    "Found you..." Lloyd chuckled when he saw a trail of something''s mana signature smeared onto the trees nearby and embedded into the ground in the form of arge foot.


    Through his soul vision, Lloyd could see a very faint silhouette of the creature that was there. There were two of them, one big and the other shorter than even him. A girl could be seen thrown over the big monster''s shoulder, but since it had been too long since the monsters had been there, it was hard for Lloyd to even understand what the silhouettes were without thoroughly checking them up and down and using the context to fill in the rest of the details.


    ''Maybe its a boy long hair...'' Lloyd thought to himself as he shot through the forest as fast as possible so the silhouettes wouldn''t disappear before he got to the monsters in time.


    Lloyd had no idea how strong they were, but if they could kill a third year on their own, Lloyd felt there was a chance they would be a problem.


    At the same time, his greed for the void energy had taken over his body, since, after tasting the two human''s void energies, he began to crave for something simr.


    ''Man... Why did it have to be so pure and... Tasty? Is that really the word I want to use? It sounds like cannibalism so how about... Wait, I''m not human, so does it still count as cannibalism?'' Lloyd asked himself, yet before he could answer, a series of sounds entered his ears despite the fact that a blizzard was blowing over him, making it nearly impossible to hear anything that wasn''t loud enough to attract monsters.


    This usually meant two things. Either the people on the other side of this blizzard were strong enough to not care about the animals and monsters that their voices might attract, or they were humans, too stupid and young to understand the basics of surviving in the wild.


    Lloyd walked through the blizzard before jumping onto a tree and reaching one of the highest branches.


    Even though the wind was much more powerful now that he was at the top, his shadow wings, now in the form of a cloak, protected him from all the wind while the shadow below his feet stuck to him, making it impossible for him to be thrown off the tree without being attacked.


    Lloyd looked down, yet what he saw only made him frown.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    ''Looks like this might be harder than I thought.'' Lloyd scratched his chin.


    Grey-skinned children ran around andughed with their neighbors. They were skinny and small, and so were their parents, or that''s at least who Lloyd thought were looking after them.


    He still didn''t know how their society worked, but from the huts and even farms below him, he understood that they worked simrly to humanity during the bronze age.


    Looking down, Lloyd stretched his hand out and tapped onto a distortedyer of energy.


    Seeing that there was some kind of barrier in the way, Lloyd closed his eyes and deactivated his mana eyes to see what the barrier would be like normal, but when he did, he could only widen his eyes in shock.


    ''To think they can cloak an entire vige in in sight. And with their technology at that. Maybe they are a mana-based society. I heard that having mana early on in a world can dramatically affect its development.'' Lloyd thought while remembering a really old story about a world called Gilea that could not take itself out of the middle ages for millennia due to the fact that magic had always been a key factor on their, making inventorszy and the people spiritless.


    ''I would have loved to study this under any other scenario... Too bad I have to destroy every trace of it.'' Lloyd sighed while cocking his arm back, covering it in his shadow, and releasing a devastating punch.


    *BOOOM*


    The punch ripped right through the barrier, and the air pressure from it shot toward one of the huts, turning it into ashes at the moment of contact and turning anyone inside it into a bloody paste.


    The barrier started to repair itself, yet Lloyd quickly jumped through it before it could and spread his wings wide.


    [Shadow Arrows + me Control]


    A rain of ming ck arrows shot out of Lloyd''s six enormous shadow wings, falling onto the people, the houses, and the farms, burning them one by one.


    The monsters screamed...


    They were screaming? How weird. Monsters didn''t usually scream, but this had nothing to do with him. They attacked humans of the military academy, after all. Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. All wounds equal to equal.


    *"My baby"* A woman cried in anguage Lloyd could not understand, yet her bodynguage and grief in her voice told him the whole story better than any set of words could have ever done.


    The woman had four arms and the same signature grey skin as the monsters he had seen outside. However, her aura gave off the power of a peak firstmandment, unlike the monsters on the outside that were barely in the firstmandment alone.


    Lloyd remembered the goblin he killed during his second dungeon raid. It seemed semi-intelligent but far too weak to reach a point where it could have been a sentient intelligent creature at the same level as humans.


    For a moment, Lloyd stopped his attacks and looked at the woman who was kneeling on the ground with shivering shoulders.


    She held a grotesque-looking small monster, the same size as most of themon goblins in the weaker dungeons. The small monster had arge nose, a triangle-shaped head as well as enormous pointed ears.

 Chapter 139 Genocide [3] - Destruction

    They were all bald except the women and some of the stronger men in the vige.


    Now that he looked at it, there weren''t nearly enough women in the vige for them to create the next generation properly, so he was doing them a favor, right?


    Instead of making them suffer for generations until none left, Lloyd pulled the plug on them early... It was an act of mercy, right?


    ''Heh... Who am I kidding? I''m doing this purely for the void energy I get from killing these things.'' Lloyd thought to himself. He tried to call them ''things'' to lessen the blow, and despite not expecting much, it did actually work.


    They were objects for him to get stronger. They were like bags of void energy getting ready to be harvested, and that was exactly what he would do.


    *"You monster! What did we ever do to you!?"* The woman roared, yet since Lloyd still couldn''t understand her, he responded appropriately.


    "I don''t understand you,dy. But, if it makes you feel better-" Lloyd pointed his finger at her face and shot a purple bullet through her skull, watching her fall back with what he assumed was her child in her arms.


    "It''s not personal." He finished after the woman had passed to the other side, if monsters even had such a thing.


    The other monsters were running around wildly, while therger and stronger ones came forward with their weapons in hand, ready to kill Lloyd on the spot.


    "All secondmandments in the topaz stage. I really think the military outdid themselves this time. Sure, I''m practically searching for monsters of you level, but for them to be avable as such a high densi-" Lloyd couldn''t finish his sentence as a cleaver shot toward his face.


    There were about seven of theming at him. Each one of them was as big as the hobgoblin he had fought back when he went into the dungeon with Osmygold''s team.


    Lloyd doubted he''d ever see those guys again, but at least they made a few good memories while they were together.


    Stepping to the side, Lloyd dodged the iing cleaver and analyzed his opponents.


    The weakest of the seven was a 4 seal topaz stage, while the strongest had 9 seals and was the closest to breaking into the amethyst seal.


    Too bad everything he had worked toward until now was nothing but a pipe dream.


    They were all also very fat, making them look like goliaths in front of Lloyd, who was just a small 6ft 3 man who seemed to move with the grace of the wind.


    Seeing the cleaver was now stuck in the ground, Lloyd decided to end this as quickly as possible.


    Throwing a kick forward, Lloyd snapped the cleaver in two. At the same time, he grabbed the top blunt edge of the de and threw it toward the monster that had attacked him, decapitating it in an instant.


    ''Oh yeah, I''m in a cloaked vige... No outside witnesses. Even those have mana vision will be blinded by the barrier so they wouldn''t be able to see anything inside.'' Lloyd grinned, as a bat, sword, and axe swung at where he stood.


    [Void Step]<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Disappearing in a sh of purple light, Lloyd appeared in front of three monsters behind them that were all using their hands instead of weapons. They were also the weakest of the group, so Lloyd just zapped them with a little bit of void-infused lightning that ravaged their insides and turned them into charred corpses.


    Flipping back, Lloyd jumped above the armed monsters who were now attacking where he once stood again, unable to control their momentum once they decided to attack.


    Lloyd took this chance to sh his hand horizontally, creating 7 miniature blue stars before him before shooting them toward the monsters.


    The weaker pair got two stars each, while the one with 9 topaz seals got three; however, due to him not infusing it with void energy, the pair were injured while the stronger monster simply slid back after having blocked the attacks with its arms.


    It had a little burning, yet it healed as fast as it appeared.


    ''Oh my god finally! A monster with an ability. Maybe I can steal it.'' Lloyd grinned while thinking of how easily he could heal. Of course, he had other ways of healing, but they were far less efficient and a lot slower than the healing he had just seen from the monster before him.


    [Hades'' Chains]


    With a snap of his fingers, Lloyd created chains that sprouted from the ground and wrapped themselves around the monster with 9 topaz seals.


    Pointing all 5 fingers at the other two monsters, Lloyd created a beam of void energy that turned into a homingser that shot through their limbs and spine, paralyzing them on the spot before merging behind the monsters and shooting through their heads.


    "You, on the other hand..." Lloyd grinned as he watched the chains sear the monster''s skin.


    "It''s too bad we can''tmunicate. Maybe your grunts would mean something." Lloyd chuckled before pointing his hand at the monster and creating a purple me at the palm of his hand.


    Yet just when Lloyd was about the burn the monster alive, he felt something enter the dome they were in.


    Looking over, Lloyd hoped it wouldn''t be a human so he wouldn''t have to kill them, yet when he saw what it was, and felt the aura it released, he knew that killing them would be a lot harder than he thought.


    While one was enormous and pretty strong, having reached the first amethyst seal, the man next to him was small, yet the aura he radiated was that of pure killing intent, to the point where Lloyd found it hard to check the monster''s power.


    ''Third amethyst seal... Yep, I''m fucked.''


    -------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 140 Genocide [4] - Nulls Awakening

    The creature''s eyes were dark and cold, as if he had seen through Lloyd''s thoughts.


    Lloyd quickly burned the chained monster to the ground using his purple me before he turned around and crouched down, his violet eyes burning brightly through his contact lenses.


    [Lightning Fusion]


    Lloyd quickly became a bolt of lightning as he shot through the air and appeared before his enemy in less than a second, yet instead of showing a look of surprise, the shorter monster looked intrigued while, the bigger one smiled.


    ''I don''t know why you''re smiling for.'' Lloyd thought as his eyes locked with that of therger monster.


    [Void Gaze]


    The bigger monster froze while Lloyd shed toward him, yet when his de was a single inch away from its target, it was quickly deflected out of his hand.


    Lloyd could only helplessly watch his katana fly above him, and a small grey fist descended upon his abdomen, shooting him into the ground and causing him to bounce like a rock skipping on water.


    Finally controlling his momentum, Lloyd was able to stop in before being shot out of the barrier, but when looking down at his body, all he could see was that his skin was filled with cracks, most of them beginning on his abdomen and reaching all the way up to his face.


    *"Fuck... Are you the one, our lord has warned us about?" The monster spoke with an intrigued tone when he saw the cracks all over Lloyd''s body, yet Lloyd couldn''t understand him, so he didn''t bother answering the question.


    Throwing his hands to either side, Lloyd created hundreds of tiny magic bullets made out of fire, darkness, and lightning, before being coated with ayer of void energy that made the monsters widen their eyes.


    It was an element unlike anything they had seen before, and it wasn''t even just that. Lloyd''s control over his affinities was impable. It was a miracle that the bullets hadn''t self-imploded when he tried to put more than one element in them.


    However, only the bigger monster felt any signs of danger from the bullets, yet he knew that his master would save him since such a weak spell was nothing to him.


    Well, that was until-


    *SNAP*


    [Aspect of Void]


    Snapping his fingers, Lloyd activated [aspect of void], causing the bullets to whirl as they became fully purple before being condensed into a small spherical bullet with the weight and power of tank ammunition.


    [Aspect of void] was an enchanting and enhancing ability, so Lloyd was going to use it that way.


    The smaller grey monster crouched down and shot toward Lloyd as fast as he could, but by then, it was already toote.


    With a swipe of his hands, Lloydunched the bullets.


    *Swoosh*


    The bullets tore through the air and moved like they were homing missiles, yet even though some were moving toward the smaller and stronger monster, the rest were aiming for something else.


    The man-monster thing made an X over his chest to block the iing attacks, yet when he saw most of them swerve away, he widened his eyes and looked back at thispanion, that was now swinging his greatsword at the iing bullets.


    [Overload]


    Instantly the bullets began sucking in all the mana in the area, turning into small purple-ck holes that made the area around them dry of mana within seconds.


    *BOOOOM*


    The bullets exploded in the air, creating a huge shockwave and sending both monsters flying backward before smashing into the barrier, creating a small hole in it.


    The bigger monster had crashed through the barrier, and his body was charred beyond recognition.


    Lloyd looked at the barrier, expecting it to repair itself, yet when he saw it was still broken, he could only force a smile.


    He was more concerned by the smaller monster, yet even though he didn''t expect much when the smoke finally cleared, it seemed like the only thing he had done was the infuriate creature.


    The monster was pretty smallpared to all the other adult ones he had killed.


    While most of the adult grey-skinned creatures were about twice asrge as Lloyd, the one before him was about the same size as him, making him physically less intimidating than the others. Yet, his magical aura and bloodlust were strong enough to make anyone of Lloyd''s stature to kneel before him.


    Yet, Lloyd didn''t, and while it had initially intrigued the monster, now it infuriated him beyond belief.


    *"KNEEL YOU BALD APE!"* The monster shouted, its voice intertwined with its rage and killing intent.


    The runes on Lloyd''s skin shone again as she shed from his spot, creating a deep footprint where hest stood before the earth around the footprint began to crack.


    Appearing in front of the monster in a sh of light, Lloyd had his de in his hand once more and swung it down with all the power he could muster.


    Yet the monster was faster.


    Its hand was moving toward him at a speed that Lloyd could only see as a blur.


    However, right before the hand could hand on his neck, Lloyd''s eyes shone before his body disappeared into a sh of violet light.


    Appearing behind the monster, Lloyd traced his fingers along the t side of his katana, causing purple runes to appear on it, but it wasn''t any kind of purple rune.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    [Aspect of Void + Lightning Fusion]


    Purple lightning crackled off his de, creating an area of distortion around the de, making it look like a mirage as it sliced through the air and appeared next to the monster''s neck.


    However, the monster seemed to have been one step ahead.


    A footnded on Lloyd''s abdomen, causing him to beunched back several meters before mming onto the barrier and bouncing off it and onto the ground.


    The cracks that had been on his abdomen earlier were getting bigger, while the spider web-like cracks expanded further, reaching all the way down to his hand and feet.


    Even though it pained him to do it, Lloyd closed his eyes and channeled some of the void energy inside his body to heal the cracks on his skin.


    Even though he would have loved to have a regeneration ability, when he killed the monster with the ability to regenerate, Lloyd could not gain it since the chances were already pretty low in the first ce.


    The only reason he got the [lightning control] ability from the void walk was that it seemed like not only were the chances higher in void walks, but the fact that he killed so many of those lightning goats was also a contributing factor to why he eventually got the ability.


    As the cracks on his skin exuded with purple energy, they slowly closed, allowing Lloyd to reach his physical peak once more.


    ''He''s going to kill us.'' A voice in Lloyd''s head chimed in, sounding as cold and emotionless as ever.


    ''Shut up...'' Lloyd sneered and teleported to the monster''s right-hand side while swinging his de, yet before his attack couldnd, he teleported again, now above the monster.


    *"Amature,"* It spoke, and even though Lloyd couldn''t understand its words, its scorn, and disgust were enough to tell him that it was thinking of him.


    And the punch thatnded on his back was enough to show him the power difference between the two of them.


    Lloyd mmed into the ground again, grimacing at his injured while teleporting several meters away. If he continued fighting, there was only one way it could end.


    He could feel his voidwalker side screaming at him for attempting to run away. His body was practically begging him to stay and fight, to eithere out of the other side stronger or to die an honorable death.


    However, despite the pleas of his body, the decision was entirely out of his own hands.


    Before he could react, the monster flickered in front of him, its foot inches away from his face as it mmed into it and shot him through the barrier and several meters into the forest before he eventually hit a cliffside.


    *"You will make a better test subject than that girl. Hmm. I wonder if she''s dead yet."* The monster thought with a demonic grin.


    Their ''god'' had told them that a creature made out of the tear between space-time wasing for them and that they should capture it alive and allow him to consume it.


    Of course, while at first they were terrified after hearing the description, in the end, they chose to do what they had to.


    However, the man/monster was relieved to see that the creature their ''lord'' was talking about was a mere firstmandment. Of course, he was much stronger than the average firstmandment, yet such a thing was expected from the creature their lord had praised so highly.


    As the monster walked toward Lloyd, taking slow and loud steps to torture Lloyd a little longer as hey by the side of the cliff with rubble covering most of his body.


    ''Let me take over.''


    ''No... I can-'' Lloyd tried to teleport, yet horrible jolts of pain shot through his entire body, making him feel like puking despite his obviousck of a stomach.


    ''You can not. Give me control for 15 minutes. Our survival is my number one priority. Everything else cer.'' Null spoke, his voice sounding almost threatening even though it was as monotone as always.


    "Ugh. Fine. Go ahead." Lloyd sneered.


    ''Put the mask on.''


    Lloyd paused momentarily and took the mask out of his dimensional storage. When he looked at the obsidian ck mask, he hesitated momentarily. Yet, when looking into the distance and seeing the disgusting grin on the grotesque grey monster in the shape of a human, he resolved his nerves and slowly ced the mask on his face.


    *"Don''t worry... I''ll be tearing the mask of with your face alongside itter on. Are you so ashamed of your loss that you are unable to show your face to me?"* The creatureughed.


    "You must be mistaken..." Lloyd''s voice changed, bing low and monotone as he spoke the monster''snguage before him, making the monster freeze in ce for a moment before frowning.


    "Why would a being of my stature..." Lloyd''s body got up, the cracks all over his bodypletely gone.


    *DOOM*


    Monarch''s aura expanded out in every direction as a cold and calcted killing intent wafted out with it.


    "Be afraid of an insect?"


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 141 Genocide [4] - Nullification Style: Monarchs Death Domain

    [Huge thanks to TheVoidFox for your generous gift]


    "Why would a being of my stature..." Lloyd''s body got up, the cracks all over his bodypletely gone.


    *DOOM*


    Monarch''s aura expanded out in every direction as a cold and calcted killing intent wafted out with it.


    "Be afraid of an insect?"


    Lloyd stood up... No... This wasn''t Lloyd anymore. Lloyd was gone, and what took over was an emotionless monster that would kill anything in its path to achieve its goal, no matter who stood before it.


    This was Null''s awakening.


    The moment he stood up, his contact lenses fell out of his eyes as his sclera became pitch ck, while his irises glowed bright violet, making him look menacing through the eyes of anyone who was him.


    And his monarch''s aura didn''t help his enemy either.


    It gave him a terrifying look as the ck and purple aura spiraled around him, picking up the wind and forcing the blizzard to funnel around him.


    Not a single snowke touched him the entire time as if nature itself was terrified of the being that hade out of Lloyd.


    "You can understand me?" The monster widened its eyes while stepping back out of shock and surprise, yet Null didn''t reply. The cold and merciless killing intenting out of the human before him had taken him off guard, forcing him to take another step back before unleashing his own killing intent.


    However, Null''s killing intent was nothing like Lloyd''s.


    The biggest difference wasn''t the emotion behind the two of theirs; instead, it was a pure gap in their intensity.


    Lloyd''s killing intent was like a drop in the oceanpared to Null''s, to the point where someone so much stronger than him had felt threatened by it, even having their own killing intent crushed by the weight behind Null''s.


    And at that moment, Null disappeared.


    Nothing was left behind. Not even a sh of purple light.


    All the monster saw was him disappearing, and the next thing he knew, a kick hadnded on the side of his head and had shot him into the forest.


    The monster quickly bnced itself as it cracked through the trees and began to bleed from all the splinters that entire its body, yet after stabilizing itself, it took a single breath in and healed its entire body.


    [Roaring Skies]


    The monster opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar that shot through the forest like a speeding ne.


    All the trees in the way were turned into dust when the attack touched them, yet when it reached Null...


    "Is that the best you can do?" Null tilted his head and spoke with a monotone voice. A violet aura had coated him from head to toe, instantly neutralizing the attack the moment it touched him.


    Well, neutralizing wouldn''t have been the correct term to exin what just happened.


    Taking a step forward, the space in front of Null shifted, making him instantly appear before the monster.


    The monster swung its fist, shooting it straight for Null''s abdomen, yet unlike before, its punch didn''tnd.


    "H-How..." It muttered as a foot mmed up and into its abdomen, sending it flying several meters into the air before a bolt of purple energy hit it, creating an enormous explosion in the air.


    As the monster descended, it punched the air and catapulted itself out of Null''s range. It wasn''t too hurt, but somehow the attacks were much stronger than before.


    ''How is this possible. This bald ape''s attacks haven''t increased in strength at all. The force behind the attacks in the same, yet why does it do more damage? Sure, I can take it for now, but at the rate this is going at, I might be forced to run away.'' The monster thought as it shivered when it realized the rate of improvement the human before it was moving at.


    "What are you? You are not the same ape as before." The monster finally asked.


    "Oh? I am surprised an unintelligent creature like you is even capable of recognizing such changes." Null replied, causing the creature to grit its teeth.


    "You know, ever since I came into this boy''s body, I''ve always felt like he had been using it wastefully. Using it more like a tool rather than a piece of him." Null began to exin, but instead of staying in one ce, he teleported to the monster''s right-hand side and threw out a flurry of punches.


    The punches weren''t filled with power or the strength the st the monster away. Instead, they were sharp and quick, yet somehow, each one of those punches was doing more damage than any of Lloyd''s could have.


    Even as the monster tried to block them, Null simply teleported his body in a way that created momentum and made his attacks unreadable.


    He was quite literally pummeling the monster, and even when the monster attacked back, it always seemed like the purple energy around Null was nullifying the attack by spiraling around it and making it not have a single effect against him.


    "His technique has always been awful..." Null spoke whilending a punch in the monster''s gut, temple, and nose in the same second.


    "His power output has never been worse..." Null mmed his foot into the monster''s genitals, uncaring for battle etiquette.


    "And let''s not even talk about his horrible control of his mana." Null sighed with a tinge of disappointment, yet it was barely noticeable, especially when the only person listening had just been kicked in the gut, causing them to vomit a mouthful of blood before beingunched back.


    This kick had been much more powerful than the rest. As if the void energy coating Null had also taken part in the attack, creating a devastating kick that ruptured the monster''s insides.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Pointing his hand at the monster, Null released a barrage of purple bolts of every that continued to push the monster back until it eventually mmed into a cliffside, yet Null didn''t stop attacking.


    He continued to attack repeatedly with the bolts, but after a while, the monster began to push back against the attacks.


    [Roaring Skies]


    The roar destroyed all the bolts that wereing toward it before disappearing again once it hit Null, who stood emotionless and unmoving in the face of the attack.


    Null narrowed his eyes slightly when he finally saw through the smoke.


    Red energy circled around the monster as its muscles bulged and its eyes reddened. It reminded Null of all the times Lloyd had sparred with Zack, making him nod as a conclusion reached him.


    "He''s going berserk," Null muttered.


    *BOOM*


    The monster shot toward Null with all the power it could muster. Even though Null continued to throw bolts of void energy at it, the monster was uncaring for its well-being now, causing it to charge forward and take the attacks head-on, essentially blocking it with its body.


    Once it was in front of Null, it raised its arm in the air and swung it down at him like a hammer.


    Yet, with the same expressionless face as always, Null simply teleported away from the attack, yet instead of appearing a few meters away like Lloyd would have done, he appeared above the monster.


    It was now twice as big as before, reaching 12 feet high.


    With the void energy coating Null''s arm, he cocked it back while muttering-


    "How grotesque..."


    *BOOM*


    The monster''s head flung back as its forehead caved in, yet all it took was a single breath for it to heal again.


    "How annoying..." Null sighed and teleported away, quickly grabbing Lloyd''s katana before returning to the battle.


    [Aspect of Void]


    As Null pointed the katana at the monster, runes were engraved into its t side before coating it with purple energy.


    "Lloyd, let this be a demonstration to you..." Null''s eyes burned with energy.


    [Unique Style Creation]


    [Nullification Style]


    [Absolute Reversal + Monarch''s Aura + Cleave]


    Null''s aura expanded further and shrouded the entire area around both him and the monster.


    The void energy that coated Null the entire time began to spiral, and before the monster could understand what had happened, the taste of death appeared in the monster''s mouth as its body was split in half.


    It recognized the power of these attacks... No, it recognized the every energy trace within the attack itself.


    Every punch, every ability, and every single offensive thing it ever did to Null, all of it wasing back to bite it in the ass.


    But it didn''t stop there.


    Hundred if not thousands of cuts appeared all over the creature''s body, cutting every square inch of it as if Null was trying to cut apart the very cells that made up the monster''s body.


    [Monarch''s Death Domain]


    Nothing was spared in the area. Everything was ttered as cuts appeared on the ground, turning it into the sand.


    But for the monster, the most agonizing part was when void energy began to seep into its body, corrupting all of its Amethyst seals while turning the green energy that healed it into a purple one that burned its wounds and destroyed it from the inside out.


    "Let this be a demonstration to you of what you will be capable if you tap into even a fraction of the void element..." Null spoke as the symphony of the monster''s screams soothed his mind.


    "Let this be a lesson. When you''re a void walker, control and technique is all that matters... because control and technique reign supreme."


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 142 Genocide [5] - I Am Death

    The monster fell limp and dropped to the ground after its screams had gone on for a little more than 30 seconds.


    It was now dead, and its corpse had been diced into hundreds of cubes and polyhedrons of different sizes, widths, and lengths.


    Null looked at the creature without a single spark of sympathy for it. Technically, he wasn''t showing a single emotion toward his victory behind that ck mask he was wearing.


    It was almost like the victory was too easy...


    "Since I have this body for a little longer..." Null stroked his chin before cing the monster''s corpse in his dimensional storage.


    Teleporting back to the burning vige, Null leaned down and took a core out a mana core out of the pile of ashes.


    Usually, only the monsters with abilities ever dropped cores since they were the only ones who didn''t have them destroyed when they died.


    Monsters'' anatomies worked differently from human''s. A monster had a mana core no matter what, and they didn''t have mana or body cultivation. They didn''t even really cultivate. They usually ate other monsters'' flesh and mana cores until they reached a level where they could break through to a differentmandment or stage.


    Since this was the case, they usually had no need for cultivation, so the only monsters one might see with actual cultivation techniques were those of much higher intelligence or strength.


    However, while some thought that phoenixes and dragons were also in that category, that simply wasn''t the case.


    After all, dragons and phoenixes existed long before mana awakened in the universe itself.


    They didn''t have such things as abilities or sses; they were simply dragons who were attuned to different elements. They sometimes ate other legendary creatures to gain strength.


    Still, since they were alive before sses and the traditional forms of mana, they didn''t have cultivation techniques or categories like humans and other higher races did.


    "They did say that they had a base. Maybe I can rob them?" Null before he expanded [Monarch''s Aura] to its full capabilities.


    The aura reached several miles in size, and even though the effect was nearly gone at the edges of the aura, Null wasn''t using it for that.


    [Monarch''s Aura + Mana Sense + Void step]


    Instantly, Null snapped his head to the side before teleporting several miles away.


    He had used his aura to map out the entire ce, and once he found the ce he was looking for, he immediately teleported to it, appearing right in front of arge cave that was echoing with the sound of screams andughter.


    The screams were blood-curdling. Even Lloyd would have reacted to such a powerful and pain-filled scream, but not Null.


    Null strolled into the cave without a second thought. At his first turn, he came across a few of those monsters beating some of the humans that were there, torturing them, and slowly ripping them apart, piece by piece.


    "What a seductive bunch..." Null sighed, yet his words weren''t said in anger or disgust. They were said in a way that made Null sound more like a disappointed mother than someone who was watching his own race being tortured by a bunch of monsters...


    Or at least that''s what Lloyd would have thought. Null didn''t identify as a human. He never did, even when he first appeared inside Lloyd... Even when he was nameless and was simply watching from the sidelines, he never saw himself as human, despite Lloyd being human at the time.


    "Huh?" A monster turned around and looked at the masked man who was simply looking at them with pity. Of course, Null wasn''t showing any emotion in his eyes or face, but he always had a way of making it seem like he was despite speaking in a monotone voice all the time.


    "Guys! One of the apes came to us out of their own will. Is this what these apes call a masochist?" One of the monsters cackled while charging forward.


    They all had 9 topaz seals, while one of them had an amethyst seal, but it looked pretty new.


    ''The military must be beyond ipetent to not see an enitre civilization of monsters in the topaz stage.'' Null thought while swinging his de and cutting through the air.


    [Nullification Style]


    [Equasion: Zero]


    In an instant, the monsters all disappeared and turned into purple particles. The ones with abilities dropped their core onto the ground, but there was only one of them out of the 20 he saw when he first entered the cave.


    At the same time, Null still didn''t get an ability from the monsters, causing him to sigh.


    The cores were instantly stored inside his watch, and as he walked past the humans that were being tortured, he heard a view of voice call out to him.


    "Finally! Thank you for saving us! Thank you so much!" One of them cried.


    "Oh my god... Thank god." One of the girls fell to her knees and began to sob.


    "Thank you, instructor! Did you get our distress call?" One of the moreposed ones asked.


    "..."


    "Instructor?" One asked.


    "Yeah... No." With a swipe of his hands, Null created several ming blue bullets and shot them through the monster''s heads, mealing their brains and causing them to leak out of their ears.


    Null did this several times. The cave was surprisingly big and also really deep. For some reason, it always went down, as if someone had artificially made it that way.


    There were many humans there, around 30 in total, which was a surprise since all the teams were supposed to be split out throughout the entire, not just in one ce.


    Walking down the halls and corridors that had been carved out of the earth, Null finally reached arger room where he began to look around.


    "Heh? Brother! Look, it''s another ape that came down here out of their own-"<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "Are you stupid?" The other monster asked while pping his friend''s head.


    "What!" The first monster asked when he saw his friend and everyone around them crouch down and get into fighting positions.


    They all had their weapons out and were pointing at a Null. They didn''t see him as a stupid human... No, they were the strongest batch of monsters in the entire cave system, and the moment they felt his presence as he walked into the room, they could also almost smell the blood that was on his hands...


    The blood of their brethren!


    "How do you think he got here, you moron! The others would have realized, and if they didn''t have enough time to ring the rm and warn us, it means he''s either a really good assassin that they didn''t see, or that he killed them within seconds of them seeing him." The monster exined.


    *p p p p*


    Null slowly pped, yet even his ps seemed a little mncholic. They weren''t filled with the same vigor as a normal p.


    "Well done. I was wondering which of you filthy monsters would figure it out. Looks like I had to go to the top of the pyramid to find someone like that." Null sighed.


    "You know ournguage?" They widened their eyes and asked.


    "Do I speak yournguage? No... Why would I learn thenguage of a filthy monster? I speak allnguages, so don''t think you''re special, alright?" Null mocked.


    "Brother. He is just a firstmandment!" The stupid one shouted.


    "You''re right..." Null spoke, and once his voice reached the monster he was speaking to, it was already toote.


    A purple bolt of energy shot through his head, causing him to drop to the ground as blue blood leaked from the back of his head.


    "You bastard!" One of them shouted and charged toward Null, yet as he swung his axe toward his enemy, he felt the hair at the back of his neck stand up, while a cold shiver ran down his spine when he looked into Null''s cold purple eyes.


    Purple eyes... A menacing deadly aura that made them want to drop to the ground. There was only one person they could think of who had those features.


    And that was the person their ''lord'' had told them to catch...


    So... why would their lord make them catch him?


    Or was it all a ploy to send the entire monster civilization into the palm of the man before them...


    Did their lord send them to their death?


    "You''re the-"


    However, before he could even mutter those words, a katana cleaved through his head, shing through his skull and separating the monster''s brain from the rest of its head.


    Several others charged forward with the same anger and rage; however, they couldn''t do anything once they were in front of Null.


    It wasn''t just his eyes or his aura.


    No, it was more than that.


    His technique was wless. His mana control was extraordinary...


    And his killing intent was so concealed that it made them think that he was ying with them. They were nothing in the face of his footwork and skill, to the point that he didn''t even need his mana to kill them.


    He blocked all their attacks with grace, yet the power behind his attacks always drew blood.


    And before they knew it, there was only one of them left.


    A group of over 30 amethyst seal monstersy dead around him, the only one still alive being the one with two amethyst seals...


    "The lord will awaken soon. He will destroy you and your filthy ape brethren!" The monster roared.


    "Heh... You think I''m scared?" Null asked with genuine curiosity in his voice as he activated [Void Gaze] and looked into the monster''s eyes.


    "Y-Y-You will pay for your sins! He will avenge us!" The monster screamed.


    "Then, if he ever does awaken, I''ll tell him to say hello to you guys for me." Null patted the monster on the head.


    "After all, all that awaits him on this side of reality will be death."


    *Crack*


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 143 Cthulhu Awakens [1] - Unity?

    Walking down the cave tunnels, Null took everything he saw on his path, from the steel bars to the enchanted weapons and artifacts in the rooms.


    Before long, he had robbed the entire cave system of all its valuables, and he could already feel Lloyd fighting back for control, slowly taking it back as the moments passed.


    *Rumble*


    "Hm?" Null closed his eyes and activated [Void Gaze], yet instead of using it as a way to intimidate his opponents, he instead looked into the ground...


    Specifically, he was looking at something thaty under the mountain.


    Null was essentially using [Void Gaze] the same way Lloyd used mana eyes, but Null''s way of using [Void Gaze] was superior to Lloyd''s mana eyes in every way possible.


    Instead of channeling mana into his eyes to activate mana eyes, he was channeling void mana. This would have usually destroyed his eyes permanently, the same way [Void Channel[ destroyed the body, and [Aspect of Void] destroyed anything it enchanted.


    However, by using it under the guise of [Void Gaze], Null could freely channel void mana into his eyes without them being destroyed.


    At the same time, his eyes had a variety of uses now. Not only could he see spatial fluctuations, mana fluctuation, life forces, and even the mana channels of anyone he looked at, but there was also the ability to use [Void Gaze] as the intimidation factor that it has always been...


    However, now that his eyes had mana coursing through them, it was natural for the main ability of [Void Gaze] to reach new heights.


    "How interesting." Null thought before something else caught his eyes.


    A figure in the mountain, chained up and attached to several tubes and wires.


    Her life force was weak and was even flickering, while her mana core was being constantly emptied of its mana.


    [Void Step]


    Teleporting into the room, Null found himself in arge ravine. However, he did not pay any attention to it and instead looked at the girl who remained in the same position as before.


    She seemed to be unconscious, and that was probably from the fact that she was constantly suffering from mana exhaustion, as well as blood loss.


    Blood could be seening out of her wounds, dripping onto the ground, and illuminating the magic circle that could be seen on the ground.


    Walking forward, Null took a journal into his hands.


    ---


    Day 1: My soldiers have captured several bald apes. I wonder what they are? I n on doing several experiments on them before I kill them, but their power differs from ours and the ancient one. The ancient one is made up of his divine crystal, but we are made up of the magic stones he had ced within us... These apes, however... They are different.


    They have some kind of core in their sr plexus. It works a little like our magic crystals, but it is so much more!.


    Day 9: These cores are soplicated. Not a single one of them is the same as the other. They are all different in their own ways, and they are all attune to a certain element.


    Day 12: These apes call themselves hoomans? I don''t know what that means, but they are amazing creatures that I must learn more about. They can control the mana in their body and don''t consume one another to get stronger. Each and every single one of them has its own way of taking mana into its cores and releasing it in a different form.


    Day 30: These humans... They are something else. However, they are also limited. The ancient one, our lord, has told us of their weaknesses. They cannot have strong bodies and strong long rage attacks. They must choose between bing mages or warriors, arches, and witches... Maybe we can use this to our advantage? They haven''t found us yet, but we will be ready for them when they do.


    Day 90: These humans have abilities just like us, and for thest 60 days, I''ve been trying to take their abilities out of their bodies and put them into ours. Since they don''t have magic crystals inside them, such a thing is possible, however...


    What terrifies me is that every single one of them has one or more abilities. Their wide range of abilities makes them hard to fight against... It makes them unpredictable. However, the lord said that he would awaken soon. He just needs blood from someone who has an affinity toward aw of the universe.


    Day 500: I''ve sessfully done it! I transferred my power into one of my own, and they have be so powerful. They have two magic crystals inside their bodies now, and even though I thought something bad woulde out of such arge change in the anatomy, I was proven wrong...


    Day 10483: I have created an army far beyond my wildest dreams, but those humans... No... It was one human... He ughtered us all and left my people starving and dying in this cold forest... He even took my magic crystal... He made me weak again! But the ancient one has an army of his own... When hees out and recovers his power, we will ughter those humans the same way they ughtered us!


    Day 54932: The ancient one has told us about two beings that areing... One of them has the blood of one of thews of the universe, and the other is something called a void walker? He said that with the woman''s blood, he could awaken once more, and with the head of the void walker, he could regain his power...


    ---


    Null looked over at the girl... The girl, of course, was Fatima Khan, one of Lloyd''s closepanions but not a friend.


    Null teleported in front of her and ripped out all the wires that were attached to her body.


    Once he did that, he ced his hand on her chest and began to control the mana inside her body; however, instead of corrupting it like how he had done before, he instead simply controlled its flow since there wasn''t much of a resistance in the first ce.


    Controlling the flow of her mana, Null snapped his fingers and made the mana close her wounds.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The mana inside her body created threads that instantly closed all her wounds, as if they were being threaded together. The thread would remain like that for a few hours, but he only needed it for a few minutes.


    Using his own energy to create those threads might have given her void poisoning, so Null took the easy way out.


    However, as he looked at her sleeping face, he could not help but frown, showing an emotion for the first time since the autumn dungeon.


    "You really do look like unity... Your skin is just a little darker, and your sclera isn''t ck." Null sighed and took out a potion with a red liquid inside it.


    He quickly poured it down her throat, and before he knew it, all the wounds properly healed, and blood returned to her body, making her no longer look pale despite her darker skin tone.


    *Rumble*


    ''Hmm?'' Null looked down again, yet what he saw wasn''t a dormant monster... No, it was an enormous monster that was looking right back into Null''s eyes.


    However, despite the monster seeming to have used some kind of ability on his through eye contact, in the end, it was not Null who shuddered, but it was the monster itself.


    Feeling fear seep into its body, the monster gritted its teeth and reached out for Null.


    Null nced at the magic circle and saw it seep into the ground, but he had always known he couldn''t have stopped it despite knowing of its existence and long before having reached the cavern.


    [Monarch''s Aura + Mana sense + Void Gaze + 4-Dimensional Thought + Void Step]


    Expanding his aura out, Null teleported away from the cavern and appeared several miles away with Fatima now in his arms, still healing, so she was still asleep.


    *BOOOOM*


    The mountain that had once reached the clouds in the sky shattered, before an enormous hand shot out of it, and thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of tiny creatures, shot out of the crack in the ear, flying into the sky and siphoning the mana of the entire.


    "Oh unity! How long I''ve waited toe out of this prison you''ve sealed me in!" The monster''s voice boomed across the entire, entering the ears of everyone, and catching the attention of the main military base.


    The words it spoke weren''t anything the military could understand, but Null understood every word of it...


    "You took my power, and you took my. I used to be a creature that even dragons used to fear, yet you made me so weak..." The monsterughed before pointing at Null and Fatima.


    "Which is why I''m so d to see that you''ve also suffered the same fate! Today, I swear to you upon my name, the ancient Cthulhu, that I will consume that vessel of yours and the void walker right next to you... And when I do that, I shall return what was rightfully mine!"


    "TODAY, I SHALL MAKE YOU FEEL TRUE FEAR!" Cthulhuughed, yet Null could see something else...


    He was also one of the monsters that was siphoning the''s energy, and the reason for that was simple.


    When Unity had locked him inside the, she had also locked his power away too. It exined why he needed the blood of someone with an affinity to one of thews of the universe to break out of his chains, but now he got something much better... He got the vessel of the person who locked him inside his cage of a, and because of that, he was able to break out a lot faster than he would have if it was anyone else.


    Thews of the universe were myths and legends. Every race knew them to a certain extent, but no one feared them as much as the ancient creatures, Cthulhu included. What was an 8thmandment entity in front of a creature that was the literal incarnate of a universalw, capable of shifting and manipting the fabric of the universe to their will?


    Null looked at him with a mocking expression.


    The creature before him was recovering, and at that moment, it had just broken through the firstmandment and was slowly reaching toward the 2nd. Its body and core were essentially that of a 8thmandment, but he didn''t need to reach that level again to destroy humanity.


    Reaching the 6thmandment would probably suffice since the king is only a half-step 7thmandment.


    "Fear?" Null asked, his voice booming throughout the entire icy tundra. His voice was monotone, yet Cthulhu felt like he was being mocked.


    "Tell me, why would I fear..." Null''s eyes red purple while his ck sclera deepened in color.


    "A lesser being like you?"


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 144 Cthulhu Awakens [2] - Intervention

    Military Base - Alexar 52b


    *BOOM*


    The sound of arge explosion reached the military base, but they were alerted of the explosion long before it had reached them,


    The other military camps around the had sent an emergency signal that reached the military base. When the military base realized the severity of the situation, they also sent several warnings to military individuals or groups nearby.


    "What''s happening?!" Instructor Chen Yung asked with a serious expression.


    "Something ising out of the... We don''t know what it is, but it''s as big as a mountain... Smaller creatures areing out of the hole too. I think they''re the size of the average human? I think they can fly too." A man next to aputer stuttered in panic.


    He thought this job would be easy, but apparently, it was much harder than he could ever imagine.


    However, the moment the cameras got a good shot of the monster and showed it on his screen, he felt his soul leave his body while the two behind him turned pale.


    "No way, right?" Instructor Rachel Kim asked as she instantly lost hope.


    "No... It must only look like it... What are the chances that we''d stumble upon Cthulhu''s prison?" Chen Yung was shivering, yet made sure not to show any of his fear on his face.


    "No matter what the monster is, one thing we can say is that it isn''t at its peak yet. It''s siphoning mana at an incredible rate, but it will take it an hour or two to reach the thirdmandment, and before then, we should have all the students on their way back to the academy." Lloyd''s rougebat and darkness ss teacher spoke with a determined tone, making him seempletely unwavered by the news of a potential ancient creature lurking under the he was standing on.


    "You''re right..." They both looked down.


    Taking a transmitter, he spoke into it.


    "All units expand. Find all the students and bring them back to your camp before leaving. Use the transmitter we have on their watches to locate them. If any are too injured and would slow you down, leave them behind unless they are an A-rank student or above. Is that understood?" He asked


    -"Sir, yes sir"-


    "Instructors! Move your asses and subjugate that monster before it reaches the thirdmandment!"


    "Sir, yes sir!" All the instructors in the base shouted in unison before flickering away and shooting toward the general direction of the explosion.


    "Sir!" The man who was looking at theputer called over his superior.


    "Yes soldier?" The man spoke.


    No one really knew Lloy''s roguebat instructor''s name, so they all either called him ''sir'' to his face or ''Mirage'' behind his back.


    It was a name he got when he was also a soldier in the army, and it referred to how he always moved so fast that his presence felt like a mirage... There but not there. Almost no one could see his movements unless they were significantly stronger.


    Not only did he have control over the darkness element, but his sheer speed made it hard to track him even when he held back.


    "The cameras have caught a shot of what the monster was pointing at." The soldier tapped on the screen and increased the image size so ''Mirage'' could look at it properly.


    "Isn''t that Fatima Khan? We were thinking of moving her up at the end of the year right?" Mirage spoke, making the soldier shake his head and point at the man instead.


    "I''m talking about the person holding her."


    Mirage narrowed his eyes. He couldn''t see the face of the man because it seemed to be too pixted whenever they tried to focus on it, but he recognized the clothes the man was wearing as well as the katana he was holding.


    After all, he had personally picked out those clothes for the most promising student from his roguebat ss.


    "Isn''t that Lloyd?" Mirage asked.


    "Well, ording to his voice that, I put through a recognition software, it is him..."


    "y it." He ordered.


    "Yes sir..."


    ["Fear?"] Lloyd''s voice was monotone, as it waspletely empty of emotion before he continued.


    ["Tell me, why would I fear..."] The screen flickered momentarily, not allowing the camera to see Lloyd in his full glory, pointing his purple de at the monster.


    ["A lesser being like you?"]


    [*SNAP*]


    ***


    *SNAP*


    Snapping his fingers, Null amplified its sound with mana and shockwave with monarch''s aura.


    In an instant, all the cameras in the area exploded from the frequency of the snap that had been fully amplified by void energy, making any mechanical device explode, except for the ones he was wearing.


    No humans were nearby, and the close ones were already on the brink of death.


    Null simply quickened their deaths, using the motto of ''no witnesses'' to fuel his agenda.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    "If you think you can beat me with that pathetic strength of yours, you are sorely mistaken." Null ced Fatima on the ground, yet when he looked up, he saw a swarm of monsters flying toward him.


    In barely a few seconds, they fully surrounded him and Fatima.


    The creatures looked like demons straight out of hell. They werepletely ck with scales and everything, but just like Cthulhu, they had tentaclesing out of their chins, a bit like a beard.


    As they swarmed around him like a swarm of bees around a beehive, Null slowly created a purple shield around him, making it impossible for them to get any closer to both of them. However, Null could see that they were also bing stronger at an insane speed.


    Of course, their recovery speed was nothingpared to Cthulhu himself, but it was still terrifying to anyone who wasn''t Null.


    With a wave of his hand, Null released a single purple ember, but it was nothing like what Lloyd had created in the past.


    [Nullification Style]


    [Aspect of Void + me Control + Void Control + Shadow Maniption]


    [Neb me: Gluttony]


    When the ember touched one of the monsters, they instantly turned into ashes and dropped to the ground. At the same time, the ember quickly turned into a me, which quickly turned into a swarm of fiery ashes that spun around him for a moment before dissipating.


    The ember hadpletely consumed the hundreds if not thousands of monsters that had swarmed him, and in the end, the me still shone before Lloyd, increasing in size 10 fold.


    Snapping his fingers, Null focused on his aura. It was big enough to reach the monster, so all he had to do was focus on it to create a spell as far as his aura reached.


    [me Control]


    Waving his hand, Null opened his eyes.


    [Combust]


    Thousands of monsters exploded into blue mes and were instantly turned into ashes.


    Looking down at the purple me again, it quickly coated Null''s de, which was already beginning to shatter after the small bursts of [Aspect of Void] that it had gotten.


    [Void Step]


    Null appeared right before the monster andnded on a small purple tform.


    He knew that reinforcements woulde in no time, so he had to either finish this quickly or leave before they came.


    *ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAR*


    Cthulhu let out a deafening roar and tried to smack Null away, yet the moment the hand even neared Null, they both stopped.


    "You''re gaining strength at an amazing rate, but you are still weak... You are still in the firstmandment, and even though your body allows you to reach the power of someone in the topaz stage, you are still weaker than I am." Null exined, holding out both hands to stop the enormous palms of Cthulhu from attempting to squash him.


    "However, since I don''t have much time, let me leave you with a present." Null spoke as his de entered the heart of Cthulu, and the me coating it went along with it.


    "When your timees, we will get all the benefits." Null spoke again before teleporting away.


    Landing next to Fatima, Null grabbed her and teleported once more until they were a safe distance away.


    When that happened, he quickly hid in a random cave and finally took the mask off, letting Lloyd regain control of the body.


    *GASP*


    It felt like he hadn''t breathed in a while.


    Since Null knew they didn''t need to breathe, he didn''t find a need to do so, even though Lloyd had always done it out of habit. Now that he had returned to his body and Null had returned to their mindscape, Lloyd finally breathed in and let out a sigh of relief as if it had been something that had been bothering him for far too long.


    Lloyd couldn''t remember most of what happened, so when he looked down at Fatima, he could not help but raise a brow.


    "When the hell did I find her... And why is she unconcious?!" Lloyd shouted and quickly checked her pulse, yet when he found her alive and simply sleeping, he could not help but let out another sigh of relief.


    However, before he could rx, a presence entered the cave he was in.


    Without thinking twice, Lloyd took out his dagger and threw it right at the person before charging a lightning attack that would attack the monster if the dagger didn''t kill them.


    "Rx kid..." A rough yet familiar voice spoke.


    "Instructor?" Lloyd asked as he looked at his rougebat instructor, who was looking at him with a weird expression.


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 145 Cthulhu Awakens [3] - Code Red

    [Thank you Tyler-Hotker for your generous gifts]


    "Sir what are you doing here?" Lloyd asked with surprise.


    He was perfectly ready to kill the man who appeared in the cave so suddenly, but when he saw it was his instructor, he quickly lowered his hand.


    "No time to exin. We must leave here before that thing reaches the secondmandment." Mirage said while turning to look at Fatimaying in Lloyd''sp.


    "Is she okay?" He asked with a slightly worried expression.


    Even though he didn''t usually show it, he truly cared for the students feeling as if they were like his own children.


    Even though Fatima wasn''t technically one of his students, he still showed his worry for her.


    On the other hand, Lloyd didn''t know what to say to his instructor. He wasn''t in control when they found Fatima, but he could remember glimpses of her condition when they did find a and the situation around what happened to her.


    "I found her in one of the caves... Her entire team had been exterminated by a group of monsters, and she was taken captive for some reason." Lloyd replied.


    "Is she okay now?" the instructor asked; however, he didn''t seem too worried about the deaths despite his visible worry for Fatima.


    "She''s fine now, but she hasn''t woken up yet so I''m a little worried." Lloyd replied with a worried expression.


    He didn''t really care that much for Fatima. If anything, she was like a therapy dog to him without the same attachments to a dog that a normal person would have.


    He didn''t care for her too much but wanted to seem like he did so the instructor wouldn''t ask any more questions. Seeing Lloyd so worried would most likely stop him from interrogating Lloyd further.


    "Alright... Put her on my back and you hold onto my arm tight, okay?" The instructor ordered, making Lloyd nod and do exactly that.


    *SWOOSH*


    Everything around Lloyd turned into a blur. He couldn''t see anything that was around him due to the sheer speed of the instructor, allowing them to shoot through the air and appear at the main military base within a few minutes.


    Lloyd didn''t struggle to hold on at first, yet due to the win pressure practically being mmed into his face, he quickly found himself struggling to hold onto the instructor''s arms.


    Once theynded, Lloyd fell onto his back and panted heavily.


    "Where''s the rest of your team by the way?" The instructor asked while preparing to return to the snowy tundra if needed.


    "Uh... Long story short, we got a little separated." Lloyd chuckled, yet in the back of his mind, he had vowed to kill Alex the moment he saw him.


    He could already imagine himself plunging his dagger into Alex''s heart, watching the light leave his eyes as blood slowly seeped from the other side of his chest.


    "When was thest time you saw them?" The instructor asked.


    "Uhhh. Like, a week ago, I think? I''ve kind of lost track of the days." Lloyd sighed.


    The instructor narrowed his eyes.


    "Where did youst see them?" He asked.


    "Near the valley between the rocky dark mountain biome and the snowy one." Lloyd shrugged.


    "I see..." The instructor muttered beforeunching away at top speed.


    Walking into the military base, Lloyd held Fatima in his arms; however, he could not help but look down at her peaceful expression.


    "What the hell is a unity?" Lloyd muttered under his breath as he stared at Fatima''s face.


    If he had to be honest, she was pretty cute. Her bronze skin looked like it was glowing under the light of the military base, while he smooth face and jawline made her look more innocent than she actually was.


    He saw the state she was in when she left the trial she had taken back in the entrance exams, and since her trial most likely had something to do with a past memory, he could only imagine what her childhood must have been like.


    Mr. Khan was known for adopting children without homes, so what took her home away, and did it have something to do with her goal?


    ''I''m going to kill all the remaining void walkers!'' Those words echoed throughout his mind.


    ''Did she somehow encounter one of them in the past?'' Lloyd thought to himself, yet he was quickly snapped out of his thoughts when a woman wearing all white walked up to him.


    "Sir? Is this girl injured?" The nurse asked. She had brought a miniature bed with her to carry any of the injured students toward the infirmary. Still, since all the students were taking the ships straight to the academy instead of going toward the main military base on the, she didn''t have much to do.


    All aroundy dozens of students who had been nearby when the explosion sounded throughout the.


    Some of them had smiles on their faces as they talked to the rest of their teams with cheery voices, yet others had dark expressions on their faces.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Many looked like they had lost a few people in the mock exams due to the military''s negligence in checking out the. However, the vast majority only had a few injured teammates.


    ''Was I just that lucky to find so many secondmandments?'' Lloyd thought to himself before shrugging.


    "Sir?" The woman asked with a worried tone. She looked at him with pity, unable to understand why the military would make kids the same age as Fatima and Lloyd fight for their lives to the point that they would be this traumatized.


    Of course, Lloyd wasn''t traumatized; he was just not listening to her.


    "Oh, my bad. Yeah, she might be injured. I gave her tonics to fix her up, but I worry that the mental scars are far worse than the ones that were on her body." Lloyd replied.


    The woman nodded and quickly ced Fatima onto the makeshift bed.


    "Is she your teammate?" She asked while looking back at Lloyd, whose eyes were already darting around, looking at everyone around them with a dark expression on his face.


    He knew that what he was looking at was technically the best-case scenario. The chances of anyone near Cthulhu surviving were nearly zero, but he still held out hope.


    Even though his memory was fragmented, he could remember what Null had told Cthulhu. Null could have killed him, yet he didn''t, and that would possibly cost the military, many innocent lives.


    The D ranks had almost no chance of surviving such an encounter, while the A ranks would have struggled to survive against even the smallest creatures of Cthulhu''s army.


    "She''s my friend." Lloyd finally replied.


    "Do you know where her teammates are?" She asked.


    "Dead." Lloyd replied without a change of emotion within his voice.


    "Oh, don''t worry. The students don''t die. A moment before their deaths, a ragdoll is left behind, and they are teleported to safety." She exined with a smile.


    ''What? No, that doesn''t make sense. When I put those two women out of their misery, they looked gravely injured. A few more seconds and they would have died, so why didn''t they get reced?


    I could even feel the fading life forces in the bodies around them. Plus, when I put those two girls out of their misery, I got the void energy equivalent of their kills. There''s no way they aren''t actually dead... And if they are dead, what does that mean?'' Lloyd thought to himself.


    "You see those over there?" The woman pointed at the kids with dark expressions on their faces.


    "They were teleported here after the third year inmand of them failed to protect them. It''s a new thing the military wants to try out. They are making the mock exam as real as possible, so the students now grief or guilt whenever one of their teammates die." She exined, yet the dark expression still loomed over Lloyd''s face.


    ''Did those monsters somehow find a way to stop them for being teleported away. And if they did somehow do that... Does it mean that Cthulu is capable of doing the same?'' Lloyd thought.


    At the this point, he knew that Alex would have been f*cked if Lloyd was a normal human. The moment he is teleported away and healed back to top shape, he would have told the authorities. He would have gotten Alex kicked out of the academy and possibly even imprisoned for several years.


    However, Alex was the least of his worries in that moment.


    "Look around, do any of those look like her teammates?" The woman asked with a soothing smile to calm Lloyd down.


    "I think a problem just showed up..." Lloyd muttered.


    "Hm?"


    Lloyd slowly turned to one of the screens that showed Cthulhu battling against several thirdmandment instructors despite still being in the topaz stage of the secondmandment.


    However, before Lloyd could finish what he was saying, a voice suddenly spoke over one of the transmitters.


    ["Take the dead students off this. The revival system only works once and the monsters are closing on on the base."]


    The woman raised a brow and paced over to the revival room, yet when she saw no students there, she frowned.


    "No students have been teleported here. Are you sure they''re ''dead''?" The asked.


    The silence that followed was deafening as everyone came to a realization.


    ["FUCK! Code red! I said code red! The revival system is down! Save all the students now!"]


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 146 Cthulhu Awakens [4] - The Struggle To Survive

    ?


    de - Snow City


    *Beep Beep*


    The sound of beeping echoed through the hall, making the adults and children in the room to look around for the source of the sound.


    "What''s that agitating sound?" Asked Noah while rubbing his ear.


    "Its a warning system. It means that there is a possible threat. I''m sure the army will deal with it, but if it gets too much for them to deal with, I usually send Ruben there to fix the situation." Benjamin shrugged.


    "Sir." Suddenly a figure wearing a tuxedo appeared in the room, causing everyone to look at him with either an inquisitive stare orplete awe.


    "What is it, Ruben?" La asked in her husband''s stead.


    "ording to the information I have gotten, the tomb of Cthulhu has been discovered and identally opened." Ruben spoke with the same steady voice as always.


    "Cthulhu... Mommy. You told me that was a just a story." Alice turned to Olivia while thinking of all the times \when she told her mom that there was a monster in her closet, but her mother didn''t believe her.


    "It is a story." Olivia smiled awkwardly while looking at her daughter, that was beginning to tear up out of fear.


    "The tomb of Cthulhu was just a myth those elves told us to scare us. Honestly Ruben, you shouldn''t prank us like that." Benjaminughed, yet Ruben''s face quickly turned into a grave expression.


    "Sir, the entire army is beginning to move. Even the Emperor is thinking of making a move. The founding families are also sending their best soldiers." Ruben continued.


    "Ruben. You''re scaring Alice." Noah sighed.


    "You utter morons. I''m telling you that Cthulhu has awakened, and this is your reaction? You do know that Lloyd is on that, right? The military academy is doing a mock exam there and has just sent out a signal for all nearby soldiers to help evacuate the students and kill Cthulhu." Ruben''s watch began to shine as a holographic screen shone above it.


    The screen showed an enormous monster with swamp-green skin, tentacles for a beard, and an abnormallyrge head that made it look like the aliens from the old movies.


    The creature had enormous red eyes that shone through the dust and smoke and an aura that could be felt from the screen, sending s shiver down the spines of the kids in the room.


    "Wait... Lloyd is on the same as that thing?" Noah asked with widened eyes.


    The moment Ruben called them morons, they knew he was serious. Ruben almost never cursed anyone out, but when he did, it usually worked in his favor by straightening out anyone who tried to speak against him.


    "Ruben, get the ships ready." Benjamin ordered, making Ruben nod and slowly fade away.


    "La, you stay here with the kids. Noah, Olivia and I will also go to that." Benjamin ordered, making everyone nod.


    La''s abilities weren''t really suited for battle against monsters like Cthulhu. At best, they were good against humans who are capable of feeling emotions to arger extent.


    "Let''s move out."


    ***


    *BOOM, BOOM, BOOM*


    The sound of several explosions reverberated through the air as the instructors of every ss threw everything at Cthulhu. Despite him still being in the Topaz stage of the secondmandment, they struggled against him, especially when their strongest instructor was nowhere to be found.


    "Where''s Mirage!" Rachel Kim asked while slowly finding herself being swarmed by hundreds of Cthulhu''s soldiers that were flying around her like a swarm of bees, simr to what they did to Null.


    However, now they were a lot stronger than when they fought with Null, having reached the half-step secondmandment and nearing the topaz stage more and more as the seconds passed.


    "I don''t know, but I don''t think we can hold on for much longer. The mana in the air is thinning due to that thing absorbing it all into its body, and its bing harder and harder to create spells or use any of my abilities." Lloyd''s me control instructor panted as she quickly weaved several spells into the air, creating hundred of fireballs that quickly turned the monsters into ashes.


    "Don''t worry. He should be here soon. Reinforcement are on their way too." A man covered in lighting shot around, electrocuting the monsters and slicing them up into dozens of pieces.


    "Oh yeah? Let''s see if they can get here before I rip that thing limb from limb!" Rachel Kim shouted while punching forward and creating a powerful air pressure that eviscerated everything in its path, turning the monster into nothing but chunks of blood and gore while parting the remaining mountains and mming Cthulhu in the abdomen.


    *"HAHAHA! You think you''re so powerful, little human? I''ve fought humans more powerful than you can ever imagine. That human, in particr was a little too terrifying."* Cthulhu shivered when he remembered a particr person with bright green eyes that had almost killed him with the wave of his hand.


    However, despite being enormous, no one realized his predicament since they were all too busy doing their own thing.


    [Dagger of Lightning Obliteration]


    [Zues''s Wrath]


    A bolt of lightning shot through the air and mmed into Cthulhu.


    At the same time, clouds began to spiral above the monster, and before Cthulhu could understand what hit him, he felt ravaged by natural lightning bolts that shot down from the sky and burned him alive.


    *ROOOOOAAAAAR*


    Letting out a deafening roar, Cthulhu parted the clouds in the sky with his voice alone, and with his maw now wide open, his mana began to gather in it while something began to shine on his forehead.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    A ball of ck energy slowly formed in his mouth, growing in size by the second while also sucking any attacks there wereing his way into its mouth.


    "ARISE!" A woman wearing a ck robe mmed her staff into the ground. Green energy suddenly spewed out of her body and covered the entire battlefield before something began to move from under the ground.


    Slowly, bones and flesh gathered as the corpses of bodies from the past slowly stood up, their eyes burning with a green me as they stared at Cthulhu.


    "Protect us!" The woman roared, causing all the undead to pile up on each other and create an enormous, almost indestructible shield before the instructor''s very eyes.


    Almost...


    Suddenly, a beam of pure destruction left Cthulhu''s mouth. Everything in its path, from the dust to the rubble in the air, turned into pure energy while the atoms dismantled in less than a second, leaving them in the form of protons, electrons, and neutrons.


    The beam shot right at the shield of the undead, yet the moment the beam came in contact with them, they all lost the mana that kept them going and quickly turned into nothing but quarks.


    Everyone''s eyes widened as they tried their best to stop the attack from hitting them, yet no matter what they did, the attack only grew stronger.


    Before they knew it, the beam of destruction was right in front of them, and a momentter, all the instructors were quickly consumed by it.


    ***


    On the other side of thes stood a group of 11 students, all back to back with their weapons on hand.


    "We''re dead... We''re so dead." Elliot had tears running down his eyes as everyone else in the group looked around in panic.


    For the first time in a very long time, Haley was feeling true terror.


    First, the teammate that she had just grown to like had died protecting them. After that, the entire team spent 4 days trying to find their way back to the military camp; however, every time they tried to go back, there was always something in the way.


    "Well, we are close now, we just have to fight through this horde of monsters, and we''ll be fine." Haley stuttered.


    Derek, Alex, and John were also there but stayedpletely quiet.


    Alex was panicking a little.


    Despite the monsters around them being normal half-steps, they weren''t normal monsters.


    They could fly, moved in swarms, and were abnormally strong.


    If that wasn''t enough, they also had a connection to the darkness element that made it hard to fight against them. One wrong move and the students in the firstmandment would instantly die. While the third years didn''t feel the same threat of instant death that the first years did, they also had to be careful.


    The monsters were growing at an abnormal rate too, and the fact that they moved in swarms also made it much harder to kill them.


    "Guys. They don''t seem to have minds of their own so I can''t really use any of my abilities." Jay Ludwig spoke with a stern expression.


    His team and Hayley''s had merged together after finding one another in the forest.


    "Oh really? I expected better from a dreamweaver." A ck-haired girl smirked while beheading three monsters with one swing of her Scythe. After killing hundreds of monsters in an environment where your life could be in danger at all times, Luna had grown to thete stage of the firstmandment, and was ready to break through into the peak stage at any moment.


    Luna was quite young, being only thirteen years old, when she joined the military academy. While she had been trained inbat since the age of three, she had only awakened a week before the military academy had begun, which was why she found herself in the C group despite being one of the most talented in the academy.


    Since her ss required her to take lives to increase hermandment, she didn''t improve much in the academy, but now that she had been put into a ce filled with monsters waiting to be killed, she was finally able to flourish.


    Her team consisted of Jay, her, and three D ranks; however, since Jay and her were carrying the team, it didn''t really matter how many D ranks they had. They just needed to keep them safe.


    *THUD*


    Suddenly, arger monster mmed into the ground before slowly standing up.


    It looked at the in the eyes while the rest of the monsters expanded a little, circling around the group of humans but not daring toe any closer.


    "Looks like we found the boss monster." Derek joked, yet no oneughed.


    If only he knew how wrong he was...


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 147 Cthulhus Awakening [5] - Hes Mine

    ?


    They all looked at the menacing creature that stared at them the same way a wolf would look at its prey.


    They couldn''t really see it, but the 12 feet tall monster was grinning behind his tentacle beard. He had the most vicious grin on his face that would have made them all shiver.


    Yet he concealed his killing intent well, yet his aura seemed almost almighty in front of theirs.


    "Uhm... How do we exactly kill that thing?" Haley asked.


    "We should run." One of the D ranks wept and turned around to run away, yet the moment he had gotten far from the group, the 12 feet tall monster disappeared. Only the third years, Luna, Jay, and Derek were able to see where he went. The rest simply saw him turn into a blur, while two of the D ranks didn''t even see that.


    The monster''s hand suddenly plunged through the D-rank kid''s chest before lifting him into the air, opening his maw wide and chomping his head off the rest of his body.


    Everyone shivered at the scene, but that''s when Alex moved.


    "You''re a mere half-step secondmandment. We can kill him easily." Alex grinned and shot toward it with his de in hand, swinging at the monster alongside the other third-year who sent out several arrows toward it.


    Yet...


    *BOOM*


    The monster lifted its hand into the air and flung the D-rank kid toward the Alex.


    The body moved so fast that Alex was forced to step back, his chest panting furiously as he watched his life sh before his eyes.


    "Coward." A feminine voice sneered before ethereal chains suddenly sprouted from the ground and wrapped around the monster.


    [Soul Chains]


    The monster was instantly immobilized and began to let out roars of pain, yet the more he fought, the more the chains seemed to wrap around him.


    The moment the chains hadpletely engulfed him, a figure stepped out of the shadows.


    Luna, having somehow teleported behind the monster, appeared with her scythe in her hand, swinging it down at the monster with all the power she could muster.


    However, when the monster saw this, he grinned, not that anyone else could see that.


    However, they could see that he was no longer trashing in pain or even trying to leave the chains. He waspletely still, his melody of screams dying in his throat.


    They thought he had given up, but they were sorely mistaken.


    As Luna swung her scythe, the monster let out a roar of pure energy, the power of which sent everyone back several meters as the ground shook and quaked.


    Luna was also knocked back, yet she managed to keep her footing, her scythe still held in her hand.


    The power of the monster had dissipated, but it was not gone. Somehow, the monster had nullified Luna''s attack, allowing him to stand there, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light.


    He had used the power of his roar to absorb Luna''s attack and gave him enough time to break free from the chains that had bound him.


    Everyone turned to run, but it was toote. The monster roared again, sending out a shockwave of energy that sent everyone flying.


    Alex and the other third-year were the only ones who managed to keep their footing, and they immediately rushed forward to protect the others, yet it was no use. The monster had already managed to reach them, having shot past Luna and gone right for the weaker ones.


    [Mind Scape]


    Unlike the rest of the monsters, this one seemed to have a mind instead of simply doing everything on instinct.


    So the moment Jay realized that he pushed his hands forward and closed his eyes while using one of his main abilities.


    Suddenly, the monster found itself in a ckndscape with nothing for miles except a ck fog that made everything below Jay''s waist close to invisible.


    The only people inside the mindscape were him and the monster, and since that was the case, Jay could finally go all out without having the threat of people knowing the full extent of his abilities.


    Despite what it seemed, the military academy was not a ce of education. It was a ce where political battles urred every day, while mind battles happened every second of every day.


    Everyone wanted to know each other''s weaknesses and strengths to crush them in the future if the need arose.


    So, now that they were alone, Jay raised his hand into the air and snapped his fingers.


    [Mind Scape - Memory Alley]


    Suddenly, the ce went from a dark foggy abyss with no end in sight to a ce filled with mountains and trees for as far as the eye could see.


    Houses could be seen all over thendscape, yet each one symbolized a memory and a fraction of the monster''s soul and mind. Without these houses, the monster would not be who he was, yet Jay didn''t n on destroying them since that would only make the monster mindless.


    He nned on manipting them.


    pping his hands, Jay dismantled one of the houses and expanded them into the rest of the world.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    On the other hand, the monster had charged forward with the intent to kill, yet when the ce changed again, it quickly found itself in a dark cavern, watching a version of itself kneeling to an enormous tentacled creature that happened to be Cthulhu.


    That version of itself slowly turned around, and when it did, it stared into the eyes of the real monster before hissing.


    ''Fourthmandment?'' Jay was surprised by the monster''s power, so he chose to stay as far away as possible from it. Even though this was technically a dream realm, inside this realm would be the same as making himself a vegetable.


    *ROAR*


    The memory monster roared and attacked the real one, and the fight was so one-sided that it felt like the entire thing had happened in the blink of an eye.


    The memory monster, who was 2mandments stronger than the real one, suddenly charged forward, turning into a blur and appearing in front of the original. However, due to being a lot older, the original was also a lot more experienced in the art ofbat. Even though it didn''t mean he would win against that monster, it did mean he wouldn''t die immediately.


    He managed to dodge the first attack, but the second one was much more powerful, and the monster was sent flying across the entire realm.


    The monster howled in pain, yet his howl was quickly muffled as hended in a pile of rubble.


    Jay quickly decided to take this chance, so he pped his hands again, and the rubble disappeared, taking the monster with it. However, before he could also disappear, a voice sounded throughout the entire realm, causing him to look back.l


    "A dream weaver, huh." Cthulhu muttered.


    "I must be in one of those mind scapes, right? I see. Your power is different though... You must be from quite far into the future, and by then, Unity will have sealed me away, meaning that I''ve awakened once more. How interesting. I''d kill you, but I know you''ll leave this realm when you feel threatened, so how about an offer?" Cthulhu smiled, and even though Jay didn''t trust the enormous monster, he didn''t recognize it at Cthulhu either, so he didn''t mind hearing it out.


    "I''m listening..."


    ***


    The entire dream realm disappeared, and the group was left dumbfounded when they saw the monster suddenly fall to the ground.


    Everyone was speechless, not only because of the incredible strength disyed by the monster but also because of the sheer power Jay had just wielded.


    They didn''t really see what happened, but they did see that Jay had activated his ability, and in the next moment, the monster had dropped to the ground, alive but mostly brain-dead.


    Or, at least, that would have been the case if the monster wasn''t a monster...


    Drool came out of its mouth as it slowly stood up, its piercing eyes looking toward the group while bloodlust shot out of its body, suddenly causing everyone except Luna, Jay, and the third years topletely freeze in ce, unable to move.


    The monster suddenly charged toward the group, yet when Alex tried to step forward and protect them, a pop sounded out of the creature''s body before a gust of mana shot out in every direction.


    It had just be a secondmandment monster at the start of the topaz stage. Yet, despite Alex being in the amethyst stage, the moment the monster''s hand touched his de, the de simply shattered before a devastating punch shot him into the distance, crashing him into several trees before he hit arger one and pat out a mouthful of blood.


    The monster was moving instinctually, and at that moment, it saw only two threats on the battlefield, and it was running right toward them.


    The third-year archer tried to jump back and shoot several arrows at the monster. Yet, it didn''t even take the monster a second for it to appear right in front of the girl, taking her entire head into its hand and shooting through the forest while mming her head into the ground, causing it to grind against the dirt and gravel.


    Appearing in front of Alex in the blink of an eye, the monster grabbed him by the ankle and threw him in the other direction with all the power he could muster, mming him through several trees again before smashing him into one of the D-ranks, instantly ttening them and turning them into a paste.


    ''R.I.P Elliot.'' A man covered in shadows thought while pping his hands in a prayer.


    The monster sprouted its wings out of its back, pping them to catapult itself into the air with the girl still in its hand beforeunching itself down at Alex, who was already looking have dead.


    "Oi." A voice boomed before a wave of crushing killing intent swept the battlefield in every direction.


    Everything froze in that moment as the monarchical killing intent forced all of them to kneel.


    Haley, Derek, Jay, and the remaining D ranks all despaired at that moment.


    The killing intent was more powerful than anything they had felt before, and the aura behind it made them feel like they were in front of a king, capable of killing them with the snap of its fingers.


    Luna and the third years were the only ones trained to fight against killing intent, yet with two of them out ofmission and Luna being significantly weaker than the monster, she froze as well but refused to kneel.


    ''So young, but she has a lot of resolve.'' Lloyd thought before looking at the monster who had stopped charging at Alex.


    "He''s mine." Lloyd looked it in the eyes and raised his hand.


    [Void Gaze]


    *Snap*


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 148 Survivors [1] - Murder

    ?


    *Snap*


    The moment the monster looked into Lloyd''s burning purple eyes, it felt the world around it instantly be darker, while Lloyd suddenly seemed so much more menacing.


    Time looked like it had slowed that, but that was a simple trick of the mind, not that the monster really had much of one.


    Suddenly, blue mes erupted out of the monster, causing it to screech in pain as the embers of the mes forced themselves into the monster''s body, ravaging internal organs and destroying everything from the inside out.


    The monster let out a deafening shriek, and before it could understand what was happening to it, its life force was snuffed out while the light of life left its eyes.


    Lloyd felt a surge of void energy enter his body, confirming that the monster was dead.


    Creating a pair of wings, Lloyd pped them and quickly took the third-year archer into his arms before scanning the falling monster and putting it into his ring.


    Landing onto the ground, Lloyd took out a tonic and ced it on her lips, forcing her to gulp down slowly and beginning the process of healing her wounds.


    Ss quickly retraced his wings. Looking around, he saw the swarm of monsters about to reach the peak of the firstmandment; however, unlike therger monster he had just killed, the chances of them being stronger than anyone in the secondmandment was close to zero.


    The facts were that the monster he had killed would have been considered one of the higher-tier monsters out of the storm. The monster was muchrger than the rest, and his power was incredible whenpared to the average half-step secondmandment.


    Of course, Lloyd was not only a void walker, a race that naturally had more talent than other races, but he also had a celestial grade ss.


    Celestial grade sses were the strongest sses out there,pletely trumping the legendary and mythic sses since celestial sses were well known for changing the very anatomy of a person to change them into a creature of a ''higher race.''


    While humans, elves, and dwarves loved to think of themselves as higher races, that simply was not the case.


    If one wanted to talk about a higher race, one would talk about phoenixes, dragons, void walkers, and star spirits. THEY were of higher races.


    Hell, star spirits were known for awakening from birth and instantly reaching the 5thmandment. There were star spirits so old that they were as old as the oldest stars in the universe, one example being Methush, dubbed as the sovereign of stars by every being of his race for being over 16 billion years old, possibly even older than the universe.


    Since Lloyd was of a higher race and had a celestial ss, his prowess at lowermandments was fated to be much higher than others, and the same could be said about the monster he killed and when it waspared to the rest of its race.


    Sure, monsters didn''t have sses, nor did they cultivate the same way as humans who awakened mana through sses and abilities, but they had their own hierarchies and their own cultivating methods.


    Lloyd slowly walked toward Alex and stood in front of him. Bending down, Lloyd raised his chin and looked him in the eyes.


    When he did, he didn''t see the eyes of a warrior. He saw the eyes of a man who had just given up.


    "Hello little man." Lloyd smirked.


    Alex widened his eyes slightly, was a fanatic glint appeared in his eyes.


    "I''ll... Kill... You!" He shouted, trying to reach out for Lloyd''s face, yet the moment Lloyd saw the handing toward him, he looked at it with a hint of disgust before-


    *Thud*


    The hand fell to the floor and was instantly absorbed by Lloyd''s shadow.


    "You disgust me." Lloyd spat onto his face; however,  no matter how much he wanted to torture him, Lloyd understood that this was the best chance for him to die.


    *Pitui*


    Lloyd''s hand stabbed into Alex''s heart before he slowly retracted it and wiped his hand with a white cloth.


    ''Ah... Why does that feel so good?'' Lloyd thought as pure void energy coursed through his body and revolved around his core, making him feel refreshed and happy all at the same time.


    "What the hell did you do!?" A voice shouted from behind him, and as he turned around, he saw a fireball approaching him.


    "Hmm?" Lloyd sidestepped, causing the fireball to hit Alex and burn his corpse.


    "Haley, what are you doing?" Lloyd asked.


    "You killed him!" She roared before waving her staff in the air and gathering an enormous morphing sphere of mes.


    "He was already dead. I simply put him out of his misery." Lloyd shrugged.


    Didn''t he do the right thing? Well, wouldn''t it seem like he did the right thing from where others were standing?


    The guy was clearly dying; Lloyd just helped him reach death.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    So why was she...


    ''Oh...'' Lloyd gritted his teeth.


    Ever since he killed Veronica, he had be slightly numb to death.


    And the feeling only increased as he killed more and more. From the women who were the only ones barely alive, to all those prisoners Null had killed in his stead.


    Despite knowing that the prisoner''s deaths were Null''s doing, it still felt like the blood was on his hands.


    And now that this blood was beginning to pile up, he had be numb to it.


    Because, once one''s hands arepletely dyed with blood, dyeing it more would only refresh the coat of paint, not increase the amount of the hand that had been painted.


    He watched as the fireball shot toward him. It was quitergepared to the others, yet in the end, her mes were quite weakpared to his own.


    Stretching his hand forward, Lloyd watched as the ball of mes ravaged the forest and trees, burning through them and turning them into ashes.


    [me Control]


    And then the sphere froze.


    "Compress," Lloyd spoke, making the mepress in size, quickly turning it into a ball the size of a peanut.


    Lloyd quickly flicked the peanut-sized sphere at Haley''s head, or at least it initially seemed that way.


    However, the ball shot right past her head, shooting through the head of the monster behind it that was beginning to open its maw in order to feast on Haley''s flesh.


    [me Control]


    [Bullet Barrage]


    With a wave of his hands, Lloyd instantly created hundreds of bullets that shot toward the monsters, moving in zig-zag patterns and shooting through the heads, hearts, and mana crystals of all of them, killing them in an instant no matter what body part the bullets shot through.


    Their bodies were quickly engulfed in blue mes and turned into ashes. None of them dropped their mana crystals since they were ancient creatures before the times of abilities and sses. However, Lloyd thoroughly enjoyed the void energy coursing through him.


    "Let''s go. The main military base on this is a mile south of here." Lloydmanded while pointing toward the base.


    "Why would we trust you? You killed Alex... You''re a maniac. You probably want to kill us all. How did you even survive? Alex said you died; he said he killed you with his own hands. You were nothing but an early-stage firstmandment. You were supposed to be weak... But you''re a monster!" John stumbled back with an expression of fear on his face.


    "Did he just out himself," Lloyd muttered to himself before shrugging.


    "What? No, he didn''t? He said Lloyd sacrificed himself to save us while dying in the rubble." Derek rebutted.


    "Good to know." Lloyd sighed and directed one of the me bullets at John. However, instead of killing him instantly, the mes engulfed him, causing him to scream in pain at the blue mes burning away at his body and mind.


    They weren''t stupid. The moment John said such a thing, it made sense to everyone in the group.


    He was from a powerful family, and so was Alex. John must have felt humiliated after being beaten to a pulp by Lloyd, someone who was not only at the same stage as him, but was also amoner much younger than him.


    "Now... If anyone has any otherints, say them now or hold your tongue for the entire journey. Is the understood?" Lloyd asked, making them all nod without making aint.


    They saw what happened to thest guy who did, and even those who considered themselves Lloyd''s friends didn''t dare say a word.


    Clearly, Lloyd didn''t trust any of them; after all, he somehow hid his strength from all of them, and didn''t even bother to inform them about his increase in strength since the start of the academy.


    Lloyd lifted the archer girl and expanded his shadow, cing her inside and swallowing everyone else inside it before covering himself with lightning runes and moving as fast as possible toward the base.


    [Context: Methush is the oldest known star in the universe. It is also known as HD140283 and was first observed via the European Space Agency''s (ESA) Hippacros satellite. Scientists are asking how a star can be older than the universe itself, but no one knows.]


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 149 Survivors [2] - World Of Darkness

    ?


    "Well, that was a close one, am I right?" A knight asked while looking back at the group of instructors who were all on the floor, panting and having already given up on their lives when they saw the beam shoot through the wall of skeletons.


    However, unbeknownst to them, someone was watching the fight the entire.


    The knight had appeared before them a moment before they were about to die, and with a single swing, he pierced through the beam of energy shooting toward them and sliced it in half.


    The sword image shot through the air and split the beam in half before smashing into Cthulhu, yet after slicing through the beam, it didn''t have enough energy to do any damage against the monster.


    *"Impressive. A human capable of destroying my destruction beam?"* Cthulhuughed, but when he felt the powering out of the human, he quickly froze in ce.


    "You must be Cthulhu... Nice to meet you." The man grinned and shot forward with all the power he could channel into his legs.


    The moment he shot forward, he appeared in front of Cthulhu with his de about his head, readying himself to slice down with everything he had.


    However, Cthulhu wasn''t slow either.


    No... Cthulhu had something only 1 or 2 humans in the entirety of the Sris empire had.


    He had a third eye.


    Suddenly, a slit appeared on his forehead before it opened up, revealing a third and incredibly powerful eye to the surroundings.


    To him, it looked like the world had paused. Everything was frozen, and he could see the flow of mana in everyone''s body.


    Yet, due to how strong his third eye was, there was something else he felt.


    He thought the void walker had run away after their fight because he thought he couldn''t handle Cthulhu''s power, but that was simply not the case.


    And now that he was looking down at himself, he finally understood why that void walker had run...


    It was because he had already won.


    Cthulhu heard rumors of the void walker being able to absorb the mana and life force of the creatures they killed to cultivate their cores. Of course, void walkers were ancient creatures just like him, so their cultivation method was a lot more different than the methods the new generation of races used.


    Of course, the killing method wasn''t their main form of cultivation. They had another form of cultivation where they tapped into the void and sucked the energy out of it, but that wasn''t the point.


    Now that Cthulhu had a third eye, he could see a void me inside his heart. Sure, the katana had been destroyed by his body and absorbed into his bloodstream, yet he thought that without the weapon, the me couldn''t burn...


    Well, he was clearly wrong.


    The me had balled itself into a small ball, sucking in all the energy around it and even taking little bits of his life force with it.


    ''That bastard didn''t run away. He nted a bomb inside me that''s going to activate once these humans weaken me...'' Cthulhu gritted his teeth, yet he also had another n in mind, yet it would have to wait.


    Cthulhu''s hand was a blur as it appeared before the human and punched his entire body with a single swing.


    The sword was unable to touch Cthulhu''s body, but they both knew that if it did, it would have probably created a lethal cut.


    However, now that Cthulhu could essentially see everything from mana channels to the flow of mana in the air, it became easy to see through the movements of the humans.


    He could not see the spells before they were created and react to abilities before they were activated.


    However, there was one thing that made the third eye so terrifying.


    And that was its ability to copy the spells of others as long as the user has an affinity with them. And since Cthulhu was a creature of darkness, he naturally had an affinity to two of the instructor''s spells... Or at least that''s what they looked like to him.


    *"How do you humans say it again?"* Cthulhu grinned as the knight was shot into the atmosphere, almost reaching space before being able to stop himself.


    He was a thirdmandment in the gold body stage, making him much more powerful than most of the instructorsbined.


    Mirage was probably the only one who stood a chance against him, but that made sense.


    The knight wasn''t an instructor. He was a soldier barely 20 years of age.


    He was a genius, and everyone knew it, even Cthulhu, despite having known several humans in the past who were capable of destroying the knight with a single nce despite being younger than him.


    Actually, on his home, there was one boy who surpassed even that...  They used to call him the architect, yet he had no idea how the boy was now.


    "Arise!" Cthulhu spoke in the humannguage, making all of them widen their eyes in surprise since they all knew what such a word meant.


    Suddenly, all of Cthulhu''s fallen soldiers began to stand up... No, it was just that. They were regaining the power they lost at a terrifying pace that probably rivaled his own.


    "He''s using necromancy!" The necromancer woman spoke, her eyes empty, yet fear could be seen etched into her face.


    She was terrified, but that was normal.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    Who wouldn''t be terrified after seeing such a disy? Not only had he taken her ability to raise the dead, but he had also somehow improved on it.


    "Not so fast." A figure shot down at Cthulhu with the grace of a meteor.


    Suddenly, an extremely bright light took over his body and shrouded him in it, making it seem like he was a figure of light rather than one shrouded in it.


    He looked like a bright golden star falling from the sky, yet in the next moment, even Cthulhu widened his eyes as an enormous golden greatsword appeared out of thin air and swung at Cthulhu''s third eye.


    Cthulhu opened his mouth and let out a beam of pure dark energy that shed with the de, yet it was much more powerful than the one before.


    The sword struggled to cut through, but that also meant that the beam of darkness was struggling to break through the knight''s defenses.


    The dark beam of energy shot in two directions after hitting the sharp edge of the de, splitting into and shooting into the sky, where it pierced the clouds.


    One shot at one of the''s moons, creating a craterrge enough for the human eye to see from so far away.


    The other one simply shot into space and dissipated after reaching a few miles away from the.


    If Cthulhu had been in the thirdmandment, he would have sliced right through the moon, but he was still in the topaz stage despite his power saying otherwise.


    Cthulhu was running out of energy pretty quickly, however. The advantage of having a highermandment was that they usually had much more energy than the lowermandments, even though an ancient creature like Cthulhu had enough power to rival someone of a much highermandment.


    However, the same could not be said about Lloyd, who, as a void walker, had an enormous mana pool that was much higher than any of his peers. That added to the fact that he had a celestial ss, also meant that his mana pool would probably even exceed that of an ancient creature an entiremandment above his.


    Of course, Lloyd never realized this because the only times he had run out of mana had been right after awakening, and right after defeating Veronica.


    After the knight saw that he was fighting an equal battle, he quickly understood that killing Cthulhu would take much more than raw power...


    It would take skill and mastery of the sword art to do such a thing, yet Cthulhu also knew that.


    Since Cthulhu was an ancient monster millions of years old, one of the things he had going for him was the fact that his mastery of mana control as well as his ability to read the movements of others, was much stronger than some twenty-year-old child.


    They both narrowed their eyes at the same time, yet their ns werepletely different.


    Dissipating his spell, the knight shot down, at a speed that the dark energy beam struggled to keep up with.


    However, when the knight reached the same height as Cthulhu, he activated his ability again, creating the golden sword of light once more and slicing toward Cthulhu''s face.


    What he had done was essentially what most Jedi from the star wars movies hadn''t done.


    It deactivated and activated his de, essentially bypassing the rules that a normal sword would have had.


    At the same time, several ships shot out of the skies andnded within a 20-mile radius.


    Soldiers of all kinds began walking out of the ships while shooting spells or catapulting themselves at Cthulhu.


    "Ready?" Benjamin asked while looking at the three behind him. He was going to ask one of his sons toe along, but after seeing the videos again, he had chosen not to.


    The battle looked far too dangerous, and La would have definitely killed him if he had brought one of them along.


    Behind him were three adults, each one of them wearing an armor that fit their battle styles to a certain extent.


    Olivia wore a metallic-looking robe that fit her ss of that used nothing but fists and magic.


    Ruben wore a heavy armor that fit his heavy hittingbat techniques, while Noah wore an armor that made him look like a samurai. without the helmet.


    Benjamin himself was wearing a knight''s armor simr to that of Ruben''s yet Ruben''s armor was far stronger than Benjamin''s.


    Cthulhu saw the humanse in, and he finally grinned.


    [Terraign]


    [World of Darkness]


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 150 Survivors [3] - Zeus Blessing

    ?


    [Terraign]


    [World of Darkness]


    Despite the wordsing out of his mouth being foreign to everyone in the area, it felt like they understood them. After all, no matter whatnguage one spoke in, terraign was a universal word. Not many knew what it meant and its implications, but those who did widened their eyes in horror.


    However, even though the rest had never heard the word before since most humans used the word ''true domain'' instead, they could feel the power behind the world, as if the monster before them had uttered an incantation that would have made the universe itself churn.


    Suddenly, darkness expanded out from Cthulhu while the world around him began to warp.


    It was as if everyone was being sent into another dimension, and before they could react to the sudden change, they found themselves in a dark world.


    The world wasn''t like the shadow realm of shadow users... Instead, it looked like an actual realm with mountains and even castles and kingdoms in the distance.


    A flood of darkness washed over the entirendscape, making it extremely dark; however, despite it seeming like it was a dark and silent desert, those who had mana eye knew otherwise.


    They looked around, spotting several creatures with mana flowing out of them. They were monsters straight of the nightmares of children and humans that looked like disfigured demons made out of bones.


    Colossal creatures could be seen walking in the distance. They were enormous, looking at high as skyscrapers while having an aura that would rival any diamond stage secondmandment. Of course, despite being so powerful, their power was capped at the diamond stage. Even though Cthulhu was at the amethyst stage now, his power rivaled that of a knight at the golden body stage.


    However, now that he was inside his own domain, his power had skyrocketed.


    While some started at Cthulhu in terror, others looked at him with annoyance and discontent.


    *ROAAAR*


    *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar*


    A symphony of roars came out of the mouths of every monster in the terraign, causing some to close their ears in pain while the rest simply gritted their teeth.


    *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar* *Roar*


    Then the undead began to roar, yet instead of sounding like the growl of demons, they created a collective howl.


    [Deathly Howl + Demonic Roar]


    [Deathly Roar]


    The howls had stricken the fear of god in every single person below the 4thmandment.


    At that moment, a beam of pure destruction shot through the enemy lines, killing hundreds before anyone could even react.


    All of this happened in less than a second, but to everyone experiencing it, it felt like hours had passed.


    "ATTACK!" Ruben roared with so much power that every single monster within a 2-meter-thick line in front of him instantly died.


    However, a momentter, they quickly reformed.


    "The domain is stealing the souls of our dead and adding to his power!" The necromancer shouted with fear in her eyes.


    "Sh*t!" Benjamin cursed under his breath and shot forward, not forgetting to give a slight nod to Ruben before leaving.


    "Olivia. Protect the instructors and the weaker soldiers from any iing attacks. You''re in the fourthmandment so that shouldn''t be too hard for you. Noah, youe with me. We''re going to attack Cthulhu and try to weaken it. Master de will use his ability to end Cthulhu before he can get too powerful." He exined, making the two nod.


    Ruben and Noah shot toward Cthulhu, while Olivia shot toward the soldiers and stood in front of them with her hands drawn back.


    Shooting through the air, all the monsters in the way of Noah were either sliced into a million pieces or charred beyond recognition.


    Lightning could be seening out of his body as hundreds if not thousands of bright blue runes shone on his body, making him look like some of those maniacs who tattoo their entire bodies for some odd reason.


    On the other hand, Ruben was so far that he simply blitzed past all the monsters, turning them into a paste by simply shooting past them, the pressure for his movements being too much for their weak little bodies to handle.


    When Ruben appeared before one of therger monsters, he didn''t even bother stopping. He simply reeled his arm back and let out a devastating punch that split the sea of shadows that flooded thend below.<novelsnext></novelsnext>


    The air pressure shot right toward Cthulhu, appearing before him andpletely blowing his arm off. Yet, a secondter, a ck and green energy shone from the torn arm, destroying the fallen one while quickly creating another one.


    ''This is bad.'' Cthulhu thought to himself as the pain from his arm subsided.


    He could see that he was fighting a losing fight. There were two initial 5thmandments in the enemy force, and despite the power of his terraign dropping their power down to the initial stages of the 4thmandment, that was still far too strong for him to handle on his own.


    However, the good thing was that the stronger he got, the weaker they did. The terraign sucked the life force and mana out of living beings, whilepletely consuming dead ones and turning them into undead.


    It was one reason why Olivia struggled to protect the weaker soldier. Every single one of the soldiers that had died had turned into undead zombies, and every time she killed them, they would absorb some of the shadows covering the terraign and revive themselves once more.


    However, even though they were far too weak to actually do any damage to her or the barrier of ice that she had created around the humans, she quickly realized that she was also fighting a losing battle.


    She could feel her mana slowly being siphoned, and at the same time, she could also feel hermandment temporarily being dropped every time Cthulhu got stronger.


    At the same time, as Cthulhu gained strength, so did his undead. They were constantly absorbing the flood of darkness, and their power increased by a good portion every time they died.


    That''s why, when she saw no other way out of the situation, she pped her hands and used her strongest ability.


    [Absolute Zero]


    Every undead in front of her froze. Hell, to those around her, it felt like time had frozen despite them not being affected by the ability.


    Absolute zero was a state of freezing that quite literally meant that the atoms themselves would stop vibrating.


    If there was any moisture in the air, the world of darkness would have turned into a snowy tundra, but since the only moisture was the blood of those who had died, the undead simply froze ce as their blood-created icicles off their bodies.


    "We can''t kill the monsters in this realm, so use everything you can to break through the realm and find a way to get out of here." Oliviamanded, making the soldiers who were looking at her in awe quickly nod their head and run to the borders of the terriagn


    Others tried to use their ships to find a crack in space to warp out of ce, yet as if this realm waspletely isted from the one outside, they couldn''t find a single spatial fracture. At best, their ships only detected that they were in some kind of pocket dimension, and the weakness of this dimension was its borders of it.


    Yet, at that moment, all the soldiers also realized something else. The borders weren''t at the edge of the terraign, since the terriagn quite literally had no idea.


    The border was in the sky and deep underground.


    On the other side of the battle, Noah channeled an enormous amount of mana into his de, and with a single sh, he created an arch sorge and powerful that even Cthulhu thought of it as a threat that needed to be destroyed before it reached him.


    While Noah wasn''t as strong as Ruben or Benjamin, he was still a force to be reckoned with.


    As the arch neared Cthulhu, the monstrous giant opened his mouth and began to charge a ball of pure darkness in his mouth, yet before he could release it, something happened.


    *FWHOOM*


    The wind blew in every direction as even Benjamin and Ruben looked back, feeling a tremendous amount of mana gather around Noah.


    ''Wait... Why can''t I absorb his mana anymore?!'' Cthulhu widened his eyes in shock, and once he looked into Noah''s eyes, he quickly understood something and shivered.


    ''Is he that void walker''s father... Wait, no. He''s not a void walker, so how is this- UGH!'' Cthulhu reeled over as the enormous arch sliced him across his torso, from his right shoulder to his left hip, opening up a cut so deep and wide that one could see his guts and organs almost fall out of his body.


    [You have received Zues'' blessing]


    Those words echoed within Noah''s mind as a gigantic lightning figure formed around him, creating a giant version of himself that rivaled the size of Cthulhu.


    ''Wait... Is that Zeus'' energy signature?! Did I just find myself against a family of monsters?!''


    ------


    [If you have enjoyed this chapter and would like to support the author, please vote using your power stones or golden tickets.


    Rewards for hitting certain milestones/quotas are in the synopsis.


    Join the discord now. You can find the link in the synopsis.]

 Chapter 151 Survivors [4] - Olympus Strike

    ?


    The power within the Terraign suddenly shifted as Cthulhu found himself facing against a creature at the same level of strength as him.


    The World of Darkness seemed to pulse with malevolent energy.


    The air crackled with bright blue lightning, and the ground beneath them trembled as Noah shot forward with so much speed that even Benjamin was struggling to see him.


    In an action filled with panic, Cthulhu shot a beam of darkness toward Noah, however, despite his powers having grown, Noah''s powers were far stronger than before.


    Currently, Noah was strongest than Benjamin, and hismandment was higher too. If he were to take into ount the fact that he had the blessing of a legendary figure like Zues, it would be fair to say that Cthulhu wouldn''t have stood a chance if not for the Terraign holding him together and allowing him to hold out against the like of Ruben, who was by far the strongest person on the.


    *BOOM*


    Suddenly, Noah was right in front of Cthulhu and had shed at him, creating a bolt of lightning so powerful that it made the enormous Cthulhu slide back a couple dozen meters.


    The realm itself seemed to react to the sh of powers, almost as if it were sentient, trying to quell the upheaval caused by their battle.


    Noah''s body was enveloped in a radiant aura of dazzling lightning. Bolts of electricity danced across his skin, illuminating the darkness around him and creating an eerie yet majestic spectacle. His movements were lightning-fast, almost too quick for the eye to follow, as he deftly dodged Cthulhu''s massive attacks and countered with his own lightning-infused strikes.


    Though strengthened by the World of Darkness, Cthulhu was fighting a battle that would eventually go in his favor as long as it was only Noah he had to worry about.


    In a way, Cthulhu already understood that he would die. There was no way in hell that he would reach the same power he had all those years ago before he was defeated by unity. Despite being quite old, Ruben was the one he was most scared of...


    However, what he was actually afraid of most wasn''t a person, but a me that burned within his chest and threatened to turn him to a crisp.


    But for now, that didn''t matter. His goal was to hold them off until his n seeded; right now, he could already feel it happening far away from where he was currently standing.


    "He''s stalling..." Noah muttered to himself when he realized that Cthulhu wasn''t using his full strength. Someone who was desperate would throw everything at them, even if it meant that his own men would die in the process, but Cthulhu wasn''t doing that.


    And right now, even though it might not have seemed like it, Cthulhu''s stalling nature began making things much harder on Noah.


    The moment he had unknowingly epted the blessing, he felt his body being assaulted by the lighting.


    The runes all over him from his lighting-tempered body were beginning to shine in their full glory, trying to stop the damage Zues'' lighting was causing to Noah''s body. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, it felt like something was making it nearly impossible for them to entirely ward off the blessing''s damage.


    At the same time, Cthulhu''s immense size and otherworldly strength made him a daunting adversary, and his dark energy seemed to warp reality around him. Every time his wounds healed, the realm seemed to shudder with an ominous aura, signifying the dangerous dance they were in.


    Noah''s de gleamed with electric arcs as he lunged forward, shing through the darkness with unmatched precision.


    Cthulhu roared in agony as the lightning-infused de cut into his flesh, causing even the World of Darkness to shiver in response.


    The wound was immense, but Cthulhu''s regenerative abilities were relentless. With each moment, his power seemed to surge, making the situation even more dire for Noah and the others.


    Meanwhile, Benjamin and Ruben were working together,bining their strength to defend against the unending horde of undead creatures that Cthulhu''s realm continued to produce. Despite their own weakened states due to the oppressive World of Darkness, they fought valiantly, making use of theirmandment abilities to hold the line and buy Noah precious time.


    Since Noah''s blessed self wasn''t affected by the Terraign, they were in, Noah was a lot more powerful than Benjamin.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>


    Even Ruben, who was so much stronger than Noah before the Terraign, was now only a little stronger than Noah.


    However, seeing that Noah was doing fine right now, Ruben stepped back and decided to help against the hordes of oing monsters. Despite the entire gxy being at stake if they failed this mission, Ruben''s only care was for his master.


    Olivia, who had frozen the undead earlier with her Absolute Zero ability, was now focused on maintaining her protective ice barrier around the remaining soldiers and instructors.


    The barrier was theirst line of defense against the relentless onught of the undead. She knew that the soldiers'' best hopey in finding a way to escape this realm before Cthulhu grew too powerful to stop.


    Back to the intense confrontation between Noah and Cthulhu, the heavens themselves seemed to quiver with anticipation as Noah gathered an immense amount of Zeus'' power.


    With a resolute look in his eyes, Noah unleashed a powerful lightning st so colossal that it illuminated the entire realm in a brilliant disy of raw energy.


    The bolt struck Cthulhu squarely, causing the gargantuan creature to howl in pain. The dark energy around him wavered and faltered for a brief moment. Seizing the opportunity, Noah pressed forward, shing and striking with unprecedented ferocity, attempting to find a weak spot in Cthulhu''s defenses.


    However, the World of Darkness was relentless in its suppression, and Noah could feel its oppressive force starting to take a toll on him, even with Zeus'' blessing protecting him. His movements were slightly slower, and his lightning seemed to flicker with uncertainty. Cthulhu, sensing his advantage, roared with renewed vigor,shing out at Noah with deadly precision.


    "Fuck... RUBEN! I NEED YOU''RE HELP! NOW!" Noah roared, yet Ruben was too busy protecting his master from the undying creatures that didn''t seem to grow any weaker no matter how many times they died.


    Actually, it looked like they were slowly gaining strength... No... That wasn''t the right word...


    It seemed like they were gaining experience every time they died, because, after their deaths, they would quickly reanimate and be much harder to kill the same way.


    Plus, with their hivemind in full strength, these experiences were shared throughout the entire colony, making them much harder to kill every as a group rather than just one or two of them improving at that rate.


    ''This realm seems to be infinite in nature... The only thing that''s not infinite is the sky above us and the ground below, since that''s where the true domain ends.'' Noah looked back at his wife, who was fighting for her life to keep the monsters back for as long as possible.


    ''If I push this thing away from here, I''ll probably be able to use the full strength of this blessing without having to worry about hurting the others here...'' Noah thought to himself before looking at Cthulhu with a slight grin.


    Tightening his grip around the Katana, he was holding, suddenly, lightning shot down from the skies, shooting through the Terraign itself and striking Noah.


    His body was now instantly covered in blue crackling armor filled withing lightning energy that seemed to havee from Zeus himself.


    And then, Noah flickered for a moment, and before Cthulhu could even react to what was about to happen, he felt himself get shrouded in lightning before he eventually disappeared from where he was standing and quickly appeared several miles away in an instant.


    "Wha-" Cthulhu''s eyes widened as a bearded figure descended from the sky. The figure was illusory and almost asrge as Cthulhu himself, having the size to be able to look over entire mountains without even trying.


    ''Oh no... Is that-''


    [Zeus'' lightning]


    [Olymus Bolt]


    And just like that, Cthulhu''s vision was blinded by a bright light before an enormous explosion urred, erasing the ground, sky and sending cracks throughout the entire Terraign.


    The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and


    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!